Lens Buying Strategy?

Many years ago I found that there was a nasty affliction which seemed to spread via the internet. It was called LBA. There being no vaccination or treatment for it, I decided to strengthen my immunity by adopting a Rational Lens Acquisition Strategy. It had 4 parts, which included my Golden Rule For Everything:
1. For general use, have some decent, easy to carry zooms covering ultra-wide angle to telepohoto.
2. Acquire other lenses only for special purposes.
3. Get them all before retirement (i.e. before having to live off a pension).
4. The Golden Rule For Everything: Never dispose of it because it might come in useful one day, even if you can't currently think of why or how.
Part 1 has been applied successfully (currently Tamron 10-24mm, Pentax 16-85mm, Pentax 55-300mm).
Part 2 has been successful if you interpret 'special purposes' creatively.
Part 3 has been a miserable failure.
Part 4 has been applied rigorously and is responsible for the 'camera cupboard' being at bursting point.

So... how have you dealt with the threat of catching LBA? Do you have a lens acquisition strategy? If so, do you stick to it?

Looking forward to some interesting answers!

Steve

There are no answers Steve, despite my lengthy discussion with you regarding the F 135 etc, and having decided that I didn't really need one, I cracked and bought one 'from the other place' following your promotion of the virtues of said F. So I believe that LBA is triggered by other people. Nothing else...simple, no cure.

My main affliction is my addiction to K-series primes. I have almost cured that by buying the lot apart from the last two I haven't managed to source yet (the K100 macro and the K1000/. Apart from those, the only things on my wish list are a good standard zoom for the K-3iii (I have my eye on the new 16-50 but don't have the spare cash) and the 08 lens for the Q (rarer than unicorn droppings). I mainly spend what little spare cash I have these days on film/developing.

On second thoughts, if I was in government I could set up a Department to deal with this problem. Answers on a postcard please.

Or you could go for the really bizarre - talking of which I came across this on the WEX site - https://www.wexphotovideo.com/laowa-24mm-f14-2x-macro-probe-lens-for-pentax-k-17... Any takers???

1. For general use, have some decent, easy to carry zooms covering ultra-wide angle to telepohoto. Had a set of full-frame zooms, then swapped to DA/DA* when there was no K-1 and swapped straight back when I just had my K-1. The D-FA lenses are also used on the P50 and Z-1p

2. Acquire other lenses only for special purposes. The FA* 85 for portraiture, but not done that for a long time.
3. Get them all before retirement (i.e. before having to live off a pension). My primes and the limiteds...
4. The Golden Rule For Everything: Never dispose of it because it might come in useful one day, even if you can't currently think of why or how. See 2

I think I have actually done well since getting the K-1 in reducing the amount of zooms I have and letting go of those items such as the macro lens and extreme wideangle which were seldom used. others are vanity purchases but will not be sold or replaced...

I rarely part with any lenses so as my lens collection expands I acquire yet another lens safe to store them in. They're expensive too but... hey-ho. At least they keep the six letter 'F' word at bay.

Er, em, ah, well... I don't think there's a vaccine yet against LBA. Good ideas, plans and strategies above for sure, but, er, em, ah, well... (I speak from experiencing GAS - the guitar version. If you want to know why, look up Emerald Guitars in Ireland. I have many of them including the first harp ukulele.) So, to repeat, er...

P.S. I just follow Defragged's strapline re. needing lenses... He makes great sense and is my hero.

I don't need one, but I sure do want one. Unfortunately, my wife saw the invoice for the 150-450, and she said: "Take a break for a while". Hopefully, the "while" will be short.

Go for it. It is really worth the "sacrifices" you'll do to get it.

4. The Golden Rule For Everything: Never dispose of it because it might come in useful one day, even if you can't currently think of why or how.

Aha. P'raps that's why my wife is still married to me

Now, which way round would that be...??


That looks distinctly medical... .

Keep the lens acquisition strategies coming, folks, confession is good for the soul!

Steve

As you might have noticed, I like to try things out on the assumption that if you don't like them you can sell them on. So I'm presently looking at a Meyer 300mm, a Tair 300mm an Pentax 300mm a DA*300mm and an F*300mm - Oh and a Pentax 400-600mm mirror and a Tamron 500mm mirror. I actually use a motley crew of Takumars and a Pentax 100mm macro and that's not mentioning the five shelves of things I've tried and never got round to sell on yet !

No. I have no strategy for acquisition or disposal - but I do come up with some marvelous combinations of this and that

My LBA has mainly focussed on vintage lenses. I grew up with a MX and the statutory trio of M series 28/2.8 50/1.7 and 135/3.5.

Almost 20 years ago I decided to collect the entire series of M lenses. Ebay loved me !

I acquired over the years every M prime and zoom with the exception of the 2000/13.5 Reflex and the 35/1.4. Yes including both versions of the 28/2.8

It should have stopped there, but then decided to add the focal lengths from the "K" series for which there was no M equivalent made like the 15/3.5; 17/4 FE; 18/3.5; the 24's and the 30/2.8. It should have ended there, but the K and A 50/1.2 followed and then the 16/2.8FE tempted me as did a 28/3.5 Shift and a K series 28/3.5. A The Hollywood 28/2 was I think the last vintage lens I bought from a well known member here.

It has been great fun and i have learned a lot (become nerdier) along the way. I still give the old lenses an outing on digital and occasionally film too.

I have applied some rules to LBA:

1. Buy anything that appears to be seriously under-priced because the user doesn't know it's true worth. Can be sold later at no loss or a profit (thereby generating more funds for lens purchases). I have paid for a large part of my photography gear this way.

2. Buy used but check thoroughly, that way selling on will involve minimal or no loss.

3. Anything that's below a certain threshold is too cheap to pass up: buy it and if it's rubbish then sell it on or dump it.

4. Try to save for something better, resist the smaller unnecessary purchases that whittle away the lens funds.

5. Accumulate and then, when the time is right, launch a massive sell-off to generate funds for an overall system upgrade (I did this second part three months ago and it took me twelve years to get there).