Too many cameras?

<p>It doesn't matter how many cameras you have and maybe use, unless there is one Leica, you have nothing! I found out that when you put a Leica in your bag, slowly but surely it, the Leica, will evict all the others! One or two lenses and you won't go thru "what camera ?". Add a small Digicam and you are set.<br>

I have lots of film cameras.People gave me their old cameras. I enjoy using them all. It cost me nothing. I might get a DSLR but none take all of the lenses I have. Not properly. Maybe Pentax..</p>

 

<p>I'm a beginner. In chronological order of acquisition...<br />

<br />

Polaroid instant from about 1980 (sentimental value)<br />

A couple of unspecified 35mm compacts that I've inherited and only used once, in 1998<br />

Agfa ePhoto 1680 (digital not-very-compact - first camera to get me into photography)<br />

Ixus L-1*<br />

Canon Eos 300D (first serious camera, still gets used, especially when my Nikons are being cleaned)<br />

Canon Eos 500 (film back-up, very light, still used when I want a lightweight SLR)<br />

Canon Eos 620 (for infrared, because the Eos 500 fogs it; nice finder, smaller than the F5)<br />

Panasonic Lumix FZ5* (or something similar - I forget; rarely used when we want a compact superzoom)<br />

Nikon D700 (main camera)<br />

Nikon F5 (back-up for D700, gets some use especially with Velvia)<br />

Pentax 645 (used a fair bit for landscapes)<br />

Voigtlander Bessa R (small manual 35mm, but a bit heavier and louder than I realised)<br />

Small compact (possibly Fujifilm? - bought for £40 in a supermarket as something to live in my bag)<br />

<br />

* = strictly my other half's camera, but she doesn't use them much<br />

<br />

There's probably a micro 4/3 in my future (mostly for my other half, who wants to take photos while I carry the lenses), although the NEX series is quite tempting, and she also wants a waterproof camera for diving. At some point I'll probably get a 5x4, and possibly a cheap TLR (unless I get rich, in which case it'll be a Mamiya 7). Oh, and there are a few camera phones, too.<br />

<br />

I can justify owning most of the above (the compacts and Eos 620 are most dubious, although I'll ditch the Bessa if a Leica lands in my lap). I was pleased this week to discover that all my F-mount lenses fit in my mini-trekker, if I ignore the 500 f/4 and 200 f/2. The camera doesn't fit in, but that's a secondary concern. If I get an 80-200 f/2.8 I suspect I'll be well into "need a bigger bag" territory.</p>

<p>Thanks, all, now I don't feel so bad! A little clarification of my original list is in order:</p>

<p>Sigma - "fall" - I use this to record fall colors, because the Foveon sensor really does do a fantastic job with the reds, yellows, greens, etc. </p>

<p>Panasonic - "social" - I use this for social family events, mainly because of the articulating LCD. It's a little more stealthy, not having to hold a camera up to your face, and you can capture some "I didn't know I was being photographed" moments.</p>

<p>I finally got tired of storing all my old stuff, so I sold it all off. I had bins filled with over 200 vintage box and Brownies dating back to the 1890's. I also had a few dozen 35mm SLR's, and old MF and LF gear. I'm now down to a pair of Nikon film bodies, a pair of old weird 35 mm SLR's (2 Petri FT's),a single Nikon DSLR, a dozen Nikkor lenses, and a few old 120 folders. Boy do I feel liberated too.</p>

<p>Just the last decade.......<br>

canon 10D<br>

Canon 20D<br>

Canon 50D<br>

Canon 7D<br>

Sony DSC-W70<br>

Sony DSC-H20<br>

Olympus E-PL2<br>

My justification...I'm retired and this is my just earned reward<br>

and my wife doesn't mind! I won't list the lenses and accessories to go with this list but I don't drink, smoke or hang out in bars...LOL!</p>

<p>Since digital cameras have so little trade-in value, they are going to collect. Also, we order so much stuff on-line, either local camera stores have been driven out of business or they are unlikely to want to deal with us and our used equipment. I must have up to eight digital cameras by now.</p>

I have two D200 bodies and never use the second one. It was necessesery as a backup when I did wedding work.So off to Ebay it goes!.Over the years I have used a raft of lenses and formats but not being a collector ,keeping it simple works for me.

<p>I seldom change lenses in the field due to potential dust issues and I'm lazy. Therefore, I select the lenses I want to use and attach a body to them. Typical setup is:<br>

Nikon D7000 with Sigma 8-16, <br>

Nikon D7000 with Sigma 17-70 OS, <br>

Sony A580 with Sony 70-400,</p>

<p>I've been buying and selling cameras for 15 years now. I have around 20 cameras currently, but only use 4-5 of them, the rest are there when I want to shoot with them. One is my late fathers black Nikon F with the FTn meter prism. He bought it brand new in 1969 a few months after I was born. I just had it completely overhauled and now am waiting for a chance to shoot with it, probably this summer. I am not a collector, yet have a lot of cameras I don't use that just sit. I enjoy cameras.</p>

<p>Nikon D200 - main camera<br>

iPhone 4 - a decent camera for grab shots<br>

Nikon D70 - back up body used once, headed for eBay<br>

Nikon N90s - when I want to shoot film<br>

Kodak Retina IIIc - when I really want to go old school<br>

Crown Graphic - My grandfather's, last used in 2005 with a 6x9 back. Maybe when I retire I'll shoot some 4x5 again.</p>

<p>Then there is my collection of classics and antiques<br>

Minolta X700<br>

Nikon S2<br>

Leica III<br>

Vest Pocket Monroe (1.5x2.25 plates)<br>

cine Kodak Model A<br>

B&H filmo<br>

cine Kodak model B, BB, E, K100<br>

Kodak cine special<br>

cine 8 models 20, 25<br>

Kodak super-8 M-2, M-4, M-6<br>

Kodak Ektasound models 130 and 240<br>

Kodavision 2200<br>

Kodavision 2400<br>

...just to name a few</p>

<p>I forgot to mention the following non-digital cameras..........<br>

Minolta SRT 101<br>

Minolta SRT 201<br>

Minolta SRT 202<br>

Minolta X700<br>

Kodak Reflex<br>

Canon A1<br>

Canon T50<br>

Yashicamat 124G<br>

Konica C35<br>

Minolta QT16 mm subminiature<br>

(3) Argus C3<br>

Voightlander Vito II<br>

Yashicamat CM TLR<br>

(3) Kodak Brownies<br>

Kodak Instamatics, 126, 110<br>

Assorted Polaroids from advanced to simple models<br>

AND...more lenses and accessories than I want to list!<br>

I should not be surprized of my collection, it covers over 60 years of my collection<br>

and some older handed down to me from father and grandfather.</p>

<p> </p>

Nobody really "needs" a camera but it does make it easier to take pictures.

<p>Never put all your eggs in one basket if you're cooking.</p>

<p>Never put all your cameras in one room if you're married. ^o^</p>

<p>Canon 5D full frame<br>

Canon AT-1 film<br>

Canon A1 film<br>

2 Mamiya RB67 medium format film<br>

Canon 350 D (wifey's)<br>

Baby Rollei 4x4 just for a square B&W<br>

Burke and James 8x10 w/ 5x7 and 4x5 reducing backs.<br>

<em>Just enough</em>.</p>

 

<p>I have nine cameras all of which I use from time to time, I'm not a collector I don't keep equipment I don't use, and although nine is quite a lot, after more than fifty years of photography it's not that bad</p>

<p>Too many cameras? Naaa never! </p>

<p>http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6121/5921777309_89976c8cae_z.jpg</p>

 

<p>Sorry that failed miserably... If a moderator could delete my last post that would be great.</p>

<p>Too many cameras? Never! A lot of the gear I've amassed over the years (30+) because I needed a piece for a particular shoot or experiment and it starts to add up. Still have my very first SLR the Canon FTb chrome purchased around 1969, my dad's old Condor camera which was a Leica knock off that was made in Italy and on that top shelf an old glass plate stereo camera (back right) which had an interesting design. One lens could be pivoted to the middle of the camera so that it could be used for non 3D pix and then rotated back to be used for 3D.</p>

<p>Several years of photo retail before winding up at the paper also didn't help.</p>

<p>Tip of the iceberg though....</p>

<p><img src="http://www.kevinomura.com/cameras/cameras1.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p><img src="http://www.kevinomura.com/cameras/cameras2.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p><img src="http://www.kevinomura.com/cameras/cameras3.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>Well my collection is well over 40 cameras not including the wife and kids cameras, and my wife helped me find and buy the last bag of 6 cameras. So no, you have a way to go. That bag included a ZENIT made in the USSR in 1969.<br>

So... cameras with film and in active use: Holga 120, Lomography wide, an ARGUS folder 120, the ZENIT 35mm SLR and a Miranda SLR, Canon T70 & T90 SLR's, and a Canon EOS 650 SLR (which is pretty sweet with my EF 24-70 f2.8). Oh and three pinhole cameras.<br>

Active Digital - my everyday cameras Canon Rebel XTi, and Canon S90 (always with me).</p>

<p>There is a serious point here, how many cameras does a person need to own before he/she is considered to be mentally ill ?</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>There is a serious point here, how many cameras does a person need to own before he/she is considered to be mentally ill ?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Sometimes, just one.</p>

 

<p>Nikon D300<br>

Nikon D70s<br>

Canon G12<br>

Nikon F4<br>

Nikon F4<br>

Nikon F3HP<br>

Nikon F3HP<br>

Nikon F3<br>

Nikon FA (Black)<br>

Nikon FA (chrome)<br>

Nikon FM2<br>

Nikon FE2<br>

Contax RX<br>

Contax G2<br>

Contax TVS</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>There is a serious point here, how many cameras does a person need to own before he/she is considered to be mentally ill ?</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>None?</p>

<p>I'm just getting started with:</p>

<ul>

<p >Canon A-1</p>

</ul>

<ol>

<p >Canon AE-1</p>

</ol>

<ul>

<p >Canon AF35ML</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Canon EF</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Canon EOS A2E</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Canon F1n/New F1</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Canon T70</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Canon T90</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Fuji S3 Pro</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Konica Auto S</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Konica Auto S2</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Konica Autoreflex T3</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Konica FC-1</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Konica FS-1</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Konica FT-1 Motor</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Konica Wards 550 w/Hexar 45 F1.8</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Mamiya 500 DTL</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Mamiya 645E</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Mamiya DSX-1000</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Mamiya M645 1000S</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Mamiya Super 23</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Mamiya Universal</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Nikon D300 w/MB-D10</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Nikon N90S</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Nikon Nikon F100 w/ MB-15</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Pentax 67</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p >Praktica LTL 3</p>

</ul>

<ul>

<p>Yashica TL Electro<br>

I have a truck load of glass to go with all of this. It a shame, some of this glass is superb though nearly obsolete.<br>

I'm not sure what the end game is, it looks like my kids need to develop an interest in old film gear, or auctions.</p>

</ul>

<p> </p>

<p>Lauren has a good point. My wife has over 100 pairs of shoes but has never said anything about my cameras. In fact when I was talking about selling my Rollei TLR she said she liked the camera and to not sell it. I am a lucky man! I have a Rolleiflex 3.5F, Canon A-1 and TL, Leica Mini, and Lumix L-1. I would have a difficult time selling any of these particularly the Canons as I have a full range of lenses and would not like to give up that kind of flexibility. I love the L-1 but sometimes I just feel like using an old camera. The point is to just have fun and sometimes that means using a camera just because you like it.</p>

<p>4 Nikon F's, 3 Nikon F2's, F3HP, F4s, F5, F100, about 10 Nikkormats, covering all the versions, FE, 2 FE2's, 2 FMN2's, 2 N90s, 2 n80s, 3 Canon T90s, one each of the F1s, 7 Leicas, 2 IIIc's's, 3 IIIf's, M2, M3, M6 (classic), all the Spotmatics, Minolta 101, 4 XE7's, 4 XD7's, several dozen Retina's up to the IIIC (big C), Voigtlanders beyond count, Vitessa's, vito matics, Prominent (4), Vito's, Zeis Contax IIa, 3 Contessa's 35, 2 Super Ikonta's (532/16), Bronica GS-1 4 Konica auto S2's, and digital Fuji 6900Z, zNilpn D70, D90, D200, D300 plus Canon A620 and A650IS.</p>

<p>I need professional help. The Canon A620 and 650 get used more than all the rest put together.</p>