Packing up MF? Now I'm less certain - help me!

tikkathreebarrel

tikkathreebarrel

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This started life as a "heads up" post to alert our MF community that I have decided to pack up shooting in MF and to send out a short note to say that I'm shortly to be listing everything: bodies, power winders, viewfinders, all the lenses (and I've got most of them), stocks of 120 roll film, ally case, leather shoulder bag, the lot. I just need weekend time to make lists, take photos, research prices and so on and create a suitable FS thread.

I got about ten lines down, and started unconsciously to question the choice to sell off one format as compared to the other and now I'm stuck so would welcome a few inputs.

Apologies mods if you deem this should be in the appropriate FS section and, if so, please feel free to move it.

Why am I on the edge of giving up one format? Well to be honest it's a matter of putting funds back into the bank.

Here I thought I knew what I wanted to do: I love the ergonomics of shooting the Mamiya kit especially the non-metered steel body but I also shoot 35mm, favouring B&W, through my favourite system the Oly OM System which is light and portable not taking up much room in the car. I used to shoot a roll or two a week but this is now reduced and I now shoot about the same amount of MF and 35mm, basically a couple of rolls a month.
And here is where my resolve unravelled. I shoot the same amount of both formats now, a couple of rolls a month. So I can't jib at the comparative costs of developing. I enjoy both systems and tend to use them in different circumstances.

I shoot digital with Canon 5DII and a range of lenses right up to the 100-400. I also have a pocket Panny LX3. I have plenty of under-used MF gear but the same can actually now be said of my OM System kit - OM1, 2, 3 & 4 plus OM flash, motor drives, mostly sub 200mm lenses.

Oh damn, damn, damn. Two hours ago I was keeping the digital and the OM System and letting the MF kit go. Now I've remembered that of the two film systems I find one much more portable and therefore suited to "travel light" situations but it's actually the other system - by a modest percentage - that I get more enjoyment from using.

In terms of assets I guess I've got about the same amount of money tied up in both systems. No help there.

Oh what do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
 
It is tricky but if you really must sell either the MF or the Oly kit I d be tempted to let the 35mm kit go. If you're looking to raise funds why not sell the majority of the Oly kit and just keep an OM1 and a 28/50mm lens depending on your preference. The amount you'll get for the OM1 and a 50mm lens will make very little difference unless you're really counting the pennies. The MF is such a different shooting experience that it would be a shame to sell your kit and you have already expressed a preference for the larger format.
 
Sounds like the MF is the one to keep. I'd also hang on to the OM-3 really quite rare, the OM1, 2 and 4 are easily replaceable in the future if you change your mind but the OM-3 is now getting very rare indeed!
 
Flip a coin. Assign one system to heads, the other to tails. When the coin is in the air, you should get a strong feeling toward how you want it to land. How it lands is immaterial, the fact that the feeling arose should tell you what you want to know.

Or do what I'm doing; keep a 35mm system and shoot MF, get rid of all those other systems you bought for testing or because they were cheap or whatever.
 
I know your pain....I keep feeling the need to thin out the collection but then just end up buying more cameras :facepalm: TBH I'm getting to a stage where I think I know what I need and what I'm going to keep and thats a nice mix of different formats and sizes, just need to actually be specific about the means of achieving this...but.... I can't resist a bargain.:naughty:

Andy
 
h'mm seems to me that your happy with your digital camera and film is not for you.......anyway if you sell all your film stuff and in the future get bored with digital you could always come back to film and all you need is about £30 to get a basic camera and lens to get some very good results.
 
If I were you, I would thin it all down but keep your favourite pieces from all three formats. They each have their place and will be 'right' at different times. Pick your favourite OM body and maybe three prime lenses and sell the rest. You could probably do the same with your Canon lenses. If you got rid of the right lenses, you could claw back a lot of cash without impacting much on your enjoyment of the camera or your ability to shoot different kinds of photos. Personally, I always take the best pictures when I have limited equipment and I'm forced to move my feet and generally slow down to get the right shot, so I would probably just keep a couple of primes.

...and then I'd blow all the cash I made on more equipment!
 
excalibur2 said:
h'mm seems to me that your happy with your digital camera and film is not for you.......anyway if you sell all your film stuff and in the future get bored with digital you could always come back to film and all you need is about £30 to get a basic camera and lens to get some very good results.
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Where on earth did you divine this from Brian.....? It does seem that you sometimes totally misinterpret what people write and therefore give responses that are of no help at all. This isn't about giving up film but about slimming down the amount of kit someone has and what format would suit them best. Get a grip man....:facepalm::D
 
As above, thin out the OM kit, a 1 and a 4 should be all you really need the 3 is worth decent money so if that's the problem I'd move it on. I managed to thin my OM gear down to the bodies I was using mainly a 20 and a 30 then a 1 came up at a price I couldn't resist so I got it and moved the 20 on and then a long came a 2 so I'm back to a fairly large stable. Though the 1 and 2 are different enough to justify even though I hardly use them and the 30 has auto focus confirmation which I find handy at times.

You don't mention what MF kit you've got but maybe that is worth thinning out too.
 
Oh I see, well fair enough then.(y)
 
Andysnap said:
Oh I see, well fair enough then.(y)
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When someone owns a 5d II or even better the new FF A7\A7r it must be difficult to try and see something in film that they can't get with digital equipment with added convenience.
 
excalibur2 said:
When someone owns a 5d II or even better the new FF A7\A7r it must be difficult to try and see something in film that they can't get with digital equipment with added convenience.
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I think the fact that there is an f&c section is proof enough that people have no difficulty at all in 'seeing' something in film. Most of the folk that wander the fusty rooms of this section already have and use very good digital cameras but choose to continue to use film as it gives them something very different to the digital experience.

But to get back to the op it's about choice between film kit not about whether it should be film or digital. And btw the original post about the lack of mojo shooting film was back in April, T3B has obviously moved on from there.
 
Its a difficult one this my honest opinion is let it go as folk say you can get it back if you want its not like its rare stuff and all.

I am running with a mid size collection at the moment of 3 Nikon 35mm bodies my RB67 and a Pentax 645N and sometimes that seems like a lot.

For me I am only 44 and see film as being something I would like to gently play with over maybe a starter of 5 years and see what happens then I may also drift off but I wouldn't lose sleep over it old chap :-)
 
RaglanSurf said:
I think the fact that there is an f&c section is proof enough that people have no difficulty at all in 'seeing' something in film. Most of the folk that wander the fusty rooms of this section already have and use very good digital cameras but choose to continue to use film as it gives them something very different to the digital experience.

But to get back to the op it's about choice between film kit not about whether it should be film or digital. And btw the original post about the lack of mojo shooting film was back in April, T3B has obviously moved on from there.
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Well I'm off to Hollands in about 5 hours and taking film gear and for what I do, I don't need a digital camera (well I haven't got one anyway ;)).
 
Guys, thanks for all of your inputs and insights so far, please keep 'em coming.

Okay so responding to everything down to ad including post #17 the only thing I've decided to do in a hurry is to "do nothing". Well, not quite nothing actually. I've pulled a Mamiya lens from auction on EBay, I've popped a roll of Fomopan in a 645 body, put on a 35mm lens and set off in the direction of lunchtime walks around town.

To those of you who are in that place called "These film cameras are wonderful at these prices, let's be eclectic" I'd say that I've been there, done that and whittled my way back to the OM and Mam 645 systems. Okay so somewhere there's an Oly Trip too, but that's it.

What else have I done and why? Well you have made me realise that I enjoy both OM System and Mamiya 645 formats - and EOS digital - in equal measure and derive enough enjoyment from having "collected" a whole pile of lenses or bodies and frankly I'm testing my desire to keep and to keep using them all.

Bank balance issues? Let's flog off something else instead, something to which I have no emotional attachment:-))

Now, where's that Agfa 400 thread, do I need to go shopping today for anyone?
 
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