GAS What was your best purchase of 2022?

[JensM]

I have bought stuff this year, quite a lot of stuff actually, and much of it on the shelfs for tinkering with when I get the gist (Pentax K10D, Oly 400), some for collection and using purposes (Lumix Gs and GFs), some things to flip and some things to satisfy my curiosity. Most of it at bottom bracket prices, or bundled with stuff that is reselleable, covering most of the outlays.

The things that has really stood out to me, has been the Oly OM E-Ms (OG E-M1, OG E-M5 and E-M10 MkII). Of those, the E-M10MkII facinates me quite a lot. It is just a very, very nice camera and properly small to boost. I brought one of them with me today with the 14-42EZ, the Lumix 20mm, the tiny Oly flash, an extra battery and a PD wrist strap, all stuffed into a tiny Crumpler bag (Pleasure dome S):

With a bit of toil, and dropping the flash, I think the same bag would fit with the Lumix 35-100 kit zoom and a PD leash.
And the camera is "without" compromise, IOW that little thing has a 4 stop IBIS, and a OLED viewfinder with a 100% coverage(according to the specs at Olympus) and approx. 2.36M-dot. I have smaller bodies, but none with both IBIS and LVFs.

I like the other two OG E-Ms, but that little E-M10 MkII blows my socks off, to the tune of drooling over the MkIV with its 20MP sensor, and am pondering selling off my beloved GX9 and some other stuff to pay for a MkIV, which would make that the first new camera I have bought since the G9 in 2019, first new anything camera related since 19, when I think about it (a couple of gifts excluded).

The only other competitor to the "best buy in 2022" for me is the Fujifilm X20, it is a solid little beast of a camera with very, very nice rendering and splendid colours, but it looses out somewhat being a larger compact vs a tiny system camera. The files it produces, though!

I find the X20 gives the LX7 a run for its money, mostly due to the X20s inboard viewfinder, which makes the detachable LVF on the LX7 seems a bit clunky.

If I should run a worst buy category, I think that would also fall to Olympus, I have picked up some Pens and am not particularly fond of any of them (E-PL3 and 8, E-PM1s), then again they have more or less followed other stuff I have fancied in package deals. For example who can say no to a E-PM1 complete with kit lens for €25 when it comes with that little blue retro hipster Oly bag that I fancied, and the only other example of the same bag is priced at €30 sans camera?

I may be a bit unfair in the assessment of the Pens, though.

I havent really worked any of them properly, and if I get it correctly, the sensor and engine in the E-PL8 are the same as in the E-M10MkII , so there is that, even if the IBIS in the Pen is a bit more rudimentary.

 

[CraigC]

For me, there are two standouts:

Leica Q-P: stunning images and quality from a fairly compact camera. One fixed lens eliminates some decisions, although I still have to decide to take it, the A7c (with various lenses) or the GRiiix. The Leica is by far the one I prefer to “use”. Unfortunately, it also has me considering an M camera. If I go that route, the Q may have to go…

Fuji Instax Wide printer: just a fun little accessory that allows for a tangible method to view photos. We have several around the house and have used them in fun ways, most recently as gift tags for our nieces Xmas gifts.

 

[bdbits]

I think the only thing I bought all year was the quite recent purchase of a used Sony 35mm GM. So far, so good.

 

[mumu]

I bought a few photo-related items this year and was debating which was the most useful:
1) WANDRD PRVKE 21
2) Panasonic Leica 9/1.7
3) Insta360 X3 camera
4) NuBear floating, telescoping pole for GoPro camera

While each item performed admirably and fulfilled my expectations, I have to hand the win to the PRVKE 21. It makes plane travel SO MUCH less stressful for me because it *easily* fits under an airplane seat. It's also easy to access my laptop, gear bags, and camera equipment without any friction. The 9/1.7 came in a close second because it also reduced my stress re: packing and carrying gear while traveling.

In terms of actual image quality, I've actually been happy with what I had before, but each of those items makes photography EASIER and more FUN for me which I'm finding to be extremely important.

 

[AndyMcD]

I had a major clear out this year and sold a lot of gear then bought:

1. Canon Pro300 printer
2. Benro Tortoise 24C tripod
3. Think Tank Retrospective Backpack
4. Hunting gloves (bought at a stand in The Photography Show)
5. Plus sundry other items (manual focus lenses etc)

I struggle to choose between the first 4, but if I had to pick probably the Benro - for the first time ever I have a tripod that I am happy to carry with me a lot of the time.

 

[Roboticspro]

I did buy some lens back in the spring.

However, the best photographic things I bought was either a trip to see my son in Oregon in which we camped for a long weekend on the Washington coast, or some Musou black fabric from Japan.

Nothing can compare to the time spent with family...you can buy anything in this world albeit for time.

 

[Walter Palmer]

An airline ticket, just before the Mega-Monster-Arctic-Bruhaha to a coast near the Tropic of Cancer. Ready to head back soon I think.

 

[rloewy]

A CF monopod or an old Nikkor 105mm 2.5 - the monopod was bought just recently so did not use it that much, I suspect it will be used more than that old Nikkor lens which I like a lot as well

 

[jbruce]

My best purchase of this year was an Oly 12-100 I got from MPB/New York. I had placed one on their "watch list". Their suggested item was listed as "excellent", and at an unusually low price, like $250 off. So I jumped on it because if it had an issue, I'd just return for refund. When I opened the box, I saw the source of why it was so cheap. The front lens cap was wedged in the threads at an angle that didn't allow for "pinch" removal. I was disappointed, thinking that the lens had been dropped and was bent. Not so, I simply put a filter wrench on and unscrewed the cap a few turns. End of problem and a near new lens for me! And the original Oly lens cap is perfectly usable. I've shot at least a hundred shots and they all turned out to have normal focusing edge to edge and corner to corner. Thanks MPB, you sent me a keeper for cheaper.

 

[Irene McC]

A second Fuji X-T20 body. It came up at my favourite pro-photography shop's *used* items page at a good price due to some cosmetic damage.
I already have a silver one and this one's black. It's a simple 24 mp body and paired with the (old version) 27mm pancake it goes everywhere with me.
I love using it / them 🙂

 

[John King]

Another bit of forgetfulness on my part ...

A new PC box to replace my very aged, but much upgraded old main workstation, which originally dated from 2009-10.

GAS - A new PC

My PC is now over a decade old. Nothing is compatible with it these days. Even the RAM chips are worth a fortune, as nothing compatible is made now. Same goes for a more modern graphics card. My existing big internal HDDs will all go into the new box, which has 6x SATA3 headers, as well as...

cameraderie.org

It is blindingly fast.

 

[drd1135]

I have bought stuff this year, quite a lot of stuff actually, and much of it on the shelfs for tinkering with when I get the gist (Pentax K10D, Oly 400), some for collection and using purposes (Lumix Gs and GFs), some things to flip and some things to satisfy my curiosity. Most of it at bottom bracket prices, or bundled with stuff that is reselleable, covering most of the outlays.

The things that has really stood out to me, has been the Oly OM E-Ms (OG E-M1, OG E-M5 and E-M10 MkII). Of those, the E-M10MkII facinates me quite a lot. It is just a very, very nice camera and properly small to boost. I brought one of them with me today with the 14-42EZ, the Lumix 20mm, the tiny Oly flash, an extra battery and a PD wrist strap, all stuffed into a tiny Crumpler bag (Pleasure dome S):
View attachment 355493
With a bit of toil, and dropping the flash, I think the same bag would fit with the Lumix 35-100 kit zoom and a PD leash.
And the camera is "without" compromise, IOW that little thing has a 4 stop IBIS, and a OLED viewfinder with a 100% coverage(according to the specs at Olympus) and approx. 2.36M-dot. I have smaller bodies, but none with both IBIS and LVFs.

I like the other two OG E-Ms, but that little E-M10 MkII blows my socks off, to the tune of drooling over the MkIV with its 20MP sensor, and am pondering selling off my beloved GX9 and some other stuff to pay for a MkIV, which would make that the first new camera I have bought since the G9 in 2019, first new anything camera related since 19, when I think about it (a couple of gifts excluded).

The only other competitor to the "best buy in 2022" for me is the Fujifilm X20, it is a solid little beast of a camera with very, very nice rendering and splendid colours, but it looses out somewhat being a larger compact vs a tiny system camera. The files it produces, though!

I find the X20 gives the LX7 a run for its money, mostly due to the X20s inboard viewfinder, which makes the detachable LVF on the LX7 seems a bit clunky.

If I should run a worst buy category, I think that would also fall to Olympus, I have picked up some Pens and am not particularly fond of any of them (E-PL3 and 8, E-PM1s), then again they have more or less followed other stuff I have fancied in package deals. For example who can say no to a E-PM1 complete with kit lens for €25 when it comes with that little blue retro hipster Oly bag that I fancied, and the only other example of the same bag is priced at €30 sans camera?

I may be a bit unfair in the assessment of the Pens, though.

I havent really worked any of them properly, and if I get it correctly, the sensor and engine in the E-PL8 are the same as in the E-M10MkII , so there is that, even if the IBIS in the Pen is a bit more rudimentary.

My first Fuji was the X10. I truly enjoyed that camera. It’s certainly how Fuji got its claws into me.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Well, the lightly used G9 that just arrived certainly qualifies for my best camera deal of 2022. Best purchase? Too soon to tell.

 

[Toddster]

Well, the lightly used G9 that just arrived certainly qualifies for my best camera deal of 2022. Best purchase? Too soon to tell

Keep this one Randy.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

Keep this one Randy.

I’ll do my best. It goes well with the PL lenses. Maybe around my bonus time, I’ll add a few.

 

[Drdul]

A Laowa 10mm f2 lens for my Pen-F. When I upgraded to an E-M5iii + 12-45mm kit a couple of years ago, my Pen-F went into retirement. The PDAF on the E-M5iii is so much better than the Pen-F’s CDAF that I couldn’t imagine ever going back. The manual focus Laowa lens negates any AF concerns, and gives great results. And although it’s quite a wide lens for street photography, it turns out I’m using the 10mm more than I expected.

 

[fredlong]

I guess my best purchase is a toss up between either a set of gels or the Fuji GFX 50R. I guess I’ll go with the GFX 50R since it came as a package with a Godox V1 and Mitakon 85/1.2 at a discontinued close out price that, while still painful, was a bargain.

But still, those gels open up so many possibilities…

 

[kae1]

In spite of spending too much on cameras, lenses, software and a new graphics card, my best purchase was a £9.99 hand grip (https://amzn.eu/d/iINOHZH) which screws into a tripod mount. It allowed me to provide much better support for my heavier cameras & lenses and improve my panning skills.

 

[Toddster]

I purchased a Panasonic G95 and a Pixel 7 this year. Quite happy with both. The G95 is a nice upgrade to the G85 and I like it better than the G9 I had. For me it is the real Goldilocks camera. However if I had to pick one of them as my best purchase it would be the Pixel 7. It is just a fantastic camera with the bonus of a built in phone.

 

[The Electric Squirrel]

I've been thinking of this... I bought way too much stuff in 2022. And to be honest my first gut instinct says currently that my best photographic purchase for the year would be all the diesel I burned while going to locations. Or the hat I bought for my woodland strolls. But I guess these don't qualify here.

So, if I discount all the Fuji stuff I also sold very quickly in the beginning of the year, I'm still left with a ton of stuff. The a7C, Tamron's 28-200, Sony FE 28/2, NiSi 15/4, Sony 85/1.8, a Three Legged Thing Airhed Pro ballhead, a Lowepro sling bag...

After much deliberation I give the nomination for the first prize to the Sony a7C. It's been an absolute workhorse for candid pictures of living beings, such as kids and kitties, and has clocked a respectable 12 094 shots in the nine months of 2022 it has been with me. It's a fun, agile and very capable shooter, and while not as great on the field as a landscape camera as my a7R III, it's the most fit camera for the purpose I have it for. So, while the most expensive acquisition of 2022 for me, the a7C has also been the one that made the biggest difference.

The second place could go to the Tamron 28-200, which is a good lens by any metric, and an excellent lens for a superzoom. But I'm not going to award it this honor. As good as it is, it's the 3LT Airhed Pro that's made a much more noticeable difference in my landscape shooting enjoyment. At first I found it an unremarkable performer, but now having used it in hot and humid and really freezing temperatures, I find it is unremarkable in the best possible way: it never manages to piss me off. And sadly not all ballheads can do that. So, the second place goes to the 3LT ballhead!