Regrets?

[MarkBarbieri]

To help counter GDad's constant incitement to people to buy more and more gear, how about a thread on what you have bought that you wish you hadn't?

Some of mine:
1) Lowepro Field and Street belt system. I actually like the system a lot and use it fairly frequently. I regret buying it because I'd rather have the equivalent Think Tank system.

2) Canon 100mm macro. It does everything it is supposed to do and is a nice enough lens. I just don't shoot macro that much and would have been better off spending the money on something else.

3) Expodisc. It works. It's easy. I don't use it that much, so I think I would have been better off buying a grey card and saving the difference.

4) Alien Bees Ring Flash - It works as advertised. I just don't care for look that much.

 

[annnewjerz]

Let me preface my post by saying that everything I truly regret buying, I have sold to fund things that I am happy with at the moment. I don't own anything that goes completely unused, so I really don't feel too much regret about buying anything, because I haven't lost any money.

If I could go back in time, I probably wouldn't purchase:

- The Nikon D60, should have just purchased my current camera from the get-go;
- Nikon 60mm f/2.8 micro. It was a nice little lens, but macro is something I still haven't really gotten into---just bought it because I needed to buy something and it fit within my budget;
- Crumpler 6MDH. It was good for storage at the time I bought it, but way too big/bulky/uncomfortable to carry around all day long;
- Hoya ND400 filter in a 52mm thread size. I don't own a lens that fits 52mm filters anymore, so now it just kind of sits in my bag.

This last one is going to be blasphemous, but I might regret buying Nikon's 70-200 f/2.8. I got a great deal and I have drooled over the lens for a while, but I feel a little regret about spending the money on it. I probably only feel this way since I really haven't had a chance to shoot with it yet and therefore have not been impressed by its superior image quality, but you never know, I may be one of the few who just end up not loving it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that's not the case though, cause it does look awefully cool.

So far, the only things I am really really happy about buying are the D90, my Sigma 30 f/1.4 and the Black Rapid RS-4. Otherwise, I get the feeling I could do without most of my gear like the Tokina 11-16, Lensbaby and miscellaneous other goodies.

 

[YesDear]

I would guess my only regret in the digital age would be the 50mm 1.8. I only had it about 9mths. Sold it and got the 35mm 2.8. Since I have a manual focus 50mm 1.2 just did not need them all.

I am overall happy with what I have gotten.

 

[VVFF]

Can't say I really regret anything right now. I bought the Tokina 11-16mm for awhile and sold it due to feeling guilty about money at the time. It didn't provide a big enough difference in range from my 17-55mm to make it definitely worth it to me. Perhaps some time in the future. Although it made me perhaps want the Canon 10-22mm to eek out that last mm on the wide end.

I suppose I can put Sandisk's 8GB Extreme IV memory cards on the list. I bought these wanting the best in reliability and had one fail on me during my cruise. The first time I've ever had a card fail. Turns out Sandisk was quietly recalling a specific batch of these cards due to failure and I didn't know(never was sent any info on it) until after the incident occurred. They replaced the cards with the new Extreme models and I luckily was able to rescue all but a few pictures(although through no help of any rescue software) but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

I just got a 1.8 ND filter and want to get the 3.0 ND filter instead. The 1.8 works well for 5-6 stops longer exposure but I still feel I could want more in bright situations...and I don't think exposing pictures for longer where this effect is wanted is really going to hurt anything.

 

[Gdad]

Leica M6 & 40mm f1.4 Nokton - Kind of neat to use for a bit- interesting camera- well built- but far overpriced for what it did for me personally. I did not get the whole rangefinder thing although I tried- I much prefer an SLR or DSLR. Sold for what I had in it.

Nikon 17-55/2.8 - Purchased new and then took a beating when I sold it a few months later because I upgraded to the newly announced D700. Nice lens but not full frame.

Nikon 24-70/2.8 - I know folks love this lens but I really prefer a fast prime- especially in mid range. I bought it new, used it a while, and sold it for more than I paid for it thanks to the price increases last year.

HP Large Format Printer - A complete waste. I never print anything anyway and when I tried it looked awful and the thing ate ink cartridges like crazy. Ink and paper were far more costly than just sending off for the occasional print. The software still haunts my computer. It's in the top of my office closet sitting in shame.

 

[sdshutterbug]

Wow we photographers sure buy a lot of things we regret!

I regret buying my Sony a200 kit in July with cheap kit lenses that I quickly realized I did not like. I purchased the body and 2 lenses in July brand new off ebay for $500, and then purchased a used Minolta 50mm f/1.7 to go with it. I bought these items because "the price was right" and I really wanted a DSLR but thought price was more important to me than image quality. Now nothing against Sony, I just happened to prefer the Canon bodies and lens lineup, as well as the option for IS in the lens (I find it works much better that way) and wanted the HD video as well (just for home movies here and there). I did a lot of research and in December I got a new Canon kit with 3 lenses (and a flash) that really suit my shooting wants/needs.

 

[ukcatfan]

I do not have any purchase regrets, but I do not buy very much stuff. My regret is that I do not have enough free time to go out and put my gear to good use! I got back into exercising about two years ago, so that takes up most of my free time. Having three kids has something else to do with it...

My wife is heading back up north for a week in February and I am going to take an entire day off of work then to go out and enjoy myself. Hopefully it actually happens and I can take some pics!

 

[spinetnglr]

I don't think I have anything I regret buying as far as camera gear goes. Some of it I dont use very much but I can't say I regret the purchase. I dont get alot of use out of my 10.5mm fisheye lens but I also don't regret buying it. I bought it barely used for a really good price so the fact that I dont use it often doesnt bother me and its a fun lens to use once in awhile.

 

[Groucho]

I regretted buying a Sears 60-300mm immediately after buying when my first photos were a mess - it didn't even seem to be worth the $30 I paid. I gave it "one more chance" on a camping trip and was pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to get a few good, sharp photos out of it. It's no classic lens, but now I don't regret buying it.

I really don't have much in the way of regrets about equipment choices, but I do have a number of lenses that I have sold.

Actually, I have a regret about a lens that I did sell. I had bought a Vivitar 400mm F4.6 M42-mount lens on eBay for a fairly good price. It was a huge, heavy monster that pretty much required the use of a monopod at all times. I took it to the zoo and was disappointed by the amount of CA that I was getting and ended up selling it. I realized later that I was too new to realize that you need to set M42 lenses to "Manual" to shoot at any aperture other than wide-open, and I suspect most of those issues would have cleared up if I'd stopped it down a little. Alas... at least I got about what I paid for it when I sold it.

 

[edolyne]

Here's my list of what I regret buying. Hopefully this thread will serve as a PSA for those looking to buy new gear in 2010, maybe we can all save each other some cash.

1) Canon 24-70 - I bought this lens as a refurb due to their issues with copy variation, well I found out that even buying it this way still lead to recieving a copy that was not that sharp. I have to say ditching my 24-105 for this was not a good move. So the PSA end of this is if you are comparing a Canon 24-70 vs 24-105, go with the 24-105 you won't regret it and can steer clear of this topic.

2) A Better Bounce Card - I bought this to attempt to replace my Gary Fong Tupperware(I mean Universal) and this failed to deliver the same type results. In the end I stuck with my Gary Fong after my ABBC went MIA at a wedding.

Here's a unique one, I had gotten into the Olympus system with an E-3 and 12-60 lens shortly after it's introduction. At the time I debated between that and the Nikon D300 and decided that the Oly seemed more attractive. In the end I ended up trading my E-3 for a Nikon and subsequently my Canon. My regret was trading this setup, while high ISO was not that great the colors were simply amazing and the build quality still seems unmatched compared to my 5D and the D300 that I had bought.

 

[Bstanley]

I bought the Tokina 11-16mm for awhile and sold it due to feeling guilty about money at the time. It didn't provide a big enough difference in range from my 17-55mm to make it definitely worth it to me.

I get the feeling I could do without most of my gear like the Tokina 11-16

Hmmm. Sorry about hijacking the thread but in preparation for an upcoming trip to Paris I was considering buying a Wide Angle lens - the Tokina or perhaps the Canon 10-22mm. These comments are interesting - I've got the kit 18-55mm and thought that a wide angle would compliment it for wide street shots and 'pictures in a museum'. But perhaps 18mm is wide enough (I've got a crop camera)?

 

[KarenAylwood]

Here's my list of what I regret buying. Hopefully this thread will serve as a PSA for those looking to buy new gear in 2010, maybe we can all save each other some cash.

1) Canon 24-70 - I bought this lens as a refurb due to their issues with copy variation, well I found out that even buying it this way still lead to recieving a copy that was not that sharp. I have to say ditching my 24-105 for this was not a good move. So the PSA end of this is if you are comparing a Canon 24-70 vs 24-105, go with the 24-105 you won't regret it and can steer clear of this topic.

Thanks for posting this. I was debating between the 24-70 and the 24-105 and had tentatively picked the 24-105. It seems like in the past few weeks though I've heard more and more about it. This is another good opinion!

I can't think of anything I really regret... I guess my flash since I never ever use it. I spent $500 on a flash and cord and never use the thing. I think once I actually learn how to use it and are less intimidated it will be a good purchase.

Good to see no one has a carbon fiber tripod on their list... that's the next thing on my "to buy" list!

 

[KarenAylwood]

Hmmm. Sorry about hijacking the thread but in preparation for an upcoming trip to Paris I was considering buying a Wide Angle lens - the Tokina or perhaps the Canon 10-22mm. These comments are interesting - I've got the kit 18-55mm and thought that a wide angle would compliment it for wide street shots and 'pictures in a museum'. But perhaps 18mm is wide enough (I've got a crop camera)?

I took a trip to London recently and bought the Tokina 11-16 specifically for it. I gotta say that it's one of my favorite purchases and I definitely do not regret it (in contrast I am thankful it actually arrived before the trip!!). An ultra wide lens is also highly recommended when photographing cities.

Your 18-55 may be wide enough for a museum (maybe not too) but is the aperture wide enough? You need a fast lens for something like that.

These are pics from my trip to London- mostly with the Tokina.
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2355572

 

[VVFF]

Hmmm. Sorry about hijacking the thread but in preparation for an upcoming trip to Paris I was considering buying a Wide Angle lens - the Tokina or perhaps the Canon 10-22mm. These comments are interesting - I've got the kit 18-55mm and thought that a wide angle would compliment it for wide street shots and 'pictures in a museum'. But perhaps 18mm is wide enough (I've got a crop camera)?

I think honestly FOV wise I'd be happier with the 10-22mm considering I have a 17-55mm. 17mm is pretty wide and most of the time when I find a need for wider I probably wouldn't have the time to switch out lenses for that one photo.

 

[alan]

Deleted - Pantone Europe have changed their policy and I am now a happy customer

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Like GDad, I also don't use my printer. I used to use it, so I'm not sure I'd call it a major regret. I just don't use it anymore. I'm stupid enough, though, to be considering replacing it with a much nicer printer that I won't use. I'm not much for learning from my mistakes.

I also ordered a really nice flatbed scanner for scanning in old prints. I guess it is fair to call that a mistake as well. I don't like the scan quality all that much. I also spend an absurd amount of time per picture trying to get it better. I think my money would have been better spent on a negative scanner, but then again, I probably wouldn't use it much either.

One big difference I see is that most of you sell your mistakes. I just sit on mine and grumble. I give lots of junk away, but I rarely sell anything. I'm sure that I could think up some rational sounding reason for not selling stuff, but I don't really have one. There is just something about it that doesn't appeal to me.

 

[Groucho]

Good to see no one has a carbon fiber tripod on their list... that's the next thing on my "to buy" list!

I love mine. I probably should have gone with a bigger ball head, but the tripod itself is great.

 

[RBennett]

For me I don't have HUGE regrets, but I have found that I don't use a couple things as much as I thought I might. First is an older lens that I bought, the Super Takumar 135mm f/3.5. It is a nice lens but the manual focus kills me. My eyesight is horrible and I can't tell when something is in focus or not, so I tend not to use this. The other item I bought with high expectations is my Kata R-104 backpack bag. It is a nice bag in that it holds just about everything I own photography related (including my laptop) but it is just so big and rigid that it is almost uncomfortable to use. But I don't anticipate getting rid of either any time soon!

 

[Groucho]

For me I don't have HUGE regrets, but I have found that I don't use a couple things as much as I thought I might. First is an older lens that I bought, the Super Takumar 135mm f/3.5. It is a nice lens but the manual focus kills me. My eyesight is horrible and I can't tell when something is in focus or not, so I tend not to use this.

You should get the usual green hexagon when something is in focus... and you can also use "catch-in focus"; just leave the camera set to AF and hold down the shutter and it will not fire until it decides that you've achieved focus.

Granted, it can still be tricky, but if you're shooting something static, the green hex is generally pretty reliable.

 

[RBennett]

You should get the usual green hexagon when something is in focus... and you can also use "catch-in focus"; just leave the camera set to AF and hold down the shutter and it will not fire until it decides that you've achieved focus.

Granted, it can still be tricky, but if you're shooting something static, the green hex is generally pretty reliable.

Good to know! Again, you're teaching me something useful. Not to hijack the thread, but can you tell me how I can become as smart as you???