Pete E. wrote:
I sold and cashed-in both collections ...
Fifteen years ago I sold the camera system I had begun investing in when I was thirteen. The camera, a number of lenses, motor drive, flash units and filters, all of them traded in for a measly $70 CAD credit toward a new digital camera.
I was convinced at the time that film was dead - and that it was better to get anything I could for my gear, even if it was essentially nothing. I was wrong. Film is very much alive, and I deeply lament having sold the equipment I had worked so hard to obtain as a teenager, and had heavily used for many years.
During the COVID break I decided to return to film, and since then I've been trying to replace my precious gear without much luck. I've found other cameras I wanted to use and learn more about, and in the process I have amassed a small collection of film cameras, but I still haven't been able to find the exact model I wanted - for a reasonable price.
Much like typewriters, film gear is grossly overpriced at the moment. In fact, I've found many parallels when it comes to finding and buying typewriters and cameras. With both you have to contend with the profiteers who are out there flipping the fairly-priced cameras they've found for ten-fold-plus profits. Patience and keeping a level head (during auctions), and avoiding the temptation of buying those cheaper examples that have small issues, has been my approach so far.
I could easily just pay someone today their inflated price and be done with this search, but having already been burned by the camera store when I sold my gear, I refuse to provide someone with a handsome profit just for finding a camera before I did. And as many of us here know, the hunt is often a big part of the fun.
