What do you do with your old gear?

[Tronhard]

My oldest digital camera is a Canon G-1, purchased early in 2001. It now lives in retirement along with its packaging and manuals. Since then I have got a 400D, 500D, 600D, 650D, D10, G1-X and SH240HS superseded by newer and better gear. I doubt that it is worth selling them (despite really low shutter counts) so I have a bit of a conundrum: what to do with my old stuff. I have long-since bequeathed other gear to family and friends and donated other bits and pieces to a camera club. Still I have these bodies and since I am keeping the lenses I am tempted to start of a sort of personal digital museum.

It makes me rather regret selling off my Nikon F3 and Canon A1 bodies and lenses some time ago.

So what do you do with your aging technology?

[Mike Buckley]

I have had great success recently giving my old equipment to people here at CiC. I did so by posting a message that the first person to provide via PM their complete shipping information along with the promise that they will either use the equipment or give it to someone who will use it rather than sell it would be the recipient. I live in the U.S. and provided free shipping, so I limited the offer to people living there.

[Tronhard]

I have had great success recently giving my old equipment to people here at CiC. I did so by posting a message that the first person to provide via PM their complete shipping information along with the promise that they will either use the equipment or give it to someone who will use it (not sell it) would be the recipient. I live in the U.S. and provided free shipping, so I limited the offer to people living there.

Hi Mike - that is brilliant and a very honourable thing to do.

A very kind person donated a well-used Canon 7D along with a couple of great lenses to my brother-in-law, an aspiring artist of limited means and suffering bipolarism. I know that the donated gift has helped change his life.

[pnodrog]

Old computers, printers, cameras, lenses and even film clutter up the house and fridge.

Of course I have an aging body that sits around the house far more than it used to. Tempted to give it to a relative to look after.

[NorthernFocus]

Whenever I have upgraded I've sold the outgoing model on average for about half what I payed. Most recently I got $600 for my D7100 and stepped up to the 7200. I did better on the D800E selling it and upgrading to the 810 for about one third of the retail price out of pocket. The trick is you have to make your mind up and do it fairly quickly. As soon as the newer model begins to show up discounted and/or on the grey market, used prices on the previous model drop rapidly. It's still a steady losing battle but if the old gear ends up sitting on a shelf doing nothing then the value is zero. Finding a charity that can use gear and/or giving it to friends/family that are beginning in photography is a great idea. In those cases the user is likely also in need of lens/lenses to go with the camera body.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Much to my wife's chagrin, I just keep cramming the old gear into this cabinet.

[Shadowman]

I gave my first point and shoot (Pentax Optio 330GS) to a friend. My first DSLR (Nikon D60) I still have and still use occasionally.

[tao2]

Ah find it very hard tae give away old gear, ah still use so much of it. eg ,the kitchen radio...



The amp +tuner are around 35 yo and still sound superbly lush.

Ah have all but 2 of the cameras bought over the years; both given away. A wise man once said (paraphrasing) give away your most treasured possession and discover the meaning of happiness - so, ah gave a camera with the best lens ever made tae my nephew who was moving tae Australia. The wise man was correct...

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I feel so much better knowing I'm not the only one with the problem of keeping old gear around Boab.

[IzzieK]

We still have our stereo system in our family room for over 25 years. It is working but with a a new, bigger and better technology, seems to be just like an anchor to a boat. A camera of old I had given it away and it feels good to do so knowing that it is now being put to good use. I still have my D90 and my old Nikon camera and the accessories like the old filters are still around on my shelves. I am giving away my D300s even though I still love it as a second camera but DIL became interested in photography so I am giving that to her for a starter. I feel sorry I am parting with it because one member here taught me so much on how to make good use of it -- he still have his and using it well. Once in a while, I still use my D90 as a second body...I felt so lost but I found the manual recently and so I will make good use of it...

[Black Pearl]

Since I went digital I've only changed my gear when there have been major upgrade advantages and haven't bough each new body so all my (then) current gear was part exchanged for the newer body or system. I do have some older film gear lying around but even back when I changed stuff on a sometimes monthly basis I tended to part/ex equipment not keep it.

Hi-Fi wise its all a good few years old as I like the sound I've created from the combination of components so have no need to upgrade. I should probably get a new cartridge for the Rega as its likely worn a bit and won't be doing the records much good but it doesn't get a lot of play time what with life and kids getting in the way. That said I have a SqueezeBox connected these day which streams from a NAS drive and the internet so I do have some modern conveniences.

[tao2]

Since I went digital I've only changed my gear when there have been major upgrade advantages and haven't bough each new body so all my (then) current gear was part exchanged for the newer body or system. I do have some older film gear lying around but even back when I changed stuff on a sometimes monthly basis I tended to part/ex equipment not keep it.

Hi-Fi wise its all a good few years old as I like the sound I've created from the combination of components so have no need to upgrade. I should probably get a new cartridge for the Rega as its likely worn a bit and won't be doing the records much good but it doesn't get a lot of play time what with life and kids getting in the way. That said I have a SqueezeBox connected these day which streams from a NAS drive and the internet so I do have some modern conveniences.

Hi Robin,

Have a Rega arm (RB250) on an original Fons CQ30. If ye need a new cartridge, this is the best shop ah've found for prices, and they have a sale on at the moment.

[Black Pearl]

Hi Robin,

Have a Rega arm (RB250) on an original Fons CQ30. If ye need a new cartridge, this is the best shop ah've found for prices, and they have a sale on at the moment.

Weirdly I've two Rega Plannar 3 decks as I got my dads when he passed away but only use one - obviously. His has the RB200 arm and mine has the RB300 on it with an original Elys cartridge which I love. I'm lucky to have Lintone Audio not far from me so I think a wander in for a bit of a listen could be on the cards, been a while since I spent money on my Hi-Fi and this thread is starting the 'itch' again.

[rpcrowe]

Alan... Leicas often have value as collector items.

I give away my excess gear to our Dog Rescue Group volunteers who do not have their own gear and sometimes cannot afford (or do not want to invest in) more sophisticated gear. A generous member of CiC also donated an Olympus 510 kit to our group. This camera is being used to full advantage. The most recent camera I have recycled is a Canon XT (350D) with kit lens and hotshoe flash.

Although I don't know exactly how it works, we can also list gear items (not restricted to photo gear) on eBay under the umbrella of Maltese Rescue California. I just send a couple of JPEG images of the gear along with a description of the items and a volunteer posts this onto eBay. We get a break in the charges from eBay and all the profits go to vet care for our rescue dogs. I just mail the items to the address provided to me by the volunteer.

[SteveF]

I have this predicament. Just what do I do with mint condition gear carefully looked after which has lost most of it's value over time. The lenses are not a problem as they have increased in value as I bought a bunch in the 2003 to 2007 era when they were a good bit cheaper than today.

It's the camera bodies that's the problem as they have so little trade-in value but are mint condition. So after speaking to London Camera Exchange yesterday (whilst buying a new 17mm TS-E f4L lens... nice) I decided I would keep all of my dSLRs, all ten of them.

[Donald]

What I did with my Canon 40D was put a notice on our community Facebook page saying that this was available, free, to someone, perhaps a young person, who was a photography enthusiast, but couldn't afford to step up to the Canon xxD class of camera.

And that is what happened. The mother of a young woman, some of whose equine pictures I'd seen (and she is very good) contacted me. I was more than happy to give it away to someone who would treasure it and use it appropriately. When she came to collect it, I looked at the Sigma 120-400 that I'd put onto a selling site a couple of times with no sale resulting and said, "If you're doing more equine stuff, you'll need a good lens to put on the camera" and just gave her that too.

I'm very happy to say that the images she has produced have more than justified my decision that this is what should happen to the gear.

[Tronhard]

I have this predicament.

It's the camera bodies that's the problem as they have so little trade-in value but are mint condition. So after speaking to London Camera Exchange yesterday (whilst buying a new 17mm TS-E f4L lens... nice) I decided I would keep all of my dSLRs, all ten of them.

I know exactly what you mean... I was brought up under the adage "take care of your gear and it will take care of you". I too still use all my lenses, and the bodies I have are immaculate and have VERY low shutter counts: the fact is they still take great photos! I have given away a couple of lenses and bodies so far, but find it really hard to give them all away, and I am not ready to part with my other lenses. I was born in the early 1950's when everything in the UK was in short supply, so you were encouraged to "keep stuff for good" and I still have a bit of that inside me, so as my cameras have no longer become the newest version I have probably used them more. Perhaps I need a counselor...

[wooster]

I used to trade mine in fairly regularly. Now that I'm not earning anything from it, I'd much rather donate it to someone who could use it but cant afford it than have it just lying around gathering dust

[DickyOZ]

Mine get passed on to nephews and nieces who show an interest in photography in the hope they will also enjoy the hobby.
The only exceptions are my first digital camera (Pentax Optio 30) a father's day gift and my Kodak Brownie (still in the original box).

[pnodrog]

Mine get passed on to nephews and nieces who show an interest in photography in the hope they will also enjoy the hobby.
The only exceptions are my first digital camera (Pentax Optio 30) a father's day gift and my Kodak Brownie (still in the original box).

Do you think there would be a big market for a digital back for the Brownie?