Underbought Equipment???

I saw the Overbought Equipment, and would like to see this go the other way too.

List equipment that you purchased, that was worth (to you) well more than what you paid for it.

 

Unlike the others on the overbought thread I love my 70-200mm 2.8 L lens
It is my go to lens.But I shoot mainly sports and outdoor activities so it just goes to figure.I only paid $800 for it on ebay and when it arrived it was just like new,not a scratch.

Being a real man I dont mind the weight or size and can lug it with ease:greenpbl easy... I'm Just joking )

 

I got a 2X converter and a Kiron 28-105mm f3.2-4.5 for $7 and shipping. The Kiron's a nice indoor lens.

 

Mine would be my Sigma 70-200 2.8, the macro/hsm version.

There were only 2 online stores I found to have it at the time I made the purchase. I called both over and over again, getting a better price each time I called. I ended up getting about $100 off, a 4 year warranty (Sigma) thrown in, and a set of Hoya filters thrown in (UV and Circular Polarizing). Also free shipping thrown in. Anyway, I got a pretty sweet deal.

This is my lens of choice for race photography. Picture sales have more than paid for this lens, and I already have another job lined up for next season. With how dark the track gets at night, 2.8 has been extremely valuable.

 

I had a job that was in maintenance at a place that did alot of lab photography. Part of my job was clearing out the buildings and offices as this place was getting ready to close. The facility that I worked for did alot of lab related photography and while all the high dollar items were moved to the new facility there was much left over for a person in the know to pilfer from the remains before they hit the trash. Besides getting a full B+W lab setup with an enlarger that is almost as tall as me fit to print 4X5 and medium format I also got a Speed-Grafic camera with a Schneider lens several 4x5 backs several medium-format backs and also at least 2 Polaroid backs. Since these items were free I would say I under bought them and even the collector value of the camera to me is great enough for me to believe I got a great deal And even if I never shoot with it I believe it was worth waaaaaaay more than what I paid for it.

 

I got my first L lens, the EF 70-200 f/4 L for $500 bucks at a local shop because some loser bought it the day before and returned it as an open box. An absolute bargain to begin with anyway. The price you pay for the quality you get is ten-fold on this lens. Any L at sub-$1k is a steal. Picked up my EF 180 f/3.5 L Macro on good ol' eBay for $860 brand-new.

 

my
EOS 1d mkII
300mm F2.8 IS
70-200mm F2.8 IS
Canon 2x extender II (x2)
Wimberley 2 head
Gitzo 2940LVL legs
Sigma 12-24mm
Canon 24-70 2.8
Lowepro Stealth Reporter D650AW
Lowepro Pro Trekker AW
WhiBal G6 Pocket Kit
Canon Angle Finder C
Canon EOS 30D
Canon BG-E2
Sandisk Extreme III CF cards

I just couldn't live without any of that lot, god I need to get a life

It also helps working in a camera shop so I get everything at cost price

 

My Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens. This is going to sound daft but I paid the full RRP of £1100 for it. But it has been invaluable to me, considering I primarily take wildlife and sports photographs.

 

Wish you'd told me that BEFORE I bought the above-mentioned lens! lol

 

£1100 is much lower than the full RRP
the full price from memory is over £1400.00

 

WOOT! A rare bargain fro Jessops!!