Gear we dislike but keep...and why?

[BradS]

Sometimes I try to rationalize the collection of gear I've accumulated. I'm kinda in the process again and have come to the realization that I have camera bodies that I dislike but keep because of the lenses that I have that fit them...

For me, these would be...
Mamiya nc1000....it's an ok body but there're some little things about it that I just don't like.
Minolta SRT ...same thing....although I admire the features, reliability and longevity of the SRT, I really don't like it.
I'd readily sell both of these cameras if not for the fantastic glass that I have the really only works with these bodies.

How about you? What gear do you dislike but keep for some other reason?

 

[Punker]

An old Argus C3 brick + flash attachment that doesn't work but I keep only because it was my dad's (he's still alive, he just has no use for it anymore).

A couple Russian rangefinders and a folding camera that are broken and worthless but look nice enough on a shelf. I'm thinking about de-cluttering though.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Everything I have, I like. Otherwise, I don't buy it. Nothing has (or will) fall out of favor.

Curious why you don't like the SRT? It's my favorite. I've wanted one since 1971 and was able to find a nice one only a few years ago (until then, the one's I'd seen weren't taken care of).

 

[R.Gould]

I don't have any gear that I don't like, from folders to tlr's, everything I buy is a camera I want to own and use, that way I never tire of putting film in and using each and every camera I own, sometimes only once or twice a year, some a lot more, but I love and enjoy them all so that I don't have a problem with a camera falling out of favor

 

[Paul Howell]

I tend to keep what I have rather than trade in or sell, some I pass on to others, but who knows what will catch my fancy later. I'm in agreement with R.Gould I don't have gear I don't like, just that I like some more than others.

 

[blockend]

A couple of early Minolta AF SLRs, I don't remember the name of (505i?). Thought I'd never used them before remembering my youngest son put a few films through. An EOS 650 bought as a backup for 3000n. Much clunkier so it remains unused. I still have 5 Nikkomats after thinning down the herd, the Nikomat badged one has barely been touched.

A number of lenses inc. Canon FD 50mm 1.8 that arrived on every Canon I ever bought. A factory fresh FD 135mm that came with a kit. A Kestrel (!?!) 70-150 zoom that arrived in a bag of stuff. Too many 35mm P&S's to mention. I could go on. Value - negligible.

 

[Ap507b]

Olympus OM2SP. Nice enough to shoot but really dislike its battery drain problem. Am not one that shoots a film in a short time & am so tired of taking it out of the bag & finding the batteries dead after a period of sitting idle. Hassle to take them out & none of my other cameras have that problem. Poor design by Olympus letting down an otherwise great camera. A shame compared to their earlier cameras which IMO are superb.

Was going to bin it as it has developed a fault winding on with not always cocking the shutter but decided as I took a precious photograph of my first granddaughter with it that it deserves to be fixed to live again. Have arranged to send it off for repair next month.

 

[narsuitus]

... because they were given to me as a gift.

 

[removed account4]

i figure the gear i dislike and keep ( vs stuff i had fun with and eventually sold )
was stuff i disliked because i wasn't able to share its vibe...
so i keep it and use it from time to time to try to catch the vibe ...

 

[Arklatexian]

Sometimes I try to rationalize the collection of gear I've accumulated. I'm kinda in the process again and have come to the realization that I have camera bodies that I dislike but keep because of the lenses that I have that fit them...

For me, these would be...
Mamiya nc1000....it's an ok body but there're some little things about it that I just don't like.
Minolta SRT ...same thing....although I admire the features, reliability and longevity of the SRT, I really don't like it.
I'd readily sell both of these cameras if not for the fantastic glass that I have the really only works with these bodies.

How about you? What gear do you dislike but keep for some other reason?

I have never been able to buy cameras on the spur of the moment, so everything I have is something that I have wanted for a long time with one exception, my Graphic View 2. As a salesman, I helped sell it as a new camera to a fine gentleman and friend of mine. He died before being able to use it and when his widow put it up for sale, I was the first in line. That was many years ago and it is still one of my favorites, not just because it still works beautifully but because I remember how proud George was the day he bought it. Later, I missed out getting a Linhof Super Technika outfit by waiting too long. It is not good for a photographer to work in a camera store. Like a child in a candy store.........Regards!....Soooo, I like everything I own.....

 

[Sirius Glass]

I was given a Tessina L. After I paid for a CLA, bought a prism, wrist strap, cassettes, film loader, I just do not really enjoy using it. I could not even get back the money that I spent on the free camera.

 

[mooseontheloose]

Good question Brad. I've been thinking about this myself - I have way too many cameras/systems to rationally keep, but I don't want to get rid of them either. None of them have any sentimental value to me, but I enjoyed shooting them all when they were the primary camera in my life. I've just moved on from most of them. Other than my Mamiya 6 camera and lenses, which I could probably sell for the same money I spent on them, I don't see the point of selling the other cameras. It would bring in a little cash (but still, at a loss compared to what I paid) but the main advantage would be freeing up some room in my small Japanese apartment.

 

[ransel]

I have a love-hate relationship with non-rangefinder 120 folders. I have had a few and am usually disappointed with the results, but manage to get just enough good images to make me say "I'll keep this one for now".

 

[LeftCoastKid]

Dislike and keep? Maybe redundant and keep: 80-200 F4 Ais Nikkor, 300 ED F4 AF (first generation). The 80-200 was usurped by an 80-200 F2.8 IF-ED AF-D, the 300 F4, by a 300 F2.8 IF-ED Ais. Both have sat unused for several years; maybe they'll make a trip to the next swap meet I manage to attend...or maybe they'll both continue to enjoy residing in the darkness of their respective Halliburtons...

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I get given stuff, one recent visit from the camera fairy resulted in a Mamiya Sekor 1000DTL, locked solid, but I like the 55/1.9 M-S lens, also it came with a 90-190 suck & blow Yashinon zoom that intrigues me. I have 2 more M-S bodies, including another DTL that actually has a working meter and a capping shutter.
Sometimes the fairy brings me things I initially dislike, a Maxxum 7000 for one - it's SO 80s! and it's fun, with the pretty decent beercan zoom, papers, bills of sale, deadicated flash, etc.. Another, a Nikon Coolpix 995 - excellent closeup mode, great for making picture notes when I'm working on something unfamiliar to me.
But anything I seek out tends to stay, both my 4x5 and 8x10 are the first and only ones, after 30+ years.
I find cameras at yardsales, K1000s for anything from free to $5, an ME Super for $5, those get passed along, but I kept the $2 Spotmatic F w. 55/1.8. Filthiest camera I've yet to see.

 

[Pioneer]

It is a very deep and dark mystery that I would rather not spend time thinking about.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

It is a very deep and dark mystery that I would rather not spend time thinking about.

Perhaps, if you keep some cameras you dislike, it could save you some time in purgatory.

 

[benjiboy]

I kept a Canon A1 that I wasn't mad about for about for 25 years I gave it to my niece who after a short time give me it back. I eventually sold it recently,

 

[guangong]

As for cameras, lenses and associated doo-dads, I only buy what I like but like some others in this thread, almost never trade or sell. I don’t have a camera collection, but rather a camera accumulation. Recently given an older Canon slr that is just too bulky and heavy for my tastes although shutter, meter, etc. seem to work after so many years without any service. Used ones go for $15 to 20 on auction site. On second thought, maybe I’ll put a roll of film through it and change my mind.
Only cameras I traded in were infamously unreliable Hasselblad 1000F and sometime later Pentax Spotmatic, great camera but trading in was only way for me to acquire a Leica M.

 

[Pioneer]

Perhaps, if you keep some cameras you dislike, it could save you some time in purgatory.

In that case I should whizz right through purgatory.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

In that case I should whizz right through purgatory.

Plus it's character building

 

[E. von Hoegh]

As for cameras, lenses and associated doo-dads, I only buy what I like but like some others in this thread, almost never trade or sell. I don’t have a camera collection, but rather a camera accumulation. Recently given an older Canon slr that is just too bulky and heavy for my tastes although shutter, meter, etc. seem to work after so many years without any service. Used ones go for $15 to 20 on auction site. On second thought, maybe I’ll put a roll of film through it and change my mind.
Only cameras I traded in were infamously unreliable Hasselblad 1000F and sometime later Pentax Spotmatic, great camera but trading in was only way for me to acquire a Leica M.

I call mine a "camera and gear accretion".
A Hasselblad 1000f/1600f with Ektar lenses could be a fun challenge.

 

[benjiboy]

Plus it's character building

Yes "mortification of the flesh is good for the soul".

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Yes "mortification of the flesh is good for the soul".

The photographic analogue of a hairshirt...

 

[MattKing]

I have an old tripod that I don't like nearly as much as my current one.
But as it resides in the trunk of my wife's car, it serves its purpose well.
Older, less appreciated equipment that is already owned and paid for is a good choice for backups.