The struggle to sell unpopular gear at bargain prices.

[isaac7]

Though also worth pointing out that not buying a infuencer reccomended thing because those reccomendations have inflated the cost far above value can be a rational decision. To me the epitome of this was the prices some of the Contax point-and-shoots were going for (and still may be) compared to an Olympus/Nikon/Canon/Pentax P&S going for 1/4 the price or less. (I haven't look at this market in years so I don't know if this is still true today.)

Don’t worry, those other P&S are rising in price. The Contax cameras along with the Nikon 35/28ti, and the Minolta high end P&S have 2 advantages. First, they do take really nice pictures with minimal knowledge. Secondly, and possibly more important to the influencer crowd, they look really cool. There isn’t much overlap between people buying these cameras and “more sensible” cameras like the Nikon FE. The FE requires a modicum of skill and technique to get decent results. Photographers want usable and flexible cameras, clout chasers want something that is fashionable.

All of them are pretty much unfixable once they inevitably break. If the ranks of actual photographers grows your unfashionable cameras will be better appreciated.

 

[Pieter12]

Before "influencers" Terry Richardson's use of the Yashica T4 drove prices of those cameras through the roof--and they continue to stay at that level.

 

[isaac7]

Before "influencers" Terry Richardson's use of the Yashica T4 drove prices of those cameras through the roof--and they continue to stay at that level.

The best thing you can do with a working T4 is sell it lol. To be fair they do take nice pictures. They were never made for durability and now 20 years later they all ticking brick bombs.

 

[Pieter12]

The best thing you can do with a working T4 is sell it lol. To be fair they do take nice pictures. They were never made for durability and now 20 years later they all ticking brick bombs.

I think most T4’s are more like 30 years old now.

 

[Craig]

Then you do have the models made desirable by both serious reviews and influencers. Try buying a Canon AE-1 or Olympus Mju these days! Lovely cameras for sure, but not at all worth the premium placed upon them.

I have no idea why I can buy a Nikon F4 for less than an AE-1. The Nikon is a much better camera, but for some reason not popular.

 

[RezaLoghme]

It is real.

I have seen how fast people flip the popular equipment. A Leica disappears in no time.

Well when its unpopular, no surprise it does not sell quickly, right?

 

[Agulliver]

The F4 is a fine camera with a lot of uses given it's lens compatibility and I'd wager that if one ever came my way I'd use it a lot....but it is also heavy, bigger than the AE-1 and was never aimed at amateurs. The AE1 caught the imagination of serious amateurs back when it was launched and continues to excite people in the influencer era.

I have an AE-1 Program. And it's a very well made and designed camera. I don't use it as much as my other SLRs because I prefer aperture priority mode and the whole Canon thing of lens compatibility turns me off. But I have one, and use it.

I'd also argue that most people looking for a good film SLR these days aren't interested in the autofocus offered by the F4, and possibly not the motor drive.

Looking around eBay UK at least, the Canon sells for less than the Nikon...but not by a lot. Inability to sell a F4 could be down to the seller not being skilled at writing adverts, or bad timing.

 

[isaac7]

I have no idea why I can buy a Nikon F4 for less than an AE-1. The Nikon is a much better camera, but for some reason not popular.

Just goes to show how different people are. If I had to choose between the AE-1 and an F4 I would pay extra money to not use the F4 lol. There’s no doubt the AE-1 is overhyped (it always has been) but it is a lot easier to carry around. What I find puzzling is how often the AE-1 sells for more than the A1 which is a better camera no matter how you want to evaluate it. There are 2 20 somethings at work that love shooting film and they love their AE-1s. They are unimpressed with my Spotmatic F or Konica iiim. Just as well, it’s how I got such good deals on them

 

[MattKing]

Just goes to show how different people are. If I had to choose between the AE-1 and an F4 I would pay extra money to not use the F4 lol. There’s no doubt the AE-1 is overhyped (it always has been) but it is a lot easier to carry around. What I find puzzling is how often the AE-1 sells for more than the A1 which is a better camera no matter how you want to evaluate it. There are 2 20 somethings at work that love shooting film and they love their AE-1s. They are unimpressed with my Spotmatic F or Konica iiim. Just as well, it’s how I got such good deals on them

As you say, people are different.
Back in the day, I sold both the AE-1 and the A-1 to customers.
I preferred the AE-1.
Of course, I was actually using an OM-1, or a Mamiya C330

 

[Craig]

Just goes to show how different people are. If I had to choose between the AE-1 and an F4 I would pay extra money to not use the F4 lol.

Back in the day, I had an AE-1P. A fine starter camera, but nowhere as capable as the F4. The Nikon's metering is just about perfect, it gave me thousands of perfectly exposed slides. The AE-1P not so much.

I then went to the A-1, and again a decent camera, but not as good (or as durable) as an F series Nikon. Both my Canons suffered from the A series squeak before they were 10 years old.

There is a reason I don't have the AE-1P anymore ( and would never consider buying another one) and still have the F4 I bought in 1989.

 

[isaac7]

Back in the day, I had an AE-1P. A fine starter camera, but nowhere as capable as the F4. The Nikon's metering is just about perfect, it gave me thousands of perfectly exposed slides. The AE-1P not so much.

I then went to the A-1, and again a decent camera, but not as good (or as durable) as an F series Nikon. Both my Canons suffered from the A series squeak before they were 10 years old.

There is a reason I don't have the AE-1P anymore ( and would never consider buying another one) and still have the F4 I bought in 1989.

I have only ever owned one Canon camera, a IVsb I think it was. No complaints, it was nice camera. Not remotely close to an AE-1 though lol. There’s no question the F4 is a quality item just not what I want in a camera. The viewfinder is spectacular but it is just too big and heavy for me. If I’m going to use a heavy camera it’s going to be a larger format! I’m a Pentax and Leica guy in 35mm. I can’t afford Leicas anymore so I’m getting Japanese rangefinders like the iiim and my new to me Topcon 35s. I don’t know if we should keep quiet about our unpopular cameras to keep the price down or hype them up to make them more valuable lol.

 

[AnselMortensen]

I don’t know if we should keep quiet about our unpopular cameras to keep the price down or hype them up to make them more valuable lol.

"Hey, Guys...Mirandas are great cameras! Everybody should own at least one! They're awesome...and cheap! Get them now, before the price goes up!
Oh yeah, and please leave a "like" in the comments"

 

[Agulliver]

I'd rather use a Praktica BX20S than either the Nikon F4 or Canon AE-1.

Probably why I have three....and am glad they're terminally uncool. But that's partly down to the fact that I first got one way back in 1993, and have a *lot* of lenses, teleconverters, two dedicated Praktica flashes and even the BX winder. Would I necessarily recommend one to a newbie? Possibly not. Would I buy another at the right price? Yes!

The F4 may be *technically* the best of the cameras we've discussed bit it is a tank, it's heavy even without the battery grip, and I can well see many people preferring a medium format camera if they're going to carry that much around.

 

[GregY]

I'd rather use a Praktica BX20S than either the Nikon F4 or Canon AE-1.

Probably why I have three....and am glad they're terminally uncool. But that's partly down to the fact that I first got one way back in 1993, and have a *lot* of lenses, teleconverters, two dedicated Praktica flashes and even the BX winder. Would I necessarily recommend one to a newbie? Possibly not. Would I buy another at the right price? Yes!

The F4 may be *technically* the best of the cameras we've discussed bit it is a tank, it's heavy even without the battery grip, and I can well see many people preferring a medium format camera if they're going to carry that much around.

I had one (F4)...of all the Nikons i used, i liked it the least. It was the bulkiest, most awkward in my hands.... & Yes re MF..... the New Mamiya 6MF..... wins by a mile. Svelte...handles well...big negative = big positives!

 

[isaac7]

Nikon never made a bad F series camera but they were designed for a specific use case. My favorite is the f5 though I never got a chance to hold or use an F6. There's no one camera that is perfect for everyone. I'm hoping we can keep our cameras working and find new users for them when we stop using them.

 

[Craig]

the New Mamiya 6MF..... wins by a mile. Svelte...handles well...big negative = big positives!

At nearly 20 times the price of an F4 these days it should be a lot better!

 

[GregY]

At nearly 20 times the price of an F4 these days it should be a lot better!

Well back-in-the-day .....the Mamiya 6 MF was relatively affordable. I think I paid around $2k Canadian for the 3 lens kit in the aluminum case. Eventually i sold it for much more as i was fearful of the brick effect.... but i dragged it everywhere. & the 50mm was particularly spectacular. So the price of an F4 today is a moot point.

 

[chuck3565]

They

I'd rather use a Praktica BX20S than either the Nikon F4 or Canon AE-1.

Probably why I have three....and am glad they're terminally uncool. But that's partly down to the fact that I first got one way back in 1993, and have a *lot* of lenses, teleconverters, two dedicated Praktica flashes and even the BX winder. Would I necessarily recommend one to a newbie? Possibly not. Would I buy another at the right price? Yes!

The F4 may be *technically* the best of the cameras we've discussed bit it is a tank, it's heavy even without the battery grip, and I can well see many people preferring a medium format camera if they're going to carry that much around.

They are nice cameras, if they work. I have 3 or 4, including a new one, still in the box. The new one had the lever that moves the mirror up misaligned so when the shutter was fired, the mirror didn't rise. The others had electronic problems that I repaired. When functioning, they are one of my favorite SLRs.