Bought it ... and hate it?

[ilya]

What gear, accessory, or anthing related have you bought and then found totally useless, or not up to your expectations.

For me, when i first got started, I thought it would be very efficient to have a monopod and a tripod all in one - Bogen something with three legs. Most useless piece of crap there ever was. too shaky to be a tripod, and too heavy to be a monopod.

You :?:

[Laziferous]

A Phoenix fisheye adapter for my G2. I was impressed with the first two shots, because I was only looking at what kind of distortion I could get. After looking closer, the overall quality was just pure crap. I've never used it since. I thought of selling it, but I can't bring myself to lie, and say it's something good.

I guess I could always just say "For sale: Phoenix fisheye adapter. Works on G-series cameras with the proper adapter. It really sucks, but please buy it from me anyway. Just because."

:?: :D

[Belmondo]

I have a long list of such things, and I will post them as I think of them, but one of the most useless was the Canon EP-EX15 Eyepiece Extender. On the 10D, it just fell off anytime you as much as breathed on it. I decided that nose prints on the LCD weren't so bad after all.

Other things I've wasted money on....
1. Every tripod I ever bought that cost less than $50.
2. Fanny pack camera bag.
3. EF 50mm f/1.0 (great lens, but not for me)
4. more to com

[Laziferous]

one of the most useless was the Canon EP-EX15 Eyepiece Extender. On the 10D, it just fell off anytime you as much as breathed on it. I decided that nose prints on the LCD weren't so bad after all.
So you gave it to me :?

LOL :lol: I've only used it twice, but I did notice it's desire to move. I need to pick up some of those little LCD protectors that stick to the LCD. That's probably the cheapest way to keep nose goo off of the LCD.

[CyberDyneSystems]

...but.. did you "waste" money on the 50mm f/1... or MAKE money on the 50mm f/1 ?

Sigma 28-300mm zoom
EP ex15 extender.. (it shrinks stuff :( )

[cecilc]

What gear, accessory, or anthing related have you bought and then found totally useless, or not up to your expectations.

I bought a 2x teleconverter .....

I hate TC's and have never used one ....

And I've never used the one I bought ....

Why I bought it I will never figure out ....

Stupid ... stupid ... stupid ....

[CyberDyneSystems]

What brand T-C?

Want to sell it..? :mrgreen: (if it's Canon) :wink:

[Belmondo]

...but.. did you "waste" money on the 50mm f/1... or MAKE money on the 50mm f/1 ?

Sigma 28-300mm zoom
EP ex15 extender.. (it shrinks stuff :( )

Well, that was a case of making lemonade out of lemons. There was really nothing wrong with the lens. Wanting it was ultimately more satisfying than having it. I just couldn't conceive of ever having a need to use it. I think I fell in love with the big leather case it came in.

Chris:
Busted! (actually, I bought two of them----I only sent you one. Someday you'll thank me for not sending both of them. :lol:

[Laziferous]

I thank you now :lol:

Actually, I'm going to have a look at it, and see if I can't just increase the tension of the pins that hold it in place by slightly tweaking them. Maybe I'll use it more aften after that... who am I kidding... no I won't :? :D

[cecilc]

What brand T-C? Want to sell it..? (if it's Canon)

Yea,...
I'd like to get rid of it by selling it...but I doubt anyone would want it.

But it's not a Canon - it's just some cheapie thing.
In fact, I think it's a Quantary .....

A valuable lesson there for me .....

And I am a quick learner! :wink:

[RikWriter]

My first camera bag, a Tamarac backpack.
My soon-to-be-sold Phoenix 100-400 zoom.

[karusel]

-a tripod that cost about $50. Never had one, it looked krazykool, sturdy and whatnot. Turns out it's not exactly superstable, the thing that tilts the camera to a vertical position doesn't really hold it's position, the list goes on.
-IR mouse that came with my IR keyboard. I really, really hate mouse's lag
-B&W photos complete developing set - used it to develop 2 films (overexposed them by at least 2 stops) and to develop 4 photos. Then I realized I needed A LOT of practice and dedication if I wanted good results and considering that analog photography will relatively soon become obsolete that would be a sunk cost I was not willing to pay
-my cat. It pretends it's catching mice, never caught one though, after being fed lays aroud for an hour or so, then disappears for the rest of the day an perhaps returns next morning to get fed
-the runners handbook - about 700 pages (I kid you not), I thought I'd rather spend time running than reading it. I made 30 pages though.
-quadral loudspeakers and some no name subwoofer - last used: about 3 years ago. I only listen to the music with Sennheiser HD 590 headphones (which cost about 6 times the said setup)

[CoolToolGuy]

I have a long list of such things, and I will post them as I think of them, but one of the most useless was the Canon EP-EX15 Eyepiece Extender. On the 10D, it just fell off anytime you as much as breathed on it. I decided that nose prints on the LCD weren't so bad after all.

Other things I've wasted money on....
1. Every tripod I ever bought that cost less than $50.


I got the highly recommended Velbon Maxi 343E tripod, and it does pack up small, but my first two attempts to use it were hopeless. In both cases, the column swayed and I had to hold onto the camera to keep it steady. It completely sold me on higher quality tripods.

I have the EP-EX15 on the Drebel, and it stays on quite well. However, I am on my 3rd rubber eye frame, as it sticks out enough with the extender that it gets knocked off when I put the camera into the bag. I have changed its position in the bag, and that has helped a bit.

Have Fun,

[msnow]

Canon EP-EX15 Eyepiece Extender when I had the 10D.

Like everyone else, it kept falling off. If it wasn't for the fact that it costs less than $20 I would have made an issue of it with the dealer. I gave it to the guy I sold my 10D to (no extra charge).

[Tom W]

The S-230. It never had enough zoom range, and I wasn't all that fond of the images that it created. As soon as the S-400 came out, I replaced the 230. That has proven to be a wise move.

Despite my going DSLR since then, the S-400 remains a very good pocket-sized camera.

[ScottJE22]

...
Fanny pack camera bag.
...

Ditto. It seemed like such a good idea at the time....

Also, Minolta Maxxum 5 and 3 lenses. Wish I'd gone straight to a DSLR like my DRebel. ;)

[Canuck]

.
2. Fanny pack camera bag.


:lol: We call it bum bag over here. :lol:

[SnJPhoto]

Shoulder strap (messenger style) camera bags. I've tried 4 different ones and disliked all of them. I've sold off a few extra cameras and gave them the bags also just to get rid of them.

Lesson learned, these bags are for light weight, short duration carries. Definitely not for toting around a bag of glass and bodies all day.

Scott

[iwatkins]

Canon 10D I thought to be useless when I first bought it. Then I realised you needed some lenses to go with it to get the best results..... ;)

I've had no problem at all with the EX externder. Never fallen off once and is a very snug fit. Yes, it makes everything smaller, but at least I can read the in viewfinder readout with my specs on.

Useless thing was the chest harness that came with the LowePro TopLoader Zoom bag. What is that all about ? Like I'm going to walk around with that lot sticking out in front of me.

Other useless thing ? CF Card holder case thingy that had such a tight interior rubber, that you had to bend the CF cards to get them to fit in properly. Sure, it would protect the cards once they were in there, but the cards were in two parts by then. ;)

Cheers

Ian

[Bruce Hamilton]

I guess I could always just say "For sale: Phoenix fisheye adapter. Works on G-series cameras with the proper adapter. It really sucks, but please buy it from me anyway. Just because."

I've got a fisheye adapter that fits on a lens with 58mm threads, almost as useless...

[Cadwell]

.
2. Fanny pack camera bag.


:lol: We call it bum bag over here. :lol:

Yes... once again it's a case of two nations divided by a common language. "Fanny" means something entirely different over this side of the pond.

[Andy_T]

No-name 3.5x teleconverter for my G2 that I bought on eBay for about 75$.

The rear lens (made from high-quality optical plastic :lol: ) got scratched the first time I put it on my camera, when it sheared on the G2 lens, because it intruded too far back. (Actually, I was happy that the converter was scratched and not my G2's lens :roll: )

Vignetting is another issue ... about 50% of the picture is blacked out. The rest is optically ok, actually, (which astounds me) but I seldom have the need for photos cropped that much.

You wouldn't notice the scratch on the photos, but it's very visible on the lens itself ... so I'm hesitant even to sell it off on eBay without tarnishing my feedback record.

Best regards,
Andy

[RichardtheSane]

Canon G5

Great camera, in fact a fantastic camera!

But not for me.

I bought it as a camera to take everywhere, but I still kept wanting to take my 10D everywhere.

Recently sold.

[IanD]

Mini lens blower/brush. Brush is useless unless you want to use it to detail the truck (not) and the blower, my budgie breaks wind with more authority.

[Zeke]

my budgie breaks wind with more authority.

:lol:

[Hatem Eldoronki]

75-300mm IS: I hate that lens !

[Zeke]

75-300mm IS: I hate that lens !

If you hate it so much, let e take it off your hands. I won't even charge you. :wink:

[Ballen Photo]

I'd have to say it was a "Fuji Endeavor", which is a very small but feature loaded APS camera. It's major downfall was, it shot APS film. After shooting 35mm and medium format, this film size was a real let down. I put it away after shooting maybe two rolls, and never used it again. :x
..........Bruce

[Hatem Eldoronki]

75-300mm IS: I hate that lens !

If you hate it so much, let e take it off your hands. I won't even charge you. :wink:


You got it.
Send me $400 S&H.

[Ballen Photo]

75-300mm IS: I hate that lens !

Just curious, I've heard a lot of glowing reviews about what a great lens this is, so why do you hate it? :shock:
.........Bruce

[CyberDyneSystems]

I forgot about the B&H mini Vacuum cleaner... :roll:

[Hatem Eldoronki]

75-300mm IS: I hate that lens !

Just curious, I've heard a lot of glowing reviews about what a great lens this is, so why do you hate it? :shock:
.........Bruce

Very slow @ tele end...but then, I wasn't really really really experienced when I bought as I really really am now.
..And, where did you read it was a good lens?

[Ballen Photo]

Very slow @ tele end...but then, I wasn't really really really experienced when I bought as I really really am now.
..And, where did you read it was a good lens?

Slow? OK, I didn't realize it had a problem, but then again, I dont have this lens. The closest I have to this focal range is the 70-200 f/2.8.
Where did I read this? Right here on this forum, for one, and on at least one or two others. :shock:
........Bruce

[MarkH]

Very slow @ tele end...but then, I wasn't really really really experienced when I bought as I really really am now.
..And, where did you read it was a good lens?

Slow? OK, I didn't realize it had a problem, but then again, I dont have this lens. The closest I have to this focal range is the 70-200 f/2.8.
Where did I read this? Right here on this forum, for one, and on at least one or two others. :shock:
........Bruce

Well, I doubt that any of the more experienced shooters here would say that as an owner of a 70-200 f2.8L lens you would be capable of finding the 75-300 IS lens acceptable. Canon's softest IS zoom can't really compare with their sharpest zoom available. Being 2 stops slower is also a bit of a difference.

I have seen comments about it being good value for the price, but I've not seen it called sharp or fast or close to L quality.

I considered buying this lens based on price, but decided not to based on quality. Instead I bought the non-IS version, also low quality, but at a price that wouldn't slow down my savings for some nice L glass (like the 70-200 f2.8L IS).

[ron chappel]

A Phoenix fisheye adapter for my G2. I was impressed with the first two shots, because I was only looking at what kind of distortion I could get. After looking closer, the overall quality was just pure crap. I've never used it since. I thought of selling it, but I can't bring myself to lie, and say it's something good. D

Chris,just in case you don't know-you absolutally MUST use those things stopped down-they are ,as you say,pretty hopeless if you don't

[Cadwell]

Bought it and hate it? Oh well... at the risk of upsetting some people my biggest "hates/wastes of money" are:


Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. The images produced by this lens look so poor in comparison to my other lenses and it was way too slow for me at the telephoto end. You live and learn.
Canon Extender EF 2x II. Actually worse with my Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 than a Sigma 2x extender. It's great on my 70-200 f/4L but that's only manual focus of course (I knew that beforehand - it was bought for use with the Sigma).
That stupid little rubber thing that came attached to the top of my Manfrotto monopod... what on earth is the point of that? If you use it you just end up with a wobbly camera on a stick.... :P


;)

[blinking8s]

i almost bought a Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS today...hated it when i tried it in the store, ordered a 70-200 f4 L instead...

well, ive only been at it for a few months, but so far ive bought 2 bags....both very similar, just one said Canon so I HAD to get it...so one of them was a waste of like...$50? maybe?

and my tripod sucks...i regret dropping $20 on...it really...sucks

[Jesper]

Bought it and hate it: The StoFen OmniBounce for my 420EX. I bought it in a local store here (Rotterdam, Netherlands) for the outrageous price of € 35 (US$ 42 - in the USA, it costs something like US$ 17). It's just a stupid piece of plastic that probably cost $ 1 to produce and it is less useful than I thought it would be. A piece of white cardboard attached to the flash with a rubber band works just as well.

By the way, I still like the 28-135, even though I also have two higher quality lenses (the 17-40 L and 70-300 DO). The 28-135 is very versatile, the IS is great and stopped down to f/8 it's just or almost as sharp as the 17-40 L.

[Patrick 10D]

What gear, accessory, or anthing related have you bought and then found totally useless, or not up to your expectations.

Actually, nothing. Everything that I have bought for my 10D, I have needed and wanted.

I am a happy camper!

[Andy_T]

Panasonic NV-65 Digital Video Camera that I bought about a year after my G2 (got hooked on the tiny movies).

Great little 800.000 pixel camera, good lens, IS, what more could you wish for?

... maybe the possibility to download 30 minutes of video to the computer in less than 2 hours, consuming less than 20 GB on the harddisk and taking about a day for conversion to DVD or VCD MPEG ...that sucks big time.

Result ... it's sitting in my home, never to be used.
I still do tiny movies with my G2...

I have some tapes shot at my son's first birthday that I haven't had the leisure to transfer to the PC.

Best regards,
Andy

[DocFrankenstein]

LOL

Considering how much money I've spent and what I'm realizing now, I've spent about 90% of the camera money WRONG!!! :cry:

The beginning: I was buying a "family" camera, but actually I wanted to see what manual photography is like. So I got S1 IS.

Having never experienced the difference in image quality of a 10X built in zoom lens and fixed focal lens I was astonished.

About a week ago I realized that I need something that I can attach different lenses to. It should have a focus ring.

My S1 IS doesn't seem so good anymore. :( I got a severe case of rebelmania (even though I don't have the $$$) ((well, I do now, but I'm gonna be eating oatmeal for the rest of the year if I buy it))

And the thing is that I am just too fukkin stupid to realize that I need the rebel withing 30 days of purchase the S1. Now I am stuck with S1 IS. 800 CAD for that.

Then I bough a 40 buck taiwan tripod. Pretty standard :wink:

And of course the tele adapter and a polarizer for the S1.

The only thing I don't regret buying is the Duracell charger :shock: And even that will become quite useless if I get the REBEL.

Is this normal? I have a cam better than what 95% (?) of people have and I am not satisfied. :cry:

[Lunatique]

I bought a ton of different colored gel sheets, thinking I was going to use them creatively in my lighting setup. Turned out they were way too saturated and dark to be of much use other than VERY dramatic coloring for the lights. I've used about 3 colors, once each. And never touched them again.

I have a 100 watt strobe. I have NO idea what I thought I would shoot with such a low wattage. I think I used it once just to see if it worked. Then never touched it again. . ..

I bought a filter pack. I only used the UV filter, which lives on my lens. I've never even touched the other filters.

In hindsight, the Olympus C3030Z is pretty crappy camera for someone who wants to get serious about photography. But back then, the D30 was like 3K. Way too expensive for me at the time.

[droosan]

LOL

Considering how much money I've spent and what I'm realizing now, I've spent about 90% of the camera money WRONG!!! :cry:

The beginning: I was buying a "family" camera, but actually I wanted to see what manual photography is like. So I got S1 IS.

Having never experienced the difference in image quality of a 10X built in zoom lens and fixed focal lens I was astonished.

About a week ago I realized that I need something that I can attach different lenses to. It should have a focus ring.

My S1 IS doesn't seem so good anymore. :( I got a severe case of rebelmania (even though I don't have the $$$) ((well, I do now, but I'm gonna be eating oatmeal for the rest of the year if I buy it))

And the thing is that I am just too fukkin stupid to realize that I need the rebel withing 30 days of purchase the S1. Now I am stuck with S1 IS. 800 CAD for that.

Then I bough a 40 buck taiwan tripod. Pretty standard :wink:

And of course the tele adapter and a polarizer for the S1.

The only thing I don't regret buying is the Duracell charger :shock: And even that will become quite useless if I get the REBEL.

Is this normal? I have a cam better than what 95% (?) of people have and I am not satisfied. :cry:

Yeah, I think your normal. Satisfaction is a state of being which never lasts for more than a few minutes. But now there is a solution: eBay. You sell it to someone else, lovingly imparting to that person the ten minutes of satisfaction you got from it.

[msvadi]

*Stofen Omni bounce (overpriced, mostly useless plastic cap).

*rubber lens hoods (I bought one for the rebel kit lens, to find out that it vignettes at 18mm. I bought another one for 50mm f/1.8, but, now, I don't think that this lens actually needs a hood).

*a camera bag that turned out to be too small.

* expo/disc - I still have not decided how useful it is. The results I get with it are too inconsistent.

* a cheap card reader - I forgot the brand (PNY?). It damaged one of my CF cards, and, as a result, my camera is in repair service now.

[Lamplight]

*rubber lens hoods (I bought one for the rebel kit lens, to find out that it vignettes at 18mm.

Hey, I did the exact same thing with my kit lens. :D I use the lens at 18mm quite often which gives me those lovely black corners, so it now stays on my 75-300mm which rarely even needs it. :lol:

I would mention my $25 Walmart tripod, but to be honest I have more than gotten my money's worth out of it. Yeah, it sucks horribly, but it's better than nothing and I've been using it for over a year with no malfunctions (just typical cheap crapiness). I intend to get a good one when my funds allow, although I'm starting to wonder if that's ever going to happen. :D

[msvadi]

I would mention my $25 Walmart tripod

I had one too :) I used it for about 6 month, but I still think it's a waste of money. A solid tripod is the next important thing after the camera :)

[blu82]

Not one thing on this list is as useless as the 18-55mm lens that clings to bodies and sneaks it's decrepid way into unweary parcels dispatched to newbies. At least manure will grow roses or vegetables.
Dave

[dannybritton]

My first camera bag, a Tamarac backpack.
My soon-to-be-sold Phoenix 100-400 zoom.

I got one of these too, mines a Vivitar 100-400 though.
Danny

[KennyG]

Yes... once again it's a case of two nations divided by a common language. "Fanny" means something entirely different over this side of the pond.

Just wait until you tell them you were humping your gear all day! :rolleyes:

[Mogwyth]

The obligatory cheap no name tripod.

Cheap polarising filter needs two hands to turn it.

Lesson learnt buy cheap buy twice.

[CyberDyneSystems]

I forgot about my cheap lame quantaray tripod.... but it was for a P&S camera at the time,..

I gave it to the person who boght the P&S.

[pcasciola]

I've got a fisheye adapter that fits on a lens with 58mm threads, almost as useless...

I bought one of these recently too. What a waste of $40. I knew it would be bad, but it was even worse than I expected.

[FlyingPete]

Not one thing on this list is as useless as the 18-55mm lens that clings to bodies and sneaks it's decrepid way into unweary parcels dispatched to newbies. At least manure will grow roses or vegetables.
Dave

Surely its not that bad! Is there anything in particular about it you don't like? I know its not L glass but it is also a fraction of the cost. I'm not defending it, but it is better than a lot of kit lenses of old (think 35-80 that came with the rebel!).

BTW my most useless piece of gear was a LowPro Orion Bag (the backpack part), the bottom part is OK, but the 'attachable' back pack is a complete waste of space. I think they have addressed it in later versions, but not mine!

[Eric DeCastro]

fortuneatly, nothing. I did alot of research on the products I bought and even tested them out at local shops. I guess I'm patiant when it comes to spending money.

[johneo]

A few months before I bought my 10D (July '03) I decided to give my old Minolta X-700 a go. It had been sitting in the bag for a number of years and it seemed to work fine. Only problem was the 70-200 lens I had with it had mold on one of the elements. No biggie ... I'll just take it apart and clean it. YEAH, RIGHT! I dropped something that I shouldn't have making the lens pretty much usless if I don't wrap it in duck tape it to keep it together.

I decided to buy another 70-200 which after I got it home realized it wasn't very good. I then decided to get another lens and went with a cheap 75-300 Tamron and some "other" stuff. It wasn't a lot of money ... maybe $300 altogether, but those lenses are crap and the camera is pretty worn out. Still takes a good shot with the Minolta 50mm lens and even the wide angle I have but those zoom lenses are awful.

That was pretty much when I decided to spend some serious money and got the 10D and still wanting to shoot some film I now have the Elan 7NE as well. Keep saying I'll pack the Minolta and 50mm and even loaded a roll of film in it but there it sits, in the bag ... Maybe someday ....

I'd also like to add that I NOW do a lot more research on what I plan to buy so I don't buy something and wish I hadn't ... well, I haven't in a while anyway ... LOL

[Radtech1]

Believe it or not, my "Bought it ... and hate it" was the 70-200 f2.8L. Yes, I know that I will be burned at the steak, but I worked with 2 different copies and at best it was slightly sharper than the 28-135 IS. In many instances it was less sharp. I traded it in for a 70-300 DO and have been much happier with the longer reach, and less obvious lens. I may re-visit the 70-200 f2.8L when my budget allows a 1 Series camera, but on a 10d, it out-resolved the sensor. If you can't SEE the difference, why pay for it.

Rad

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34315

[JAZZ D.P.G.]

Cheap tripods. Light weight has more than one meaning!

Anything that I did not research on this forum first (Except the D60 and 28-135, had to start somewhere!).

70-200 2.8L hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm IS?

[ripster]

First person I ever heard of that hated the 70-200 2.8!

[donlavange]

The FL40 flash for my Olympus E10. A candle puts out more light.

[DocFrankenstein]

LOL

Considering how much money I've spent and what I'm realizing now, I've spent about 90% of the camera money WRONG!!! :cry:

The beginning: I was buying a "family" camera, but actually I wanted to see what manual photography is like. So I got S1 IS.

Having never experienced the difference in image quality of a 10X built in zoom lens and fixed focal lens I was astonished.

About a week ago I realized that I need something that I can attach different lenses to. It should have a focus ring.

My S1 IS doesn't seem so good anymore. :( I got a severe case of rebelmania (even though I don't have the $$$) ((well, I do now, but I'm gonna be eating oatmeal for the rest of the year if I buy it))

And the thing is that I am just too fukkin stupid to realize that I need the rebel withing 30 days of purchase the S1. Now I am stuck with S1 IS. 800 CAD for that.

Then I bough a 40 buck taiwan tripod. Pretty standard :wink:

And of course the tele adapter and a polarizer for the S1.

The only thing I don't regret buying is the Duracell charger :shock: And even that will become quite useless if I get the REBEL.

Is this normal? I have a cam better than what 95% (?) of people have and I am not satisfied. :cry:

LOL :lol: I forgot I wrote that.

S1 IS has been used 4 times in the last 6 months.

What else? No camera bags yet...

sigma 70-200 f/2.8 I love, but regret buying. I use it seldom and often stopped down.

I'd be better off with 50/1.4 or 28-70 or something in that range...

I need 580 flash and the rebel grip. And a full frame camera under 2000$.

[Persian-Rice]

I don't really hate anything I own, maybe the Tamron 28-75, cuz it was soo buggy and then after all that, it didn't reach my expecations. I think the lens is somewhat overhyped by people who cluelessly compare it to the Canon. It's DOG SLOW, the build is okay, contrast is ordinary at best, and it also isnt very sharp wide open. For the price I think I'm being a little extreme, but the way people make it sound like it's a $350 identical twin of the Canon probably makes it my least liked lens, cuz I expected it to be as good as the Canon, but it's far from it.

[DocFrankenstein]

For the price I think I'm being a little extreme, but the way people make it sound like it's a $350 identical twin of the Canon probably makes it my least liked lens, cuz I expected it to be as good as the Canon, but it's far from it.
Yeah... that "get what you pay for" thing is unavoidable.

I've experienced it with sigma

[Olegis]

Bought and hated it :

- Minolta Dimage 7i. The darn thing kept on breaking just over and over again. Don't get me wrong, it was very good camera when it was working, but its reliability sucked big time !
- Olympus 20P. Very limited camera - shutter speed up to 1/640 only, anything above the basic ISO 64 is not useable because of noise.
-El-cheapo Hama-branded tripod.

Bought and didn't use it :

- Manfrotto monopod.

[mdr]

Hear. hear. Bought the 75-300mm IS. It's no match for the 100-300mm USM. Regretted ever since selling it to finance the IS. The IS AF is unbelievably slow.

[WestFalcon]

I bought Extensis Photoframe and can't get it to function properly and the company help is extremely poor. You can never talk to a real person and they have answered one email out of five and that didn't help. This is the second time I've bought from Extensis and the help for the first product was the same. How in the world do they stay in business? They probably should move to "Crooklyn" which matches there customer service. Thus, I hate this product. I have spent over $200 with these jokers!!!

[Cadwell]

I don't really hate anything I own, maybe the Tamron 28-75, cuz it was soo buggy and then after all that, it didn't reach my expecations. I think the lens is somewhat overhyped by people who cluelessly compare it to the Canon.

Mmm... I guess I'm one of those "clueless" people then because I kinda like the Tamron. Perhaps one day, when I own some decent lenses and can make an objective comparison I'll understand what I am missing.

[lmelendez]

Believe it or not, my "Bought it ... and hate it" was the 70-200 f2.8L. Yes, I know that I will be burned at the steak, but I worked with 2 different copies and at best it was slightly sharper than the 28-135 IS. In many instances it was less sharp. I traded it in for a 70-300 DO and have been much happier with the longer reach, and less obvious lens. I may re-visit the 70-200 f2.8L when my budget allows a 1 Series camera, but on a 10d, it out-resolved the sensor. If you can't SEE the difference, why pay for it.

Rad

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34315

Where are the matches? :D
You probably had a very good 28-153 IS. I use my 70-200 with the DRebel and the pictures come out really sharp.

Anyway, I bought the DRebel and HATE the camera store (the worse customer service ever).... does that count?

Leo.

[jylitalo]

Useless thing was the chest harness that came with the LowePro TopLoader Zoom bag. What is that all about ? Like I'm going to walk around with that lot sticking out in front of me.
While I haven't yet put my LowePro (AW75 Toploader) chest harness into use, I've used similar concept in past in hiking trips. Camera bag in a front provides you quick access to your camera and also works as small counterweight to tent, stove, food, etc. which you are carrying on your back. On everyday life, I've just used shoulder strap.

[ssim]

When I got my 10D body I was so anxious to get some lenses that I bought on price and not quality. I didn't do the proper research and bought the 24-85 and the 100-300. For the casual shooters they may have been fine. The 24-85 had to be f8 or better for good shots. The 100-300 wasn't bad but niether lens was yielding the quality that I thought the camera had the potential of. I then started my L adventure.


I still have both lenses and gave them and my 10D to my son. Now he is talking about wanting better glass.

I made a couple of tripod errors along the way but generally I now do the proper research so that I don't spend money foolishly (and that is a matter of opinion).

[Cadwell]

Useless thing was the chest harness that came with the LowePro TopLoader Zoom bag. What is that all about ?

Cheers

Ian

*cough* They're considered quite the thing to be seen wearing in certain, errrmmm... shall we say, "specialised" company *cough*

[Bruford]

My "Bought it ... and hate it" items are almost every camera bag I ever bought! The only one I have kept so far in my trusty Lowepro Magnum.
Also I too bought 2 lenses I thought were OK when I got my 10D one was the 28-135mm IS (I have a love hate relationship with this lens) the other was the 75-300mm IS and the more I use it the more I HATE it!! I am thinking of replacing it with the Canon 100 400mm L IS or the Canon 28-300mm L IS.

[Anders Östberg]

one of the most useless was the Canon EP-EX15 Eyepiece Extender.
Agreed, very disappointng image quality and function.
My copy currently sits at the bottom of my junk drawer.

[Persian-Rice]

Cadwell, it's not a bad lens, I won't say that. It's more of a dissapointment in my eyes, because I expected more after all the reviews I read.

I like my EP-EX..........

[PrimaPhoto]

I just picked up a tripod at a garage sale, it was painted with brown paint so when I stripped it off I found the Manfroto sticker! Ya hooo.
I already have a very heavy Manfroto so the one I got at the garage sal got turned into a monopod. best thing the monopod!

[MrChad]

Hate it 28-105mm f4.0-5.6 non-USM....makes a wonderful dust cap for the front of my Elan 7N. I hate this lens so much that I love my 75-300mm IS lens, that should tell you something.

[FlyingPete]

Hate it 28-105mm f4.0-5.6 non-USM....makes a wonderful dust cap for the front of my Elan 7N. I hate this lens so much that I love my 75-300mm IS lens, that should tell you something.

Why oh why Canon has replaced the 28-105 3.5/4.5 USM with this 'thing' I do not know!

[merlyn9]

Tamron 28-300mm zoom (pre 'Di' version)

[Tom W]

Why oh why Canon has replaced the 28-105 3.5/4.5 USM with this 'thing' I do not know!

As far as I know, at least here in the US, they have NOT replaced the 28-105 with the cheaper lens. We've had 2 different designs for a few years.

[FlyingPete]

As far as I know, at least here in the US, they have NOT replaced the 28-105 with the cheaper lens. We've had 2 different designs for a few years.

I have seen it on B&H, but it has officially been discontiuned down here, if something happens to mine, the insurance people will have to replace it with the nearest equivilent or better, hopefully not the new 28-105 :( Better still I will look after my gear and try and make sure something doesn't happen to it!

[Tom W]

Well, its still listed on the Canon USA site as well, but perhaps they're planning on changing that soon. I hope not, unless they replace it with something with more range at the wide end.

I wish they'd dump a few of the 28-80 and 28-90 cheap-o lenses instead. There's several in that range, and as digital takes a bigger chunk of the imaging pie, they will become less desirable. They serve as the venerable "kit" lens that come with several versions of the Rebel and Elan film cameras here.

[ilya]

Under the heading of bought it -- don't hate it -- but don't use it (useless crap):

Canon 2x II tcon (used 2x last year)
28-135 IS
75-300 IS (gone now, traded for the 2x tcon...)

and a pile of wireless "b" router, cards, adapters, etc. but that's slightly OT

[Citizensmith]

I picked up a fairly expensive APS camera. Oops
I bought a cokin style filter holder and a huge selection of filters for it. Probably used each once. Opps
Cheapy 2x Teleconverter. Oops
Close-up filter set that sucked. Oops

Done OK otherwise. I've owned a fair few crappy lenses but when I couldn't afford any better. In that case just accept it and make the best of the situation. People that whine about the quality of a $100 lens can get pretty annoying. Now I've got a couple of Ls and a selection of primes so I'm happy.

[thomascanty]

The FL40 flash for my Olympus E10. A candle puts out more light.

Sounds like you just had a bad flash. Until I bought my 580EX, the FL40 was the best flash I ever owned.

My regrets:
Tokina 35-300 f/4.5-6.7 (bought back in my film days)
Tamron 28-80 f/3.5-5.6 (from the film days)
Promaster 19-35 f/3.5-4.5 (again, film days)
Canon 75-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM (Bought soon after getting the 10D)

I liked the 28-135 IS, but haven't used it in over a year, since I got my 17-40L.

[Belmondo]

Eyepiece extenders
Every flash bracket I've bought so far.
All those 256 meg compact flash cards
The G5 P&S that I thought would be so handy on those occasions when I really wished I had a camera with me.
The HP laptop with a 17" screen (too big, too heavy, too inconvenient)
All those Bogen/Manfrotto ball heads with the RC2 QR plates. I'm currently switching to arca-swiss on everything. Nothing wrong with Bogen, and they work well. I just don’t want two different QR systems.
The second 10D. I just didn't use it, and eventually sold it with about 2,000 shutter actuations on it.
The cheap little lens brush/blowers that don't do anything. I bought a bunch of those before I discovered Rocket Blowers.
The Halliburton aluminum case that I accidentally locked, forgot the combination, and had to destroy in order to get my lenses out of.

The list is endless. Possibly more later if I can stand the pain.

[prsast]

Another vote for the Canon 75-300mm IS, I bought this with my first EOS 5 and sold it 6 months latter. It may have been a bad copy but I just could not get sharp images even at f8/f11.

Lost faith in telly zooms for several years but have recently bought a 100-400mm IS and love it (it is, as reported, soft at 400mm, but I find it very sharp at 100-340mm and with a 1.6x or 1.3x body I rarely need the 400mm end anyway)

Andy

[Jon]

BG-E2. OTOH, the 75-300 IS has its place in my arsenal. Sure, it'd be nice if it were faster and focussed faster, but there are times when the 100-400 L is too much (bulk and weight as well as range). The 70-200 f/2.8 is almost as big and bulky as the 100-400, and the 70-200 f/4 would have me popping a TC on and off too much of the time in the situations I use the 75-300. To say nothing of needing a tripod where they're not allowed.

[velvetjones]

Dumb fisheye adapter, omni-bounce, sigma 2x Teleconverter, various novlety filters that I never use. I could even throw my light meter in there too, but I hope that it will be more useful in the future.....

[donlavange]

*Stofen Omni bounce (overpriced, mostly useless plastic cap).

**a camera bag that turned out to be too small.

*.

ALL camera bags turn out to be too small. . . .eventually!

[Persian-Rice]

ALL camera bags turn out to be too small. . . .eventually!

Ditto, my 70-200 f/4L used to fit fine in both my bags, now I need to carry the ugly Canon bug cuz I upgraded.

[FlipsidE]

Well, I'd say there are a couple of things that I'd redo if I had the chance to do it all over again. I wouldn't say I *hate* 'em, but I probably wouldn't have bought them or would have waited.

1) Quantarray Blower Brush - As someone said earlier, the blower had no power to speak of. It was rather useless IMO.

2) Stroboframe Pro-T Flash Bracket - It looked so good on the website, but I just dont' like it. It makes the camera more difficult to hold, IMO. I like the way it is set up, but they could have used a little better design. I find that my camera still ends up taking the large brunt of the weight versus the bracket itself (which I what I thought part of the point was). Maybe I'm just using it incorrectly though.

While this is not something I hate, I do wish I had just flat out bought the Lumiquest ProMax system with 80-20. I was just overzealous when I first got into this whole photography thing...I had to get everything I could get in-town and today versus getting it at a better price online and waiting a few days. I bought the Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer from a local photo shop. It's a good bouncer, don't get me wrong. But, if I had just waited on the ProMax system, I could have saved myself about $30.

Onto other things. I guess I'm confused why so many people dislike the 28-135 IS. The photo quality complaints are understandable. But, it seems this lens fits really well for a walk around lens or portrait lens. But, I'm not sure what else its use would be and why it's speed on the long end is important. For low light, macro (well, as close as you can get with this lens at least), and night shots, a tripod is a necessity allowing you to open up to the lens even more than the 5.6 at the long end. Though, for low light shots, I would have to assume that the IS would help some in keeping it handheld. It's definitely not long enough or fast enough for most action shots (be it of people or animals), and it's not a macro lens. I'm curious what those who complained were expecting to get out of this lens when you bought it.

FlipsidE