Also, look for the closing prices of auctions, not the asking prices. A lot of stuff gets listed at a ridiculous price and is never bid upon or never makes reserve.
Nikon prices are more volatile than Leica prices. There is relatively limited supply and changeable demand compared to the much larger Leica market.
No cheap flea-market discoveries here. I paid fair-market value for all of my gear, most of it bought in 1989-91, when prices were about the same as now (but, with inflation, the real cost was higher than today).
The one deal I missed was a heart-stopper, but I don't dwell on it. I was at a Fotoboerse flea market in Germany, looking for a 20mm SLR lens on behalf of a friend. I found a 21mm f/4 RF Nikkor mislabeled as an SLR lens and priced accordingly in the $300-$400 range. The table was unattended, and I had just recently bought my first Nikon RF, an S2, and so knew almost nothing about Nikon lenses and cameras. I had no idea of the astronomical rarity of the lens. So I went about shopping and, a couple of hours later, thumbed through a McKewens price guide at a book dealer's stall, read entry on Nikon RF lenses, realized the 21mm /4 is rare beyond belief, and went back to the table that had it. But, of course, it was gone.
