Definition of lens lust...

[TOLady]

When you have to buy a new refrigerator, and you discover that you've gotta dole out $1400 for a big white box whose sole purpose is to keep food from spoiling?????!!!!!! All that was going through my mind was "think of which lens I could have bought.... which one, which two.... damn, what a big fat waste of money" Is this now how my brain will work on all purchases??? This is a disease, not a lust!

 

[eng45ine]

Great analogy, Sandy. In my opinion, it is a disease and it is truly hard to overcome. You enter the Cafe, you open a magazine, a newspaper, a brochure, look at friend's snapshots...images everywhere and the photographical monster within forces you to consider what it will take to capture similar images yourself. Close-ups, landscapes, fast glass, fish-eye, extenders...there is no end to the possibilities, just the limitations of your budget. Five years ago, I would have never guessed that I would have invested this kind of money and time into photography... I have been aflicted by LLD...Is there no cure??? :roll:

 

[TOLady]

Frank, you know what's even worse than magazines for pulling money out of your pocket??? NEVER EVER EVER go browsing in camera stores with a fellow photography buddy! It's a funfest of "ooooo, look at this, oh yeah, I could use that". I've worked hard all my life and banked it so money is no longer a worry for me (trust me, I've paid my dues!) but looking at the corner of the kitchen where my gear is stashed, and that's a whole new truck, or a flashy piece of blingbling (I'm a devoted fan of diamonds), or a renovated kitchen sitting there quietly.
Yes, we look at other pictures, or even re-read photography magazines and books and think "yeah, I could get that shot if I only had 'x' " I've got no kids so now I've even got friends who say "if you croak, I want your equipment" *LMAO*
Yes, photography is a lust, a demon that dwells within, it consumes us and we view everything in the world in pictures now. My house used to be cleaner, my hobbies were more varied, my chores were all caught up and then photography happened! And it's not just lens lust, it's also monitor lust - 'gotta see 'em bigger' so you lash out the big bucks for a 23". It's card lust - pop in a new card and you drool when the LCD reads "220" pictures to go and you think 'yeahhhh, let's do some serious shooting. Ready, set, go!' Why, oh why did we ever subject ourselves to this thoughtless master called Photography.... *LOL*

 

[fks]

hi sandi-

my car is seven years old and i'm overdue for a new one, but i keep on thinking that the money i'd spend on a new car would be better off on a d2x, or more lenses (12-24mm, 400mm, 200mm macro, etc.), or some studio lights and backdrops....the list goes on and on.

i feel your pain :wink:

ricky

 

[eng45ine]

Great follow-up Sandi. If there is a true positive to the disease, many people in this world go about their normal day not "seeing the world around them". Through photography, we are taking our best opportunity to see the world around us. Whether shooting macro or landscape...sports, portraits in a park...we are seeing what the world has to offer. The ones who really take advantage of the opportunity are those that love shooting street photography...much to witness in this world!!!

 

[PJohnP]

I lust in my heart only...

When you have to buy a new refrigerator, and you discover that you've gotta dole out $1400 for a big white box whose sole purpose is to keep food from spoiling?????!!!!!! All that was going through my mind was "think of which lens I could have bought.... which one, which two.... damn, what a big fat waste of money" Is this now how my brain will work on all purchases??? This is a disease, not a lust!

Sandi :

Funny how this works. I don't have that transference of cost allocation going through my head. I recently broke down and joined the 20th century (note that this reference is correct) and brought an LPG grill to cook with in my backyard. No thoughts about how many lenses I could have purchased with that money.

OTOH, I do occasionally compare the relative costs of lenses and bodies with what other ones are available. I've weighed out the 200-400mm against a D2X once or twice over the last few months. I'm looking at moving a couple of (other) lenses along because I don't use them and/or have acquired better lenses for those roles. I know a couple of people like Jim Fenton who move lenses as they've experimented/used them much more rapidly than I do, however (and that's no slap at Jim - he's getting a breadth of lens testing that few of us ever manage, a laudable accomplishment).

I don't have terribly much LLD, actually, given that I don't think I'm using my existing lenses to anything close to their full potential. I have some active curiosity about several macro-nikkors for some extreme close-up work, but that's actually in support of my day-job so that I could do better forensic photography in accident investigations. I wouldn't turn down a great deal on a lens - I'm not intellectually challenged about great opportunities - but I can say with truth that I'm not even close to obsessed, even strongly motivated, to pore over eBay constantly, or work through many stores.

My lust (photographically, at least, as I won't detail any others here :twisted: ) is to have enough time to go out and do the best photography that I can with the lenses I already own. I'll let other, much more worthy people like you lead me to alternatives for the future. {tip o' the hat towards the lady}


John P.

P.S. The paraphrase used in the title won't be as familiar to Canadians - it's taken from Jimmy Carter's famous Playboy interview back in '76.

 

[dmwphoto]

Sandi,
I would have opted for a new 12-24f4 and a 48qt coleman. just a thought.

 

[TOLady]

Ricky, I'm with you on the new vehicle topic! My truck was a brand new and next time I'm going for a one-year old and save on the instant depreciation and push that $ towards photography. I just think that a new frig is such a waste as all it did was replace the old one and it just sits there! At least a new vehicle would have new goodies on it!! LOL

Frank, I thank every day for giving me the opportunity to 'see' things that most folks miss. We are so privileged to see so much in this huge beautiful world. Macros are incredible because we can see on screen what we can't see to the naked eye - like viewing things through a huge magnifying glass. I never knew there was fur on the end of the stamen on hibiscus! I personally find nature far more interesting than people but that's just me. Always been a nature nut since I was a kid.

John P, I don't really suffer from lens lust as much as general overall photography lust. And yes, I too have others but that's another topic. :wink: Yes, we do read Playboy north of the 49th and according to Jimmy, I'm a bad bad girl 8) ... and thank you for your gentlemanly gesture.

Dave.... stop it, stop it, stop it, you're just contributing to the disease instead of helping me!! LOL

 

[JeffKohn]

I can relate Sandi. A bit earlier this spring we had to get a new washer and dryer, and now this past week I had to spring almost $900 for new tires for my car. Needless to say I haven't been able to put much into my D2X fund lately...

Spending money on other fun stuff is one thing, but spending big money on boring stuff like appliances and such just isn't the same. (Although my wife might disagree as she really likes the new washer and dryer).

 

[PJohnP]

John P, I don't really suffer from lens lust as much as general overall photography lust. And yes, I too have others but that's another topic. :wink: Yes, we do read Playboy north of the 49th and according to Jimmy, I'm a bad bad girl 8) ... and thank you for your gentlemanly gesture.

Sandi :

Well, yes, people read Playboy in T.O. I personally may have seen a page or two when I lived there. :wink: But the Carter quote isn't quite as major up there... Maybe I should reference strippers and the Martin government or something like that !!! :twisted: :shock: :twisted:

I do keep up on things in El Grande Blanco Norte (a bit). Given that I worked for the Crown for some time, that's probably not surprising.

As for your being a "bad girl", well, if I make it up to T.O. this summer, you can show me the photos... :lol: :twisted: :roll: :lol: :twisted:


John P.

 

[TOLady]

Jeff, that was my whole point - money dished out just to replace boring old stuff you've already got and is 'just functional'. Whoopdeedoo that the freezer's on the bottom now instead of side by side. Wow, truck has new tires - yeah, that really changes my life. Zippedydoo that the new washing machine opens on the left instead of the right! LOL But if you stashed that cash into photo stuff, we'd be out there drooling over it for hours, reading the manuals, shooting practice stuff, etc. Strange world we photogs live in....

JohnP, so you were a govt man, were ya? Glad to see who my tax dollars were going to!! BTW, no pics of bad girl. I just act in the fun, I don't shoot it. But I've got a lot of great stories that can be had for a glass of red! LOL

 

[Gale]

Thats why I eat at burger king. lololol

Let them cook and buy the frig.

 

[TOLady]

Good one Gale!!! I should have thought of that years ago! *LOL*

 

[JordanLFW]

The worst is when you agree to help out a relative to earn a little $$$ for that new glass...and then spend the day "seeing things" and wishing you would've brought your gear!!

 

[Uncle Frank]

In it's most basic form, isn't LLD Really about the Thrill of Seeing, via a photographic vison, and the alure & desire to capture those images?

No, in it's purest form, LLD is about coveting beautiful chunks of glass, and has nothing to do with using them.

From your comments, you haven't caught it yet. I'd recommend you stay away from this forum, because LLD is highly contagious, and the Lens Lust forum is a veritable Petri Dish for the virus.

 

[Chris101]

I still have, and take out to look at sometimes, lenses that fit a camera that I have not had for 20 years. And they're nice lenses - I could sell 'em for a good bit, but then I'd miss them.

Oh, and don't even get me started on prisms.

 

[Uncle Frank]

I still have, and take out to look at sometimes, lenses that fit a camera that I have not had for 20 years. And they're nice lenses - I could sell 'em for a good bit, but then I'd miss them.

Aha! Someone who understands. We could make you the Poster Child for LLD, but you'd have to come up with a less intimidating avatar 8).

Speaking of LLD, did you ever see what Bjorn packs in the trunk of his car? I'll bet it drops his gas mileage by 20% :lol:.

 

[PJohnP]

I still have, and take out to look at sometimes, lenses that fit a camera that I have not had for 20 years. And they're nice lenses - I could sell 'em for a good bit, but then I'd miss them.

Oh, and don't even get me started on prisms.

Chris :

It sounds almost like you're physically surrounded by all this stuff - don't wall yourself in with these sorts of things !

After all, four walls does not a prism make... {ducking quickly}


John P.

 

[TOLady]

Jacki, you are so right. Digital is such a gift to me at my age. I'm so glad it came around while I'm still relatively young enough to get out there and enjoy each and every picture. My buddy, Bernie, said once at lunch "but what the h*ll are we going to do with these thousands of pictures" Who cares!!! Just fun taking them, and then seeing them full size on the screen - delicious! Being a hard worker has rewarded me with the financial ability to purchase the camera I always wanted - full dynamic range, and lenses I've researched to death - incredibly sharp, fast and quality-built. A word about food poisoning: When in doubt, throw it out! My stomach loves me and I love it so I never chance dodgy food. Never eat egg salad, chicken salad or tuna salad made by anyone else either - sure fired poisoning sources!

UFrank, I am never ever going to call you on the phone again. You only have one sole purporse in mind: to make me part with my money!! LOL You've caught the disease and you only want to pass it on to me via phonelines. I don't really lust after any more lenses in particular, maybe a nice macro, but given the chance to drop some serious coin on a frig or a lens - geeeezzz, I wonder which?? (yeah, right, Jackson!) You and I are different though: You just lust after the ownership, whereas I lust after the usage. I want to make it perform...

Chris101: packrat-ism in its purest form! I've got albums, shoes and all sorts of goodies that fall into the category of "I'd miss them".

Good replies on this thread, folks. Shows our true colours!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Uncle Frank]

UF... Hmmmm, if you lust primarily after *acquistion* rather than utility, then perhaps you don't actually suffer from *LLD*...
but rather you suffer from GLAD... 'Getting Lenses/Acquisition Disease'.

Check out this thread before you form a firm conclusion, Jacki:

https://www.nikoncafe.com//forums/viewtopic.php?t=6543&highlight=