Reputable U.S. Old Camera Dealers?

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dow

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Hi All,

I just bought my last eBay boat anchor. (At least that's what I'm telling myself.) A Perkeo 1 arrived in an envelope. That's right, an envelope. I know it's a small camera but seriously, bubble wrap alone does not a good packing job make. At any rate, the interlock is broken and when shaken it sounds like a maraca. I tested it with an exposed roll of 120 I keep around for just this purpose and nothing. So it's going back and I'm down for postage (which doesn't seem fair to me but whatever, eBay tradition).

I know everyone has been there, and that eBay can give you great deals if you're lucky and don't bid on items described with "I've never seen a camera before in my life but I'm selling this". Despite this my success rate is middling even when I ask questions and deal with people who only sell photo equipment and take returns.

So my question is who sells cameras like the Perkeo I and stands behind what they sell? I know KEH and the Tamarkin Auction, but the former is spotty on old folders and the latter is an auction an I'd rather just deal with a straight sale. The classifieds here are good, but again, I'm curious if anyone knows an actual dealer who sells old folders and rangefinders at a reasonable (not giveaway) price. I'm ready to pay an honest premium for a good reputation.

Apologies if this is in a thread in the archive - my searches didn't turn it up.

Any insight is appreciated.

Dow
 
Central Camera in Chicago could be on option. I just walked by (it was closed) on the way back to my hotel from picking up my NATO credentials and they had a very nice looking Plaubel Makina 67 in the window.
 
Depends on what you mean by old. KEH.com sells used equipment. I've been happy with them. They don't carry a lot collector's cameras, but worth a look.
 
I'm one of those that thinks eBay is still a great place to buy and sell gear. Its been my experience that if I pass on deals that look way too good (because they almost never are), then I always end up with great gear that's exactly what I expected and for which I paid a fair price. I behave the same way as a seller... if its junk, I don't even bother putting it up for sale. And if its perfectly usable 'User' gear, then I put it up for bids starting at $0.99 and hope for the best. And if its special, I put it up for a price I honestly think its worth, minus a little. Staying within these bounds has kept eBay nearly a perfect experience for me. And that's after roughly 500 deals! 🙂
 
You might want to try Pacificrimcamera.com. They are an Ebay'er that I've had success with. I've boutght several items from them (Zeiss Nettar, Zenobia 645) and they've been pretty good. They deal with a lot of old folders, some in pretty rough shape. You have to read their description carefully. Good luck!
 
jaredangle said:
Central Camera in Chicago could be on option.
Click to expand...

+1. I've bought "only" a Mamiya C330 there and it turned out great. (I saw it in person while there, didn't buy, then after returning home and being burned on an eBay deal, rang Central to have them ship the C330 I had seen.:bang🙂 I say "only" a C330 since that's not an uncommon, "antique," or cultish camera. But wait ... having said that, anyone who has any medium format film camera in inventory is heroic. Remember that those of us who buy these things are a tiny little lunatic fringe in the overall camera market (99% digital etc.) so whenever a shop buys a MF or otherwise unusual film camera into inventory, they're tying up working capital for possibly years before the thing will sell. It's a lot to expect anyone to have them just waiting on the shelf. Central did have some rangefinder folders as well; I forget which.

Central also has (had, anyway, in 2007 when I was last there) great junk bins where you might find just that lens hood for some obscure thread diameter and pitch found only on one camera model made in Elbonia in 1949. Or other similarly obscure part.

Ball Photo in Asheville, NC was good last I looked, having Rollei TLRs, a Yashica 124, etc. in stock in the showcase when I was last there. Asheville has a strong arts community, so there ought to be a lot of filmistas bringing business to them, but when I last visited, the place did seem a bit forlorn.

Dow, where are you located, anyway?

--Dave
 
Further to my previous post, Pacificrimcamera.com has a Perkeo 1 listed in their catalog for $95. They are pretty reputable and have been around for years.
 
Dave I'm in Columbus Ohio. Midwest Photo Exchange is a good shop - but they don't have the older folders I'm interested in.
 
Well, you're closer to Central than I am! At least within a long drive of Chicago, not a flight. Definitely check them out if you're ever up there anyway. BTW, they have allowed the Google camera inside the store; if you look at https://www.google.com/search?sugexp=chrome,mod=16&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=central+camera and use "See inside", then get yourself turned around to face the front window looking out of the store, and "walk" as far to the front as you can, then the classics are just to the right of the fire-extinguisher. 🙂 They appear still to have some of the other C330 inventory that I didn't buy 5 years ago. Note also the bins of lens hoods on the counter-top and bins of other miscellany in the showcase below. Love it!
--Dave

p.s.: Freakish Google!
 
I have bouught from Pacific Rim, and they're fine. They are upfront in their descriptions, so there's little risk.

I work less that a block from Central Camera, so I go down every couple of weeks just to scan the place and see what's there. Last week, from the bins on the counter, I bought a mint Nikon 2X extender for $29, and whenever I'm there I plow for hoods, caps, filters, and straps in the bins.

I think when they buy a lens they must take off the UV and throw it in a bin for a couple of bucks, so I just buy the 52mm ones, clean my lenses' UVs with my shirt tail, and throw out the filter when it's too crummy to use, replacing it with another $3 Central Camera UV.

If you like obscure old larger-format stuff, they are THE place--that stuff is across the aisle from the used Leicas, near the door, and filled with ancient lenses and usually a Deardorff or two and four or five old monorail 4x5s, and a bunch of other stuff. You have to look over the mountain of junk on the counter to see that it's all there, though.

It has the atmosphere of an old shop that charges list price, but that is not true--which is unfortunate, because I think the internet and digital have hammered them badly and they are better than that and close to a national treasure. For instance I bought my Nikon D300, and a few lenses, there for the same prices I could have had by careful shopping on the internet. The (third generation, I think) owner is about my age, and he's there every day working the counter. If you go to the Google interior store view, and stand in the doorway looking into the store, that's him on the left behind the counter with the white shirt and red tie talking with one of the salesmen. If he's on the floor, that's about where he'll always be.

I've been going there for almost 28 years, and it looks basically the same now as it did the first time I walked in.
 
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