My Theory of Spending

Today I joined a Copenhagen Photowalking Hub event. It was also my first activity (of any, any sort) in 2009. The trip took place in Copenhagen Zoo, where most animals were inside their shelters. Except, understandably, seals and polar bears. I could almost hear the lions and elephants grumbling “We didn’t sign up for this weather”. I also quickly realized that I brought the wrong lens. It was my relatively new 24-70mm Sigma f/2.8. Should have brought my old 200m. Apart a penguin, the animals were two miles inside the fence. I also found that I couldn’t use the promised f/2.8 in many of the ranges. I had to stay at around f/4.0 to produce sharp photos. This is not what I bought the lens for. So I’m getting rid of it and I will probably buy the proper f/2.8 lens, the original Canon version which costs more than double the Sigma. This again proves my theory of spending: Always buy the expensive one. Why? Because the expensive one is probably the best and I always want the best. Buying the cheaper product will cost more. For example, I will now sell the unsatisfactory Sigma for a cut price and I will still buy the Canon. The secret to cost saving is therefore knowing what is the best product for me in the first place, which is difficult. I have wasted a lot of money because of a serial lack of knowledge. The books and magazines are always trying to be politically correct in the market. Trying myself builds the knowledge much better but as I pointed out, it can be very costly when I take too many wrong turns. I will take wrong turns, simply because that’s how we all learn, but not too many. Today I found how it is best to practice and talk with other photographers -collective knowledge, to help my decisions.