Put all my digital gear up for sale...!

[furbs]

On Craigslist locally - about $2900 worth of FX Nikon gear. The D600 is an amazing camera but it's just no fun to haul that big piece of machinery around. I don't make money off my photography so most of its features are wasted on me. Also selling two FX lenses, a Sigma 35mm f1.4 and Nikon 105mm f2 DC. The 105 works with my F2 but I don't use the focal length often enough.

This is the first time I've ever sold photo equipment, so it's a bit scary. But from the way others talk on here, it seems a quite common practice. Who knows what's next? A vacation overseas? I never have owned a Leica... :angel:

 

[tempest68]

That's a big step I'm not ready to take just yet. I need more practice on film first. And even if I dump the DSLR of mine I'll keep my Lumix weatherproof digital cam as its nice to take a small camera into the pool with the kids.

 

[furbs]

I don't know whether I was ready for it myself, but I've received very positive feedback around it from my close friends. They have mostly told me to squirrel the money away for a rainy day, which never hurts.

I'm meeting someone to sell the D600 tomorrow, though the lenses might end up on auction - they're not quite as new and popular.

 

[FrankHoltion]

How many people have you made ready for this ?

 

[furbs]

It's hard to tell. Though who knows what's right for them, perhaps shooting 100% digital is right for them. I've been without a digital camera for a month now and it feels like being on holiday. Quite happy with my decision, and my new-to-me M4 as well!


Camera & Coffee #2 by ffurbss, on Flickr

 

[kaiwasoyokaze]

a big kudos to you, as i am also heading slowly down that route when i sell off all my micro four thirds setup (2 cameras and two lens)

 

[myoptic]

a big kudos to you, as i am also heading slowly down that route when i sell off all my micro four thirds setup (2 cameras and two lens)

If you are looking to replace your 4/3 gear with M3/M4/M6, then you should sell sooner rather than later. Digital cameras do not hold their value for long. Standard film rangefinder Leicas do hold their value very well, and in some cases increase in value.
Depends on the type of photographer you are though. An M4 may not be your cup of tea at all.
Remember, owning a Leica makes you a better photographer, just as much as owning a Rolls Royce makes you royalty.

 

[furbs]

Depends on the type of photographer you are though. An M4 may not be your cup of tea at all.
Remember, owning a Leica makes you a better photographer, just as much as owning a Rolls Royce makes you royalty.

Very true. Working strictly with film has forced me to be patient. The turnaround time to develop, scan and upload a roll is at least a few days, and usually a week; I would almost always shoot more instead of editing. The time away from my shots does make me more objective of them and grateful for them when they're finally done.

The M4 is a very particular camera - like a stubborn friend who will not compromise, it refuses to be used contrary to its design. Its design is beautiful, though, so if you can get along with one it's a rewarding camera. Just don't expect to shoot everything you want to.

 

[shadowfox]

It gets better with darkroom printing.

 

[kingsley244]

I haven't taken my M9P out for weeks and my D700, for months. For the last few months, it has been the Konica I, Leica iiif, Leica M3, Nikon S and this week, the Canon 7 that goes out with me. The digital camera has been made redundant by the iphone. 🙂

 

[kaiwasoyokaze]

If you are looking to replace your 4/3 gear with M3/M4/M6, then you should sell sooner rather than later. Digital cameras do not hold their value for long. Standard film rangefinder Leicas do hold their value very well, and in some cases increase in value.
Depends on the type of photographer you are though. An M4 may not be your cup of tea at all.
Remember, owning a Leica makes you a better photographer, just as much as owning a Rolls Royce makes you royalty.

I have taken that advice now and have put up all EP3, EVF, and 14mm lens for sale. I think I will still keep my GF1 + 20mm combo for B&W and for a while longer since it's worth almost nothing nowadays. (the body i mean, but I still love the lens too). For dynamic B&W, the GF1 still has it. (who needs anything over 3200 iso and 12mp?)

 

[Godfrey]

I'm just buying up all my favorite old film cameras before you folks push the prices up too high again. 🙂

G

 

[furbs]

I haven't taken my M9P out for weeks and my D700, for months. For the last few months, it has been the Konica I, Leica iiif, Leica M3, Nikon S and this week, the Canon 7 that goes out with me. The digital camera has been made redundant by the iphone. 🙂

I have more fun taking digital photos with my Galaxy S3 than I ever did with the D600. Being able to share easily and without lengthy post-processing is a definite plus.

It's good to have different cameras for different purposes - an M for everyday use, smartphone for timely snaps, and soon I'll be getting my Rolleiflex back from Harry Fleenor. The Rolleiflex should be great for projects and portraits. DSLRs are versatile, but other cameras are just more fun!

Next on my wish list is the OM-1, or Hexar AF, or Ricoh GR, or... :angel:

 

[jmc56]

At the risk of offending the careful, meticulous film shooters -- or even digital shooters -- when anyone feels they need to learn more from film before moving to digital. I grew up with and ate, slept and dreamed film. I still own a ton of film gear for its vintage value. I shoot film to exercise the Leicas in particular.

But, especially for those who have someone else handle processing, digital has advantage in learning. You can shoot and reshoot on the same care indefinitely. So if you're being playful and experimenting, you don't have to worry about a film budget. If you shoot something you like, keep it and scrap the experiments that didn't work.

And the dynamic range handicap digital once labored with is virtuallyif not totally eliminated -- and there's nothing like playing in HDR. If you're a film die hard, keep at it.

 

[furbs]

It works both ways. I mostly learned on digital, now I use what I learned to work better with film. Some people prefer SD cards and Photoshop; I prefer negatives and the smell of fixer 😀

I'm glad that digital gear is there for those who use it. But I'm also obviously glad that film is still an option. Today I sold my Mamiya 7 to a neighborhood camera shop, and the wide variety of film gear they had for sale was encouraging. Also good to know that a shop nearby sells Arista Premium for $3.75 a roll!

 

[Godfrey]

Brooks Jensen has been talking about this very subject in his past couple of podcasts. I've found his thoughts profound and worth thinking about, whether you prefer film or digital is irrelevant really.

http://daily.lenswork.com/2013/08/podcast-814.html
http://daily.lenswork.com/2013/08/podcast-815.html

G

 

[furbs]

Brooks Jensen has been talking about this very subject in his past couple of podcasts. I've found his thoughts profound and worth thinking about, whether you prefer film or digital is irrelevant really.

http://daily.lenswork.com/2013/08/podcast-814.html
http://daily.lenswork.com/2013/08/podcast-815.html

G

Godfrey, thanks for sharing these. I'm very grateful now for the time I've had with both digital and film cameras. Sometimes I haven't been as grateful - like when I only owned a DSLR and didn't use it for four years straight. That period really drove home for me the importance of using gear you love. Unlike marriages, cameras that don't work with us are a lot easier to exchange.

 

[DanielDuarte]

On Craigslist locally - about $2900 worth of FX Nikon gear. The D600 is an amazing camera but it's just no fun to haul that big piece of machinery around. I don't make money off my photography so most of its features are wasted on me. Also selling two FX lenses, a Sigma 35mm f1.4 and Nikon 105mm f2 DC. The 105 works with my F2 but I don't use the focal length often enough.

This is the first time I've ever sold photo equipment, so it's a bit scary. But from the way others talk on here, it seems a quite common practice. Who knows what's next? A vacation overseas? I never have owned a Leica... :angel:

Congrats, CG while limiting your market is the way to go. I just sold a converted 4x5 Polaroid 110A for just under 950 dollars. A great price for what I put into it (around 450 dollars) but eBay took almost a 100 bucks and PayPal nearly 30. That's really steep IMHO.

 

[DanielDuarte]

At the risk of offending the careful, meticulous film shooters -- or even digital shooters -- when anyone feels they need to learn more from film before moving to digital. I grew up with and ate, slept and dreamed film. I still own a ton of film gear for its vintage value. I shoot film to exercise the Leicas in particular.

But, especially for those who have someone else handle processing, digital has advantage in learning. You can shoot and reshoot on the same care indefinitely. So if you're being playful and experimenting, you don't have to worry about a film budget. If you shoot something you like, keep it and scrap the experiments that didn't work.

And the dynamic range handicap digital once labored with is virtuallyif not totally eliminated -- and there's nothing like playing in HDR. If you're a film die hard, keep at it.

I think the hardest transition for me from digital to film is the limitations of the loaded film. I was born in 1985 and with no photography enthusiasts in my family my scope of film was limited to instant kodak one-time cameras. So I've been photographing seriously now for 7 years, starting at 21 and digital was all I ever knew.

So what I struggle the most with is loading 24 exposures of 100 speed film, then finding myself somewhere with really low light and NOT having the ability to just bump the ISO up.

 

[froyd]

So what I struggle the most with is loading 24 exposures of 100 speed film, then finding myself somewhere with really low light and NOT having the ability to just bump the ISO up.

If you are OK losing a couple of frames, you can rewind mid-roll, and reload again shooting past the frame where you left off. I used to do that a lot but then I started using 400 as my film 90% of the time and it covers just about everything for me. I just need ND filters if I want to be wide open on a sunny day.