Sad

[Mickw]

Hi all, well today is a very sad day. I have for the first time in my life developed an illness , some weird heart virus they think, which has made me less fit than i used to be. Therefore, it was with great sadness i had to.....sell...my...sorry, im filling up with tears....lol....my Canon 500f4 ISL. I cant lug the weight around anymore. Many a happy time away from the family was spent together across the country. Its little brother the 300f2.8 has gone aswell. A large part of my life is now empty. Im depressed, empty, my wife just doesnt understand , although she liked the money. How can i replace my lost lens's?

I also have to consider the three cameras. 7D, 1DS3 and 1D4. I fear these will soon have to be sold to. To much weight.
Ive pondered long and hard how to cheer myself up, get out of the pit of despair. I can only think of one way out, one way to end this misery brought on by illness. One way to end the loss of my two len's and possible loss of three cameras.

A 1DX and a 200-400f4. Boy, i feel better already.

Im sure you will all understand and sympathise.

I would never use my illness in any underhand way to gain sympathy from my wife to allow me to purchase further camera equipment she has specifically banned me from doing. Honest. I have always, sorry, mostly, ok rarely been honest in telling my wife of the cost and almost life saving need to buy that new piece of gear. She understands, im ill ,cough cough splutter, and new gear will make me better. Im sure thats what the consultant in respitory medicine said. Wonder if i can get him to write a letter to my wife. Hmmm....

[HDNitehawk]

A 1DX and a 200-400f4. Boy, i feel better already.
....

Sorry to hear this news Mickw, hope it's nothing to serious.

Also I hope we all survive long enough to see the 1D X and a the 200-400mm on the market so it can be bought. I think the 1D X may make it in time, but I am loosing hope for the 200-400mm...

[Sean Setters]

I'm sorry to hear of your illness. However, if a given formula is true:

Photography = Happiness

Then purchasing photography equipment is a means to an end. And in this case, the end is certainly a justifiable one. To be absolutely honest, if I only had a few weeks to live, I'd travel and shoot as much as possible. I'd be happier knowing my legacy would live on in albums, on walls, and on end tables for years to come.

Worrying about what is to come won't do anything to improve your life--but photography just might. ;-)

[Kayaker72]

Mick.... I am a very firm believer that a positive attitude and having goals are key to making in through any dire circumstance.


So I wish you nothing but a speeding recovery....and the quick release of the 1DX and 200-400L.

[Busted Knuckles]

It sound like you should be in a warmer climate and there is a specialist right here in Orlando that can help provide you with the much needed therapy.....

[Mickw]

Thanks everyone. Fingers crossed for a week Monday. Its either happy times or sad times. Positive feeling it may just be happy times. Doc i saw at A/E the other night thinks it will all work out.

I believe in positives and things in life having a reason. Maybe, just maybe, i had to become ill, to

a) appreciate life more

b) have an excuse to get more camera gear

c) travel the world taking pictures when not at work.

If life has a reason then the above has made me happy so bring on the illness, for i forsee a future in which me, a 1DX and 200-400 live happily ever after. Oh, and with my wife of course. Unless she finds out ive bought the above. Then ill be alone as she will divorce me or remove parts of my body im quite attached to. Still, it would be worth it. lol

Unless of course Canon delay the 200-400 anymore as i fear we'll all be pushing up daisies before its launched.

Oh on another note, anyone heard any rumors about it? Had a try with a friends Nikon 200-400. Very impressive although that integrated 1x4 is a excellent idea.

Mick

[DavidEccleston]

And with the Florida real estate market right now, you can sell your UK home, move the US, buy an incredibly undervalued property. You can then and buy as many 1DX and 200-400mm lenses as you see fit with the difference in house prices.

[Steve U]

I am very sorry to hear of your health concerns Mick and I hope things work out and wish all the best for you.

I am however a little confused, by your recent threads warning us all not to buy new stuff and the returns gained by these new purchases are not significant enough to warrant them.

Obviously if you purchase "new gear" there are huge health benefits and that more than justifies your purchases even if there are no improved IQ returns that are are measureable.

Honest. I have always, sorry, mostly, ok rarely been honest in telling my wife of the cost and almost life saving need to buy that new piece of gear. She understands, im ill ,cough cough splutter, and new gear will make me better. Im sure thats what the consultant in respitory medicine said. Wonder if i can get him to write a letter to my wife. Hmmm....

I am wondering if you wrote the previous threads with help from your wife in an extravagent bid to lure her into trap and demonstrate the folly of all of us who do buy new gear, only to distract her while you were hitting the "buy now" button.

Ill health aside, I feel a little used.

[jrw]

Sorry to hear about the illness. After reading Steve's post I must confess I am starting to wonder if the other post was an attempt to find out how the rest of us manage to justify our purchases to the significant others in our lives.

As for the 200-400 the best suggestion I can make is to go to a tradeshow where Canon brings the prototypes as evidence that the concept ever existed in hopes that you may actually get to try it out. If they are locked away under glass ask if they only brought cardboard tube mockups in a really loud voice to try embarassing them into bringing one out for you. The last news from Canon was this past fall when the lens was indefinitely delayed.

[Mickw]

I have not made any attempt to stop anyone from buying anything. I was attempting to get people to think long and hard about buying stuff they wont see any discernable differance in especially when printing at A3 or showing in a PDI at low res. The supportive e-mails confirm others have the same opinion.

In my case im using humor as a way overcoming my health problems. Its called "gallows humor" overcoming a problem by making a joke about it. The only reason i am selling my gear isnt to get any improvement in image quality as im sure i would not see any differance with the sizes i print or PDI'S. The reason im selling my gear is im now to unfit and cant carry it around which if i did not laugh about it, would get me down. Therefore as i can only carry one camera and one lens im pondering over what combination will be able to replace a 7D, 1D4 and 1DS3 and a 300 and 500 prime and maintain what im used to. Not to upgrade to get improvements i wont see. Call it a health reason. My wifes actually ok about my purchases, she never asks, it was more British humor, i think she'd let me buy the queen if it made me better although i think old Liz may object.

My only thought lens wise was the new 200-400 and 1DX camera but im yet to decide but will probably just keep the 1D4 but im open to suggestions But no Nikon ideas, i may be ill but im not that ill.lol...

I hope ive clarified my point.

Mick