I never sell or trade my photo gear

I still have my original cameras (Olympus OM-1 and OM-2n) and lenses. I took about a 25-year hiatus from photography but picked it up again about 5 years ago. My first digital camera was an XSi with the kit lens. I have since bought an embarrassing amount of gear but it seems I never have the urge to sell or trade my gear. I have given my old XSi to my daughter and a couple of inexpensive lenses to one of her friends. I am happy with all of my current gear, even though I rarely use some of the lenses. Still, I would rather have the lenses than the money. I guess i am a "buy and hold" person, rather than a trader. Does anyone else do this?

i do...i really should consolidate things and get rid of what i don't use, and take the money to buy something better...i don't see the point in ever selling a body, because i don't upgrade all the time, so by the time i buy a new body the old one isn't worth much...but like you i give things away as well, usually cheaper lenses anyways...but it keeps it out of my way

Guilty on all counts. Do the same as both of you.
My lenses are mostly great classic Canons or
great old classic vintage lenses from various manufactures that
have stood the test of time. I don't see me getting rid of any
of them. Took me a long time to research and acquire them.
I'd rather have them, than the money I paid for them.
You only live once. Other people buy and sell constantly.
Whatever makes you happy.

Same for me. You're not alone.

I collect gear, but I aim to buy lenses and such that I'm going to be happy with long term. Fairly hard to go wrong with modern prime lenses, and I rather doubt they will stop performing up to my personal needs any time soon.

My oldest dslr is now loaner kit. An old T3 and kit lens that gets loaned out to friends or family who express an interest in photography, but aren't sure if it is really for them. They get it for a few weeks or months, or it comes back to me when they make up their mind and decide to get their own gear. Then it goes out again to someone else. If it gets really long in the tooth, then maybe it will get binned for parts to play with, or simply given away if someone has a project it could be useful for.

I bought the gear to use, and I keep using it. A few lenses and such don't make it out of the bag often, but I still rather have them close at hand than having to go chase one down if I find myself wanting to do something that needs it.

Out of curiosity, (And please don't reply if you feel inappropriate), how clutter is your home?

I have a bunch of extra gear I should sell. Just too many projects to deal with it right now.

I collect a bit of gear I guess but I'm selling and upgrading to get there. Some glass is just too expensive to keep and not use.

samsen wrote in post #17996207
Out of curiosity, (And please don't reply if you feel inappropriate), how clutter is your home?

I doubt anyone would describe my place as 'spartan', or overly minimalistic, but stuff gets sorted and stored away as needed. Desks and workspaces tend to gain a cluttered appearance over time from use if the mess doesn't impact the work, but things get tidied up and stored away as needed. (I'll never understand how someone could have such a disorganized mind as to be unable to work effectively because they have more than two or three things in the work area in front of them. You just put the scissors down, how did you manage to lose them?!)

samsen wrote in post #17996207
Out of curiosity, (And please don't reply if you feel inappropriate), how clutter is your home?

My place ranges from fairly organized to fairly cluttered. Most of the time it is fairly cluttered.

Glad to hear I am not alone! I read stories on here about people that have bought and sold the same lens multiple times. I would never do that. Once I have a lens that I like, I never plan on selling it. If I want another lens, I just wait until I can afford it rather than sell something to fund the purchase.

Same here. I still have all my film cameras, lenses, and stuff. I even still have my Kodak Instamatic camera

"It is complicated"

I'm using family FED-2, which is given as wedding gift to my parents in sixties.
This is the print I've done one week ago. Talking about "spartan", no electronics were in use to measure, take and prints this picture. Except enlarger bulb and timer in the darkroom.

Hi. I'm Moose, and I'm also a "buy and hold" person.

I had an old Minolta from the 80's that crapped out long ago. But I held onto the venerable 70-210 f/4 "beer can," for some reason, even though I moved on to Canon. Low and behold, my son and his wife bought a Sony camera a few years ago, and I was able to pass on that lens which works very well for them.

i thought that i would keep my XSi (my first digital SLR) too, but I came across a SL1 refurb deal for 270 USD, i think. It came with the cheap 70-300 and the 18-55 STM. I sold the XSi and it's 18-55, and in another deal sold the 70-300. Ended up making 10 bucks and getting a significant upgrade to my XSi.

Still have my Nikon Cool Pix 990 (awesome digital from 1999), all my film cameras (except my Kodak Disc camera) and am holding on to my uncle's 4x5 press cameras and old medium format cameras.

So yeah, i understand holding on to old gear, but i'm not going to get nostalgic about most stuff if presented with a clear, winning upgrade path.