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Old 35mm gear...what to do with it?

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scouter075

scouter075

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Like many of you, I have some used but perfectly good 35mm gear that sits in it's bag, untouched.

My kids don't want it. What are you all doing with yours? Selling it on eBay or to a dealer, donating it to??? or holding on to it for old times sake.....thinking it will become a valuable antique some day and fund your retirement :-)

Thoughts?
--
Dennis Esler
http://www.eslerphoto.com
'Painting with light since '68...just using new brushes now.'

 
--
Give them to Ken Rockwell?
 
Old Nikon prime lenses: Good value, Canon users need (and buy) them alot. :)
-Send to Ebay.
Old Nikon zooms: Some value, high if high-end, low if low end, Ebay.

Old aftermarket zooms. Value'd if fast (f2.8) nearly worthless if slow. Ebay the fast ones.

Old aftermarket primes: Reasonable value if wide angle, or fast long lenses. Others, little value. Ebay the ones with value.

Old Nikon bodies. FE, FM, F, F2, etc, all reasonably valuable, Ebay them. Plastic, 1980s and 90s bodies, except for highest models, nearly worthless.

-Or, Give the lot to a school that still uses film stuff or Goodwill, a charity.
 
You know, that'd make a pretty neat "reef tank" for the front of a studio.
Duke Miller said:
A) Get an aquarium;

B) Stock it with fish;

C) Strategically place your old gear in the tank.

Soon you'll have these cool domestic reefs all covered with slime
that will show off the eco in you.

--



Photography: The most fun you can have with your clothes on.
Click to expand...
--

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. - Ansel Adams
 
scouter075 said:
Like many of you, I have some used but perfectly good 35mm gear that
sits in it's bag, untouched.

My kids don't want it. What are you all doing with yours? Selling it
on eBay or to a dealer, donating it to??? or holding on to it for old
times sake.....thinking it will become a valuable antique some day
and fund your retirement :-)

Thoughts?
--
Dennis Esler
http://www.eslerphoto.com
'Painting with light since '68...just using new brushes now.'

Click to expand...
HI

If they are non ai lenses, buy a cheap Pentax dslr and use them as they are.

Will mount, meter, focus confirm, trap focus in many cases and from K100d on be stabilized....do this at your own risk...it just ...well..... works.

Ai ones will work on a Pentax with an adapter or with the meter coupling rim files off.

If any happen to be a old worn ai 200 f2...that is worthless and should be thrown out...send to me and I will do it for you.

neil
 
Why not, just for Sh*#ts and giggles. Take the stuff out and use it. Might surprise you with the results.
 
All depends upon what you've got.

I've made the mistake of selling old lenses & always regretted it.

I find myself with two film cameras (FM & N90s) & two digital D200 + D300.

The FM I just got for nostalgic reasons. The N90s came along with me 50mm f/1.2 AiS. Don't need the N90s - but see no reason to sell it. It's a great camera.

So - if lenses - which? Many of them are excellent & why sell an excellent lens. Why not play with them & see if you can use them.

I've donated a lot to my daughter's schools over the years. My camera equipment they don't get.

Lil :-)
--
I'm just as entitled to be wrong as you are. :-)

My ever growing gallery, can be visited by friends & family at

http://lilknytt.zenfolio.com/

 
scouter075 said:
Like many of you, I have some used but perfectly good 35mm gear that
sits in it's bag, untouched.

My kids don't want it. What are you all doing with yours? Selling it
on eBay or to a dealer, donating it to??? or holding on to it for old
times sake.....thinking it will become a valuable antique some day
and fund your retirement :-)

Thoughts?
--
Click to expand...
If they are old and not used for a long time, the chance is that most of them are moulded depending on the storing conditions. Though they may not be noticed on visual inspection.
 
I have the camera bodies as ornaments on my book shelves, ditto some of the lenses (attatched to the bodies funnily enough), other lenses I use on my D300.
--
Happy Snapper.
 
Years ago I saw a drop in digital conversion advertised, the sensor went where the film goes of course, and the electronics and internal memory were in the shape of a 35mm film cassette. I always wondered if someone would try that again.
--
Alan
 
--

first of all get them out of your camera bag, put them in a cool dry place. Personally I would hang onto them. There was a time when I quit using film, and now I'm coming back to it once again. For me film is a simple media to deal with! Also film for me is a far safer place ( when processed of course) to store things I want to keep forever.I'm not at all convinced that digital will have the long range storage capacity as film does. Just about everybody on this forum has given up on film, but for me you can say I'm getting my "second wind" with the media once again. Use those cameras or it least once in awhile put them through the paces. My twin lens Rolli, which is now for decades-old, shoots as good as it ever has!
 
bill henry said:
Why not, just for Sh*#ts and giggles. Take the stuff out and use it.
Might surprise you with the results.
Click to expand...
I'm thinking about doing just that with my 25 year old Nikon FE2.
 
It might have some rare earth elements that require special handling when discarding it. If you send it to me, I will make certain that it is properly disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.

Just kidding.
 
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