Sub $25 cameras.

I bought a Leica I with an Elmar at a second had shop for $24.99 once. I thought about trying to talk them down further, but didn't have the heart :)
 
Here in Hungary film camera prices close to zero...

Flea market:

Mint Leica CL/Summicron C, cap, hood, case, strap, etc... - ca. 20$ :D
Kodak Retina IIIC with close-up set - ca. 25$
Several Rollei 35/35S - ca. 5-10$
Several Olympus XA - ca. 5-10$
Olympus XA4 - ca. 4$
Mint Yashica GT - ca. 2$
Kiev II - ca. 20$
Voigtlander IIIb with Ultron 2/50 - ca. 15$
ZI Contaflex with stereo prism attachment and "Teleskop" 1.7x lens, case, hood, cap, etc... - ca. 30$
Mint Zeiss Super-Ikonta BX 533/16 - ca. 45$

and so on...
 
I got a Yashica Electro GSN for $15, an Argus C3 in super shape complete with working meter for $12, and a Retinette Ia in great condition for $11. I know where there is an Optima. I can check it out today. I don't know much about Optimas. Are the Optima's a fairly good camera?

Tom
 
Has anyone mentioned the Olympus Trip (as recommended by david Bailey)? And also the clam-shell XA2. Both bomb-proof, zone focusing cameras that are perfect for the beach or keeping in the car, with pretty good AE (which on the trip is unpowered by any battert!). I am one of those strange people who like the XA's add-on flash for the XA, it's fantastic for fill-flash on sunny days.

The main reason I'm touting their virtues is that I have beren given orders to clear out a cupboard. So I have both cameras to give away, the XA2 comes with both the A9M and the slightly more powerful A11 flash (one flash gave me problems, can't remember which one). The XA2 seems to work perfectly, AE functions as it should when I try it without film; the Trip's rewind button seems to have jammed today - last time I took it out I'm sure it worked perfectly. Free for the price of postage to a good home. I'm in London.
 
I am all over that XA2!

as for my cheap camera deals.. I think I'd be better at listing all the great deals I've given away for a very low fee or just the cost of shipping.. a nearly perfect (in my mind, at least) Jupiter-3.. an equally mint Jupiter-8.. several folders.. a couple Canonet 28's.. at least two GSNs.. a couple semi-unreliable meters, and a Canon flash for a Canonet
 
I've found a few:
Olympus OM1 with 55 1:1 macro - $20
Minolta Hi-Matic 7S- FREE
Minolta SRT 202 w/ 50 1.7 - $15

SRTs are going for RIDICULOUSLY low amounts of money on the bay right now. Average 10-15...
 
I had my first "finds" today!

Local yard sale:

I was looking over a not-too-bad Yashicamat for $20 when the guy reached into a box and said "so you really still shoot film? I'll toss this into the deal, then" and handed me a nice little Ricoh 500G. Darn patch is better than either my Retina or my XA!

JT
 
JCT said:
I had my first "finds" today!

Local yard sale:

I was looking over a not-too-bad Yashicamat for $20 when the guy reached into a box and said "so you really still shoot film? I'll toss this into the deal, then" and handed me a nice little Ricoh 500G. Darn patch is better than either my Retina or my XA!

JT
Click to expand...

Ricoh 500G is the same as the black Sears 35|rf. Both are smashing, incredible little cameras. Get one with a non-working meter and you've still got a great little pocket camera with an awesome lens. Get one with a working meter and you're set. Yes, it has a 2.8 lens, that sends some folks off it.

Note: they almost always need to be resealed - badly. They have the largest, ickiest gummy light seals ever known to exist. Fortunately, costs about $6 and half-an-hour of your time to fix. Well worth it.
 
Very cool -- I didn't know anything about it when he offered it to me, but now that I have seen the "light" I could never turn down a rangefinder.

No battery in this one, but since most of my current film cameras are sans meter, it just joins the club.

And boy -- you aren't kidding about the seals, when I opened it up it was definitely an icky sight, right up there with the slime that inhabited my Canonet! Oh well, my XA needs to have it's seals "done" as well -- makes a nice rainy day project with some nice music and a cold beer or two!

I'm really looking forward to taking my finds for a spin!

JT
 
Some cheap ones that are decent:

Mamiya 500 and 1000 DTL

Minolta SRT models (except for the 101 -- still a little pricey)

Yashica TL Electro -- be prepared to redo the light seals however
 
Why didn't anybody mention the Ricoh Singlex TLS (also sold under the name Sears TLS in the USA and Interflex TLS in France and Belgium)? It's an M42 camera, built like a tank, which has a TTL CdS meter and an indestructible Copal square shutter. I bought mine for US$ 9.50 on eBay with a 50/1.8 Rikenon 50mm lens. There's only one catch: this camera is big and heavy. But this can also be an advantage: it's very easy to hold steady, even for lengthy exposures.

At the beginning was the Nikkorex F, a camera built by Mamiya, because Nikon wanted to have an entry-level camera but had all its resources monopolized by the Nikon F. When Nikon shifted the Nikkorex F out of production, Mamiya sold the design to Ricoh, who began to manufacture Singlex cameras with Nikon mounts. Then Ricoh added a TTL meter and adopted the "universal" M42 thread. The Singlex TLS was born.

Later, Ricoh created the Singlex TLS 401, a revolutionary model with a dual function wiewfinder, switchable from eye-level to waist-level with the flip of a lever. A neat idea but flawed. The problem is that the new viewer used a pentamirror instead of a pentaprism. The reflecting surfaces of the pentamirror have oxidized badly with age, so the viewer has become very dark and almost unusable on most cameras.

Cheers,

Abbazz
 
Stay out of antique shops unless it inspires you to sell an Argus Brick for $50 & plastic Polaroids for $20.

A local store has a Konica C35 EF for $20 - I don't need it, but looked at it...I don't think it's a rangefinder but it has crudely adjustable focus.
 
ibcrewin said:
What have you found/bought for really cheap in an acceptably usable condition?
Click to expand...

Hmm... let's see...

Canon FTbN body $15
Canon 50/1.4 $20 (needed to be cleaned)
Canon 50/1.8 $5
Canon T-90 $99 (needed small repair to DOF lever... ;) )
Olympus XA w/ A11 flash $10
Pentax K1000 w/ 50/1.7, some zoom & good camera bag - $25
Graflex Anniversary Speed Graphic $0.00. Yep, it was free. A gloriously good person made that happen. With grace, I hope I can make one image w/ it that lives up to that gift.
Canon Canonet GIII QL17 in black $15 (sold on RFF for just over $100... :eek: )

There have been more, but these I remember best. It's always good to check every place like goodwill or st. vinnies as regularly as you can. Estate sales can be good but too many now know to look at ebay for baseline prices... :bang: :bang: :bang:

Thanks for listening,

William
 
Im trying for a Yashica Minister D right now. My bid is at $10 with less than 24 hours to go. Now dont go bidding against me.......
 
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