What should I do with a worthless DSLR?

Please keep it, I'd like to see you do a shoot with your old camera and the new ones and post it in the groups to see which one everyone prefers :-)

Huw said

I've had a few very old digital cameras and old manual focus lenses rejected as worthless - Ffordes, rather than MPB.

It doesn't take much to make something uneconomic to service or repair.

Daughter's Canon 30D would be one that springs to mind.

My 5D4 sits on a microscope and earns money - trade in value was so far below what it was worth as a tool that it was ridiculous.

So... economic value and "working value" are quite far apart for DSLRs.

Almost any camera designed for an enthusiast or professional, for that matter, whether film or digital. $75 can get a very competent used camera, but that might not be worthwhile for a business to choose to deal with.

Put it on E-Bay, Somebody will buy it and whatever you get for it can go towards your new equipment. Or keep it and use it as a prop...

Thank you for all of the suggestions and comments. Lots of food for thought, and some interesting views on the current state of the second-hand DSLR market as more photographers move to the mirrorless world!

FocusSurreyHills there's a lot to be said for having a "beater" camera - with a cheapish lens - that you can shoot with in dirty or dangerous conditions.

Three foot surf at the time...   my old film camera.

Edited by Huw

My take is: take advantage of the bargains in the quality used DSLR market and ONLY move to mirrorless when there are used bargains on really great cameras to be had there. I quite like the look of the newer mirrorless models, but they'll be a lot cheaper soon because things always move on rapidly with changing fashions and influencers. I'm just dipping my toe in with cheap older mirrorless - just to get flavour without spending big bucks (as the DSLRs still work great if you're  used to doing your own focusing or prepared to learn.)

Might seem a bit off topic, but the principle isn't.  My main interest is in music.  Listening and playing.  I have a passion for guitar shaped objects.  My good lady tolerates them.  She's amazingly tolerant, but she's got to the point where she's of a view that we have no more space, so we (aka she) have a one in one out one out policy.  

I've taken the view that if the 'out' one is valuable (according to my view on what valuable means) I try to sell them, or trade them in against what I want.  But many of those I decide to dispose of have a sentimental value to me, and a financial of very little.  Those I've actively chosen to give away on something like Freecycle, especially to anyone who shows that they are seriously interested.  (like a lucky music teacher who asked for a Spanish style acoustic guitar, and took away that, a bass guitar, and an electric guitar I didn't think was of any great value)

I've taken the same view with photography stuff.  I've recently given away a fog machine, rolls of paper on here and there's more to go.

So my first view is to try to distinguish between what I think something is worth, what the online marketplace thinks it's worth, the effort to me involved in selling it, versus if I can feel a bit good about having given it away.  Often the latter predominates (and my wife is happy)

I have a large camera bag full of Nikon lenses and a D800.  Plus a bunch of (Elinchrom mount) light modifiers.  I'm currently pondering whether it's worth asking if anyone wants to pay for the bag of lenses and D800, the modifiers, or just to give them away on Freecycle cos I cba. (I'm now quite adept at avoiding the bots who respond within nanoseconds)

Convert to IR, you can get some magical images and portraits

I donated one of my old cameras to a friend's sister for her college work. I'd rather give it away than recycle it