Help - sell Medium Format and buy more EOS stuff?

[friskybongo]

Hi. I wasn't sure whether to post on the medium format or the EOS

forum so excuse me if I made the wrong choice.

 

My equipment includes a Digital Rebel along with the kit lens,

EF100mm macro and EF-S 10-22mm. While I'd like to buy more lenses

(and maybe a second body) my funds are limited. I also have a

Mamiya 645AFd with the standard 80mm lens which I don't use much. I

figure if I sell the Mamiya (I figure for close to $2,000) I'd be

able to add to my EOS kit. I'd probably go for the Canon 70-200mm

f/4 and plus maybe the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L.

 

I like to shoot zoo animals and portraits and I'm not sure how

viable medium format is anymore. Would I be better served by adding

to my Canon kit or should I keep the Mamiya? Please help me decide

by giving the pros and cons.

 

Thanks.

 

Louis Solomon

[ben_rubinstein___mancheste]

If you're not using it then sell and buy kit that you will use. Maybe see about upgrading to the XT or 20D.

[erol_a.]

If you don't use the Mamiya much, sure, go for it. Just be aware that medium format kits go

pretty cheap, and you likely won't get the money you want for it. Check the completed

auctions section on the 'bay... for example, a 645AF with two backs and two lenses... sold for

$1225. Rough times for MF sellers. I like my digitals plenty, but I still use my RZ often and

just bought a Contax 645 kit to use for weddings and portrait work where the very unique

look of those Zeiss T* lenses is what I want. If you aren't using, nor do you want to use the

645 anymore, sell it now, before it becomes even less valuable on teh secondhand market

than it is now - just be prepared to take a hit on it.

[phyrpowr]

Eamonn is right, I don't search evilBay for MF, but the two camera shops I frequent have lots of MF for prices that seem to be about 25-35% less than a year ago, some nice fairly recent stuff too.

 

Get some bids if you can. If the hit isn't too big, go for the EOS lenses, if it is, hold onto it for, e.g., big landscapes

[digitmstr]

The key words here are: "which I don't use much"

 

I have sold ALL my medium format cameras (Rollei & Bronica) and I have never looked back.

 

The issue, as pointed out, is that prices are dropping quickly for used MF stuff so, don't wait too long. I think your projected sales amount is off by about 50% or so. Still, the longer you wait the less you'll get. Painful but, true!

[athinkle]

You can always start out by getting some quotes from B+H and KEH. You can get a quote without making any commitment, so at least you'll have a nice baseline. BTW I'd buy the damn thing from you but I'm too broke to even contemplate it. You've got one to sell, I want one, but alas no money. Life sucks some times...

[taner]

I made a profit of one hundred percent (corresponding to 95 Canadian Dollars) today on a lens that I had bought from a pawn shop by selling it to a full fledged camera store as a trade-in. See, once in a while, you get to beat the house in its own game; look around, talk to people... Your best bet would most likely be a personal sale. Do not rip off that person either... Good Luck.

[markplawchan]

Relax, as prices drop--your lines of affordability converge. Eventually, if medium format equipment drops to zero value--"no money" will be enough to purchase it with....

[carl_glover]

Much as I love my 1DS MkII. I would never get rid of the medium format gear. The

canon's pictures don't come close but clients love the speed.

 

The Canon for money. The Rollei for art.

 

Mamiyas are good too.

 

My two cents.

 

 

Carl

[athinkle]

I'm trying right now to set up an account with a service that allows customers to purchase prints directly from a site and have orders filled via automation. This seems the way to sell "art" prints if you have an MF scanner. Otherwise it's too damn hard to sell individual prints to multiple people using your own printing setup.

[tom_christiansen]

Hi,

 

At some point, I had a rather large collection of Contax 35mm gear, a Leica R8 with 50/2 lens, and a Hasselblad setup (501CM, 60, 80, 100, 180 mm lenses).

 

I concluded that the Leica lifestyle wasn't for me. And I certainly didn't like the 3-camera system lifestyle either. So I sold the camera, lens for about what I'd paid for it a year earlier.

 

For some reason I started shooting more and more 35mm film. The Hasselblad stayed in the closet. Then I went digital (10D + a few lenses). I stopped shooting film. Selling the 35mm gear was a relatively easy choice. I kept a little bit of it around for a while, but eventually concluded that I didn't use it and got rid of it while I could still get some money for it. About a month later, Contax was officially declared dead and the prices dropped dramatically.

 

After shooting digital for nine months, the 'blad had sat in the closet for a little over a year. I really liked the system, but as a non-pro, I can't really justify having $5k of gear in the closet if I don't use it. So I sold it. It was a hard decision. But I haven't looked back. And realistically, had I not sold it, it would probably still be sitting in the closet...

 

I think you should invest in the system that you use.

 

The advantage of medium format over APS-C size digital is pretty clear: Image quality. But unless you make big enlargements (my "max size" print from the 10D is 12"x16"-ish) you probably won't notice much of a difference.

 

The drawbacks of medium format as I see it: Workflow (time spent picking up film, driving it back and forth to the lab, etc). Not all that suitable for hand-held photography (although, it can be done).

 

The advantages of digital: Workflow. Instant feedback, gratification. Fast process (I'd think 35mm or digital SLR would work better at the Zoo). Gotta love the histogram...

 

Disadvantages of digital: Expensive update cycle. More time spent in front of the computer. Colors can be challenging to control (but once you got it down, it's very repeatable).

 

When I look at my medium format slides, I do see more detail than I do in my digital files from the 10D. But for me at least, the convenience factor of digital weighs heavier than the image quality at that point.

 

Hope this assists you in your decision.

 

BTW: I had good luck selling my gear on-line. Try the photo.net classifieds before going to [THAT AUCTION SITE]. The only thing I had a little trouble getting rid of was the 501CM kit. I ended up taking it to a local camera store and selling it there. They actually paid some 20 % more (!) than I was looking to get off of fleaBay.

 

Tom

[ilkka]

Medium fromat prices drop until medium format digital backs become affordable enough. Now everyone is selling off their medium format gear to buy mediocre digital bodies with minuscule sensors. The mamiya 645AFD is the best format for digital and is ready for it. Selling it now is not worth much.

[dogbert]

Why do you shoot. If you are a pro, this is a business decision and you need to think in financial terms over what will bring in the greatest income/ minimize your workload.

 

If you are an amatuer then it is about what will give you the most enjoyment, more canon gear or the occaisional use of MF.

 

Personally I just got into medium format with a mint Yashica Mat 124 G, purchased by chance at an estate sale for $25. I can't wait to run some velvia through it.