What cameras or lenses [include darkroom equipment] do you wish you had never sold?

Sirius Glass · Jan 9, 2022

zIn life all of us at sometime did something we later wished we had not done or should have done. You can feel free to tell us here.

Right after I finished graduate school, my coworkers set up a private Zone System and darkroom class with Ansel Adams in Yosemite. I had just bought multiple lenses for my Minolta SRT and only took slides. I had no option to use a darkroom and I had decided to only shoot slides. Besides I knew that the N+1, N+2, N-1, ... would not work for a roll of 36 exposures especially sides so I said no. I never even knew or thought about renting equipment for the class.

BradS · Jan 9, 2022

I regret selling the 1968 Firebird 400 I had in college.

Arthurwg · Jan 10, 2022

Zeiss Ikon 6x9.

btaylor · Jan 10, 2022

I regret selling my Contax lla and Pentax Spotmatic when I was young. Fortunately film gear prices plummeted and I bought them again a few years ago. I’ll never sell the Baby Speed Graphic I bought with paper route money when I was 12. I still have the contact prints I made in the laundry room from the 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 sheet film.

AnselMortensen · Jan 10, 2022

I regret selling my Hassy 500C/M kit w/50mm, 80mm, 150mm & 250mm C lenses & C-12 backs for a pittance back in 2008.
I'm over it, though...I've been able to replace them with better & newer equipment.
I do miss my 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, however.

Huss · Jan 10, 2022

My Contax T3 because I thought I'd never shoot film again. Yeah, saw how that worked out!

Chan Tran · Jan 10, 2022

My Beseler CB-7 with the dichroic head.

Alan Edward Klein · Jan 10, 2022

I really kicked myself for not selling my Mamiya RB67 medium format film equipment after digital started to get popular, Eventually, the value dropped to about 10% of what I paid for the Mamiya stuff. But then after sitting in the closet for years, I started shooting it again. The price of it has gone up a little and I'm glad I saved the equipment. Now I've bought a 4x5 set that I'm using over the Mamiya set. But I'll keep the Mamiya also. Fortunately, selling it won't change the way I live. I also have a 35mm set that I even more rarely use. But I could get no more than a couple of hundred for it so why sell it?

I guess a lot depends on whether you need the money or not and just how much the equipment is worth.

Alan Edward Klein · Jan 10, 2022

AnselMortensen said:
I regret selling my Hassy 500C/M kit w/50mm, 80mm, 150mm & 250mm C lenses & C-12 backs for a pittance back in 2008.
I'm over it, though...I've been able to replace them with better & newer equipment.
I do miss my 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, however.

That kinda happened to me. By the time I realize what was going on with digital driving the price of film own, the value of my Mamiya RB67 equipment had dropped so much it didn't pay to sell it. So I kept it in the closet for years only later pulling it out to start using it again. "Nothing new under the sun."

Don_ih · Jan 10, 2022

Huss said:
Contax T3 because I thought I'd never shoot film again.

It's ok, though, because there's an exceptionally high chance it would have failed by now.

I have a problem selling anything I like, so I have way too much stuff. I've sold a lot of in-demand point-and-shoot cameras like the Contax T3 and can't regret it because they all fail without warning and they're all well past their best-before date.

Paul Howell · Jan 10, 2022

Konica 57 1.2, at the time I had Pentax Spotmatic with 5 or 6 lens and the Konica T with 4 lens, a 50 1.7 and the 57 1.2. I wanted a Nikon F with motor drive, because of the 1.2 I was offered a lot more for my T system as trade in. Now that I have a couple of T3s and a 4, thinking of getting a 1.2, prices are a little steep.

Andrew O'Neill · Jan 10, 2022

Linhof Master Tech V.

gone · Jan 10, 2022

Leica R 90 2 Summicron lens
Voigtlander Bessa II w/ Heliar lens
Voigtlander Bessa 66 w/ Heliar lens
Voigtlander Brillant TLR w/ Heliar lens
Voigtlander Brillant TLR w/ Voigtar lens
Zeiss Super Ikonta IV
Canon F1
Nikon F4
Leica R5
Nikon 28 200 G ED lens
Konica C35
Rolleiflex w/ Planar lens
Rolleiflex w/ 2.8 Xenota
Minolta Aotocord TLR
Old Rolleiflex w/ uncoated Tessar
old Rolleicords w/ Triotar lenses
Helios lens

On and on and on. Now I have just two 35mm cameras, and two lenses.

markjwyatt · Jan 10, 2022

My Baby Rollei. My mom bought it in likely the late 50s and married my dad. He used it, then when I got interested in photography I think he sold it to me for $50 (~1973ish). Kodak discontinued 127 film soon thereafter, and I also ended up buying his Zeiss Icarex 35S M42 (with the Ultron). I stupidly traded the Baby Rollei for a Vivitar 135mm M42 lens, which I rarely used, and I think I gave away 10-15 years later. Fortunately I did keep the Ultron (even after the Icarex shutter went bad).

markjwyatt · Jan 10, 2022

momus said:
Leica R 90 2 Summicron lens
Voigtlander Bessa II w/ Heliar lens
Voigtlander Bessa 66 w/ Heliar lens
Voigtlander Brillant TLR w/ Heliar lens
Voigtlander Brillant TLR w/ Voigtar lens
Zeiss Super Ikonta IV
Canon F1
Nikon F4
Leica R5
Nikon 28 200 G ED lens
Konica C35
Rolleiflex w/ Planar lens
Rolleiflex w/ 2.8 Xenota
Minolta Aotocord TLR
Old Rolleiflex w/ uncoated Tessar
old Rolleicords w/ Triotar lenses
Helios lens

On and on and on. Now I have just two 35mm cameras, and two lenses.

That is a lot of sorrow! You are a sorrowfull person.

4season · Jan 11, 2022

The only thing that come to my mind is my original Gitzo 1228 carbon fiber tripod, which I replaced with a first-generation Manfrotto 055 CF, for the latter’s convertible center column. Because while I do use that particular feature a lot, I might have accomplished pretty much the same simply by accessorizing the Gitzo with a lateral arm, and when I’m not using the Manfrotto’s convertible center column, it’s length can be unwieldy, and I wind up switching to a short column anyway.

fiddle · Jan 11, 2022

My xpan, not because I loved it, but because I could've bought a small house for what they re going for now.

otto.f · Jan 11, 2022

- My Sinar f2 4x5. I sold it a long time ago so I think I felt a desperate need to swap it, for a Hasselblad I think. But four years ago I wanted to make stills and experimental work again in the studio and bought a Linhof Kardan Color, which is a charming nostalgic set with its original tripod, but the Sinar had this nice Scheimpflug facility and it runs smoother all the way. And I had all the accessories like a compendium which is quite a thing to get for the Linhof.
- I sold my Mamiya 7ii with 65mm after my hike with my son in Patagonia in 2019. This was a stupid action not only in the financial sense, prices have increased with 1000€ in the meantime for this set. But I’m very fond of the 6x7 format and use it much more often than the square format of my Tele-Rolleiflex (I tend to sell this too, but why would I if the experience is that sooner or later a certain type of photography returns in your scope and you regret having sold something that would be a perfect tool for it).
- I don’t regret having sold my Hasselblad, although the 120 Macro Planar is a lens that I can recommend to anyone who likes this system.

lantau · Jan 11, 2022

I only buy things. In general, I don't sell stuff. Never have. Neither do I trade.

MARTIE · Jan 11, 2022

lantau said:
I only buy things. In general, I don't sell stuff. Never have. Neither do I trade.

Same here!
Let's hope lots more people want to get rid of their stuff...

David Lingham · Jan 11, 2022

In the early 80s’ I sold a really nice Mamiya C330, when I didn’t think medium format was for me. Biggest regret was parting with a Gibson Les Paul in the 70s, although it did allow me to buy a Nikon F2A and a couple of lenses.

Ian Leake · Jan 11, 2022

Most of everything I’ve sold. Especially my RZ67 Pro II, my first Hassie, my second Hassie, all my Leicas, etc, etc. Mostly I sold them in order to buy something better, and mostly it’s been the right thing to do, but it would have been nice to keep them.

tokam · Jan 11, 2022

I have traded equipment on new purchases without regret. About 10 years ago I went on a big GAS spree when gear was at throwaway prices. Time to cull the herd and I think I will do alright out of it.

In Australia people are asking silly prices for Yashicamat 124G's, Spotmatics and Canon AE-1's. I bought all mine for an average of about $AUD75.00 each. Should clean up on these.

Mind you they are not getting the RZ67 Pro 2 outfit I bought here in 2014 for $850. Sorry @braxus Body plus 65 / 110 / 180mm lenses and 2 6x7 backs and lens hoods etc. I may entertain offers of $2500. I could then replace with lighter Mamiya TLR gear and pocket a good bit of change

choiliefan · Jan 11, 2022

In a pinch for cash, I sold my Leicaflex SL with five assorted lenses.
Summicrons 28-50-90 plus a 180 Elcan? and a bellows macro lens.
Been awhile, made a big mistake because I could have sold other stuff instead.
Still haunts me...

Sirius Glass · Jan 11, 2022

Old Gregg said:
Sold my minty, recently CLAd Hasselblad 501CM and instantly regretted it. Of course I have two other Hasselblads but I had not realized that being down to just two Hasselblads would be so much worse than having three Hasselblads.

This miserable experience led me to conclude that the only rational way to move forward in life is to acquire all remaining Hasselblad/Zeiss lenses I do not currently own, including the 38mm. Lucky me, this lens always comes with another Hasselblad attached to it, so I will be sufficiently rehasselbladed soon.

WTF?!? You do not have your eye out looking for a 30mm Fisheye? If you have not used one of those, you have not lived!

What cameras or lenses [include darkroom equipment] do you wish you had never sold?

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