I’m an evangelist for mirrorless. The mirrorless cameras are driving innovation and bringing the best changes to the way we make photographs. I tell everyone I meet that they should consider a mirrorless camera, and while they are amazed by the features and intrigued by the possibilities, they all say the same thing:

“But I have all these lenses for my current camera–I’m too invested to change!”

I understand that feeling, but I’ve had a different experience. Did you know that I’ve owned 27 Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILC’s) in the last 7 years? I currently own just four of those, and I’ve sold all the others–in fact I just two last month. I can’t even begin to count how many lenses I’ve owned and sold over that time. The one thing I’ve learned through all this is that camera equipment sells well, and lenses are an excellent investment.

I know how it feels to spend a couple of thousand dollars on a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, which is basically a dream come true (I’ve owned two of them). It can also feel like you’ve got a lot of money tied up in that lens. The good news is that it holds value very well and resells used pretty quickly. I’ve found that to be true for all my decent lenses, and even cheap lenses sell well, but their resale value is a lower percentage of their original retail cost compared to a similar expensive lens.

I’ve sold all my lenses and cameras through classifieds sites like craigslist and ksl.com. If you’re the kind who doesn’t like to deal with selling stuff person to person, then I’ve got another good idea for you. Did you know B&H Photo has a Used Department where you can Cash In Your Gear? If you don’t like selling stuff, then that’s like a dream come true, too.

There are many reasons to consider switching to a mirrorless system, and this column will explore many of those and many features and benefits to various mirrorless systems. I know it’s daunting to think about how much you have invested in your gear. I just hope you don’t feel like you’re stuck with those tools. There are ways to sell it and get significant money back which you can turn into a mirrorless system, which are quickly becoming the most innovative camera systems in the world.

P.S. Please don’t come crying to me that your 30-year-old Suntax variable aperture zoom lens for Konica mount cameras wouldn’t sell. Old equipment that’s very good probably still has value, but old equipment that wasn’t very good to begin with probably won’t sell.