Trying to find used camera deals the way Pan does.

[Huss]

I've always been impressed by p.giannakis' ability to aquire really nice cameras for next to nothing from boot sales or charity shops in England.
AFAIK he's been able to get Nikon F90s for 50p, an F4 for free, Leicas for a fiver..
I've never been able to score anything like that - the best I've managed was a perfect Nikkormat FT2 for $17 - but I blamed that on living in Los Angeles.

But this week will be different! I' m in England visiting family for Xmas so I'm going to score big!

Result - visited six shops, dodged head-cold wracked customers at every turn, found one old no name 110 film camera that was in a locked case - pass.

Maybe the LA scene isn't so bad after all...
:angel:

 

[x-ray]

Patience is the key.

I've found some very good deals on some premium gear but you never know when you're going to stumble into it. I recently bought a super clean Rolleicord V and accessories for $50, a Horizont in very nice condition for $25. I also bought a very clean Retina IIa for $25 but the shutter is about a stop slow. I bought 2 mint Nikon F's with standard prisms and 50 1.4's for a song and a NEW 4x5 baby Deardorff with Zeiss 210mm lens in an Ilex shutter and new wooden holders in a case. A few years ago I bought a minty M2 with 9 Leica lenses all excellent +, 5cm sonnar that was a dog, 2 visoflexes with adapters, bellows, Like new IIIG and 50 summicron for a song. I found all of them in obscure locations in little antique shops.

There seem to be a lot of cameras appearing in antique shops now but most are dogs or cheap junkers at high prices. A lot of my generation are retiring and cleaning the house out and selling the estate through estate auctions. They seem to wind up in antique shops. Recently I found a mint Pentax K1000 with 50mm f2 but they wanted $225 which is insane.

I missed out on one recently I could kick myself over. I went to an estate auction which was mostly junk but they had just sold a minty IIIf Leica with Leicavit and 5cm Summitar for under $200. The deals are out there but too many antique dealers think they they found a goldmine when they find some old piece of junk.

Good luck!

 

[rybolt]

It depends on how dedicated you are. I was in the photo business for 36 years. I retired almost seven years ago and started buying and selling used stuff as a hobby. I run an ad in my local daily newspaper every day in the Want To Buy section. It costs me $30 for four weeks. The ad says Local Camera Collector Pays Cash for Leica, Nikon and Other Older Cameras. I get 20 calls in a month and half are Polaroid, Argus and Bell and Howell. The other half are interesting. Yesterday I drove 90 minutes to buy 2 Mamiya C330F cameras with 80 and 55mm lenses on each body. The seller wanted less than $100 for all of it. I paid more than that. Early in the week I bought a pair of near mint F2A bodies, an MD2 motor and seven lenses plus a Mamiya C330F new in the box. The stuff is out there but you have to make an effort to find it. I won't tell you some of the Leica finds that I've made.

 

[x-ray]

Forgot I bought a black FE, micro Nikkor 50 f3.5, Halliburton case that was like new, 500mm mirror Nikkor like new and a bunch of other goodies for cheap. Found those on Craigslist.

 

[johnnyrod]

While you're not exactly tripping over old cameras in the street here, we do like a good car boot sale, not sure if you have them in the US, but basically a yard sale in a field full of cars. People sell any old thing to get rid of it, some even buy job lots of stuff for it. A friend of mine picks up an absolute ton of stuff from these, I just peruse Gumtree now and again. As said above and elsewhere, luck is a major factor, and of course there isn't anything to tell on the days you come back empty-handed!

Where in the UK did you visit?

 

[nikon_sam]

You just gotta keep looking every chance you get...pawn shops, thrift shops, antique shops, garage sales, camera shows, craigslist and even ebay...
I'm looking all the time...last item I bought was a really nice Nikon SB-15 with the wide angle diffuser for $1.63...I looked at the shelves in that store several times and finally I saw it there, hidden in plain sight...
Then there was the Nikon F on craigslist that I bought for $10...so they're out there just keep looking and you'll find them...

 

[Huss]

While you're not exactly tripping over old cameras in the street here, we do like a good car boot sale, not sure if you have them in the US, but basically a yard sale in a field full of cars. People sell any old thing to get rid of it, some even buy job lots of stuff for it. A friend of mine picks up an absolute ton of stuff from these, I just peruse Gumtree now and again. As said above and elsewhere, luck is a major factor, and of course there isn't anything to tell on the days you come back empty-handed!

Where in the UK did you visit?

I'm in Cambridge at the mo. Yeah I heard about the car boot sales, looked them up and they are every Sunday. But the next Sunday - tomorrow - is Xmas so none then. And I've left back for LA before the next one rolls over.
Darn timing..

 

[Brian Legge]

I'm spending the holidays just outside Norwich with the in-laws. I spotted a good deal on Craigslist just after arriving here (M3, Summicron DR and a few other lenses for $500)... offered back in Seattle. 😉

 

[mpaniagua]

Patience is the key....

Good luck!

Along with a very forgiving wife 🙂

 

[benlees]

I, too, have never found a steal of a deal. But... I rarely look. I'm neither a collector nor a "hunter" so I don't go to the flea markets or the shops very often. The times I have most things are over priced!

 

[Huss]

I'm not so much a hunter as I have too much stuff already. It's just a fun thing to do to pass the time. My gf likes to rummage around at these places, so seeing I'm already there...
I did get to play with some old Prakticas and a Pentax Spotmatic at an Oxfam in Cambridge. Passed time while she bought some Wedgewood thing she found.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

All the world and his wife are out shopping before and over Christmas, so the shops get thoroughly turned over and very little is left.

You have to be patient and just keep trying.

Regards, David

 

[p.giannakis]

I did get a Nikon F4 for free from a RFF member but the F90s cost me £23 and the plain F90 was for £8.
I am still looking for that £5 Leica though...
I spend every Sunday morning in carboot sales over the last few years. Eventually you do come across bargains.