Why I'm not a "collector"

amateriat · 08-20-2007

Without dwelling excessively on the subject, I've occasionaly wondered about the people who possess those vacuum-sealed Leicas of various vintages, and, IMO, just how silly an exercise it seems to be. If a given example was the last or next-to-last of its kind, I might go a little easier on someone about this (the guy who crashed the last operating example of a P-51A Mustang at a recent air show – and died for his efforts – illustrates the flip side of the argument).

This article, however, got my back up a bit about the silly extremes of collecting. The last three grafs in the article, however, left me with a Cheshire-cat grin. A high-five to Mr. Bartlett (and his Mother of All Desirable Jags)!

(Edit: And, speaking of destroying one-of-a-kind machines...)

- Barrett

bobkonos · 08-20-2007

Barrett,

I read the Jaguar at story yesterday, and thought about the same issue. I read the story after attending a car show where I saw and photgraphed a better than perfect 1956 T-Bird. Too pretty to drive, but still pretty. But no soul. Have seen this thing for years in the car and camera and vintage motorcycle worlds. The differences seem clear to me: the Jag owner enjoys driving and has a VERY rare car that would not benefit from a restoration (just like using a genuine 1956 Leica MP) and has a different take on the collecting thing. His car definitely, to me, has soul. And soul cannot be bought, but rather, earned through careful use.

Frankly, I completely understand the sealed-in-the-bag Leica collector: that's what gives them joy, ok. We who use them get the added joy of advancing film and focusing a smooth Summicron lens. Ultimately, what can we say? Life is wide, there are many ways to enjoy the hobbies we enjoy.

You avoid the Brooklyn tornado? My niece just missed it.

amateriat · 08-20-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobkonos

Frankly, i completely understand the sealed-in-the-bag leica collector: that's what gives them joy, ok. We who use them get the added joy of advancing film and focusing a smooth Summicron lens. Ultimately, what can we say? Life is wide, there are many ways to enjoy the hobbies we enjoy.

Certainly more than one way to go about it. Shrink-wrapping that Ferrari, well, I don't know...

Quote:

You avoid the Brooklyn tornado? My niece just missed it.

Luckily, I was fairly north of it. Still got hammered with rain...good thingI didn't have anyplace urgent to go that day! Good to hear your niece dodged it as well.

- Barrett

FrankS · 08-20-2007

I'm somewhere in between: I have more cameras than I need and I like to try lots of different cameras, but none of them are shrink-wrapped and all of them do get used, though some not very often.

There are 2 experiences that have effected me vis-a-vis the "collecting" issue: I was given my father's camera that got me into photography, but it was "only" a lesser model - how much cooler if it had been a Leica; and there have been several cars that I sold off that if I had kept them, they would have been cool to restore.

For those reasons, I choose to keep both some of my cameras that I don't use too much, and I choose to keep a couple of old BMW motorcycles. Both the cameras and bikes I plan to pass on to my children. Both the cameras and the bikes however, I continue to use while I still can.

bobkonos · 08-20-2007

I think I am where Frank is at, too. Not all of my cameras get used enough (I still "covet" the Nikon rangefinder cameras too much) and I do admit to having a lot of cameras because I want to try a lot from that classic late 1950's rangefinder era.

I suspect the Jaguar owner in the story has a lot of classic cars. So he can drive different classics. Key is that he drives them, we assume, in an unrestored but useable state (my wife calls that "just being beat up enough to drive guiltlessly").

Anyway, I can relate to both worlds, and I am somewhere in the middle, though Tom Abrahamsson has helped me immensely to use more of my gear as originally intended.

And this brings up a point, to me: who are the covered-in-plastic Leica collectors of the future? I think there will be ample Leica, for example, users in the future based on the ages of many RFF folks. But are there twenty-something folks out there now aquiring mint M4 cameras and socking them away? I doubt it. The sons and daugters of those who have socked away new and rare vintage cameras will inherit them. So what will they do with them? Covet then as well? Put them here for sale? Send them out to the world through ebay...to whom? Oy, I gotta quit-sorry, this hurts my head. Time for dreams of opposed head Bimmers winding their way through the countryside.

thomasw_ · 08-20-2007

I have no instinct to collect cameras or lenses; to have, to possess and treasure camera equipment is not my bane. I do have an instinct to try out equipment, though; but for it is just stuff that functions for my ends. If it works well for me, I keep it until it doesn't or I'd rather try something else more than keep it. That said, I do have a few items presently that I can't see myself ever dumping except for extreme reasons.

I do have quite a collection of fly fishing reels and rods, which can be very costly, and I do have two rods I keep just to have for sentimental reasons, so I can understand a bit of the collector instinct.

Dektol Dan · 08-20-2007

a shrink wrapped Strad sounds better.

I recently bought a Leitz 'collector' lens. It's down hill from here, baby!

Dektol Dan · 08-20-2007

a shrink wrapped Strad sounds better.

I recently bought a Leitz 'collector' lens. It's down hill from here, baby!

FrankS · 08-20-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dektol Dan

a shrink wrapped Strad sounds better.

A shrink-wrapped Strad or Strat?

amateriat · 08-20-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankS

A shrink-wrapped Strad or Strat?

Depends on whther we're talking Heifetz or Hendrix. Love 'em both.

And I'd want to have a stern word with anyone who'd wrap either instrument.

- Barrett

nemjo · 08-20-2007

Are there people who still write real letters?
Go to post office and take stamp on them?

Sometimes I do.

However I know there are people, who collect stamps. (They are often much more expensive than any Leicas)

And I don't see any problem with that...

nemjo

Jeroen · 08-20-2007

The Jaguar story made me think of this one:

http://jalopnik.com/cars/pebble-beac...ari-291000.php

Check out the rust spots in the first photos.

peterm1 · 08-21-2007

I get very nervous when I own a mint classic camera. Then I get frustrated as I do not feel I can use it as it will inevitably get marked. Then I sell the damn thing and by a user in nice condition and am happy again. Happens every time I have owned a mint classic camera. For example, had a lovely FTn Nikon F still in its box with all papers a few years ago. I had to sell this as I hated seeing it just sit there but could not bring myself to use it.

BillBingham2 · 08-21-2007

I can respect collecting, I have a few old cameras from my father that I would never part with. It's just not me, I enjoy using cameras too much.

B2 (;->

sweathog · 08-21-2007

Well, I can understand collectors who are also users. By which I mean they use their collection, rather than having a collection and a couple of cameras they use. I have used all bar two of the cameras on my shelf, one because I am waiting for the weather to sort itself out, and the other because I'm trying to track down 87 packfilm.
I do have a problem with collector collectors. Particularily those who buy multiples of the same camera. Why? Because they push up the price for everybody else. If you're a poor studenty type a difference of a couple of hundred dollars is very noticeable.

alcaraban · 08-21-2007

I would say that collectors are silly, but then I should be eating my mesozoic escargots and oysters.

Tom Harrell · 08-21-2007

I'm not really a collector but I do have a few cameras from days past. I just like to look at them and occasionally use them to see what kind of prints they will produce. I suppose I will keep on buying them once in a while, especially when I read the threads here and see Frank, Raid or Keith talking about a camera they have found that just can't be beat!

Tom

John Camp · 08-21-2007

There's a difference between collecting shrink-wrapped Leicas and collecting Leicas -- you can't enjoy the shrink wrapped ones, except in the sense that you go to bed at night knowing that you own one. At least with the non-shrink wrapped ones, you could take them out of the case and enjoy them as samples of mechanical art, even if you didn't take photos with them. (I'm not a camera collector.) Collecting shrink-wrapped Leicas would be like Bill Gates getting his 32nd billion dollars. Who could really care? It's all notional, a shrink-wrapped Leica or a bunch of numbers in a computer somewhere.

I did go to the Ralph Lauren car collection exhibit at the Boston Museum a few years ago, and I was astonished -- I'm not a car guy, either, but these things *were* works of art, and restored to the teeth. I think the guy who drives his Jag is doing something a little different than those who restore them -- he's like an archaeologist, as compared to an art historian.

I collect photographs -- great images, usually "printed later" (to cut the cost) by the original artist. They make me happy to look at them, not because they've increased in value, or that I own them, but because they're art, and I can go look at them anytime I wish...and I do that.

JC