What is your Least Used Piece of Gear?

[dpc]

It's a hard thing to quantify. I suppose my least used pieces of equipment are:

1. Speedlite
2. 40mm pancake (it's cuteness ambushed me in a weak moment)
3. 50mm 1.4
4. 11-16mm Tokina

I mostly use the 300mm f/4 with the 1.4x Extender III, the 70-300L, the 24-105L, the 100L macro. Just bought the Canon 16-35mm f/4 (traded in a 17-40mm - couldn't be bothered selling it myself), so we'll have to see how that goes.

 

[Deleted member 7828]

It varies, but I think overall it'd have to be the 135mm f/2. At one point it sat for over a year unused. When finally called upon, boy did it come in handy...of course, hasn't been used since. The niche it fills is REALLY small. (Before, it was the 35 1.4 but it's since been sold...despite my not using the 135 much I wouldn't give it up)

Although the 85 1.2 may eventually overtake the 135 (only test shots so far, no plans for use in near future)

 

[Slyham]

Ever since I got the Sigma 18-35 I haven't used the 50 1.8.

 

[blanddragon]

EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens was/is cheap but it's just not needed for how I shoot. Probably use my EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens the most for walk around.

 

[Lee Jay]

My 1.4x II teleconverter - terrible resolution.

Unless yours is broken in some way, there's nothing wrong with the 1.4x II. Usually, the lens is the limitation not the TC. And, yes, I do have one.

 

[Hector1970]

A Wimberly Plamp.
Lens baby Muse
An array of flash accessories too embarrassing to use.
Oh it hurts the money I've wasted!

 

[candyman]

Okay, one more -

What is your least used piece of gear, or pieces of gear?

Mine: my 430EX and 580EXIII Speedlites. I love natural light and use my Lastolite reflectors/diffusers or Einsteins most of the time I need to add or modify light.

+1 on the 580EXII. I use it only with he 24-105 and indoor events. But, these days my combination indoor is 24-70 & 70-200 & 50A

 

[Viggo]

Sold my Sekonic meter and my Spyder LensCal yesterday help fund an item I hope will be MUCH used.

I also had a few tripods that never got used. Monopods never used. Grey card. Gel holder for the 600 RT etc. lol and I have two cases full of useless items, like the Ricoh R10 I won once.

 

[wsheldon]

A Wimberly Plamp.
Lens baby Muse
An array of flash accessories too embarrassing to use.
Oh it hurts the money I've wasted!

Boy that hits home. Ditto on the flash mods and Plamp. We need to start having anonymous swap meets at our photo guild meetings so I can clear that stuff out without admitting to owning them.

 

[dpc]

My 1.4x II teleconverter - terrible resolution.

Unless yours is broken in some way, there's nothing wrong with the 1.4x II. Usually, the lens is the limitation not the TC. And, yes, I do have one.

Can't say about the II, but I use the III all the time with my 300mm f/4 and the results are excellent.

 

[alexturton]

Rayflash adapter.

Only realised after I bought it that I don't actually shoot portraits.

Got sucked in by media hype

 

[dppaskewitz]

3) a 2nd big stopper filter that is waiting for the first one to break

I too ended up with two Big Stoppers. I ordered from two sources back when they were scarce. I figured I could always sell one of them. Now, despite Neuro's advice that I should have a spare (which I wouldn't be carrying anyway), I need to get around to selling it.

 

[Eldar]

My least used gear is my flash. I probably don´t use it more than once/10.000 shots. Next in line are my Lee filters.

 

[bholliman]

Mine: my 430EX and 580EXIII Speedlites. I love natural light and use my Lastolite reflectors/diffusers or Einsteins most of the time I need to add or modify light.

I'm like natural light too. My Speedlites are least used.

+1 but for my 600EX-RT's and ST-E3-RT. This is great equipment, but I normally just don't take the time to drag it out. Its easier to use natural light and a reflector. Part of the problem is that I'm not that good at speedliting, so even with great equipment tend not to use it that much. I need to go back and re-read Syl Arena's speedliting book...

Photo backpack. It just sits in the closet because it's too cumbersome to shoot out of, and I never find myself in a position to carry everything I own.

I seldom use mine either. I used tend to only use it on vacations or 2-3 day photo outings which account for maybe 3-4 times per year. The rest of the time I just take a my 6D and a couple of lenses with my M along as a backup in smaller Lowepro cases.

 

[wsmith96]

My least used are my 430EXII flashes.

 

[NancyP]

580EXII flash. Sheer indolence on my part.

 

[DominoDude]

My least used items would be my...
[list type=decimal]
[*] Sigma 50/1.4 EX DG HSM (the one that came before the Art).
[*] My first digital, the 50D.
[*] Vanguard UP-Rise 43.
[/list]
I would use that sling bag a lot more if only I could carry my 400mm in it at times. Instead I use an ordinary backpack to shove my gear into while I'm out on a hike.

 

[Daniel 78d]

Mine was the 18-135 is. Then one day it disappeared only to be found in the mailbox in the form of a check from Adaroma

 

[Loswr]

That's a tough call. Right now, I'd say the least-used piece of kit (counting only items of significant cost, so that eliminates things like a ColorRight WB filter, the spiked feet for my RRS TVC-33, etc.) would be my PocketWizard setup - MiniTT1, pair of FlexTT5's, AC3, and a PowerMC2.

Generally, if I'm not using it and don't plan on using it in the future, I sell it. Putting my money where my mouth is (or rather, in my wallet where it belongs), I'm sitting in a Starbucks finishing my mocha after selling a couple of surplus Wimberley P-20 lens plates to a Craigslist buyer 5 minutes ago. I had planned on keeping one of them (I don't plan on buying the new 100-400L if it shows up, but who knows?!). However, I've got RRS L84 plates instead of the Wimberley versions for my 70-200 II and 70-300L, and they're a bit lighter and have a 1/4"-20 socket (which came in handy once), so if I do get another lens which needs that size, I'll just order the RRS plate.

To that end...at some point soon I'll take some product pics of the PW set, and sell that.

Of gear that I intend to be part of my active kit....EF 40 mm f/2.8 pancake.

I use mine fairly frequently. Often I find myself going to an event expecting to be a bit distant from much of the action, and bringing the 70-200 II. I could bring the 24-70 II, but that would mean wearing the lens on a belt pouch or going back to a backback left at a seat. Instead, I slip the 40/2.8 into a pocket - the camera + 70-200 is on a BR strap connected to the lens plate, and if I need a wider AoV than 70mm, I just leave the telezoom hanging from the strap and use the pancake lens.

Photo backpack. It just sits in the closet because it's too cumbersome to shoot out of, and I never find myself in a position to carry everything I own.

Interesting - that's probably the one piece of (non-Canon) gear I use the most. I have a shoulder bag for street / studio shooting, but my Lowepro Flipside 400AW is my constant companion when I shoot outdoors.

I lost you at backpack. Singular. Maybe any one of my many backpacks and bags would fall into the 'least used' categoty by itself (probably the Lowepro Toploader Pro 70 AW, since that works with the 70-300L but all my other body+lens combos fit in the shorter 65 AW or the longer 75 AW). That's why I have so many bags/packs.

 

[scottburgess]

My Argus C44. And anything that is broken. The Argus works fine, but if I want to shoot film I'm using my trusty Elan IIe.