General question concerning the collectors market

[clicker]

With so many fine film cameras on the market and the growing interest in digital photography, will we finally see the prices drop for the rarer or limited production film models. Also, are younger collectors waiting in the wings for the boomers collections to be sold off or will this just add to the growing numbers of used film cameras. This post is not an open invitation to debate the merits of shooting or collecting, but simple a question about the future of the film collecting market.
Thanks

 

[bmattock]

Collecting will remain collecting. On the other hand, the supply of film cameras for collectors will continue to increase for a period of time and then drop. That's because all the cameras are coming from estates. Film camera users are dropping like flies, and their ungrateful wretches of children go to RFF, say "What's my granddad's XYZ worth?" and then sell it on eBay. Once the coffin-stuffers cack it, the supply will level off and then drop, forcing prices up for anyone who wants to get into collecting. Ten years or so - we're just losing the smokers and obese now, the healthy wrinklies have a couple good years left.

 

[Al Kaplan]

It's not just the hardware that's becoming valuable. Vintage books are too. SOMEPLACE here amongst the boxes and the clutter I have an older hardcover Henri-Cartier Bresson book with a reasonably intact dust jacket. I recently saw the same book listed in the catalog of a rare book dealer for $2,500. Considering the potential value of all the crap I've acumulated over the years I'm surprised that my son isn't paying for my cigarettes.

He does know, however, that each and every lenshood and cap, the viewfinders, leather cases and M adapters, the old Leitz filters and Leica cassettes, etc., should all be listed and auctioned seperately.

 

[Spider67]

I think that there will be a drop price wise if film should ever disappear. As long as Film was the thing the pros used Nikon SLR's where as steadily priced as Leicas nowadays. I remember a collectors Principle "the possibility to take photos with a camera fixes its value and finally its price". (I remember how they labeld broken cameras as "for collectors")

 

[NIKON KIU]

As the world population grows, there'll be more and more collectors.

BUY NOW, prices are low and supply plentifull. It will be a matter of time before economic improvements take us back to decades like the 1990s...

Kiu

 

[bmattock]

I think that there will be a drop price wise if film should ever disappear. As long as Film was the thing the pros used Nikon SLR's where as steadily priced as Leicas nowadays. I remember a collectors Principle "the possibility to take photos with a camera fixes its value and finally its price". (I remember how they labeld broken cameras as "for collectors")

Your point is well-taken, however, there are several kinds of camera collector.

Imagine a pile of leaves in your backyard - a collection, of sorts. Then imagine a bound book of stamps, neatly displayed, archived, protected, and cataloged. Another sort of collection.

One sort of camera collector is casual and uses the cameras they 'collect'. Another is a collector, completist, and archivist of the sort that would never sully a camera by actually putting film in it. I do not put these people down, I simply note that this is what they do - not unlike toy collectors who do not remove toys from the boxes, which would damage their 'collector value'.

The former sort are going to be less interested in film cameras when film is no longer available. The latter won't care at all. They are the sort who collect Roman spear tips, but they have no intention of impaling anyone.

Personally, I am of the former camp - I like to 'collect' cameras because it is fun, it is informative, it keeps me busy, it's cheap (these days) and I can take photos with many/most of my cameras. But it is a motley collection of this and that, some things broken and some badly in need of proper maintenance, but I don't care. When film is no longer readily available, there are a few I'll keep for sentimental reasons, but the most of them will be of no further interest to me.

 

[dreamsandart]

Here is Japan I call it 'Collector's Heaven' and 'Film Heaven' :angel: If its rare and something really unusual you can probably go to the local (big city) Leica collectors shop and find it sitting on the eye level shelf and at a higher level price. And you still see individuals and groups of folks walking around with film cameras making images.

But its a fact that the collectors are getting up there in years, and many are already going or gone with their cameras now ending up in the shops, and this will only be increasing in the years to come. I personally know one Leica Collector's shop owner and he has so many black M3s and other rarities most of them are not seeing the light of day so that prices stay at a higher value.

I think there will always be those that buy collector cameras, but its going to be less with time. Prices may come down on some items, but may increase on others (as its done in the last couple years - just part of the ups and downs 'collecting' I guess). More common camera/lenses will become more 'attractively' price for users - like a nice M3, 5+ years ago it was hard to find one in good condition for under a $1,000, now its not so hard to find them in the $600-700 range (that's international pricing, in Japan add a few hundred dollars). I do find it interesting from what I see, lenses are holding their own price wise, and even have gone up in many cases, especially with the rare items.

Remember, 'Collector's' are generally not users. There are established collector's and new younger Collector's, but with the economy and 'investment income' so goes collecting in some ways.