Gear Regret Syndrome

Everyone knows what G.A.S. is—Gear Acquisition Syndrome. In photography, it’s the intense desire for a new camera or lens. The opposite end of G.A.S. is G.R.S.—Gear Regret Syndrome. It’s the deep regret we feel sometime after we have parted ways with a piece of camera gear that we shouldn’t have sold.

I generally sell something either because I need to “thin the heard” or because I am funding the purchase of a new piece of gear. Sometimes, I just need a little extra cash. While I always feel a little wispy when I am packaging up a camera I have just sold, the feeling typically fades very quickly and I have little or no lingering regret. There have been some exceptions:

I sold my Omega ProLab 4x5 enlarger 25 years ago during my divorce. It went to a friend for pennies on the dollar. That enlarger was pristine and had a turret lens mount with EL Nikkor lenses for 35mm and 120 film. In reality, I could never have dragged that monstrosity through the mess of my divorce but I sure do miss that lovely big machine.
I sold my Leica M6 and 35mm Summicron lens because someone offered me quite a bit more than I paid for the kit. I made what I think are some of my best photographs with that Leica. Prices on that same camera and lens are through the roof now. I should never have sold my M6.
A friend sold me a minty black Pentax Spotmatic SP. I had Eric Hendrickson modify the camera with a split image focus screen. To round out the package, I splurged on an 8-element 50mm f/1.4 Super Takumar. That lens could sing! A reader of this blog wanted that Pentax and lens badly and I sold the camera and lens to him. My black Spottie is in a good home, but I miss it.
Some years ago, I had Bellamy Hunt, the Japan Camera Hunter, source me a black body Nikon FM2n camera. I really enjoyed using that camera and like the M6, made some good photographs with it. I sold it before a move in 2019 and have regretted it since. The FM2n is a solid, dependable camera and I’ve always kept an eye out for another…

One day, a few weeks ago, I stumbled across this very lightly used black FM2n in one of my local camera shops. I do quite a bit of business there and the shop owner gave me a nice discount to “take it home today!” It needed new seals so I sent it out for a CLA. The camera is on its way back to me now. It will be nice to shoot the FM2n again. Do you have a camera or lens you regret parting ways with?