What was your biggest mistake?

[Dave Dawson]

Either buying something or selling something?

Mine was selling a Linhof 5x4 Technica system

Cheers Dave

 

[Rick A]

Selling both of my Kowa super 66's and lenses, swapping my first Yashica D for a motorcycle, buying that (then new)74 Chevy van(a major POS)and marrying my previous wife(the currant model is a definite keeper)

Rick

 

[David Brown]

I traded an Olympus XA with flash and some cash for a Zorki 4. The Zorki worked for about 24 hours ...

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Selling my Canon 20 2.8 FD lens.

Jeff

 

[John Jarosz]

Mine was not persevering with 8x10 when I first tried it. Twenty years later I jumped in again, this time to stay, and I've gone further with 8x20. Contact printing alt process is my niche..

 

[jgcull]

I guess it's not huge compared to others, but when I first set up my darkroom I accidentally bought a good sized box of 8x10 color paper (rather than b&w). They wouldn't take it back, so it was a good little chunk of money down the drain.

 

[coriana6jp]

About two years ago, I was loading 8x10 Velvia into holders in my bathroom (read that as darkroom) and I forgot to warn people not to come in. Well, my wife turned on the lights opened the door and there went a full box of film down to the garbage. Hadn't even loaded one holder yet.............sigh.

Gary

 

[HerrBremerhaven]

Linhof cable release. While it does work very smoothly, it is far to much a pain threading it onto a Copal shutter; the finger area is simply too small for my big hands.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

Selling my two Leica M5s and three lenses, I had to finance …
I know, they were just eating dust, not only because I do no more shoot 35 mm film, but these two jewels…I feel sick and stupid!

Philippe

P.S. I kept the M3 and a Summicron 7 elements

 

[darkosaric]

Buying bunch of stuff that I used almost never (argus, zorki, lubitel, yashica ME, minotla hi matic, lomo, druh, isolette...) ... and on the end using F3 most of the time. Now I am selling (sold) all except of nikon gear and going for leica M6. F3 and M6 - this is all I need

But I think this is usual for many people ... those cameras are so cheap today

 

[Laurent]

Recently ? Selling my Yashica mat (was recently CLA'ed) because I didn't trust it enough... Now that I'm hooked to TLRs, I always fear that my Rolleiflex may fail some time in the near future (it's already 50 years old, I've put nearly 100 films through it last year...)

Less recently, I sold a Canon F1 (the first model, with full metal winding lever) and Servo-EE finder because I needed cash. I loved the beast !

 

[Vaughn]

Not exactly selling something, but...

Mistake: Leaving my 5x7 kit in the truck at a motel on the way to Yosemite -- gone.
Outcome: Used the insurance money, plus some more cash, to buy 8x10 kit.
Lesson: Sleep with your camera stuff. Have insurance.

Vaughn

 

[lxdude]

When I was new to fleabay, I was bidding on several examples of the same camera. I got mixed up on which was which and bid on one which I had topped out on earlier in the bidding, thinking it was another, much better one. I ended up being high bidder. Aaaahhhh, crap!

Lesson#1: Don't bid on multiples of the same thing unless you have a way, like say, a list,:rolleyes: to keep straight which is which.

Lesson #2: Don't hit that button unless you're positive it's what you want to do.

Lesson #3: Saying "Oh, well. Live and learn." doesn't make me feel any better about it.

 

[rphenning]

saving up $11K when I was 17-19 and spending it on digital cameras when I could have spent a quarter of that on the good film stuff I am using now and spent the rest on plane tickets.

 

[Jerevan]

Mine was not persevering with 8x10 when I first tried it.

Similarly, I think that letting go too fast of equipment and not sticking out for a good while to really get to know what I had in my hands, regardless of negative size or camera model, has been the biggest mistake I have made.

 

[removed account4]

i don't have any mistakes in the buying department
but selling: too many to mention.

 

[Jesper]

I seem to be the opposite of jnanian

I don't have any mistakes in the selling department since I don't sell anything.
I do however have a lot of mistakes in the buying department since I buy way too much stuff that I don't need.

 

[ronlamarsh]

Mistake

Getting rid of my M3 doublestroke#%^&*&(( and going through a bunch of MF gear then settling on my rolleiflex when I could have just got one up front, LF regrets.............I didn't buy that Linhof 4X5 monorail when it was on sale new for $400!!!!

 

[Miskuss]

Trading in my Olympus OM system for a Nikon F4. The F4 is still in use and it's a great camera if you like to carry a boat anchor, but the OM system I truly loved, it was just not very durable for real life day to day shooting.

 

[Mike1234]

Marrying a lunatic who, BTW, was also a "B" word.

 

[Resoman]

Trading in my elegant gray leather Rolleiflex Model T. I traded it on a deal for a gorgeous Rollei E3 which I've used ever since, but the model T was so classy, and I feel I deserve two Rolleis!

Of course, I couldn't have afforded the E3 without the trade-in...

Gary,
East Snook, TX

 

[DWThomas]

Photographically, I'd say buying a Minox B back in the roaring 1960s when I suddenly found myself with disposable income. I'm sure it's a marvel for its time, but I can't say the pictures I got out of it lived up to my expectations (saw too many spy movies I guess). I still have it; maybe I should try it with some recent variety of film and see what it does. I've jokingly described it as a "cell phone camera before there were cell phones."

 

[lxdude]

Marrying a lunatic who, BTW, was also a "B" word.

So it wasn't the buying or selling, but more the having, hm?

 

[Micky]

buying a nikon d3

 

[Mike1234]

So it wasn't the buying or selling, but more the having, hm?

Yes... ever buy an automobile that seemed nice... drove well, reliable, economical, treated you nicely... but then completely turned into a hateful lemon... like it was possessed by some evil being?