Part of why I started Cheapshooter was not only to learn and share how to save money, but to think about how to spend it wisely as well. Spending some of your hard-earned cash on photo equipment isn’t always a bad thing, and sometimes it is inevitable. But what piece of equipment will get you the most bang for your buck?

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One of the worst investments you can make is purchasing a new digital camera. Again, sometimes this is unavoidable, but cameras are the high-tech piece necessary for digital photography, and the technology is always changing. While the trend isn’t as bad as it used to be, all the major digital camera manufacturers still release new digital camera models at a staggering pace. What is a new digital camera today is old news tomorrow, making digital cameras a purchase that will only depreciate.

Let’s compare that with lenses. While the ability to use interchangeable lenses requires you purchase a digital SLR, you are not going to lose a whole lot of money from depreciation for the lens itself. Consider the Canon 70-200mm F/2.8 IS. It’s one of Canon’s most popular lenses, but it carries with it a high price tag - $1585 from Adorama.com. While that price is nothing to sneeze at, the lens sells used for around $1500 on average on eBay - a fact that certainly lessens the blow. With lenses, you will be able to get about 80-90 percent of your money back from resale, compared to 30-40 percent for digital cameras.

Am I telling you to always invest in lenses? No, that’s not always the right solution. But you can have the peace of mind that if you buy a lens, at least that money isn’t gone for ever. It’s a smart thing to think about.

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