The value(lessness) of old gadgets
April 20, 2008 by cynthia
Anybody wanna buy some old camera equipment for a lot of money?
When it comes to depreciation, cars ain’t got nuthin’ on gadgets. Took a stroll down to the local serious camera store yesterday, got all het up over a camera (well, actually two cameras, one brand new and one about 35 years old), and–thinking fast–asked the really nice and knowledgeable guy behind the counter if I could bring the price down by selling them my older cameras and lenses.
He shook his head and suggested that I visit keh.com, where I’d get the best possible price for my stuff.
So I dragged out my old film and digital equipment, and offered up two camera bodies and three lenses to KEH’s online estimating system. Clicked the “determine value” button, waited with worms on my tongue (i.e., baited (sic) breath)…and KEH finally made me an offer of…
(drum roll)
$357
(clunk)
I believe I could melt down the optics for casting, munge the results with the metal and plastic, and sell a nifty mixed media sculpture for more than that. I can’t exactly say the money was wasted–I got a lot of great photos and plenty of enjoyment out of this equipment. And I can’t exactly blame photography for fast depreciation, since I’ve got three motherboards, two CRTs, and a hard drive awaiting the same treatment.
Hmmmm. Maybe that old saying SHOULD go something like this: He who has the most toys…winds up with a helluva big garbage bill.
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*ouch* I checked out what my old Pentax stuff would get. I think five bucks and change… I did, however, get some good cash for my dad’s old Leica. That turned into my Nikon D70 that turned into the D80.
In my book, the local shops will probably give you the best deals. They want your business to buy NEW stuff, so they’ll keep you happy with top dollar for your OLD stuff.
So… we going to be seeing a neato DSLR, cool strobe, and a fancy bounce-light umbrella?
GcB
Dunno yet. The one I’m looking at is the Nikon D300. I went in looking for an old twin-lens Rollei or possibly a 4×5 view camera, so I could attach a digital back. Did find a creampuff Rollei, but also found out I could buy a new car for what a digital back would cost for either. So much for that idea.
I think at the used equipment prices I’m seeing, this stuff makes excellent paperweights.
Digital backs are hideously expensive…and aren’t optimized to the optics. Something like the D300 is setup for digital from front end to back. Back In The Day I thought about putting a digital back on some of my old stuff…but why bother? A “real” digital camera gets you all sorts of controls that you’d not have with the retrofit route.
Cynthia,
There is a great non-profit in Portland (focusonyouth.org) that helps at-risk kids through teaching them black and white photography and darkroom skills. They are working with the Portland School district to connect with the kids. We have been helping them with donations of signs for their new studio in SE Portland. They need old film cameras and darkroom equipment plus volunteers with photography skills.
Thanks, Ed LaPlante
Ed, that’s great to know, and I may just take you up on that. I don’t see myself using this stuff anymore, and I’d rather it could go to someone who really needed it. I wonder if they can also take digital cameras? (One of these is digital) I should check.