Being an amateur photographer (read:broke), it annoys me to no end that too many people carry DSLRs these days and can't wait to show them off. These people naturally assume that just because they have a bigger, longer and more expensive lens than you do, they will shoot better than you do too.
It happens most often at events, which I cover a variety of these days, like cycling competitions, triathlons, fashion stuff, portraits, conventions, mainly because I have a camera and I'm free labour because I don't feel good charging friends for what is essentially a hobby to me.
There will always be some uncle or 30ish guy there who will be brandishing an obscenely huge camera with attached lens, and judging from the way they use it, they don't exactly know how to get the best out of it. Like um, why zoom in and walk backwards to shoot, if you can just choose not to zoom? It's a zoom lens after all.
Okay, maybe you want to make your subject look more flattering because the wide end tends to make people look fat, but if your kid is prancing around in front of you, using a telephoto lens to shoot them prancing while trying to keep up with their movements just makes you look retarded. Like you have a pipe sticking out of your face and you are trying to engage in some spastic head bobbing behaviour akin to an ostrich, only that those don't have pipes sticking out of their faces.
But more annoying than those are the people who you meet at such events who look at your amateur camera and lens with a look of scornful pity in their eyes, because you aren't using an L-lens. Usually, I just continue shooting and ignoring them. Like okay, you have a big gun, big deal.
A friend of mine suggested a way of dealing with them, saying that I should stroke their ego to make them embarrassed, like go "wah yours so big, you win already, so envious." Well, if there is one thing about guys, it is how their inflated egos tend to take over and speak for themselves.
They will then go on and on about where they bought the lens, how much it cost, and how awesome it is. After all, if you spent a damn lot of money to enhance what little there was, you would want to talk about it. It's all part of the "I am bigger than you and I want you to know it mentality."
She then suggested that maybe I should ask them if they knew how to use it. Well, apart from being unable to tell that they obviously don't most of the time, there is this additional problem.
No guy will ever admit to being unable to use his tools. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but just because you have a huge tool, it doesn't mean you are good with it.