Cameras you regret selling or not buying?

[Bolo Kukus]

Hindsight, so some say, is perfect. We all have regrets, especially so those of who have now reached 'OO' (old age) status and can look back on a long life, one hopes well lived, with all its usual shares of good and bad points, mistakes and often a few outright disasters.

Yes, I know, this topic has surely been done before, but then hasn't everything?? With you know what having put so many of us into lockdown, it isn't as if we don't have the time to muse a bit. So let's, yes??

My earliest interest in photography dates to 1961 when as a 13 year old, I first picked up my family's 616 Kodak Brownie (purchased by my mom in 1947 for my baby photos) and shot off the first of quite a few dozen rolls. I have all the negatives on file and intend to scan them into some sort of album, one of these days when I've done those already on the to do list - stepsons, the Asian side of the family, my travels, and of course our long list of (mostly deceased) cats. Or before I pop off or my negatives turn to mush. I'm unsure about the former, but as for the latter, old color negs from the 1960s are coming up just fine in my Epson V600 scans, some restoring is occasionally needed but on the whole, the images have held up well, even if some of the early '60s Kodacolors come up better as black-and-whites... Time passes, things change. So it goes.

I then bought a Yashica D TLR, with the basic three-element lens, and used it for some years to shoot news, weddings, portraits and occasionally, 'art',, all of which I sold. Then a Yashica A as a backup. I never did bond with these two TLRs tho the work I did with the D has held up well over the decades. The A got quickly sold and the D was passed on to a friend in the '90s, who may still be using it. I bought a Rolleiflex 3.5E2 in 1966 and still have (and use) it. So no regrets at all here.

Moving on. Which cameras do you most regret not having bought or having sold? We all have our little list... Mine follows (briefly).

The Leica iiif kit (FOUR lenses!) I passed up in 1964 from a local deceased estate sale. Our town's dentist passed away and the gear went on offer at the sale for the nowadays equivalent of C$1500, which oddly, I could have afforded thanks to generous bequests from family members and my own savings from part time photography. The 50/Summicron (collapsible) is probably the lens from that set I most regret not having, with the 28mm a close second.

My Leica M2 and M3 from the 1980s. At the time I was freelancing as a writer-photographer in Sydney, Australia, and when hard times hit the two had to be sacrificed, along with the few lenses I had bought. I still regret that sale, tho the proceeds allowed me to survive for a few months until more work came my way - which I had to shoot with two Nikkormat ELs, almost as good optically but without quite the panache of the Ms.

The almost mint Hasselblad SWC kit I was offered in a private sale in 2006 and passed on - for A$990. A friend bought it and still uses it. I kick myself for my stupidity whenever I see him with it. Some memories stay forever and for me this is one...

The GA645wi kit I nixed in 2017 for A$400. The friend who had it put it on Ebay and it sold in 20 minutes, for considerably more.

Others also come to mind, but this will do for one post. Now to find that bottle of nice botanical gin for a wee cheer-me-up.

What are your camera regrets?? And why??

 

[Ko.Fe.]

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.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

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.

I sold one - a beloved Leica M3 - but stilll have the other - a Rolleicord Vb (my second), a fine walkabout shooter when I travel with film. My two Rolleiflex Ts and the 3.5E2 I bought new in 1966, sit gathering dust but are used for one or two rolls of film a year, for nostalgia. I'll keep them. My selling days are over. As for my buying days - never mind.

My M3 had an interesting history. I bought it privately and used it for a year until my finances melted and I was forced to sell. I think I made A$100 profit. It went to a German camera shop manager named Ernie, now deceased, in Hardware Lane in the city center., who kept it for the rest of his life. There is a story in the Melbourne photo trade that his widow had it buried with him, the one and only piece of photo gear he most treasured in all his life. If so, sad, but a good story nonetheless.

I particularly miss the as new 50mm Summarit 1.5 on that M3. The very best street shots I've done in Melbourne were taken with it.

I've often wished I could have that M3/Summarit back, but my Contax G1s do me just fine as black-and-white film shooters. So it goes.

Okay, that's all from me.

 

[Emile de Leon]

I regret trading my 35mm Summicron ver iv German..for a new asph 35mm f1.4..
And not buying back in the day.. an 8 element 35mm f2 for around $350-..

 

[B-9]

Hasselblad SWC

I tried to find a good copy.

All I ever got out of it happened to be expensive paper weights.

Still the allure remains.

 

[JeffS7444]

No regrets, because I used my camera-sale money to pay off debts and make boring but solid investments, and even after the recent stock market crashes, that money is worth far more today than the cameras! Leica M3: eBay's full of the things, take your pick.

But enough preaching: I think I regret not buying a Sony RX100 VII but fortunately there's still time for me to do something about it, and my neighborhood shop has just reopened.

 

[Godfrey]

I have never had any regrets about equipment I've sold, but I missed the '92 Hasselblad 903SWC that I had in the early '00s when I sold it in 2004. It was a lovely example.

Nine years later, I replaced it with another, an earlier '78 model, and loved that one too, but I sold that because I found I wasn't using it and the guy I bought it from mentioned that he'd like to have one again... 😀

I wanted the money to help fund another Hasselblad, which is how part of my 907x Special Edition and XCD 21mm lens was paid for. I'm happy with that: the 907x is a better camera for me nowadays.

G

 

[madNbad]

I’ve bought and sold so much stuff it’s hard to keep track but about thirty years ago I traded a 1964 black Nikon F with a sports finder and a factory motor drive plus a bunch of other stuff for a Hasselblad, worst choice ever.

 

[farlymac]

For nostalgia sake I wish I hadn't sold my first Nikkormat.



I thought I would regret passing up a Hasselblad 503CW four lens outfit, but after buying the Leica R3 instead with its bad meter system and soon to break 28mm lens from the same seller (retired photographer at that), it likely would have been a money pit of repair costs, so no sleep lost over that.


I do regret having too much of a desire to find out what all the other brands of camera systems were like instead of concentrating on my Nikons. Could have had a F6 by now, and better digital gear too.


PF

 

[Huss]

Kinda wish I bought a Zeiss Ikon ZM when you could get like new ones for $800. And like new Fuji GF670 for $1000.
I regret selling my Xpans and Contax T3. Only because I wish I sold them now where they are worth about twice a much!

Oh yeah, wish I never traded my D850 for the Z7. That was dumb.

 

[nikon_sam]

Not a camera but photography related...
A few years after high school my Graphic Arts teacher offered to sell me a Beseler 45M for $450...this would have around 1980...I passed on it and have regretted that decision since then...
A couple years ago a 45MCRX came up on ebay, I made an offer and they accepted...I got it for a great price and its in Like New condition...
Earlier this year I printed with it...I have two other enlargers so I haven't missed out on printing but I finally got to see 8x10 prints from my 4x5 negs...

 

[jarski]

my regret is selling Leica M8 that did round the world trip with me. since then I bought another, but its not the same thing. am having all the photos it took, guess thats the main thing. both of my M8's have worked flawlessly, unlike someone trolling bellow seems suggesting. its not my main camera anymore though, its nice to have more resolution these days.

Edit: oh and M5 mentioned also bellow. Mine was from camera dealer in Sao Paulo Brazil (mid 00's), and it would have been nice to keep as reminder from those times (even before the RTW trip)

 

[Pál_K]

I have almost all the cameras I've ever wanted, plus a few more that I bought on a whim.

I wanted a Leica R3 Safari kit (olive green body and lenses), but I've never found one that was functioning.

I wanted an XD-11, but my camera-repair friend talked me out of it because of their problematic reputation.

The only camera on my list to buy is a black Leica M5. I believe its size fits my hands better than other M's.

The only camera I've ever sold in my life - I was a teenager then - was an Argus C3. It was not enjoyable to use. I don't regret selling it.

 

[kasti]

I regret selling my Leica M2, but now I have my M4 and learn from it so much about the internal mechanism, dont need to sent it to pro, yeah I felt so good and accomplished though.

Primo M4

 

[jordan.dickinson]

Regret selling my Mamiya 7ii kit. Had the 50mm/80mm/150mm and “needed” to try another system. would love to have it back...

Wish I had managed to buy a local Craigslist 35mm Summilux pre-ASPH (non-goggled) w/an M-camera (can’t recall if it was an M2 or M3), but it was advertised for about $1100 a few years back. If I had seen the ad a few mins earlier, it woulda been mine!

oh well. I’ve got plenty of incredible cameras these days...way more than I can use.

 

[Brian Atherton]

Mid-60s… a week or so into my first job in a photographic studio and darkroom as a kid straight out of school. A client visited, wanting to sell an Alpa 9d with a 50mm f1.8 Kern Macro-Switar… for £36.

I just didn’t have the money. 😡

I don’t regret selling anything, photographic or otherwise, though I have very fond memories of my Pentax SL; just a fantastic, dependable, basic camera.

 

[CharlesDAMorgan]

Once I sell I sell, who knows whether the thing then died, or would have been dropped or need an expensive repair. Je ne regrette rien.

A friend of mine beats himself up about having to sell Leica stuff in the past because he had to pay his mortgage or the electricity bill. "I could have sold it for double" he says, then I point out he'd also have been homeless and would have traded it for half the amount for some vital thing like a sleeping bag.

 

[RichC]

Regret selling: Epson R-D1. A rare camera (less than 3000 exist of all variants) meant as a technical showpiece for the company rather than use, ingeniously cobbled together using Bessa film camera and Seiko watch parts, and a Nikon sensor! As an exercise is in industrial design on a budget, it's a tour de force, as a practical camera ... let's say it had quirks! If Epson ever make a 24MP version (never happening!), I'd buy it in a heartbeat! (I used to run the unofficial R-D1 website, long ago donated to Cameraquest (unfortunately, the pages have technical problems so they don't display as they should - ask Stephen at Cameraquest to fix it: he has all the images and files, and the pages I originally provided worked as a stand-alone website).

Regret buying: Leica M8. A hideous, steaming pile of crap from a lying company! It was simply not fit for purpose. As well as the known flaws like having to use infrared filters, it turned out to be utterly unreliable and poorly designed, with problems such as failing shutters and sensors. Its software crashed if you took multiple shots, with the camera locking up and frozen - and like a dodgy PC, the fix was to reboot it by turning it off and then on, in this case by taking the battery out and putting it in again!

To add insult to injury, Leica took months fixing my broken shutter. Then lied to me: a major reason I bought the M8 was Leica's official policy that the camera would be upgradeable. New, better sensor? No problem, send us your M8 and for a fee we'll replace your old one. A few months after I bought the camera - after saving hard for it - Leica reneged on this promise. If Leica hadn't been so niche, it's possible that someone may have been able to sue them: we in Europe take a very dim view of companies pulling such stunts, and have extremely robust consumer protection laws. Leica left such a bad taste and treated its customers so poorly, that I'm boycotting the company for the rest of my life!

 

[Archiver]

I've never sold a camera, so there's nothing to regret there.

A few cameras have crossed my path which I could possibly have bought, but the price of some would have made me go nuts had I done it.

2008 - Contax G2 set with 28, 45 and 90 lenses in champagne gold in New Francisco Camera in Hong Kong. I'd hankered for one of these since I got my Contax T3 in 2006, and there it was, right in front of me. But my friend thought he could find a set in better cosmetic condition for me, but never did.

2008 - in that same shop was a black Konica Hexar AF. Good luck finding one of those now.

2009 - silver chrome Leica MP in mint condition, in Melbourne. At that time, I had bought the Sigma DP1, which was weirdly fulfilling my film needs, despite being a digital camera. I held the MP and for some bizarre reason, it didn't feel right, and I couldn't justify spending $4000 on a film body when I was hardly shooting film. A year later I bought the M7 after the M9, and I look back and think that the MP might have grown on me.

2010 - Epson R-D1s in Map Camera, Tokyo. I had my then-brand-new M9 with me, but I'd been looking at the Epson for years before. I rationalized that it's got an aps-c sensor, didn't feel as solid in the hand, that sort of thing. I bought a 'perfect mook' (magazine-book) about the Epson from that giant bookshop instead. At least I have that.

2010 - anthracite Leica MP at Yodobashi Camera in Osaka. There it was, sitting in the cabinet, silently regarding me. I'd already spent a crapton of money on the Japan trip, but the MP looked so nice. It's still my favourite limited edition M body, and on the 'one day maybe' list.

Since then, I haven't regretted leaving aside others. If I choose not to buy something, either it doesn't suit what I want, or is outside of my budget. In the cases when something is both not right and too expensive, like a RED Epic Dragon cinema camera, I'm happy that it's outside of the budget.

The one camera I regret buying is the Sigma DP2 Merrill. I loved the original DP1 and DP2 so much that I figured the DP2M should be as good, but better. It's not. The colours are unpleasant and brown, the skintones are dreadful, it takes even longer than the DP1 for the buffer to clear, and the battery life is dismal. Fortunately, I bought it brand new at a good price.

I've said this before, but the one camera I wish I had, retrospectively, is an Olympus XA2 during my teens and uni days. I would have loaded it with Tri-X or whatever colour negative film was common at the time, and shot school trips, concerts, family holidays, friends, lectures, music recitals, my first date, my first girlfriend, everything. I have almost no photos from those days and it is one of my deepest regrets. I make up for it now by rigorously documenting everything, which I've been doing for the last 17 years.

 

[steveyork]

I've gone through a lot of equipment over the last 20 years. Most of the time it was just to use different stuff to gain the varied user experience.

I guess the one camera I regret selling was a black 64 plain prism Nikon F. Worn, smooth; must've belonged to a photojournalist, and the old, non-ai Nikkors are great on B&W film. One camera I'm glad I tried, but also glad it found a new home, was the big, brute Contarex. A true engineer's camera, you can actually feel the gears moving about. The one camera I'm split about are a couple Nikon S2's I've owned over the years -- light, compact, a nice 1.0x viewfinder with contrasty patch, but a viewfinder rim that chewed up eyeglasses. Maybe I wish I also kept the one M3 I owned. My grandmother traveled extensively with a DS in the 50's/60's, but I'm not much of a 50mm guy anymore.

I'm really down just to two now. A couple M2's and and a few Leicaflex SL's, but I don't shoot SLR's very much anymore, though for a period of time I shot the heck out of them. Nostalgia requires that I keep the Leicaflex, so I'm really just down to an M2 and 35mm lens. We'll see how long that lasts. 🙂