The Ukraine: A Good Place to Buy Camera Gear?

[das]

With all the internet complaints about Japan-based sellers allegedly often overstating the condition of camera stuff, I have found the opposite with Ukraine-based internet sellers. Since the pandemic, I have purchased a number of items from Ukraine based sellers - a P6, P6 DDR lenses, Praktica PB mount lenses, DDR M42 lenses, and some adapters. With the only downside being shipping time, which glad sometimes more than a month (understood as the county has been invaded and is under constant attack), I have found everything exactly as described, in serviced condition, and the prices more than fair. Also, hopefully supporting Ukrainian businesses may go a tiny way to helping the people there. Just thought I would share my experience.

 

[lonemantis]

It's amazing how things have flipped in the last 10 years. I remember when Japanese sellers first arrived to ebay en masse in the late 2000s, and they were immensely reliable - supplies were abundant, prices were low, and the gear was far cleaner than what you'd find from western sellers. Nowadays prices have skyrocketed, but it's no problem because it's Mint+++++ with only "a tiny bit of fungus." Ukrainian sellers have had the opposite trajectory - rather than clearing out the sketchiest old FSU gear you've ever seen, they're doing impressive custom work, including some very interesting lens conversions to LTM that I've found pretty tempting!

On the cinema end, check out the Xelmus anamorphic lenses if you want to see what a Ukrainian startup can design in-house. They're based out of Kharkiv and had to shut down when Russian troops arrived, but my understanding is that production has since resumed.

 

[stephen_lumsden]

Would you have any particular Ukrainian ebay seller to recommend? Looking at Kiev ii/iii options and M42 lenses and not sure who to go with.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Like all Ebay- it still comes down to individual sellers and their honesty. I have seen more bad counterfeits out of the Ukraine than anytime before and anywhere else on Ebay.

Lens SONNAR CARL ZEISS JENA 5CM F1:2 T 50MM F2, LEICA M39 LTM LENS | eBay

CARL ZEISS JENA SONNAR 5CM F1:2 T 50MM F2 LEICA M39 LTM LENS RABBIT EARS (copy ). The real focal length of this lens is 52.54mm. The lens is in good condition! Everything works fine. The glass is clean, all photos are real.

www.ebay.com

Lens SONNAR CARL ZEISS JENA 5 CM F1:2 50MM F2 LEICA M39 LTM LENS Jupiter 8 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lens SONNAR CARL ZEISS JENA 5 CM F1:2 50MM F2 LEICA M39 LTM LENS Jupiter 8 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Lens SONNAR Carl Zeiss Jena 5 CM F1:2 50mm F2 LEICA M39 LTM LENS | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lens SONNAR Carl Zeiss Jena 5 CM F1:2 50mm F2 LEICA M39 LTM LENS at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Links to Phony Sonnars listed as authentic and selling for 4x what you would pay for a J-8. Out of the Ukraine.

This one is a real Sonnar that has been converted to Leica Mount.
5cm F2 Sonnar, Converted to Leica Mount by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr
I know, because I converted it to Leica mount. Note the difference in the namering.

I have bought from Ukraine sellers that have been completely honest and even emailed me after the sell to make sure I understood the problems with the lens. That was for a genuine wartime 5cm F1.5 Sonnar that needed work. I assured them that I understood the problems by sending them my repair tutorial. I left great feedback- as that is the first time a Seller wanted to follow-up with "Are you Sure you want this?" and then describe the problems again. This was recent, and under their present conditions.

The items I've bought from Japan that were as described and at least EX+ condition include the Canon 50/2.2, Nikkor 200/4 Ai, and a Nikkor 135/2.8 Ai. Bought at less than 1/2 what the US sellers were asking. The Cann 50/2.2, near mint, the 89th made, and just over $100. All listed with clean glass, no fungus. I have noted more lenses from Japan listed with Fungus, and I stay away from them. At least the seller noted the problem.

 

[wlewisiii]

I saw a wonderful 😉 I-50 based Summicron 50/2.8 the other day for $499 😱

And I swear more and more lenses from Japan are saying that they have fungus - cameras too. Making my search for a good F4 body difficult 🤣

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I think a lot of the lenses from Japan being sold are from collectors that have passed away and the family selling the lot to a camera shop, then puts on Ebay. Store a lens in a Cabinet or Safe- the humidity gets to them, and fungus follows. I bought a small collection of Contax and Nikon RF gear from a widow- who stored them in a safe. I spent weeks disassembling and cleaning- got to most before permanent damage was done. Another year- would have been "for parts". Never store camera equipment in a regular safe- lesson learned.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I saw a wonderful 😉 I-50 based Summicron 50/2.8 the other day for $499 😱

And I swear more and more lenses from Japan are saying that they have fungus - cameras too. Making my search for a good F4 body difficult 🤣

I gave up reporting these crooks to Ebay. Report the item as Counterfeit- they do nothing about it.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

LENS SONNAR Carl Zeiss Jena 2.8/ 52mm M39 for Leica | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for LENS SONNAR Carl Zeiss Jena 2.8/ 52mm M39 for Leica at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

And in the "Can anybody be so stupid to buy this fake" category-

Lens LEICA Zeiss Leitz Elmar 3.5/50mm RF M39/ Limited Edition | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lens LEICA Zeiss Leitz Elmar 3.5/50mm RF M39/ Limited Edition at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

And the answer is, YES. I guess there is a sucker born every minute.

Leica Leitz Elmar Summicron Canada 3.5/50 mm RF M39 Lens Zeiss Eleitz Wetzlar | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Leica Leitz Elmar Summicron Canada 3.5/50 mm RF M39 Lens Zeiss Eleitz Wetzlar at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

If you know of Honest sellers on Ebay, best to share them. The Auctions I cited are all from the Ukraine and they are cheap counterfeits. I find it discouraging.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

This seller from the Ukraine is listing the genuine article:

🔥RARE FIND! Vintage Carl ZEISS Jena Sonnar T 2/50 50mm M39 LTM Lens!🔥 | eBay

Don’t miss this chance to own a piece of history! However, they do not appear to impact image quality. The glass is otherwise clear and ready to capture stunning images.

www.ebay.com

Pricy- but real. No fakes on any of the lenses this seller has up on Ebay right now.

 

[dexdog]

I wonder why the above lens has a upper case 'M' on the distance scale? I have three of these CZJ collapsibles in 271, 280 and 285 series and all have a lower case 'm'.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I also saw that- and likely the lens was produced in the USSR after the war. The optics look correct. The big M- maybe this one was made for a Zorki? Not marked ZK? Not worth the asking price, but not a counterfeit. The ZK Sonnars are as rare as the wartime lenses, and usually are Zeiss made wartime lenses- final assembly in the USSR. The SN on the lens is ~1939, looks correct. How it got in the collapsible body? Someone probably had the mount handy, used the Contax mount optical block in it. I would, and have.

 

[dexdog]

Brian, I agree that the lens looks to be legitimate, looks exactly like the ones I have, except for the 'M'

 

[das]

I am not sure about the Ukrainian sellers' reputations for old time Leica, Soviet, and Zeiss RF lenses, but here are some eBay sellers from whom I've bought P6 / M42 / PB mount DDR lenses & accessories. Everything arrived in great shape and better than expected. The 120mm f/2.8 P6 lens I bought looked like it had never been used.

oleksveres85 on eBay

Follow oleksveres85 on eBay. Buying, Selling, Collecting on eBay has never been more exciting!

www.ebay.com

Itsvintagetime | eBay Stores

Thanks for your kind words in support of us! The owner of the store lives in the city of the hero Bucha - Hostomel. Thanks to everyone who buys from us at this time, peace from Ukraine for all, Remember us in prayer. We restore our city and work for you. If you have any questions or problems...

www.ebay.com

v1ntage_photo_8 | eBay Stores

www.ebay.com

There are some others as well -- but these came to mind. Just search for post-war East German SLR / P6 stuff and the bigger sellers will pop up.

Also, Soviet Camera Store and Arax Foto are/were located in Ukraine, but both may have physically relocated by now.

 

[das]

As far as the Japan-based stuff, it's entirely possible that the supply over there has become a bit tapped out. I can't speak for the big camera stores and boutiques there, but it's likely that the great bulk of the good, non-fungus-infested vintage film gear has already left the country. I have had overall good transactions with Japan-based sellers, but a few cameras were DOA. Full refunds, of course.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

As far as the Japan-based stuff, it's entirely possible that the supply over there has become a bit tapped out. I can't speak for the big camera stores and boutiques there, but it's likely that the great bulk of the good, non-fungus-infested vintage film gear has already left the country. I have had overall good transactions with Japan-based sellers, but a few cameras were DOA. Full refunds, of course.

I very much agree. Now that it's clear that film isn't going away, those of us with a commitment (new or old) to film shooting are holding on to our equipment for dear life, since there doesn't seem to be any new, high-level equipment coming down the pike any time soon (despite Pentax's big tease). The good stuff is pretty much out of circulation, unless one is willing to pay astronomical prices.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I have boxes and boxes of 1960s through 1980s SLR's and lenses. I've had Five Nikon F's and a couple of Nikon F2's given to me. I've cleaned a number of them up, and performed light repair. And given quite a few away to the younger generation expressing an interest in film. I'd rather do that than sell on Ebay for stuff like an ME Super with 50/1.4 Ricoh. Expression on teen-age girl getting film back- priceless.

 

[das]

I have boxes and boxes of 1960s through 1980s SLR's and lenses. I've had Five Nikon F's and a couple of Nikon F2's given to me. I've cleaned a number of them up, and performed light repair. And given quite a few away to the younger generation expressing an interest in film. I'd rather do that than sell on Ebay for stuff like an ME Super with 50/1.4 Ricoh. Expression on teen-age girl getting film back- priceless.

Agreed. Giving away film cameras to folks who will use them instead of selling is often worth far more than the money.

 

[Pál_K]

I wonder why the above lens has a upper case 'M' on the distance scale? I have three of these CZJ collapsibles in 271, 280 and 285 series and all have a lower case 'm'.

Meters vs meters. 😺

 

[wlewisiii]

Agreed. Giving away film cameras to folks who will use them instead of selling is often worth far more than the money.

Well keep me in mind if you decide you have a Nikon F4 to give away 🤣

 

[das]

Well keep me in mind if you decide you have a Nikon F4 to give away 🤣

Haha. I loaned my F4 to a couple with a newborn last year. Still haven't gotten it back. 🙂