Here's a great article by Roger Cicala, the owner of
www.lensrentals.com The more I read of his blog, the more impressed I am, and the more likely I am to recommend his company to anyone that is looking to rent lenses. His article titled "Stuff I wish I'd never bought" could just as well been titled "lessons learned from a gear-head." Roger gives examples of several items he regrets buying, but uses these as examples to point out several "lessons" that should help us not to make similar mistakes. I think it's well worth reading, especially, if like me, you tend to get excited about the promise of new technology.
Here's the link:
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/01/stuff-i-wish-id-never-boughtHappy reading,
Keith
P.S.
One of the lessons I keep relearning is "
Lesson 4: You Can't Make a Silk Purse Out of a Sow's Ear." I think I'm actually better than most people in this regard, and often spend a ridiculous amount of time researching before I purchase, but every now and then I still fall victim to the idea that I can get by with a cheaper alternative.
Last year I bought an inexpensive ($23.99) 6.5ft light stand from Adorama. This year I upgraded to a $89.00 12 ft light stand that I am MUCH happier with, and I wish I would have avoided wasting the money on the cheaper stand. The newer stand is
much more stable and extends to a much more useful height. (Your light stand should allow you to put your lights at least 3 feet above your portrait subjects, so obviously a 6.5 ft light stand is quite a bit of a compromise.
Luckily most of my "lessons learned" in this category aren't too expensive, and I usually find another use for the cheaper items, so not all is lost.