Regret purchasing?

[bmattock]

I'd have to say the Olympus XZ-2. I had the XZ-1, which I think is a nice little "take anywhere" camera with a crackin' little zoom lens. I heard the XZ-2 was better and had an articulated screen. I prefered the output of the little XZ-1' s CCD sensor (XZ2 switched to CMOS) and never really used the XZ-2's flip screen, just added bulk.

It's not a bad camera -- a tad (maybe 1/2-stop) better in low light over its predecesor, just think the original was better.

I'd love to hear more about the ZX-1. What makes it special to you? Thanks!

 

[JeffS7444]

I wonder if a Fujifilm GFX50R could wind up as a future regret 😀



Not because of quality, which I suspect will be great. But because I already feel hardware-wealthy, and I don't know that a bigger sensor and shallower DOF will make my photos of peeling paint and backlit trees any more soulful.

 

[Peter Jennings]

Had a Werra III for a minute. The designers were really on to something with this camera. For a 50s rangefinder, it had a sleek and modern design. Sadly, in use it felt like the East German bean counters sucked all the potential joy out of the camera. Probably a disappointment as much as a regret.

 

[bulevardi]

I once had a Craphy lens and .... oh well, no one would believe this story.

🙂

 

[zuikologist]

I must agree that the Q with adapted lenses is a pain, unless on a tripod with a tele lens when it is pretty awesome with 5x magnification factor. Much better and more fun with the standard and zoom AF lenses. The whole package fits in a pocket and with careful use the quality is fine for something so small. The large DOF works well for street photography.

Absolutely, every camera finds a different appreciative audience. I definitely do not think the Pentax Q10 was my cup of tea, but I have no problems believing it is just the thing for others.

I agree that some cameras are quite difficult to love, sometimes due to ergonomics. I have managed to learn to hold a Contax/Kiev, but that 'claw' method of holding it just isn't for me. I find the camera interesting and the lenses stunning, but I just don't pick it up often. I've known a few others like that as well. Sometimes to my disappointment because I liked them well in other ways, but they're not pleasant for me to hold or use.

 

[zuikologist]

Haha ! (10 characters)

I once had a Craphy lens and .... oh well, no one would believe this story.

🙂

 

[bmattock]

I must agree that the Q with adapted lenses is a pain, unless on a tripod with a tele lens when it is pretty awesome with 5x magnification factor. Much better and more fun with the standard and zoom AF lenses. The whole package fits in a pocket and with careful use the quality is fine for something so small. The large DOF works well for street photography.

So there's the thing - the idea of the Q was size. Pocketable. A camera and a couple lenses, toss 'em in your pocket and go have fun. To get a decent focus? Tripod. Kind of defeats the purpose to me. If I have to carry a tripod, I might just as well bring the big(ger) guns.

And really, even with careful use, I just could not get past the low-quality images it made - at least for me. Even with the kit lens, basic shooting, a simple Olympus or Nikon or Panasonic point-n-shoot produced cleaner images to my eye.

I am a huge Pentax fan. I really, really, wanted to like the Q10. I still have it. I may take it out again and give it another chance at some point. But I tend to doubt it.

Not putting it down if others like it - far from it. Just saying I regret buying it, and that's unusual for me.

 

[Huss]

I have had a little bit of buyer's remorse or hesitation about a purchase regarding many cameras but eventually learned that I loved most of them.
Except one.
The Leica M9.
I won't go on here about my experience with this camera and the company, as I've already taken up a lot of space in other threads here at RFF regarding this matter. Above all others though, the time with the M9 is time I wish I could get back, no question about it.

Phil Forrest

Yeah, same deal with my M-E.
Which is why I view the current day Leica as a company that caters to collectors not photographers.

 

[charjohncarter]

Canon AF35M was my big regret. Cheap plastic, semi-lousy lens, eats batteries (I had to change out with every use, unless I used the flash then I had to change mid-roll), AF didn't work very well.

A camera that I really like and still have and use but I wish I didn't get involved is the Olympus 35RC. To me, it has the perfect (almost) set up, but I feel like when I use it something is going to fail or break.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

LOL. In general, only regret cameras that I didn't purchase. Actually come to think of it, there are a few digital cameras that I never got on with and which have devalued to zero or near-zero without ever getting a memorable picture out of them. The Sony NEX-5 and A6000 come to mind.

And I do have a Nikon S2 that I bought in my transition to digital. I fondled it a bit but haven't developed a single roll of film out of it. Now that's just sad.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

Nikon D1. Too heavy. I did not like the color rendition. Did not like the cropped frame size.

 

[seany65]

I regret buying my first and third Agfa Ambi Silettes. Both had trouble with the 1 second to 1/15 speeds. The first one had speeds that were just too slow, which I think was a timing mechanism issue (I'm guessing here, wouldn't want anyone to think I know what I'm talking about 😱) and the second had a shutter with leaves that started to close normally, but then half-way through almost stopped and then very slowly closed.

The tech. the first was sent to couldn't fix it and I didn't want to waste time and money trying to see if the second one could be fixed.

if you're wondering what happened to Ambi number two, it looked to me like it had fungus in the viewfinder, which didn't really surprise me as two of the three lenses it came with also had fungus. I d regret buying it, but the problems this one had wasn't Agfa's fault.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Fuji digital cameras. I first had a Fuji X100 (right before the X100s) but didn't quite warm up to it. I didn't like the color palette, ergonomics or anything much; I always have preferred Nikon for digital. Sold it.

But then, I wanted a small digital to carry instead of the Nikon D700 and big glass, so when the X-Pro2 came up, I purchased a new X-Pro1 for a nice price...

Same story... I only took that camera on one trip; it's been in the cupboard for a long time... Some times I think about selling it, some times I think about giving it a second chance, but I'm never really happy about it.

 

[B-9]

I regret ever getting drawn into the Hasselblad wide bodies.

2 different cameras from different sellers, one a SWC another a SWCm both junk.

My hasselblad experiences have been bad to say the least, ask the 500c paperweight on my desk.

All in all it was fun if anything.

 

[aizan]

i sympathize, b-9.

here's my recipe for regret:

1) spend a lot of money on a camera that turns out not to be in good condition
2) spend more money to get it repaired and CLA'd, unsuccessfully
3) sell it at a loss to avoid having to look at it with bitterness

not doing that again! :bang:

 

[raid]

I am not so sure that I should have bought the Nikon S3 2000. I still have not used it once since several years.

 

[narsuitus]

I regret purchasing my first "professional" 35mm SLR ... a Miranda Sensorex. It failed me three times within the first two years of its three-year warrantee. The last time it failed was when I was hundreds of feet in the air covering the maiden voyage of a new university airplane. I immediately dumped the Sensorex and replaced it with a borrowed Pentax Spotmatic and a purchased Nikon F. Both proved to be more reliable.

 

[Pioneer]

It is a fact that everyone experiences things differently. My own experiences with the Pentax Q system have been the total opposite of the OP's experiences. In fact, outside of my Methuselah ist DL2, the original Q and the follow up Q7 are far and away my most used digital cameras.


I must admit that I have a hard time taking myself too seriously when I am packing (is that even the right word for these cameras) these diminutive little fellows around. But for me this is a wonderful and very versatile system.



I love the 06 f2.8 zoom on the Q and the O8 Wide Zoom on the Q7. Carrying both cameras with these lenses, along with a pocketful of batteries (they are very small so one can't reasonably expect them to last very long after all) is hardly enough to count as really carrying any camera at all.



Not only do I have a hard time taking myself seriously, no one else takes me seriously either. I don't even have to be sneaky on the street with these things. I walk right up to someone, smile, and stick one of these little cameras in their face and press the shutter. The only time I have ever had anyone get upset is when the flash went off once. I have since learned to shut it off. 😀


Sometimes it is all about expectations.

 

[DanskDynamit]

I regret buying the Fuji X100, what a piece of crap. Sold it after a week.

 

[FrozenInTime]

X100F was a camera I should have liked but after two months it was sold and replaced with a TL2 which was far quicker to use thanks to the clean UI.

Q7 no regrets once I got a 01 standard prime lens on it.