Bhpeck
Newbie
Several months back i responded to a listing labeled "Old Nikon Cameras $500." However, i could tell from the single picture that it wasn't just Nikons, but a Leica M as well. it took some time to convice my wife that I knew from that single picture that the box could be worth 4X as much. I made the 45 minute drive across town at 9:30 PM to meet the seller at a gas station. She said her father shot for the LA Times. I brought home:
Nikon F3
Nikon FM2
Nikkor 50mm 1.4 ais,
24mm 2.8 ais,
55mm 2.8 Macro
Canon FTB QL w/ Canon 50mm f1.4
and, last but not least,
Leica M3 SS w/ 50mm summilux pre-asph
She said she knew it was a good deal, and told me the german camera was worth a lot of money, then asked if I wanted to negotiate the price(!). I declined.
i am needing a replacement for the Leica now. It has a patched front curtain, no 1/1000th, 1/500th is starting to go. The viewfinder is beginning to separate as well. Its a very clean body, but i would prefer a wider viewfinder so would rather put those funds to a body i want.
That $500 was the most i have ever spent at once on camera equipment.
Another time i got a 4x5 Crown Graphic w/ 127mm Kodak Ektar lens for $67,
from a dusty swap meet a black paint Pen FT w/ 38mm 2.8 pancake Zuiko for $8,
A Olympus MJU II (all the rage right now) for $10.
A Nikon l35af for $1.50
Billingham 220 like new $50
Nikon L35AF in box $7.50
There's a few more, with stories too. And some great free stuff as well. Now i am trying to buy what i actually want, rather than every good deal that comes my way.
Nikon F3
Nikon FM2
Nikkor 50mm 1.4 ais,
24mm 2.8 ais,
55mm 2.8 Macro
Canon FTB QL w/ Canon 50mm f1.4
and, last but not least,
Leica M3 SS w/ 50mm summilux pre-asph
She said she knew it was a good deal, and told me the german camera was worth a lot of money, then asked if I wanted to negotiate the price(!). I declined.
i am needing a replacement for the Leica now. It has a patched front curtain, no 1/1000th, 1/500th is starting to go. The viewfinder is beginning to separate as well. Its a very clean body, but i would prefer a wider viewfinder so would rather put those funds to a body i want.
That $500 was the most i have ever spent at once on camera equipment.
Another time i got a 4x5 Crown Graphic w/ 127mm Kodak Ektar lens for $67,
from a dusty swap meet a black paint Pen FT w/ 38mm 2.8 pancake Zuiko for $8,
A Olympus MJU II (all the rage right now) for $10.
A Nikon l35af for $1.50
Billingham 220 like new $50
Nikon L35AF in box $7.50
There's a few more, with stories too. And some great free stuff as well. Now i am trying to buy what i actually want, rather than every good deal that comes my way.
Mr_Flibble
In Tabulas Argenteas Refero
Free stuff is the best stuff of course.
....even if it's a useless Kodak EK2
I think my best score was an unmarked Leica IIIcK sold to the US Army of the occupation for $125
I've also bought several 'for parts of repair' cameras that increased in value quite a bit after restoration: amongst them a Kodak Graflex No.0 and a Zeiss Ikoflex III
....even if it's a useless Kodak EK2
I think my best score was an unmarked Leica IIIcK sold to the US Army of the occupation for $125
I've also bought several 'for parts of repair' cameras that increased in value quite a bit after restoration: amongst them a Kodak Graflex No.0 and a Zeiss Ikoflex III
Chris101
summicronia
I got a Rolleiflex with a 75mm f/3.5 Tessar taking lens at a big swap meet for $45. The mirror was broken, but mechanically and optically it was fine. I replaced the mirror with a front surface mirror from Edmunds. I cut it into the trapezoid shape with a regular glass cutter. Epoxied it into place, and I shot with it for many years until a spring in the shutter broke.
FujiLove
Well-known
A load of expired medium format film for £150 on eBay last year (mostly 220). It was advertised as 125 rolls but when it arrived I counted 190+ in the box. Lots of delicious slide film such as Provia 400X, Ektachrome E100VS etc. and probably all frozen since purchase, as it's developing as good as new.
My Jobo CPP2 + tanks were also a bit of a bargain for £200.
Or how about a Mamiya 7ii + 43mm + 150mm for £1000? It had a non-functional meter which cost £65 to fix!
My Jobo CPP2 + tanks were also a bit of a bargain for £200.
Or how about a Mamiya 7ii + 43mm + 150mm for £1000? It had a non-functional meter which cost £65 to fix!
Sid836
Well-known
A Meyer Trioplan 100 2.8 for 20 eur and a fed-zorki (or zorki-fed) for 60eur. The later has a couple of holes in its curtains, but I want it just the way it is (perhaps someday I will send it to Oleg for restoration).
presspass
filmshooter
An 85mm 1.5 Leica LTM lens with hood for $20 and a 90mm Elmar 4.0 for $10, both at a tiny resale shop in rural Virginia. I've never been able to top these deals.
Pherdinand
the snow must go on
somehow no gear was real bargain on my side. I did buy a few that looked like a great deals, but turned out to be duds needing hours of tinkering to get them fixed.I also picked up recently 7 enlarging lenses (3 of them useful for me) at a reasonable price, however these were also super dirty so i had to clean them with ipa-soaked lens cloth and wasted at least 3 hrs on it. Wasn't a great deal after all.
Moreover i have this bad habit of not selling off anything even if it is a surplus
HOWEVER
i did score a few original Capa press photos from the fourties that i got for peanuts because they were not marked with his name and were lost in the jungle of 10.000 other press photos. Does this count?
Moreover i have this bad habit of not selling off anything even if it is a surplus
HOWEVER
i did score a few original Capa press photos from the fourties that i got for peanuts because they were not marked with his name and were lost in the jungle of 10.000 other press photos. Does this count?
Got this from a retired news photographer in Dallas in 2011. Black paint MR4 meter and 35/2 Summicron 8 element, v1. It was an ebay listing, $100 bin. When I met him to pick it up he offered the lens for $500
It was written up on The Online Photographer blog:
http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2011/12/snaps-from-today.html
Pherdinand
the snow must go on
Oh i did score a huge bunch of bw photo paper (long expired), some of it will probably be crap but some will be good...for free. That's a decent "deal".
Scapevision
Well-known
Olympus XA for $20
cary
Well-known
I found a mint condition Nikon FE in the trash. It only needed new seals.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
Puzzling how you remember these feats.
13Promet
Well-known
Boxed, perfect Contax T3 for 250€ a few months ago.
The guy who sold it asked me: "Why the hell are so many people calling me for this crappy, little old camera??"
The guy who sold it asked me: "Why the hell are so many people calling me for this crappy, little old camera??"
oftheherd
Veteran
Yashica FX 103 for $15 several years ago as non-working. And it didn't until I put in a new battery. That was a good price, but the reason was I wanted a home for the Contax T* 50mm f/1.4 I got brand new for $15 out of the PX. Everyone wanted the real cameras and lenses like Nikon and Canon, not that unknown, therefor probably not good Contax crap. 
Several years ago I also got a working Omega D5 with Chromagenic head for $50 as a pickup. When I put in the bid on ebay I figured I would go up to $200 or maybe $250. Nobody else bid!
Several years ago I also got a working Omega D5 with Chromagenic head for $50 as a pickup. When I put in the bid on ebay I figured I would go up to $200 or maybe $250. Nobody else bid!
JonWNC
Established
I found a mint condition Nikon FE in the trash.
This reminded me of a great CL score I had a few years ago.
Super crappy pics and a poor description, of course, but I took a chance because it appeared nice in the pics. Turned out to me a mint, barely used at all early Nikon F (Nippon Kogaku logo), with a couple Nikon lenses (don't recall what they were right now) in their original plastic bubble storage cases, instructions, and a few accessories. The guy I got it from was "dumpster diving" on trash day and saw an older lady putting this on the curb. I was happy to pay his $80 asking price. When I received the package I couldn't believe it, as everything was truly in such mint condition that I could not bring myself to use it because I didn't want to be the first one to put any marks on the camera or lenses. To think that someone would even consider throwing something like that in the trash just blew my mind.
Mackinaw
Think Different
I forgot about these. An Olympus OM-1 with 50/1.8, and a Canon AE-1 with 50/1.8, both for free.
Jim B.
Jim B.
John Bragg
Well-known
Mint Nikon F5 for £160 from evil bay.
Huss
Veteran
I hate all of you.
![]()
In case anyone missed it.
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
In case anyone missed it.
Oh... forgot to say (probably this is my best deal).
This combo for £15
Huss
Veteran
Oh... forgot to say (probably this is my best deal).
This combo for £15
![]()
You bought a picture of an OM-1 for 15 quid? I hope it was framed.
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