Cameras you regret selling or not buying?

[lukx]

Regret not buying:

A couple weeks ago there was a very nice black Nikon FM3a for 400€ on our craigslist equivalent, as well as a F2AS for 300. Bought the F2AS, but wish I'd also gotten the FM3a. I'd never need any other SLR again.
Also recently on ebay someone sold a very nice Nikkor-W 3.5cm 2.5 LTM with the extremely rare original hood. I was outbid, it went for 422€. As I later found out, the hood itself is "worth" hundreds. That'll remain one of my what-ifs. It looked so damn cool.


Regret selling:

When I first got into Leicas I found two good deals on an M2 and an M4-P. I bought both, determined to only keep the one I liked better. Decided for the M2 and sold the M4-P for rather cheap. Now I'd love to still have that M4-P, but the prices have since increased substantially and I do not want to pay that kind of money.

 

[Canyongazer]

Regret selling my Mamiya 7ii kit. Had the 50mm/80mm/150mm. would love to have it back...
oh well. I’ve got plenty of incredible cameras these days.

Jordan, I have regretted selling an identical 7ll kit but now have reached the same conclusion as you....today the Nikon D800E and Fuji X Pro2 suit me fine.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Kinda wish I bought a Zeiss Ikon ZM when you could get like new ones for $800.

After having considered this thread for a while, it’s fairly clear to me that I don’t really have any regrets either way.
However......I preordered a Zeiss Ikon ZM special edition kit, with the 50mm f/2 Planar, commemorative crystal paperweight, blah, blah, when Zeiss introduced it. Turned out to be one of the few cameras I have ever owned that I didn’t really enjoy using. Everybody’s different. Put the whole unblemished kit up for sale here back in the day for $850 or so, and it sat there for over a month as I remember until someone bought it. I don’t regret selling it because I really didn’t like it, but am aware that I am “supposed to” regret selling it because I could get more money for it now, so I missed a profit. Who cares. I didn’t like it, someone else got a good deal, everybody’s happy. Win-win..
Recent thread on XA “jackpot” is another case in point. I bought one when they first came out as a backpacking camera. They’re cute. Kept it for decades, sold it for $50, box, flash, manual etc. like new, about 3 years ago. Regret because I could get more for it now? And would I buy another? None, and nope. As a photo producing device, it’s a $50 camera, it’s not a $90 camera, all hype aside. It’s currently as overpriced as a Contax T3, relatively speaking. Whatever.

The only camera regrets I have are sentimental, disposing of my father’s Canon F1 and Hassy 500 C/M setups after he died because I was unnecessarily concerned about having too many things. Wish I had been thinking more clearly about what those meant before I did that.

And it’s difficult for me to regret things not bought since my impulse control is so poor I just buy everything. Problem solved.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Nothing spectacular, but a couple of ‘didn’t buy’ spring to mind...

Black paint Pentax Super S2 with its matching Auto Takumar 55/f2. Someone was asking for like $100 locally. Quibbled over the price and someone else nabbed it...

35/f2.8 Summaron. Nearly bought one a couple of times a few years ago, when I could afford one before the AUD plummeted and Summaron prices skyrocketed. No way I could justify one at today’s prices...

No regrets on stuff I did buy. Anything I haven’t liked just gets sold on...

 

[rbiemer]

I regret selling my soul to the devil for a lifetime supply of film.
The film supply was delivered today.
A single 36 exp. roll of Tri-X.



😀


Ahem. Sorry, feeling a bit silly this morning.
I don't really regret selling any of the cameras I've sold but there are a lens or two that I miss.

The last Jupiter-9 I owned was a bit rare in that it had apparently never been tampered with and it focused well on my Bessa cameras.

I miss the 75mm Voigtlander I owned for a bit.

Neither are irreplaceable but both will cost me rather more than when I bought them the first time around.

Rob

 

[Ambro51]

When I stopped for awhile Building Wet Plate Cameras ...I had an outstanding order for an 8x10 Camera. Not having time or facilities to build it (though now I do), I swapped the 8x10 my Father built for me which I used for a decade of re-enactment photography. I regret very much doing that.

 

[CVickery]

I had M3 from Bodo of Georgetown camera exchange. He showed it to me first... I purchased it from his son Alex, in memory of Bodo... But I just can't keep this camera unused and sold it. I don't regret about selling it to motivated young person, I just regret I can't find enough use for it by myself.

I regret to sell Rolleicord. It was still smelling fresh lube after reputable service. But same thing, I just can't force myself to sit on cameras I don't use.

Not having bought... Can't remember any.

I bought my first Leica ...a M3 from Bodo. I did eventually sell it but bought another years later. I should use it more.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Regrets over gear? I was in Japan about 20 years ago and walked into a camera store that had an entire glass case full of beautiful Plaubel Makinas, in addition to all the accessories. I bought a 670, but walked away wishing i had bought the 67W as well. I know they're finicky. The meter wires break. The scissor struts can go out of alignment.
I never cared for the handling (compared to the Mamiya 6 for example) But with their trim size when folded, they sure suit my travel style.
Other regrets. Selling the pair of black paint Leicas (M2 & M4) because i wasn't shooting much 35mm. They were like a favourite pair of old jeans; every paint chip, scratch and wear mark had been made by using them...

 

[agfa100]

Back in the early 70's I had 2 M-3's a buddy was a german leica repairman and would go visit family about once a year and pick up parts and things. One year he took a M-3 back to the factory and had it rebuilt for me. When he came back it was like new with a repair seal and sealed in a plastic bag. The next year when he went I sent the other M-3 and asked if he could get them to rebuild it in Black for me, and they did it looked so good I was afraid to use it and scratch it. I had no idea then that Black -M3's were so scarce to me it was just a camera. I shot with a couple of guys that had Black M-2's and M-4's and I just wanted a Black camera. About 5 years later someone saw my Black M-3 and said it looked so nice and they made me a offer that I though was crazy and sold it. Stupid, Stupid

 

[das]

I regret the day my Konica Hexar RF + 35/2 IV Summicron was stolen.

 

[j.scooter]

Regret selling my Mamiya 6, I really really regret selling my Fuji TX-1 (xpan)

 

[benlees]

I never buy anything without the possibility of selling down the road. Everything has a job to do... until it doesn't. The exception to this was the X100. The only time I've paid retail on anything over $1000, thinking "this is it, the perfect digital camera!" I was wrong!

 

[Huss]

Didn't regret selling both my Minolta CLEs. Perfect condition - both failed after the sale.

Don't regret selling my Bessa R3A. Just was unpleasant to use compared to a Leica. Yeah, Leicas cost more, but after using the Bessa, they feel worth every penny.

Don't regret selling my Olympus Stylus/Mju. Just a miserable camera to use due to its crazy long lag between pushing the shutter button, and the camera deciding to take a pic. Have no idea why those are popular.

 

[Huss]

Don't regret selling my Widelux F6 and F7. Lovely Art Deco things to look at. Absolutely miserable selection of shutter speeds and perhaps the worst viewfinder experience ever made.
Bought them because of The Dude. Sold them because they blow.

Interestingly I bought a Horizon 202 recently which is better than the Widelux in every way possible apart from as neck jewelry. For about 1/10 of the cost. Also much more fun to shoot!
And it's better than the more expensive Horizon U500/Lomo Perfekt that I used to have.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I regret selling my Konica Hexar, a lot. To a lesser extent, I regret selling my Nikon F4s, but I could get another if I really wanted to. I regret selling my UC Hexanon. For sentimental reasons, I regret selling my Pentax ME Super.
Phil Forrest

 

[ka7197]

Regret selling my Mamiya 7ii kit. Had the 50 mm/80 mm/150 mm ...

Huh! This is exactly the kit I bought 18 months ago. And I loved it so much I also bought the other three lenses (43 mm/65 mm/210 mm) plus a few accessories within a few months. Expensive but worth it; it's a marvellous camera (and lenses)! 🙂

Never sold a camera but decades ago, I swapped my first SLR camera, a Minolta XG-2, for an old Minolta SR-T 303 (called SR-T 102 in the U.S.). That was a good deal because the XG-2 was a really sh!#y camera.

I regret not buying the Olympus OM-1n as my first SLR. I wanted the OM-2 at that time but it was way beyond my budget, so I considered the OM-1. Then came along the Minolta XD-7 (XD-11 in the U.S.) and XG-2. The latter was the same money as the OM-1 but additionally offered automatic aperture-priority exposure control which I considered important back then (silly me!). So the XG-2 it was (later swapped for that fully-manual SR-T).

While I loved, and still own, all my Minolta Rokkor lenses, I always regretted not having stuck to my original plan to buy an Olympus. I'm sure I would have appreciated those OM Zuiko lenses just as dearly. Today, I have a digital Olympus OM-D camera and a bunch of M.Zuiko lenses.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I regret trading my FM2 for something the local shop had at the time. I didn't mind that they were going to make money on it because I didn't buy from them often enough to be called a good customer. I realize now that it would have been a good one to keep.

 

[jsrockit]

Honestly... nothing in regards to pure cameras. I sometimes miss a digital Leica M or the Nikon Df, but I have moved on with better equipment for my wants/needs. I miss my iPhone Xs that was stolen... that was the only phone I actually used as a camera due to its 56mm lens. Now I`m back to an older version iPhone with a only 28mm...a FOV I do not like or like to use for photos.

 

[Godfrey]

Honestly... nothing in regards to pure cameras. I sometimes miss a digital Leica M or the Nikon Df, but I have moved on with better equipment for my wants/needs. I miss my iPhone Xs that was stolen... that was the only phone I actually used as a camera due to its 56mm lens. Now I`m back to an older version iPhone with a only 28mm...a FOV I do not like or like to use for photos.

You'd probably like an iPhone 11 Pro. Its cameras are excellent, and you have choice from ultra wide to just short telephoto with no add-on lenses required.

G

 

[Huss]

I regret selling my Olympus Om4 years ago for a Minolta 7000i. I was young and impressionable and believed the reviews etc etc.