General question (Page 2): Fanatical devotion to the camera as evidenced by many comments that keep showing up when it is pointed out that technology has left the camera behind. You...

therwol Loc: USA

Bill_de wrote:

What constitutes a "cult" following?

I belong to a cult who all drive gasoline powered cars.

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Fanatical devotion to the camera as evidenced by many comments that keep showing up when it is pointed out that technology has left the camera behind. You see the same thing with some vintage cars. Anyway, I'm in the same cult as you. I also own a D850. Maybe I'm in two cults.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

keywest305 wrote:

Now that a lot of people are going mirrorless I'm still a D850 and D3s shooter. Is there any market for the D3s and I'm going to maybe let 10 or so go of my 20 lens left. Not sure to post here or just see what I can get at my camera store locally. All my stuff is in beautiful shape and low shutter count on my D3s. I have sold 2 cameras and 2 lens here already but now that mirrorless is more popular just checking to see if there is still interest

While I don’t shoot Nikon, I am reluctant to shoot mirrorless. I don’t believe it is a passing fad. I have several film cameras and dSLRs. I am happy with what I am using. I am not the type of person that is using the “latest and greatest.” I believe this is my comfort zone. I will head over to mirrorless at some point but after I have gotten bored with what I have.

bkwaters

Bill_de wrote:

What constitutes a "cult" following?

I belong to a cult who all drive gasoline powered cars.

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That's really clever.

MrPhotog

CHG_CANON wrote:

Failure is when you talk yourself out of buying a better camera.

Thanks. I gotta save that quote to explain why I spent what I did on my last camera purchase. 😎

tcthome Loc: NJ

keywest305 wrote:

Now that a lot of people are going mirrorless I'm still a D850 and D3s shooter. Is there any market for the D3s and I'm going to maybe let 10 or so go of my 20 lens left. Not sure to post here or just see what I can get at my camera store locally. All my stuff is in beautiful shape and low shutter count on my D3s. I have sold 2 cameras and 2 lens here already but now that mirrorless is more popular just checking to see if there is still interest

Google KEH &, MPB. Get their contact info. When I was thinking of selling my D810, MPB offered me double of what Nikon, & B&H offered. Never dealt with KEH but never heard any bad reports either.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

tcthome wrote:

Google KEH &, MPB. Get their contact info. When I was thinking of selling my D810, MPB offered me double of what Nikon, & B&H offered. Never dealt with KEH but never heard any bad reports either.

I usually end up selling to Roberts - ‘closeness’ doesn’t matter went contact is via UPS, but they make offers via Internet; I don’t know how well they handle the expensive stuff. I would guess that all pay relative to what they expect to receive, and I don’t know what assumptions they make.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

CHG_CANON wrote:

Failure is when you talk yourself out of buying a better camera.

Another great Sager-ism!

BebuLamar

Scruples wrote:

Another great Sager-ism!

He didn't buy a new camera in a long time himself so he knew.

photoman43

keywest305 wrote:

Now that a lot of people are going mirrorless I'm still a D850 and D3s shooter. Is there any market for the D3s and I'm going to maybe let 10 or so go of my 20 lens left. Not sure to post here or just see what I can get at my camera store locally. All my stuff is in beautiful shape and low shutter count on my D3s. I have sold 2 cameras and 2 lens here already but now that mirrorless is more popular just checking to see if there is still interest

If what you have works for you, there is no reason to switch to mirrorless. Your two bodies will depreciate in value; your lenses can be used on mirrorless bodies so they may not depreciate that much unless a "better" lens offering appears. Nikon Z mount series S lenses are supposed to be "better" than their F mount equivalent.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

photoman43 wrote:

If what you have works for you, there is no reason to switch to mirrorless. Your two bodies will depreciate in value; your lenses can be used on mirrorless bodies so they may not depreciate that much unless a "better" lens offering appears. Nikon Z mount series S lenses are supposed to be "better" than their F mount equivalent.

There's no supposed. The mirrorless lenses of every brand a hands-down better. Some comparisons make the DSLR versions look broken when the 1:1 images are compared.

Larryshuman

CHG_CANON wrote:

The internet says a Nikon D3s was a $5200 new. Used, the prices are running $500 to $800. If you can get one for $500, there's no reason to buy one for $800. Low shutter count doesn't mean much for a camera with a shutter rated to 300,000, but with a measly 12MP.

At 45MP, a Nikon D850 is still holding value as a relevant DSLR. How long will that last? Will you wait until it's down in the $500 - $800 range too?

Well CHG_CANON:
Many of the Piping Plovers you saw last year on this site were shot with a D3s and a 600mm F:4g VR. I have several decades experience with Nikon equipment and with the addition of Topaz Denoise. You can't tell looking at my images whether I used a Z9 or my trusty D3s.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Larryshuman wrote:

Well CHG_CANON:
Many of the Piping Plovers you saw last year on this site were shot with a D3s and a 600mm F:4g VR. I have several decades experience with Nikon equipment and with the addition of Topaz Denoise. You can't tell looking at my images whether I used a Z9 or my trusty D3s.

Better images have more pixels. Every digital photographer knows this.

When you mount a $9,000 lens to a camera, any camera, the images will be the best. Every photographer knows this.

When people look at an image from a mirrorless camera, they feel the difference not just in their eyes, but in the depth of their heart.

gwilliams6

burkphoto wrote:

Check to see who's selling the D3s. KEH? MPB? Adorama? B&H? UsedPhotoPro? eBay? Check SOLD prices on eBay.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

burkphoto wrote:

Check to see who's selling the D3s. KEH? MPB? Adorama? B&H? UsedPhotoPro? eBay? Check SOLD prices on eBay.

The way I've priced things I have sold is to look at MBP and KEH prices and ask for about 3/4 of their prices. Since I don't have to support a storefront I don't need the full used price for gear. I think it is a win-win price since it is at least 25% more than those places would offer for the gear they buy. This makes it a good buy for both buyer and seller.

gwilliams6

Scruples wrote:

While I don’t shoot Nikon, I am reluctant to shoot mirrorless. I don’t believe it is a passing fad. I have several film cameras and dSLRs. I am happy with what I am using. I am not the type of person that is using the “latest and greatest.” I believe this is my comfort zone. I will head over to mirrorless at some point but after I have gotten bored with what I have.

The main reasons to stick with your DSLRs are as you said:
-your comfort zone, plus
-the financial considerations of switching, and
-a lack of need for the photographic advantages of mirrorless cameras.

For me as a pro, after over four decades of using the best pro Nikon , Canon and Leica gear (all three brands), I made the move to mirrorless for the competitive advantages it gave me. But my needs are quite different than most UHHers.

Use what cameras and lenses you love if it satisfies all your photographic needs, until they fall apart and/or you cant get any parts to keep them working.

Or take the somewhat financial hit, sell or trade your DSLR gear, and make your move to the latest mirrorless gear and make use of the latest advancements in photographic tech. For me I was able to justify the financial hit to trade and sell off my Nikon, Canon and Leica gear and move to mirrorless.

And yes the longer I would have waited, the less value I would have gotten for my DLSR in the marketplace. Only my Leica rangefinder gear had truly held its value. Only you can decide when is the right time for you to make your move. Even used D850 are coming down in value.

As great a stills camera as that D850 is, maybe the best ever stills DSLR, it has subpar autofocus in video shooting. Most new buyers today want true hybrid cameras that work equally well for stills and video shooting. D3s have been so far surpassed, even for action shooters, that their used value in the marketplace is below $1000 USD even if in great shape. Just a reality.

And FYI, yes I owned and used D3s, and at the time when it first came out, it was a top performer. Also have shot with D850.

Cheers and best to you.