gdanmitchell
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 p.1 #5 · Thinking about selling all my photo gear and buying a nice point and shoot! | |
kinconorb wrote:
I used to love photography, both nature and surf photography, but haven't gotten out to shoot ever since graduating university and starting my career. Also while in school I had somewhat already transitioned away from sports/surf photography as a hobby to focus on my studies. During that stage I'd switched toward nature photography. I majored in geology so we would do fieldwork in very remote locations and my camera went everywhere. Plus most of my friends were into camping or hiking so I have plenty of great photos of that time in my life. The older you get life happens and it becomes harder to live that life. People get married, you get a few pets, have kids, etc... Often times using my phone is simpler/easier and less of a hassle. Of course if I went on a month long expedition someplace I would want to bring a proper camera along. The thing is all you really need honestly is a fancy point and shoot for most situations. I have a old "Nikon Coolpix A" that I would take along for lightweight trips, but something similar to that camera would suffice for my needs.
So sort of looking for advice on if I should sell or not below is a list of gear off the top of my head. I know most is outdated but wondering what its roughly worth. There's also the whole maybe its not worth selling scenario to think about. Sort of like having a winter beater of a truck that's worth $2000 on a good day but doesn't make sense to sell. Because well, having a vehicle that you don't care about damaging and simply need to run errands its worth keeping it around.
Gear list:
Nikon D2H, D2X, D3X, D800
Nikon 16mm/2.8, 14-24mm/2.8, 17-35mm/2.8, 24-70mm/2.8, 400mm/2.8
I think thats the bulk of it these are the older versions of the lenses and some like the 17-35 look like they've been to war. My estimate is around $3500-4000 in value. The D2H and D2X are essentially paperweights (except people don't really use paper anymore). Some stuff I suppose I could offload maybe keep the 17-35 and D3X that is my favorite lens of all time!!! Its just do I want to deal with the hassle of selling gear and people expecting a 10+ year old lens to look BRAND NEW you know? I do have all the original boxes for everything and paperwork but the 400/2.8 its the previous VR version that Nikon no longer supports repairs on so even if asking $2500 it would be a hard sell. ...Show more →
It is not unusual to have feelings about photography (or other endeavors) like those you describe. In my experience, no one prescription is necessarily the right one, and they vary from “maybe it is time for a change” to “keep on working at it until something comes.” In the end, there’s no requirement that you be a “serious photographer,” and you can reasonably end up going in various directions.
I had an experience similar to yours some time ago. Let me tell you about it — maybe something will resonate.
I started photography at a very young age, learning to make prints by the time I was a middle schooler. For years I carried cameras everywhere, especially into the Sierra Nevada, and I also photographed a lot of other California subjects. During those years I became a passionate backpacker, a climber, a cross-country skier, a serious cyclist… and I had a college teaching gig and was raising a family!
Eventually, I could not be as good as I wanted to be at all of those things, and my passion for photography diminished. I never quite stopped making photographs, but it got to the point that I merely carried a little 35mm high-end point and shoot camera. Photographically I didn’t accomplish much at all for perhaps a decade.
then various things changed in my life — normal stuff, family, changing interests, a different point in my career, etc — and the digital camera revolution arrived. Almost by accident I ended up reacquainting myself with photography, gradually at first, but before long the old interest was rekindled and even grew beyond what it had been, and for the past two+ decades I have again become quite serious about it.
The point, if there is one, is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to know what the right step forward is for you. But there’s nothing wrong with stepping back a a bit and seeing where it leads you.
Good luck.
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