[ducdao]

With all the lenses that I bought over past couple years to build up my lenses collection, most wife would definitely went crazy but mine was very supportive. When we have guests at home, after seeing my lenses collection they often look at my wife and asked her how did she manage to let me buy all those "useless" pieces of metal, she replies back with a grin saying that "at least my husband's hobby is a healthy one and why not as long as we can afford it"

Seriously, life is short, so might as well make the most of it while we still can.

[casil403]

I compare hobbies such as golf or skiing to photography and actually it is very much more inexpensive.
Once you buy the equipment it costs nothing, unlike other hobbies such as golf or skiing where every time you want to partake, it costs more money in entry/admission/memberships/season passes and other fees.

Photography is a hobby that gives you choice. It can be as inexpensive or as expensive as you choose to make it.

I work at a golf course and the membership and fees to join are a really equal to good down payment on a house or an outright purchase of a very expensive car. Add in the cost of clubs, bags and other gear and wow!

If it were me, I would be telling my partner who hassled me that they should be lucky I chose photography!!!!

[libbyh]

Photography can be seen as expensive or affordable option as someone makes it out to be. For that matter, so can most hobbies (save the extremely high ticket items like aviation, etc).

I've been enjoying photography for over a decade and my best guess will be that i've spent close to 15-20k over that period. But how do you want to rationlize the cost? is it cost per year - what if you go long bouts without shooting? is it then cost per usage time? My point is, we should stop rationalizing it and just enjoy it - warts and all. I'm just as guilty as anyone else of wanting my share of toys, and interest in the advancing technology. That's always been a part of it, just that it moves more rapidly now.

I feel the same way about my cycling. It's a sunk investment, and I enjoy logging some long miles on the road. I'll never be a pro, but I enjoy the latest uber light componentry as anyone else.

In the end, let's not try and appease our conscience to justify how we spend our money. Spend your money how you will, because that's why you work hard for it and just enjoy.

BTW If you enjoy Settlers you should give Carcasonne a try. Can be played with 2 people and the game strategy gets significantly more complex as you add players.

Cheers,
Lib

[ChooseAName]

I do own Carcassonne and I mentioned it in my post It was the first one we ever got and it's usually the first game we introduce to n00bs or non-board-gamers.

I always wonder about these stories how the wife accepts this or that or how she reacts to this or that. Over our household we do it differently. We both have our own bank accounts and then a common one where we both transfer a certain amount of money each month and where all the common expenses are paid from. Mrs. emr does not know and does not care what I buy and I rarely mention it either. Sometimes she can mention stuff like seeing two cameras at the same time that "oh, you have two of those" and every now and then she makes jokes about buying stuff when I need to get something from the post office again.

Of course, we both work and make about as much money, so it helps.

EDIT: Oh, I forgot to mention that I have no other hobbies and am too lazy to even have photography as a proper hobby.

[jmschrei]

I was divorced long before taking up photography. The ex remarried and has engaged in a selection of expensive hobbies while I raised the kids through their teens. When I started to get into photography last year I felt it was about time I spent a little money on myself. So now I have only my guilty conscience and line of credit to answer to when I buy something for my hobby.
-Joe

[JeffJS]

Sometimes it's fun to mix the hobbies.



They're all as expensive as we choose to make them. If you're into watercraft for instance, you can choose a 15-20 foot outboard dingy or a 50 foot cabin cruiser. They will both propel you across the water but the question becomes, how comfortable (and probably safe) do you want to be about it?

[Nowhere Matt]

My three main hobbies are photography, music and roller hockey.
I have always been a man of modest and somewhat frugal means. The 1990's were a time of my greatest expansions because of little responsibilities and a certain amount of expendable cash. So I was buying a lot of records and compact discs; sometimes six albums a month had three or four film cameras and would sometimes play roller hockey about seven hours over the course of a week.
Today I play hockey less than five hours a week. I am a goaltender and many rinks or organized leagues allow goalies to play for little or no fee. Because I am at a particular place at my age, ability, level of play and reasoning, my goalie gear is very light and comparitively inexpensive and I go to maybe two tournaments a year. I can say that the money I spent so far this year for hockey, (pick up games and two leagues cost me nothing) which included a set of clearance leg pads, blocker and catch glove and fees for two tournaments might be as much as I have spent of the 10 lenses and two film cameras I have bought this year. Money spent on Albums and blank cd-r disc and a few songs downloaded, a handful of concerts? Might
be a tad less than the combined total of the previous two sets of examples.

[pickles]

Cars are my number one "interest"...always has been, particularly V8s.
And actually, it was cars that got me into photography....because I wanted to take pictures of them!
And of course, photography has been a brilliant way of recording good times, family history etc.....as well as cars!
Photography doesn't cost me a lot now...In the past I've had a couple of LXs, pretty much ALL of the LX accessories, then I lost interest & sold the lot.
But I kept my SP11. I don't use it all the time, but I do enjoy the feel of it, & working with the lovely Takumar lenses.
As far as cars being expensive....well, I suppose they can be, but if you buy something good in the first place, maintenance costs should be reasonable. We're in a few car clubs.....which are not, as some may think, all about cars! They're not....it's all about socializing, a few drinks, having a good time, mixing with others with like interests....something my wife & I both enjoy!
We do own a digital camera...a Canon Powershot which we bought for my wife when she trekked the Kokoda Track last year....so we use that and a Pentax 105R Date(SENSATIONAL little camera) for everyday use. I'm not interested in digital....I'm hopeless with computer technology & all that sort of stuff, so I think I'll be sticking with my SP 11, & although nice Takumar lens are becoming more & more expensive, I'm sure my "camera expenses" will remain "within budget"!
Cheers, Pickles.

[robbiec]

Photography and the lba and cba trips have actually kinda taken over the other hobbies a bit, my mrs is generally ok as long as I don't mention her shoes and clothes buying addictions, do you know that a Limited lens is equal to some guy called Cavelli where shoes are concerned?
I have come to the end on my lba now though, I know exactly which lenses I need / want (delete as you think applicable ) and have a plan in place to get them.
My other hobbies are my Peugeot 205 GTI which needs some TLC and basically I've been given 6 months to get it sorted or get rid of which has focussed my attention a bit. Its completely standard which is so hard to find these days. Thats the next few months gone. Its gonna be a great subject for taking pictures though methinks, a pictorial essay in 205 GTI restoration. Might need a macro to get the real detail shots though!
My other hobby was online simming with IL2 Sturmovik which matched nicely with my love putting new bits into the pc, little things like a couple of ssd drives in raid 0 or maybe a new cpu every now and again. There is a new version coming out towards the end of the year so the pc will need another refresh!
Hobbies huh? Expensive things....

[icarus]

Photography and the lba and cba trips have actually kinda taken over the other hobbies a bit, my mrs is generally ok as long as I don't mention her shoes and clothes buying addictions, do you know that a Limited lens is equal to some guy called Cavelli where shoes are concerned?

HA - so true, and lenses don't really depreciate, unlike shoes! That is how I justify my purchases. If I don't like a lens or don't use it enough, I can just turn around and sell it at a small loss, no more than what it would have cost me to rent said lens for a week or two, especially, if you buy good glass or are buying used to begin with.

My other "hobby" is cycling. I have three bikes, a roady, mountain bike, and commuter. Yah, good bikes are pricey, but I only replace a bike every 4-5 years and, really, its my way of staying fit so I don't buy a gym membership, etc...

My fiance doesn't really say too much about what I buy - she's actually extremely cool about my personal purchases so I will consider myself lucky!!

[monochrome]

Actually, photography is a lot cheaper than some of my other hobbies such as golf.
Green fees, club memberships, clubs, road trips, tournaments, the driving range, balls and the 19th hole make photography look like a bargain in comparison. This doesn't even take into account the 6 hours or so a round can take from the time you leave home, play and get back. I think my wife is happier that I'm shooting feathered birdies rather than playing golf as much as I used to.

Tom G

Thankfully I never took up a hobby where the practitioners are so obsessive about their gear, rules of good play, locations, gear, Sysiphean practice requirements for little gain, natural talent, the "eye" for it, gear replacement cycle, time commitment, playing against oneself, not the other guy, gear and gear . . .

as golf.

No wait.

[monochrome]

Other hobbies less expensive than (Pentax) photography which I have been known to indulge in:



Fly Fishing for Trout ->

• Many different expensive (rods) for various applications, both vintage and new
• Many different expensive (reels) for various applications, both vintage and new
• Many different expensive (flies) that are only used once each in a lifetime, if that often
• Much disposable / consumable equipment to obsess about
• Extensive travel to locations where you can practice the hobby
• No one knows what you did but you
• Hobby sub-hobbies
  • (Fly tying), and associated specialized gear
  • (Rod) Building, and associated specialized gear
  • Vintage gear collecting, much of whiich is too precious to actually use
  • Reading, writing, discussing and internet obsessing about all of the above

Model Railroading:

• Same as above - fill in the (...)

Britains lead soldier modeling, collecting and war-gaming

• Same as above - fill in the (...)

Those are just the currently-active hobbies

[glennm]

on page here. my wife's favorite quip is "he stays with a hobby until he spends all the money he can then he finds another hobby". annnnnnd she's probably right (a little). i admit to OCD and my recent plunge into photography hasnt been cheap, but oooooohhhhh i'm having fun. still spend time with the old hobbies too by the way.
my solution: I bought her a camera first.

HE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS WINS!!!!!

[Horst-Helmut]

I do own Carcassonne and I mentioned it in my post It was the first one we ever got and it's usually the first game we introduce to n00bs or non-board-gamers.

Carcassonne is great, that got me back into boardgames. I'm more of an oldschool type of gamer. I like to hang out with my friends and play traditionally with controllers attached to the machine or people around the board. Never found out the "thing" of online gaming.

Nothing better than beating your friend in say, Virtua tennis 2 on Sega Dreamcast and throwing down some humiliating comments about how they suck at it. Social gaming at it's best.

I used to collect music when I was dj'ing but got kind of bored of the electronic music culture in Finland. More like an ass licking contest of known organizers and nothing to do with talent you got. I know some technically talented dj's that sold all their gear and vinyls because they just didn't get gigs, even when they marketed themselves.

I'm not saying I'm talented in any way when it comes to music, it was fun while it lasted and I didn't even try to push myself into "the scene".
Spent quite a bit of money on records and still buy music when I bump into something I think is worth it. Mostly 2nd hand 80's/italo disco these days.

Photography is not an expensive hobby if you don't get sucked into the latest and greatest hype. Just buy once what you need, preferably quality stuff and your good to go for years.
Why is my M-50mm/1.4 & Pentax ME from late 70's still rocking? Because they were made to last, those things are older than me and in better shape.