What photography related item did you SELL this week (and why)?

[MetilHed]

You could order your dream 150-400mm lens if you sold a kidney.

And *possibly* have enough left over for another 25 1.8

 

[shreebles]

This week (month actually) I sold a couple of things that I liked quite a bit.
But I am trying to focus on what I will use and two cameras should be enough for anyone.

1. I sold my Olympus E-M1. This is the third time I sold this camera a few months after buying it, and I never lost any money doing so. The benefits are clear: Tough, compact, great grip for most lenses, large viewfinder, decent battery life with cheap and abundant batteries. But so are the disadvantages: Grip too short for larger lenses. Low contrast in viewfinder, noise from Panasonic sensor making it less versatile, and the rear dial is prone to failures. My shutter was also mushy.
This time I think I will not buy another one, as it has been replaced with a Mark II, which is better in almost every regard, except that one is slightly larger and I will miss the simple tilt screen of the Mark 1.

2. I sold my first mirrorless camera ever, the beloved Olympus E-M10 ii. I kept it even after trying several newer and supposedly better cameras because it featured everything I loved about mirrorless and especially Olympus cameras: Small, compact, lightweight, crisp and OLED viewfinder with high contrast, full of customization and features. I sold for a fraction of what it cost me over 2 years ago but a good friend wanted to get into the hobby and I want to help him as much as I can, since their family is growing he didn't have lots to spend. I might miss the camera since it's so beautiful and built like a little gem but as I mentioned, 2 cameras is probably enough. And after getting the E-M5 iii which is only a hair larger, but the same weight and chock-full of features, plus the flagship sensor, there is little reason for me to carry this instead.
Oh and I should mention, despite being well-built it had to be repaired twice. One time, the bayonet wouldn't release my Pana 20mm anymore, and had to be dismantled. The second time, the screen cable got loose over time which led to blackouts. Both were fixed but warranty has expired so I really hope it doesn't break again.

3. My friend needed a kit lens to go with his first camera, and what better starter lens to equip him with than the lovely Panasonic 12-32mm pancake? It was my first upgrade after immediately ditching the 14-42 ii R from the Oly kit, and I loved this little lens, especially for its sharpness and 12mm wide angle capabilities. Again I might regret selling this but I have the 12-40 f2.8 PRO and now the 12-45 f4 PRO for comfort. There is little reason to own three standard zooms, if I want compact I can use the f1.8 primes or the Pana 20mm for a really small setup with prime sharpness to boot.

I ought to try only lenses and no new camera bodies for a while - with the new acquisitions I'm pretty much set and the 20MP sensor is the best Olympus has to offer. It's not a huge jump in quality but I do appreciate having more leeway for cropping.

 

[Danny_SWE]

I sold Tokina 400/5.6 with adapter for m43. Don't need it anymore since I have the 100-400 since long.

 

[Erich_H]

I sold Tokina 400/5.6 with adapter for m43. Don't need it anymore since I have the 100-400 since long.

Please don't remind me! I've been trying for a week (not continuosly) to remove a stuck T2 to Exakta adapter from my Vivitar f:5.5/400 mm!
I paid a lot of money for it.
SEK 40. About US5.
Sablarns!

 

[Bushboy]

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the two on the right. Gone! I never thought I’d sell the 45, but I haven’t used it in 2 yrs or so, so out it went.... crikey!

 

[retiredfromlife]

View attachment 860220
the two on the right. Gone! I never thought I’d sell the 45, but I haven’t used it in 2 yrs or so, so out it went.... crikey!

You sold the 60mm macro shame ..... Love mine but wish it did not hunt as much when focusing

 

[melanie.ylang]

View attachment 860220
the two on the right. Gone! I never thought I’d sell the 45, but I haven’t used it in 2 yrs or so, so out it went.... crikey!

Oh no, I couldn't live without a longish macro lens! What do you use instead in that role?

 

[melanie.ylang]

My brief fling with the small-sensor FZ300 bridge camera is over. On paper it was perfect, and it got me a photo I'm certain I would otherwise have missed (of a yellow-footed antechinus, a native Australian marsupial mouse, shown on the playback screen). I loved everything about the way it handled, but detested the image quality, however it led me to buying a G85 which handles almost entirely the same way.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[Erich_H]

My brief fling with the small-sensor FZ300 bridge camera is over. On paper it was perfect, and it got me a photo I'm certain I would otherwise have missed (of a yellow-footed antechinus, a native Australian marsupial mouse, shown on the playback screen). I loved everything about the way it handled, but detested the image quality, however it led me to buying a G85 which handles almost entirely the same way.
View attachment 860324

Cute pouch rat! I think.

 

[Bushboy]

You sold the 60mm macro shame ..... Love mine but wish it did not hunt as much when focusing

No shame in selling something that you don’t use. Once I got the 30, the 60 never got used. The focus on the 30 is miles better than the 60. And a much handier focal length to boot.

 

[Bushboy]

Oh no, I couldn't live without a longish macro lens! What do you use instead in that role?

I found the 30mm best of the bunch. I gave them all a good test. The best photo I ever took was with the 45, but in cam stacking where it’s at for me now, and Olympus crippled my cam to only work with their lens, and the 30 is much better all round. So went with that. Just the 30 and a 75-300 in my bag now. And a big flash unit to help the zoom out. The big flash is cool, used it this morning on a little owl in a tree hole. Wow!

 

[retiredfromlife]

I found the 30mm best of the bunch. I gave them all a good test. The best photo I ever took was with the 45, but in cam stacking where it’s at for me now, and Olympus crippled my cam to only work with their lens, and the 30 is much better all round. So went with that. Just the 30 and a 75-300 in my bag now. And a big flash unit to help the zoom out. The big flash is cool, used it this morning on a little owl in a tree hole. Wow!

I tried focus stacking for the first time with my EM1.3 yesterday, results were rather poor. I was on a manfrotto 055 tripod but no remote shutter release.
for the initial focus I tried the nearest point and the middle point. 15 shots differential of 2 & 3. All failed to give a deep DoF that I wanted on a male and female spider virtually on top of each other. Used the 12-100 pro f5.6

Where do you place your initial starting position for the stack and the differential with the 30mm. When you say you hand hold your stacks do you use a monopod or something or just a straight hand hold?

I am really keen to get this stacking down pat next year, and will probably look into the 30mm macro if it goes on special in the new year, as even if I like the 60mm macro I would have to say it is not a favourite lens in the way it hunts to focus

 

[John King]

I almost never sell anything ...

 

[retiredfromlife]

I almost never sell anything ...

Same here
I have been know to give stuff away though

 

[melanie.ylang]

I found the 30mm best of the bunch. I gave them all a good test. The best photo I ever took was with the 45, but in cam stacking where it’s at for me now, and Olympus crippled my cam to only work with their lens, and the 30 is much better all round. So went with that. Just the 30 and a 75-300 in my bag now. And a big flash unit to help the zoom out. The big flash is cool, used it this morning on a little owl in a tree hole. Wow!

Is that what the owl said?!!

 

[Bushboy]

Yeah, I was thinking that too!
I kept a respectable distance thou. Fully extended at 300mm and even then the old 2X convert thing... 1200mm equivalent! I had to turn the iso right up. Thanks John King, that is an excellent tip!
So hopefully not to blinded...

 

[Erich_H]

Same here
I have been know to give stuff away though

Errhhm. What do you got?

 

[Bushboy]

I tried focus stacking for the first time with my EM1.3 yesterday, results were rather poor. I was on a manfrotto 055 tripod but no remote shutter release.
for the initial focus I tried the nearest point and the middle point. 15 shots differential of 2 & 3. All failed to give a deep DoF that I wanted on a male and female spider virtually on top of each other. Used the 12-100 pro f5.6

Where do you place your initial starting position for the stack and the differential with the 30mm. When you say you hand hold your stacks do you use a monopod or something or just a straight hand hold?

I am really keen to get this stacking down pat next year, and will probably look into the 30mm macro if it goes on special in the new year, as even if I like the 60mm macro I would have to say it is not a favourite lens in the way it hunts to focus

Turn the differential up to 5, mabe more. Turn it up so far that your getting out of focus bands between the shots. Then you’ll know you’ve gone to far... then turn it down a bit.
Tripod is necessary if shutter speeds are low. In good light not necessary. Shutter speed dictates how quickly the pics are taken. Turn the stabilisation off, if that helps, I think it might be automatic. I use manual focus to select the start point. Practice, gotta go, my dinner is ready...

 

[mumu]

Sold my Osmo Pocket.

Bought it (used) for our Japan trip in order to record video clips of walking around Tokyo streets at night (Hero 7's stabilization is trash in low light). But COVID killed our Japan trip so I had no use for the Pocket. Also, I have since purchased a G9 which, in conjunction with my 12-35's OIS, is stable enough to record first person walking videos at night (if I walk very, very smoothly). I found that it helps to use IS Lock as long as I'm walking and aiming the camera straight ahead. Funnily enough, playing with IS Lock on my G9 made me check to see if my GX9 has that option and I was surprised to find that it did. So even my GX9, which I had already bought prior to the Pocket, could actually produce some fairly ok walking video stabilization, too.

 

[RichardC]

I almost never sell anything ...

It's not selling - it's rationalising.

I sell photo gear all the time, but that money gets spent on other stuff.

I'm not disciplined enough to put camera equipment aside while I save for something new. I have also been known to buy things that it turns out I didn't really need