Two Schools of Thought

Fairly soon after I bought my new camera, I started to really understand what it meant to have a "fast prime" lens.  My all-in-one-good-at-everything-great-at-nothing zooms lens covered just about every scenario that I needed, but... was fairly underwhelming at indoor low light photography.  It was acceptable, but not satisfying.  Given that I have a strong distaste for using flash, you might even say it was not acceptable.

I decided a month or two ago that I would get a fixed focal length lens (a fast prime lens excellent at basic low light indoor photography) for my next lens, realizing that once upon a time I thought I would "never" be the type to need/buy more than one lens.  The decision became which one -- the 35mm f/1.8 ($187) or the 50mm f/1.4 ($434)?  After taking my "creative techniques" class last month and chatting with the instructor about my options, and then seeking at least three friends' opinions, I settled on the 35mm lens.

Then the decision became when to order it.  As you can see, I do not do many things impulsively!  At this point there are two schools of thought:
1) order it now, because if you are definitely going to get it, why bother waiting and missing out on all those shots in the meantime?  (assuming you can actually afford it, of course... which is a large part of the leaning towards the 35mm lens)
2) order it later, because the more you can space out these types of purchases, it will eventually save you money.  When you buy something new, the newness/inspiration/fun can last for quite awhile, dampening or delaying your thirst for the next new fun thing.

One of my friends told me recently that I am cheap.  I said no, as my Grandma used to say, there is a big difference between being cheap and being thrifty, and I hope I am thrifty.  If you are cheap, you just don't like to spend your money, period.  If you are thrifty, then you are entirely willing to part with your money, but you have higher standards about when, what, where, etc.  You make your dollar go farther.

So, given I am "thrifty," I decided to wait until the new year to buy my new lens.  I mean really, poor me, with my lovely new DSLR camera, suffering, having to wait a whole 3-4 months to get a new lens.  Cry me a river.

But then.

The days are getting darker.  We're spending more time indoors.  As Nolan is getting older, the kids are more interactive with each other.  Suddenly I feel like I am missing memorable shots.  Not just a shot here and there, but lots and lots of photos.  Elise rolling chocolate chip cookies into balls for the cookie sheet.  Nolan making pancakes.  Both kids trying to build a tower together.  Nolan and Elise waving around their chicken drumsticks... their hands and the food are mere blurs in the pictures.

So:

It arrives on Thursday and even came with a free UV filter!  (Thanks to Amazon Prime shipping, free for two months if you sign up for an amazon.com/mom membership!)