Oly Epic a collector ?

[DanskDynamit]

So strange. Oly epics selling on ebay for $300.00 cdn. 😱 There is one on my craigslist for $295. I have 3 of them and 2 are in boxes with manuals. Does any one know if the ones made in Japan have more value than the ones made in china?

the listing prices does not mean they are sold for that money. It is true that they have gotten more and more expensive over the years but you can still find them for around $100 US.

 

[gavinlg]

I've noticed this too. I've been through 2-3 of them and never paid more than $100 for a new in box one a few years ago.

The lens, metering and simple operation make this camera superb, but theres no way I'd pay over (say) $100aud for a mint one. As said above, most have spacing issues and don't last that long under constant use.

If olympus put that lens into a TC-1 style metal bodied compact camera with manual control it would be a contax killer IMO. The lens is truly great.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Some of you may think I'm joking but I look at cameras in charity shops and do my best to pay less than a cup of coffee's price and I've I bought and played with almost everything but the Nikon thing with the two meter dials.

Anyway, comparing the prices charged for (say) a Zenit SLR, an auto everything plastic SLR and a large lumpy P&S and a µ-I or II I'm convinced that they weigh them and base the prices on that. The Zenit was £15; the Pentax auto SLR £10; the lumpy P&S's £5 and the small compacts like the Pentax mini, µ-II and even an XA were £2 to £3. That's UK pounds by the way, but I doubt if the symbol will appear...

FWIW, I've given away a lot of them, and some lenses, to people saying those prices are impossible in their country.

Regards, David

 

[sevo]

Hi,

Some of you may think I'm joking but I look at cameras in charity shops

Provided you live in a part of the world where charity shops exist. Hereabouts, there is no such thing (short of posh Oxfams selling used high fashion brands), and flea markets are your best bet. While the 1€ compact is pretty common there, you must travel fast to find them the first hour in the morning, or they will be completely wasted - after a day out in the rain in a cardboard box of mixed bits, greasy used motor parts and rusty nails, cameras generally are of little use any more unless you are digging for internal spare parts...

 

[David Hughes]

Provided you live in a part of the world where charity shops exist. Hereabouts, there is no such thing (short of posh Oxfams selling used high fashion brands), and flea markets are your best bet. While the 1€ compact is pretty common there, you must travel fast to find them the first hour in the morning, or they will be completely wasted - after a day out in the rain in a cardboard box of mixed bits, greasy used motor parts and rusty nails, cameras generally are of little use any more unless you are digging for internal spare parts...

Hi,

That's sad and I've noticed shop prices in your part of the world are high too, even when the pound was (fairly) strong I was shocked when looking in camera shops. And I've seriously thought about buying that Japanese version of Agfa film for a pound a cassette and exporting at your country's prices...

Regards, David

 

[DanskDynamit]

I bought my mju2 for 70€, 3 years later it developed light leaks from the rubber sealing around the back door.
After detailing the problem very very well including photos of negatives (I might have been the first ever eBay seller to show the negatives produced by a second hand camera for sale) a young spanish woman was willing to pay 100€ for it and so she did.

 

[2wenty]

the listing prices does not mean they are sold for that money. It is true that they have gotten more and more expensive over the years but you can still find them for around $100 US.

They are selling over $200 on eBay. I just got out bid and lost on 2 for $150 and $160. Camera only.

 

[DanskDynamit]

well, I see many in "buy it now" for 80€-100€ but I have no doubt that mine, without that light leaking problem would have been sold for around 150€ but then I would have not sold it because its a good camera that I loved to use.

 

[pvdhaar]

I bought my mju2 for 70€, 3 years later it developed light leaks from the rubber sealing around the back door.
After detailing the problem very very well including photos of negatives (I might have been the first ever eBay seller to show the negatives produced by a second hand camera for sale) a young spanish woman was willing to pay 100€ for it and so she did.

Given how fashionable light leaks are (check out lomography.com), that's no surprise..

 

[Sid836]

You know how it goes on ebay. I got my mju-II for 35€. I can see at least three of them for less than 50. The funny is that by many, probably people that know nothing about it, sell the zoom models at equally high prices.

 

[Arbitrarium]

You know how it goes on ebay. I got my mju-II for 35€. I can see at least three of them for less than 50. The funny is that by many, probably people that know nothing about it, sell the zoom models at equally high prices.

You get that with Olympus XAs too. People list XA2, 3 or even 1 at £100, presumably after the 'bay suggested "similar" items went for that price.

Or they're thinking "It's an XA2, surely that's an upgrade on the XA!" or something.

I ended up finding a Mju II on Preloved for £5 listed as "compact camera". One of the benefits of the Mju is that sometimes people ignore the name because at a glance it looks like a bunch of random symbols. Sold it off because autofocus doesn't do it for me.

And David Hughes, I swear the price of Trip 35s is still climbing. Too much bandying about the word "cult".

 

[Prest_400]

I ended up finding a Mju II on Preloved for £5 listed as "compact camera". One of the benefits of the Mju is that sometimes people ignore the name because at a glance it looks like a bunch of random symbols. Sold it off because autofocus doesn't do it for me.

And David Hughes, I swear the price of Trip 35s is still climbing. Too much bandying about the word "cult".

Just returned from the city and I was able to get a Sekonic L308 for 60€. The meters value actually has held very well for quite a lot of time. A few months ago I got a Nikon 50mm 1.8D for 65€ too off ebay listed by a second hand shop. For being rather common, the listings for that lens aren't low priced!
Secondhand stores and the such can be a great place for equipment here, seconding private/classifieds. eBay for some items is actually not cheap.

A month ago there was a guy listing an Infinity Stylus for 10€; I was puzzled to find the next day when he replied that he actually sold it (overnight?). I was suprised, my town isn't the kind of place where this sells off locally quickly.

Cult and renaissance does seem to have an impact. I was a bit dormant around the period of 2015 but now I do watch Instagram et al and there is excitement for film and gear. Youtube has channels of young people showing film and gear.

 

[wjlapier]

I can't believe the prices asked for the Oly zooms now. I went on a buying spree several years ago and bought three different zoom ranges--two about $10, one from the goodwill for about $4.00. They do have very good lenses and if you know how they work they take great photos. I use them outside on sunny days with the flash off.

 

[loftedspace]

I can't believe the prices asked for the Oly zooms now. I went on a buying spree several years ago and bought three different zoom ranges--two about $10, one from the goodwill for about $4.00. They do have very good lenses and if you know how they work they take great photos. I use them outside on sunny days with the flash off.

What's being asked for them? I used to keep an eye out for fixed-lens point-and-shoots when I would visit thrift stores, and I'd get excited when I'd see any Olympus, and it was always a zoom. They were stickered at $8-$10.

 

[David Hughes]

What gets me is the people who think any camera that isn't a/an SLR is a RF and the people that buy them worry me too...

It's a pity ebay don't police them properly. People could do it better than software; people would look at the photo of the camera and decide.

Regards, David

 

[lawnpotter]

I just went to ebay.ca and there are no black ones available. Does any one know if the black ones are more sought after ? I have 3 black ones

 

[skucera]

It sure seems to be a bubble for the Stylus Epic. I got one about a year ago, and it does take nice pictures, but I don't see it being worth $300, or especially $700 that I saw one listed at on eBay a few minutes ago. Pure speculative mania, and I bet it's unsustainable too. I wonder what will happen when people realize that it is just a bubble....

Scott

 

[rfaspen]

That's why I want to sell now! Kinda like the stock market, eh?

 

[WyattMacMaurer]

I LOVE my Stylus epic and have taken some of my favorite photos with it.

The lens is pretty great though maybe a bit boringly modern, but the real reason I love it is because it is genuinely pocket able and not too expensive so I don't have to worry about babying it too much. I can take it out and about with me and get stellar candid photos of friends and family. It also is pretty unassuming as a camera(maybe even to the point of looking like a toy lol), so people act a little more candid around it. It has an awesome flash as well if you can get over the red eye issues.

If anyone has any they don't want I'll definitely pay $60 for them feel free to PM 🙂

I'm also interested in trying out an Olympus XA as it seems to be the spiritual predecessor to the Stylus epic.

 

[David Hughes]

I'd love a digital version of any of those small cameras with a very good to excellent prime lens; plus the size and simplicity.

Regards, David