Got Lumix Lx2 to replace my stolen Lumix Lx1; a canon SD digicam for daughter; some N zooms and flash to do a wedding; a new Induro tripod with horizontal setting for macro; nothing new from Oly; cheers ;-))

Got a Lowepro slingshot camera bag, a Manfrotto tripod with ball head, an FL-36R flash with OmniBounce flash diffuser, the Olympus 70-300mm lens (arriving tomorrow), and some filters, CF storage cards and batteries...

An E-3, 70 - 200 lens, a couple of filters, cards, LCD protectior and insurance makes >$2k. Good value!

Cheers

And a 510 for my Son. Nuff said...

E3 and 7-14 > $2000

Digilux 3 kit summilux 25/1.4 Nikon AFS 14-24/2.8 & 24-70/2.8 Leitz apo telyt M 135/3,4 (used) Leitz summilux 50/1.4 asph. (used) Leitx summicron 28/2 asph. (used) Nikon Ais 105/1,8, 35/1.4. 85/2, 28/2, 45/2.8, 135/2, 300/4,5 if ed (all used)

An E3, 12-60, 7-14, 50-200 SWD and 35mm Macro, not to mention a set of Lee ND Grads, 8Gb Extreme 111, Jobo Giga One so I suppose thats somewhere around $7-8000 and enjoying every penny of it

Cheers

Unfortunately my budget wouldn't allow me any more than that. And out of those, just 200$ for my Manfrotto tripod. The rest went for a Sony compact DSC for my girlfriend and a couple of MS cards for her and my dad... Until I get my next job I might not do any purchase at all, no matter how small. Well, I just recently moved to a new country and haven't found my new "neighborhood store" anyway ;-)

I have been wondering this myself. Two lenses: 50mm & 11-22; a good UXGA monitor; a Lumix L1 that was a real steal and clearly superior to my E-300. This adds up to around $2500, and I am pleased with each of these purchases. In addition I bought new software, more memory cards, filters, and several external disk drives.

An 300mm, 50mm macro, extension tube, xd cards, camera backpack and stylus 770 sw.

I did buy the E-3 it was 17000 SEK (almost $3000 in todays value), then an FL50 flash and the 8 mm FE that is way above $2000 and way too much money for me, and this year hasn't begun better, I spend way too much money on Olympus ;) Photography is a drug, an expensive one...

Living in Denmark. Had I lived in the US my costs would've been between $500 and $1000.

The last year was quite low. I only bought a backpack a memory card and a bubble level for in the flash shoe.

Spent $186 after tax on an E-500 2 lens kit, new in box, at Circuit City in february 2008. Promptly let it get stolen out my car while parked in my driveway. Received insurance claim of $728 for replacement value and purchased E-510 with 2 lens kit on close-out from best buy for $500. Am looking to upgrade the 14-42 to the 14-54 which will just put me at $420-228(insurance windfall)=192+186(initial investment)=378. I'm planning to sell the 14-42 lens along with the 14-45 that came with the e-500 for about $150 and grab the fl-36 for about a wash. I'd like to get a macro lens and a long telephoto but I think I'm gonna have to wait for another deal.

Lately some of the things I've bought were a used 14-42 for $100, a used ring flash for $20, some older Cokins for $10 each, used books, so I'll never hit the above $500 category (at least not until the ~8-16mm comes out, if it ever will). Even the E-300 I bought 2.5 years ago was an "open box" camera.

I got a great deal on a virtually new E-1 in early 2007, but my big purchases were an E-3 and 8mm FE late in the year. --And most recently a Feisol tripod. Well over the $2000 mark, yikes!

The next question should be, "How many framed and mated prints have you sold in the last year with your photographic equipment and skill?" or "How much money have you made from your photographic equipment in the last year?".

I upgraded from the E-500 to the E-510 to experiment with IS and LiveView, also got the Zuiko 50-200mm f/2.8 and the Zuiko 50mm f/2.0 Macro Lens. So far I love the 50mm, the 50-200mm is a bit heavy, but great...

Just purchased 510, kit lens and 70-300. All for just under $1000. I was saving for the E3 but could not resist the price.

I think the E3 pushed most of us over the $2K limit with all the other odds and ends we get. I was first taken aback by Mr. Ennor's comments about how much money we've earned, but upon reflecting on it I guess it makes sense. I've aquired enough gear to justify getting an insurance policy on it, yet have earned less than $1K over the lifetime of my hobby. I've probably given away quite abit more than that in free services to friends and church shooting events for them. It would be interesting to see at what point in the course of our hobby do most start earning money to support it?

I am glad you get my point William. I sold mated prints last year, did several portrait sessions, just completed a commercial project for a friend that represents a wholesale nursery products company and was contacted by the Oregon Zoo by way of this site because they found an image they wanted to use in a public display. So, I made infinitely more money thus year than I spent on equipment, unless you count frames, mats, mat cutting devices, blades, mounting tape, photo inkjet paper, ink and photographic prints and enlargements as "camera equipment... and I do not.

Yes Michael, that E-1 is a terrible camera! We all know it is completely inadequate and is unable to make any sort of image better than a pinhole camera... Imagine how much better of an artist you could be with newer equipment! ;-)

E-3 + HLD-4 + 8mm FE is most of it . . . Probably an 11-22 later on.