Time to Sell Pt. 2: Hard Choices

Jonesy's 202:  A camera I should
use more.

In my previous post I laid forth the argument for selling some of the cameras in my "inventory" (remember, I am not a camera collector). Having made a convincing case (at least to myself), now it is time to decide which cameras will stay and which cameras will go. This will not easy, and it will get progressively more difficult as I go. I definitely am experiencing a strong temptation to simply let things stay the way they are now and keep everything. I'm starting to hear voices. "What harm will not selling do? Just let them stay where they are. Maybe you will end up using all of them over the course of this year. And remember:  once they are gone, they are not coming back. Is this what you really want?" Perhaps these voices are coming from the cameras themselves. Perhaps not.

However, for the reasons I have already stated and for a reason I have yet to reveal, I will not listen to these voices (wherever they come from) and move forward with my plan. First, let's develop a selection criteria that answers the question, "Why should I keep you?"

1.  Do You Work?

I know this sounds like an obvious (and ridiculous) question, but collectors acquire non-functioning cameras all the time. They don't buy them to shoot them. I am not a collector, so I do not need cameras that do not work. For example, until recently I owned a Minolta Maxxum 600si. I really liked the way the 600si was designed in an old school way with control knobs instead of buttons and a menu. However, one of the two control dials never worked, meaning that the camera could never be used in manual mode. That wasn't a big problem for me, as I use aperture priority when in automatic exposure mode. But one day I was shooting the camera when it ceased to fire and displayed an error message in the LCD screen. I later learned that the aperture base plate had failed, and because the part is no longer available, the camera was doomed. So, what to do with it? Toss it in the landfill? No, I sent it to a camera repair person to be a donor camera, so that people who need parts for a 600si could get their camera repaired (along as the problem wasn't the aperture base plate!)

Sometimes the question is "Do you work" but instead "Do you work well or completely?" My Minolta Maxxum 5, for example, works fine except for the built-in flash. And it died an a very inopportune time - my daughter's wedding reception. Not cool.

2.  Have I Used You Lately?

Had any of my camera actual feelings, this question could make some of them very uncomfortable. There are some that haven't been used much, especially lately. Perhaps I have picked favorites that become reliable cameras that are easy for me to use. Others might have fallen by the wayside because they have let me down with their results. My Holga, for example.

3.  Are You a Challenge to Use?

Leica ilia:  Not easy to use but not going anywhere.

This is not always a valid question. My Leica ilia, for example, is more challenging to use than most of the cameras, mainly because the film leader has to be trimmed before the camera can be loaded. Even if you prepare enough rolls ahead of time, the camera still is not easy to load (although I am getting better at it each time I use it). Nevertheless, It's not going anywhere, at least not in the foreseeable future. I like using it. 

4.  Are You Redundant?

What do I need with two (or more) cameras that are very similar in design and function and also produce the same results? For example, in addition to Jonesy's Minolta SR-T 202 (which is a non-negotiable keeper, obviously), I have a SR-T 102 in black. Do I really need both? Sure it's nice being able to "protect" Jonesy's camera from damage during use, but honestly, I think I wanted it because it was black. Mirror lock-up and double exposure capability (which the 202 doesn't have) aren't that important to me, and I now think that Jonesy himself would want me to actually use his camera rather than put it on a shelf. 

Next, let's take a look at my inventory. Here is a list of every camera owned by me that resides at my condo:

Instant Camera

Polaroid SX-70 One Tough SONAR

Medium Format

Holga 120N

Rolleicord Va(2)

Yashica Mat

Debonair 120

35mm Point and Shoot

Minolta AF2

35mm Rangefinder

Leica ilia

Minolta 7s

Zorki 1

Zorki 4

35mm Manual Focus SLR

Minolta SR-T 202 (Jonesy's camera)

Minolta SR-T 102 (black)

Minolta XE-5

Minolta XD-7

Minolta X-700

35mm Autofocus SLR

Minolta Maxxum 7000

Minolta Maxxum 5

Let's go through these by camera type. First, I only have one instant camera, so the Polaroid SX-70 SONAR stays. It once belong to the great uncle of my my wife, Debbie, so it is a family heirloom. I use this camera from time to time for family events, and it works great most of the time. I love to give away Polaroid photographs, and a number of them also adorn our refrigerator. 

Of the five medium format cameras that live in the condo, one is an easy choice for me. Can you guess which one? If you guessed the Holga, you're right! It never caught on with me, having achieved exactly zero memorable images from the half dozen rolls that I have put through it. Maybe the sample is too small, but I don't think more use would have made a difference. The Holga is a perfect example of how easily I could be influenced at the time. It seemed like all the cool kids were using Holgas and getting cool results. But not me. The Holga is first out the door (and it has already been sold. I don't miss it.)

How many of you chose the Film Photography Store's Debonair 120? Nope. It's staying. I like it much better than the Holga. It's a better camera in my opinion, and its vertical 6x4.5 format makes for excellent portraits, especially with a flash. 

The Minolta AF2 is the only autofocus point and shoot camera I own. It it easy to use, has an excellent glass lens, choosable ISO, built in flash, and a manual film advance lever (making it a very quiet camera). If I'm going to a party and I'm not shooting Polaroid, this is the camera I take.

The two TLRs, Rolleicord Va and the Yashica Mat, are a bit of a quandary for me. They both work equally well, and I don't need them both. However, they both were gifts from a close friend who's father owned and used them. I think the Rolleicord has a better lens, but its flash sync doesn't work. The Yashica Mat's controls are easier to use. I really don't like to sell cameras that were gifted to me, so for now, I'm holding on to both. 

When it comes to my four 35mm rangefinder cameras, I feel embarrassed. There is a lot of redundancy there. Let's break it down. The Minolta 7s was a 2017 Christmas gift from Shutter Brother Kelley, and I was so thrilled about it that I took it to Norway a couple of days later. It ended up being my main camera for the trip, and it worked great. It's easy to use, has a program mode and metered manual, and has a sharp fixed 45mm lens. I like its looks and I like using it. 

However, sometime later I became sentimental about the Leica iiia that I once owned in the early 1990's until it was stolen in 1994. Prices had gone up quite a bit since then, and I knew that the only way I would have one again was to settle for a Russian copy. Kelley gifted me the Zorki 1 for Christmas, and I was delighted. Later I came across the Zorki 4 for a steal. Was I becoming a collector of Russian cameras?However, two years ago I found another Leica ilia at a local antique store parking lot sale. The owner appreciated that I knew about the camera, and he gave me a very generous deal on it and it's Elmar 35mm lens. Suddenly, the two Zorkis seemed very redundant, and now it's time for them to go.

Beautiful but redundant.

The five manual focus SLRs are too many, of course. Jonesy's SR-T 202 is safe, so at least two of the remaining four need to go. As mentioned above, I don't need two SR-T model cameras, so it looks like the black SR-T 102 is on the sell list. The other three breakdown as follows:  The X-700 and the XD7 have similarities (multiple exposure modes and compact design), as do the XD7 and the XE5 (products of Leica and Minolta collaboration). I have a particular fondness for the X-700, as it was the second (and last) camera I ever bought new in the box in 1992, and I really like its grip and feel. I am very "at one" with it. The XE5 is a fine camera in every way, and I like its needle-based meter, which works both in aperture priority and manual. After a lot of thought, it looks like the XD7 is the odd camera out.

One of these has go go.

Of the two autofocus SLRs, the Minolta Maxxum 7000 is my favorite. I love the way it feels in my hand, and I have learned to use the two control buttons. The Maxxum 5 is a much newer camera with many more features, but isn't it redundant? Perhaps. But if I decide shoot AF on a trip somewhere and take only one AF body with AF lenses, I am in trouble if the all-electronic Maxxum fails. The Maxxum 5 is small and light and makes a perfect back camera. It's safe for now.

So there you have it. Out of seventeen cameras, I am ready to say goodbye to five of them. Honestly, twelve still sounds like too many, but at least I am making progress. For now, I am happy with what I am selling and with what I still have. 

Or am I?

Next:  Time to Sell Pt. 3:  What Next?

Uncle Jonesy’s Cameras Podcast #57: Still Alive and Clicking

 Life happens, and when it does, podcasts go on hold. But the Shutter Brothers are back with an informal chat about life, travels, and, of course, cameras. And we love cameras! But sometimes we may have to consider getting rid of some of our cameras. Kevin and Wayne discuss the whys and hows of reducing the camera "inventory" and why it might even make us better photographers. 

Wayne also talks about his experience being a judge for a photography contest and how he ended up with a piece of photographic history that once belonged to Ed Wescott, the American photographer who his known for his documentation of the Manhattan Project. You can learn more about Ed Wescott here.

A beach hut for your camera bag!

And speaking of getting rid of stuff, we're in a generous mood. There's stuff in our closets that need to go, and you could be the beneficiary. Listen to find out what and how.

Happy Shooting!