What to do with old camera?

[Tiggerish]

Hi, photog experts!!

Doing some fall cleaning (that's what you call spring cleaning done six months late). I came across my very first digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix 5600 (boasting 5.1mp, 3x optical zoom). I hate to just throw it out--is there any way to recycle it, or donate it? Or is tossing is the only practical thing to do?

I also have my old Pentax K1000 from my college days--do they still even make film?

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Cameras for Kids (warning, link plays audio on loading) might take the Coolpix. You may want to contact a local camera store about the Pentax. I know the guy who runs the camera shop in my neighborhood will take old SLRs to loan to the photography students taking film classes.

 

[thomas998]

Hi, photog experts!!

Doing some fall cleaning (that's what you call spring cleaning done six months late). I came across my very first digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix 5600 (boasting 5.1mp, 3x optical zoom). I hate to just throw it out--is there any way to recycle it, or donate it? Or is tossing is the only practical thing to do?

I also have my old Pentax K1000 from my college days--do they still even make film?

You could donate it to Goodwill if you wanted to take a tax right off for it... but honestly the old cameras aren't worth much. The Nikon you have is over 10 years old... Most cameras that people have today will take better picture than it did, and given the vintage a lot of people will even have trouble finding a SD card that will work in it. I know I had an old Nikon from that same era and because of the expected size of SD cards at the time it will only work if you can find a vintage SD card of 2GB or less put a larger one in and it wont work with it.... So even if you gave it to someone to use they would probably have a hard time getting it to work unless you included some SD cards with it.

The Pentax is probably of more value to someone tinkering with lenses than it is as a camera. Few people use film and most college classes that do photography use digital because it allows instant access to what you just shot. I would say use it as a decoration if you want but otherwise it has very little value unless you found a collector.... though I don't know if there are any Pentax collector around.

You could keep them as relics if you want.... I know I have a couple of old Kodak digital cameras that I will hold onto just for the heck of it even though I don't think I can even find the software to view the photos they take anymore, and photoshop long stopped supporting them... But they are kind of cool as conversation pieces.