Excellent Nikon SLR Cameras for Pocket Change-Post YOUR Finds!

[dave lackey]

For awhile I have been thinking about how ridiculously cheap great cameras are these days! Both film and digital cameras are a dime a dozen it seems and it is time to stock up on terrific buys.

Of course, my F80/N80 comes to mind. I routinely see/hear about these great cameras going for $10-$25 USD! KEH has them starting at $25.

How about a Nikon 8008 for similar prices?

https://www.keh.com/shop/nikon-n8008-35mm-camera-body.html

I have a Nikon N65 that was given to me and it works great! Perfect for hiking camping, fishing, biking, etc and you never worry about gear that inexpensive. I have given the grandkids their own to use when we are at the lake or cycling...

What have YOU guys found to knock your socks off? Post your finds and photos from the camera... We gotta see them!🙂

By the way, I would love another black F80 in the same bag for different types of film... let me know if ya got one to sell!

 

[Huss]

Fifteen dolla for this chunky sweetness (lens not included)

Works perfectly.

 

[nobbylon]

mint, late model F100 for €75

 

[p.giannakis]

I got a few good deals with Nikons:

This one for £23

This one for £7

Then i got this one for £20

This one for £10

And this one for £2

Of course, the best value for money is the Nikon F4s, given to me for free by a RFF member.

 

[Ronald_H]

Got an F65 for free from a secretary at work. Including batteries, kit lens and a few expired rolls of film. Extra bonus is that it works with my manual focus Voigtlanders SLII lenses as well as with my later 'screwdrivers' and even VR enabled lenses. Only with non CPU lenses the meter doesn't work.

 

[lxmike]

there are bargains out there all right,

 

[Flat Twin]

I spied this F80 in an Oxfam branch in Oxford, price was £9.99 and I couldn't leave it there! As I was handing over the note the guy on the till produced the original box and all of the cameras original paperwork. I got it home and it works perfectly and its unmarked and looks unused. Astonishing!

Nikon F80 by Flat Twin, on Flickr

 

[p.giannakis]

Got an F65 for free from a secretary at work. Including batteries, kit lens and a few expired rolls of film. Extra bonus is that it works with my manual focus Voigtlanders SLII lenses as well as with my later 'screwdrivers' and even VR enabled lenses. Only with non CPU lenses the meter doesn't work.

For a minute I read F6. I was about to comment that that must be the Nikon deal of the century....

 

[Ronald_H]

For a minute I read F6. I was about to comment that that must be the Nikon deal of the century....

Well, I got lucky, but not THAT lucky. But good electronic 35mm SLRs from reputable brands can still be found at flea markets for next to nothing. As a photographer's tool, they're great.

 

[harvester]

my F2 ( $26 + $20 postage from a japanese ebay seller )

all slow speeds from 1 sec to 1/8th are the same ... one day i'll open it up and clean out the mechanism, but in the meantime this is a fun camera for the price of a few rolls of film. i can't remember the last time i selected a speed under 1/15th ... and if i need slow speeds i can always use my nikkormat FT2 which was a freebie from a friend of a friend ( 'oh, i didn't think they made 35mm tapes anymore...' etc etc )

i took a punt on a listing which included a 'non working' DP1 which simply needed exercise and a little electronic contact cleaner.

i have some trashed-looking but unharmed and optically great pre AI lenses including a 24mm f2.8 and a 35mm f2.8 and this later 50mm f2 which turned up at local camera shows and thru forums for between $20 and $50 each.

good clean fun.

AP

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[jamin-b]

I recently got a N90 for $20 on eBay - fully functional, just with sticky back syndrome...

+ my father was talking up my camera obsession (err... collection) to an old friend, who proceeded pulled out a pristine FE and Nikkormat FT3 which he was happy to hand over for free to someone who could appreciate them...

 

[lynnb]

So I walked into a charity store many miles from home, simply because I had to drop my daughter off nearby, and I noticed the store as I was searching for the address. Never been there before.

I go in. No cameras at all on display. I ask the sales assistant "do you have any film cameras?"

"They should be out on display if we have any"
"I looked and I can't see any"
Second sales assistant: "I think we have some out the back in a box"

Returns a few minutes later with two large boxes full of old film cameras.

I and another person rummage through the boxes. Mostly junk. Then I spot a leather never-ready case with a big, faded "F" on it.

I open it to find a very nice looking Nikon F, with 50mm f2 lens.

Test shutter - seems to be jammed. Mirror seems to be jammed up against the focus screen. Small cloud of foam descends from inside of camera when lens is removed. Still, the lens looks OK. I take it to the counter and ask the sales clerk "how much?"

"I don't know anything about cameras. What do you think it's worth?"

(thinking, lens is maybe worth AUD$50, tops) "would you take $20?"

"OK"

So I get it home. Manage to get shutter and mirror working OK. Slow speeds seem accurate. Lens is clean, maybe a little stiff. Small clouds of black foam fall from inside body every time mirror flips up and down.

Look at serial number: 640XXXX. Hmmm. Look up serial number - one of the very early F's. Look at other identifiers, which confirm camera was made in (probably mid-to-late) 1959. Early Nikkor-S f2 lens as well, with 9 aperture blades.

After a CLA in Tokyo (thanks to Jon for organising!), I have a pristine early Nippon Kogaku F with a value of around USD$1000-$1500.

Fairy tales do come true!

early Nikon F #7757 by lynnb's snaps, on Flickr

 

[Addy101]

Picked up a Nikon EM with a 50/1.8 for a reasonable price, considering adding a 28mm lens, only to find those manual focus Nikon lenses to be priced through the roof. I understand they are (more or less) usable on modern digital bodies, but why are they as expensive as autofocus lenses?

 

[leicapixie]

[

After a CLA in Tokyo (thanks to Jon for organising!), I have a pristine early Nippon Kogaku F with a value of around USD$1000-$1500.

Fairy tales do come true!

early Nikon F #7757 by lynnb's snaps, on Flickr[/QUOTE]
Congratulations!
It really looks new.
Mine, much younger(1970) looks way more used.
Someone said "Trash!".
Like a friends says, "You have used one of your lives, if you were a cat!"
Make great images.

 

[mdarnton]

On Ebay you can pick up an FG, mint, for $50 all day long, so I have six of them. I like them because it's the compact size and nice handling of a Leica M, with an adequate meter--sort of an M6 SLR, really. Because it's easy to get another, it's my always-with-me camera, and if I drop one, or lose it, or it gets stolen, no big deal. But I really do think it's one of the best-handling cameras I've ever had.

 

[markus_h_photography]

7 bucks.

 

[Addy101]

7 bucks, no lens 😉

 

[Vics]

8008s from KEH for $11.

 

[newspaperguy]

Another unsung hero... Nikon N2020AF

RF style body, built-in power advance and... TERRIBLY SLOW auto focus, BUT,
put a manual focus lens on it and you have auto wind with focus confirmation
in a solid, compact body. What's not to like? (pix later)