But of course, if shooting an occasional roll of film were merely an alternate medium of expression for me, why on earth do I have so many old cameras?
Part of the fascination is holding a bit of history in one's hands: Often the companies and even the countries of origin no longer exist (DDR, Yugoslavia, USSR). And it's easy to forget how many were seriously lusted-after! Really enjoyed this account by "Sergei" of his quest for a Kiev-19 in 1980s Ukraine:
I feel a wee bit guilty when I recall owning a Nikon F3 around the same time (unimaginable wealth!) but I happened to live in a wealthier part of the world, and was starting to learn the art of buy/sell/trade. I repurchased an F3 the other year, very similar to the one I used to own. Cheap because I bought a broken one and fixed it.
Kiev 60 and 88CM are no longer so cheap, and it can actually be cheaper to get a Hasselblad, Bronica ETR, or SQ-series camera. Can scarcely find an 88CM on eBay these days, and when you do, asking prices are astronomical.