Originally posted by johnha I have a lot of gear and need to sell some (most?) of it off, the question is what should go first and what should be kept?
Are the mechanical ones preferable to sell or keep? Is there any real difference between an MX & KX (I don't want to start another of those threads!)? How about those that take the same accessories (Super-A & P50)? What about the Spotmatics?
It's the same with lenses, I'll keep the M42 lenses as they're very adaptable and I love the results, do I really need a pile of K mounts too?
John.
John, When it comes to film cameras, I would tend to keep the mechanical ones as they are less likely to fail, more likely to be repairable, and are at the age where they begin to appreciate in value.
Unless you love and enjoy collecting for the sake of collecting, I would sell any lens that is more likely to collect dust than images. Again, if you're a collector and that's your hobby, then only sell inferior duplicates. But if you see the cameras and lenses as tools for your photography, then I'd strip things down to your star pieces; simplify.
If some specific feature is essential to you, such as a depth-of-field preview, or exposure priority mode, or a motor drive, etc, then the differences in the models become more important. For me, the key feature that makes the biggest difference is medium format, so that narrows down my cameras considerably.
I used to take half of my kit everywhere, with a heavy back pack and vest full of lenses, back up bodies, etc. Now I find it extremely liberating to take one camera and one lens only and use my phone as my safety net backup.
IF you believe your ability to capture special images is external of you, then you will never have enough gear because you're constantly thinking of the gear you're missing. But if instead you believe special images are found and taken by the photographer, then just pick your best tools and sell the rest.