What happens when you have to sell all your camera gear?

[@djnato10]

The calmness of the spider crawling on your leg is the difference between an Aussie and me, an Uhmerican. I would have sprinted off camera screaming, you're just chill as fuck.

[@andersblomster]

Great, and sobering message. Uncertain and difficult times ahead for many of us.

[@Nerdzombiedisco]

USA citizen here. Sold all my camera gear a week ago to afford gas, groceries, property tax, the occasional bottle of whiskey and pay bills through the next few months. $8,000. Miss the gear and shooting. I had Leicas and an XPAN. Kept my dad’s F3 & F1 and my flatbed scanner. I don’t miss posting on Instagram. Picked up a film point & shoot and some boxes of cheap b&w film to have some connection to photography. All the best to you. Cheers!

[@steven1000000000]

Hey. As a family man myself, I totally get having to put the family first. I've not been able to justify the high end cameras, so I don't even look at Leica/ Hassy/ Voghtlander etc. (OK, maybe I do, just a little...) A possible sliver lining in this is that you hopefully didn't loose on the sale of the gear, given the price increase over the past few years. I've recently been using a Canon FP - a super basic SLR without even a built in light meter. Looking at the most recent roll of film I developed, I think a few of the shots are even some of my favorite shots taken recently. A Nikon F100 is definitely more camera than most will ever need and probably the perfect setup for your work. The F3 is also an awesome cameras which I definitely gravitate towards over the F100. It's all a fine balance, and spending a fortune on gear seldom makes sense. I've got a quite a few cameras, but none are considered expensive and I'm fine with that. I think using different film stocks is as much a creative boost than a new camera. Recently I shot some Adox CMS 20 (a super high resolution, low ISO film), which forces a different way of thinking, and that was as rewarding as trying out any new gear.

[@ZoneFocused]

Great talk Coops. Family first and you are on point with this topic

[@MatthewMorse]

I recently did this same thing with my M6 and medium/large format gear for the exact same reason. Good for you for finding the creative freedom in less gear, and for putting your family first.

[@timchristokat9978]

Thank you for your honesty. I am currently in a similar financial situation - owing thousands of euros. Initially I was going to sell my Mamiya RZ, but the market price has dropped drastically and I'll be making a big loss. Your video has given me the courage to sell my Fuji 100s, a camera I love and work with, but at the same time is complete overkill and can just as easily be rented for bigger jobs. I'd rather have financial freedom than hang onto unnecessary gear with my life. I am looking forward to going back to my Sony A7rII and Nikon f75 as my go to cameras.

[@andriykovach2736]

I've been thru this, you just freed up space for next spiral... so many pros and hobbyists around me moved away from photography is also amazing!

[@canonixus3151]

Thanks for sharing ! Looking forward to more roadtrips, greetings from Belgium.

[@shanecaut1063]

Great honest video. I've been going through a similar experience as well. Selling does come with some sadness but when you have to do it you have to do it, so we embrace and appreciate what we have, like you have done. Looking forward to the F3 review!

[@RyanBounedara]

My friends and I always talk about the realization once you get to the top of the gear mountain, how little of it (if any) matters. But for the most part, you can't just tell someone this - they have to take that journey on their own. So glad to hear that you made the best out of what you were left with. 🤝🤝🤝

[@BracaPhoto]

Excellent discussion - i have learned similar lessons and i commend your honesty👍 -- here's the next challenge for you grasshopper : Try shooting JUST for your own pleasure - Even though it will be hard, Take the next 3 FAVORITES - print them out immaculately and NEVER show them to anyone but yourself 👍👍 I started this project 6 months ago -- i share most of my photos because it's a part of who i am as "the photographer" --- but i have begun to create a collection of my BEST WORK that won't be seen until I'm very old or DEAD 👍 The amount of pleasure i have been getting from that is indescribable --- Its a real ego struggle when you snap a banger and want to immediately show it to your peers 🤣

[@skaterat321]

Huge admiration for sharing your journey and the decisions you made. I'm at the point of my life where I'm looking to downsize my film gear. As you said, the cost of shooting is getting too expensive. So I am trying to clear my gear and look to owning just 2 film cameras and a digital camera. If anything, look at it this way, you got to experience shooting a range of great film equipment 🙂

[@OrdnanceTV]

Hey man, just wanted to say I got laid off a while ago and tried to make a go of finally going full-time doing videography and now rent's due and the savings have dried up and I've been heartbroken that I've got to sell my Sony a7sIII and Ninja Atomos 5 and all the lenses and audio recorders and bits and bobs and yada yada yada, and this really helped me accept that, and feel better about the entire concept, creatively, and looking forward. And I can always buy it again someday when I'm back on my feet. This has helped me much more than I can explain. Thank you so much. I truly hope you and your family are in a better place now 👍

[@poniatowski3547]

Coops this is such an important message mate. Required viewing. As you said with rising prices for everything we are going to have to reel in our GAS and evaluate whats important in our collections/film cupboard. Lastly the F3 is my one camera I'd keep.

[@riceboy890]

Well my friend, the cameras may be gone but you made the right choice and your creative voice is still yours and that's are worth more than any bit of kit

[@brooksilg]

Such a great and healthy message. Time and experiences are precious, and it's all too easy to forget and get caught up in gear. That said, the F3 with the 58mm Voigtlander is an excellent pairing.

[@krisceuppens5273]

Beautiful images you showed here! You talk a lot of sense 👍

[@Jwitherow1964]

I feel you I have came to the point were buying gear has became a huge problem , I have never made a dime with my cameras, with well over 100 k invested I don’t know what to do

[@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

You are the first person like me to have a 0.85 Leica M6. Having many cameras is a pure luxury and you have found the perfect time to sell your gear. I have 13 cameras including 2 Leicas and if I had to sell everything I would also be okay with that. You don't have to be attached to things that are basically all the same. ✌

[@brandonlavoie4364]

This is so timely, dude. Thank you for making this and for the honesty. So refreshing and you shoot the hell out of that F100. Congrats on the new house, you've really earned it.

[@Dngrov257]

While I was not forced to, I sold most of my Canon DSLR and EF-L lenses to purchase a Canon R6, RF 24-105 F4, RF 50MM 1.8,:and RF 100-400 F5.6-8. I am not missing the 8-9 lenses a sold. For a serious amateur, my dumbed down kit is more than enough.

[@lightloving683]

I suppose everything is relative. And timing is everything. I am fortunate to have purchased the majority of my analog gear second hand in the time period of 2000-2005. The period between the release of the Nikon D1 and Leica M8. Good times. Top tier gear and world class darkroom equipment for pennies on the dollar, and for a time, as you mentioned, too cheap to sell. All I still own and use. That said, I do agree. My best work, happiness aside, do come from limitation - 1 body, 1 lens, fixed number of film. Although I am content with the option of not having such limitation.

[@owainshaw]

Fantastic video. Great to hear you're happy with your back to basics setup - just being able to go out and photograph is the main thing, and this is a great reminder of that. Not quite as drastic as your housing situation but I recently decided to sell my Leica M4 (which had been something of a dream camera for me and I really enjoyed owning and using) to help finance an upgrade to my digital camera because I had some work coming in that my old digital camera (an eleven-year-old 5D Mark II) wouldn't have done to a high enough standard for today's market. (It's theatre/dance work and the difference at high ISOs between that camera and my new one is essentially ... night and day.) I had recently got my Yashica 35mm SLR repaired and (like you said in the video) had made some pictures that would be impossible to tell apart from my stuff with the Leica, so I can continue to enjoy film, but keeping all that money tied up in the M4 ultimately didn't make sense. I'm glad I had the experience of owning and using it. They're beautiful cameras and I wouldn't rule out getting another one again some day but I've no regrets about selling mine. I can still go out and photograph, and that's where the real enjoyment comes - not from the camera, but the thrill of going out and being creative with a camera, any camera. The camera matters more when you're sat at home thinking about it, not when you're out there using it.

[@nitablackwood6301]

Going through this today. Selling majority of my gear. I have 2 digital cameras and 1 Mamiya c220 otw. I don’t shoot outside of personal projects. So it’s perfect now.

[@mudgie069]

Family always comes first so you deffo made the right choice. We all at some point have GAS and chase the latest snd greatest gear but it's all about utilising what you have. Film wise, I'm on my last leg of the film journey. Only a few rolls of Kentmere pan 100 left and my remaining film gear is going to be sold. For me at least, it's just to expensive to continue using. Glad to see you back on KZbin matey 👍

[@francisbombus3949]

Thanks for the great and honest video. I agree with everything you said. To bring out a Leica M6 for 5050€ in this days is almost obscene. I look forward to more content 👏🏼 Greetings from Germany ✌🏼

[@patrickjones5271]

Great video, a life experience well documented.

[@PhilKnall]

I've pared down my collection a bit too since we had kids. Just don't have a lot of time, money is needed elsewhere. I do still want to keep around some medium format ones as I do prefer the look. Even though I use them maybe once every two months 😅

[@BeingWolfy]

Real talk, man. Thank you. I have the M6 and F3 and I could easily argue that the F3 is a better handling camera. I like them both, but if I had to choose I'd probably keep the F3 with all my Voigtlander pancake lenses (like you mentioned). Combined with a D700 and/or D810 for digital and you have a great all around kit. Thank you for your inspiring videos. The idea of less gear sounds free'ing and refreshing.

[@robmcd]

I bought an F4 but kinda wish I got the F3

[@stargatefreak666]

I bought a Bronica RF645 based off your video. I really love that camera but after the winder broke, luckily I was able to fix it but then I saw it as a $2500 paperweight when it would eventually give out. So I sold it, then I looked at the rest of my cameras (RZ67 kit, EOS 1N, Bronica ETRS) and said to myself why do I need all this? I sold everything including all my 120 film. I just have have a Nikon FM2N with two lenses and that's it. I learned the same experience you did.

[@tomislavmiletic_]

The moral of the story is - to never EVER have two mortgages or any other sort of debt at the same time. Course the bank will always try to make your life miserable. On the other hand, I'm glad it still worked out good for you...

[@patternsinsand]

Welcome back! Honestly, the Nikon F100 is an amazing camera and the only reason it doesn't tick *all* the boxes is because of size and weight. Shame you don't enjoy the experience of it so much. Perhaps it's a bit too modern? Another alternative to the F3 is the FE or even the humble FG. If you subscribe to the notion that the camera itself is just a film and shutter box then perhaps as you say it's now just about getting a couple of lenses to round out the system as your means allow. Some of the vintage Nikon glass is awesome and not too expensive!

[@the_last_rangefinder_society]

As you observe the best camera you have is the one you know how to use. I find since switching to just one camera/lens combo its massively simplified things for me and i'm now getting much better results...........in fact simply taking more care over film development has had a much greater impact on image quality than any amount of system swapping or chasing down holy grail lenses ever did............

[@DmitryKoupriyanov]

I've been lucky picked up my 500c/m over a decade ago for next to nothing and the M6 before prices went totally stupid. But last few years haven't really used either but still don't want to sell em. One day hope to jump back into it.

[@thomaspopple2291]

Great vid. Though I haven't gone down to one camera, I have chosen the less expensive cameras in each format. 35mm cameras are Canon IIs2 and Olympus OM10, Medium format is a Bronica GS-1, and large format is Intrepid 4x5. All those cameras combined with lenses were less than 1000 US.

[@petervanorsouw2858]

For me it wasn't the costs, I just wanted to make it simpler. So I now only use Olympus OM with a couple of prime lenses. Luckily my children have grown up. So my treat is a roll of TMAX.📸

[@brvnos]

Very true. A 50mm 1.4 and a solid mechanical body does the whole lot, until you retire or die. If you're going to invest money, go for a good scanner, good development equipment and more film. In my country, 10 rolls of Tri X costs the monthly minimum wage.

[@robmcd]

What country!?!

[@brvnos]

@@robmcd Brazil, mate. Tough time for film photographers.

[@robmcd]

@@brvnos even for Sebastião Salgado 🙏🏻

[@brvnos]

@@robmcd Very true mate! Very true!

[@tallaganda83]

F100 is a bloody good camera.

[@Brause_Market]

I saw the Mamiya 7ii with a 80mm for 4100€ here in germany. THIS IS CRAZY....

[@time-wanderer]

Just joking But I think you are meaning of my situation when you talking about someone looks for best camera gears...... I am still enjoying my journey of touching gears and have fun with them like friends by my side. But still... I couldn't agree more with your opinion. ❤ And I respect that you did that for your family and yes the economy is bad now and everything will be alright soon. Hope you get back to enjoy Leica soon or later.

[@bngr_bngr]

I’m looking forward to the new Leica M6.2.

[@morg7736]

I've had the idea that i should sell my gear for a while now. I think my nikon f2 is all I need. Maybe a p&s but that's it.

[@stjiro]

these banks man 🤬 inspiring story nevertheless

[@FotosyMas.]

Last video I watched was about how you had found the ultimate camera in the Leica M6 Titanium Edition. That one got sold for the M6 0.85X?

[@ridealongwithrandy]

Good video! I rekon I am saving my film and digital gear, and my collector automobile for a medical emergency, that would be a sad day.

[@natashanicole7408]

Could you not leverage your multiple (prime location) subway stores? Definitely a humbling experience but still a fortunate one as you now have housing security (Perth's homelessness orgs are dying under the current load - to the point that most can't even realise sadly).

[@shootswithcoops]

Covid nailed me tash, the uni store didn’t make a dime for 2 years during Covid

[@kendesantis7319]

At least you had your cameras to fall back on to sell. If you didn’t buy those cameras maybe you would have used that money on something else that wouldn’t have allowed you to buy your house.

[@tonyhayes9827]

Mate Id rather an F100 than an M6. The M6 can't do what the F100 can. And if you can pick a photo taken with the M6 over one taken with the f100 you're a better man than I am. After what you and the F100 have been through (dark times) I would have a profound love for my F100 by now. You stuck by your fam. and the F100 stuck by you.