What gear should I sell to get me out of my dilemma?

Graham_Martin · Feb 15, 2010

I've done what many of us have and that is to buy with my heart and not my head. I just purchased a Mamiya AFD with a 35mm manual focus, 150mm AF and 55-110AF lenses. I bought it because I wanted an AF camera for those situations where I don't have time to properly manual focus.

I also have a Hasselblad 500 c/m with 50mm, 80mm, 150mm, and 250mm lenses. I love that camera when I have the time to set up and shoot excatly how I want.

Then I have two Nikon DSLRs (a D2X and a D300) with several Nikon lenses.

I need to raise about $1,500.00

So what to liquidate? I'm thinking of selling the 'blad 150mm since I have that covered with the Mamiya, plus maybe sell the D2X. I do use both DSLRs and so I would probably downgrade to a D200. That's not going to get me to $1,500 but it would be a start. What I am really trying to do is to keep parts of each because each system has its place. Maybe it's just a case of too many toys!

Any thoughts?

2F/2F · Feb 15, 2010

I'd sell either the auto focus Mamiya or the Hassy, but neither of the digitals. The loss you'd take on them would be too great, and they are still perfectly functional cameras, and will be for years into the future.

Denis R · Feb 15, 2010

nikkors

what nikkors do you have?

Ektagraphic · Feb 15, 2010

I would personally sell the digitals ( ) but you may want to sell which camera set up you are using the least/could work with without the most.

totalamateur · Feb 15, 2010

Dump a dig.

I'm assuming that you aren't making money off of any particular item, if you are then my opinion is a little more cut and dry- figure out what equipment you get paid the most for and dump what has the smallest return.

If you aren't a pro- you probably don't need two digital bodies, so I'd dump the one that has farther to fall, not knowing much about nikons, I'll offer a canon reference - If I owed a 5d Mk1 and a 7d or 50d, I'd dump the 50d or 7d, since it's a newer model and has farther to fall.

As far as the two MF bodies - I could go either way, but if it were me, I shoot LF when I want to be methodical and digital when I have to shoot fast. So an autofocus MF really doesn't gain me much- for me the point is to stick the camera on a tripod, look at the scene, look at the GG, meter the light, re-focus, stop down, re-focus, re - meter, tighten everythign down, re focus one last time, write down my exposure and recalculate it twice, load the film - triple check the preview lever, and the aperature, and the shutter setting, open the darkslide, and hit the button.

I'm considering an MF, but paying the preimum for an AF body and lenses so far down on my list of buying priorities that I'll never get to it unless I win the lottery.

Joachim_I · Feb 16, 2010

How about selling the Mamiya prime lenses? Then you have the Mamiya when you need to be fast (AF and zoom) and the Hassy when you can afford to be slow. Of course, I also would sell that digital stuff.

mgb74 · Feb 16, 2010

As the Lovin Spoonful said:

Did you ever have to make up your mind
Pick up on one and leave the other behind
It's not often easy and not often kind
Did you ever have to make up your mind

Sometimes you really dig a girl the moment you kiss her
And then you get distracted by her older sister
When in walks her father and takes you a line
And says, "You better go home, son, and make up your mind"

As totalamateur said, "If you aren't a pro- you probably don't need two digital bodies". That's the easy part.

If you want to raise $1,500, you're going to have to go home and make up your mind whether to keep the Hassy or the Mamiya system. You might make your goal selling one digital body and a couple of the Hassy lenses.

sun of sand · Feb 16, 2010

sell the entire blad system
sounds like you don't use it that much and it don't impress anyone sitting at home
or sell the entire mamiya system as it sounds like you don't truly need autofocus all that often
or sell a digital with whatever lenses and a bla dlens or whatever t make around your 1500 goal

but why am i doing this for you
thats a $1500 question

Rudeofus · Feb 16, 2010

Sell them all

I've made the discovery that whenever I have a hard time deciding which of two or more products to buy, it's best to buy none of them and spend more time finding a product where I have no such doubts. In your case you should sell any camera where you are not absolutely positive that you really want to use it. Each of these systems can be rebought later, and probably for less than what you get for them now.

I know it's a harsh move, but if one gets disoriented by too much gear, it's time to get rid of most or all of it and start all over.

Graham_Martin · Feb 16, 2010

These are all excellent points for me to consider. Just to comment in a general way. I am not a pro, my Nikon gear includes a D2X, D300 plus these AF lenses: 70-200 f/2.8 VR, 300mm f/4, 17-55 f/2.8. 85mmm f/1.8, 50mm f/2.8, Sigma 120-300 f/2.8, Sigma 10-24 f/4 - 5.6, Nikon 28-200, 75-300 f/4.5 - 5.6, and a manual focus Nikon 15mm f/3.5. It is also true that having so much gear sometimes gets in the way of deciding which piece of equipment to use for a given situation. If I give up one of the DSLRs it would be the D2X because the D300 has more versatility. If I were to give up one of the MFs it would be the Mamiya because I really love using the 'blad. I'm going to shoot a couple of rolls with Mamiya to see how I like it. If it helps me out during those times when auto-focus is what I need then I will keep it and sell the D2X. If the Mamiya does not live up to my expectations then I will sell it.

Rick A · Feb 16, 2010

Keep all the photo gear, sell yer sister. Hope you know I'm just kidding. That is a dilemma. Do you have anything else of value other than your kits? I would have to go with listing a couple of items, and stop at which ever sells first. Been in that situation before, in a crunch for quick cash(right after buying a cool toy). You'll figure it out, and be alright.

Rick

removed-user-1 · Feb 16, 2010

Graham_Martin said:
These are all excellent points for me to consider. Just to comment in a general way. I am not a pro, my Nikon gear includes a D2X, D300 plus these AF lenses: 70-200 f/2.8 VR, 300mm f/4, 17-55 f/2.8. 85mmm f/1.8, 50mm f/2.8, Sigma 120-300 f/2.8, Sigma 10-24 f/4 - 5.6, Nikon 28-200, 75-300 f/4.5 - 5.6, and a manual focus Nikon 15mm f/3.5.

Some of these lenses overlap quite a bit - and they still have notable market value. You could probably raise $1500 selling the D2x, the Sigma 120-300mm (which covers almost the same ground as the Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 and the 300mm f/4), and the manual-focus 15mm Nikkor (which the Sigma ultrawide covers).

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 16, 2010

I think I agree with this approach. I use two cameras, a Pentax 35mm and a Hasselblad. (and a pinhole too, now that I think about it). I love both so much I feel like I don't need anything else.
Your situation is different, obviously, but it seems to me that the Hasselblad adds the least to your photography. I do understand the focusing problem; the Hasselblad 500 is not the fastest thing around. It hurts to advise to sell such a brilliant camera, but what does it do that you cannot do with the Mamiya?

Also, why two digital bodies? There must be a way to work around that to only use one. The less equipment you have, the less you have to think about what to use, and your creativity in making what you have at hand work often results in better pictures.

My 2 cents.

- THomas

sun of sand said:
sell the entire blad system
sounds like you don't use it that much and it don't impress anyone sitting at home
or sell the entire mamiya system as it sounds like you don't truly need autofocus all that often
or sell a digital with whatever lenses and a bla dlens or whatever t make around your 1500 goal

but why am i doing this for you
thats a $1500 question

bill schwab · Feb 16, 2010

My vote would be to sell everything but the Blad and the D-300. Then get to work taking pictures instead of collecting more gear. One thing that I have deduced from this site and others is that there is much too much G.A.S. and far too little photography.

PVia · Feb 16, 2010

Bill and Thomas offer sound advice.

Whatever you decide, you have too many AF lenses. Here's my advice: Pick one lens and use only that lens for a year or two. Use your feet to change your view. Don't worry about the shots that you feel get away. Period.

Chiron · Feb 16, 2010

Here's a few things I keep in mind when dealing with a dilemma like this:

1) The digital bodies have a limited lifespan of usefulness. Ten or twenty years from now their number of "actuations" or shots will be extremely high and may begin to suffer from bit rot or sensor degradation.
2) Every day their value drops. Sometimes a lot. Just look at what going prices are for a "top of the line" D1X vs. what they were even a year or two ago.
3) Who knows what kind of memory cards/interfaces will be used for digital imaging in ten or twenty years. Digital archiving is still relatively new and a challenging thing to handle.

My .02? Play it smart and with common sense. Consider which DSLR you use the most and will last the longest for your use, and sell the other. Do the same with your 35mm lenses. Though play it conservative here. The smart money is almost ALWAYS on the lenses. Then see where you are relative to your monetary goal. If you still need to raise more, then pick a single MF system and stick with it. OR, if possible, pick the MF system you use the least, sell everything but the body and a single lens.

This should keep you going and thin things out a bit to get you over the $$ hump, and learn precisely what you use/like the most and why. Then later if you deem it, you can always re-purchase gear.

nkbitsch · Feb 16, 2010

One thing is for sure. If you sell some of your digital gear now, and then regret it in.. lets say 1 year. Then buy it again, and it's 100% sure that you will still have made some money due to the rapid decrease in price of digital equipment. This most likely wont be the case with the medium formats, but still, you never know.

Q.G. · Feb 16, 2010

If you sell your digital gear now, and regret it 6 months from now, you will very likely be able to get better digital gear for what selling your present gear 'brings in' now.

Digital gear is meant to be bought, dumped, bought, dumped, bought... [ad infinitum] in a 6 months cycle anyway.

2F/2F · Feb 16, 2010

Shhh....you're hurting my 10D's feelings, Q.G. She is crying because she should have been dumped over a dozen times already.

She still takes the same pictures she took when new...and those pictures leave nothing to be desired from me.

I say use digital cameras until they break in a way that would cost more to repair than buying a used replacement, and then upgrade. That is my take on the "disposability" of digital equipment.

Graham_Martin · Feb 16, 2010

Certainly the "bias" of the opinions is that I should sell at least one camera and some lenses. The reason I have two DSLRs is because I take many pictures as a volunteer for my local newspaper including the last four shuttle launches near where I live in Florida. For those launches I typically use both cameras. With one I use a telephoto lens and with the other I use a wide angle. There are also other occasions when I use two cameras and need to get the pix pretty quickly. Having said that, I think I will put up the D2X for sale and keep the D300. I do have an F100 for those occasions when I would like to have a second 35mm. With 41C film I can get that developed in an hour when needed. I can sell the D2X for about $900 and the 15mm for between $550 and $650. That would take care of the situation. I may also thin the herd a little bit more so that I can travel lighter. Thanks for the great suggestions.

Mike1234 · Feb 16, 2010

Your dilemna will never end until you've made your choice, followed through, and spent the money. Then the dilemna goes away and the remorse sets in. Just accept the fact it's gonna' happen and don't shed tears in front of your significant other.

elekm · Feb 16, 2010

Sell the digital while they still have some value. Digital cameras are dime a dozen. You can always buy another. Or buy the same model camera in a year at 75% of the price. Or buy back your camera at 50%.

Christopher Walrath · Feb 16, 2010

fIND ANOTHER WAY. I don't know how many times I realized that another bill just took the place of the one I sold something in order to fund the payment. Now that I realize that there will always be another bill I have promised myself that I would not sell things for that purpose. Read: Korg 01W Pro X keyboard/workstation. Doggoneit!

jp498 · Feb 16, 2010

I'd sell the d2x since the d300 does everything the d2x can. Some of those things it can do better. It's quickly losing value, so sell it while you can. the d2x value will drop like a rock even more if Nikon comes out with a d4 or new d3 product or any other pro level slr new gear.

What else to sell depends on what you use and want to use.

Graham_Martin · Feb 16, 2010

I have just listed the D2X for sale on Nikonians and FredMiranda. Will see what happens.

What gear should I sell to get me out of my dilemma?

removed-user-1

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