Buyers remorse after purchasing camera equipment.

I appreciate all the responses to this thread and thought I would post a follow to where I am at 7 months later on.

I kept hold of the Olympus E-M1 for about 2 weeks then returned it as I wasn't sure I had upgraded for the right reasons. Buyers remorse kicked in quite badly.

Then spent the next 5/6 months looking on and off at different cameras trying to make a decision if wanted to upgrade it not. In the end I decided I wanted something newer for better autofocus and low light performance.

Ended up the start of this year picking a Nikon D7500 up with a prime lens, this was on a special offer! Then struggled to find any of the lenses I wanted, did wonder if I had brought the Nikon based on nostalgia as when I started out in photography it was with Nikon. Also realised I had brought into a dead system and was struggling to find a lens in decent condition that didn't have a listing saying it has slight moisture in it!

So that went back also after a few weeks. Great pattern emerging here!

I have now ended up with an Olympus E-M1 mark 3 again with a 12-40 lens. Even though I know on paper it should be equal or better than the Nikon D7500 part of me still wondering if I have made the right choice.

Both systems have there pros and cons. I think due to the swapping and changing along with other stuff going on in my life I have put myself in a pickle mentally.
Currently trying to focus on going out with the Olympus but not forcing myself to take any pictures but enjoy being outside and getting some fresh air. Always feel better off after a walk.

I really hope for my own mental wellbeing and also to stop annoying my partner I stick with this choice.
 
ian-83 said:
I appreciate all the responses to this thread and thought I would post a follow to where I am at 7 months later on.

I kept hold of the Olympus E-M1 for about 2 weeks then returned it as I wasn't sure I had upgraded for the right reasons. Buyers remorse kicked in quite badly.

Then spent the next 5/6 months looking on and off at different cameras trying to make a decision if wanted to upgrade it not. In the end I decided I wanted something newer for better autofocus and low light performance.

Ended up the start of this year picking a Nikon D7500 up with a prime lens, this was on a special offer! Then struggled to find any of the lenses I wanted, did wonder if I had brought the Nikon based on nostalgia as when I started out in photography it was with Nikon. Also realised I had brought into a dead system and was struggling to find a lens in decent condition that didn't have a listing saying it has slight moisture in it!

So that went back also after a few weeks. Great pattern emerging here!

I have now ended up with an Olympus E-M1 mark 3 again with a 12-40 lens. Even though I know on paper it should be equal or better than the Nikon D7500 part of me still wondering if I have made the right choice.

Both systems have there pros and cons. I think due to the swapping and changing along with other stuff going on in my life I have put myself in a pickle mentally.
Currently trying to focus on going out with the Olympus but not forcing myself to take any pictures but enjoy being outside and getting some fresh air. Always feel better off after a walk.

I really hope for my own mental wellbeing and also to stop annoying my partner I stick with this choice.
Click to expand...
I feel your pain and wish I had an answer for you. I said previously that my buyers remorse has got better over the years but I've recently made a new car purchase and over a week later I'm still questioning my choice.

With regards to your camera choice only you can make teh decision, we could list all the pros and cons of each system, tell you our preferences etc but it's only you that can decide whether the Olympus is right for you or not.

In terms of being equal or better I think we need to move away from this thought as all of these systems are more than capable for providing great images. Obviously the Olympus has a smaller sensor and so in lab tests it won't quite match an APS-C sensor, but in the realy world you'd be pushed to see a difference, and if you check out Petr Bambousek's Olympus shots (see linkg) I think 99.9% of use would be over the moon to get shots like this with any gear.

500px

500px.com 500px.com

If you then consider the feature set of the EM1-III, and the system as a whole (which has a much larger choice of lenses than Nikon Dx) it's a really compelling system. Add to this the weight, more so the big tele lenses it's even more compelling.

I hope you get some closure on this soon and are able to give your mind a rest (y)
 
Sounds like very much our life story together. Started with nothing,saved and saved until now. 53 years later well settled and not the financial worries we had at the beginning,
As for camera gear Nikon FF camera and lenses weight was becomming an issue. So P/X everything and went M43 route with panasonic G9 and later also G9ii. I loved my Nikons but now have no regrets in moving on
 
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One general piece of advice that I think may be helpful to some people is this: "Never buy new unless there is no alternative"'.

My first camera, nearly 60 years ago, was secondhand and since then I can count, on the fingers of one hand, the cameras I have bought new. If you are someone who simply can't bring yourself to own secondhand objects, this will be of little use to you but for many people, it's not so much buyer's remorse as realising that a particular object doesn't, somehow, meet your needs, only after you have used it for a while.

I've bought and sold many cameras, lenses and other equipment over the years, not as a commercial venture but simply because I've bought something and it didn't continue to please me, which I suppose may be a symptom of buyers remorse. In many cases, I broke even, due to carefully checking the market before buying. I usually found something I wanted at below the average price and occassionally well below. Rarely, I made a serious profit, the most spectacular being a Polaroid 600SE that I bought, then sold on the same day to another dealer, for three times what I gave for it! Before anyone asks, that wasn't my intention.

So my advice to anyone who finds themselves regularly disatisfied with their buying decisions, is to buy cheap and accept the loss as a part of your journey. Sometimes you may get a free ride!

Film Cameras.jpg
 

AndrewFlannigan​

I have to disagree depending on ones financial circumstances of course. The first thing that comes to mind is why is it on the second hand market? if its a camera has it come to end of life or a fault not declared. If a lens dust mechanical or something else causing it to be on the used market.
Buying new doen't have these questions and a warranty if something is wrong. I would rather save for a bit longer for that peace of mind
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
One general piece of advice that I think may be helpful to some people is this: "Never buy new unless there is no alternative"'.

My first camera, nearly 60 years ago, was secondhand and since then I can count, on the fingers of one hand, the cameras I have bought new. If you are someone who simply can't bring yourself to own secondhand objects, this will be of little use to you but for many people, it's not so much buyer's remorse as realising that a particular object doesn't, somehow, meet your needs, only after you have used it for a while.

I've bought and sold many cameras, lenses and other equipment over the years, not as a commercial venture but simply because I've bought something and it didn't continue to please me, which I suppose may be a symptom of buyers remorse. In many cases, I broke even, due to carefully checking the market before buying. I usually found something I wanted at below the average price and occassionally well below. Rarely, I made a serious profit, the most spectacular being a Polaroid 600SE that I bought, then sold on the same day to another dealer, for three times what I gave for it! Before anyone asks, that wasn't my intention.

So my advice to anyone who finds themselves regularly disatisfied with their buying decisions, is to buy cheap and accept the loss as a part of your journey. Sometimes you may get a free ride!

View attachment 444952
Click to expand...
Or if you're happy to you could buy grey which is often cheaper than UK used (like new condition).
 
realspeed said:

AndrewFlannigan​

I have to disagree depending on ones financial circumstances of course. The first thing that comes to mind is why is it on the second hand market? if its a camera has it come to end of life or a fault not declared. If a lens dust mechanical or something else causing it to be on the used market.
Buying new doen't have these questions and a warranty if something is wrong. I would rather save for a bit longer for that peace of mind
Click to expand...
As long as you apply due diligence there's no issue buying used imo. If you buy from a store in excellent or "like new" condition you can be pretty certain the gear is in tip top condition, and of course you can send it back within 14 days if you don't believe it is as described. Also you get 6-12 months warranty depending on which store you bought it from (y)
 
ian-83 said:
Both systems have there pros and cons. I think due to the swapping and changing along with other stuff going on in my life I have put myself in a pickle mentally.
Currently trying to focus on going out with the Olympus but not forcing myself to take any pictures but enjoy being outside and getting some fresh air. Always feel better off after a walk.
Click to expand...

All systems have pros and cons.

Really, it's often best to just ask what you want a camera for, then choose one that will do what you need and stop looking at other possibilities. OTOH if changing cameras is just a reflection of other things happening in your life, just try not to spend too much money on the changes.

Just going out with the kit is good, and gets you used to not thinking about the equipment but rather using it.
 
realspeed said:

AndrewFlannigan​

I have to disagree depending on ones financial circumstances of course. The first thing that comes to mind is why is it on the second hand market? if its a camera has it come to end of life or a fault not declared. If a lens dust mechanical or something else causing it to be on the used market.
Buying new doen't have these questions and a warranty if something is wrong. I would rather save for a bit longer for that peace of mind
Click to expand...
There's a lot of hardly used/almost new gear available, sold on because a lot of people are always 'upgrading' before they've had time to break the gear in. Buy from a dealer with a good returns policy and you are unlikely to go wrong.
 
Well since posting my update of where I am at, I feel a lot more at ease with my recent swapping.
I feel a bit like I have offloaded and writing down my reasoning behind each choice has helped me process it all a bit better.

snerkler said:
I feel your pain and wish I had an answer for you. I said previously that my buyers remorse has got better over the years but I've recently made a new car purchase and over a week later I'm still questioning my choice.

With regards to your camera choice only you can make teh decision, we could list all the pros and cons of each system, tell you our preferences etc but it's only you that can decide whether the Olympus is right for you or not.

In terms of being equal or better I think we need to move away from this thought as all of these systems are more than capable for providing great images. Obviously the Olympus has a smaller sensor and so in lab tests it won't quite match an APS-C sensor, but in the realy world you'd be pushed to see a difference, and if you check out Petr Bambousek's Olympus shots (see linkg) I think 99.9% of use would be over the moon to get shots like this with any gear.

500px

500px.com 500px.com

If you then consider the feature set of the EM1-III, and the system as a whole (which has a much larger choice of lenses than Nikon Dx) it's a really compelling system. Add to this the weight, more so the big tele lenses it's even more compelling.

I hope you get some closure on this soon and are able to give your mind a rest (y)
Click to expand...

I'll check that photographer out. I do find seeing other work has made me realise that's it's pretty hard to distinguish what camera has been used and all are to a good standard of image quality these days. The problem I found with the Nikon was the choice of lenses. There doesn't seem to be much about on the used market. Olympus seems so much better catered for.

realspeed said:
Sounds like very much our life story together. Started with nothing,saved and saved until now. 53 years later well settled and not the financial worries we had at the beginning,
As for camera gear Nikon FF camera and lenses weight was becomming an issue. So P/X everything and went M43 route with panasonic G9 and later also G9ii. I loved my Nikons but now have no regrets in moving on
Click to expand...

Once of my realisation of going for Nikon was the reason I got rid of my D7000 many years ago was the bulky size of the equipment. Definitely gets tiring carrying it all around after a while.

AndrewFlannigan said:
One general piece of advice that I think may be helpful to some people is this: "Never buy new unless there is no alternative"'.

My first camera, nearly 60 years ago, was secondhand and since then I can count, on the fingers of one hand, the cameras I have bought new. If you are someone who simply can't bring yourself to own secondhand objects, this will be of little use to you but for many people, it's not so much buyer's remorse as realising that a particular object doesn't, somehow, meet your needs, only after you have used it for a while.

I've bought and sold many cameras, lenses and other equipment over the years, not as a commercial venture but simply because I've bought something and it didn't continue to please me, which I suppose may be a symptom of buyers remorse. In many cases, I broke even, due to carefully checking the market before buying. I usually found something I wanted at below the average price and occassionally well below. Rarely, I made a serious profit, the most spectacular being a Polaroid 600SE that I bought, then sold on the same day to another dealer, for three times what I gave for it! Before anyone asks, that wasn't my intention.

So my advice to anyone who finds themselves regularly disatisfied with their buying decisions, is to buy cheap and accept the loss as a part of your journey. Sometimes you may get a free ride!

View attachment 444952
Click to expand...

I've also been a believer of buying used. It's definitely better value for money compared to buying used especially with a good warranty on it.

ancient_mariner said:
All systems have pros and cons.

Really, it's often best to just ask what you want a camera for, then choose one that will do what you need and stop looking at other possibilities. OTOH if changing cameras is just a reflection of other things happening in your life, just try not to spend too much money on the changes.

Just going out with the kit is good, and gets you used to not thinking about the equipment but rather using it.
Click to expand...

This is definitely something I need to do. I find having the internet constantly at my finger tips on my phone a bad thing. Need some self discipline to stop looking at stuff unnecessarily.
 
When I 'rationalised' my camera collection in 2023 I was seeking to simplify things and to reduce weight. I now regret selling my X70, G5x, D7200 and my P900. I realise that each of those cameras had their own charm and benefits aside from IQ. The G5x handled wonderfully and fitted in my wax jacket pocket, the X70 sensor had a magical quality, the P900 was surprisingly competent for wildlife and the D7200 is possibly the best camera I ever owned. My current A6700 , whilst excellent, has not inspired me and is not a joy to use. Im seriously considering selling it. It's not about the latest or best kit, but rather the pleasure that each of the cameras gives each time they're used.
 
ian-83 said:
This is definitely something I need to do. I find having the internet constantly at my finger tips on my phone a bad thing. Need some self discipline to stop looking at stuff unnecessarily.
Click to expand...

Once you know what you want to do it makes it much easier to settle the outfit. While tempting to try lots of things, I found that I'm a pictorialist. I don't want outrageous focal lengths at either end, but if a picture doesn't have an appropriate aesthetic then it doesn't work for me. It helps me not to want all kinds of lenses, and I just work with a small range of kit: A7III plus generally 50 or (now) 35mm lens, though occasionally something different. Knowing what you want and need is helpful unless you're a natural gasser, in which case you already know it's not the camera that matters, but whether it's new and shiny.
 
I think sometimes you really need to stick with new gear for a while to really gel with it.

I've been fairly lucky in that I've not really regretted buying anything really. Aside from my Fuji XE2 venture in about 2017 or so..... I've regretted selling some stuff though :ROFLMAO:

I did like my X100f when I picked that up a year ago. Some of that is honeymoon period. But now I do really enjoy using it. I'll still grab the Sony kit for sunrise, night skies, etc but I grab for the X100f more often.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Once you know what you want to do it makes it much easier to settle the outfit. While tempting to try lots of things, I found that I'm a pictorialist. I don't want outrageous focal lengths at either end, but if a picture doesn't have an appropriate aesthetic then it doesn't work for me. It helps me not to want all kinds of lenses, and I just work with a small range of kit: A7III plus generally 50 or (now) 35mm lens, though occasionally something different. Knowing what you want and need is helpful unless you're a natural gasser, in which case you already know it's not the camera that matters, but whether it's new and shiny.
Click to expand...

I tend to stick to a focal length of 24-120 on FF terms. So while the 12-40 f2.8 Olympus is a little short of that it fits the bill quite well overall.
I've also moved a few years back to somewhere more out of town so landscapes and also wildlife opportunities are quite high. One of the things that attracted me to the E-M1 was it seems well suited to this type of photography.
I also like it take my camera on holiday and found the D7000 I had several years ago less than ideal due to the bulk but found my previous Lumix G80 I took all the time as the size, weight and also flip out screen were great for this type of photography.
 
ian-83 said:
I tend to stick to a focal length of 24-120 on FF terms. So while the 12-40 f2.8 Olympus is a little short of that it fits the bill quite well overall.
I've also moved a few years back to somewhere more out of town so landscapes and also wildlife opportunities are quite high. One of the things that attracted me to the E-M1 was it seems well suited to this type of photography.
I also like it take my camera on holiday and found the D7000 I had several years ago less than ideal due to the bulk but found my previous Lumix G80 I took all the time as the size, weight and also flip out screen were great for this type of photography.
Click to expand...
Definitely sounds like you've made the right choice to me then (y)
 
My approach to such things is to amortise the cost of something in my head over how often it is used. And if I feel I am using something then it always feels good value for money. That also helps make sure I use things for a good while before I upgrade!

I have a very nice roadbike. I have done 10,000km+ on it, So I average the cost per km (or per ride) in my head

If you spend a lot on a camera, and then look at how many days you have used it, it soon starts to seem good value for money. If you keep that camera for a few years before being tempted to uprade it feels like increasingly good value for money!
 
inquisitive_chap said:
My approach to such things is to amortise the cost of something in my head over how often it is used. And if I feel I am using something then it always feels good value for money. That also helps make sure I use things for a good while before I upgrade!

I have a very nice roadbike. I have done 10,000km+ on it, So I average the cost per km (or per ride) in my head

If you spend a lot on a camera, and then look at how many days you have used it, it soon starts to seem good value for money. If you keep that camera for a few years before being tempted to uprade it feels like increasingly good value for money!
Click to expand...
Which bike do you have?
 
inquisitive_chap said:
I have a couple...

My best one is a Canondale Synapse carbon with Ultegra gears. Not as nice as many people have for sure. But I like it
Click to expand...
Very nice, although I assumed you meant motorbike :lol:
 
ian-83 said:
I tend to stick to a focal length of 24-120 on FF terms.
Click to expand...

Yes, I either have a 12-60 (24-120) or a 14-140 (28-280) on the G9s and GX9 when in the bags ready for use, and if needed take something else or change lens before I go, but they are both small, light, sharp and cover a useful range.
 
inquisitive_chap said:
My approach to such things is to amortise the cost of something in my head over how often it is used. And if I feel I am using something then it always feels good value for money. That also helps make sure I use things for a good while before I upgrade!

I have a very nice roadbike. I have done 10,000km+ on it, So I average the cost per km (or per ride) in my head

If you spend a lot on a camera, and then look at how many days you have used it, it soon starts to seem good value for money. If you keep that camera for a few years before being tempted to uprade it feels like increasingly good value for money!
Click to expand...

^^ this :)
 
snerkler said:
Definitely sounds like you've made the right choice to me then (y)
Click to expand...

Hopefully I have, on paper it meets my requirements.

inquisitive_chap said:
My approach to such things is to amortise the cost of something in my head over how often it is used. And if I feel I am using something then it always feels good value for money. That also helps make sure I use things for a good while before I upgrade!

I have a very nice roadbike. I have done 10,000km+ on it, So I average the cost per km (or per ride) in my head

If you spend a lot on a camera, and then look at how many days you have used it, it soon starts to seem good value for money. If you keep that camera for a few years before being tempted to uprade it feels like increasingly good value for money!
Click to expand...

My last camera I had for 7 years so definitely got my money's worth.

jerry12953 said:
I'm not sure if you've come to terms with this yet, but maybe you're worrying about the wrong thing?

Instead of worrying about whether the camera is right for you, why not actually use it and see if you can improve as a photographer ?
Click to expand...

That's my plan now. Hopefully it can help me improve. I need to take a step back from worrying about technology and spend more time focusing on my photography techniques.
 
Not sure about buyer’s remorse, but I sometimes get sellers remorse. I look back, think why did I sell that, and buy another. I’m not in a position where I can afford to keep everything, and it’s usually a case of one in, one out.
 
nx4737 said:
Yes, aways, but I'm originally from the north and don't like spending money. :D
Click to expand...
I’m from the north, and rarely have the money in the first place :p
 
I often do get buyer’s remorse in the morning. Then, as the day rolls on, it goes away. Most of my attacks of GAS happen in the evening. :banana:
 
Stephen L said:
Not sure about buyer’s remorse, but I sometimes get sellers remorse. I look back, think why did I sell that, and buy another. I’m not in a position where I can afford to keep everything, and it’s usually a case of one in, one out.
Click to expand...
The way I counter seller's remorse is "I'll just put a roll of film through it before I sell it" , I then remember what I enjoyed or did not enjoy about said lens or body resulting in not selling or selling with no regrets.
Generally not a good way of reducing the toy box contents though. :)
 
gramps said:
I see what you did there! :LOL:
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Seeing your post and realising what I've done, I've made myself groan!

Stephen L said:
Not sure about buyer’s remorse, but I sometimes get sellers remorse. I look back, think why did I sell that, and buy another. I’m not in a position where I can afford to keep everything, and it’s usually a case of one in, one out.
Click to expand...

I've not got to that situation yet. I'm quite good at holding onto stuff.
 
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