Your site looks great! I have seen many other so-called sites and they have been far from good quality.Your site has all the key ingredients to pulling in visitors….

I would go with starting your idea with the camera you have and have the developer give you a CD. $600 can buy a lot of film development. If the idea works, you can upgrade (perhaps use the money from the idea to purchase the new camera) but if the idea is a flop, you aren’t stuck with an expensive camera you don’t really need.

As for the used, I’m hesitant here. My husband’s video camera just went kaput and thankfully it had the warranty. All we had to pay for is shipping.

As for the “auxillary” costs, I hear ya! Looking at all the lenses gives me sticker shock! For the basic idea I have, the core camera and the lens it comes with is fine. I would buy a UV filter to help protect the lens. We have a 35mm SLR already, so I can use that camera bag, tripod, lens cap, etc. I would like to get more lenses, but that will be for the future and dependant on how well the site does.

Fellowes – the articles are more like paid reviews. It’s a lot of work for very little money. I actually quit doing it for a while, but I’m motivated for this camera so I started back up for a while. If interested, the site is http://www.blogitive.com . I use it for some older blogs I started and abandoned except for doing the reviews.

shawna – thanks for the open box tip! I’ll have to peek and see what they have and what the conditions are.

basil – HAHAHAHAHAHA!! Not quite my idea

maureen – thanks for the site. I’ll check that one out as well.

Chris – my idea on a basic level does not need a $600 camera. But to market some things (for income), I need a camera that takes great quality pictures. I do have a 35mm SLR (Canon Rebel) and I loved the pictures I could take with that. However, I do not want to pay the price to have the film developed and I enjoy the digital format. When I think of a camera that would work for what I envision, I think of the digital SLR. I have been browsing around and looking at reviews to see if I can find something less expensive. So far one camera caught my eye (it’s $300) but it’s tough. I know I will want to upgrade to the SLR so do I buy the cheaper camera for the moment and upgrade later or do I buy the one I want outright?

1) If the idea is one that will generate income (which is the impression I get), then I think you can seriously consider doing a cost/benefit of charging the purchase. The time you spend saving up to buy the camera in cash is an opportunity cost. Having said this, it’s clearly not a no-brainer to buy the camera on credit — you have to consider how much income you’d make, what the interest rate on the card would be, etc.

2) I would consider buying the camera used. As with buying cars, the immediate depreciation of electronics upon opening up the box is substantial. There are many reputable camera buy/sell forums (I would stay away from eBay) where you can get this exact camera for about $400. True, they are often not under warranty so there is some (but I’d say fairly small) risk there.

3) Independent of comments 1 or 2, if your idea doesn’t pan out, you can resell the camera and recoup a substantial portion of your investment.

4) There are many very tempting “auxiliary” costs associated with owning a digital SLR! You will always be tempted to buy different lenses, more memory cards, extra batteries, accessories, etc.

Just some food for thought! Feel free to email me with questions on specifics…

sipote – I don’t want to give away my idea just yet. It’s one of those where you don’t want someone else to take it and get it going before you do. I know some are curious what it is so I’ll try not to talk about it much. I am proud of how I didn’t charge the camera so I wanted to share that.

Matt – exactly