Lately I have been hearing complaints about the rising cost of digital photography. Many users cite the cost of the new DSLR camera bodies that Nikon and Canon have recently brought to the market. For many photographers where it is their passion and hobby often overlook prices in their quest for the latest gear. Pros have other issues to contend with, but mainly they are driven by capital write-offs, depreciation and a fairly defined interval for equipment upgrade. 

What can the passionate amateur with limited funds do about acquiring equipment? My first suggestion is stop practicing gear envy. People have new or used gear for a variety of reasons. It is best not to dwell on why they can afford new camera equipment every year. The best thing to do is to sit down and budget for your hobby. Set yourself a realistic budget that fits your income and photographic lifestyle. So if you are a beginner or a student with a limited funds you should set your budget at a realistic figure. For example $500 per year. 

Now you are wondering, can you really pursue digital photography with $500 a year. The answer is definitely yes. The used camera market on Kijiji and Craigslist is alive and well. One can easily pickup a used camera body such as a Nikon D80 with a kit lens for under $500. The important thing about being used equipment is to check for the overall condition. You want a camera body that was well cared for. Look for scratches, dents and marks both on the camera body and the lens. Check to make sure all of the buttons and switches on the camera body are not loose and feel firm to your fingers. Check to make sure that the focus ring on the lens is smooth and is not sloppy or loose. The final thing to check is to see how many times the shutter has been pressed. To do that ask the buyer to send you a picture in a jpg format. (A picture of the current newspaper is a good idea in case of fraud.) Take the picture and load it in the Opanda exif viewer. (freeware available at http://opanda.com/en/iexif/ ) This software will tell you how many times the shutter has been pressed on the camera and it will give you a general idea how much usable life is left in the camera. Many consumer grade DSLR's have shutters that can last for 50 or 75,000 clicks. It is very easy to pick up a used camera body with less than 10,000 clicks on it. 

Next article we will talk about how to invest your second year budget in your new hobby.

Watsonphotography.ca creates unique images of fashion, models, people, travel, nature and racing sports by Toronto photographer Peter Watson.