Another steal!

Pentax smc DA 50mm f/1.8 Lens 22177 B&H Photo Video

[mee]

She was of the "Tell me what you need and I'll show you how to live without it." school of thought. Whenever I channel her spirit on the forum I always get in big trouble. People don't want to know how to do things, they want to buy more stuff. And that's why Pentax has survived to this day.

I see this is the mentality of the past several generations, sadly. We have largely become a throw-away society.. no patience to repair, to adapt, or to mature... don't repair that item, toss it in the trash heap and get a brand new one. Don't try to make due at work, get a brand new one. Don't work on that relationship, get a brand new one.

I respect the past generations that lived as your grandmother did for that reason. Resourceful and hard working.. less complaints and more action. We need more of that mentality today. I know I sure do!


Back on topic, I bought this lens USED for $150 a year or two ago and got a really nice deal on it at the time. Now one can buy it for 50 less brand new. Really really nice price.

[Tanzer]

I'm not an economist but I think the throw-away attitude might really be driven by natural economic forces. Much of the world's economy today is driven by consumption. That doesn't mean people buy stuff for no reason -- rather, people find clever and creative ways to produce goods that are cheaper than it would cost for you to make by yourself -- or to repair by yourself, if you extend that argument a little. Pretty soon, it doesn't make so much sense to repair something, you buy new, and then the thing that might have been otherwise repaired gets thrown away.

I have a 17-year old car with 250k miles on it, and I am about to change the timing belt, exhaust, brakes, and some suspension bits to keep it running, but honestly I'm well past the point where it really makes the most economic sense to do so. I do all of my maintenance and repair work myself, so the problem is not just about money, it's really about all the time. You can keep a car running forever, but it doesn't always make the most sense. In my case it's more about pride and stubbornness.

While the DA50 is an awesome deal, I haven't bought it (yet) because I just don't need another lens and sometimes just having another lens presents something of a liability -- one more thing to consider carrying when on a photo walk, or another lens change that wasn't necessary that just dumped more dust on my sensor.