Picking season is here

[River Dog]

First big "car boot" sale in my area next Sunday - kind of a flea market. I'll be looking for old cameras amongst the new stuff and the tat. I am trawling the online classifieds again to see if I can beat the Rolleiflex 2.8E and Bessa II I got last year for $300 a pop.

It's a lot harder now that we don't have the old "jumble" and "bring and buy" sales they used to run in church halls all over country. Before eBay. Now everyone knows the price of everything 😕

Still, it is worth the hunt and I am ready to go. Anyone else got plans this year? What was your best bargain in recent times?

 

[Norkusa]

Same here! I hit the thrift stores here year-round, but I especially love the weekend flea markets during the spring/summer.

I don't find many slr's or rangefinders though. Mostly just point & shoots, like a Leica Mini 3 for $2.99 at Salvation Army a few weeks ago. I did find a nice Yashica Electro 35 GSN kit w/ extra lenses for $10 a few months ago. 😀

 

[River Dog]

Same here! I hit the thrift stores here year-round, but I especially love the weekend flea markets during the spring/summer.

I don't find many slr's or rangefinders though. Mostly just point & shoots, like a Leica Mini 3 for $2.99 at Salvation Army a few weeks ago. I did find a nice Yashica Electro 35 GSN kit w/ extra lenses for $10 a few months ago. 😀

Good going. All the charity shops around here send their cameras away to be "valued" and sold online at retail prices 😡

 

[karlori]

First one is set for this Sunday... Can't wait for it, I've bought a lot of great stuff but no photographic equipment. Hope this will change soon.
I'm more of an Ebay Cherry Picker kind of guy when it comes to photographic equipment.

 

[FrankS]

Last summer garage sales:

Minolta xd11 with a few lenses including a 50f1.4, all for $10
Yashica T4 super/T5, $15
Nikon FG, 801s, lenses, slide film, all for $20

 

[Norkusa]

Last summer garage sales:

Minolta xd11 with a few lenses including a 50f1.4, all for $10
Yashica T4 super/T5, $15
Nikon FG, 801s, lenses, slide film, all for $20

You're so lucky to find that T4 Super at that price. I'm ready to pay ebay prices for one, but I keep holding out thinking I'll find one for $5 someday at a thrift.

Saw this enlarger a local thrift store last week. The manager said I could have it for $50 but I don't know if it's a good deal. Plus I haven't made my own prints in years:

 

[batterytypehah!]

^I know nothing about that particular one but for $50 at a thrift store, I'd pass. Only buy an enlarger if you can make sure it's fully functional and 100% complete. Unless it's a Beseler, or still in current production, finding parts is nearly hopeless. See my signature...

More on-topic, we had a really warm day here today and thoughts do turns towards yard sales for sure. Haven't had much luck over the years with photographic items but I once scored a matched pair of Rogers LS3/5a for $20 😀

I have a personal rule not to buy with the intention of flipping an item to make a profit, though. I still use those speakers.

 

[lynnb]

Just bought a second Mju II and a Flash Fujica AF 38mm/2.8 for $5 each at a charity store.

 

[jpa66]

^I know nothing about that particular one but for $50 at a thrift store, I'd pass. Only buy an enlarger if you can make sure it's fully functional and 100% complete. Unless it's a Beseler, or still in current production, finding parts is nearly hopeless. See my signature...

More on-topic, we had a really warm day here today and thoughts do turns towards yard sales for sure. Haven't had much luck over the years with photographic items but I once scored a matched pair of Rogers LS3/5a for $20 😀

I have a personal rule not to buy with the intention of flipping an item to make a profit, though. I still use those speakers.

Now THAT has got to be one of the biggest scores in history! I'm glad that you're still enjoying them. The closest I go to them was my old Spendor 3/5's.

 

[pdexposures]

I'm getting excited. Things warm up, more garage sales and estate sales that were put off over winter will happen. Flea markets pop up, going to be good times.

 

[rhl-oregon]

Canon P + 50/1.8

Canon P + 50/1.8

Best I can contribute to this thread are these:

1/Canon P + 50/1.8 off craigslist for $150 in 2011. The lens was hazy, but cleaned up easily, and the P makes my M4 seem like an overpaid star. Apparently the seller was being so beset by queries about how pristine the gear was for the price that he was surprised I wasn't doing the same.

2/Serenar 85/1.9 briefly available for 64% off the $385 asking price. It spends a lot of time on my GXR at present. Some don't like the weight of brass and chrome, but I love it--which is not saying I'd wear it around my neck for days on end.

3/Also happy to with a Retina IIa in great shape for $29.

On the other hand, although I routinely visit Goodwill and St Vinnie's, I do it because I'm shooting an ongoing series about the shelf lives of kitsch; I don't expect miracles in the camera bins. (But if one happens, I'll testify here.)

 

[River Dog]

I bagged a really decent Rollei 35 S today. See my other post for details.

 

[nikon_sam]

I'm very conflicted right now...as much as I love finding garage sale, thrift store, pawn shop treasures I keep thinking that I DO NOT need any more stuff...I can't even use all the stuff I have right now...but I still look...

 

[redisburning]

ironically the best deal I've ever gotten was in a camera store.

one of those let me pay you before you change your mind moments.

 

[River Dog]

I am not paying retail for anymore cameras, but I love to look out for bargains.

 

[River Dog]

I would love to match the T4 and mju-ii deals you guys found! I got a mju-i for £1 last week.

UPDATE: I just watched an Olympus SPn and an Olympus XA4 drop in price in the classifieds over the past couple of weeks. So I am going to bag the XA4 tomorrow for £25 ($40) and negotiating over email on the SPn for £40 ($63), unseen.

Wish me luck!

ANOTHER UPDATE: I wanted to do the deal on the SPn but with some reservations as it is unseen and untested, aside from some photos. The seller doesn't know anything about it and it hasn't been used for 15 years, so he is sending it without any payment for me to check it out. Then I pay him if I think it is worth it.

Have you ever heard of such a thing? Trust is a rare commodity and something to be cherished.

 

[kuvvy]

Went to a car boot sale a couple of weeks back and bought two Oly Trip 35 for £1 each. I rarely shoot film anymore but I hate to see these things get left behind.

 

[batterytypehah!]

I found an Oly Infinity II at a thrift store last weekend, for $4. This place has the cameras in closed plastic bags on pegs, so I didn't realize just how scratched and scuffed it was. But hey, it's weatherproof, so I gave it a brushing with soap, which helped. The thing came back to life after I popped the battery out and back in. Currently on the first roll. I like the snappy shutter response, no lag with this one.

 

[btgc]

Last summer garage sales:

Minolta xd11 with a few lenses including a 50f1.4, all for $10
Yashica T4 super/T5, $15
Nikon FG, 801s, lenses, slide film, all for $20

Yashica T4/T5 are overpriced, I knew it.

 

[River Dog]

Got the Oly 35 SPn in the post today. The focus is off and the ring has stiffened up a lot in just a few hours of use. I'll get it CLA'd. Lens is clear and unblemished, there is a small ding on the top and some paint has rubbed off the front.

I really like the way it feels so I think I am going to touch up the paint and pimp it with some new, funky leather.