Should I get rid of an old SLR?

[Defacto]

Hi folks, I'm seeking a general opinion and consensus here, would really appreciate your input.

I've got a non-digital Nikon SLR with flash and lenses that I have not been using in a long while. And now that digital cams are an in-thing, do you think it's worth selling it away?

Thanks!

 

[JAG]

if you think you would not use it anymore, than sell it.
But if u think you may want to play around with it later on, keep it as a spare. Depends on what you have and how much you can get for it....

 

[justarius]

What model (lens, camera, speedlight) do you have?

Anyway I agree with JAG. If you have totally no use for it and view film as a relic from the prehistoric era, then might as well sell it. However, if you have the occasional hankering to see the vibrancy of colours of a well exposed slide, might as well keep it.

 

[jbma]

Keep it until you are really sure you will not need it. I am using a Canon 10D DSLR but I still keep my Nikon FM3. Just cannot seem to part with it.

 

[nightwolf75]

keep it, if u can afford to. i wished i din sell off my old FM2... now dat i want to play with B&W film, i dun have a good SLR to play with. only have my wife's pentax auto SLR... :cry:

 

[Defacto]

Yeah I've been pondering for quite a while, yet seeing myself not taking it out to use in such a long time, the only occasion was when I took for my friend's wedding a year ago. I've set my eyes on getting a simple P&S camera so that I could bring around instead of lugging the cam on holidays. Sigh.

It's a Nikon F801 with two Nikon lenses 35-70mm and 70-210mm, SB-24 flash, cokin filters, remote control etc. Use to take B/W and infrared pictures with it tho, but nowadays I dun see myself working on it in the darkroom, couldn't find the time to.

 

[kman]

The thing is you're probably not gonna get much from selling an old SLR, especially in today's digital world. I would give it to a young niece or nephew who wishes to learn about photography the traditional way.

Most of us who started with traditional photography and later move into digital photography realise the knowledge gained from the former is truly beneficial to the latter. It takes a different kind of skill to process and develop your own black and white pictures and I think it's a good and valuable skill to have. I would definitely love to impart the traditional knowledge of print photography to anyone who wishes to learn, even if it's considered a dying form of art by many.

Anyway, I'm sidetracking here. Even though I have a digital camera and love digital photography, I guess I'm still a sentimental traditionalist at heart.

Kman

 

[obviousdude]

you'll probably only be able to ask for btn $200-$250 (no guarantee of a sale, the resale market is rather soft now)

so not much to gain if you sell.

you might as well keep it as a spare body, assuming you go digital and stay with nikon. then the lens should mostly be interchangeable. (unless you get DX ones)
digital bodies are more frail then the older film ones. you never know when you'll need a cam urgently... at least you'll have something to fall back on.

 

[PLRBEAR]

I still have my F401s which i got when i was 15yrs old. First SLR, and it still works well. I still use film even though i've got my D70. I'll always have my trusty 401 by my side.

 

[Spyer2]

Although I use most with my DSLR now, but I still keep my Pentax Z1p just in case who knows in future film photo become popular again... :what:

 

[KNIGHT ONG]

I keep all my old SLRs, they got sentimental values to me ...

 

[Defacto]

Looks like the general concensus is to keep my SLR... guess I'll just hold on to it. Come to think of it, I can't bear to sell it off also... it would be nice if there's a digital backpack that can mount to it and make it a hybrid cam hahahaha. :think:

Folks, thank you so much for your inputs and contribution.... after going through all the forum here these couple of days, I feel my interest starting to kick back in again. Especially the stuff on darkroom techniques. It's definitely a cool community!

 

[jbma]

The thing is you're probably not gonna get much from selling an old SLR, especially in today's digital world. I would give it to a young niece or nephew who wishes to learn about photography the traditional way.

Most of us who started with traditional photography and later move into digital photography realise the knowledge gained from the former is truly beneficial to the latter. It takes a different kind of skill to process and develop your own black and white pictures and I think it's a good and valuable skill to have. I would definitely love to impart the traditional knowledge of print photography to anyone who wishes to learn, even if it's considered a dying form of art by many.

Anyway, I'm sidetracking here. Even though I have a digital camera and love digital photography, I guess I'm still a sentimental traditionalist at heart.

Kman

:thumbsup: Well said dude.

 

[Tetrode]

I would definitely love to impart the traditional knowledge of print photography to anyone who wishes to learn, even if it's considered a dying form of art by many.

That is very altruistic of you, but I have to disagree with your statement that print photography is a dying art form.

Yes, it will become less popular in the mainstream but I believe it will continue to exist for a long time to come, just like other forms of art.

 

[glennyong]

psst.. u sell old SLR si bei bo hua... ( not worth) so i think u better keep it.. they are also wondeful cameras for B& W shoots lehz... haha... i now also keep both my EM and my FM2... hahahaha... although both them i use it for taking still shots.... but its a great camera !!! KEEP LA

keep la keep la..... :bsmilie:

 

[Defacto]

psst.. u sell old SLR si bei bo hua... ( not worth) so i think u better keep it.. they are also wondeful cameras for B& W shoots lehz... haha... i now also keep both my EM and my FM2... hahahaha... although both them i use it for taking still shots.... but its a great camera !!! KEEP LA

keep la keep la..... :bsmilie:

LOL!!! Thanks for your enthusiastic reply glenn! Think I'm gonna keep it, who knows I could do some snapping around during retirement! hahaha :bsmilie:

 

[obviousdude]

LOL!!! Thanks for your enthusiastic reply glenn! Think I'm gonna keep it, who knows I could do some snapping around during retirement! hahaha :bsmilie:

ah, retirement....
that's taking it to a time so far in the future where few of us will dare to bet that film will still be in use.

 

[johnyu]

Seriously, read the entire article at http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/filmdig.htm to put the issue in perspective.

 

[glennyong]

hahahah retirement... by that time the rubberised linings the camera all gone liao... like mine like that.. the recalibration of both my FM2 and EM cost me $800 lehz.... immediately broke into tears cuz my wallet inside left $50 .... hahaha.. but then... hahahaha.. of cuz call lor.. call the ATM come to me.. hahaha... call my dear pay for me first... =p

do calibrate the old cameras and make sure the rubber is replaced before using !! hahahaha.... :sweatsm:

if not like my one... got some weird clanking sound... quite scary.. sounds as though the camera going fly apart when the lever is pull back...

*klack klack* *Snap*
(press shutter)
*klack klack* *Snap*

den... *PiAnk* the mechanism broke.. theres goes $$..

moral of the story: old camera muz becareful..... :bsmilie:

 

[whoelse]

Although I use most with my DSLR now, but I still keep my Pentax Z1p just in case who knows in future film photo become popular again... :what:

Film is still popular then digital lah, see this:
ClubSNAP Poll