Personal Collection Guidelines...

[ChristopherCoy]

I'm curious as to whether others have "guidelines" as to what goes into your collection?

Do you buy one camera a month? Year? Or when you come across them?

Do you only buy cameras you can restore? Or do you buy things only in mint condition?

Or do you require that it be useable?

Do you keep multiples, or multiple models of a certain camera?

How do you balance the financial end of things? Never pay more than "x" amount, or "x" amount per month? Do you build a budget for collecting?

[eddie]

I don't buy anything I can't use, and only if I don't already have an equivalent. I've never understood why anyone would have 8 SLR systems...

[jscott]

I think there are "bottom feeder" and "top feeder" collectors.
I'm a bottom feeder. I look for good models in fair but repairable condition. Sometimes in poor condition just for parts. I fix 'em and use 'em. I have as many as a dozen of certain favorite models (mostly vintage TLRs). I avoid overspending. If I see something good at a low to moderate price I might try to pick it up.

Many, perhaps most, collectors are the opposite, looking for items in excellent condition for display. They will pay high prices. They often don't use 'em at all; especially if they are in mint condition. They might fondle it occasionally.

[benjiboy]

I don't collect anything except perhaps books, I don't want any ornaments, if I don't use equipment regularly I don't keep it.

[TheFlyingCamera]

I was getting to be a bit of a gear whore - if it was a good deal, I'd buy it, and find a use for it later. Lately though, I've been trimming down and realizing that I had way too much stuff that I wasn't using. Some of that was because it was bought as a project, and then the project got put on hold for one reason or another. I'm now just collecting books and antique images - it's amazing how many Cartes-de-Visite you can fit in a 3" binder!

[jnanian]

I don't buy anything I can't use, and only if I don't already have an equivalent. I've never understood why anyone would have 8 SLR systems...

me too

[zsas]

99% of the time I only buy what I plan to use, however recently on the bay appeared a very low cost broken camera that I purchased as a parts camera for my operating camera, should she need some parts. I guess that parts camera is really a "collector camera" for now but one day it will be Frankenstein'd (we are only talking a few bucks too).

[Newt_on_Swings]

I only buy what is useable or can be repaired. I take some chances sometimes on low priced items and hope they are those two conditions. I'm not a stickler for perfect quality, and use what I have be it scratched or dented, as long as I can get good images out of it. Whatever I can fix I try too.

Cameras that I don't use, or cameras that are unrepairable are let out to my students to use. Some borrow them for the entire seasonal schedule and do get beat up or lost. The broken cameras are used for showing the internal mechanics and functions of the camera and get passed around for students to explore and prod to help them understand things such as the path of light, shutters and speeds, focusing screens, lens apertures, film take up etc.

[rich815]

I buy cameras that work, and that I want to hold (I love older workmanship, quality and craftsmanship), and/or that have lenses I want to try.

[Shootar401]

I only buy cameras if I can justify a need for having them, that why I only have 3. Lenses I also purchase for a certain need, generally a wide, normal, telephoto, and macro.