How do you pay for your lenses?

[Nassen0f]

Well as the topic says, how do you afford the lenses you have?

Ofcourse, there are those of you that take photos for a profession, but what about us hobbyists, with middle of the range wallets?

And do you have a funny story about coming up with the money for a lens you REALY wanted?

Personaly, i just got my first L, 70-200 f/4L and im afraid I've been bit by the L-glass bug already 

[ecka]

I don't smoke, therefore I can afford some decent lenses
But if I stop eating and drinking, then perhaps I'll be able to buy all the L glass available.

[candyman]

I stop eating chocolate for 6 months (that is my maximum), save the money (yeah I like to eat a lot) and add money I got for selling a lens.

[unruled]

I'm a broke student..so uh.. Eat less for a few months and work more hours in my parttime job.

[kidnaper]

I buy and sell things to finance my lenses. For instance, the HTC Flyer had a price error middle of last year and I pocketed 600 dollars in about 30 minutes which put me in range for the 70-200 IS II.

[cdang]

With an arm here and a leg there. I always tell myself one more lens.. then I just put it on the good o' credit card and worry about it later. 

[GoldenEagle]

I try to let my clients pay for my lenses. That is, I use fees from previous engagements to pay for lenses I'll use in the future.

[Axilrod]

Owning people playing poker, paid cash for every lens in my sig +
2 different 24-70L
1 other copy of 35L
100 MacroL
70-200 f/2.8IS
50 1.4, 85 1.8

And up until November 2010 all I had was a T2i/18-55. 

[JR]

Cash!  Sometime this means I don't eat for weeks at a time  .  Maybe this is why I struggle to carry my 70-200 2.8: I need to eat more to get more strength!  hihihi

 

[bigblue1ca]

It's boring but I have a few different savings accounts for various things and I have one for photography gear; so bi-weekly I automatically transfer money into that account.  Then when I either save up the entire amount for what I want or 80-90% of it, I'll pull the trigger. 

[briansquibb]

I have a decent pension and no debts ....

[vuilang]

I DONT HAVE a GIRLFRIEND............ that's explain everything??

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I set aside money until I have enough.  Then, I use my CC.  The bill is automatically deducted in full each month, I never carry a balance. 

[Dianoda]

Well as the topic says, how do you afford the lenses you have?

Ofcourse, there are those of you that take photos for a profession, but what about us hobbyists, with middle of the range wallets?

And do you have a funny story about coming up with the money for a lens you REALY wanted?

Personaly, i just got my first L, 70-200 f/4L and im afraid I've been bit by the L-glass bug already 

I'm not afraid to buy used when the price is right - and picked up a 1.4x III teleconverter for $325 on craigslist, basically brand new.  Other than that, I believe patience is key.  I wait for things to go on sale/rebate - my 70-200 f/2.8 IS II was about $2075 after rebate from B&H, and when I bought my 7D ($1600 after $100 instant rebate), I picked up a Pro9500 Mark II printer for $200 net (combo rebate of $500 when purchased with the camera body).  I also recently bought a Samyang 35mm f/1.4 for $375 (usually $470-500) from an Amazon lighting deal a few weeks ago.  Pretty sure my 100L Macro was on rebate, too.

Another option is rentals - when I backpacked Sequoia National Park last summer, I rented a 24mm f/1.4L II.  It was great to have, as it was smaller, lighter, faster, and wider than anything I owned at the time.  I was able to get a few interesting astrophotography shots at the higher elevations, some nice landscapes, a few HDRs, and several handheld panos - none of which would have been possible without the lens, and renting it for two weeks was much cheaper than buying.

I've also done some semi-professional work - family portraits, engagement photos, pets - easy, low-pressure stuff.  My clients (if you can call them that) are almost always family/friends, family friends or friends of friends - I let them decide the what my time is worth based on the results, and honestly I don't really care if I get paid at all.  But it's fun, and whatever I do make supports the hobby.

While I'm on a rant, I really should talk up the Samyang.  If you can deal with a full manual lens and don't mind a bit of barrel distortion (as much as you'd find in any wide and fast prime), I highly recommend the Samyang 35mm f/1.4.  Wide open, I think contrast/sharpness could be better (I'm thoroughly spoiled by the wide open performance of the 100L and 70-200 2.8L IS II), but the lens behaves very well from f/2.0 and beyond.  Stopped down to f/5.6 it feels sharper than both the 100L and 70-200 IS II.  Given the low price, I was impressed with the build quality - not an L, but definitely a step above the non-L canon primes - it feels close to a non-weathersealed 100L.

[CowGummy]

okay... looks like my comment got deleted due to mentioning procreation...