What to Keep and What to Let Go?

[halfaninchawater]

With apologies to Paul Simon...



The problem is all inside your head I must say to thee
The answer is easy if you take it logically
I'd like to help you in your struggle to be free
There must be fifty ways to leave your cameras

I’d say, it's really not my habit to intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued
But I'll repeat myself at the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways to leave your cameras

You just list it on the Bay, Ray
You just stick to your plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just give it a...way for free

Don’t make a big fuss, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just sell it to someone to learn, Vern
And get yourself free

I say it grieves me so to see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do to make you smile again
I know you may come to appreciate this refrain
Though I dare not say more than this as I explain
There must be fifty ways to leave your cameras

Why don't you just sleep on it tonight
And I believe in the morning you'll begin to see the light
And then you’ll come realize That I probably am right
There must be fifty ways to leave your cameras
Fifty ways to leave your cameras

 

[jsrockit]

Keep your must haves and maybe piles...sell the rest. After you do that revisit how you feel and see if you want to sell anything else. You may want to even add a new edition after selling. Nothing to stress over that's for sure...

 

[cassel]

With apologies to Paul Simon...



The problem is all inside your head I must say to thee
The answer is easy if you take it logically
I'd like to help you in your struggle to be free
There must be fifty ways to leave your cameras

I’d say, it's really not my habit to intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued
But I'll repeat myself at the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways to leave your cameras

You just list it on the Bay, Ray
You just stick to your plan, Stan
You don't need to be coy, Roy
Just give it a...way for free

Don’t make a big fuss, Gus
You don't need to discuss much
Just sell it to someone to learn, Vern
And get yourself free

I say it grieves me so to see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do to make you smile again
I know you may come to appreciate this refrain
Though I dare not say more than this as I explain
There must be fifty ways to leave your cameras

Why don't you just sleep on it tonight
And I believe in the morning you'll begin to see the light
And then you’ll come realize That I probably am right
There must be fifty ways to leave your cameras
Fifty ways to leave your cameras

That's hilarious!

Don't worry - over analysis is the normal in my family🙄

I will wake up Monday morning and have a decision -
And like Kierkegaard would say - "Do it or do not do it - either way you will regret it".

Love that guy...

 

[cassel]

Gonna do it!
Putting an ad together today. Not worried about regret but not really looking forward to the packing and shipping. I have sold and bought on here before as well as the bay and etsy and craiglist. Keep an eye out for later today - just remember that USPS is experiencing delays. Should be interesting to what gets responses. Thanks for the thoughtful replies!🙂

 

[css9450]

I should probably thin the collection too.


Example: I have three mint-condition M-mount lenses and really only one camera to shoot them on, my CL (two if you count my Sony mirrorless). But I use my LTM lenses more often anyway, and they are more usable overall since I have several other cameras they work on too. Thus the M-mounts might have to go. They're good ones too: M-Rokkor 40mm/f2, M-Hexanon 50mm/f2 and a Voigtlander 25mm.

 

[cassel]

Gonna do it!
Putting an ad together today. Not worried about regret but not really looking forward to the packing and shipping. I have sold and bought on here before as well as the bay and etsy and craiglist. Keep an eye out for later today - just remember that USPS is experiencing delays. Should be interesting to what gets responses. Thanks for the thoughtful replies!🙂

Just shipped 7 boxes all over the country!
Lots of gear off to new homes - feels good🙂

 

[cassel]

Gear Inventory Update - I have really trimmed the collection to just my Leica LTM stuff - recent trips with TWO Barnack bodies felt really good! My Luna Pro SBC is dead - not a battery issue🙁 but pretty much have all the gear for actually shooting lined up now.

The collector in me wants to find a few things still BUT the photographer has been pretty good about balancing need with WANT😉 Can't let the Primo Jr go - TLR 127 is too fun!

The Mamiya Magazine 35 Rangefinder collection may need to go - it's just gathering dust (metaphorically)- I'm not sure what the interest out there might be - The F2.0 bodies are VERY rare...

 

[Guth]

From my perspective, there is a large amount of wisdom contained in your post from December 2020:

It is funny how attached we get to gear that doesn't even see that much use...
Sometimes it is because we remember the story about how we came to own it. I have realized that if I cut down TOO radically, I'm bound to hunt down more in the future - occasionally even repeats of cameras I already owned. At 48, I'm hoping to avoid too much of that.

It's also tricky not to read the internet too much and pursue gear that everyone tells you is the "best" and a "must have". Doesn't mean they are wrong of course, but it doesn't mean you can't "love the one you're with".

The impact that the Internet has had on the buying/spending habits of society is likely immeasurable. I'm not referring to RFF specifically as this applies to countless other forums and interests outside of photography. Not to mention that this has been happening since before online forums came to exist and has since spread to most other forms of social media. People are often in denial of this impact that occurs when a bunch of like-minded people with common interests start communicating with one another regularly. They often joke with each other about having contracted GAS ("gear acquisition syndrome") or something similarly clever as a way of excusing their excessive buying habits. But when such like-minded people are only able to confide among themselves about either how much gear they have collected, or how much they've actually spent on the gear of their choice (or both) while noting that their family or friends just wouldn't understand, you know there's likely a problem.

Focusing on the enjoyment that you experienced through the use of the gear you've kept is a healthy way to go about things. It beats focusing on what gear is turning someone else's crank at the moment. The other exercise that can be helpful is to look at the classified section of any given forum or other online outlet that one might frequent. They are typically full of items that people were just raving about as the best thing since sliced bread not all that long ago. The very pieces of gear that had turned someones life upside down is now being sold off to make way for something else, imagine that. Good luck going forward and have fun loving the one you're with.

 

[Wenge]

I tried to get down to 2 cameras, not possible with options now so it's 6 not 2:

GFX 100s +50/3.5
A7r4 +100-400
Leica Q2M
Fuji x100v
Ricoh GR2 in pocket all times
A7r2 infrared +21/2.8 Loxia

 

[cassel]

Thanks for the thoughtful responses- I really have enjoyed my paired down set of equipment- the simplicity of the Barnack cameras and getting pretty consistent results is rewarding. Sitting at home during the pandemic definitely made it easy to fall into endless online window shopping- but I’m hoping this year will be more about shooting- not that collecting is necessarily bad! I just need a bit of moderation—- for me anyway- It seems there is always some “unicorn” that shows up to tempt just when GAS is under control. Balance is the name of the game😉

 

[Archiver]

I tried to get down to 2 cameras, not possible with options now so it's 6 not 2:

GFX 100s +50/3.5
A7r4 +100-400
Leica Q2M
Fuji x100v
Ricoh GR2 in pocket all times
A7r2 infrared +21/2.8 Loxia

Those are all cameras with fairly specialized characteristics, usage and output, so they all have a place in your kit! GFX is a superb portrait and landscape camera. The A7R IV with that lens handles all your telephoto needs. The Q2M creates amazing black and white images, the X100V is for when you want colour in a 35mm street camera, the GR2 is the perfect snapshot/backup camera, and the A7R II with IR conversion does what none of the others can.

 

[Archiver]

Photographic gear is subject to the same tendencies of acquisition and hoarding like anything else, perhaps more than some due to sentimental attachment, engagement in the process, and other factors. I'll always keep the cameras my Dad bought in the 70s and 80s, including the Pentax ME and Minolta SR-T, as well as the cameras and lenses he has given me over the years.

From a 'gear you bought' perspective, it would make sense to reduce any redundancies - does one really need three of the same lens? Or of the same body? If any gear is sufficiently valuable to be turned into desired cash, then that's an option, too. Are there any trusted friends, relatives or responsible kids who would benefit from, and appreciate, some gear? As I mentioned in another post, I recently found an old warranty card and receipt for a Minolta Hi-Matic 7s, which Mum said that Dad gave to a family friend. I'm mildly disappointed to not have Dad's Hi-Matic, which has likely been lost to the sands of time since then.

As someone who enjoys gear in general, I'm fortunate to have enough that if I feel like something new, I can go to my stash and dig up something I haven't used for a while. My 16 year old Canon 30D got a new lease of life a couple of years ago when I bought a Sigma 18-35 f1.8, which has been fantastic on that camera, so much so that I vaguely contemplated getting a 90D as an upgrade!

When I want something quirky and fun, there's always the Sigma DP1 and DP2 from 2008 and 2009 respectively. Or if I get a hankering for a Leica X1, I bring out the Ricoh GXR with the 28 and 50mm modules to remind myself of how much more enjoyable it was compared with the X1 I had for a couple of days. Having some gear in reserve can satisfy cravings for something new.

All these rambling opinions are just my perspective on what to rehome and what to keep.

 

[farlymac]

I've made an honest start with paring down the camera gear. Traded two boxes of p&s cameras for an M645 and GW690, cameras I've always wanted to own. At a ratio of 56 to 2, it has made a decent dent in the camera count around here, while still filling a couple of holes in the formats. But from here on out I'm looking to move some gear, not accumulate any more. I've invested in a mirrorless system for general use, and am keeping certain film cameras for their intrinsic character. Plus I haven't worn any of them out yet, so I need to put some more rolls through them, and miles on them.

PF

 

[besk]

I can't stand owning stuff that I don't use or am not attached to. Unfortunately I have purchased for more stuff (35mm to 5x7) than I can use.

The method that is working for me is to gather the stuff I want to keep in one place. This includes two small 35mm outfits, a miniature Crown Graphic with lenses and my Busch Pressman 4x5, and a Toyo original field camera with 4x5 and 5x7 backs and lenses.

Everything else is in another location in the house until it can be sold. There is a whole lot more stuff that needs to be sold than what I will keep.

 

[BigSteveG]

Yeah, I'm in the same boat as well. I have a few Konica Hexanon M lenses I need to move. But I also have duplicate focal lengths of an amazing lens I want to keep very badly! Recent picked up a magnificent late model (German) 75 'lux for a sweet price. It is clean and mechanically perfect w/no focus issues. Its bigger and heavier than the 75 'cron I bought 2 years ago, The sharpness and contrast of the "cron is a sight to behold. It is light and compact, but renders completely different from 'lux. The boke is smooth, but not in the dreamy vintage way of the 'lux. I don't want to sell either one. I think keeping the "lux for portraits inside and 'cron for a walkabout will work for me. The "lux may go outside once in a while for holidays! 75mm a lovely focal length. when the day comes that I am no longer using either lens, I will sell.

 

[jsrockit]

I am down to (and would not sell any of these):

Fujifilm GFX-50R
Fujifilm X-Pro3
Fujifilm X-E4
Ricoh GRIIIx

I sold my Voigtlander Bessa R2 and have been trying to sell my Leica M240. I would only be interested in the next X-Pro, the next GRx or any new pocket camera including the new Pentax film camera. I could also see me trying a Pentax K-3 III Monochrome in the distant future when they are cheap.

 

[Darthfeeble]

I'm at an age where I start to worry about leaving clutter behind for my kids to deal with. I've assembled a list of 24 cameras that are going to go, some work, some are repairable. How to figure out prices??? There are a couple that are a little worthy, most are not. Does anyone know if there's a limit to how many items in the forum classified?

 

[agentlossing]

I could also see me trying a Pentax K-3 III Monochrome in the distant future when they are cheap.

Agreed!

I've pared things down to "large and small" in both digital and film with four cameras, plus an outlier.

By "large" I more mean system cameras with large potential. Of course, in the case of the digital camera it is large(ish), the Pentax K-1 mark II. For film, it's the Pentax MX in black. Lenses share harmoniously between both, making things a bit more economical.

For small, I have the eminently capable GRIIIx, and a late Soviet LC-A. The latter is fun but not super practical, its fastest GOST setting for film speed it roughly equivalent to ISO 400, actually a little under that, and, combined with the automatic shutter speed and aperture, I'm often stuck with slower shutter and/or softer, larger-aperture images from its lens. But, again, it's meant to be fun.

The outlier is the one I should maybe get rid of, to be truly streamlined in my photo gear: the Olympus EM5 mark II. We're in a standoff: despite selling my M4/3 lenses (except for a manual TTartisan 23mm), it won't let me sell it. We'll see.

 

[wrs1145]

Most cameras, except for Leica, are money losers, Therefore, I'd keep all of them, even if you use them only occasionly.

 

[Pál_K]

... the Pentax K-1 mark II. For film, it's the Pentax MX in black. ...

You are fortunate; both the K-1 and MX would be in my top-5 list for digital and 35mm cameras. Keepers.