Old cameras, sell on or keep?

JackBell

JackBell

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I've recently acquired a Nikon D90 replacement camera from a 'friend of a friend' he was going to just give me the camera for free but we came to an arrangement with a bottle of Talisker! What struck me was that he had kept all his old Nikons ( he has a Z8 now) without either using them or selling them on. Seemed strange to me, but he said he couldn't be bothered with the hassle of part exchange or selling on ebay for, in his words 'next to nowt'. Does anyone else do this, or like I would, get rid?
 
I tend to keep my old kit. Partly because I CBA with the hassle of selling privately and partly because it's worth very little. IF I was looking at a major photographic purchase, I might be tempted to do a job lot trade in but at the moment, I'm happy with the kit I have.
 
I have sometimes sold or traded in a camera or kit, but usually ended up regretting it. I bought a Nikon D300 new many years ago, eventually sold it to go towards a D500 more recently. However I ended up a few years ago buying another D300 that had been converted to infra red - I could have just used the one I had, if I'd kept it, and saved a couple of hundred quid.
However I can appreciate that not everyone can afford the luxury of keeping old kit.
 
I tend to move mine on when I have bought new stuff even though I know I won't get as much I sell on to MPB or WEX because I also CBA with the hassle of selling privately. Whatyever I get I look on as a bonus/offset to the cost of the new kit. I'd rather it went (eventually) to someone who will use it rather than it dying idle in a drawer somewhere at home. That said I have kept the first Canon F1n (and a few lenses 24 - 300mm) that I bought and the first Fuji X-Pro1 (and a 23mm f1.4) both because they are significant to me.
 
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I have always kept my cameras as the shutter count is always high on them, always looked after them and in good condition but always thought that a shutter count of 70K would put people off
Have never sold a lens either to be honest the first decent lens that I bought a 70-200 F4 in 2006, I still use regularly
 
I have traded some stuff in over the last few years when moving systems, you never get a lot for it.

I am at a point now where I have all the kit I need with one spare OM1 body left over (it's in the sale forum). I have it listed there but not on the likes of Ebay as I also cannot be bothered with the hassle. I will leave it on here for a while but if it doesn't sell, I will just keep it as a back up and pay the £80 to extend the warranty for another 2.5 years.

I think it also depends on if you need the money or what the spare body or lens would be used for.

I now have my OM1.2 that I will use for taking images of my dog and things like that and a second OM1 paired to my 90 mm macro. So keeping the other OM1 body packed and safe just means that I have a spare macro body if the other dies or needs repairing. For macro, I doubt I will see significant changes from the OM1 for a while.
 
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With us, we would rather put them in a charity shop (if they were of little value) as keep them unused. In fact just before Xmas my wife bought a compact camera and put her two Olympus E420's and lenses in a local charity shop. They had went in a couple of days so they will get some use, which she was pleased with.
 
I've bought and sold cameras for sixty years, although in the last ten years, since I've retired, I've only traded in a few cameras.

Given just a few bargains, I've spent surprisingly little over that time. I've also given a few to charity shops, when I didn't have any plans to buy anything for a while.

These have all gone on to new homes and I hope are doing well...

My cameras DSC-R1 07075.jpg
 
I have 2 cameras I bought in the 1990s, Pentax Z-1p and Mamiya 645, and I still use film from time to time.

My D500 and Pentax K-1 I bought nearly 10 years ago get plenty of use in spite of having a D850 and Z8

And more recently I've bought a Pentax P50 and Canon T70 to scratch the itch when I was a student and could afford neither... everything else I have had in the meantime, Pentax and Nikon have been traded in or sold on forums/MPB).

If I had to sell one it would be the Mamiya because of film sourcing (I like slides...).
 
I've sold a few things over the years, mainly to finance a new body or lens. Recently though, I have been getting a lot of satisfaction from collecting old bodies. I had a 40D years ago, regretted selling it, then I got another, minted one for Christmas, I did miss that camera.

Some bodies really are worth only peanuts these days, my 'new' 40D was £49.99, that's lot of camera for the money. I also kept my first DSLR, a Canon 350D, that can now be bought for around £25.......... again, a lot of kit for the money. Both those bodies are worth more to me sat on my shelf, doing nothing than they are to sell on. I recently went full mirrorless but kept my 5Div, I know I'd regret letting it go. Kept my M5 too, that was only supposed to be a stop gap on my way to the R7.

I'm getting a lot of pleasure out of collecting now, albeit a modest collection that I have. I only have 2 camera 'in use' so to speak, an R7 and an R5ii but I will be keeping my older ones.

Not that long ago, I sold a Fuji X-T10, *looks for used examples* ;)
 
I tend to keep my old equipment, probably for sentimental reasons. I doubt I'll ever use it again. I have my first "proper" camera Chinon SLR - remember those? I also have some old Fujifilm bridge cameras and recently inherited a Yashica film SLR, plus assorted lenses, from my Dad.
 
I have never sold the cameras I had, back in the day. They are still used. I've bought many more since, and I would consider getting rid of some, if only because my focus has changed.
 
MikeDavies said:
I have my first "proper" camera Chinon SLR - remember those?
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Is that the Ricoh Singlex rebadge, also sold as the Prinzflex, the one with the front mounted shutter speed dial?
 
I have only ever had one camera at a time; I have never seen nor had the need for more than one. The current one has always been traded in against the new one. I stick to the same physical shop and always get top money when I want to trade lenses/bodies.
 
I do trade in and keep those that I use, as kit takes up quite a bit of space. That said, I have regretted a few sales so if space is not an issue, and trade value is low, why not keep?
 
Dale. said:
I've sold a few things over the years, mainly to finance a new body or lens. Recently though, I have been getting a lot of satisfaction from collecting old bodies. I had a 40D years ago, regretted selling it, then I got another, minted one for Christmas, I did miss that camera.

Some bodies really are worth only peanuts these days, my 'new' 40D was £49.99, that's lot of camera for the money. I also kept my first DSLR, a Canon 350D, that can now be bought for around £25.......... again, a lot of kit for the money. Both those bodies are worth more to me sat on my shelf, doing nothing than they are to sell on. I recently went full mirrorless but kept my 5Div, I know I'd regret letting it go. Kept my M5 too, that was only supposed to be a stop gap on my way to the R7.

I'm getting a lot of pleasure out of collecting now, albeit a modest collection that I have. I only have 2 camera 'in use' so to speak, an R7 and an R5ii but I will be keeping my older ones.

Not that long ago, I sold a Fuji X-T10, *looks for used examples* ;)
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Still have my 350D and 40D both very good cameras, the 350D was our first digital camera
 
I still have my Nikon D300 and too many lenses, including the old beast, which is the 28-70 F2.8, i and the 80-200 F2.8. Not worth a lot now, that really got my interest in photography. I had a yashica film camera originally. Some friends and i started a camera club within the company we worked for. Luckily they gave us a room, which we converted to a darkroom. We spent hours printing black and white prints, as well as colour negatives. The camera club is still going in Lymington Hampshire, but i left years ago, when we started a family. I've now been married 50 years.
 
LCPete said:
Still have my 350D and 40D both very good cameras, the 350D was our first digital camera
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Of all the Canon crop sensor bodies I've used, I found the 40D's, 10mp to be very forgiving, it was one of their best crop body sensors, IMO.
 
The Nikon 28-70 f/2.8 is a cracking lens for infrared. I suspect it would be great as an IR portrait lens. You have to exercise the focus system every now and again to stop it squealing.
 
I've never been a collector of photographic equipment and simply have a couple for 'everyday' use.
Over the years I've had many different makes, (Exa, Exacta, Prinz, Miranda, Ashai Pentax etc), but each one made way for the next - I fondly remember some ... Nikon D3S, Nikon D500 and how good they really were but the GAS takes over! :rolleyes:

MikeDavies said:
No don't think so. It was Dixon's own brand I think. Cheap and cheerful but fully manual with a Pentax K lens mount.
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Yes Chinon was a Dixons product.
 
Dale. said:
Of all the Canon crop sensor bodies I've used, I found the 40D's, 10mp to be very forgiving, it was one of their best crop body sensors, IMO.
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I still have mine. I echo your comments.

I have kept all my camera bodies apart from two Fuji bodies. Nothing wrong with them but I decided it was easier to keep with one make rather than have two systems.

I have traded in quite a few lenses but by no means all.
 
gramps said:
Yes Chinon was a Dixons product.
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Just to be pedantic, Chinon were their own thing. Prinzflex were the labelled Dixons brand name. Or so I understand, anyway.

Chinon made respectable cameras. The CS and CX were built like tanks, and the CE4s is a firm favourite of mine.
 
Personally I'm glad people move them on because I've recently acquired two beautiful condition 35mm SLRs - an Olympus OM30 and a Minolta SRT101 that people deemed surplus to requirements. God bless the second hand camera market.
 
Nod said:
I tend to keep my old kit. Partly because I CBA with the hassle of selling privately and partly because it's worth very little. IF I was looking at a major photographic purchase, I might be tempted to do a job lot trade in but at the moment, I'm happy with the kit I have.
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Same here, and not just with photographic gear. I'm not exactly a horder, but my loft and garage space might disagree... ;)
 
Dale. said:
Of all the Canon crop sensor bodies I've used, I found the 40D's, 10mp to be very forgiving, it was one of their best crop body sensors, IMO.
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Oh yes I know what you mean, I have been going through some old raw images, some that would be difficult to take now and the 40D ones are really good nice quality
 
Hi, I never sell old gear. But I have given NIKON bodies (D200, D800) and a few lenses to my wife.

I keep old gear because it brings back fond memories of purchasing decisions and usage, but mainly because it takes up space which keeps me from buying more ...
 
Plain Nev said:
Just to be pedantic, Chinon were their own thing. Prinzflex were the labelled Dixons brand name. Or so I understand, anyway.

Chinon made respectable cameras. The CS and CX were built like tanks, and the CE4s is a firm favourite of mine.
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I still have a CE5.....
 
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I had a Canon EOS 20D converted to infrared so still use this. My Canon EOS 5D Mk II was traded in for a new 5D Mk IV. Several of my older cameras, I gave to my daughter to sell on eBay and keep the income; I could not be bothered myself. Now I just have the 5D4, the infrared camera, a Sony A6600 and a Panasonic Lumix which I do not use.

Dave
 
maybe worth considering donating them to youth charities - many would enjoy getting the chance to take images and may help them in the long run.
 
gramps said:
Yes Chinon was a Dixons product.
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Plain Nev said:
Just to be pedantic, Chinon were their own thing. Prinzflex were the labelled Dixons brand name. Or so I understand, anyway.

Chinon made respectable cameras. The CS and CX were built like tanks, and the CE4s is a firm favourite of mine.
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Prinz and Prinzflex were Dixon's rebranded cameras, lenses, flash guns, etc, from a number of manufacturers. They re-branded the Zenit E as well as Chinon cameras, although they sold their cine cameras as Chinon.

Chinon in Japan was restructured in the early 1970s, Dixon's became the sole UK importer and after that they were not re-badged.

Yes the CE4 & CE4s are excellent cameras, and the 50mm f1.9 & f1.4 standard lenses superb, made by Tominon. Other Chinon lenses were lack lustre particularly the wide angles.

Ian
 
I love people who sell on cameras. Thanks to the digital revolution I have been able to acquire and enjoy using Bronica, Mamiya, Contax and other kit which I would never have been able to afford otherwise.
There are drawbacks, however. I have bought many old cameras for nostalgic reasons. 'I loved owning that', 'I took my best ever picture with one of those' or 'I always wanted one of those'.
I just keep them now because I know that once I sell one I will regret it and just buy a replacement.
Sorry!
 
Ian Grant said:
Prinz and Prinzflex were Dixon's rebranded cameras, lenses, flash guns, etc, from a number of manufacturers. They re-branded the Zenit E as well as Chinon cameras, although they sold their cine cameras as Chinon.

Chinon in Japan was restructured in the early 1970s, Dixon's became the sole UK importer and after that they were not re-badged.

Yes the CE4 & CE4s are excellent cameras, and the 50mm f1.9 & f1.4 standard lenses superb, made by Tominon. Other Chinon lenses were lack lustre particularly the wide angles.

Ian
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I dread to think how much I spent at Dixons in the 1970s - cameras, calculators, cassette players, hi fi, binoculars etc. It was the next step up from the kid in a sweetshop age.
 
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