Gulp...just bought a 70-200 2.8 Nikkor VR

[Tallison]

Second-hand for 1,600 smacks (ouch!). I've wanted this lens for THREE YEARS.

Sold my 80-200 2.8 non-VR Nikkor for $800 today to compensate.

A little man inside my head is smacking his head since I make no money off this hobby and could be crocheting instead.

I'm a little panicky.

I mean, I have the money - paid cash - but not a lot of savings. I rationalize that it's in exchange for passions like this that I WILL NOT HAVE KIDS.

Photography is the most engrossing, satisfying hobby imaginable. I once played golf and it felt...like vacuuming.

Anyone else care to share their big-time purchases to help validate this?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. cancel

wrong place

[CC]

2. If you love taking pictures

and you share them with us, then it is money well spent. :)

[Tallison]

8. The cats are my favorite subjects...

I love trying for macro shots of the eyes. Can't find the one I'm thinking of right now, but here's one where I tried my off-camera flash trigger for the first time last week...

[ManiacJoe]

3. It is a great lens.

This is the lens I use for most of my pics. Granted, the vast majority of them are from the beach volleyball competitions in the summer; but at least half my landscape shots are with the 70-200 VR, too.

[Tallison]

6. Thank you...

I've never tried sports, but may with this gadget.

I like taking candid shots of people, so the ability to keep some distance, avoid flash and ditch the monopod will be an asset. I'm going to two weddings in May (as a guest) that'll be the test. The last wedding I went to, I lost a ton of otherwise great compositions due to &$#&*$ camera shake.

While one's eye, not gear, makes the photograph, good gear does make it easier.

[Stevenmarc]

4. The first shot that makes you happy will be the validation.

[dbmk]

5. If its anything like my Canon 80-200 2.8L

..it will quickly validate itself. :)

If it something you enjoy doing and spend a lot of time on, I see little wrong with spending money on it. If everything else essential is taken care of ofc. :)

Its only a hobby for me too, and have spend a fair bit of cash on it as well. But every time I see the pictures it completely reinforces those purchases.

And remember: The price of glass does not drop anywhere NEAR what it does on bodies. You can sell that lens in a couple of years or five, if you really need the money - and have paid very little in "rent" while you had it.

[Tallison]

7. Yes, my 80-200 2.8 sold for 80% of what I paid three years ago

So the 'rent' concept helped rationalize the VR upgrade.

I'm so glad when I started buying lenses that I held out for the good stuff.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.