Lens weeding theory?

[Dante_Stella]

So recently (<90 days), in getting ready to move to a place where I worry that I will not easily be able to keep things secure from dust, I have weeded out:

• Three medium format cameras
• Two 35mm film cameras
• Three digital cameras
• A high-end Polaroid
• Eight LTM and M lenses
• A tripod
• Eleven bags and flight cases
• 67 other small items like filters, rings, etc.
• A bunch of flashes
• And in sum, very nearly every piece of equipment made before 1970

So now, with 12 8x8x8 boxes left, it still seems like a lime pit has been dug, for something. If money is not a pressing thing, but having more of it would accelerate home renovations, how would you further weed lenses down in these categories:

• 18-21mm
• 28mm
• 40-50mm
• 90mm and up

Would you do it:

1. By absolute performance?
2. By subjective qualities?
3. By how many favorite pictures it has taken?
4. By difficulty of replacement later / PITA factor to find it originally?
5. By how it looks?
6. Forget it, the kids' bathroom can wait?

"If you're not really using it, get rid of it" is not an option. That actually changes from month to month, and nothing is actually disused. But having fewer choices might lead to a smaller rotation.

Dante

 

[marcr1230]

Kids Bathroom can wait...

Dante, if you never use a lens and there nothing special/attractive about keeping it, sell it

if you like it for images or for collecting purposes, sell it.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

Sell it all. Then buy one m4/3 or 1-inch sensor camera with one 28-85mm equivalent lens. And a motorcycle. Have fun. 🙂

 

[Dante_Stella]

Kids Bathroom can wait...
Dante, if you never use a lens and there nothing special/attractive about keeping it, sell it

....well past that point of offing the humdrum items and the listless optics. Now deciding which ones are the most special. Of course, the answer might be all of them. 🙂

But the really acute problem is splitting hairs among 50mm lenses, where some are killer-sharp (50 Hexanons), some have good bokeh (50 ZM Sonnar), some are really fast (MS Sonnetar), some look cool as hell (collapsible Hexanon), some are tiny (40mm Rokkor), and some are the real thing (Opton Sonnars). But you can't get all of those things in one.

D

 

[splitimageview]

I would use some sort of weighting system. I was a math major. 🙂

Assign value to each lens, say from 1-5 or 1-10, for resolution, contrast, bokeh (however many factors that you want here, to cover the absolute and subjective qualities), as well as the other items:

# of favorites, uniqueness ('refindability' factor), etc.

Weight each category (if you want) or weigh them equally.

Then tally up the numbers.

 

[sojournerphoto]

I would use some sort of weighting system. I was a math major. 🙂

Assign value to each lens, say from 1-5 or 1-10, for resolution, contrast, bokeh (however many factors that you want here, to cover the absolute and subjective qualities), as well as the other items:

# of favorites, uniqueness ('refindability' factor), etc.

Weight each category (if you want) or weigh them equally.

Then tally up the numbers.

Downside is that the weighting factors are actually functions of time, and probably discontinuous. This has the risk of being a branch of catastrophe theory😉


Work out need and want and then how important want really is. Sometimes it's hard to let go, even when the reasons aren't clear.

Mike

 

[Timmyjoe]

I go by feel and emotion, which, for an ex-mechanical engineer, is totally non-sceintific.

What's my history with the lens. How long have I had it and what adventures did it go on with me. (This is assuming all the lenses perform properly, if one doesn't perform, it is gone immediately). What adventures would I still like to do with it.

And does the lens make me happy when I'm shooting with it.

Totally un-sceintific and completely subjective, but that's how I look at them (again, this is assuming all the lenses in question perform properly)

 

[charjohncarter]

Did you advertise these 'dumped' items here? I hope some of our RFF members bought some of them. I really like pre-1970 gear, but I have been put on rations and I'm not allowed to read the classifieds on RFF

 

[tunalegs]

I don't usually get rid of lenses. Relative to cameras they take up so little space, that it's not worth my effort, unless for some reason I'm desperate for money.

 

[Robert Lai]

Dante did indeed put up ads here on RFF for his gear.
I have his Manfrotto tripod, Agfa flash unit, and some other stuff that I can't remember off the top of my head.

In fact, looking at most of my gear, a large percentage came from RFF ads. You guys are a very dangerous bunch of people to know!


As far as lenses go, I find that you'll eventually buy back (at a higher price, alas) what you want. I sold a lot of gear when I needed money. Now I have them back with a few more to spare. Not everything though. I never replaced the CV 15mm lens, or the 21mm Nikkor in F mount.

But, I bought back an F3 (now Titanium Champagne, thanks to a RFF member here in IN).
Bought back my Nikkor 200 f/4, and 180 2.8 ED.
Bought back my Summicron M 50 f/2,
Summicron 35 ASPH
Elmar M 50 f/2.8
Apo-Telyt 135 3.4M

Yes, they will find their way back to you soon enough.

 

[Dante_Stella]

In fact, looking at most of my gear, a large percentage came from RFF ads. You guys are a very dangerous bunch of people to know!

As far as lenses go, I find that you'll eventually buy back (at a higher price, alas) what you want.

[...]

Yes, they will find their way back to you soon enough.

I'll give you a heads up if I get around to listing anything else. Then you'll know when to avoid the classifieds. 🙂

I hear you on the second point. Thinking about the sell-then-buy-back, I have done this with:

- Jupiter-3 (like 15x)
- 50/1.4 Nikkor LTM (4x)
- 50/1.2 Canon (4x)
- 75 Summilux
- 21 Kobalux (3x)
- 28 Kobalux (2x)
- 40 Rokkor (3x)
- 50 ZM Sonnar
- GS645 (3x)
- GL690 (2x)
...among others.

Maybe the best solution is to hold onto anything where I have done this before. Way too expensive!

Dante

 

[BillBingham2]

Pick your favorite I'm every range, put it aside. Sell the rest, most expensive first, but everything.

Once you're done pay for the entire bath and anything left over buy something you've always wants, nothing you've had before.

Kids come first, this is only stuff. Cool stuff, fun stuff, but at the end of the day only stuff. Stuff as you know can be purchased again in the future.

Kids grow faster than you know and time happens once for most of us humans. Make it fun for them and easy for you and your better half.

B2 (;->

 

[Keith]

Why anyone would ever need anything other than an M3 and a 50mm Summicron mystifies me ... oh yes and a roll of Tri-X! :angel:

 

[skibeerr]

I somehow managed to raise my kids without a second bathroom, now even my grandkids have to make do without so I voted option 6.

Dante you just seem to love your gear so much that parting with it becomes the subject of some serious soul searching 🙂 So go easy on that.

Buying back what I sold yes I have done that several times. :bang::bang::bang:

 

[Contarama]

One cannot ever have enough lenses...especially 50's. Cameras are a different story. My opinion.

 

[Rayt]

I have a kid entering college this fall so am in the same position. He is going to State U and got a partial scholarship . Compared to preparing for my children's future my need for gear is indulgence I no longer find necessary. So, I took a Hasselblad body and two lenses to a dealer yesterday to put on consignment and was surprised how little film gear is worth these days. Looking into my stash only a few more current Leica lenses are worth anything so I guess they will go eventually. I will surely keep my f/1 Noctilux though since I can't replace it with a cheaper equivalent so I vote the second choice.

 

[enasniearth]

Offer everything for sale and shoot with what no one buys .

 

[Pablito]

Get rid of what you don't use?

 

[bonatto]

Pick up lens/gear, ask self - Does this bring me joy? Move on to next box.

 

[aizan]

what photography can you afford to not do for a while?