What WAS your most unused piece of gear?

zedin · Aug 18, 2006

I am curious what pieces of gear did you hardly ever use but then once you started to finally get used to it now you use a ton.

I personally hardly ever used my flash. I never wanted to take the time/money to find out how to use it properly with my film camera. Even when I got my digital I still never really used the flash. But recently I began to learn how to manual dial it in for fill flashes and now can't seem to put it down.

So what other sort of gear did you neglect to use for forever and then how did you get hooked on it?

JamesD · Aug 18, 2006

My prime lenses, first of all. Now, the only zoom I have is a telephoto, and it's going away soon. Second to that... I'd have to say the Mamiya 645. I use it quite a bit now, still not as much as my 35mm rigs, but definately a lot.

ksmattfish · Aug 18, 2006

Tripod and lens hoods. When I started I never used a lens hood, now I always do 100% of the time. Once upon a time I wouldn't use a tripod when I really should have. Now I use it whenever it is possible.

AprilRamone · Aug 26, 2006

KSMatt,
Just curious about why you feel the lens hood is so helpful? what does it do?
Thanks

Peanuts · Aug 26, 2006

My 50mm. For some reason I just stuck to the telephoto, now, I just adore the narrow depth of field and the feeling of just having to compose the shot by interacting more with my subjects as opposed to zooming in and out

Torus34 · Aug 27, 2006

Extension tubes.

I now find myself looking at the world through a very small frame.

Becky · Aug 30, 2006

I bought a speedlite 580ex and never bothered with it much as I wanted to take the time to read through the manual properly and stuff... sod that, one day I just picked it up and now I use it all the time.

Another is my 100-400mm Canon L lens... I love it to bits and know its an amazing piece of kit, but its the kind of love I have for those cuddly toys I hugged to death as a kid... I wouldnt chuckem out but they live in a binliner in the attic! I might take them out and look at them fondly from time to time but they usually go back in the bag shortly after!! Its almost sentimental- I just love owning it but never have much chance to use it to its full potentional, hence my lovely lens is on ebay as I speak! (the teddies are still in the attic tho...they shall never see the darkness that is ebay!)

Orgnoi1 · Aug 30, 2006

Definately tripods... I have two... and they NEVER get used...

danalec99 · Aug 30, 2006

Orgnoi1 said:
Definately tripods... I have two... and they NEVER get used...

Same here.

John_05 · Aug 30, 2006

the item i used the least, but now use the most is......

the manual for my camera.

kugy5 · Sep 19, 2006

a lenshood prevents straylight from striking the lens, and minimizes lens flare which even in undetectable small amounts reduses contrast and color saturation

craig · Sep 20, 2006

Peanuts said:
My 50mm. For some reason I just stuck to the telephoto, now, I just adore the narrow depth of field and the feeling of just having to compose the shot by interacting more with my subjects as opposed to zooming in and out

Excellent attitude. We are our own best zoom lens.

ksmattfish · Sep 20, 2006

John_05 said:
the manual for my camera.

Excellent!

usayit · Sep 23, 2006

Amazingly enough... its my 70-200mm f2.8 IS USM. I still love the images it produces but I usually end up packing either 24-105 w/ 100-400 or 4 primes between 24 through 135. I've considered selling the 70-200mm lens many times to free up cash towards more collectible items but I just can't seem to follow through...

Iron Flatline · Sep 25, 2006

My flash (580 EX) and I have been staring at each other for a month now (after laying in my drawer for 3+ years!!), and we are about to consumate our relationship. I will need a manual to try and figure it out, and a radio-remote trigger.