The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Is buying a 55K camera justifiable... in the name of hobby?

J

Jim2

Guest
I am soooo tempted to get a Phase One IQ180 + Arca + Lenses which would total up to 55K - 60K. The thing is - this is just a hobby for me. I am not a 'great' photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but I love photography and want to learn and get better. Am I "worthy" of using IQ180?

I just love taking landscape photos and currently use 1ds3. It works well for me but I am thinking that maybe I want to print an odd huge print i.e. in the 50-60" size every now and then - and I'd imagine that this will only come up throughout my life less than 10 images.... (so optimistic aren't I) unless if I pick up more skills and come up with lots of nice photos and can then sell them. That's my 'justification' for getting an IQ180. A very weak one I know!

Most of the time I'd print at 24"x30" or smaller.... and occasionally some slightly bigger say 30"x40". I think 1ds3 or d3x (or maybe even Pentax 645D) would be ok for these (or under these sizes would an IQ180 still beat the others?)

Then there's the issue of "money". is it wise to spend 55K on a hobby, even when the money is available and I won't be cash strapped afterwards? I don't want to be irresponsible with my money!

On the other hand, spending it on a car would probably be the same in terms of whether that is 'wise'.

Sorry for the rambling.... I wonder if there are other people in the same predicament, who have decided one way or the other?
 

Valentin

New member
....is it wise to spend 55K on a hobby, even when the money is available and I won't be cash strapped afterwards? I don't want to be irresponsible with my money!

....

Sorry for the rambling.... I wonder if there are other people in the same predicament, who have decided one way or the other?
I'm not in that predicament since I don't have the cash :)

A hobby is a hobby. That means there is no reason behind it since it's an emotional thing. You don't pick up a hobby because you sat down and rationalize what you should do. You do it because you love it.

Even though you have the money, the fact that you posted the question here, it makes you wonder if it's "wise". If you have reservations, you shouldn't do it. Or maybe start smaller: IQ 140. While it will not make a huge difference in price, it's still a substantial difference.
 

Terry

New member
Did you have to go and add it all up? :eek:

If it makes you feel any better, you are not the only one struggling with the same question. :D

Clearly there is a rational easy answer that is a NO.
But then you can think of other things that get rather pricey (like boats, collecting cars, etc).

No simple answer.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
To be in the predicament of deciding upon an unfettered $55,000 purchase for your personal pleasure is the envy of many around the world.

If you have plenty of cash in the bank (an 8-10 month emergency fund that will pay all your living expenses in the case of some catastrophe), have $4 Million in your retirement fund, have no credit card debt, have given enough to charity that feels you've done your bit for the world, are not starving your dog or your kids, and still have $60K to lavish on your entertainment ... why not? That's being responsible with your money.

That money spent on your entertainment is money in the general economy that will foster others to live well and aspire to your wealth.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Bottom line you only are here for a short time why not do what you want . That is what hobbies are for is to enjoy yourself and have fun. I teach this on the workshops all the time folks show up with much better gear than me and rightfully so. They have no ROI to think about and they just want the best images the cam can do. I just shot the IQ 180 prototype all week again in Death Valley. The image quality and amount of detail is smoking hot. I would love to have one no question about it. My issue is I DON'T have the money but if I could justify it as a working Pro I would be all over it. BTW you don't have to worthy of anything it's your money and there are no rules on being worthy enough to have one. If it is a little too much than consider the IQ 160 which is still amazing. But I will say this after shooting this thing twice now and i say it without reservations GET ONE in any flavor.
 
J

Jim2

Guest
Just a question: have you ever used a Phase One or another MF and taked some shoots or always the 1ds3?
I went on a PODAS "workshop" once (in which, what I enjoyed the most was the food) and had a chance to play with P65+ on the Phase One DF body for a week. To be honest I am not that "WOW" impressed :D :D but I do recognise that the resolution is there to support printing at larger sizes. I also had a chance to touch and play with Alpa.

I wouldn't want to get / use the DF body - hence why I'm going to Arca.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Did you have to go and add it all up? :eek:

If it makes you feel any better, you are not the only one struggling with the same question. :D

Clearly there is a rational easy answer that is a NO.
But then you can think of other things that get rather pricey (like boats, collecting cars, etc).

No simple answer.
You dont have any options. Your getting one so I can use it. :ROTFL::ROTFL::ROTFL::ROTFL::ROTFL:
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I went on a PODAS "workshop" once (in which, what I enjoyed the most was the food) and had a chance to play with P65+ on the Phase One DF body for a week. To be honest I am not that "WOW" impressed :D :D but I do recognise that the resolution is there to support printing at larger sizes. I also had a chance to touch and play with Alpa.

I wouldn't want to get / use the DF body - hence why I'm going to Arca.
I just was a instructor at PODAS last week. Nice workshops but it really is not enough time to get used to the system in that short amount of time. A lot of folks are just trying to understand the system for the 3 or 4 days there which is totally understandable. MF is different and I spent a lot of time side by side with folks just helping them get through there shooting. So for them it is more a introduction into it and see if they like it. Frankly it takes a good month to get these systems under your control. Than the magic happens and this goes with any MF system.
 

Audii-Dudii

Active member
I've wrestled with the same issue myself and in the end, I simply couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money even though I (sort of, barely) could afford it. Instead, I compromised and bought used equipment that was a few years and few generations old (i.e., Contax 645/P30+) for a fraction of the cost ... problem solved!

For the moment, anyway... :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:

KeithL

Well-known member
Is buying a 55K camera justifiable... in the name of hobby?
Yes, go for it.

The used MFD market - actually the MFD market in general - would be all the poorer were it not for the "gentleman photographers" on this list.

Please be sure to upgrade in a year or two ;)
 

TRSmith

Subscriber Member
It's all relative. There will always be some that poorer and some that are richer. It doesn't matter how you "look" to others. Just do what you feel is right for you. When I bought my M8, it seemed extravagant and when i carried it around I got a range of reactions from people who knew what it was. Compared to the system you're contemplating, it was a budget buy.

But I think the bigger question (assuming all your financial ducks are in a row) is whether it will enhance the enjoyment of your hobby. My sense that it is a lot more work than what you might be used to and might even change the way you shoot. Which might turn out to be a tremendous learning experience that deepens your enjoyment and elevates your craft. Or, it could be a frustrating pain in the a%$.

Good luck with it!
Tim
 

David Klepacki

New member
... I don't want to be irresponsible with my money ...
Jim, "responsibility" is a moral question. What you really seem to be asking here is "Have I done enough with my life in terms of enriching the lives of others, so that I may now enrich myself?" If you believe that you can answer "yes" to this question, then by all means you have a right to satisfy your "love" of photography with such expense.
 

Paul Spinnler

Well-known member
Just be aware that the most top-end system will have the highest depreciation. Why not go for a nice compromise? Say an Aptus 10 that you get by tradin-in? Since you were talking about responsibility. I'm sure you can save about 20k if you buy 2nd hand and smartly.
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
A hobby is about pure enjoyment. You don't have to make "business rational decisions" necessarily, though your hobby may produce some income.

Life is short. As long as the cash is there, I wouldn't compromise much. I'd be checking out all the camera platforms possible, (arca, cambo, alpa, et al). In the end, I want to say, "damn, I really had a great time" rather than wondering "what if I had bought that camera..."

ken

p.s. Since we're all spending your money--- I vote no less than an IQ160 on a tech camera platform. :)
 

Professional

Active member
Buy 8x10 Large Format, and Drum Scanner and you will print even larger than 50x60".

I bought my 60mp camera for hobby only and i have 7 Canon DSLRs including that 1Ds3, all for hobby, i gained about only 1% of the total price and this never make me to regret, i love the resolution out of digital MF over my 35mm DSLR, but i still didn't use that MF on what it should be used for, hope next time i travel for landscapes i will carry my digiMF.
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
I tend to let equipment get ahead of me, and then feel depressed being unable to justify the purchase. Not justify in the financial sense, as I'm not trying to make money from photography, but in the sense of getting results from the equipment that I'm at all happy with. For instance, I never took a single exposure from a 4x5 or 8x10 camera that wasn't awful.

Where am I going with this? I just finished a 10 week course on Portraiture and Landscape. Doing the assignments - thinking about what I was trying to achieve, failure, experimentation, success - made the equipment my friend. Suddenly it wasn't "I just spent a zillion dollars on Leica glass; better use it." It was: "I need macro here, get out the Canon" or "This would look good on B+W film." or "Natural light portrait: Summilux time!"

To sum up, get training to go with your equipment, and you'll feel happy and secure with your choices.

Best,

Matt

(OK, I lied. I'm still agonizing about a 645D to go with all this Pentax glass...:deadhorse:)
 

gurtch

Well-known member
It's a hobby for me too, although I sell enough big prints to justify it. I use a 1DSIII, Sony A900, and wanted to go bigger. May I suggest a Pentax 645D? That's the way I went, and do not regret it. A lot cheaper, and you can see if that's the route you want to take.
Dave G
www.modernpictorials.com
 
Top