[Racer X 69]

After scanning through this thread, something that hasn't been talked about yet as an expensive hobby is model trains. Model trains cost wise has to be one of the most expensive hobby out there. Just to give an idea on prices, an N-scale Direct current (DC) engine goes for around 70-100 dollars and the Digital command control (DCC) engines are going 100 dollars and up. The rolling stock (box cars, grain cars and the like), depending on who made them, 10-30 dollars each and you can never get enough of them. That is N-scale. HO-scale can be more expensive but can also be cheaper on some items. Z-scale engines are priced around 300 - 400 dollars, and if you really want to spend some money, 1 1/2 foot scale, big enough to ride on, $13,000 for an engine and 400 to 600 dollars for the cars.


Also when you add in the cost of track, power for your layout, buildings, scenic materials, building everything and the fact that most people will never finish there layout, adds up to a lot of $$$$ going out the door.

I had an HO layout as a teenager. The last time my family moved there was no room for it, so it wound up in the barn, where it didn't fare too well. I had boxed up all my locomotives and rolling stock, but lost track of it all. When my mom sold the property to developers a few years back the stuff was likely stored in the attic, long forgotten. And all of my stuff was from before the "Made In China" era.

Every now and then I look at the build and fabricate it yourself trains, big enough to sit on and ride. I have the room a bit over 6 acres. But when I start looking at costs, I give up my aspirations.

And Mrs. Racer has made it clear that I am welcome to take on a new hobby.

Provided I get rid of one of the others.

[JimJohnson]

After scanning through this thread, something that hasn't been talked about yet as an expensive hobby is model trains. ... Also when you add in the cost of track, power for your layout, buildings, scenic materials, building everything and the fact that most people will never finish there layout, adds up to a lot of $$$$ going out the door.

The only solution is to join a club and devote your life to it. Check out this site - Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg - model building - model railway Hamburg - and if you do any travel, do visit the club house in Hamburg's warehouse district along the canal. When I was there in 2011, members had invested almost 500 work years. Stand in the control room and watch an HO scale train from the train's view (camera mounted on the train). The train speed is also HO scale and you will think you are riding the real thing. There is also a fully automated large commercial airport and a commercial harbor; and more, MUCH more. I am not a huge train fan, but my party had to practically drag me out after many hours.

Not expecting much on this day trip, all I had with me was my Olympus P&S. There are no restrictions against kids or photography.

[PPPPPP42]

Photography doesn't have to be expensive, we just make it that way.

New photographers should be allowed to borrow top end pro gear for their first week, so that they will realize they still suck even with a ton of expensive gear. Then maybe they will concentrate on the photography itself.

I am no better, I am currently trying to explain to myself why I need either an A or FA 35mm F2 (and 28mm F2) when I already have that covered by the only slightly slower but infinitely more versatile A35-105 F3.5. My current best answer is shake reduction is a pain with manual focus zooms. I already talked myself into the faster and way more expensive F2 versions just because I vastly prefer at least 6 blade apertures over 5 blade and there is just something so fun about stopping down to F2.8.

I do black and white film photography too, but I think I will be getting out of it since for as little as I do it where I live now, I will lose more chemicals to expiration rather than use and that kills it for me so I think it'll go on hold until I move back to the city.

[monochrome]

After scanning through this thread, something that hasn't been talked about yet as an expensive hobby is model trains. Model trains cost wise has to be one of the most expensive hobby out there. Just to give an idea on prices, an N-scale Direct current (DC) engine goes for around 70-100 dollars and the Digital command control (DCC) engines are going 100 dollars and up. The rolling stock (box cars, grain cars and the like), depending on who made them, 10-30 dollars each and you can never get enough of them. That is N-scale. HO-scale can be more expensive but can also be cheaper on some items. Z-scale engines are priced around 300 - 400 dollars, and if you really want to spend some money, 1 1/2 foot scale, big enough to ride on, $13,000 for an engine and 400 to 600 dollars for the cars.


Also when you add in the cost of track, power for your layout, buildings, scenic materials, building everything and the fact that most people will never finish there layout, adds up to a lot of $$$$ going out the door.

On3 Brass. Now that's serious money!!

[Racer X 69]

The only solution is to join a club and devote your life to it. Check out this site - Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg - model building - model railway Hamburg - and if you do any travel, do visit the club house in Hamburg's warehouse district along the canal. When I was there in 2011, members had invested almost 500 work years. Stand in the control room and watch an HO scale train from the train's view (camera mounted on the train). The train speed is also HO scale and you will think you are riding the real thing. There is also a fully automated large commercial airport and a commercial harbor; and more, MUCH more. I am not a huge train fan, but my party had to practically drag me out after many hours.

Not expecting much on this day trip, all I had with me was my Olympus P&S. There are no restrictions against kids or photography.

I saw that last year, someone e-mailed me a link. Way too cool.

Way.

Too.

Cool.

Like you, they would have to drag me out.

Photography doesn't have to be expensive, we just make it that way.

New photographers should be allowed to borrow top end pro gear for their first week, so that they will realize they still suck even with a ton of expensive gear. Then maybe they will concentrate on the photography itself.

A certainly have to agree. Seen much work done by "pros" using "pro" gear that sucked.

And I have seen absolute masterpieces come from rank amateurs using mediocre gear.

[Pepe Le Pew]

LOL....it pays to be an empty nester

It pays not to have kids.......

[dansamy]

It pays not to have kids.......

Lord yes. They're expensive! Especially their feeding. All I EVER hear is "Mom, I I'm hungry!" usually about 5 minutes after lunch or dinner.

[bigdavephoto]

I had an HO layout as a teenager. The last time my family moved there was no room for it, so it wound up in the barn, where it didn't fare too well. I had boxed up all my locomotives and rolling stock, but lost track of it all. When my mom sold the property to developers a few years back the stuff was likely stored in the attic, long forgotten. And all of my stuff was from before the "Made In China" era.

Every now and then I look at the build and fabricate it yourself trains, big enough to sit on and ride. I have the room a bit over 6 acres. But when I start looking at costs, I give up my aspirations.

And Mrs. Racer has made it clear that I am welcome to take on a new hobby.

Provided I get rid of one of the others.

I can't say for certain about HO but I know a lot of the N scale is still made in the USA and or Japan.

The only solution is to join a club and devote your life to it. Check out this site - Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg - model building - model railway Hamburg - and if you do any travel, do visit the club house in Hamburg's warehouse district along the canal. When I was there in 2011, members had invested almost 500 work years. Stand in the control room and watch an HO scale train from the train's view (camera mounted on the train). The train speed is also HO scale and you will think you are riding the real thing. There is also a fully automated large commercial airport and a commercial harbor; and more, MUCH more. I am not a huge train fan, but my party had to practically drag me out after many hours.

Not expecting much on this day trip, all I had with me was my Olympus P&S. There are no restrictions against kids or photography.

That layout in Hamburg is great. I think there is also one similar to it in or around Cincinnati, Ohio.

On3 Brass. Now that's serious money!!

Yes it is. The most expensive engine I ever saw was at Caboose Hobby's in Denver, Colorado. It was G scale and it was $25,000.

[Alex Nostalgix]

Nah this is.

[altopiet]

is photography your most expensive hobby?

No...my wife is...

[Tsuken]

I've bought two cameras (Lumix G10 and Pentax K-30) and a total (across the two) of 6 lenses (+ the Lumix kit lens). Total would be, I'm guessing, in the region of $2,000 or so.

That wouldn't quite pay for my first (semi-)custom guitar. Prior to getting that I had at least a couple of thousand dollars of guitars, plus a chunk of money gone in effects and amps. After that I got a totally-custom guitar which was close to $3,000.

So music wins my most expensive hobby.

[MadMathMind]

Photography is my most expensive hobby now.

When I was in college and round 1 of graduate school, I played competitive Magic: the Gathering. THAT was an expensive hobby! I sold my cards about 8 years ago now and got into home theater and Blu-ray. That's fun, but once you get gear you like, there's really no reason to replace it, since "killer features" are pretty rare these days. Most of it involves goofy internet technologies and integration with web services I don't use. Even then, there's no reason to pay for a smart TV when a $100 Roku box does it all and more; plus, when something new comes out, the Roku box is a cheap upgrade.

Based on what I got for my cards and what it costs to keep building new decks, MtG is historically my most expensive hobby. Amazingly, if I'd kept my collection until now, I'd almost be able to retire on what it would sell for. I had a lot of very old cards that doubled and tripled their (outrageous then!) value in the years following my sale. I look at the prices of some cards now and think "Geez...how can so many young guys without any real money afford to play this game?!?"

One thing that was good about Magic is that you could get your money back when you decided you were done--plus profit. It was almost like an investment. Photography is at least mostly the same; old camera bodies don't hold terribly well, but lenses do. There's much less risk in buying a new lens because if you take care of it, you can often get 50-80% of what you paid for it back. That's definitely not true in most other electronics hobbies.

[Racer X 69]

Nah this is.

Is that your Dastun?

[Aux]

My most expensive hobby is mountain biking. I've never thought about it before, actually...

[gaweidert]

Mine was collecting firearms. At one time my collection was near 80 or so. But as I near retirement I have really culled the herd so to speak and only have a few that I keep to shoot. Now that this phase of my life is over and I am getting back into photography again after a long hiatus as live got in the way I see photography becoming my most expensive hobby again.

Interestingly enough, I get the same relaxing feeling shooting a camera as I do a firearm. I prefer outdoor/nature/wildlife photography. In order to do both well, you have to slow down your body, control you breathing, clear you mind of all the clutter that everyday life adds to it. It's like a meditation and leaves me relaxed.