Should I buy a...?

[Roger Hicks]

This is one of the commonest questions in RFF (and elsewhere). All too often, the answer is, "Yes, if you can get a good one."

But what are the chances of finding a good one today, if the camera or lens ceased production decades ago? A more realistic answer, in many cases, would be "A, B, C and D are all pretty similar, and might suit you. Although a B wasn't as good as a C when it was new, a good B today may well be in better use than a C, the more so as the C may have seen hard professional use."

In other words, shouldn't we rely more on what comes up, and less on our preconceptions (and those of others)?

Cheers,

Roger

 

[sebastel]

i guess those questions are more questions for confirmation of a plan that has already been made ...

and, i prefer buying at flea market or shops offering used goods, simply because i can hold the item in hands and compare to other offerings or against my preconceptions. unfortunately, remote tactiles won't be available in ebay for the next several years 😛

s.

 

[markrich]

Always tempted by shiny new objects. Tis my precious.... 🙂

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

This is because RFF is all about buying and selling, not images.

I suspect the 'should I buy' crowd are drama queens who need attention.

Buy a camera, use it, and create some good photos, do not chat about bokeh, where to get a CLA, what size filter, what sort of strap, and all such nonsense that has nothing to do with photography.

 

[oscroft]

In other words, shouldn't we rely more on what comes up, and less on our preconceptions (and those of others)?

Definitely. Apart from my two M bodies (M6, M2) which I specifically wanted, all my other 2nd hand gear has been bought pretty much because it happened to come up and I fancied it at the time (Actually, the other exception is my Olympus XA-4 - the more I got to like my XA the more I planned to get an XA-4). I would never have planned to buy a Leica CL plus 40/2 and 90/4, an uncoated Summitar, a goggled 35/2.8 Summaron, a Canon 85/1.9, an Elmar-M 50/2.8, two Retina IIs (US and Euro models), and all the FSU gear I have - I bought them all as and when they happened to come up over the past few years and I fancied them. And so far I'm really happy with them all.

 

[oftheherd]

Thank you sir! Every time I see one of those threads I cringe. I can see a certain amount of questions from more experienced members of the forums. That makes good sense. But some threads seem to start with the intent of getting the ego massaged. The ones that I perceive (rightly or wrongly) to be that, irk me. Of course, maybe that is due to a personality flaw on my part. 😀

 

[Spider67]

"where to get a CLA,"

I beg to differ as this can be an essential question!
If there isn´t this inclination to the technical/gear comparing side why bother naming it a Rangefinderforum anyway.

"and less on our preconceptions (and those of others)? "
I Know what you mean and it happened to me as I one of my first question on the froums was if I could use a J 12 on a Bessa R and overly enthisastic answres that it´s possible and that there should be no problem......
But while lurking on RFF I lost some of my preconceptions....

 

[Rayt]

I think the vast majority of these questions can be answered if the person can just use one of many internet search engines.

 

[chikne]

Shall I get a red one or a blue one?

 

[kshapero]

Either way works for me since I am not a philosopher. I rely on flickr more for image feedback and Rff for camera questions. Oh yeah please critique. Taken with a Zeiss Ikon and a CV Classic Heliar shot at probably F8 with Ilford XP2 film:

 

[sebastel]

Oh yeah please critique.

it is a perfect example that shows the infamous colour shift that occurrs on black zeiss ikon cameras with M-mount.
can you notice that all colour has faded away? it is probably shifted to front focus 5 meters from the focus point.

if you had used the nikon mount version of the lens, all colour would be perfectly where it belongs to.

(sorry, i am in "mocking mood")

 

[pvdhaar]

In other words, shouldn't we rely more on what comes up, and less on our preconceptions (and those of others)?

This advice, good though it is, comes a little too late for me..

The internet makes you do very silly things.. Ignited by this web-fever somewhere in the mid nineties, I've jumped loops and hurdles to buy gear that's not in your around the corner camera shop's inventory.. though it started innocent enough with a consumer grade Nikon..

And in hindsight, I should have known better. Had I continued to shoot the snot out of my -bought in 1996- Nikon F601 (which replaced a 20 year old Zenit-E that I totally ran down), I'd have saved a lot of money, and I'd probably had better pictures to show..

Fortunately, I've recovered. I got rid of anything that I don't regularly use, and am able now to enjoy photography again with a camera that has its body covering peeling away and a $125 lens..

 

[kshapero]

it is a perfect example that shows the infamous colour shift that occurrs on black zeiss ikon cameras with M-mount.
can you notice that all colour has faded away? it is probably shifted to front focus 5 meters from the focus point.

if you had used the nikon mount version of the lens, all colour would be perfectly where it belongs to.

(sorry, i am in "mocking mood")

LOL!!!😛 That was sepia and infrared.

 

[tripod]

Real photographers don't care or talk much about gear.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Real photographers don't care or talk much about gear.

Not entirely true. When I worked in advertising, there were not THAT many cameras which would deliver what was needed, and new introductions or revised models were widely discussed -- though older gear, especially 35mm, wasn't; at least unless someone found a trick they could use the old camera for. You had a couple of Nikons for copying and AVs, and that was it, though quite a lot of the people I knew also had Leicas just because they liked 'em.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[back alley]

i love the smell of cynicism in the morning...such self rightiousness from such nice people...

 

[Keith]

I think a lot of us go through a transition with cameras and gear where other peoples recommendations and personal experiences are important and I don't see it as a negative at all I'm afraid. As long as we eventually grow into a system that suits us and encourages us to get out and take photos what's the problem?

Jon is obviously happy with using one camera predominantly and believes that that's right for him but to say that a person can't be a serious photographer if they like to change gear regularly and enjoy the chat in the various gear related threads here is horsesh*t IMHO!

 

[telenous]

I bet everyone has asked something or other about gear at some point in their lives. So why exasperate now with gear talk and esp. why rush to throw the first stone? Saying that you don't care about gear does not suddenly a great photographer make you.

Gear talk is a rite of passage for newbies (necessary to sort their needs and desires) and fun for not-so-newbies.

 

[kshapero]

Real photographers don't care or talk much about gear.

if that's the case then I proudly declare myself not a photographer just a snapshooter.😛

 

[Roger Hicks]

The thread has wandered somewhat. Gear talk is inevitable. What I'm questioning is how much use the advice can be if you've don't know much about it, haven't much to compare it with, and the kit is decades old.

To take a concrete example, is a 50-year-old Canon worth having? To me, yes if it's silly-cheap but otherwise I'd rather have a Leica, thank you all the same. That's because I've had quite a lot of Leicas, a few Canons, Niccas, etc., and handled many more.

But any individual Canon (especially on ebay, or in a camera store round the corner) might or might not be a better buy than any individual Leica, so 'should I buy a this or a that' is of much more limited use with ancient gear.

Cheers,

Roger