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Did you just sell your DSLR

B

BlueLemon

Guest
I have recently gone MFD with first P25 on a 503 and now the H3D2-39

I am eager to let some of my Canon Equipment go - simply sell it.

But what did you do, when you took the plunge and went MFD ??
 

thomas

New member
I dropped DSLRs just keeping a small 10MP camera with zoom lens.
But I think it totally depends on what and how you shoot.
I actually never need AF, no (very) high ISO, no high frame rates... I'm a "composition" guy...
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
I was shooting M8s and Nikon, although I really liked the size and portability of the M8 kit, after buying a P45+ on Phamiya and after Nikon pissed me off, I found that my major work was dominated by the MF kit. My eyes are not what they used to be, and the M8s became bothersome to me in focus critical situations, and were never good much in action and high ISO, so I sold the M8s and the Nikon, then bought a modest Canon kit which has been extended. the Canon is my "light" kit and the Phamiya is the heavy guns. I am pretty satisfied now, but am thinking of a GRD III as a pocket camera.
-bob
 

carstenw

Active member
FWIW I sold my DSLR quite a while ago, and bought an M8. Later I added a Contax 645 and Sinar 54LV. Occasionally I think of a situation where a DSLR might be handy, but to be honest, more often I am relieved not to have one. These two cameras focus me more. A DSLR is more of a swiss-army knife than a katana, if you know what I mean.
 
D

ddk

Guest
If you can afford it, give it some time beforse selling your dslr kit, depending on what and how you shoot 35mm might still be part of your life. I got into MF digital about a year ago and in my case I still use the dslrs in every shoot, the look of the formats are just too different for to give up one for the other.
 

lovep

New member
I have a Mamiya AFD II + Leaf Aptus back. This suits my needs 90% of the time. There are other times when I wished I would have kept my 35mm DSLR gear--for the high ISO, low weight situations.

I think I will eventually get a D700 and a couple of zooms....

IMO, hold onto the 35mm gear.

-PL
 

Double Negative

Not Available
I spent most of my life shooting SLR/DSLR cameras. A year ago I got back into RF (Ikon and M8) and love it for its size. Then I decided to get back into MF and I've been spiraling into the abyss ever since... The Mamiya 7II is a great system, but it's typically RF (not a bad thing). For what I shoot, I often need SLR features (filters, macro, etc.) and honestly, I really like the practically WYSIWYG finder. I picked up a 'Blad finally and between it and the 120 film (or digital) it takes... I'm totally hooked.

Maybe I'm a gear whore, I don't know - but I think every system has its place. RFs tend to be small and light, great for travel and street and just fun to shoot. SLRs offer a different set of capabilities, especially higher-end models for fast action and sport (with AF and motor drives). MF just builds on both with an insane leap of output quality. Problem is, along the way the cameras get bigger and heavier.

As much as I love my new 'Blad I just don't see it traveling with me. The Mamiya 7II yes, depending. I used to travel with my Canon 1D Mark IIn and L glass, but man that bag was heavy. Since getting the Ikon/M8 I travel with that setup.

One day, I endeavor to have ONE camera and maybe a handful of lenses. But right now, I'm playing with and enjoying multiple formats and systems and it's just grand!

But sell my SLR/DSLR? Hmm, I don't know if I can do that. It's the most natural system for me, I find. Perhaps when I eventually go digital on the 'Blad.
 

David K

Workshop Member
I think it really depends a lot on what you shoot. If you do low light shooting, longer focal lengths and high frame rates (I do) you won't get them from MF. Also, MF is just plain overkill for a lot of my fashion/glamour stuff. I'd estimate my relative use of the two systems at 80-90% in favor of the Nikon D3.
 

mark1958

Member
I sold some of my gear but not all of it. i kept more of DSLR zoom lenses and sold some of the primes. There are still times when i prefer my 35mm DSLR system.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
I pretty much did what Bob did, and should have done it the way Mark did...

Had a good Canon kit and a good M8 kit, bought the MF kit, loved the M8 and figured the MF kit could cover the Canon, so sold all the Canon. In the end, the M8 kit couldn't do a lot of what the Canon did -- like Bob, my eyes don't work as well as I think they do -- and the MF kit was slower than the Canon. But the Canon could do most of what the M8 did, so I sold half my M8 kit and repurchased an entire Canon kit. Then I found dealing with three separate systems was just too much for me, so I reluctantly sold off the remaining M8 kit -- and now I have a nice chunk of change in my camera gear purchase pot, just waiting for the ideal tech camera and a decent Canon body to convert to IR :D
 

jlm

Workshop Member
i find the M8 is great for wide angle and f5.6 or smaller aperture work but too hard to focus in general when the subject moves or the shot is demanding. love it otherwise.
keep a sony 900 for what the M8 can't do for me. (sold the D3 as it was too bulky and the zoom lenses were gigantic)
but for serious work, i use the tripod, and MF and shoot slow
 

John Black

Active member
If you sold your dSLR gear today, I'm pretty confident you'd have some type of dSLR kit again in 6 months. The buy-sell loop is expensive, but more importantly, you know the condition of your current gear and trying replace that equipment (assuming you sold it) with like quality used gear at a later date can be time consuming. And, you don't really know the new gear's history, so that may affect your confidence in its performance.

My suggestion, keep your current dSLR for about 6 months, if you're still loving medium format after 6 months, then carefully scale back dSLR kit (if you need to) and sell off the items that did not see much use during the past 6 months. I would definitely keep a dSLR (or M8, etc). Having a flexible, lightweight alternative to medium format is needed for filling in gaps where medium format isn't as practical. Plus, there are times when shooting with a simpler, lighter system is a nice break.
 

Don Libby

Well-known member
I think a lot has to do with what you shoot or hope to shoot in the future.

If you shoot a combination of things then I'd suggest keeping the Canon and maybe paring down the lenses. The camera is paid for and you won't get near what you think it's worth and it'd cost you more to replace it if you found you needed it.

I've been shooting MF for years yet kept my Canon 1DsII for wildlife and lightning images. I'm no longer shooting wildlife and came close to selling the body but at the last moment decided to have it converted to IR.

I'm luckier than most since my wife shoots with a 1DsIII so I just had to borrow an occasional lens.

My suggestion is don't jump at selling your Canon equipment just yet. Give yourself a set period of time (6mos- 1yr) and see just how much use you get out of the kit. You'll know when the time is right.

Don


Good question by the way!
 

BradleyGibson

New member
Kept it, long past its prime, didn't use it and ended up selling it.

But that's me, and I was focused on getting a single system to work for all my needs. Other people, who subscribe to the right tool for the right job philosophy (crazy people) have found it essential to keep the SF DSLR around...

Depends on which camp you're in!
-Brad

P.S. Obviously, I'm joking that people who "use the right tool for the right job" are crazy...
 

Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
As has been said already, it depends so much on what you shoot. I couldn't live without both - but I'm a nature photographer. I love MFDB for most everything - but it just doesn't work for birds and animals where you need real telephoto lenses and fast frame rates.

I'm off in my boat on 10 day shoot around Lake Huron/Georgian Bay. I have my Phamiya, 28, 35, 55 and 75-150 lenses for landscapes and the Sony with the 70-400 for the bears, otters, mink and birds. (Plus, of course, THE CUBE.)
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
What's a DSLR.:D

Actually the last DSLR I had was a Nikon D300 when it came out. Have not had one since. Not missing much either at least for me.
 
J

jmvdigital

Guest
FWIW, I sold off all my Canon gear when I moved to a MFDB. Of course, I was (and still am) a bit sour with Canon and several service issues. For what I normally shoot, I have not missed my DSLR gear one bit. Every now and then, I long for the lighter, faster, and more efficient DSLR kit... but then I glimpse the ridiculous images I get from my Phase gear, and I forget all about Canikon.

-J
 
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