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05-12-2020, 01:26 PM   #1
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Buyer's remorse? Confess here!

I have had the idea for this thread for a long time. After weeks of lockdown, I am ready to clear my conscience. Before we get started, let me state that none of the gear under discussion is for sale. My buyer's remorse do not go that deep. Not yet...

My biggest regret is a Samyang 85mm f/1.4 in Samsung NX mount. Nothing wrong with the lens, it is near new condition and works exactly as it should. But that is where the rub lies. Let me explain. Before this one, I bought a Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 in KA mount. That works perfectly on my Pentax bodies. The aperture ring has an A position. It does everything that a Pentax KA lens can do. All of the automatic exposure modes work. I could have used it on my Samsung bodies with an adapter but I wanted more.

When the (used) Sammy showed up on the website of a large American website, I pulled the trigger. Shipping was a little slow in the Christmas rush but it arrived in perfect condition. Everything was there, in the original box. The flimsy hood I left in the box. The lens cap was nice, but sadly I have managed to lose it since.

The problem is that there is no communication between lens and camera. Nothing at all. It functions as a manual focus, manual aperture lens. For critical focusing, the drill is the same as the Spotmatic/Takumar combo of old. Open aperture all the way, focus, stop down, adjust shutter speed, take picture. Do not move the camera backwards or forwards during the process or focus might go out. Half a century, where is the progress?

I tried to research the lens before buying, but could find no information specific to the NX mount version. Even the manufacturer's website just stated that NX mount was available and nothing further. I expected it to integrate with the camera as a manual focus lens like the KA version, with all auto exposure supported. As it is, shutter priority and full program modes are off the table. Manual and aperture priority works fine. If you set auto ISO, shutter priority can be used. Focus aids, i.e. magnification and focus peaking, have to be activated manually. How to do this took some internet searching to figure out. It is quite simple. Just press the OK button in the middle of the four way controller. A bit fiddly when one is using the EVF but it works. Focus aid goes away when you half press the shutter button, an old habit that now gets in the way of the work flow.

When I place the Rokinon with K/NX mount adapter next to the Samyang, they are exactly the same size. As it should be, of course. I would have posted a photo, but as this is written during lockdown it would be tricky to take such a picture. There will be a lot of explaining to do about two identical lenses on a table. Let's just leave it at that.

So what have I gained? Not much. I believe that the Samyang has slightly improved coating, being a later version of the design than my Rokinon. This is only a hunch and I don't really know. The Rokinon was bought used and so I do not know when either was manufactured. The Samyang has a depth of field scale that the Rokinon does not have. The latter fits on full frame and crop frame, so they couldn't really put it on.

Now I have two identical lenses. I could liquidate one of them but which one? The K mount is more versatile and works on my Pentax and Samsung bodies. I could sell the NX mount, but demand for dead mount lenses is not great. The K mount might fetch a better price. I just can't make my mind up, so I have not moved on this. For the moment both them serves a purpose. I'm much better at buying than selling anyway.

Please share your tales of buyer's remorse. I have a few more but want to hear from my fellow Pentaxians first.

05-12-2020, 01:41 PM - 4 Likes   #2
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How about buying gear that I already had and then finding an duplicate hidden in a cupboard. First feeling is one of shock, rapidly followed by guilt and then panic that I'll get found out! Nothing especially expensive, a few tens of pounds tops. But it's not been an isolated occurrence, sadly ...
05-12-2020, 01:54 PM - 1 Like   #3
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my biggest regret is not getting a sigma 500/4.5 when they were in production
05-12-2020, 02:25 PM - 1 Like   #4
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never had it...

never will...

05-12-2020, 02:33 PM   #5
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I have experienced Buyers remorse several times. Sometimes while the item is still on the way to my home. Usually this happens when I purchase an item on impulse without much research .
05-12-2020, 02:38 PM - 1 Like   #6
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Thinking...Thinking...Thinking...

Ya know, remorse is such a strong word...

Thinking...Thinking...Thinking...Thinking...

In regards to photo stuff, I can't say I have. Seller's remorse, yes...buyer's remorse, no...


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05-12-2020, 02:44 PM   #7
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Four regrets stick out in my mind:
1) Minolta Rokkor 500mm f/8 reflex lens. Too slow, too soft, fixed aperture. Imagine how dark the viewfinder is at f/8 after switching from lenses with f/1.2 or even f/2.8. My first and last mirror lens.

2) SMC Pentax-A 645 200mm f/4. Too slow, too soft. Objectively, it's not that slow or that soft, but relative to my 645 35mm and 75mm primes, I rarely shoot with it. I now use a SMC Pentax-FA 645 120mm f/4 Macro for my MF telephoto shots.

3) Olympus E-10. Circa 2000 with 4MP, max ISO 320, max shutter 1/640", with four AA alkaline batteries the camera last 10-30 minutes or about 20 shots. The zoom lens on this camera was the best feature, but it had unacceptable power consumption drain. I tried every alternative and although a two pack of CR-V3 lithiums were the best, at $15 it was unsustainable and the rechargeable version would still not last long enough for more than an hour of shooting. It is the most expensive and fastest box to brick gear in my graveyard.

4) Every tripod with a plastic or cheap metal part that broke from age or normal usage. Pathetic how many intermediate tripods I've bought only to find their achilles heel, and after repairing it once, ended up buying what I thought would be my next last tripod ever.


Last edited by Alex645; 05-12-2020 at 02:57 PM.
05-12-2020, 02:58 PM - 2 Likes   #8
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My general regret is impulsively buying something because it's a bargain eg run out, superseded, demo, ebay 20% discount etc and then not having money to get something that I would make most use of. I would have saved more money paying full price for the camera or lens that gets used all the time rather than being lured by discounts for dust gatherers. I keep trying to remind myself of this now when camera sales have fallen off a cliff and there seem to be bargains everywhere. I need to read this constantly:
The psychology of impulsive shopping | Media Network | The Guardian

Last edited by officiousbystander; 05-12-2020 at 03:02 PM. Reason: Sense
05-12-2020, 03:01 PM   #9
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I really only have one: Sigma 18-300 mm Contemporary in Pentax mount.

Great lens in many (most) respects, but I didn't end up using it as much as I thought I would and that's why I regret it. The lens it replaced - an older, screw-drive 18-200 mm zoom - was much more convenient to me because of its significantly smaller size and weight. Live and learn.
05-12-2020, 03:03 PM - 3 Likes   #10
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For me it is typically seller's remorse and I end up buying the lens again
05-12-2020, 03:06 PM   #11
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I have a soft case of buyer's remorse.

A few years ago I bought a used SMC DA 15mm Limited, somewhat on impulse. The price was fair and the lens is in great condition.

However, I guess I'm not a 'very wide-angle' kind of guy. I've used the lens on occasion, especially to emphasize foreground subjects, and I like the images. I tend to shoot mainly 20mm to 135mm on my K-3 II.

So, with that confession out on the table , I think I'll make an effort to take it out of the cabinet more often and see what I can conjure up out in the field.

- Craig
05-12-2020, 03:17 PM - 10 Likes   #12
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My wife has remorse when I buy. Does that count?
05-12-2020, 03:32 PM   #13
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Weirdly I find that if I hold on to something long enough I eventually find a use for it. Like the 40mm limited was the first DA Limited I bought, and then after I had the 35mm I didn't use it much, but recently with quarantine on I've been taking it out and discovering its qualities again.

I will say that I've never really gotten into flash photography, so whenever I buy a piece of kit in the hopes that I will decide I'm into it finally it never works.
05-12-2020, 03:33 PM   #14
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Buyer's Remorse! Yes with a capital R. There are several: Buying the 40mm limited. Well, it is the worst lens in my collection. I thought it would perfectly fit with my K-01, but the camera is far better than the lens. Buying a K-7 and although I made some very good pictures with it, I kept returning to my Samsung GX-10 and the K-01. Buying third party lenses Sigma 17-50 and a Sigma 18-250 Macro HSM. I like the 18-250, but unfortunately I bought better Ricoh lenses after that. A kind of evolution I guess, because Ricoh lenses became more affordable. Another remorse is investing in APS-C lenses that are not very usable on full frame. But that lead to a no-remorse: not buying the K-1. I decided not to buy that one because of my APS-C collection and to prevent a lot of remorse if I had bought those new very expensive FF lenses. And a lot of remorse that I do not utilize my old FF glass on my camera's!
05-12-2020, 04:00 PM - 2 Likes   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by AfterPentax Quote
Buyer's Remorse! Yes with a capital R. There are several: Buying the 40mm limited. Well, it is the worst lens in my collection.
My SMC DA40 Limited is one of my most treasured possessions. A true gem; a great lens.
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