Tell Josh what YOU would have done with his $800....

<p>I live in a very hot country. So, would like to stick with the camera equipment. I will go for an EF 100/2.8 USM macro (non-IS) + a medium sized tripod and invite you to come and stay with us so that you can do away with your water heater for ever and have the EF-S 15-85 :-).</p>

<p>Amazing how much $800 buys for you in the practical everyday world. A new water heater plus labor. That is a very generous package when you think about it. Probably that water heater will last longer than a lot of digital cameras. <br /> I have been thinking all day about what I could get with $800. I think I could pick up a used Leica MD in good condition for that amount, or a used Zeiss 18/4, if I was lucky. (That is all I want in photo stuff these days.) Mountain Bike? A real good mountain bike would start around two grand. Forget high-end watches. But I could get a super good fountain pen for $800.</p>

<p>Okay, think fountain pens. I could spend less than $800 on a great fountain pen, buy my wife a cool present, write a card for her with the fountain pen and take her to a French restaurant. Maybe I'd have cash left over for some film and SD cards. Um, substitute good Japanese restaurant for French restaurant.</p>

<p>I must say the water heater and associated labor was not a bad deal.</p>

<p>How long do you think Josh's water heater will last until he needs a new one?</p>

<p>I wanted a new lens, but alas, my $800 went to this. My Riello 40 F5 burner. My old burner decided to kick the bucket on the coldest day of the year. Arrrghhh...</p><div></div>

<p>

<p >Although it might be slightly more than $800, I would go for an Olympus E-PL1 MFT body and Panasonic 20mm f1.7 lens. I’ve got plenty of SLR crud, but I “need” something decent to carry around 24/7 for those shots that appear when you don’t have your 30-lb SLR kit handy.</p>

</p>

<p>Nikonos rig.</p>

<p>I understand the hot water heater replacement thing. I'm fairly competent at such repairs. About 2 months ago I found my hot water heater leaking just a bit, so the following Saturday morning I started draining mine and headed out to the Mega Place for a replacement, when I got the exchange accomplished the day was mine and I was going to take pictures of the waterfowl that has migrated South for the winter before they headed home. I got it installed, and was filling it when it started leaking from who knows where. Ok, I got the bad one; I went back and they exchaned it; go home, reinstall and SAME THING! I knew I should have changed models at least, but didn't, so they had an issue with that whole lot I'm guessing. That evening we made the frantic call to the local hardware store. They were preparing to close, but would stay open for me to get it. I made it there before they officially closed, came home and put that in and all is good in the world. The Mega Place returned the other one too, however I do feel bad for anyone that gets one out of that lI know I saved a bit of $$$ that allowed me to save the difference for photography, but wasted the whole day that I was going to go to Pea Island NWR to take pictures! <br>

I did make it to Pea Island this winter, just not that weekend, and not again before everything left.</p>

 

<p>I would've invested it in trying to stop PN from publishing these kind of bull- topics.<br>

Sadly, however, there's a herd of people that seem to enjoy this...</p>

<p>Just as a note....when my family and house came along....photography, except for the kid pics, kinda ended. I couldn't afford to my personal photography the way I wanted with the cash left over from family needs (which was usually $0.00)....but it was worth it.....maybe....ended up divorced anyhow.....but the kids are great!</p>

<p>Anyhow.....divorced, kids out on there own..........and me unemployed at the moment.....well, the right thing to do would be to put it away for some expense (like food) in the future. But, that used version of Canon's 24mm TSE f/3.5 would be calling me everyday til I bought it.......hehe</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Bought the 15-85mm 2 weeks ago to the Antelope Canyon trip for my wife...what a great lens! Compared it to my L lenses (24-105mm, etc...), this one might even has better sharpness and saturation in most focal and aperture. Yes, some power tool also needed to buy, like a nice cordless nail gun for some work in the house...</p>

<p>No idea what it would cost but if you invested the money on a plumbing course then you could save money fixing your own heater AND make lots more money changing heaters for other people AND then spend all this extra money you would have coming on all the lenses that you wanted. There is probably a catch to this but I am not sure what it is.</p>

<p> Maybe another Leica M3 body, because mine seems to be getting slightly broken in...</p>

<p>http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/US%20%20%20%20387790.html</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Josh, I am sympatico on the water heater business. Have had a 40 gallon low boy wedged under the kitchen cabinet. Barely enough room to clear the L bend connection to the cold water inlet and a hernia job for plumbers. This tank is my fourth so far. Spring leaks like noone from the electric company can tell us why. Must be voodoo. Happily, I think this Bradford White looks like a good one.( I buy tank from the distributor and seek the plumber separately. Otherwise you get what is convenient for the plumber. And oh yes, I am trying a sump and drain,fingers crossed)<br>

I have looked into solar, got an estimate, computed tax credit and came up with a huge retrofit installation problem. Code says the big tank, which I want back in the rear sun exposure of the house has to be from a cold water inlet from current kitchen tank location. That means 35-40 foot run. Last solar guy wants to let that pipe (3/4" I believe) be visible along the bottom of the siding...phooey to that idea. <br>

Presently I really want to find a way to get an on- demand or something <em>electric </em>powered auxiliary unit near our shower which is distant from the existing lowboy tank and takes about five minutes to crank up the temp .. also seems like it might be power sapping to have to do that pipe heating run.I got to look into it more one day...<br>

But since you asked, what I buy for 8 bills (and even more fun than a warm shower ), well actually I have an $810.00 w shipping Zuiko ED 50-200 mm SWD Olympus zoom on backorder from Adorama. <br>

This has been on back order for a month now in what I like to call the Olympus Spring Rebate Regatta.<br>

http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/IOM50200S.html<br>

I am told that tele zoom lens is one of Olympus's finest achievements. <br>

Now if we just dont have any Summer 'surprises' like on a VW Passat fuel mixture micro computer part. etc ...</p>

<p>Josh -</p>

<p>The $800 shouldn't be an issue, even if the P-Net membership stays at $25, by the time I've renewed for another 32 years you'll have it. So go buy what you want now, the dollar value will go down over time and my $800 won't be worth that in 2042. Tell wife that's "Photonet Economics," (she might believe it.)</p>

<p>Let us know if it works out.</p>

<p>After more than 20 years of home ownership, the money I have spent to replace stuff that breaks, like appliances, water heaters, water pressure tanks, water softeners, well pumps, roofs, driveways, boilers, septic fields, central AC systems, etc, could probably fund a MF digital system, so $800 is barely a rounding error. If you intend to remain a home owner, GET USE TO IT.</p>

<p>Harden up Josh - be a man ! Its summer in the states so who needs hot water.<br>

Go out and buy that lens. Just think of all the money you can save up over summer to buy a "real kick ...." hot water cylinder and you get to use the new toy.</p>

 

<p>For 800 bucks you could buy an iPad and have change left over for a few eBooks.</p>

<p>You had taken for granted your "old faithful" for far too long .Probably it had a mind of its own which you were not aware of in your obsession with all connected with photography.Moral of the story is very simple.Respect all that is around you and see that they function in their own parameters.Don't ever allow them to blow in your face.Don't allow chaos to run your life.Be Budha like. It helps.Of course you need a lense</p>

<p>Mine went on an MOT and repairs to my car.<br>

Which had become old unfaithful.</p>

<p>buy the lens; when you need hot water put the lens (the rigth way) between the sun and a bucket of water, as boy-scouts teach.</p>

<p> I to recently replaced our water heater. I installed it myself since it is not a particularly hard task. So I saved a few dollars that way. As far as shopping goes I would not buy anything just because I came across an extra $800.00. A small amount of money like that just goes into the general fund. However if I needed some camera gear I would purchase it from BHPhoto. </p>

<p>I'd buy the Canon 17 to 40mm L series zoom. It clocks in as the least expensive L series zoom and it will still work when you upgrade to a full frame sensor camera, unlike that 15 to 85mm. It also is a killer lens to use with a pano head as the front lens element does not move in and out when you zoom so the nodel point stays the same across the zoom range. All the movement is internal. This also makes it easier to keep your lens body clean. Man Up my friend, shower in cold water, get the lens, you'll still have enough to get a skilight filter to protect that glass too.<br>

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/279582-GREY/Canon_8806A002_EF_17_40mm_f_4L_USM.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/279582-GREY/Canon_8806A002_EF_17_40mm_f_4L_USM.html</a></p>

<p>Sorry if you guys aren't breaking my heart. How about saving up for a 500 F4. $6,200. Almost there. Central air goes out in early September. So a $150 dehumidifier keeps the air dry and it's getting cooler. Why fix it now? In early November, the furnace crashes and burns -- literally, the electronics caught fire inside the control box but didn't spread. I'm in a condo that has an all-in-one powerplant. $3,600. No lens in 2009 or 2010.<br>

A quote from Henry West Jr., a character in a novel I read that sums it all up:<br>

Sometimes life is sh!t. Sometimes it ain't.<br>

hj</p>

 

<p>I guess I'd put towards what I did buy on Friday: an EF 300mm f/4L IS USM lens. Fricken' A! Now I finally have a long lens! I guess I've been a responsible adult for long enough. It's been 10 long years . . .</p>

<p>I did the most responsible thing I could think of, but it cost a bit more than $800. I bought the new Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS Macro, tripod mounting ring, and a Calumet Genesis 200 monolight kit. I have some close-up work I want to do. I don't think hot water is all that great especially compared to new lenses.</p>