what did you do with your obsolete film SLR?

[moxi1]

Hi all,

Whenever I pass my camera shelf, I get that sad feeling. In this shelf stands a lonely camera bag full with good gear, but I just don't use it any-more.

I tried to sell it - shops are offering a laughable sum and re-sell it for comparable high price - yes I know they have a lot of this stuff and have to sell it first, but somehow
I feel reluctant to part with my old gear for less than a song.
So, they just will stay in the bag - perhaps one day I might...

What did you do with your old gear?

Cheers Moxi1

[Rick Evans]

I just went back on E-Bay and bought a nice film camera, it's been great to get "back" into film, I found my self at frame 30 before I even "thought" about what I was shooting, (I will call this DIGITAL effect) for a lack of a better term. I find the limiting of my self with 36 exposures instead of a 8 gig card and over 500 exposures makes me think before I press the shutter.

To each his own though....I guess if you truely want to get rid of your film equipment, find it a good home with somebody that wants to "cure" the digital effect and maybe get a nice camera bag with the proceeds.

[Douglas]

Pawned it. Didnt get much for it, but it was better then nothing.

[Bob Stothfang]

My Nikon N70 is sitting on the shelf in my closet.

It did get a bit of use last year when a friend's daughter was taking a photography class in high school and I loaned it to her to use. The class required a film camera and they had to process and print their own images.

[ohenry]

Sold mine on consignment. One wasn't functioning correctly, so I just got rid of it, rather than bother having it repaired at a cost more than it was worth.

[fastpitch17]

When I was first starting to change over to digital I seen prices were falling so I just contacted the local Community College and had them make the camera available to a more needy student. It felt pretty good so a year later I did the same with my other film camera. Over the past 8 years I have received 4 letters thanking me and two meetings with two of the students that seem to really appreciate the opportunity to use better equipment then what they could have ever afforded as a student.

The courses still like teaching film but the instructor knows that the day will come when everything will be digital. The number of students signing up for the courses showing up with digital cameras is up to around 90%. The main problems he is running into is that the point and shoot owners are there now expecting to do the same things as a SLR. The film camera now are loaned to those that shows a seriousness in leaning film and what can be created with it.

If you are looking for a home for your film equipment, check out your local Community/Technical College.

[RocketRick]

What do you mean, "obsolete"?

Although I do most of my shooting with my DSLRs, I still use film on a fairly regular basis, and I regularly troll through the international flea market (aka "eBay") looking for good deals on film cameras and equipment (especially "vintage" cameras, as they're a lot of fun to use).

In fact, I just bought another Recomar 33 single-sheet 9x12cm camera (mainly to get some additional film holders), and a box of 100 sheets of 8"x10" green orthochromatic x-ray film that I plan to cut down to size.

Side note:
The x-ray film is not actually sensitive to x-rays; instead, the film holders used by your doctor are actually lined with a material the fluoresces when hit by x-ray radiation, producing visible light that is recorded by the film. X-ray film is one of the least-expensive forms of black & white sheet film available anywhere; the 100 sheets of 8x10 cost me just $30, including shipping. That's about one-tenth the price per sheet of the cheapest 8x10 sheet film at B&H. I'll be using it for all of my large-format film experimentation.

[chris78cpr]

Yeah i don't like your use of the term obsolete.

My film cameras while not used that much are still loved and cherished and are brought out on occasions where i'm either shooting for fun or when the budget/time constraints allows film to be used.

I spent a lot of good money on my 1V/3/Haseelblads and LF gear and i will continue to use it until it wears out or i can't buy film anymore.

[capshook]

At the time, was in the hands of a Little Rock,AR thief. Taken from my Jeep while driving from Edmonton to Atlanta. Is probably in a landfill now....(sigh)

[Narsuitus]

“what did you do with your obsolete film SLR?”

I still use my film cameras and they are not obsolete.

[mjp321]

Let's see...you put up an avatar that includes the effect of a frame of film, and then you call film obsolete? Seems a bit incongruous to me, as the effect shows to me that you might have a fondness for film. If so, then use your film cameras. They are in no way obsolete! In fact, I have never seen such horrible skin tones and bizarre colors in photos since the majority of people decided that they liked digital better. I shoot digital for some things, but I still love my film cameras. If anyone simply wants to get rid of a film camera, they can send it to me, and you can bet it will get some use.

[Joves]

I still have my Pentax MX with the 50 on it. It is in a box somewhere in storage. When I eventually have a permanent home it will become shelf art, along with the Kodak Brownie and, the two cameras I found while hiking from the 30s or 40s era.

[ChrisD]

All my film cameras are just sitting in cabinets collecting dust and so are all my darkroom equipment. Paid a lot of money for them along time ago and hard to sell for almost nothing.

[moxi1]

some of you did not like my terminology of "obsolete" that of course was meant that those film SLRs are obsolete for ME.

In general I do like my film Slrs, that is why I don't just want to waste them - I even wanted to give them away including about twenty films, but the interested guy wanted me to pay for the postage as well
I found that a bit strong so I said
my bit and put them away.

As I live on an Island with no labs or camera shops, it took two weeks to get prints back. I had a darkroom, but only B/W.(colour-blind) So for me digital was a great invention.

Sorry you guys out there liking film - nothing against it but what is for one cheese...

Cheers Moxi1

[photojazz54]

Still us mine.

[Sparky98]

My old SLR is in the camera bag sitting in a closet. My daughter did use it recently in an introductory photography class at her college but then it was back to the closet. I have thought about using it occasionally but I don't want to go to the trouble and expense of buying and developing film. If I ever decide to get rid of it I will probably donate it to a high school or college if it is not too outdated for them.

[sonshine_rae]

On a shelf in my closet.. keep thinking I might use it again.. someday

resell value is as you say pointless worth more in memories at this point.

[Benji]

I traded all of it when I went digital. I will never look back nor do I miss film.

benji

[Rense]

I started digital. Now I'm buying Manual focus lenses (russian + tamron) and more often than not I get a camera for free (have 2 pentaxes,2 zenits in really good working order and have sent about 5 camera's to the waste basket).

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by Rick Evans

I found my self at frame 30 before I even "thought" about what I was shooting, (I will call this DIGITAL effect) for a lack of a better term. I find the limiting of my self with 36 exposures instead of a 8 gig card and over 500 exposures makes me think before I press the shutter.

...then why not buy a 256Mb or 512Mb card ?

...€0.02...

Kindest regards!

Max@Home