das
Well-known
Hello, everyone. Like most people in this hobby for a long time, I have inadvertently assembled a small collection of usable camera lenses that cannot be sold for any price (or even given away for the price of shipping) -- like 70s/80s manual focus zoom lenses. Do you know of any US-based entities that will take donations of lenses that can put them in the hands of people who can use them (like students, young people, disadvantaged folks, etc.). I really do not want to give to thrift stores or the like. Thanks!
north country rich
Member
The Photographic Historical Socitey of New England accepts cameras and lens. You can contact through their website.
Mackinaw
Think Different
FPP, Film Photography Project. I've been sending them cameras for years.
https://filmphotographyproject.com/donate/
Jim B.
https://filmphotographyproject.com/donate/
Jim B.
sarkleshark
Newbie
Hi, you might see if any local schools, public or private have photography sections and would be interested in the equipment. My daughters previous high schools arts dept had film only photography coursed with a complete darkroom. The teacher had old cameras that were worth nothing available for each student to borrow for the semester. My daughter came home with a Pentax 1000 whose viewfinder was so dirty and fogged I do not know how she could see through it or focus but her and her classmates b&w images and prints were spectacular. Only goes to show.....
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Many of us face this dilemma - we all have at least one box of usable outdated gear not really good enough to bother with selling but capable of producing good images in the right hands. So what do we do with it?
School photo classes/groups - sometimes. Cautions apply. Last year when we relocated from Tasmania to the Australian mainland, I contacted several local schools to ask if they would take my old gear - sorry, no, they all said, the students want only digital, not film, and even then ONLY the best brand names. One school revealed that a few students were still using film, but only Nikons. And film, but only fresh rolls, not expired.
Camera clubs, sometimes. Most such groups are populated by well-to-do retirees who parade around with their Leicas and sniff loudly at anything lesser. Not many of these around now, almost all obsessed with digital everything. Things have changed.
Local charity shops. Unlike some here I have nothing against 'op shops' IF the money stays local - the bigger names whip the cash away to central bank accounts and it doesn't get used locally, so for me no go. The smaller shops are okay - our little rural haven in Tasmania has an active ladies' hospital auxiliary group raising funds for casualty and emergency services in the community, so my things went to them.
Unfortunately many op shop volunteers mean well but haven't the faintest clue about the value of things. A few days later I wandered into the same shop with more goodies to donate, and had the unsettling experience of seeing several of my old Pentax Takumars and Nikon bits being flogged off for A$1-$3. It didn't improve my mood to see a once-cherished Nikkor 35/2.8 with a $4 price tag, so I bought it back...
We had the same experience with two older but still usable laptops, one with Windows 8 and 8.1 - all the local groups collecting computers for refugees told us sorry, their 'disadvantaged' clients only wanted Pentiums! As one volunteer there remarked, "so they can sell them on Ebay!" which again didn't do much for me.
At the risk of sounding overly cynical, I had to accept the fact that when we donate we relinquish all control over what happens to our precious photo bits, but there is the satisfaction of knowing the money realised from sales will go to a worthwhile local project (one hopes).
Lesser expectations on my part did help, and my two boxes of gear did go to a local thrift charity shop, and through them possibly to potential new owners (tho' a shop volunteer revealed a well-known local Ebay 'identity' would likely get first pick of my items, to which I said, "good luck to her!") - to put a 'light' conclusion on all this, my experience of donating locally did leave me with the feeling that I was trying to find new homes for a litter of polar bears.
School photo classes/groups - sometimes. Cautions apply. Last year when we relocated from Tasmania to the Australian mainland, I contacted several local schools to ask if they would take my old gear - sorry, no, they all said, the students want only digital, not film, and even then ONLY the best brand names. One school revealed that a few students were still using film, but only Nikons. And film, but only fresh rolls, not expired.
Camera clubs, sometimes. Most such groups are populated by well-to-do retirees who parade around with their Leicas and sniff loudly at anything lesser. Not many of these around now, almost all obsessed with digital everything. Things have changed.
Local charity shops. Unlike some here I have nothing against 'op shops' IF the money stays local - the bigger names whip the cash away to central bank accounts and it doesn't get used locally, so for me no go. The smaller shops are okay - our little rural haven in Tasmania has an active ladies' hospital auxiliary group raising funds for casualty and emergency services in the community, so my things went to them.
Unfortunately many op shop volunteers mean well but haven't the faintest clue about the value of things. A few days later I wandered into the same shop with more goodies to donate, and had the unsettling experience of seeing several of my old Pentax Takumars and Nikon bits being flogged off for A$1-$3. It didn't improve my mood to see a once-cherished Nikkor 35/2.8 with a $4 price tag, so I bought it back...
We had the same experience with two older but still usable laptops, one with Windows 8 and 8.1 - all the local groups collecting computers for refugees told us sorry, their 'disadvantaged' clients only wanted Pentiums! As one volunteer there remarked, "so they can sell them on Ebay!" which again didn't do much for me.
At the risk of sounding overly cynical, I had to accept the fact that when we donate we relinquish all control over what happens to our precious photo bits, but there is the satisfaction of knowing the money realised from sales will go to a worthwhile local project (one hopes).
Lesser expectations on my part did help, and my two boxes of gear did go to a local thrift charity shop, and through them possibly to potential new owners (tho' a shop volunteer revealed a well-known local Ebay 'identity' would likely get first pick of my items, to which I said, "good luck to her!") - to put a 'light' conclusion on all this, my experience of donating locally did leave me with the feeling that I was trying to find new homes for a litter of polar bears.
You could always start a donation thread here and see if there are needy people here.
Guth
Appreciative User
I'll second sarkleshark's recommendation of checking in with the educational institutions in your area. I know that as of just three years ago my son's high school still offered film photography courses. I believe the local community college and university do as well. Good luck with your mission, I think that it is a good one.
lynnb
Veteran
Why not list it in the annual RFF Christmas/Holiday giveaway thread? Someone here might like it for themselves or someone they know.
das
Well-known
Thanks for all of the suggestions! I'll follow up. Oh man - didn't even know about that giveaway thread.