Help! I think i made an impulse purchase!

[ahsosl1e8]

Just got a tokina 12-24mm from a fellow cser, and i'm now suffering from guilt. It's the most expensive lens i've bought to date, and i dunno if it's really worth it. The reason why i bought it: I wanted to take those cool wide pics like the old birds here.

The problem is that i dun make money from photos, and 700+ is a lot of money for a NSF. Singapore hardly has really nice scenery that warrants an ultra-wide, and i dun travel often. I tried snapshots of my family and found that most of the faces were quite distorted. How? I felt that i've bought an expensive lens that may not be used often.

Maybe i just haven't got used to the perspective. Maybe i need to learn how to use the lens. Maybe i just need to get the lens out and shoot more often. Pls convince me that i've made the right choice guys!

 

[LazerLordz]

Just got a tokina 12-24mm from a fellow cser, and i'm now suffering from guilt. It's the most expensive lens i've bought to date, and i dunno if it's really worth it. The reason why i bought it: I wanted to take those cool wide pics like the old birds here.

The problem is that i dun make money from photos, and 700+ is a lot of money for a NSF. Singapore hardly has really nice scenery that warrants an ultra-wide, and i dun travel often. I tried snapshots of my family and found that most of the faces were quite distorted. How? I felt that i've bought an expensive lens that may not be used often.

Maybe i just haven't got used to the perspective. Maybe i need to learn how to use the lens. Maybe i just need to get the lens out and shoot more often. Pls convince me that i've made the right choice guys!

Seek out the coastal regions and practise.

 

[phantasia]

Just got a tokina 12-24mm from a fellow cser, and i'm now suffering from guilt. It's the most expensive lens i've bought to date, and i dunno if it's really worth it. The reason why i bought it: I wanted to take those cool wide pics like the old birds here.

The problem is that i dun make money from photos, and 700+ is a lot of money for a NSF. Singapore hardly has really nice scenery that warrants an ultra-wide, and i dun travel often. I tried snapshots of my family and found that most of the faces were quite distorted. How? I felt that i've bought an expensive lens that may not be used often.

Maybe i just haven't got used to the perspective. Maybe i need to learn how to use the lens. Maybe i just need to get the lens out and shoot more often. Pls convince me that i've made the right choice guys!

Mayb you can just sell it off? Since its a 2nd-hand lens, you shouldnt lose much.

OR...you could make use of it..check out galleries such as these for use of ultra-wides in S'pore...http://commanderdex.deviantart.com/gallery/

;p

 

[jbma]

Just got a tokina 12-24mm from a fellow cser, and i'm now suffering from guilt. It's the most expensive lens i've bought to date, and i dunno if it's really worth it. The reason why i bought it: I wanted to take those cool wide pics like the old birds here.

The problem is that i dun make money from photos, and 700+ is a lot of money for a NSF. Singapore hardly has really nice scenery that warrants an ultra-wide, and i dun travel often. I tried snapshots of my family and found that most of the faces were quite distorted. How? I felt that i've bought an expensive lens that may not be used often.

Maybe i just haven't got used to the perspective. Maybe i need to learn how to use the lens. Maybe i just need to get the lens out and shoot more often. Pls convince me that i've made the right choice guys!

Should have not jump on impulse. 90% of the shots taken can be handled by the kit lens.

 

[nightbreed]

Just got a tokina 12-24mm from a fellow cser, and i'm now suffering from guilt. It's the most expensive lens i've bought to date, and i dunno if it's really worth it. The reason why i bought it: I wanted to take those cool wide pics like the old birds here.

The problem is that i dun make money from photos, and 700+ is a lot of money for a NSF. Singapore hardly has really nice scenery that warrants an ultra-wide, and i dun travel often. I tried snapshots of my family and found that most of the faces were quite distorted. How? I felt that i've bought an expensive lens that may not be used often.

Maybe i just haven't got used to the perspective. Maybe i need to learn how to use the lens. Maybe i just need to get the lens out and shoot more often. Pls convince me that i've made the right choice guys!

You've bought a nice lens. You just haven't:

1. Found the right subjects to shoot
2. Tried to take shots from different perspectives
3. Thrown out the rules and experimented

If you sell it, one day you'll probably wish you didn't. So, just go out and take more photos, have a look at what other people do and either copy or modify. Then one day maybe you will develop your own style.

 

[Kit]

................Singapore hardly has really nice scenery that warrants an ultra-wide, and i dun travel often.

I'm not going to hold back on this one so if you don't like what you'll be reading, I apologise first. THAT'S THE FREAKIN' PROBLEM PEOPLE HERE HAVE!!! THEY DON'T OPEN THEIR EYES TO LOOK!!! Why are you so damn sure there's nothing to photograph in Singapore?? Have you convincingly exhausted all locations??

Maybe i just haven't got used to the perspective. Maybe i need to learn how to use the lens. Maybe i just need to get the lens out and shoot more often. Pls convince me that i've made the right choice guys!

This is another problem. How in hell do you expect people to justify your own pirchases?? If you didn't think Singapore isn't worthy of the lens, then why get it in the first place?? What were your considerations (if any) before bying the lens?? And yes, you do need to get out more to shoot.... DUHHHH..... You got the lens, you decide how much its worth...

I'm done....

 

[agentmonkey]

700 dollars is a lot of money for an nsf...especially for lowly spec like me..heck.. i don't get full combat pay... but i agree with kit man... make the most of it..you might change your mind... is there an opportunity for you to be like your unit's photographer? if there is, go apply for it and use your lens for that purpose... i did and i've got some pretty nice shots..those garang garang ones..too bad cannot post...

 

[noob sniper]

Hi i think there is still thing to shoot in singapore if u look ard hard enuff , for example a noobie like me once in awhile i will go shoot merlion etc... but everytime i get diff result like lighting , colour , mood bah bah bah .....due to diff setting i use , like my wife said whom is also in tis hobby , no pic is alike so keep trying and learn from there gong xi fa cai :thumbsup:

 

[ahsosl1e8]

din expect so many replies so soon. :bsmilie:

Kit: Relax. :sweat: After re-reading my post i found that i was just ranting. If some of you find my thread stupid, ignore it by all means.

Seriously, i did think through the benefits of this lens before the purchase. Just that i feel the pinch every time i spend lots of money. I dunno if i'm the only one being so "stingy", but before making purchases, i will think of what i can do with it. But after buying, i begin to think of how i can live without it. :bsmilie:

I'll certainly go take more photos and post here.

 

[surge]

look to the bright side, you have just got a lens that have lots of potential. just that you have not used wide angle before thus feels that its of limited use to you. learn how to use the lens to get the kinda of photos you once wanted. since you have already bought it. use it....sell it later if dont like and lose a bit take it as rental.

 

[Manda]

Hiya - I can remember having the same panic when i bought a similar lens.

Once you realise it's potential you will love it.

 

[kayheem]

I tried snapshots of my family and found that most of the faces were quite distorted.

That is a good lens. You just have not used the correct subject. It definitely is not a run-of-the-mill portrait lens!

As agentmonkey has mentioned, ask to be the unit photographer, and learn to take pics from diff angles e.g. from front of the rifle or vehicle. Look around for examples of shots taken with a wide-angle and learn!

 

[agentmonkey]

i think kit is only a little peeved because you mentioned there's nothing to shoot in singapore..quite the contrary... check out the flickr groups man..alot of groups like "rediscovering singapore" ..."singapore hdb" and all that jazz...i can give you the links if you're interested... i think it only seems like there's nothing to shoot here because we're so used to seeing everything around us that nothing seems special anymore..not so for the tourist who has never been here though! so go pretend to be one...someone thought i was jap once hehe

the distorted effect is caused by most wide angle lenses i believe (correct me if i'm wrong..never used one before) but if what i remember my teacher telling me was is that you've got to shoot from various angles to eliminate the distortion (again correct me if i'm wrong)

 

[dreamerz]

hehe...if u dun 1...can give it to me...;p

 

[jnet6]

OMG... There IS only 2 options now.
1. SELL off.
2. Keep and shoot more.

no pt blaming yourself on the impulse purchase, take it as lesson and sell of at abit of loss or else remind yourself to bring out this lens and shoot often.

Most ppl here will have been there and done there, no need to cry over spilled milk.
just carry on with life and do what you need/want to do.
For you, serve the nation and shoot more pictures.

 

[ahsosl1e8]

I'm already my unit's photog and i've since taken quite some events. Also shot 2 weddings so far but all with kit lens. (hence the thought that i could live without the tokina) Nvm, i'll look forward to my next wedding assignment and see if i can make it better with my new toy.

Anyways, thanks for the many opinions. I hope i will realise the full potential of this lens soon.

 

[night86mare]

Every perspective is useful, it's whether you want to make full use of what you have.

It's simple, if you feel you've made an impulse purchase, it will be an impulse purchase.

If you try to milk the most out of it, intangible benefits outweigh money anytime until the point that you are spending beyond your means, which is silly to begin with. =)

Cheers! My advice is try shooting with it, make a point to make trips to take photos of landscapes which will use the lens.. If anything, you have it, might as well try it. If you don't like it or find out that you really don't need it.. Then take it as a lesson learnt, move on. No use berating yourself.

 

[agentmonkey]

good luck bro by the by, which unit are you in?

 

[DewaKarma]

well to the TS..

you bought a gd wide angle lens .. in order to make full use of it.. must use your creativity... i noe 700 is a lot for an nsf but if you have the heart for fotography, im sure you had spent the 700 wisely..i think a coastal sunset view will be wonderful for your new lens to try with ..

 

[eikin]

Singapore hardly has really nice scenery that warrants an ultra-wide, and i dun travel often.

time to give Punggol a visit ;p perfect training ground

I tried snapshots of my family and found that most of the faces were quite distorted.

never pose your human subjects near the edges of the frame if you do not want too much distortion. using wide for portraits means you want to capture the human subject and the context, or you want to specifically distort body parts or faces

Maybe i just haven't got used to the perspective. Maybe i need to learn how to use the lens. Maybe i just need to get the lens out and shoot more often. Pls convince me that i've made the right choice guys!

go go go! shoot shoot shoot! :thumbsup: