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.
Topic: How do you pay for your lenses? (Read 9803 times)
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. Maybe this is why I struggle to carry my 70-200 2.8: I need to eat more to get more strength! hihihi
