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The greed for photography equipment

14 March 2010 24 Comments

The adventure started more than 15years ago, with a film camera which I obtained after purchasing some amount of a certain product (if am not mistaken, it was Nestle).

Shooting during university days

Later on during university days, I had a Vivitar 2MP point and shoot model which I always carried with me, either in my bag or on my belt. It was of great use to me, but unfortunately, it ate up the battery too quick. A few months later, I purchased a mobile with a VGA camera, and the mobile was replaced with my current one, a Nokia N73, 3MP…

In fact, loads of pictures on this blog have been shot using the N73. Being handy and of pretty good quality, this mobile helps me a lot for blogging…

Moving to the next step

Then came the Fujifilm S5600… It really changed things around because it was a very much different experience… However, I was tempted to step into the real photography world and acquired a D5000 a few months ago…

As an amateur, it really cost me “la peau des fesses” and I told myself “Buy something good, so that you can stick to it for years without any need to spend more…”. This was the decision.

However, living in a world, now considered as a global village, can really be a bad thing for your pocket, especially if you become addicted to photography blogs and Ebay… However, a few things are worth to be bought from Mauritius only, it all depends on the

Taking the above into consideration, I bought a UV filter (see on the photoblog), followed by a lens hood (on photoblog too) and a LCD plastic cover…

A few weeks ago, I finally went for a tripod in a specialized local photography equipment shop (Rs2000)… Then came the day on which I decided to buy a wireless remote controller, which reached home 3 weeks ago!

Remote Control

Wait….

I just received a parcel yesterday and you know what?

My Tamron 70-300mm F4-5.6 Di LD for Nikon (with built in Motor)…. A blog post will come soon in the coming days .

UPDATED : Here is the blog article for those who want more details about this purchase, once again from ebay.

For now : It is sooooooo wow! :-)

Looking for something to offer me?

So, friends, the wish list for my forthcoming birthdays (22nd March) are :

  1. a 35mm or 50mm 1.8G/1.4G AF-S (around $230)
    Update : PURCHASED!
  2. an external flash (most probably SB-600; around $230-250)
    Update : PURCHASED!
  3. a 18-105mm lens for daily use.
    Update : PURCHASED!

Start saving your money, perhaps you can buy one of the above for me by next year :P

Most photographers (Amateurs or Pros) might agree, the quest for more photography equipment will never stop.

A few things I learnt since the last months ; Photography as a hobby can turn to be very costly and Ebay, a real addiction.

Related Posts:

Mauritius Loto
  • http://themediaguru.blogspot.com carrotmadman6

    The camera (& its equipment) does not make the photographer… :P

    Well, waiting for the review of the lens (I’m lost among the mm & the Fs). & I hope you’ve got a cure for your eBay addiction. ;)

  • Chidi

    Tell me about it .. especially when your a student and cant afford anything you might need, and mother refuses to get it for you.

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Carrot : Yeah sure, and More megapixels do not make better photos… I agree.
    Oh, don’t worry, I will explain that mm and Fs in the next post then ;)
    I was kindda lost too at first.
    An ebay cure? Buy everything you need, then you won’t have to check ebay every second :P
    lol, at least, I will be away from ebay for the next months, I hope…

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Chidi : As a student, I don’t think one can really afford anything expensive. Mobiles can be an exception since parents may be willing to buy one cool for their grown up kids. But I don’t think that they will see photography as something worthy. Correct me if I am wrong.
    But things may be different if your parents did actually like photography.

    Unfortunately, I think that you might have to wait for the end of your studies, work a few months and buy what you really want. All the best!

  • Yudz

    having mixed feelings.. tempted by photography n turned off by the cost :S

  • curiousEngine

    My cousin had also invested ‘greedily’ on equipment for Aerial Photography, stuff bought via carte bleue online of course.

    With z great quality of pics coming, z retrn frm investment was positive and wiz no eBay addiction ;)

  • http://hisharkness.com Joyshan

    Yes yes, I do agree! And eBay addiction is far more addictive than drugs :S
    there aren’t any great gadget available for my semi pro, I prefer not invest in that, rather i’v bought my second rc helicopter and a wireless camera to integrate with it. The real pain however remains the delivery time… 3 weeks is long time :(

  • Kunal

    lol Yashvin, it indeed is very very addicting!! Last week i blew up $2399 on a 100-400mm f2.8L lens :(

  • yurit0s

    hey we need same, a 35 or 50mm lens and a flash gun ;)

  • Avishna

    how much is postage from Ebay?

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Avishna : It depends on various things :
    - Country
    - Size of Package
    - Shipping chosen
    - etc

    And some items have free shipping too, but it will take loads of time to come.

  • Avishna

    Nikon – At the heart of image

  • http://www.geekscribes.net/blog Inf

    I was tempted with photography too. But still I am a student, the cost is too high for me at the moment.

    I can’t afford the equipment, so for the moment, I am stuck with a small point-and-shoot! :)

  • David

    Man! how i do understand your craze rite now! since last month i did buy 1 new lens (the no1 on ur list ^^) as well as a new flash (no2 on ur list! hehe ) and now as if it was not enough, i cant get the Nikon 18-200mm Vr zoom out of my mind!!

  • http://doorgeshphotography.wordpress.com/ Doorgesh Mungur

    I understand how u feel. you always feel that u never have enuf

    for the time being i have a Nikon D80 + a Nikon D60

    The following lenses:

    Nikkor 50mm f1.8
    Nikkor 18 – 70
    Nikkor 18 – 105
    Nikkor 28 mm f2.8
    Sigma 28 – 105
    Tamron 70 – 300

    The following flashes :

    Sb 600
    Sb 900

    Additional equipment :
    tripod
    monopod
    Speedlight prokit 6
    Speedlight Beauty dish
    Gary fong whale tail
    Silver reflector

    I still feel i dont have enuf…

    next step, hopefully, Nikon D700 :D

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Doorgesh : lol **$hy**

  • Raj K-B

    As a photo enthusiast with little initially to spare, one of the first things that I did was to read and read and read reviews and consult with friends re which gear would be more suitable to my needs and so on. It doesn’t mean that the frenzy for gear abates, obviously :D
    But after some time, you realise that there are things in your camera bag that you will rarely use and some that you will always reach out for. For instance, it’s amazing how handy a polarizer filter or an ND filter is, whereas I bought a remote trigger that I only use for tripod shots indoors (which I dont do often…
    I guess when you start with this hobby, you find that you get what you pay for… you start feeling that if you invest a lot in “good” lenses or “good” camera, you will get better returns from the investment. I’m starting to find that it’s not really the gear which makes the picture but rather patience, skill and knowing one’s gear and technique. That has curbed my ebay purchases somewhat. But it doesnt mean that I have stopped completely. I do look out for a cheap (but good) deal out there for miscellaneous equipment. But I foresee a time not too far in the future where I’ll be selling some of my lenses…

  • http://www.webdesign-bureau-of-mauritius.com Sachin @ Web Design Bureau of Mauritius

    There’s a word for this for us guitarists, it’s called GAS : Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Many guitarists think that having a better guitar, better amp or nicest pedals will improve their playing but the real thing is to learn and practice a lot. GAS usually gets people to kill their personal budget and I even know some broke people who have concert quality gear but only play in their lounge :-D .

  • http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin

    @Sachin : lol! I don’t know for guitars and accessories, but to some extent it can be said to be true here too. However, there are things which might be different different lenses = different situations/conditions etc…

    You know how we call them? “Artistes en herbe” :P

    Thanks for ur visit here once more :-)

  • Raj K-B

    @ Sachin: It’s called by the same name on many photography forums: G.A.S :p

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  • http://mauritiusphotography.blog.com Mauritius Photography

    Great tips dude..thanks for the advice.

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