Letting your Leica go...

[jonnyboy]

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There is no doubt cameras often become emotional items, especially with Leica I have to say I always found quite hard when I decide to maybe sell a body to make space (and money) for a new model.

We often bring our cameras everywhere, wether is trips, holidays but even general mondane life!

Couple of years ago I sold my M4-2 because I wanted a built-in meter, so I got an M6. I remember selling it for £450 to help fund the M6. I saw now even the price of an M4-2 did skyrocket and somehow I regret to sell it.

These days I'm pondering to sell my first ever Leica, my beloved M8. I cherished this camera so much, and I have plenty of good memories with it. Later through the years I managed to get a Monochrom I and it became my everyday camera. It still is. My M8 is been used less and less...and somehow I feel bad such a treasure of a camera doesn't get used. I thought of selling it just because I hate having things sittin around but the emotional value is holding me back.

When and how did you decide 'Ok, this has to go no'.

[earleygallery]

If you're not using it, and not likely to, then sell it, especially with digital cameras, if they sit around unused for a long time - electronics can fail through lack of use, batteries fail if left uncharged etc. etc.

I will be having a big clear out of some of my camera gear soon. I too find emotional attachments to 'things' but having recently moved I had to let a lot of things go and it becomes liberating - emotional attachments to possessions is really more of a burden than anything else. 

[Herr Barnack]

Quote

"... my beloved M8. I cherished this camera so much..."

If you feel that strongly about your M8, don't sell it.  You will end up regretting it.

There is something to be said for the "if you're not using it, sell it and get something you want or need" school of thought.  I am at present going through that with my Hasselblad XPAN II film camera.  I have always liked the XPAN as it is unique in the world of photography.  I have not used it much over the years, though.  I enjoy developing my own film, but it is damn hard due to physical problems with my hands. 

My M-P 240 has taken over my photographic endeavors the past few years.  The image quality of my prints is outstanding and digital workflow is so much more easy than that of film.  So I sold my XPAN II kit on Ebay to fund the purchase of a Q2.  I still have the XPAN here at home, as I'm waiting for the buyer's bank to get its act together and let him pay me for it.  Packing it up for shipping it pulled at my heart strings pretty hard - but not having money to burn, this is the only way to pay for the Q2 which I'm certain will get alot more use than my XPAN ever did.

From where I stand, "if you're not using it, sell it and get something you want or need" is a good philosophy but you have to operate with caution so you don't end up breaking your own heart. 

One piece of gear that I truly cherish is my 50mm f/1.0 Noctilux.  I will never even think of selling it.  There is no other lens in existence that does what it does IMHO.  That lens is my holy grail, my beloved.  She is here to stay and has been since 2008.  I have never had that attachment to my XPAN, so I think that even though parting with it sucks, the Q2 will ease the pain of loss.

Best of luck with your decision on the M8.  I would keep it, though.

 

[jonnyboy]

Two very good points of vierw. Funny enough I used to have an Hasselblad Xpan too...but I didn't get to use it that much..and sold it. And sometimes now I miss it.

Hope the Q2 alleviated your x-pan-departure!

[LocalHero1953]

I sell my cameras to pay for the next one. The only camera I rebought was the TL2: I bought it when it first came out, then sold it to pay for the CL, then bought it as an alternative/backup for a trip to India. I'm now going to sell it again because it doesn't get used much (though I love the style and interface) - and because I want a Sigma fp .

[Guest]

Am 18.10.2019 um 12:19 schrieb jonnyboy:

...

A few weeks ago I had to give in payment for a long-coveted M10-P three Leicas and five lenses.
Enjoyment of the better images and the extended photographic possibilities overlooks the sales.
Now stock has been reduced to three Leicas: one digital M, one analog M and one historical screw mount.

Edited October 19, 2019 by mnutzer

[Jeff S]

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If you decide to keep it, then also decide and commit to using it... now and then.  But if that fails, sell it...unless money is no object.  Digital cameras are crappy investments.  

Jeff

[Viv]

Sell sell sell.

I have sold numerous cameras over the years. The only one I regret selling was a Zeiss Ikon film rangefinder.

I sold a Leica M9 without the slightest regret. The viewfinder was inferior to that of the Zeiss and the M9 thick body felt unwieldy and not a pleasure to hold. I also disliked the inconsistent white balance and horrible jpegs of the M9, not to mention that it sometimes locked up for no apparent reason.

I am told that the M10 is better, but I am perfectly happy with my Q and CL. I have an extensive Fuji X-kit, which I am mulling over selling.

 

 

 

[jonnyboy]

12 hours ago, mnutzer said:

A few weeks ago I had to give in payment for a long-coveted M10-P three Leicas and five lenses.
Enjoyment of the better images and the extended photographic possibilities overlooks the sales.
Now stock has been reduced to three Leicas: one digital M, one analog M and one historical screw mount.

I thought about doing the same move too. 

When I don't use a digital for too long (such as my M8) I usually take off batteries etc and make sure to be stored in a safe place...just to avoid electronics messing up.

 

[jonnyboy]

I was actually thinking to sell my M8 - because I have a Monochrom 1 (I;m shooting 99% bw)

And also selling my Q (which seems to lose value by the day) - because I have the Ricoh GR III which also is extremely portable and fixed 28mm lens. I love the 28mm on the Q it's such a great lens but I start to struggle to justify 2 compact with 28mm.

[james.liam]

18 hours ago, jonnyboy said:

I was actually thinking to sell my M8 - because I have a Monochrom 1 (I;m shooting 99% bw)

And also selling my Q (which seems to lose value by the day) - because I have the Ricoh GR III which also is extremely portable and fixed 28mm lens. I love the 28mm on the Q it's such a great lens but I start to struggle to justify 2 compact with 28mm.

Sounds like you have your answer. 

[silverchrome]

I only regret selling if the price shoots up after I have sold it!

I don't have a problem selling kit that can be easily bought again.  

Rare items and items in new condition are a different matter. I am more likely to hold on to these.

 

 

[Stuart Richardson]

Sentimental items have their place, but I think it is a fine line. I sold my first Leica a year or two ago. It was an early Leica MP (2003 or so). I simply did not ever use it, and also had my dad's M6, which I inherited. I do not often shoot 35mm film anymore, so rather than hang on to an object without using it for sentimental reasons, I chose to sell it on. Hopefully it is now bringing someone else some joy. I will keep my dad's M6, as that means more to me than the MP did. Most of the cameras that I have kept that I am not using are more because they are hard to replace or not worth enough to sell. There might be one or two that are sentimental, but in general I think it is nice to sell things on for others to use, rather than just let them rot on a shelf. Is it not more sentimental to know that someone out there might be using it to tell new stories?

[jaapv]

On 10/18/2019 at 12:19 PM, jonnyboy said:

There is no doubt cameras often become emotional items, especially with Leica I have to say I always found quite hard when I decide to maybe sell a body to make space (and money) for a new model.

We often bring our cameras everywhere, wether is trips, holidays but even general mondane life!

Couple of years ago I sold my M4-2 because I wanted a built-in meter, so I got an M6. I remember selling it for £450 to help fund the M6. I saw now even the price of an M4-2 did skyrocket and somehow I regret to sell it.

These days I'm pondering to sell my first ever Leica, my beloved M8. I cherished this camera so much, and I have plenty of good memories with it. Later through the years I managed to get a Monochrom I and it became my everyday camera. It still is. My M8 is been used less and less...and somehow I feel bad such a treasure of a camera doesn't get used. I thought of selling it just because I hate having things sittin around but the emotional value is holding me back.

When and how did you decide 'Ok, this has to go no'.

Specifically an M8, I would not sell it. The price is far below the usability value. Buy an 093 filter and start doing IR photography.

[Jeffry Abt]

I've bought and sold lots of digital cameras since the old Nikon D1.... digital leicas as well.  I have no regrets about selling them . I'm always in for the next upgrade.

I have without fail regretted selling M lenses...I'll never do it again. I'll never sell my M7 and I'm loving the M10 so much it may be my first digital keeper.  

Edited November 4, 2019 by Jeffry Abt

[Jerry Attrik]

On 10/18/2019 at 11:19 AM, jonnyboy said:

There is no doubt cameras often become emotional items, especially with Leica....

Very true, Jonny.  I sent a 3f, which I use for mono work.( I have a second 3f, for colour neg.)  About 4 weeks after sending it for a full service I started developing 'withdrawal symptoms' and a few weeks later I was feverishly searching advertisements for a fully working 'locum' body. I still am, but if I prevaricate long enough my 3f, might return before Christmas.

On 10/19/2019 at 10:45 PM, Jeff S said:

.....no object.  Digital cameras are crappy investments.  

e.g Digilux 1 ?

[lykaman]

Due to failing eyesight, I had to sell my Leica Equipment ~ Saddest day of my Life (kept V-Lux40)... L

[Richardgb]

I recently P-Xd my M (240), 4 lenses, and a couple of Leica flashes for a Lumix S1 c/w 24-105 lens as a starting point, so you might say I'm keeping it in the family but moving to the in-laws.

I won't go into the reasons for the move here (PM me if you really want to know), but I will say I didn't feel any personal attachment to the M, apart from it becoming very familiar (as I hope - and expect - the S1 will become over time). So, although I am will be able to look back on my 'M days', I can't say I'm missing it (yet?).

[Archiver]

Unexpected circumstances had me selling some gear lately; I chose the least used and least sentimental lenses I had, which were a Canon EF 16-35mm V2 L and a Canon Serenar 50mm f1.8 LTM. I hardly used those lenses over the last several years, and when I did use the 16-35, it was for work to which I had little emotional attachment. Plus, I had similar focal length ranges in my m43 gear, so that aspect was still covered. But sell my Leica gear? That would be extremely unlikely, if not impossible. I have so many good memories with my M9, and it still accompanies me for work and fun, so selling it is out of the question. My M7? Although I don't use it much, it's my only film Leica, and a very recent body with decent reliability.

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[wilfredo]

I miss my M8.  I sold it to purchase the MM1.  I wish I had kept it for those times when I want to do some color photography.  Somehow I just can't get into those CMOS sensors.