Best and Worst Purchases of 2007

Mrs F

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but I was wondering, what are your best and worst purchases of 2007?

Here are mine.

Best:
1. Canon 40D
2. Lacie display with Blue Eye
3. Upgrade to SmugMug Pro Account
4. Lightroom
5. 2 black blankets to use as backdrops
6. Lumapix Fotofusion
7. Rangefinder (free!)
8. NAPP membership
9. two more gigs of RAM

Worst:
1. Too many useless/expensive actions! (When will I ever learn :rolleyes ) The worst action was Wynona Robison's cross processing actions.

2. A blue beverage container to use as a prop for babies that I only used once. I'm going to put beer in it from now on.

HiSPL

Best=Lightroom! :ivar :ivar

Worst=Pentax K to EOS adaptor. I just don't use it and it was quite expensive for a little piece of metal....

claudermilk

Best:
1) finally getting my own 70-200/2.8L
2) Rangefinder (thanks, Andy!)

Worst:
1) umm...a house? Amazing how much of a cramp it puts in the photo toy budget.

Cuong

Best:
1) Diamond jewelry for the spouse
2) Canon 30D, lenses, accessories

Worst:
1) Useless software with mail-in rebates
2) Low-end flash memories

Cuong

OsirisPhoto

Best:

1. Tamron 28-70 f/2.8 - just got it, love it already.
2. 90 degree viewfinder adaptor - Cheap Ebay special.. great for dog photos.
3. Sigma 500DG Super - real flash again.
4. Demb Flip-it and diffuser - even better flash.
5. New laptop - I can see again!

Worst:

1. Monopod - found out my left arm works fine. Good for detering muggers I suppose.

Awais Yaqub

400D
50 mm 1.8
In few days may be crumpler to carry both

Tango

claudermilk wrote:

Best:
1) finally getting my own 70-200/2.8L
2) Rangefinder (thanks, Andy!)

Worst:
1) umm...a house? Amazing how much of a cramp it puts in the photo toy budget.

same here except the rangefinder...

as for the house, well atleast they didnt really take my arm & leg....it just felt like it:D

jogle

Best)

A second hand Canon 85mm f1.2. Lovely lens that is sharp and great for portraits.

Worst)

A second hand Canon 85mm f1.2 that had some fungus and I had to send off to have cleaned

Yes they are the same lens. Glad I bought it but mad that it wasn't so clean.

darkdragon

Best: Canon 40D

Worst: Final Cut Studio (instead of waiting for the new release 3 months later)

Of course, the year isn't over yet!


I want a new car but my husband says "your truck is only 2 years old!!!"

nightspidy

Best and Worse purchases for 2007
Best Purchases:

1. 70-200mm 2.8 IS
2. Canon 30D
3. 24-70mm 2.8
4. 1.4 extender
5. Gitzo Explorer Trioped with Manfrotto Ball-Head

Worst Puchases:

Nothing really! I can't complain, it's been a good year for me in terms of expanding my collection of goodies. My only complaint is how heavy my tripod is.......oh, well can't have it all.

Manfr3d

Best:

1. Sigma 10-20/4-5.6 EX HSM
2. Tamron 70-300/4-5.6 SL Macro 1:2 (for 150$ oh yes!)
3. Canon 580EX II
4. MacBookPro
5. 4GB RAM for the MBP

Worst:

LowePro Waistbelt (I never used this thing and dunno why I even bought it)

Joves

Best
D80
80-400 VR Nikor
Hoya 8.0 ND filter
Giotto Rocket
Didnt have any bad buys, Im too picky on what I buy.

grassy

Best..
Pentax K10D...what a bargain for a quality camera !..and a best kep secret..

Worst..
Lightroom...I know it was designed by photo pros but it is cumbersome and non-intuitive ..but good for archiving..

Merry x-mas all..

Morbid Andrew

Best:

Excaliber AC/DC 3200 Watt Strobe
(although the SP Battery that comes with it is of lttle use. It dies really fast.

Worst:

Photogenic Studio Max III AC/DC Strobe
Used Quantum Turbo Battery off ebay.

jdryan3

Best:
1- MacBook Pro 15"
2- Canon 35 f/1.4L
3 - 580 EX II

Worst:
1 - Lightroom. Got a great deal on it but haven't had a chance to really learn it.

DJ-S1

Best:
1. 70-200 f/2.8L (funny how many of us have that as #1!)
2. Dell Inspiron 530 for photo work (yes, w/ Vista)
3. Smugmug (just a renewal, but still deserves to be on this list!)

Worst:
Too many little useless gadgets! (I never learn)


As an aside, I love Lightroom now but not before I learned how to use it properly. Check out all the cool video tutes on the Adobe site as well as here and other places. Maybe you'll eventually take LR off your "worst purchases" list. The tutorials made a big difference to me. ymmv

Manfr3d

I have to add a best, which I just chose over the f4 IS

4. Canon 70-200mm/2.8 L (yes funny how many ppl like this lens)

urbanaries

Best
1. Canon 17-55 2.8 IS
2. Sigma 70-200 2.8 Macro
3. Sandisk Extreme III 12.0 GB card :ivar
4. roscoe gels
5. Tamrac black suede neck strap with cardholders

Worst
1. Canon hand grip
2. 580EXII - like it, but it messed up my hot shoe, and melted the plastic "foot". and my camera will be in repair over Christmas! :cry

Ann McRae

urbanaries wrote:

2. 580EXII - like it, but it messed up my hot shoe, and melted the plastic "foot". and my camera will be in repair over Christmas! :cry

Sorry to hear this Lynne, do you know why that happened? It shouldn't, should it?

Ann McRae

I am embarrassed to admit how much of a glutton I was this year!

My very best purchases were the
1. 1dMkIIN
2. iMac 20" plus a 23" cinema display
3. 300 f4

My other great purchases were
3. 50 f1.4
4. 24 - 105 IS
5. a great tripod & pano head
6. the 2007 shootout

The other purchases I made were
6. PSCS3 - necessary with the move to mac, but I still would rave about PSP
7. 580EX - I haven't learned how to use it yet.

The really great thing for me was all of the glass, and the 1d were paid for by revenue from sports photography, and bought here on dgrin (well, 'cept for the 300).

ann

Icebear

Best: No question - Lightroom is the runaway winner. At this point, I gotta say it would have been a bargain at twice the price.

Worst: High quality circular polarizing filter and graduated ND filters. Sounded like good ideas at the time. Never actually used either.

Seymore

Well... the latest, most likely the best, definantly the cheapest and I expect it will be the last for 07' happened today.

Tommyboy

BEST:

1. Canon 40D
2. EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS
3. B+W thin 77mm cir-PL (for 10-22)
4. New Manfrotto tripod and ball head
5. Minolta Flashmeter IV off ebay

WORST:

1. Misc. lighting accessories (slave, post adapters) that I never used.

It's been a banner year for me. I've been so busy at work I've scarcely had time to even use the new stuff. I'm off for about four weeks, so it should get a work out.

davev

Best:

The trips/photo trips that Kate and I took this year. (and the deposits for next years trips)

Worst:

The $250 tripod.
I don't need no stinkin tripod.

z_28

Best:

- Nikon 70-300VR (small, light, really good quality)
- Nikon 10.5/2.8 (I should buy something like that YEARS before)
- Nikon D300 (maybe, probably, don't know yet ...)
- Canon 580EX II (just great lamp)
- Canon CP-E3 (best spend $ for every own CP-Ex)
- full size acrylic clawfoot bath tub

Worst:
- Canon XTi
- Canon G9
nothing really wrong with them, just lower than my expectations

Have a Happy and Full of The Best Purcheses 2008th AC YEAR !!!

BigAl

Best:
Manfrotto 055CLB tripod
Kirk BH3 (modded to Manfrotto RC2)
Spyder

Worst:
Ergorest vehicle support

Undecided:
Canon 40d

Awais Yaqub

Just received text from bro he bought me a Crumpler Pretty boy 3000L from Amsterdam to carry my 400D

:ivar
Another great purchase of 2007

KED

Ann McRae wrote:

I am embarrassed to admit how much of a glutton I was this year!

My very best purchases were the
1. 1dMkIIN
2. iMac 20" plus a 23" cinema display
3. 300 f4

My other great purchases were
3. 50 f1.4
4. 24 - 105 IS
5. a great tripod & pano head
6. the 2007 shootout

The other purchases I made were
6. PSCS3 - necessary with the move to mac, but I still would rave about PSP
7. 580EX - I haven't learned how to use it yet.

The really great thing for me was all of the glass, and the 1d were paid for by revenue from sports photography, and bought here on dgrin (well, 'cept for the 300).

ann

Thanks for taking the lead on the gluttony front. I jumped in huge this year.

Best:
1. 1D Mk II N
2. EF 70 - 200 f/2.8 IS L
3. Conversion from Windows to Mac, still in progress
4. Lightroom (for now)
5. SmugMug account and, free bonus, finding my way to Dgrin -- you all are amazingly friendly and helpful!

Worst:
1. 1D Mk III (yes, both in the same year (the gluttony part), this one a major source of aggravation)
2. CS3 (I have no clue and no time in which to get one)
3. Aperture (for now)

urbanaries

Ann McRae wrote:

Sorry to hear this Lynne, do you know why that happened? It shouldn't, should it?

Not sure myself. My local dealer insists its a camera issue and not the speedlite (of course, since I bought the speedlite from them but not the camera ), but doesn't really explain the melted foot now does it? Will know more after repair....

mrcoons

Best: was a tie for me between the 40D and Lightroom

Worst: very easy - DxO Optics Pro version 5

yoyostock

Best:

1. Gary Fong's Puffer
2. Canon HV10 - High Def video camera
3. Crumpler The Bundle (L)

Worst:

1. Ummm...can't think of anything! Must have made some good buys this year...or maybe I just have selective memory.