Given a chance to start with a clean slate...

[mike3996]

Would you rebuy your current cameras or would you try something new?

Maybe this is a stupid question to most of you -- of course you would rebuy all you had previously, that kit was the product of years of experiments and comparisons, duh.

But I have this funny kit I shoot these days, with only expensive or wasteful transitions in sight. Given a clean slate -- if something happened to my gear (Leica Q being the goalmaker and the PEN-F in an assisting role) and I had to start from scratch, I would probably turn to Fuji. The reason I don't turn to Fuji right now is that I left Fuji for Leica some 18 months ago and the reasons I left it haven't changed much. But I'd be willing to give it a new try, if things were different.

 

[davect01]

So much has changed since I started my camera journey.

I started several years ago with the NEX-3 and have been fully vested into the Sony family. I am very happy with my current A6000 with occasional trips to Ebay to salivate over the A6500, (one day you will be mine). Momentum keeps me in the Sony family, I really don't want the expense and hassle of buying new gear and reselling all my current gear.

However, as I said, so much has changed over the years. If I were to start fresh there would be other systems to consider. My neighbor has the Fuji platform and seems quite happy with it.

 

[Southy]

I just recently did this. I had a Sony A7 and associated lens, GX85 with lenses and a small fleet of Minolta MD lenses. A few months back I did a full clean out of everything including a Nikon waterproof compact and LX100. All sold on Ebay, some of which sold for more than I paid for them. I invested the funds back into a Fuji kit taking advantage of some local store discounts and Fuji current cashback offers here in Australia. After buying an X-T2 and five lenses I'm still in front. The fact I've received over $1000 cash back from Fuji has helped.

 

[MoonMind]

I don't think it's a stupid question at all; in fact, I sort of "started over" in the past couple of weeks, rethinking my goals and strategies, and I ended up trading in quite a lot of stuff while getting some new tools.

It's important to be as clear as possible about your objectives; mine have become somewhat better defined to me over the past couple of months, and I finally found the courage and determination to go ahead and act upon my insights.

I think it's just possible to get there without some (or a lot) of experimentation, but I honestly think it's unlikely; I'm glad I usually hung on to the stuff I bought long enough to explore its possibilities and find out if it worked for me and what it could do for me. I found long ago that is my preferred travel system - so I stuck with it but went ahead and culled the herd (three bodies out, one in; five lenses out, two in!). I found out that Nikon FF is the ecosphere I want to be in, so I sold all my APS-C stuff (two cameras, five lenses out) but kept the D750 and got the Z6 with a lens I didn't have before: a compact, yet compelling 24-70mm f4 so I could get full use of the FF sensor in a suitably compact package (as much as I still love the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8, it can't do this, of course). I found out whatever everyone else is saying, I like Sony's mirrorless cameras just enough to find small kits bearable; I happen to love using the 55mm f/1.8 and quite like adapting lenses to the A7 II, so it's worth keeping that single body around. However, switching over to Sony completely is simply out of the question. I also found that whatever compact camera I carry, I want it to be responsive. That's why I may very well let go of the LX100 once it's back from sensor cleaning (yep, dust ...) - it's still one of my favourite cameras once it's switched on, but turning it on *and* off is a real nuisance (as is the fact that if you switch it on in your pocket by accident, it'll keep pushing out the lens, no matter what). So, if the coming Ricoh GR III does deliver the goods (i.e. beat its predecessors in crucial ways), I'll trade in the GR and LX100 to get a GR III (again, two out, one in); but only if that's the case - as I said, I really like the LX100 ... but sometimes, that's not the main point. As my EDC, it has already been replaced by the Canon G1X III. The LX100's lens and handling are special - but that's it for merits.

However, some cameras didn't even enter the equation: The Leica M10 is *the* camera for me if I want to enjoy photography to the fullest, full stop. I'm fully aware that should actually be a given if you buy into such an elusive system, but I still forced myself to honestly try it for real, so I used it as my main system while travelling, and it worked (oh boy, didn't it just - it was the most enjoyable shooting experience of my whole life). To mention to something completly different, the Panasonic FZ1000 is what it is: an amazingly cheap, yet amazingly versatile camera. It's the end of my wishes as far as bridge cameras are concerned - I don't use it too often, but when I pick it up, I know what I get, and even though I'm not that much of a fan of 1" sensors, I quite like the results. Lastly, the Canon G1X III is the best compact camera for me personally because it's just that: compact, responsive, sturdy, with the right set of features - just a no nonsense, no worries tool that shares none of the LX100's weaknesses (but also not all of its strengths - that's just how it is). In a world of imperfection, some things approach it from exactly the right angle - for your individual needs!

To sum up: Hang on to stuff that works until there's a worthy replacement - don't follow the hype (or if you do, do it with your eyes open - see my Sony adventure ...). Know what you need (or really want - which sometimes amounts to the same thing, especially if you're an enthusiast) and buy accordingly, don't follow every hunch. Wait, observe, decide. If you act, do it assertively - if you don't, you'll end up with a mess of half-baked systems or projects that don't amount to anything. Don't buy the best body and be stingy when it comes to lenses. Don't buy the best lenses and park them on a lesser body. Heck, don't buy the best body or the best lenses if you don't have the intention or the means to use them. Get what works for you - as specifically as possible. Don't let others take your decisions for you. In short, it's key to be honest with yourself. If you are, it'll work out. If you aren't, you'll lose out.

It took me a long time to take the right steps, but I'm pretty confident I'm on my way now. And interestingly, that means my inventory is shrinking for the first time in years.

M.

 

[gordo]

If my gear disappeared, I'd replace my X100F right away. Then I'd have to do some research and get hands-on with some of the newer gear before making any further decisions. Although I have yet to find cameras that fit my hands better than the Pentax K-1 and 645 bodies.

 

[mike3996]

It's important to be as clear as possible about your objectives; mine have become somewhat better defined to me over the past couple of months, and I finally found the courage and determination to go ahead and act upon my insights.

Yes, absolutely this must be the key factor in all this. Your objectives shift (not talking about tilt-shift lenses) and your life priorities change. For pros, perhaps the markets shift and the customers start to demand something new altogether. Sometimes you just went after something you so lusted after, dropped everything old, and now after the honey moon period, you feel the lesser camera was actually the better choice, the more versatile one. :lookingatmirror:

so I used it as my main system while travelling, and it worked (oh boy, didn't it just - it was the most enjoyable shooting experience of my whole life)

Ouch. Sorry about your wallet some time in the future

Don't buy the best body and be stingy when it comes to lenses. Don't buy the best lenses and park them on a lesser body. Heck, don't buy the best body or the best lenses if you don't have the intention or the means to use them.

Does it count if you want to buy the best performing Leica (M10) just because you can then use lesser, slower, lighterweight glass on it. Well, Leica M is but a distant dream currently. I could afford a corroded M9 on a good day...

 

[marlof]

I’m terrible at this. I really like the Pen-F with premium lenses (12, 17, 45, 75). But I love the focal length and results of the Panasonic 20 so much, that I bought an very slightly different duplicate system for it (GX9, 15, 20, 25, 42.5). It performs much better on the GX9 than on the Pen-F. I’d love to have only one of the two sets, but I can’t choose. So whenever I go out on a photo walk, I pick the Ona Bowery (Pen-F) or the Thinktank Mirrorless Mover (Panasonic). I never carry both. But wouldn’t mind buying the same sets again.

And for zooms, I don’t like the EM1 I have, but it’s very useful with the 12-40 and 40-150 pro weathersealed lenses. And I like that I can carry a weathersealed kit and exchange lenses with my small kit. So I’d probably get something similar.

Then there’s the case of the 25 1.2. I shouldn’t buy it again. I have too many lenses, and it defies the purpose of m43 with its size. But I dearly love it. So I guess I’d buy it again.

But those Fuji, Sony and Nikon things look great as well. And who wouldn’t like a Canon sensor?

I guess I’d be happy with any system. But I sure am happy with my current one.

 

[kyteflyer]

I'm definitely in the rebuy some and try some others. I would definitely rebuy my Pentax lenses, but I'd go with the KP, probably, for a body. Or the K70 which is a bit lighter. I'd also be compelled to have a bridge camera or two, and a compact with a long zoom. Oh I dunno, I think I would just get the equivalent of whatever I currently have, just new versions.

 

[MoonMind]

Does it count if you want to buy the best performing Leica (M10) just because you can then use lesser, slower, lighterweight glass on it.

The smaller, slower glass isn't "lesser" in any way My best 35mm lens (and I'm a sucker for the FoV) is the small, yet beautiful Zeiss ZM Biogon C - a f/2.8 lens. The mighty (and heavy) Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art, while a great lens in its own right, doesn't beat it for sharpness and rendering at any aperture setting, on any other camera I own (my FF cameras are all 24MP). And that's just one example, I could go on for some time here because in a nutshell, something very similar is true for most of my M mount lenses. Furthermore, get this: My M10 setup fits into a ONA Bowery (that's ONA's second smallest bag); that means the camera with up to five(!) lenses - though I usually carry less, i.e. two or three. I can't do the same thing with any other FF camera using native lenses (I could just about get there by adapating M glass to the A7 II - but that's a "lesser" camera in terms of IQ).

So, the M10 is far from being a pure luxury item for me, and the same is true for the glass: The system makes sublime quality completely portable! It's really not about specs, it's about the process and the results. I know what DXOMark says about the M10 - yet I'm constantly seeing more pleasing files from it than from any other camera I own (the Z6 maybe excepted - it's shaping up to be a fantastic picture machine; the D750 delivers even more malleable files, but struggles a bit when it comes to colour rendition). Hence, the M10 is the camera that's most conducive to me producing images I'm pleased with. That's all that matters to me.

Besides, what I haven't talked about in the previous post: I had put together a collection of M mount lenses even before thinking about getting an M10 - usiong them on M mount *film* bodies. So, not a lot more money to spend because I've already done so. Now I just have to protect my investment, so to speak - and the M10 is the tool to do just that. So, to my mind, getting that camera was the best thing I could have done.

I know as well as anyone else that all this hasn't come cheap. That's one of the main reasons why I'm stressing the usefulness of mindful experimentation: I sort of felt my way along for far too long. I should have opened my eyes a couple of years earlier and do the right thing - which would have been to get into the Leica ecosystem way sooner. Had I done that, I wouldn't have amassed most of the gear I have or had: no "small" Nikon APS-C cameras to reduce bulk - which didn't really work out; not that many rangefinder style bodies - though I now own a GX9 because it's the best small body for my needs; no Sony A7 II - even though I now hang on to that one because adapting lenses can be rewarding and I'm quite happy with the fact that it is almost as compact as the M10 while being a lot cheaper, and that's true for most of the lenses I own as well; most probably a lot less fiddling with film cameras (mostly rangefinders) as well ...

btw. Finding a way to get the most out of all the Nikon gear I already have (I've been a Nikon shooter for over thirty years) was essential as well. The D750 and Z6 do everything I need in that respect. The D750 gives me access to *all* of Nikon's AF lenses (including screw mount), the Z6 gives me the best quality files I can coax out of a Nikon 24MP camera while bridging the system gap via the FTZ adapter.

M.

 

[christilou]

I've been considering this also since we've had a spate of burglaries around here. What would I do if all my camera stuff were stolen...... All of it's replaceable and insured. I'd really hope that they'd leave my external hard drive back ups. I've been through a lot of different cameras and settled over the past 3 years with the Sony A7R series and my Leica M10. I began my Leica journey with the M240 (which I still have) and one single Leica lens, the 50mm Summilux ASPH and the Leica is the one I get the most pleasure from using. I'm now using the M10 but also have a couple of Zeiss M lenses and a chunky Voigtlander...... the beauty is that they work well with the Sony and so this seems a pretty good set up for me. Probably the only reason to keep the Sony is for photographing my granddaughter with auto focus but it does well as a back up camera also. I still hanker for a Fuji as I have so many memories recorded with the X pro1 back in 2012 but I have to keep reminding myself that it probably wouldn't get much use.

 

[Mike G]

In my case should some ne’er do well purloin my gear I would get like for like( see my signature ), but the temptation to go extremely exotic maybe just maybe a Leica M10 + two lenses might be too much to resist! Funnily I’m not a fan of manual focus!

 

[Brian]

I just sent the Leica M9 in for a sensor replacement and overhaul, and the M Monochrom last year, the latter replaced free of charge. I would buy them over again, and the Nikon Df. I rounded out a nice set of filters for the M Monochrom at the last camera show. I'm done.

I probably would not buy all of the lenses over unless it was to setup a Museum. I don't have every 50mm lens made in Leica mount, but I have a lot of them. Over 50.

 

[kyteflyer]

I don't have every 50mm lens made in Leica mount, but I have a lot of them. Over 50.

And I thought my collection of Pentax 50s (three and a 55) was too much. My goodness, Brian!!

 

[drd1135]

Tough call. I wouldn't go Leica , which I feel the need to say given the previous posts. I currently have Olympus and Fuji and I might go right back with some experience of what I really use and want. The one temptation for me might be the Nikon Z6 or Z7. I like what i’ve seen so far although I would like a few more lenses to be available.

 

[Brian]

I'll probably donate the Nikkor 5cm F1.5, Nikkor 13.5cm F4, and 1946 Leica IIIc to the Marine Museum to go with their exhibit on David Douglas Duncan. The lenses are in the same batch as his. Took me 20 years to find a 5cm F1.5 Nikkor for a "reasonable" price. The Ebay seller paid off her daughter's car loan with the sale. Win-Win.

 

[bilzmale]

I switched to fixed lens cameras a few years ago (Sony RX10 III and Fuji X100T) and don't regret it. I've had Oly 4/3, Oly/Pana micro 4/3, Fuji X all with extensive lens collections. Going fixed has cut my GAS by 80% and my wobbly hands cope better with the larger bodies so I'm happy.

 

[emerson]

Would you rebuy your current cameras or would you try something new?

Interesting question. If I were time travelling back to 1985 again, and purchasing my first 'serious' camera, I'd seriously [re]consider the used M6/35mm combo I was offered. It was very reasonably priced [$400, IIRC], but a fortune for a student like me. I ended up with a $50 Yashica SLR instead. Dirt cheap, but it taught me a lot.

Overall, I'm happy with the choices I've made along the way. I've learned lessons from each camera, and my kit has evolved along with my capabilities and intentions.

At the moment, I'm in the X100F. I'd repurchase. And a lottery ticket, too, so I could have a shot at owning an M system.

 

[wt21]

I've never flinched at changing my gear. Here's what I've used in the past: WT21: Gear list: Digital Photography Review

Wasted a lot of money there. If I had to start over, I'd just get my current m43 kit. If I had a lot more money, I would try the Nikon Z6 along with my m43, but I can't go without m43.

 

[davidzvi]

I've never flinched at changing my gear. Here's what I've used in the past: WT21: Gear list: Digital Photography Review

Wasted a lot of money there. If I had to start over, I'd just get my current m43 kit. If I had a lot more money, I would try the Nikon Z6 along with my m43, but I can't go without m43.

Love that tool on DPReview even if it is a little scary to just HOW many things I've bought and sold (sum multiple times ). But it can be fun fun so...

I actually went through this earlier this year. I stopped shooting events professionally and sold off all my Nikon gear, a full Tenba Large Roadie rolling bag. I went with m4/3 for a few reasons:

• I already had some.
• Lens selection, specifically more zoom options (wide, telephoto over <=400mm eq, and standard starting at 24mm eq). The 15-45 looked very interesting at first, but I'm not a fan of power zooms.
• IBIS

I got an E-M1 mkII to go with my GX85. I added the PL8-18, O12-40, O12-100, and P100-300 vII. I sold a few m4/3 things I wasn't really using or these replaced. I had REALLY considered getting the Pan G9 and the PL trio (8-18 / 12-60 / 50-200 with a TC). In the end I went Olympus, again for a few reasons:

• Special tech features I figured I'd be more likely to take advantage of (IBIS combo with the 12-100 and light composition being two)
• The 12-100, a premium quality all in one travel zoom. The PL12-60 probably would have been enough, but 24-120mm eq vs 24-200 eq? And samples of 5-10 second handle held shots? Yes I can see myself using that. Maybe not 5-10, but I could see myself trying to push a few seconds for sure.
  
• The price of the 50-200 and the 1.4 TC (when it available) is over 2K.
  
• Reports that Panasonic has not been providing the support I would want for $1500 plus lenses.

What I'm struggling with now is do I need the X70 AND the GX85?

But I should really start another thread on that one.

 

[drd1135]

The X70 doesn’t have good resale and it’s close to being pocketable. I have one and my decision to keep it was based on those two points.