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February 22, 2012 11:45 AM Subscribe
STUFF I WISH I’D NEVER BOUGHT. 'When I wrote about stuff I would buy with my own money it got me thinking about all of the buyer’s remorse I’ve had over the years, both with personal gear I’ve bought, and with things I’ve bought for Lensrentals. I’m a gearhead, so this isn’t about “things that weren’t profitable”.'
'This is about lessons I’ve learned buying bad stuff, buying overhyped stuff, and buying stuff I didn’t really want. My definition of “bad” is stuff that just doesn’t do what I expected it to do. Either it’s not up to the task, it doesn’t hold up well enough to use for the task, or, in a few cases there really is no task for it to do.'
'This is about lessons I’ve learned buying bad stuff, buying overhyped stuff, and buying stuff I didn’t really want. My definition of “bad” is stuff that just doesn’t do what I expected it to do. Either it’s not up to the task, it doesn’t hold up well enough to use for the task, or, in a few cases there really is no task for it to do.'
The whole Leica line your either remorse for not buying it, or remorse for buying it.
posted by stbalbach at 11:52 AM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by stbalbach at 11:52 AM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
Original Newton Messagepad. Original NeXT Cube. Powerbook Duo. G4 Cube. Smart Fortwo.
It hasn't been super cheap, but it's been interesting. I guess.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 11:52 AM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
It hasn't been super cheap, but it's been interesting. I guess.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 11:52 AM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
When it comes to high-ticket cutting-edge equipment, I have never, ever, ever regretted waiting six months or a year.
About ten years ago, my neighbors were over, and we were talking about cell phones and their use and convenience in emergencies. And at one point, my neighbor turned to her husband and said, "you know, we need to get cell phones. For emergencies."
He smiled. "I want you to hold your breath for three minutes," he said. "And then tell me what you need."
posted by gauche at 11:54 AM on February 22, 2012 [11 favorites]
About ten years ago, my neighbors were over, and we were talking about cell phones and their use and convenience in emergencies. And at one point, my neighbor turned to her husband and said, "you know, we need to get cell phones. For emergencies."
He smiled. "I want you to hold your breath for three minutes," he said. "And then tell me what you need."
posted by gauche at 11:54 AM on February 22, 2012 [11 favorites]
Then it was announced that the autofocus chips were defective and they were all going to fail. Someday. Maybe next week. Maybe in three months. A fix was available, but you couldn’t send the lens in to be fixed until it failed.
Sigma can be an impressively stupid company. The $7,500 Sigma SD1 would have been a perfectly good camera if it was about, oh, say, a thousand bucks. Bump it up to $1500-2000 if it could accept non-SD mount lenses.
posted by Sticherbeast at 11:55 AM on February 22, 2012
Sigma can be an impressively stupid company. The $7,500 Sigma SD1 would have been a perfectly good camera if it was about, oh, say, a thousand bucks. Bump it up to $1500-2000 if it could accept non-SD mount lenses.
posted by Sticherbeast at 11:55 AM on February 22, 2012
I made the early adopter mistake once, to the tune of 38k for a dental laser. It was cool and i still use it occasionally, but the ROI has been non-existent.
posted by OHenryPacey at 11:58 AM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by OHenryPacey at 11:58 AM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
When it comes to high-ticket cutting-edge equipment, I have never, ever, ever regretted waiting six months or a year.
This, this, a thousand times this.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:59 AM on February 22, 2012 [5 favorites]
This, this, a thousand times this.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:59 AM on February 22, 2012 [5 favorites]
I've just bought a DSLR after years of being afraid they'd be too 'technical' for me - one blog I read said that you shouldn't consider getting anything other than a lens/body kit costing about $7000 because otherwise you'll just waste money on the cheaper stuff. I don't want to be too intimidated by the cost of my equipment - or rather, replacing it - to take it out with me and use it. Unfortunately, a lot of people writing about gear see photography as something which is as much a collecting hobby as one that lets you take pictures.
Mind you, I didn't have a mobile phone until about 2009, when my boyfriend gave me a smartphone on the grounds that something with internet would mean I'd be more likely to carry it with me and have it on me in the case of emergency.
posted by mippy at 12:00 PM on February 22, 2012
Mind you, I didn't have a mobile phone until about 2009, when my boyfriend gave me a smartphone on the grounds that something with internet would mean I'd be more likely to carry it with me and have it on me in the case of emergency.
posted by mippy at 12:00 PM on February 22, 2012
Also, I just recently sold my Holga because in the UK getting and processing 120 film is an expensive pain in the arse. It wasn't expensive, but it wasn't getting the use it deserved, and I didn't realise the added cost when I bought it.
posted by mippy at 12:02 PM on February 22, 2012
posted by mippy at 12:02 PM on February 22, 2012
I bought a laserdisc player about 6 months before the dvd players became more readily available. I also bought a used reclining massage chair at a consignment shop, but it was more an implement of torture than any kind of relaxation device. When I moved out of the house, it ended up out on the street. And as a wedding present to myself, I bought a nice point-and-shoot slr which now gathers dust because I can't be bothered to buy and process roll film any more.
posted by crunchland at 12:05 PM on February 22, 2012
posted by crunchland at 12:05 PM on February 22, 2012
Ped Egg
posted by orme at 12:10 PM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by orme at 12:10 PM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
I've just bought a DSLR after years of being afraid they'd be too 'technical' for me - one blog I read said that you shouldn't consider getting anything other than a lens/body kit costing about $7000 because otherwise you'll just waste money on the cheaper stuff. I don't want to be too intimidated by the cost of my equipment - or rather, replacing it - to take it out with me and use it. Unfortunately, a lot of people writing about gear see photography as something which is as much a collecting hobby as one that lets you take pictures.
Yup yup yup and yup. DSLR quality, as far as machines which take still pictures go, plateaued a few years ago. That's an eternity in the gearhead universe. New cameras will always have new bells and whistles - better LCDs and suchlike - but it's not like they'll make you a better photographer, or that those features were anything you needed before you knew they could exist.
The normalization of video in DSLRs has been a boon to companies in this way. Now that it's essentially expected that every DSLR ought to produce cinema-quality 24p video, there's much more room to improve and compete.
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:16 PM on February 22, 2012
Yup yup yup and yup. DSLR quality, as far as machines which take still pictures go, plateaued a few years ago. That's an eternity in the gearhead universe. New cameras will always have new bells and whistles - better LCDs and suchlike - but it's not like they'll make you a better photographer, or that those features were anything you needed before you knew they could exist.
The normalization of video in DSLRs has been a boon to companies in this way. Now that it's essentially expected that every DSLR ought to produce cinema-quality 24p video, there's much more room to improve and compete.
posted by Sticherbeast at 12:16 PM on February 22, 2012
38k for a dental laser
I assume this is a device for shooting laser beams out of your mouth, and I would like not to be corrected.
posted by compartment at 12:18 PM on February 22, 2012 [53 favorites]
I assume this is a device for shooting laser beams out of your mouth, and I would like not to be corrected.
posted by compartment at 12:18 PM on February 22, 2012 [53 favorites]
I'm a real master of deciding I really, really want something, and then regretting it the moment money has changed hands. The first time I remember doing this, what I really wanted was a Sea World highlight video called Sea World Sensations that I begged my parents to get me, and as soon as I had it my hands, I had no idea how I could ever have wanted it.
I still do this, but I'd like to think that things I wanted have gotten less stupid.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:18 PM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
I still do this, but I'd like to think that things I wanted have gotten less stupid.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:18 PM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
This is why I still don't have an iPad.
posted by ambrosia at 12:19 PM on February 22, 2012 [17 favorites]
posted by ambrosia at 12:19 PM on February 22, 2012 [17 favorites]
I often fantasize about being able to endure some period of depression, resulting from the earlier (fleeting) pleasure having been foregone, in exchange for getting back all the money I spent for that pleasure.
Then I think about how much money that would amount to and I get depressed anyway.
posted by Trurl at 12:24 PM on February 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
Then I think about how much money that would amount to and I get depressed anyway.
posted by Trurl at 12:24 PM on February 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
This is why I still don't have an iPad.
Yep. I've come close to buying one a few times but always back off before committing to the purchase, and so far that has been the right approach.
My car buying history, however, has had some less perfect moments.
posted by Forktine at 12:25 PM on February 22, 2012
Yep. I've come close to buying one a few times but always back off before committing to the purchase, and so far that has been the right approach.
My car buying history, however, has had some less perfect moments.
posted by Forktine at 12:25 PM on February 22, 2012
Most people just need to learn where their own sweetspot is in terms of expenditure vs. return. Yes, it's an expensive lesson, but I've found telling people about how expensive your own lessons were just isn't as effective. They really need to find out for themselves.
posted by NoRelationToLea at 12:29 PM on February 22, 2012 [5 favorites]
posted by NoRelationToLea at 12:29 PM on February 22, 2012 [5 favorites]
I find more interesting the category of "Things I put off buying because I thought they would be regrettable expenditures, but then found to completely indispensable and wonder how I ever lived without them"
Mic Stand
iPhone
posted by iotic at 12:31 PM on February 22, 2012 [8 favorites]
Mic Stand
iPhone
posted by iotic at 12:31 PM on February 22, 2012 [8 favorites]
I just realized I've misplaced my Electric Ab belt.
posted by fatbaq at 12:31 PM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by fatbaq at 12:31 PM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
I once saw a "$100-a-day" rule, which basically says that before making an impulse buy, you should wait one day for every $100 of the item's cost. So, if you've suddenly decided you just have to buy an iPad, you wait five days to see if the feeling has passed. It won't stop every bad purchase, but for those that benefit from rules like this, I think it's a useful starting point.
posted by maxim0512 at 12:38 PM on February 22, 2012 [24 favorites]
posted by maxim0512 at 12:38 PM on February 22, 2012 [24 favorites]
The thing is, though, is that it's too easy to take the opposite tack and waste money on 4 $25 things which just aren't as good as the $100 item. Weirdly, I find this happens with clothes and shoes a lot - poor cut or quality means you might as well have saved for the one you originally wanted.
With relatively costly things that I need to perform well - my laptop, foundation, camera - I dither forever, but all the cheap tschotkes add up.
posted by mippy at 12:42 PM on February 22, 2012 [6 favorites]
With relatively costly things that I need to perform well - my laptop, foundation, camera - I dither forever, but all the cheap tschotkes add up.
posted by mippy at 12:42 PM on February 22, 2012 [6 favorites]
The first time I really remember feeling ripped off was in grade six or seven when I saved up my hard-earned allowance money and bought a Johnny Cash greatest hits CD. Turned out he'd recently switched record companies and re-recorded the songs, so instead of the classic Sun numbers I got a heaping pile of '80s-style country cheese with synthesizers and shit.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:46 PM on February 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:46 PM on February 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
I have a history of buying new cars that were relatively new, and made sense fiscally but not emotionally. I felt being practical was the way to go...and ended up trading to a new car three years later, pretty much every time, out of boredom and dislike for driving 'em each day. That buyer's remorse kicked in within six months or so.
I finally bought a more expensive car that was always my "if money were no object" car on the "what should I buy" lists over the last six years or so, and even though it's more money than I wanted to pay, I can't imagine why I'd ever sell it.
There's a lesson there, but I'm too busy chasing after small, shiny objects to figure it out.
posted by davejay at 12:55 PM on February 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
I finally bought a more expensive car that was always my "if money were no object" car on the "what should I buy" lists over the last six years or so, and even though it's more money than I wanted to pay, I can't imagine why I'd ever sell it.
There's a lesson there, but I'm too busy chasing after small, shiny objects to figure it out.
posted by davejay at 12:55 PM on February 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
I assume this is a device for shooting laser beams out of your mouth, and I would like not to be corrected.
Hey Doc...
posted by griphus at 1:00 PM on February 22, 2012
Hey Doc...
posted by griphus at 1:00 PM on February 22, 2012
Lesson 7: Sony Vaio laptops
Never. Not for any reason. Just don't.
posted by gompa at 1:00 PM on February 22, 2012
Never. Not for any reason. Just don't.
posted by gompa at 1:00 PM on February 22, 2012
I've been selling off my underused hobby stuff on eBay (or similar) for the past couple of years because I've been unrelentingly busy and very broke, plus I hate owning more Stuff than necessary.
There is nothing better for curbing impulse-buying – or at least, the fantasies and delusions that go along with it – than learning the resale value of most things you own.
posted by carbide at 1:04 PM on February 22, 2012 [7 favorites]
There is nothing better for curbing impulse-buying – or at least, the fantasies and delusions that go along with it – than learning the resale value of most things you own.
posted by carbide at 1:04 PM on February 22, 2012 [7 favorites]
Lost of good advice in the article and the guy obviously knows what he's talking about, but he's completely wrong about the Olympus EP-1. The EP-2 was the total non-upgrade.
posted by ikalliom at 1:05 PM on February 22, 2012
posted by ikalliom at 1:05 PM on February 22, 2012
I've actually made a point to stop buying $60 shoes at DSW that fall apart in 6 months and instead dropping some cash to get USA-/Union-made shoes that can be maintained for a lifetime.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 1:05 PM on February 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 1:05 PM on February 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
Seems to me the early adopters and gambling addicts have a lot in common. A few wins, and many regrets.
posted by Xoebe at 1:06 PM on February 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by Xoebe at 1:06 PM on February 22, 2012 [4 favorites]
Considering my habit of buying in a seller's market and selling in a buyer's market, I regret my first two houses.
Fortunately the current economy has been in the shitter long enough that I bought my current house in a buyer's market in spite of myself.
Another regrettable purchase I've made twice is marriage licenses.
posted by headnsouth at 1:09 PM on February 22, 2012 [8 favorites]
Fortunately the current economy has been in the shitter long enough that I bought my current house in a buyer's market in spite of myself.
Another regrettable purchase I've made twice is marriage licenses.
posted by headnsouth at 1:09 PM on February 22, 2012 [8 favorites]
Another regrettable purchase I've made twice is marriage licenses.
There is even this one hidden fee hidden behind some drapes and you can only see its damn shoes !
posted by griphus at 1:14 PM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
There is even this one hidden fee hidden behind some drapes and you can only see its damn shoes !
posted by griphus at 1:14 PM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
Still have a desk top push button phone circa 1980 from my folk's house. Funny thing is, it still works. I pick it up, get a dial tone and speak to someone on the other end if they answer. With my cell phone, that is not always the case. Dropped calls. No service areas. much prefer solid working technology to newer "cooler" kind.
I am of the mindset of waiting. I have found it easier to cover a short by buying than it is to get out of a long by selling.
posted by AugustWest at 1:21 PM on February 22, 2012
I am of the mindset of waiting. I have found it easier to cover a short by buying than it is to get out of a long by selling.
posted by AugustWest at 1:21 PM on February 22, 2012
>DSLR quality plateaued years ago
Not in terms of low-light performance. That's still getting much, much better, though not quite as quickly. I don't regret the $800 or so I have in my ca-2007 Canon, but it's long enough in the tooth, and enough behind the curve on AF capability and high-ISO performance that I'm actively researching its replacement.
>This is why I still don't have an iPad
I skipped the first one, but I jumped on the 2nd generation with both feet and have not regretted it for a second. But I travel quite a bit for work, and having an instant-on, always-connected device with absurd battery life like that is a huge boon. It means I'm not totally tethered to the laptop.
Its household utility is nice, too -- I never take my laptop out of my office anymore -- but the real killer was travel.
>Sony Vaio Laptops.
Word. What utter, complete crap. The degree to which Sony has become a joke is really tragic.
posted by Ubermonkey at 1:26 PM on February 22, 2012
Not in terms of low-light performance. That's still getting much, much better, though not quite as quickly. I don't regret the $800 or so I have in my ca-2007 Canon, but it's long enough in the tooth, and enough behind the curve on AF capability and high-ISO performance that I'm actively researching its replacement.
>This is why I still don't have an iPad
I skipped the first one, but I jumped on the 2nd generation with both feet and have not regretted it for a second. But I travel quite a bit for work, and having an instant-on, always-connected device with absurd battery life like that is a huge boon. It means I'm not totally tethered to the laptop.
Its household utility is nice, too -- I never take my laptop out of my office anymore -- but the real killer was travel.
>Sony Vaio Laptops.
Word. What utter, complete crap. The degree to which Sony has become a joke is really tragic.
posted by Ubermonkey at 1:26 PM on February 22, 2012
I bought a Logitech Revue, so I'm clearly at the front of this fucking line.
posted by kbanas at 1:34 PM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by kbanas at 1:34 PM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
When it comes to high-ticket cutting-edge equipment, I have never, ever, ever regretted waiting six months or a year.Absolutely. Better to build anticipation than to regret a hasty purchase. Also, when you make a habit of waiting several months to mull over a major purchase, you'll often lose interest in that item. And the more you experience relief at purchases not made, the easier it becomes to take a wait and see approach.
Another motivation is limiting the amount of clutter/number of things in the home. A few nice things is usually preferable.
Also, buy quality whenever possible. You're much less likely to regret the purchase, and the items will likely last longer.
posted by Davenhill at 1:41 PM on February 22, 2012
There is a point on the price curve where a new whiz-bang comes out of the f'ing stratosphere (remember $600-700 GPS navigation systems? $1,000 cell phones?) and levels to about twice what it's going to sell for in about 4 more months (remember $300 GPS nav systems? $180 2nd gen Kindles?). Usually it's a 2nd or 3rd generation model, vastly improved over the 1st, twice as good, half as much.
2 weeks after I buy *that* model, the fucker drops to nearly nothing.
And that's why I haven't bought an iPad.
posted by randomkeystrike at 2:11 PM on February 22, 2012
2 weeks after I buy *that* model, the fucker drops to nearly nothing.
And that's why I haven't bought an iPad.
posted by randomkeystrike at 2:11 PM on February 22, 2012
Motorola Backflip.
It is rare a day goes by when I do not wish to smash it with a hammer.
posted by Sebmojo at 2:19 PM on February 22, 2012
It is rare a day goes by when I do not wish to smash it with a hammer.
posted by Sebmojo at 2:19 PM on February 22, 2012
Man do I feel his pain. I went through 2 different medium format digital systems to grudgingly admit that for what I do a 5D MKII is more than good enough. I actually shot images for a web campaign on a 60 megapix camera medium format rig to have them rez'd down to 72 dpi by 1000 px.
Funny what he says about the Leica. I went out of my way to go look at the system recently and after playing with it for 30 secs I couldn't believe anyone would drop $30k for a camera that is really just a 5D MKII with a little bigger sensor and a marginally better lenses. It's like Leica decided they didn't have every dime from the dentists of the world and just had to squeeze another camera out to capture every last penny.
posted by photoslob at 2:19 PM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Funny what he says about the Leica. I went out of my way to go look at the system recently and after playing with it for 30 secs I couldn't believe anyone would drop $30k for a camera that is really just a 5D MKII with a little bigger sensor and a marginally better lenses. It's like Leica decided they didn't have every dime from the dentists of the world and just had to squeeze another camera out to capture every last penny.
posted by photoslob at 2:19 PM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
The Leica is confusing because Leica means *rangefinder*. A Leica DSLR is like a Porsche with a radiator.
I've been thinking about it, and I really don't think I've made that many regrettable purchases. The most recent one I can think of is an AT&T 8525 in 2007. Holy CHRIST what a piece of shit. I kept it 6 months and gave up and got an iPhone. The 8525 would, on paper, do more things than the iPhone, but it was such a pain to use I never did any of them.
posted by Ubermonkey at 2:24 PM on February 22, 2012
I've been thinking about it, and I really don't think I've made that many regrettable purchases. The most recent one I can think of is an AT&T 8525 in 2007. Holy CHRIST what a piece of shit. I kept it 6 months and gave up and got an iPhone. The 8525 would, on paper, do more things than the iPhone, but it was such a pain to use I never did any of them.
posted by Ubermonkey at 2:24 PM on February 22, 2012
I once saw a "$100-a-day" rule, which basically says that before making an impulse buy, you should wait one day for every $100 of the item's cost. So, if you've suddenly decided you just have to buy an iPad, you wait five days to see if the feeling has passed. It won't stop every bad purchase, but for those that benefit from rules like this, I think it's a useful starting point.
posted by maxim0512 at 12:38 PM on February 22 [7 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
That is a good rule. I'm holding off on my ipad purchase along similar lines (kind of waiting for a price drop, too) but it will be mine, oh yes.
Another tactic is to allow yourself the purchase once you've sold off some portion of your expensive unused stuff. I managed to finance my last gaming PC upgrade almost completely this way, it was very satisfying.
posted by Sebmojo at 2:27 PM on February 22, 2012
posted by maxim0512 at 12:38 PM on February 22 [7 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
That is a good rule. I'm holding off on my ipad purchase along similar lines (kind of waiting for a price drop, too) but it will be mine, oh yes.
Another tactic is to allow yourself the purchase once you've sold off some portion of your expensive unused stuff. I managed to finance my last gaming PC upgrade almost completely this way, it was very satisfying.
posted by Sebmojo at 2:27 PM on February 22, 2012
First-generation Fleshlight.
*sadly regards blistered, chewed-up, permanently dye-stained genitals*
posted by tumid dahlia at 2:53 PM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
*sadly regards blistered, chewed-up, permanently dye-stained genitals*
posted by tumid dahlia at 2:53 PM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
Things I have regretted buying:
An ATT digital cell phone in 1994.
Diesel Volvo 740 - oh, man...
S-Class Mercedes
Toshiba DVD Recorder
Ticket from Copenhagen to Seattle on United instead of SAS
posted by bz at 2:54 PM on February 22, 2012
An ATT digital cell phone in 1994.
Diesel Volvo 740 - oh, man...
S-Class Mercedes
Toshiba DVD Recorder
Ticket from Copenhagen to Seattle on United instead of SAS
posted by bz at 2:54 PM on February 22, 2012
I end up holding off of on my purchases out of indecision, and then it gets to the point where the new model is gong to come out any day and I can't buy one NOW, even though it would probably be just fine for my needs. Argh.
posted by smackfu at 2:54 PM on February 22, 2012
posted by smackfu at 2:54 PM on February 22, 2012
oh... oh god. Palm Pre.
There is a lot of Sony NEX bashing in that article - maybe one of you can help me.
I've been seriously considering buying a Sony NEX-5 for almost a year now and I found one new for $470.
I want a small camera that takes HD video and has a fast [amount of time when you push the shutter button and it takes the picture, dunno what it's called] but don't want to spend over $600 (so DSLR is basically right out).
Is this a dumb idea? I have no idea what I'm doing, but I need both HD video and the ability to take photographs and am currently using a 35mm camera for vacations.
posted by Tennyson D'San at 3:01 PM on February 22, 2012
There is a lot of Sony NEX bashing in that article - maybe one of you can help me.
I've been seriously considering buying a Sony NEX-5 for almost a year now and I found one new for $470.
I want a small camera that takes HD video and has a fast [amount of time when you push the shutter button and it takes the picture, dunno what it's called] but don't want to spend over $600 (so DSLR is basically right out).
Is this a dumb idea? I have no idea what I'm doing, but I need both HD video and the ability to take photographs and am currently using a 35mm camera for vacations.
posted by Tennyson D'San at 3:01 PM on February 22, 2012
"I want a small camera that takes HD video and has a fast [amount of time when you push the shutter button and it takes the picture, dunno what it's called] but don't want to spend over $600 (so DSLR is basically right out)."
Slow shutter response is usually referred to as "lag" so you want a compact with little or no lag. I suggest two: The Canon S100 or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. If pocketability is important, the nod goes to the S100 as it is truly small and its lens does not protrude much when closed and the LX5 does.
posted by bz at 3:16 PM on February 22, 2012
Slow shutter response is usually referred to as "lag" so you want a compact with little or no lag. I suggest two: The Canon S100 or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. If pocketability is important, the nod goes to the S100 as it is truly small and its lens does not protrude much when closed and the LX5 does.
posted by bz at 3:16 PM on February 22, 2012
Invest in quality glass.
Avoid stock and do-it-all lenses. Get one main top quality lens that will be on your camera most of the time. Everything else, including the body, is subordinate. If your budget doesn't allow for both a high end lens and a new body, get the lens you want and consider a used body (e.g. a second or third generation pro model).
FWIW my primary lens is a Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS lens. The DOF and handling in low light, slow shutter (handheld) situations is excellent, and perfect for about 90% of what I shoot. I also have a Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS L lens, which is great for sports or "shooting" animals.*
* Unless you eat what you kill, leave the gun at home and take a camera instead. The "hunt" can be every bit as challenging, it often requires more skill to get a good photograph than a good shot, and photos are easier to share with friends than a stuffed carcass. Also, nobody is going to think worse of you for taking an animal's photo. Well, not unless you dress them up first.
posted by Davenhill at 3:40 PM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Avoid stock and do-it-all lenses. Get one main top quality lens that will be on your camera most of the time. Everything else, including the body, is subordinate. If your budget doesn't allow for both a high end lens and a new body, get the lens you want and consider a used body (e.g. a second or third generation pro model).
FWIW my primary lens is a Canon 17-55mm f2.8 IS lens. The DOF and handling in low light, slow shutter (handheld) situations is excellent, and perfect for about 90% of what I shoot. I also have a Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS L lens, which is great for sports or "shooting" animals.*
* Unless you eat what you kill, leave the gun at home and take a camera instead. The "hunt" can be every bit as challenging, it often requires more skill to get a good photograph than a good shot, and photos are easier to share with friends than a stuffed carcass. Also, nobody is going to think worse of you for taking an animal's photo. Well, not unless you dress them up first.
posted by Davenhill at 3:40 PM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
Slow shutter response is usually referred to as "lag" so you want a compact with little or no lag. I suggest two: The Canon S100 or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5. If pocketability is important, the nod goes to the S100 as it is truly small and its lens does not protrude much when closed and the LX5 does.
I've had an S95 for about a year, and played around with an S100 the other day. I think this is a pretty solid recommendation. I'm not absolutely in love with the picture quality of any point and shoot I've used since I got a DSLR, but these are really tiny for how nice a job they do, and the low-light performance is good. They also let you actually fiddle with manual settings, though in practice I don't usually go much beyond tweaking aperture or shutter speed.
posted by brennen at 3:49 PM on February 22, 2012
I've had an S95 for about a year, and played around with an S100 the other day. I think this is a pretty solid recommendation. I'm not absolutely in love with the picture quality of any point and shoot I've used since I got a DSLR, but these are really tiny for how nice a job they do, and the low-light performance is good. They also let you actually fiddle with manual settings, though in practice I don't usually go much beyond tweaking aperture or shutter speed.
posted by brennen at 3:49 PM on February 22, 2012
I meant to add that I've regretted most of the "compromise" lenses I've purchased in the past, and I've stuck with a fairly old body, a 20D, because at the end of the day most of the new whiz-bang features that I drool over in the new camera models won't actually improve the quality of my photos by much, if at all.
The main exception is reduced noise in high ISO/ low-light situations and live view on the LCD, but great as those improvements are, it would make very little difference to most of my photography, so why bother?
Higher resolution/megapixel count would be nice in a few rare instances where I want to crop something very tightly, but I doubt that comes up even 0.5% of the time. Mostly I just see it as a waste of hard drive space (bigger files taking up more space for resolution I don't use; I already downsize my photos for sharing as it is).
/camera rambling
posted by Davenhill at 3:52 PM on February 22, 2012
The main exception is reduced noise in high ISO/ low-light situations and live view on the LCD, but great as those improvements are, it would make very little difference to most of my photography, so why bother?
Higher resolution/megapixel count would be nice in a few rare instances where I want to crop something very tightly, but I doubt that comes up even 0.5% of the time. Mostly I just see it as a waste of hard drive space (bigger files taking up more space for resolution I don't use; I already downsize my photos for sharing as it is).
/camera rambling
posted by Davenhill at 3:52 PM on February 22, 2012
I am waiting on a tablet as well. Same with a smartphone, though I'd already have one if we got cell service reliably at the house.
Thing I hate most about new gadgets is the reverence the early adopters show for them. I had to sit and watch someone show me their new iPad like it was whatever was in Jules briefcase.
posted by maxwelton at 4:50 PM on February 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
Thing I hate most about new gadgets is the reverence the early adopters show for them. I had to sit and watch someone show me their new iPad like it was whatever was in Jules briefcase.
posted by maxwelton at 4:50 PM on February 22, 2012 [3 favorites]
photos are easier to share with friends than a stuffed carcass
someone hasn't seen my corpse aerator
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:52 PM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
someone hasn't seen my corpse aerator
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:52 PM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]
> Original Newton Messagepad. Original NeXT Cube. Powerbook Duo. G4 Cube.
I wasn't alive / old enough to buy any of those when they came out, but I wouldn't regret a one.
posted by Monochrome at 5:58 PM on February 22, 2012
I wasn't alive / old enough to buy any of those when they came out, but I wouldn't regret a one.
posted by Monochrome at 5:58 PM on February 22, 2012
Original Newton Messagepad. Original NeXT Cube. Powerbook Duo. G4 Cube. Smart Fortwo.
The NeXT cube might actually be worth something. There's one going for $1,700 on E-Bay, with like 8 days left to go.
posted by delmoi at 6:49 PM on February 22, 2012
The NeXT cube might actually be worth something. There's one going for $1,700 on E-Bay, with like 8 days left to go.
posted by delmoi at 6:49 PM on February 22, 2012
My husband and I are in the middle of deciding abut a living room set. This is the first time we've been able to buy a whole room of exactly what we want and the what ifs are excruciating. Chek back with me in a year to see if I'm still sitting on the crappy Ikea sectional dithering about possibly regretable side tables.
posted by Biblio at 6:59 PM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Biblio at 6:59 PM on February 22, 2012 [2 favorites]
Paying to be a beta tester is all fine and good if you're not doing without something essential in order to play. Elsewise it's worth waiting until the reviews are in from more experienced hands.
posted by Twang at 8:16 PM on February 22, 2012
posted by Twang at 8:16 PM on February 22, 2012
Roger Cicala is one of my favourite writers on matters related to photo gear. I'd especially recommend his articles on history of photography, but also on why your lens might or might not be soft.
posted by daniel_charms at 10:27 PM on February 22, 2012
posted by daniel_charms at 10:27 PM on February 22, 2012
The Syquest drive I bought a month before the Zip drive came out. Every inkjet printer I've ever owned.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:48 PM on February 22, 2012
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:48 PM on February 22, 2012
I suggest two: The Canon S100
I second this. I needed to replace my aging device with one capable of taking good shots in varying circumstances, and the ability to do a lot of tweaking of settings if need be. After a lot of looking I saw the S95, but then waited another 6 months for the S100 to come out- it's a big improvement on an already great camera.
... and then I had to wait for a friend to bring it to me from the States, since it was $429 US and 599€ here. no thanks, amazon.fr, not interested :)
Very happy with the increased image quality and the build of the camera thus far.
posted by EricGjerde at 3:35 AM on February 23, 2012
I second this. I needed to replace my aging device with one capable of taking good shots in varying circumstances, and the ability to do a lot of tweaking of settings if need be. After a lot of looking I saw the S95, but then waited another 6 months for the S100 to come out- it's a big improvement on an already great camera.
... and then I had to wait for a friend to bring it to me from the States, since it was $429 US and 599€ here. no thanks, amazon.fr, not interested :)
Very happy with the increased image quality and the build of the camera thus far.
posted by EricGjerde at 3:35 AM on February 23, 2012
Ditto on the Syquest drive. Having some extra space was awesome, but I didn't really have the money for it, and the thing was a bit flakey at that.
Thank god I sold it 6 months later for a minimal loss.
I will be waiting for the Ipad3 to be released before buying an Ipad2 for the primary purpose of reading comics on it.
Thank goodness most new technology I adopt these days is software. CrashPlan was a great investment.
posted by Theta States at 6:40 AM on February 23, 2012
Thank god I sold it 6 months later for a minimal loss.
I will be waiting for the Ipad3 to be released before buying an Ipad2 for the primary purpose of reading comics on it.
Thank goodness most new technology I adopt these days is software. CrashPlan was a great investment.
posted by Theta States at 6:40 AM on February 23, 2012
Got iPod on original launch day in 2001. No regrets. Best purchase ever.
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:16 AM on February 23, 2012
posted by ZeusHumms at 7:16 AM on February 23, 2012
Things I regret buying:
The shoes I'm wearing
More than 1/2 the shoes in the closet
Anything my DH requests because usually it's technogadget junk
My 1991 Buick Century. OMG what a piece of shit. Never bought used again
Usually clothes from Old Navy because they fall apart/shrink/look shitty in a month.
posted by stormpooper at 8:06 AM on February 23, 2012
The shoes I'm wearing
More than 1/2 the shoes in the closet
Anything my DH requests because usually it's technogadget junk
My 1991 Buick Century. OMG what a piece of shit. Never bought used again
Usually clothes from Old Navy because they fall apart/shrink/look shitty in a month.
posted by stormpooper at 8:06 AM on February 23, 2012
My 1991 Buick Century.
I had a 1987 Buick Century through high school and a couple years of college. It was a complete mediocrity, an undeniable piece of shit. Except that it remained the same mediocrity from the day I got it for something like a decade afterwards. At least three people drove it after I did. It was like it had reached its natural level and thereafter could succumb no further to entropy. I don't even remember that it ever failed to start. For all I know, it is still out there somewhere in middle America, reeking of cheap beer and cigarettes, trash piled up on the floor, rust creeping up the doors, rolling un-troubled down a decaying two-lane blacktop.
So, in retrospect: A pretty good car.
posted by brennen at 11:12 AM on February 23, 2012 [4 favorites]
I had a 1987 Buick Century through high school and a couple years of college. It was a complete mediocrity, an undeniable piece of shit. Except that it remained the same mediocrity from the day I got it for something like a decade afterwards. At least three people drove it after I did. It was like it had reached its natural level and thereafter could succumb no further to entropy. I don't even remember that it ever failed to start. For all I know, it is still out there somewhere in middle America, reeking of cheap beer and cigarettes, trash piled up on the floor, rust creeping up the doors, rolling un-troubled down a decaying two-lane blacktop.
So, in retrospect: A pretty good car.
posted by brennen at 11:12 AM on February 23, 2012 [4 favorites]
After waiting 1.5 years I finally bought a Sony Nex C3 (originally wanted a Nex-5) and have not regretted it for a moment. I'm too damned poor to be an early adopter, and this camera hits all of the points I want. It isn't my only camera or my only Sony camera, I have an Alpha SLT A-55 which I bought when my buddy and I were going to start a portrait business and needed a new camera, it got great reviews and I love it. You may be surprised to learn that I feel I cannot use this camera for play time, and only use it for serious photo work. Yes I know, I should be using the $10,000 Nikon, but guess who can't afford it? anyway, while I'd love to be an early adopter, I can't afford to make those kinds of mistakes.
posted by evilDoug at 12:25 PM on February 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by evilDoug at 12:25 PM on February 23, 2012 [1 favorite]
I never cease to be amazed by how much my techie friends can spend on cameras. It even gets them weird look from my bicycle-obsessed friends.
posted by Theta States at 2:01 PM on February 23, 2012
posted by Theta States at 2:01 PM on February 23, 2012
It would be no trouble at all to spend several thousand dollars on camera gear (red trim near focusing ring? check!). Well, except the trouble of sparing the several thousand dollars from whtaever other purpose it might have had, like buying food or paying the mortgage.
posted by jepler at 2:05 PM on February 23, 2012
posted by jepler at 2:05 PM on February 23, 2012
Camera fans seem to get along fine without things like food, shelter.
posted by Theta States at 2:07 PM on February 23, 2012
posted by Theta States at 2:07 PM on February 23, 2012
Oh man. I'm sitting right in this territory right now. I bought a Nikon D50, LOVED that camera and travelled around the world with it. Replaced it with a D300, and the amount of shooting I did dropped by about 50%, if not more. Because it was too damn big. Ended up shooting with my wife's crappy P&S all the time, and being super frustrated at the picture quality and the lack of control. Ok, picked up a Panasonic G2. Figured it was a good compromise, since it was pretty small, good image quality, etc. Except now I'm super frustrated with its low light performance, and super frustrated with the autofocus trying to shoot my (almost 3-year old, and VERY active) son. Argh. And I still don't really take it out with us, for THOSE reasons. And on top of that, lenses are insanely expensive. I'm tempted to switch systems back to Nikon or Canon (leaning more towards Canon, the T2i or T3i if I can find a cheap used one) but am SUPER reluctant, having been stung on my last two camera purchases.
posted by antifuse at 6:53 AM on March 19, 2012
posted by antifuse at 6:53 AM on March 19, 2012
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posted by obscurator at 11:51 AM on February 22, 2012 [1 favorite]