Travel Photography - Dump film SLR cameras?

I have two old Minoltas that I never use these days. Have some separate lenses for them also. Is the use of film now dead? Just wondering if there is any point in even keeping these cameras now.

Opinions?

I never use these days.
Opinions?

You've just answer your question right there. It is like Vinyl vs. CD, there will always be diehards that preferred vinyls just like people preferred film over digital. Kodak and Fuji pretty much trying to get out of their film business should sum it up where film camera headed. Dumping the camera on the other hand is totaly personal matters. I still have a old Nikorrmat FT from the 60's and I have no desire dumping it at all. The build quality of that thing is just amazing.

I got rid of my Pentax film SLRs on ebay, no regrets at all. But you may want to check into those lenses -- Minolta made some fine glass, and the mount may be compatible with Sony digital SLRs.

I wish I had kept some of my old Pentax lenses, which would have worked fine on my digital SLRs.

Unless they are very special film cameras they have near zero value so why not keep them?

Or donate them. Selling them isn't worth the trouble likely.

Okay, prolly just deep six them in storage.

I have two old Minoltas that I never use these days. Have some separate lenses for them also. Is the use of film now dead? Just wondering if there is any point in even keeping these cameras now.

Opinions?

If they're Minolta Maxxum (sp?) or compatible lenses, they should work on the Sony DSLRs and will still be worth something. Lenses don't go obsolete as long as there are compatible cameras to attach them to.

You can still use old manual focus Nikon lenses with some Nikon DSLRs, I believe, and any Canon lens (minus a few EF-S digital only ones) back to the transition to the EOS system can be used on any EOS camera digital or film.

Manual-focus-only systems were obsolete well before the switch to DSLRs. Canon FD lenses, for example, sold for a song in the late 1990s.

And personally, I do still very occasionally take my Canon A2 out of storage and shoot a roll of film - B&W film (even the C41 black and white from Kodak and Ilford for lazy folks like me) still has a tonality IMO that is difficult to recapture shooting digital color and then converting it to B&W on screen.

Problem with selling film cameras is that the online markets are flooded with them... prices drop quicker than bombacha de gato.... :D

FYI, I buy, sell, and collect film cameras as a hobby.

Nowadays, it's perfectly reasonable to buy a very serviceable 35mm film SLR with a 50mm normal lens for $25-40 on ebay. Even the models that used to be top of the line stuff typically sell for prices like $100 or so. And unless you actually are selling something that has some uniqueness in the market, good luck if you expect to sell a 35mm SLR for something over $100 - Maybe a serious pro camera like a Pentax LX, Canon F-1n, or Nikon F2AS sells for more than a couple hundred dollars, but pretty much nothing else does.

Even professional Medium Format film gear like Mamiya RZ67 or Hasselblads sell for around 1/10th of what the gear cost when it was new.

The lenses that are still compatible with current digital gear have held their value. Nothing else has.

I got rid of my Pentax film SLRs on ebay, no regrets at all. But you may want to check into those lenses -- Minolta made some fine glass, and the mount may be compatible with Sony digital SLRs.

I wish I had kept some of my old Pentax lenses, which would have worked fine on my digital SLRs.

I have 2 Pentaxes plus a few lenses. How much can one fetch on ebay?

Dang, a mint Nikon F3 with motor drive just went for $255 on eBay. I almost bid on it out of nostalgia.

Dang, a mint Nikon F3 with motor drive just went for $255 on eBay. I almost bid on it out of nostalgia.

There is a EOS-1v with power drive for the same price on ebay. hmm....

For the record, I'm not selling my F3 even though I almost never use it thesedays.
It's too bad Kodachrome is discontinued.

Even professional Medium Format film gear like Mamiya RZ67 or Hasselblads sell for around 1/10th of what the gear cost when it was new.

Good condition Mamiya RB/RZ and Hasselblad glass is still expensive, in part because the both the (latest version of the) RZ and some newer 'blad bodies can be used with digital backs.

If I were crazy rich, I'd have a digital MF kit. As it stands, I need to track down a lab around here which will do develop and scan with 120 film...

What a treat to come across this thread. I have several Pentax lenses and was wondering just this past week if they would work on a digital SLR. I was going to update my digital camera soon and was thinking about going SLR.

Good condition Mamiya RB/RZ and Hasselblad glass is still expensive, in part because the both the (latest version of the) RZ and some newer 'blad bodies can be used with digital backs.

If I were crazy rich, I'd have a digital MF kit. As it stands, I need to track down a lab around here which will do develop and scan with 120 film...

As I said in the last line of my post, the lenses that are compatible with current digital gear have held their value to some degree, but almost nothing else has.

BTW, most RB lenses sell for $100-200 nowadays - and some go for under $100. These lenses were almost all more than $1000 when new. Some of the RZ lenses still command $300-$600 in the used market, because they are compatible with bodies that supports current digital backs, but these were still $1500-$2000 lenses when new.

BTW, I own an RZ67 system. I just recently picked up a mint condition 55mm RZ lens for $300.

90% of the pro Medium format market has moved to top of the line Nikon and Canon DSLRs, and the rest has split between MF film and MF digital. The medium format digital back vendors are dropping like flies right now.

What a treat to come across this thread. I have several Pentax lenses and was wondering just this past week if they would work on a digital SLR. I was going to update my digital camera soon and was thinking about going SLR.

If they are K-mount lenses, they are pretty usable on current Pentax DSLRs, and could also be used with adapters on Canon or Olympus DSLRs - albeit with some metering limitations and issues as to how easily that one can focus them.

If they are K-mount lenses, they are pretty usable on current Pentax DSLRs, and could also be used with adapters on Canon or Olympus DSLRs - albeit with some metering limitations and issues as to how easily that one can focus them.

I have some K-mount lenses, but my DSLR is Nikon D90 :o

I have some K-mount lenses, but my DSLR is Nikon D90 :o

So find a friend with a Pentax DSLR or sell 'em on eBay :)

Well, I for one continue to use a film SLR. Somehow could not get used to my DSLR's colors, until it was stolen. I know that after some photoshop work I can fix the colors, but it seemed too much hassle. The trouble is its getting harder to find a good place to print film photos, so I'm heading into buying a DSLR again.

I have some K-mount lenses, but my DSLR is Nikon D90 :o

So find a friend with a Pentax DSLR or sell 'em on eBay :)

<raises hand> I'll be your friend if you're looking for a good home for those lenses. :p