What do you think is the best used camera today/price-performance wize?

[Pál_K]

I'm not a big M5 fan, but how much difference is there between a $1200 M5, and a cumulative house full of $100 SLRs ?

But isn’t the experience different and for that reason the M5 is chosen?

I have a few $20 Canon Rebel G’s, a $10 Canon FTb, a $10 Pentax K-10D, and a $100 Nikkormat FT2 - each of which I think will offer a unique shooting experience and all would be very different than a rangefinder Leica.

$1200 for an M5 seems reasonable. The low prices for the other film cameras are what amazes me.

 

[CMur12]

I was being a little flippant, but it really depends on what's wrong. In many (most?) cases, it'll probably cost more to fix a $100 SLR than to just acquire another one...

That's my point: Give it away, but don't throw it away.

I don't expect new film cameras to be made in the future, so the future of film photography depends upon the preservation of old production. People are throwing away a huge number of old film cameras because they think that film isn't even available anymore. Those of us who know better must preserve what we can.

Personally, I think a CLA'd camera that is functioning up to spec is worth easily twice as much as an old camera that by now would certainly be in need of a CLA. Replacing an old camera with another old camera doesn't accomplish much, because the "new" old camera will also certainly need service to function as it should.

- Murray

 

[Deleted member 65559]

But isn’t the experience different and for that reason the M5 is chosen?

I have a few $20 Canon Rebel G’s, a $10 Canon FTb, a $10 Pentax K-10D, and a $100 Nikkormat FT2 - each of which I think will offer a unique shooting experience and all would be very different than a rangefinder Leica.

$1200 for an M5 seems reasonable. The low prices for the other film cameras are what amazes me.

This thread has named dozens of cameras....many opinions about their 'best' and what constitutes a 'bargain'
Any kind of list or graph would likely be meaningless. Of course the $10 & $20 cameras are a gift. Many have spectacular performing lenses. $1200 for an M5 is a bargain relative compared with new M prices. Even more of a bargain if you bought it for $550 in 1971 and continue to use it.

 

[p.giannakis]

I would also add the Rolleicords on that list. They are cheap, reliable and plentiful. Performance-wise they are great.

 

[wlewisiii]

Oh hell yes. The 'Cords are SO much better than the 'flexes. Simpler. Work better. Work faster. Work better. Easier to fix on the rare occasion they do break.

A Rolleicord III is the best camera made by Rollei. Bar none.

 

[p.giannakis]

Oh hell yes. The 'Cords are SO much better than the 'flexes. Simpler. Work better. Work faster. Work better. Easier to fix on the rare occasion they do break.

A Rolleicord III is the best camera made by Rollei. Bar none.

Mine has been serviced by Ed Trzoska and works great. There are some teething problems with earlier models regarding ergonomics (I.e. magnifying glass flips outwards and slaps your eye, or part of the shutter is exposed and rotates (getting caught on gloves) etc..). All these were ironed out from model III onwards. Triotars are great lenses, you can unscrew them by hand and clean them. All three elements.

 

[Keith]

Mine has been serviced by Ed Trzoska and works great. There are some teething problems with earlier models regarding ergonomics (I.e. magnifying glass flips outwards and slaps your eye, or part of the shutter is exposed and rotates (getting caught on gloves) etc..). All these were ironed out from model III onwards. Triotars are great lenses, you can unscrew them by hand and clean them. All three elements.

View attachment 4820512

Not quite sure why but I remember reading that Harry Fleenor won't touch Rolleicords apparently and has a pretty low opinion of them. He seems a bit crusty to me! 🤣

 

[p.giannakis]

Not quite sure why but I remember reading that Harry Fleenor won't touch Rolleicords apparently and has a pretty low opinion of them. He seems a bit crusty to me! 🤣

I am trying to find online a write up by a well known repair person singing praises to the Rolleicords (especially when compared to Rolleiflex T) but I can't find it now. I thought it was H. Fleenor but I might be wrong. I will update when I find it.

 

[Dogman]

If we're getting back to recommendations, I'm firmly in the camp for a Nikon. Old Canons are great too but Nikon has a range of lenses that continued to work on all their camera up until the Z-line. I love Canon but it can't compete with the numbers of trainloads of great old Nikkors still available . Nikons are plentiful, many in nearly new condition, built heavy and dependable and they sell for peanuts. Film-wise, take your pick...there's a ton of them. My recent purchase of an F4 seems astonishing to me although I've yet to see anything I've shot with it--it might just be a pretty dust catcher if the images suck. I paid $125 for it and it looks showroom new. My only regret is that it will not run on Ni-Mh batteries so I'm back to buying non-rechargeable AA batteries to feed it. (Other not-really regrets include the price of film. Yikes!)

If digital is still in the mix, consider the Nikon D600 and D610. "Entry level" full frames they may be but they are damn capable cameras and do what they are supposed to do without a stutter. The D600 got a bad start with oil on the sensors but that should now have been long remedied and the D610 started out well-made. The only major complaints I've read about those cameras was that they had "only" 39 AF sensors. Gimme a break, I've never used more than the center AF sensor on anything. Focus, recompose. Just like using the split-image on SLR screens and the rangefinder in the Leica finders. Kids have it so easy these days 🙂😉.

 

[KoNickon]

I am trying to find online a write up by a well known repair person singing praises to the Rolleicords (especially when compared to Rolleiflex T) but I can't find it now. I thought it was H. Fleenor but I might be wrong. I will update when I find it.

Maybe it was Mark Hansen? Mark Hansen's Classic Camera Blog He also doesn't think much of Leicas; on the contrary, the Contax is king in his opinion. I got a Rolleiflex T maybe two years ago and find it a lovely camera to use. But I like the Rolleicords a lot also.

But as to the subject of the thread, I'm not convinced a camera is truly a "bargain" unless it's $100 or less. That's just the cheapskate in me talking. So in that regard, a Nikon F100, N90s, N80 for well under $100 is a spectacular bargain, when you consider how competent those cameras are. Some guy near me has an N90s with Nikkor 28-105 for $60. Very tempted.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

" I'm not convinced a camera is truly a "bargain" unless it's $100 or less."
Clearly we all have different yardsticks. I'm more likely to measure by whether a camera, or any tool for that matter, does the trick for the application i have in mind.
I admit to not having the collecting gene, so I it's a puzzle to me how much of a 'bargain' a house full of similarly equipped cameras are, not matter what the dollar value. If they are really tools, how many 3/8" (14mm) sockets or wrenches do you need, or $10 Pentax or Cosina SLR, $50 Nikon FMs. There is a gentleman on another forum with a relatively large Leica collection which he wishes to sell as a group for $10,000. But why would i want, 5x50mm (similar) lenses, 4x 90 mm lenses and 6 Leica meters?
I'm not casting aspersions on people with the collector gene.... it just not something i really understand or lose sleep over.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Canon EOS 5

 

[splitimageview]

Some guy near me has an N90s with Nikkor 28-105 for $60. Very tempted.

The 28-105 is worth more than that...

I'm more likely to measure by whether a camera, or any tool for that matter, does the trick for the application i have in mind.

For sure but this thread is all about high performance/price ratio. 😀

 

[p.giannakis]

Canon EOS 5

Yes, yes, yes. I love mine.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

The 28-105 is worth more than that...



For sure but this thread is all about high performance/price ratio. 😀

That's actually a pretty easy answer after 7 pages.....a lot of them

 

[p.giannakis]

Maybe it was Mark Hansen? Mark Hansen's Classic Camera Blog He also doesn't think much of Leicas; on the contrary, the Contax is king in his opinion. I got a Rolleiflex T maybe two years ago and find it a lovely camera to use. But I like the Rolleicords a lot also.

But as to the subject of the thread, I'm not convinced a camera is truly a "bargain" unless it's $100 or less. That's just the cheapskate in me talking. So in that regard, a Nikon F100, N90s, N80 for well under $100 is a spectacular bargain, when you consider how competent those cameras are. Some guy near me has an N90s with Nikkor 28-105 for $60. Very tempted.

Actually you are right. I got confused with Mark Hama and skipped his website.

 

[hap]

The R8 winder seems superfluous but it isn’t. Doesn’t add a lot of weight to the camera either. Recommended.

"others" have advised the motor drive as opposed to the winder. It's also a nice piece of design and ergonomics. However, beset with problems or potential problems...like the battery packs go phoooey and the chargers are not the greatest. battery packs can rebuilt but a pain.

 

[hap]

Actually you are right. I got confused with Mark Hama and skipped his website.

Yes, Mark Hansen has a penchant for zeiss cameras. but he still works on Leicas.

 

[hap]

Not quite sure why but I remember reading that Harry Fleenor won't touch Rolleicords apparently and has a pretty low opinion of them. He seems a bit crusty to me! 🤣

mark Hansen won't work on a rollei T TLR. A Fleenor CLA is currently 700$

 

[f.hayek]

"others" have advised the motor drive as opposed to the winder. It's also a nice piece of design and ergonomics. However, beset with problems or potential problems...like the battery packs go phoooey and the chargers are not the greatest. battery packs can rebuilt but a pain.

I have both and had the batteries rebuilt for a reasonable sum (less than $100). It’s another great device but adds considerable weight to the camera. The R8 I have came with it.