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Thread: Buy new or buy used?

  1. #31

    Join Date
    Dec 2001
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    San Joaquin Valley, California
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    9,597

    Re: Buy new or buy used?

    Oops! Actually I did buy one new LF camera, a Gowland Aerial for a special job.
    Never mind!
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  2. #32

    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    NE US
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    91

    Re: Buy new or buy used?

    I think film is on its way out no matter what. I buy new and used myself.

  3. #33
    jp's Avatar
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    May 2009
    Location
    Maine
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    5,628

    Re: Buy new or buy used?

    Photography equipment has always been available used at a discount from widows of photographers. As a teen in the '80s/90's, the LF stuff was obscure and expensive. It was cool, but not even remotely in my budget. It's become more of a buyers market though with the current market disruption from digital. I think the low prices of equipment will only encourage more people to get into it and more equipment that sat idle for decades to get back into use and get used up.

    The only new LF lens I've bought is the reinhold wallaston. I've bought new film, chemicals, incident meter, combiplan tanks, paper, contact printing frame, filters, tripod. I've bought used cameras, lenses, tripods, film holders, filters, enlargers. Many darkroom items have been opportunities from lawnsales or local craigslistings.

    I am very interested in history and prefer old lenses and cameras within practical reason. I have no interest in buying a brand new camera that looks 40-150 years old. If I bought a new camera, it'd be for something that's not available in old/used.

    If money were no object, I'd buy a new Canham metal camera. I'd get a deardorff v8, not because it's old looking, but because it's a decent compact 8x10 camera. I'd buy new for ULF. I'd consider a ilford pinhole camera. Enough people fit this category to feed a used market, but I'm not presently part of it. I certainly aspire to, but won't pretend to be part of it at present. I spent enough money last year filling my freezer with film to buy a canham or deardorff. I have a theory that much of the stuff we aspire to, we can actually have, but not all at the same time or exactly when we want it. If we had all the stuff, we wouldn't have time for work, and if we weren't working, we wouldn't have the means to get the stuff.

  4. #34

    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    756

    Re: Buy new or buy used?

    From a bottom line perspective:

    The one per cent would have you buy new....

    The 99 percent would fully align with buying used.

    Can't be more clear than that.

  5. #35

    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    San Joaquin Valley, California
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    9,597

    Re: Buy new or buy used?

    Quote Originally Posted by slackercruster View Post
    I think film is on its way out no matter what...
    What other media is "on it's way out?" Marble? Oil paints? Campbell's Tomato Soup?
    Practically speaking, we're all on the "way out" aren't we?
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  6. #36

    Join Date
    Feb 2006
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    3,142

    Re: Buy new or buy used?

    Quote Originally Posted by John Kasaian View Post
    What other media is "on it's way out?" Marble? Oil paints? Campbell's Tomato Soup?
    Practically speaking, we're all on the "way out" aren't we?
    I remember when vinyl was extinct. No stores sold new vinly because virtually none was being pressed. $500 turntables went for $5 at yardsales; sometimes they were in the "free" pile. Now, lo and behold, they are pressing it again and I see albums for sale in the CD stores.
    One man's Mede is another man's Persian.

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