What is your greatest photo gear 'score'?

Optika 35, name variant of an Auto Terra with 45/1.8 Zunow lens, Mint condition in original box and leather case.... $50

Fits nicely with my other Auto Terra's

Gary Hill
 
Some things I remember...

Pentax 6x7 with special double-exposure factory mod, including 105mm, for $99
Pentax 500mm f/5.6 for 6x7 for $200 from a pawn shop
Ten 100' bulk film rolls of T-Max 100 for $300
Zeiss 180mm f/2.8 "Olympia" Sonnar for $40
Travelwide 4x5 camera for $49 as their #10 backer on KS
Linhof III camera w/ 3 lens set including 15cm APO Lanthar still in the boxes and including documentation for $300 at an estate sale
The whole estate of a pro advertising photographer for $400 - included several 4x5 cameras incl. an Arca Swiss, tons of Nikon stuff, a complete studio light kit that was around $4k new, and a Graflex handlebar flash that was the same model they used for the lightsaber prop in Star Wars - resold on eBay for $1000 the next day. Also included was a huge box of his life's work, with lots of original 4x5 transparencies of ads from major fashion companies. Still gotta go through that box sometime and look at what's there...

Just a few I can remember right now.
 
Nothing spectacular but a Mamiya 23 standard with the 90mm, 65mm and 159mm new in box, ground glass, 3 sheet film holders, two 6*9 backs, all viewfinder and back masks, lens and body caps, hoods and 10 filter for 400 euro. Also an excellent Yashica EM with working meter for 30 euro.
 
Years back someone *gave* me a perfect Polaroid SX70 (brown leather). It was her father's. I pushed the button and a picture came out (last one of the pack). Still have it (under glass).
Best value purchase has to be a lovely minolta srt101 & 50/1.4mc for about $50.
 
I bought two Large Format lenses that I would consider a great "Score"
A Schneider/Kreuznach APO-Symmar 210/5.6 and a Schneider/Kreuznach Super-Angulon 90mm 8.0 lens...
I paid $100 USD for both...mounted on Toyo lens boards, they look and work as new...I didn't need the lens boards so they sit in the closet...

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Never had the experience.:D

I tend not to go to flea markets, garage/boot sales, charity shops, or peruse Craiglists type sites, so the fault is all mine!
 
Probably my immaculate M2 that came with a perfect 50mm f2.8 Elmar all for $500 ... spotted on Ebay latish one night! Actually even better than it looked in the pics and I couldn't hit the buy it now button fast enough.

It made up for all the other times I'd been ripped off by sellers giving less than accurate descriptions of their wares and cameras arriving here in Oz with serious issues.
 
Fuji Quicksnap Flash 400 for $6.19.
Incredible deal for a camera WITH film and batteries already included.
 
Free is about the biggest "score" there is and lately I'm feeling as if I'm walking around carrying a cardboard sign "Homeless - Need Cameras" or something, as I've been literally turning down far more than I've been taking. Really.

The one on the right below is the one freebee which I did not say no to, Mamiya 1000 DTL, and other than for some dust on the focus ring (since cleaned) it's immaculate. Only a test roll so far, lens charts and a few shots outside by a railroad track. Works fine.

The one on the left, as shown, was $35 at a thrift shop found by an alert co-worker of mine who knows I have a thing for cameras. She phoned me while shopping and told me about it and I was about to say "Naaaawwwww" until she described it and I realized what it was. I told her not to let it out of her hand until I got there! Very good shape and works fine with most of my existing lenses. Two rolls plus a test roll so far, all just fine.

The lens shown below, which I got whether I wanted it or not, :) is a f/4.5 70-210 Vivitar zoom, which looks like a low-end one. I haven't used it for anything for real yet. Kinda wonky. One touch focus/zoom but when you zoom physically out, it goes to a shorter focal length. Backwards from what I'm used to.

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The only time eBay has even come through for me... The MX below was marked simply as 'old pentax camera', and I ended up nabbing it with the 50/f1.7 for $40 or so. Worked perfectly and served me well for a number of years.

My greatest miss was a Pentax SMC 50/f1.2 that popped up on Gumtree advertised as a 'Pentax 50mm f2' - I throw in an offer but it has (unsurprisingly) already sold...

 
I've had several great scores.

My wife and I walked into a high end antique store in Charleston SC and I noticed what looked like a Leica case under the counter. I ask the clerk about it and it turned out to be a Very clean M2 with a 35mm V1 Summicron and MR meter. The tag said $1100 and I said that was a touch high (20 years ago). The clerk reached under the counter and took out a large case. He said everything in it was included. I opened the case and almost fainted. There were 8 Leica M lenses, visoflex 1 with bellows and 2 finders, visoflex 2 and a ton of adapters and optical finders plus a Zeiss 50 Sonnar. Also there was another meter, Leica large ball head and tripod plus extras all in beautiful shape. It was bought new by the husband of the owner of the store. He was a neuro surgeon and passed away not long after buying it.

In addition the clerk pulled out an absolutely like new IIIG with a collapsible Summicron. The price was $500 for both.

Needless to say I bought it all. I'm still using some of it and sold the rest for a nice profit.

Another find was a NEW baby (4x5) Deardorff, 210 Zeiss Tessar in an Ilex shutter and several new in the wrapping Graflex wooden holders. All were in a nice case.

I bought this sweet package in the 90's. Deardorff only made 500 of the baby 4x5 and the last was made in 1945. This one had never been used. I picked the entire package up for $800.

A couple of years ago I picked up a very clean Rolleicord V with hood and case for $50 and a very nice Horizont 202 for $25.
 
I bought a mint Zeiss Planar 135mm f/3.5 T* from KEH. It is a 4x5 lens akin to an Noctilux for that format. The fact I managed to snag one was a "score" though it was not cheap.
 
I was doing my usual garage sale hunting for the usual junk, tools, electronics, etc. when I spied a familiar light brown lens case reminiscent of old Nikon rangefinder cases (my late Dad had left me his Nikon SP and 50mm f1.1.) I looked inside and wow, an 85mm f1.5 for Nikon. I quickly bagged it for the asking price of $10. When I got home, I had another prize. I looked into the false top of the lens case, and there was a viewfinder magnifier or eyepiece correction lens made to fit (as I later found out) only the Nikon M and S rangefinders. [See http://www.nicovandijk.net/rfviewfinder.htm at the bottom of the page.]
 
Oh, Christ, my list is long:

Canon LTM 28mm f3.5 with finder $40
Canon FD 55mm f1.2 $100
Canon LTM 50mm f1.8 $5
Canon T90 $10
Canon LTM 50mm f1.4 $50
Canon LTM 100mm f2 $100
Canon LTM 85mm f2 $100
Canon viewfinder for LTM 19mm f3.5 $10

Nikon Ai 35mm f1.4 $50
Nikon Ais 50mm f1.4 $10
Nikon Ais 50mm f1.8 $10
Nikon Ais 25-50 f4 zoom $35

Konica RF $300

Ricoh GR10 $10

Yashica GX $10
Yashica CC $5

Canon GIII Black body $10

Mamiya RZ with two backs 35mm, 55mm, 90mm, 110mm 180mm and motor drive for $400

Mamiya 645 35mm fisheye $50

Contax G2 35mm, 45mm and 90mm kit $600
Contax G series 90mm f2 $5 (two lenses)

Pentax M42 lenses

50mm f1.4 element 8 $10
35mm f2 $20

Olympus 90mm f2 Macro (had mold) $20

Finally,

Old Stock Fuji 690III $250

I have a few more I cannot remember.

Mike
 
Leica M2 with DR Summicron (with goggles) and hood for US$900, from Ebay BIN. That was in early spring 2009.
 
this year:

Rolleiflex 3.5f Planar w/ case (near Mint) - $285
35 Summicron v2 w/hood (Mint) - $600
Leica M4 (near Mint) - $400
85 Summarex w/hood (nice user) - $500
50 Summilux pre-asph v2 w/hood (near mint) - $900
50 Summicron v1 (LTM) (perfect glass) - $300
50 Summicron v1 (M) (mint) - $200

nothing outrageous, but considering the fact that almost all of it is near mint, i'm pretty happy.
 
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