What do people do with their old/obsolete digital cameras?

Doug Greenberg · May 24, 2018

I am asking this question in the Coolpix forum because at this moment I have several older Coolpix cameras sitting in drawers in my upstairs office. I have a certain fondness for them all, but the truth is that I never use them and looking ahead, they will just become more of the clutter that my children will have to deal with after I am gone.

I have a Coolpix 8400, a Coolpix 995, Coolpix 4500, Coolpix S10, Coolpix S01, and a couple of others. I also have older Sony and Panasonic and Contax models that I don't use.

I could go to the trouble of selling them on ebay, but they fetch so little these days it hardly seems worth it.

Do people donate their old cameras to charity? To schools? Or do we all have drawers filling up with functional but non state of the art cameras?

Miss tilly · May 24, 2018

A charity shop might be a good option

Veducci · May 26, 2018

Yeah, they are nearly worthless if placed on the used camera market via Craigslist or Ebay.

They most often sit unused on the dresser as a testament to how much money many of us spent hoping for that new one was going to make us better shooters ( wannabees ).

I`m done . Presently I`m getting along with my 2 Fuji XF1`s (one in the van) and a NX300 . The XF1`s have that occasional fidgety lens issue but they do perform admirably and the NX300 is almost as good as anything currently in it`s class so I`m proud to have any desire to buy new , under control.

I shake my head when I see how little you can buy a used XF1 or a NX300 Samsung camera for on Ebay.

photoreddi · May 26, 2018

Doug Greenberg said:
I am asking this question in the Coolpix forum because at this moment I have several older Coolpix cameras sitting in drawers in my upstairs office. I have a certain fondness for them all, but the truth is that I never use them and looking ahead, they will just become more of the clutter that my children will have to deal with after I am gone.

I have a Coolpix 8400, a Coolpix 995, Coolpix 4500, Coolpix S10, Coolpix S01, and a couple of others. I also have older Sony and Panasonic and Contax models that I don't use.

I could go to the trouble of selling them on ebay, but they fetch so little these days it hardly seems worth it.

Do people donate their old cameras to charity? To schools? Or do we all have drawers filling up with functional but non state of the art cameras?

The odds of cameras donated to a charity ending up in the hands of anyone that could use and truly appreciate them seem mighty low to me. I've given away cameras (many different brands) but now I'm considering giving some Nikon cameras to a part time photographer/chef that I met recently who's a really nice guy and who also uses Nikon gear. It will probably include a Coolpix A (fixed focal length lens with a DX sensor) and a (very) complete D750 kit.

Sactojim · May 26, 2018

I just gave away 5 p&s cams (Fuji, Kodak, and Canon) to people who work with the birding tour in St. Maarten. I know they will get used. All had chargers and SD cards, a few cases. Always thinning the herd.

photoreddi · May 26, 2018

Sactojim said:
I just gave away 5 p&s cams (Fuji, Kodak, and Canon) to people who work with the birding tour in St. Maarten. I know they will get used. All had chargers and SD cards, a few cases. Always thinning the herd.

Good for you.

One that I won't be giving away is a Fuji XQ1, currnently my most used camera. In both senses of the word it's a "keeper".

kayaker353 · May 27, 2018

I recycled a useable Nikon 990 and 995, wore out a Canon G10(Ok, just the ON switch) and donated a D200. I now have a working D300 that I may give to a family member to upgrade his D200. I also have a number of old box cameras and folders that I cannot find memory cards for.

CMCM · May 27, 2018

I think I gave away a couple to family members over the years, but I've got a few in a cabinet that are never used any more. Since my first one in about 1998, I haven't had one of these little cameras die yet, but they do get obsolete and there is obviously newer and better technology out there now so I don't really want to use them any more. That said, some of my favorite past photos were from my early P&S cameras, a couple that were Nikon and several from Canon. I continue to occasionally use my Canon S95 and Fujifilm X30 as they are both great cameras in their own way. I got the S95 in 2010 and the X30 in 2016, and camera capabilities have sure improved even since then.

Sactojim · May 28, 2018

photoreddi said:
Sactojim said:

I just gave away 5 p&s cams (Fuji, Kodak, and Canon) to people who work with the birding tour in St. Maarten. I know they will get used. All had chargers and SD cards, a few cases. Always thinning the herd.

Click to expand...

Good for you. One that I won't be giving away is a Fuji XQ1, currnently my most used camera. In both senses of the word it's a "keeper".

Thanks PR. We were there for my nieces beach wedding and it was perfect. St Maarten has very heavy damage from Irma last Sept 2017 with most hotels closed and their economy in bad shape. The locals are hurting, but you would never know it as they are warm, happy, and welcoming. We went to both the Dutch side and then the French side and will definitely go back soon for some island hopping via boat or air as the fares are reasonable. Even though I live in N. California, those trade winds there are just perfect with little humidity. The water is clear and warm and we did some snorkeling to see tropical fish. I wish I had a water proof camera or case as there were some beautiful underwater scenery. With the very high cost of living (taxes on taxes) and too many people in California, the Caribbean is a option for living there at least part time.

Thomas166 · May 29, 2018

You could do what I did. When my daughter was 14 years old I gave her one of my old cameras. A week later I asked where her camera was and she said that she took it to school and lost it. Kids have a way of making things disappear.

fredmason · Jun 8, 2018

If you don't want your old cameras and they aren't worth selling, I say donate them to charities with thrift stores like Goodwill.

People really do buy them at the thrift stores. I've gotten into "throwback" cameras over the past year or so. Images from these older cameras, with their CCD sensors and less-advanced image processing algorithms, have a different look. I recently picked up a late 90's Coolpix 950 and have been having a lot of fun with it. So what if the images are only 1600x1200 or whatever? I publish the images on the web; I don't make prints. Like driving an "obsolete" classic car, and older digital camera can be interesting and fun to shoot with.

Ben Herrmann · Jun 8, 2018

...I'm still going to respond.

If anybody has a series of older cameras, it's me. Often referred to as a certified international camera slute, I have this habit of holding on to cameras that have performed well and netted me superb imagery. As a result, I currently have 45 different digital cameras, with the oldest being the venerable Olympus E-1 (a 5 MP Four Thirds DSLR).

If the cameras you mentioned provided you with excellent images, then you could opt to keep them - but if you're not using them at all (and haven't been for a long time), I would give them to some other family - perhaps ones with kids who want to learn and experiment with photography.

Doug Greenberg · Jun 8, 2018

You're never too late to add a comment!

In some ways unfortunately, I have followed your philosophy so far. I have a dozen or so digital cameras that I am not using. I am a self-confessed gear head and I enjoy playing with my old stuff as well as my new stuff. But with my love of "collecting" sometimes being perceived as "hoarding" by family members, I am thinking in terms of getting rid of some of my old and all-but-unused gear. After all, I can't take it with me (as far as I know).

I have too many tripods and several old, manual focus telephoto lenses, also (I am a bird photographer). I suppose at some point I will work up enough adrenaline to put some items on sale at FredMiranda.com. I have sold some items through Keh and whereas I respect their honesty and efficiency, they sure don't pay much for gear.

Doug Greenberg, Berkeley, California

skinwalker2009 · Jun 10, 2018

My first digital camera, an HP 945 died on me, beyond repair. A subsequent Fuji S100FS still serves me well but is getting iffy on using batteries and does not do RAW+Jpeg, don't know if I can sell or give it away in good conscience. My venerable Sony R1 still works&looks like new, used within its limitations it is still a hard one to beat (the lens is a CZ 24-120/2.8-4.8 eq) although I think trying to sell it is almost a non-starter

More recently I got someone else's redundant P7800 that I am really glad to have.

Camea's that (still) do what you want them to do can hardly be called obsolete. I am not a great fan of navigating menus and twiddling controls that feature creep imposes before being able to take a picture.

Relatively high-end older camera's may retain a bit of their initial value because there are always people looking for them second hand. Personally I would love to try the Epson R-D1.

dcxdanny · Jun 10, 2018

Ha Ha "Thinning the herd"

dcxdanny · Jun 10, 2018

Ha ha.... What is your address? I will send you a few of my old cameras for your daughter. I never had kids - but funny finding another use for them

p900learner · Jun 10, 2018

I might well be odd person out on this topic. I don't have any old or obsolete cameras.

When I purchase a new /refurbished camera as soon as I know all is well with the new one I do something with the old one, if its fairly current model I sell it, if older or not worth much I donate to charity. I only have the camera(s) I use - which has never been more than two.

As I age - I'm on a mission to eliminate clutter, stuff, stuff I haven't or won't use. If I haven't used it in 2-4 years for the most part out it goes - to charity, to anyone who wants it, or to the trash. Stuff can be huge problem.

Ev

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What do people do with their old/obsolete digital cameras?

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