What would you do if you had to start again? - inspired by Harry the K

[Yokosuka Mike]

If all my stuff was lost in a disaster and I had to start over...

I turned 70 this year and my wife and I have been slowly downsizing our belongings. It's amazing how much one can accumulate over the years; things that we can easily live without; things that wouldn't be missed if they were gone. So, with that state-of-mind in place if I had to buy new camera gear the first thing I'd buy would be a Fujifilm X100VI. After that I'd buy a Fujifilm X-T5 camera and these lenses:

Fujinon XF 16mm f2.8 R WR lens
Fujinon XF 18mm f1.4 R LM WR lens
Fujinon XF 23mm f1.4 R LM WR lens
Fujinon XF 33mm f1.4 R LM WR lens

That would be the end of it. I would miss my Fujifilm GFX gear and I would really miss my Sony cameras and the Sigma and Voigtländer lenses I use on them but
"C'est la vie" I will learn to use what I have and live with out the rest.

I hate to say it but this scenario sounds refreshing and liberating.

All the best,
Mike

 

[JeffS7444]

Film-revival purchases: No real regrets, because I (mostly) watched my expenditures, and have periodically thinned the herd. Why I still have no fewer than 5 Zenit cameras is another matter.

 

[Doug A]

If I lost everything in a disaster cameras would not be an issue. I would just buy a Leica IIIg with a 50/2 Summicron and a 90/4 Elmar. I would buy a new Digisix meter and I would be good to go.

I would be unhappy about losing all my father's negatives and mine but I have high resolution RAW scans of all of them on the desktop of my MacBook and all of the desktop files are backed up in the cloud.

Almost all of my film developing gear would be easily replaced on eBay. (The one thing that would be hard to find would be the Kinderman developing tank filling funnel.)

I would have to buy a new easy35 scanning rig, a 40/4 Nikon enlarging lens, and the assortment of step-up and adaptor rings I need to make the enlarging lens work with the easy35.

All in all, I think I could be back up and running in a month or two.

 

[Pioneer]

Given what I know now from my photographic experience, what would I do if I could start completely over?

To be brutally honest I am not sure it would change anything.

But, under the assumption that it could, Knowing what I know now I would buy a Barnack Leica (Leica III?) or a Leica M (Leica M-A?) and a decent set of lenses (35mm, 50mm, 75 or 90mm). A lifetime supply of Kodak TMX 100 (whatever that is for a 70 year old man) and developing chemicals. A Leitz Focomat V35 enlarger with a Focomat 40/2.8 lens (no computers or digital printers thank you very much.) A lifetime supply of 8x10 and 11x14 paper (something from Ilford but with a bit more selection than I want in my film.) A decent darkroom that provides room to work (I am getting a little tired of cleaning the 2nd bath every time I use it.)

This is an interesting thought exercise but I am afraid though that I would eventually end up where I am now. After two or three years I start to become bored and go looking for something else. Right now I am using a Pentax MZ-S with Limited lenses, but knowing myself that probably won't last longer than two or three years either. The problem isn't with the gear or the photography. As always it is with the photographer!

 

[Tim Murphy]

Dear Board,

While I haven't lost any gear I sort of made the decision to somewhat start over. To that end I bought a reconditioned Canonet 2.8 and Canolite D from an eBay seller I've dealt with before. They haven't arrived yet but that was the first "good" camera I ever owned as a teenager after having outgrown a Polaroid Square Shooter and an Instamatic.

I enjoyed my Canonet, and I hope I get some of the same results and feelings with the new used one.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

[DownUnder]

I've posted my own thoughts about all this elsewhere here, so the story that follows is secondhand.

A fruend-neighbour in AUS turned 70 and retired, finally. His wife had left him a few months before (no surprise to any of us or to him, it had been coming for a long time) and he decided to downsize everything. Sold the house and moved to a small apartment in my block. It was a lot of work and we did all we could to help. He was as happy as anything.

Got burgled a few months ago, while he was away on a camping trip. Cameras, laptops, PCs, electrical, all gone. Police seem aware of who did it but sublimely disinterested, wanted to know only if he was insured, which thankfully was yes. Insurance company paid out in full, no quibbles. (When I was told this I at once changed insurers from my old one to his.)

He had been playing with my cameras for a while, and after pondering his situation he bought as follows -

A Contax G1. A Sonnar 35/2.0. A Sonnar 90/2.8. A leather camera strap. Lens hoods and filters. And a gorgeous carry bag.

Has now gone on a round the world tour with this gear. And 40 rolls of Ilford HP5. Happy as Larry, whoever Larry is...

Last I heard he was in Victoria, British Columbia. And he met a widow close to his age with a Nikon F kit. She will now be traveling with him for the rest of his journey. A new romance, maybe a new life is in the works. Good on both of them!!

Change can be liberating. As the Buddhists say, opening and closing an old door can take you into a new room with other doors to be opened and closed. The choice is basically yours. If one door takes you somewhere you don't care for, go back and open another door.

As in so much in life, with an open mind and a little disposable cash, the possibilities are endless.

 

[Archiver]

I've posted my own thoughts about all this elsewhere here, so the story that follows is secondhand.

A fruend-neighbour in AUS turned 70 and retired, finally. His wife had left him a few months before (no surprise to any of us or to him, it had been coming for a long time) and he decided to downsize everything. Sold the house and moved to a small apartment in my block. It was a lot of work and we did all we could to help. He was as happy as anything.

Yay! 😄

Got burgled a few months ago, while he was away on a camping trip. Cameras, laptops, PCs, electrical, all gone. Police seem aware of who did it but sublimely disinterested, wanted to know only if he was insured, which thankfully was yes. Insurance company paid out in full, no quibbles. (When I was told this I at once changed insurers from my old one to his.)

Oh no... 😡

He had been playing with my cameras for a while, and after pondering his situation he bought as follows -

A Contax G1. A Sonnar 35/2.0. A Sonnar 90/2.8. A leather camera strap. Lens hoods and filters. And a gorgeous carry bag.

Wow! 😍

Has now gone on a round the world tour with this gear. And 40 rolls of Ilford HP5. Happy as Larry, whoever Larry is...

Last I heard he was in Victoria, British Columbia. And he met a widow close to his age with a Nikon F kit. She will now be traveling with him for the rest of his journey. A new romance, maybe a new life is in the works. Good on both of them!!

Yay! 👫

Change can be liberating. As the Buddhists say, opening and closing an old door can take you into a new room with other doors to be opened and closed. The choice is basically yours. If one door takes you somewhere you don't care for, go back and open another door.

I like this philosophy!

As in so much in life, with an open mind and a little disposable cash, the possibilities are endless.

A good ending to a story with a very bad turn. I love that his purchase of a G1 led him to meet someone with a Nikon kit! Truly, life works in some remarkable ways sometimes. Had his gear not been stolen, he would not have had a champagne gold G1 to catch the eye of his Nikonette.

 

[Godfrey]

Given a disaster that wiped out my equipment AND my photo archives:

- The latter is an irretrievable loss. Some things I have archived as books but the vast, vast majority would simply be gone forever other than what I've posted on line.
- Precisely what cameras I'd re-populate my equipment with is a question mark. I suspect I'd at least like my Leica M10 Monochrom back, and in the film camera mess I'd probably want much less than I have now; the Plaubel Makina 67 seems right, as well as a Rollei 35S to have something pocketable. That would likely be enough.
- Of course, I'd need my minimalist film processing outfit and a computer with Lightroom Classic on it. Et cetera.

I think I would move forward from there with just making photos and not worry too much about what else was lost. After all, it's just gear.

G

 

[JeffS7444]

How restrained would I be if I had to do it over? Probably about the same as the last time🤣I seem particularly drawn to "cheap and cheerful" stuff no one else wants.

 

[wlewisiii]

Personally I love the fantasy of the "do over" from when I began photography. What if I could put my now brain in my 18 year old body? Be an 84B stills photography specialist for Uncle and get job with AP after 4 years. Use my sign up bonus to buy Nikon RF because who wanted that in 1982? And Uncle would issue me SLRs as would AP later. Might have been fun. Or I might have been dead in some stupid war someplace. Shrug.

 

[raydm6]

Getting close to retirement age myself and time is being compressed and moving fast.

I would miss my Leica M’s, IIIf’s, and glass - but I would simplify:

- Rolleicord for B&W
- iPhone du jour for color