Well, when it comes to lenses there is actually some old equipment that is still desirable. You can get lenses that are optically decent for very little money if you can live with manual focus or lack of modern coatings etc. I have several lenses from the 70s and 80s that I like a lot - though they’re a bit more work to use.
Then there’s lenses that provide interesting distortions or have interesting faults. Like old Soviet-era Helios lenses. In fact some old lens designs have been revived for modern cameras. Like the Petzval lenses (which I also own).
Good modern lenses are great. Optically fantastic, robust, easy to use etc. But that can be a bit … well, sterile and boring.
Which is why several of the vintage lenses I own have been used in movies. They make for a unique look. (There are companies that re-house lenses for use with modern movie cameras).
Note the scene with the emperor in the garden in the second Dune movie for instance.
There are lots of vintage lenses to lust after. And some of them can be quite expensive.
(Then there’s the whole medium format world. Where you can get digital backs and build cameras that cost more than your car)