what equipment did you buy, and you NEVER EVER use ?

[removed account4]

we all know photographers like to buy gadgets
sometimes it is advertising, word of mouth, forums
magazines or just the thought that you NEED to buy something
because it might work for you in ways you couldn't imagine.

do you have anything you bought thinking it would be perfect!
but you have never used it, or used it maybe once or twice ...


i bought a calumet polaroid clearing bucket back in the day when i was
shooting tons of #55 polaroid film but i realized maybe after using once
it was easier for me to just mix a batch of permawash in a tray ... i used it once.

i a few years before that, i bought (at the suggestion of a friend ) a xenophon / behind the lens filter holder
also sold by calumet ( i lived down the road from them ) ...

haven't used it even once ( its been 20 years )

what about you ?

 

[Slixtiesix]

A Rollei Bay 6 IR Filter. Always wanted to try B&W IR but newer managed to do it! And a Rollei Prism finder and a Rollei compendium shade that I have sold eventually because they saw no use at all.

 

[Richard S. (rich815)]

Lets see here: a monopod; a load of different filters I just had to have but never seem to use; a Lomo Spinner 360 that seemed like an interesting idea that I bought a few years ago for a specific trip to the eastern Sierras, shot a couple rolls and has pretty much just sat since; a compendium Hasselblad hood/shade that I've used maybe once, and probably a whole lot more other stuff I cannot think of...

 

[snapguy]

cameras

I have more than 50 film cameras and many of them I have yet to take photographs with. I have in hand a Minolta AL rangefinder in beautiful condition. It goes to 1/1000 sec. and the 45mm lens is an f2. I am pretty sure I will run a roll of film through it before the 4th of July. I have three butt-ugly but lovable Kodak 35s but when I will get to them I don't know yet. I ran a roll of film through my "new" 60-year-old Rolleiflex but have not developed it yet.

 

[MattKrull]

A whole host of camera repair tools and a Fed 3 needing a cla. My plan was to learn the basics of camera repair and get a FSU rangefinder out of the deal. Right now I have a tray full of little parts and screws that has been sitting around for months...

 

[darkosaric]

Tripods and flashes. I buy them cheap, and then they sit there doing nothing, and go on the ebay on the end.

 

[MattKing]

I have some not yet used stuff that came with other that has been used.

Including two Kodak Tray Siphons - not too much use until I can put together a washing sink with a faucet that can be attached to them.

 

[NedL]

I have some Berg RC sepia toner that is still sitting in the box it came in a couple years ago.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

I did not shoot a single frame for last 1 or 1.5 years and everything blunder in cigarette smoke. D76 , kodak Fixer , Polaroid 350 , Metol , Something Sulfite or Sulfide , Wooden Pinhole 120 camera, Diafine ,LOMO Anamorphic Cine Lens , Kodak Fluro Ektar , never used.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

LensBaby. I thought it would give a look of a Petzval lens. Not! Sold it on Ebay for more that I paid or it.

 

[amellice]

Lots of books that I need to read

 

[bdial]

A Hasselblad sports finder. Thought it would be useful for a particular project, but didn't need it, and it sits with some of my other under-utilized stuff.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Sold that stuff a while ago. Although the total number of them is under two or three. I have a Tessina with the pentaprism, 35mm cassettes and canisters, and daylight film loader that I rarely use, but I can't get enough money for it to cover the collection of accessories and the cla.

 

[SchwinnParamount]

I have some Berg RC sepia toner that is still sitting in the box it came in a couple years ago.

I rarely every say it... and especially not in this kind of circumstance, but - wait for it!

Me too!

 

[ambaker]

Does this count?

I've promised myself no more gear till I open all of these. So far I've only cheated once... Ok maybe twice..

I did buy much of it here though.. Makes it better, right?

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[David Brown]

I have some not yet used stuff that came with other that has been used.

That's it. Especially with darkroom gear. It tends to come in "lots" with the one item you want (or need) and a bunch of other stuff ...

I have a few cameras that I bought just "to have", and don't really use them; but I don't think that counts, it's just collecting. I have things that were given to me, that I never use. Gear is so cheap in some cases, that I have bought things just to have, in case there was a need down the road. I do the same thing with tools. Occasionally I see a tool (that is not that expensive) and I rationalize that if I ever needed that tool, nothing else would work.

I have to confess, though, there is the 500mm lens for the RB67. I just had to have it. Other than a few test shots, it's in its case ...

 

[MartinP]

The job-lot of stuff tends to mean some things get put away and never touched, for sure.

I ended up with a very old Jobo CPE2 when I was actually only expecting an enlarger head. I use the enlarger but haven't used the Jobo, despite developing C41 in a wash-bowl waterbath. It (the washbowl) works so I never set up the space to use the Jobo - but I will do, soon, honest, maybe. It is possible that it doesn't even run of course...

 

[heespharm]

It's a long list but let's start with:

3 of the 4 Unicolor 4x5 drum film developing tube

Hasselblad compendium lens shade

Hasselblad leather case

Any "ever ready" case I've ever owned....

3 developing timers...


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[BenJT]

Mamiya 180mm for a C330, took one picture with it then sold it a few months later, I never use telephoto.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

Rolleiflexes.

I think I have had either 4 or 5 of them in the last two decades. I get that romantic feeling of using one just like Newton or Avedon and succumb. Then it sits around and collects dust. I end up selling it, and some time goes by, and I see an Avedon book and want another damn Rollei.

These days I don't feel the need anymore since they are so dang expensive. I picked up an Ikoflex with a Tessar along the line and it is perfect. Lens is good enough, it was cheap enough, and I dinged it so it isn't worth selling.... Now I have a TLR if I ever get the hankering to use one, but of course I never do.

 

[macfred]

My last useless purchase ...

I bought a Moskva-5 (MOCKBA-5 ) rangefinder folding camera - a Russian clone of the Zeiss Super Ikonta C. It supports both 6x9 and 6x6 formats on 120 film.
The back seems slightly deformed with the result of light leaks.
I tried to fix the back without success. :confused:

 

[jose angel]

Loads of cameras and lenses, as well as many accesories.
At the end, I just use a camera plus tree lenses (although the wide and specially the tele don`t receide too much use, too). And not the sharpest, nor the most expensive. The enlarger, a tripod and a couple more things.
And the most useless, all that itm bought for "just in case" or "I`ll buy it just because I`ll not find it in a future, maybe".
Actually, very little equipment is needed to make photos

 

[macfred]

… Actually, very little equipment is needed to make photos

Amen !!

 

[Cropline]

I purchased an EOS 28-135 IS lens in '05 for a walk around lens. It saw minimal use. Shortly thereafter, I was able to purchase a couple L lenses and the previous lens was never again thought about. Pulled it out about 2 weeks ago to sell and decided to keep it. With its soft but OK sharpness and contrast, it should work well w/senior citizens when I return to business.

 

[scheimfluger_77]

A 6x9 roll film graphmatic (?) back. I think someone mixed up plates on this as the advance is only about 6x7, so There are overlaps.

Well guess I used it once.