that's a good reply from a moderator :thumbsup: can lock this thread already.
Our money is precious. What's wrong with asking if there are cheaper alternatives? Photography being an expensive hobby does not mean one has to pay through the nose every time, especially at times when one can help themself, of course, with help from fellow csers. Nobody has the right to bash another person for such in intent. Why should you? What kind of contribution are you trying to make from this?