Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: Michael Erlewine on December 09, 2019, 09:04:04 am
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I know. Kind of disgusting and beautiful at the same time. I have dug all the lens boxes and a few others out and am deciding what to do with them. This is a ten-foot table. The worse part is these are not even all of them, I have about half that amount in rails, tripods, heads, and all manner of support equipment.
I’ve showed you mine, what do you do with all of your boxes? When we go to sell an item, a box counts. Problem is, I have not ever sold many. However, I recently decided I am NOT a lens museum and plan to sell a score or so lenses and keep the rest, those I actually use often and those I am looking for the time to use. I thought this would be a fun photo for those who can appreciate it. 😊
v
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I know. Kind of disgusting and beautiful at the same time. I have dug all the lens boxes and a few others out and am deciding what to do with them. This is a ten-foot table. The worse part is these are not even all of them, I have about half that amount in rails, tripods, heads, and all manner of support equipment.
I’ve showed you mine, what do you do with all of your boxes? When we go to sell an item, a box counts. Problem is, I have not ever sold many. However, I recently decided I am NOT a lens museum and plan to sell a score or so lenses and keep the rest, those I actually use often and those I am looking for the time to use. I thought this would be a fun photo for those who can appreciate it. 😊
v
Once I determine the equipment functions without issue, I recycle the boxes. Too much clutter hoarding the boxes for years.
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I began to save the boxes when I turned amateur. As I may pop off at any moment, I think the boxes will help my kids get a slightly better price for all my rubbish. At least, boxes get mentioned in sales columns... must make a difference.
Rob
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I began to save the boxes when I turned amateur. As I may pop off at any moment, I think the boxes will help my kids get a slightly better price for all my rubbish. At least, boxes get mentioned in sales columns... must make a difference.
Rob
I have all mine as well...going back to 1970. It's crazy, but I have every piece of kit ever since I started being me.
Peter
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I have all mine as well...going back to 1970. It's crazy, but I have every piece of kit ever since I started being me.
Peter
Some Swedish bits that I wish I still owned.
I have never been me - I think I took the wrong bus when I went to school one day.
;-(
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No boxes! Once I have determined that I am not going to return an item, out goes the box. And the idea that a box adds value when selling seems very odd to me. I have never been deterred from buying something, or had difficulty selling something, because of no box.
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No boxes! Once I have determined that I am not going to return an item, out goes the box. And the idea that a box adds value when selling seems very odd to me. I have never been deterred from buying something, or had difficulty selling something, because of no box.
The box (or a receipt) is proof of purchase. A must-have for many of those who purchase high value, second-hand items online.
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The box (or a receipt) is proof of purchase. A must-have for many of those who purchase high value items online.
I've bought and sold items into the $4000+ without any mention of boxes.
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That's what Boxing Day is for: counting your boxes and being grateful. Sometimes, you find yourself left with just the box and invoice. Helps with insurance, I believe, but I am sure the companies have their tricks for getting round that little matter.
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I save the boxes, it seems to help items bring a higher price when I resell. Any more, I buy everything used. I only buy boxed items of modern gear because it's less likely to be stolen. Most of what I buy now isn't modern though. My last purchase was an 1844 Horne, Thornwait & Wood FL=10 in. Petzval. It actually came in a very old looking wooden box with hand made latches!
Kent in SD
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There is constant churn in my equipment. I will trade in or trade up about two or three pieces of camera gear every year, sometimes more. In South Africa it is easier to do this with boxes for some reason. All boxes go in the basement for that reason.
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I keep any that I get and sell them again if/when I flip the lens. But I also buy used a lot and many of those items didn't include boxes. I did just sell my old Tamron 70-200 with the box and the buyer seemed pleased to get it.
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I've got my lens boxes back to 1970. If/when I sell them the buyer seems to really like having the original box.
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No. I can't imagine where I'd put them all.
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I don't have boxes for any of my film camera lenses. I kept the boxes for my digital lenses.
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No. I can't imagine where I'd put them all.
That's my problem. And that is just some of them. I have a ton of boxes for tripods, heads, not to mention video tripods, fluid heads, sliders, and on and on. I amy keep the expensive boxes and throw the little ones away... or something.
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I keep all boxes of stuff:
1. That I may need to ship back for repair; usually bigger, more fragile equipment.
2. If I think someday I might sell them.
Otherwise, recycle.
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I keep the boxes, often in the attic. I think they help if/when you want to sell the equipment on eBay.
Paul
www.PaulRoark.com
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I keep all of my boxes, in another box in a bigger box.
I adds a lot when you sell them.
Some brands like Hasselblad the boxes sell for a $50 or more on eBay.
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Strangely enough all my camera and lens boxes are in my now defunct darkroom. How's that for irony?
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I began to save the boxes when I turned amateur. As I may pop off at any moment, I think the boxes will help my kids get a slightly better price for all my rubbish. At least, boxes get mentioned in sales columns... must make a difference.
Rob
Same here - it may help my heirs to be able to identify what is in my cupboards. In the meantime, it DOES help the selling price, but is the increase in price worth the cost of storage? I'm afraid to do the calculation :-(
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I sell everything I'm not using, always in their respective boxes. Consequently I have an absolute minimum of gear and boxes to store.
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I sell everything I'm not using, always in their respective boxes. Consequently I have an absolute minimum of gear and boxes to store.
When you come to the end of a project, do you sell off the gear that you used for that project if none of your current projects require it? I only sell gear if I think I'll never use it again.
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When you come to the end of a project, do you sell off the gear that you used for that project if none of your current projects require it? I only sell gear if I think I'll never use it again.
Jim, I like to keep things as simple as possible, basically limited to one system. In recent years my choice of system - was Leica M, now Nikon Z - has covered all projects.
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Jim, I like to keep things as simple as possible, basically limited to one system. In recent years my choice of system - was Leica M, now Nikon Z - has covered all projects.
Got it. Not the case for me.
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Jim, I like to keep things as simple as possible, basically limited to one system. In recent years my choice of system - was Leica M, now Nikon Z - has covered all projects.
I'm beginning to come around to your point of view. I'm not only a user of historical gear, I have inadvertently become a collector. For awhile I was really into box cameras such as Kodak Brownie. I sold off all but three or four and really could slim that down to two now. I also collected pre-WW2 folders, mostly German. I now only use one (1937 Voigtlander Bessa 6x9) but it's hard to bring myself to sell the beautiful c.1929 Bergheil 6.5x9 or the gorgeous 1927 Cocarette Luxus! I've sold a few others but still have a pristine c.1905 Century Camera Co. model 41 4x5 with Velostigmat in Volute shutter. I have a pile of other historic cameras too-Kodak Bantam Special, Voigtlander Vitessa L 35mm..... I have TWO c.1925 Gundlach Korona 5x7 view cameras as well. These cameras are in excellent condition but I just don't use them. I should sell them off I guess and use the money to buy something I will use: either a Kodak 2D 8x10 or a converted Polaroid 900 4x5. Or both! :) I have a dozen pre-Civil War lenses and could probably sell several of those as well. Oh, and to keep my post on topic, I don't have the original boxes for any of these. ;D
Kent in SD
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I should perhaps add that I've only ever been an image maker, I've never had an additional income to subsidise anything photographic.
I simply couldn't have afforded to keep and insure stuff I didn't use.
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I certainly keep all mine, for the same reason most others do, on sale value. I do love and cherish the packaging of my old Minolta CLE. The packaging is beautiful, simplicity of the brand plays a big part designed by Saul Bass.
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I keep all my boxes, why, I'm not sure. This thread and this story has made me question this "wisdom."
When I recently sent my Sony 16-35mm f/2.8GM for a checkup under Sony's recall, I asked the agent if I should send it in the original box. After all, that's how it got to me safely from Japan. He said NOT to send the original box as I'd not likely get that box back. We all get so many Amazon and other boxes that it was not too hard to find a suitable one and use some of the abundant bubble wrap I seem to have collected. It arrived and came back well wrapped and safely.
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I keep the boxes for resale, and also attempt to keep the gear in top shape. I also break most of the boxes down carefully to store them (don’t judge me...boxes were once flat at the factory when new) and when sale time comes, I restore them back to box up glory. As for buying used, kind of feels extra better when I get used gear for a good price and it’s got that stupid box it came in. Kinda silly, but it gives me savvy buyers Street cred....and I’m all about savvy buyers Street cred. Booya.
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I am also tempted when selling an item, when I don’t have the box, to make up a cool box using premium cardboard and my printer, and add some cool jingo phrases and special unique “one off” spectacular box designs. Things like, it’s an “XT Euro” edition, with gold lettering and a unique printed certificate of authenticity, complete with a number, and pointing out it’s much more unique and valuable than the regular old 2 billion exact same models as the one I’m selling. Kinda like an Apple cell phone box. But then I stop myself from thinking and doing such a foolish thing, with a sheepish grin, wondering why.
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Not only do I hang on to the boxes, I am still hanging on to a Nikon F3 that's really almost brand new. I was prompted to make this shocking declaration because I have just been looking at some Deborah Turbeville work again... I'm afraid the old film vs digital thing hasn't actually been resolved in my heart, even though it has in my head. Until now, I thought that it had been.
As it's all academic anyway, why fall foul of my heart? No need for a turf war.
:-)