A question for you.....

[BelleWDW]

I have a $200 digital (we make $175k a year)& my son has a $800 digital(he makes &45k a year)-pitures seem very similar,

I would not spend that much on a camera-and I have a LOT of $$$ in savings/401k/investments.

 

[Disney Doll]

OP, you have worded your post to receive the response you want to hear, which is no.

However, I can't really say "no" without a lot more information.

1. Where do these people live? $100K in Kansas is a heckuva lot more $$ than $100K in NYC.

2. Is the camera in any way a profesisonal expense?

3. Does the person who wants the camera buy him/herself a lot of "toys"/have expensive tastes or is this a rare occurrence?

4. Can the camera be purchased on a payment plan which would be easier on the family budget?

5. Will spending this $1500 severely damage the family budget?

When DH or I want to make an expensive purchase, we tend to look at all of the above points before deciding. It then becomes a practical decision as opposed to an emotional one.

My DH is a person who doesn't ever need too many toys and is usually very giving and involved with our family and if this is the one thing that he has been pining for...well, I would figure out a way to make us be able to afford it. But that's because my DH generally buys very little in the way of "spoiling" himself.

If my DH was more of a "flashy" guy...expensive clothes, expensive electronics, expensive cars....I'd probably have more of a problem with him buying himself something else....

 

[ZephyrHawk]

No. It has nothing to do with your current finances, but with the fact that you'd be getting ripped off.

DH got me a beautiful DSLR for my 30th birthday this year. Canon Rebel Xsi with all bells and whistles. Kit lens and a 70-300 zoom. Five filters. 2 extra batteries. 16 gig memory card. Nice amatuer's camera set. $500.

He got the camera and lenses refurbished, which in some cases is better than buying new. Everything else he found for sale online.

 

[BelleWDW]

1974? - offsite * 1982? - offsite * 1/1990 - offsite * 11/1995 - Grand Floridian * 11/1996 - Polynesian * 10/1997 - Contemporary * 08/1998 - DL * 11/1999 - Boardwalk Inn * 12/2001 - Animal Kingdom Lodge * 02/2004 - Wilderness Lodge * 11/2004 - Port Orleans French Quarter * 8/2005 - DL Bonus Trip! * 11/2005 - Grand Floridian * 11/2006 - Yacht Club * 11/2007 - Polynesian * 11/2008 - Boardwalk Inn * 5/2009 - DL Grand Californian * 12/2009 - Wilderness Lodge


From OP's siggy.
I would bet there are lots of people who think going to WDW as much as you do is a waste of $$ also

We have expensive hobbies & i'm sure people have criticized our having a boat



However-I think there are great cameras out there a LOT cheaper than what you asked about.

 

[mrsklamc]

No. It has nothing to do with your current finances, but with the fact that you'd be getting ripped off.

DH got me a beautiful DSLR for my 30th birthday this year. Canon Rebel Xsi with all bells and whistles. Kit lens and a 70-300 zoom. Five filters. 2 extra batteries. 16 gig memory card. Nice amatuer's camera set. $500.

He got the camera and lenses refurbished, which in some cases is better than buying new. Everything else he found for sale online.

Ok, can your husband tell me where to shop because that is exactly what I want and I can't find it for NEAR that price.(haven't seen refurbished though.)

OP- it sounds like you are trying to make a judgment call about someone else's finances, and the truth is we rarely know enough about other people's finances to know what's going on. Maybe someones grandparent died and left $1500 specifically for them to buy the camera of their dreams.Maybe they won a $1500 camera store giftcard in a radio contest. Unless they said to you 'we're mortgaged up to our eyeballs and I'm going to go ahead and splurge on this camera before we declare bankruptcy' you probably don't know...and if they did say that to you, still, what are you going to do about it?

Best to let it go.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Not enough information.

 

[EthansMom]

If we had the cash to pay for it and it was a priority for our family, then yes. If we would have to carry a balance on a credit card to pay for it and/or we had things we'd rather spend our money on, then no.

 

[creativeamanda]

Yes. I actually did something similar. I saved up the money and I bought a $900 DSLR. I am a Creative Memories consultant and could take a portion of the purchase off on taxes. BUT, I only have a mortgage ($1300) and a car payment ($400). And together, dh and I make slightly more than $100,000/year

 

[Ember]

I have a $200 digital (we make $175k a year)& my son has a $800 digital(he makes &45k a year)-pitures seem very similar,

I would not spend that much on a camera-and I have a LOT of $$$ in savings/401k/investments.

I mean no criticism what so ever, either to you or to your son. But a digital SLR is a tool, it does not automatically make for a better photographer. Give a better quality tool to someone who knows how to use it and they will almost always create a better product. This is not to say that great pictures can't be taken with cheap digital cameras, but an SLR is a very different tool than a cheaper camera and you can do a great deal more with it.

We have an SLR because we're both trained photographers. It doesn't mean we don't also use our $150 Canon. But the SLR allows for a whole lot more versatility and options when it comes to flash and lenses. There is a lot you simply can't do with a point and shoot.

Anyway, my answer as to whether I would spend the money is obviously yes, because photography is a serious hobby (and occasional profession) in my family. But I would never buy a large screen television or video games or sports equipment, I just don't see the point. Not my thing at all. But I would never judge anyone for how they chose to spend their money, so long as they could afford it.

 

[mumom95]

It depends on our financial situation, if we can afford it and both spouses agree, then yeah, I'd buy it.

But that is a lot of money to spend if one spouse doesn't want to. And you make it sound like this is the case.

So, yes, I would spend that much on a camera if my dh was ok with it. But if he wasn't, then I wouldn't.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Is someone now sleeping on the sofa?

I thought it was a rhetorical question, too!

 

[hegsag]

Absolutely!!!

 

[IDoDis]

I would say yes. Heck, I just paid $1200 for family pictures and I didn't even get a camera!

 

[RadioNate]

Sure, I would, in fact I have a camera nearly that expensive. I don't care what any poster says my photos from my DSLR are superior to the ones from my $100 point and shoot.

Photography is important to me so that is what I saved and spent my money on.

Would I go into debt for it, no but from the financial picture you provided I don't know if your purchaser charged it or whatever.

We all have different priorities so I don't judge. There are lots of things people buy that I wouldn't.

 

[C.Ann]

How can anyone give an accurate response based on so little information? It's impossible..

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Ok, can your husband tell me where to shop because that is exactly what I want and I can't find it for NEAR that price.(haven't seen refurbished though.)

He says www.adorama.com.

Refurbished means that its new but was either returned upon opening for some defect (at which point it was fixed by the company) or was one of the random cameras they open before shipping and test so that they can keep an eye on quality. Do a search for that on the site and then a search within that for the brand you're looking for.

 

[mrsklamc]

He says www.adorama.com.

Refurbished means that its new but was either returned upon opening for some defect (at which point it was fixed by the company) or was one of the random cameras they open before shipping and test so that they can keep an eye on quality. Do a search for that on the site and then a search within that for the brand you're looking for.

Thanks! My dyson was refurbished. Works like a charm!

 

[Mickey Fliers]

Does anyone else think that it is oddly bizarre to be equating salary to what kind of camera to buy?

 

[BelleWDW]

I think the OP is "shocked" that someone they know is spending the equivalent of a month;s Mortgage on a camera.

 

[sau418]

It is all a matter of priority

Look what some of us spend on a few days in the World

I wouldn't personally spend that money on a camera, but if a trip to the World were at issue, there is no doubt I would do it.