Burning Money; My 15-Year GAS Experience

imsky
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Burning Money; My 15-Year GAS Experience

Observations from my 15 years owning extensive collections in Canon EF, Sony FE, Leica M, and L mounts. I sold most of my Canon and Sony gear, leading to realized depreciation, while estimates for Leica are based on online research of used prices.

Key Insights

1. Lenses tend to retain their value better than cameras across all brands.
2. Leica demonstrated exceptional value retention, particularly in the used market. Many M-mount lenses in regular use are over a decade old.
3. Canon experienced the highest depreciation, possibly influenced by the shift to mirrorless and the transition from EF to RF lens mounts, a system I did not adopt.

Personal Reflection

Initially, I tracked these values to justify buying because that lens/camera is only 10-20% of cost if I sold it. However, my enjoyment of the gear has outweighed financial considerations.

Depreciation by Brand

Aug 30, 2024 at 04:58 PM

sjms
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Burning Money; My 15-Year GAS Experience

when you say "my enjoyment of the gear" do you mean the ownership or the usage? which is the more important to you?

i track the usage as these are tools i use by the results which is the true ROI.

Aug 31, 2024 at 07:29 AM

Tschanrm
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Burning Money; My 15-Year GAS Experience

I will add that things are not always linear over time. Look at the resurgence of the premium compact camera market. Just 2 years ago depreciation was north of 50%. Today it's an average of maybe 15%. And with Fuji compacts, you are selling in some cases for more than what you originally paid.

And with some things it's hard to put a price on. For instance, taking truly silent photos without rolling shutter (stacked sensor) has changed my ability to capture candid moments.

Sep 10, 2024 at 09:00 PM

cwsm
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Burning Money; My 15-Year GAS Experience

imsky wrote:
I sold most of my Canon and Sony gear, leading to realized depreciation.

Ha, this is one of the reasons I'll never be able to sell my Sony gear

Sep 28, 2024 at 06:12 AM

Pixelpuffin
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Burning Money; My 15-Year GAS Experience

If, like me you only buy mint boxed used gear and set your budget to the recent completed listing values then you don’t tend to lose much…in actual fact you may break even or possibly profit.
I have just splurged and bought several new lenses for my ef-m bodies. The only reason I bought new is because certain lenses for ef-m are quite hard to find and because the system is now obsolete 3rd party manufacturers will stop producing… hence I just bought the whole inventory in one go. Otherwise EVERYTHING is purchased used to avoid the horrendous depreciation.

Sep 28, 2024 at 05:01 PM

GroovyGeek
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Burning Money; My 15-Year GAS Experience

Tschanrm wrote:
For instance, taking truly silent photos without rolling shutter (stacked sensor) has changed my ability to capture candid moments.

I am confused. Under what conditions are your candid shots impacted by rolling shutter?

Oct 02, 2024 at 08:01 PM

Tschanrm
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Burning Money; My 15-Year GAS Experience

Pretty much anything inside involving my kids. I suppose capturing a candid moment reading a book, rolling shutter would have no effect. In most situations though my kids are moving around and the slow scan rate of roughly 1/12 on a full-frame BSI sensor does affect those kinds of images. So with a stacked sensor the luxury of knowing that I can take a silent picture without rolling artifacts, and not disrupt the moment with a 'click', has changed my ability (or maybe better said as confidence) in capturing candid photos.

GroovyGeek wrote:
I am confused. Under what conditions are your candid shots impacted by rolling shutter?

Oct 03, 2024 at 08:32 AM

sjms
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Burning Money; My 15-Year GAS Experience

your current cameras electronic "shutter" scan rates are not fast enough to function in a real high speed mode low light environment. the newer A series models can do so but at a cost.

my Z6 does not do well in that category either. this is why they all have mechanical shutters. but, my Z9 is outstanding and has no mechanical shutter at all. been using that since before it officially came out.

Oct 03, 2024 at 01:04 PM


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