Time to Brag about your best bargin(s)

[sepiareverb]

I think a big field trip up to Franks neighborhood is in order, seems to be photo-bargain central up there.

My best deal involves LF equipment, and a yard sale. Found a big box of 'Old Photo Stuff' for $10. A quick peek showed some interesting items, rather than take everything out and give myself away I just bought it. Once home I found a beautiful antique 45 camera in case- the kind with the storage in the back for film holders- complete with plate holders & lens all looked brand new (sold it on ebay for $275). But the real piece was the 168mm Dagor in Compur shutter, covers 8x10 and is a real gem of a lens. Kept that one.

 

[rokkor]

Polaroid 195 for $ 7.50 , Olympus SP for $ 2.50 and a like new Fuji GA 645Wi for
$ 199.00

 

[Doug]

...and a like new Fuji GA 645Wi for
$ 199.00

Oooh, I paid more than 3x that much for mine. Nifty rig. 🙂

 

[Cale Arthur]

I sold my Olympus OM1n with 40mm f/2 Zuiko lens for $75.00.

Yowch.

I guess my best recent bargain was a full set of Walz 'for Nikkor' (43mm) filters, with the original case, paperwork, polishing cloth (with silkscreened pic of a Walz meter, no less), and the vented Walz hood for less than i've ever paid for anything: $.01. Plus shipping, of course, but still.. a penny..

--c--

 

[Ara Ghajanian]

I've never gotten a bargain price on any of my Leica gear. Oh well, it didn't stop me from buying it.

 

[Tom Harrell]

Pretty Retina IIa from a local thrift/junk/antique shop for $25. She works like a champ! I consider it one of my favorite cameras. The strap broke on the case and I have not gotten into repairing it yet but I'll figure it out.

Tom

 

[cmedin]

Does this count as a bargain?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:B:EOIBSAA:US:31&Item=220144240700

Not really up to speed on the Canonets, but this WITH a flash for five bucks seemed awfully cheap! 🙂

 

[Fotch]

Beseler 45MX, Color Head, Voltage regualor, Beseler Metal Stand (which is what I mainly wanted) for $10 on Ebay (picked up)

Beseler 45MX, Zone IV Cold Light Head (main target), 135mm Componon (poor condition), easel, paper, several negagive holeders, for $35 on Ebay (picked up)

Minolta Enlarger with Color Head and like new 50mm Nikor F2.8 lens (wanted lens) for 1 cent on Ebay (picked up).

These sellers limited their bidders because they listed as "Pick Up Only".

I would hate the thought of selling my stuff this cheap. Doesn't matter, I purchase for my use.

 

[350D_user]

Leica Standard and I-22 lens for a bit less than the Sigma 18-125 I have perma-clamped on the 350D... roughly £170, minus p&p.

Basic darkroom setup, including a universal enlarger, for £60.

 

[BigSteveG]

Yashica Lynx IC w/ case in great user condition.....$30

 

[FrankS]

Now there's a deal! 🙂

 

[ricpr]

This is the reason I use rangefinders. I frequented thrift stores and flea markets in the past out of necessity. A few years back, a fortunate boost in income ended the necessity, but not the habit.

I started collecting gadgets. At an estate sale, I bought a camera for $35. Didn't think much of it...I just set it on a shelf while using a digital camera. Out of the blue I loaded the $35 camera and a couple of others. The film sat around for a few months. One day the Wife comes back from the grocery store talking about some pic's...that they were the best she had seen! Process of elimination......the camera: Canon 7 with a 35mm 2.0 black lens in very good condition.

At the sale where I bought this camera, someone had put it BACK, but kept a 50mm 0.95 lens that sold for a whopping $10!

Since then here are some decent buys:

1. Leica Summaron 35mm 2.8 lens, mint, $35....just like the one that sold recently in the classifieds. I posted pic's here and was able to get the M adapter off. It works on my Canon 7.

2. Ziess Super Ikonta 531/2 in very good condition with nice case...$25

3. Nikon FM with a 50mm 1.2 lens and a "new" 35-105 zoom......$70

4. Nikon F with a eye level prism 200mm, 85mm and 50mm lenses....$40. The camera belonged to a local photographer. Cool history......it looks like a reporter camera....worn. Works great.

5. Revere Stereo 33 like new.....$25

6. Yashica Mat LM....$60

7. Minox Wetzlar Spy cam....$5

8. Nikomat FT2...like new with 50mm lens....$60

9. Nikkormat FT..like new with 50mm lens.....$60

10. Nikon F with 50mm lens....$15, beat but works well.

11. Canonet QL17.....$20

12. Canon AE-1 with a 70-210mm, 50mm and 20mm lenses....$60. The 20mm lens is a blast.

13. Nikonos camera with lens, flash, bracket and custom bag....$100. I just sent off the flash to Nikon due to recall issues and will receive a brand new replacement for free......a $300+ value.

14. Most recent purchase.......Leitz Trinovid 7x35B binoculars for $20. I know not a rangefinder camera, but I had no idea that they would be going for $450 in E**y.

Except for the ones noted......all are in very nice condition. I know some are SLR's, but still great deals. It pays to look at things that others find no use for. It's even better to put it all to good use.

 

[rxmd]

I guess in the long run I haven't made any super deals. I got a Yashica 12 on eBay for 20 EUR in "unknown" shape, but she required a lot of fixing up, cleaning and new leather. I had some success with Soviet lenses (including a Kiev Jupiter-12 for 1 EUR, and a LTM Jupiter-9 for 12 EUR that is now still at Kim Coxon's awaiting fixup).

I've made two lens purchases which I consider real bargains. The best was a package with two flashes and a Rodenstock Rodagon 105 enlarging lens for 12 EUR. The second one was my Volna-3 2.8/90 for Pentacon Six mount for 5 EUR or so, an underrated sleeper of a portrait lens.

I'm not counting FSU flea market finds in Uzbekistan, such as a Lomo 135VS for $2, the Pass-the-RF FED-2 for $5 or a Drug in excellent shape for $60.

Another borderline case is a Zorki-1d. I had posted a HU thread here on this Zorki a couple of lenses, one of them a "hidden" Leitz Summaron. A fellow RFFer won it and gave me the Zorki for free. So it's a free Zorki for someone else's bargain. 🙂

 

[nikon_sam]

$5 for a Nikon 50mm 1.4 AIS lens at a garage sale...with a filter too...

 

[FrankS]

Lately: $10 for an SLR 50mm f3.5 micro-nikkor lens, and $5 for a Rollei 35B.

 

[cmedin]

As of today, I can claim I did find a real bargain. Mint condition C330 with 80/2.8 (black, not chrome) for $95. Just picked it up and it's quite lovely. 🙂

 

[etrigan63]

I don't know if you would call this a bargain but I just purchased a demo M8 with full 2 year Leica warranty and free filters for $4200.

 

[raid]

I just let a bargain buy for a Konica III slip away to another person so that he/she can enjoy the camera. I already have a III. Does this count?

 

[BillBingham2]

Nikon F2A for Free from EvilBay.

I won and paid for another camera that the guys wife miss shipped to Japan (I got the one the guy in Japan won). While he got a better camera, I got a great chrome F2A and all my money back!

It's made up for some really BAD deals. All in all, at the end of the year, the world is in balance.

B2 (;->