What is your greatest photo gear 'score'?

[pschauss]

YashicaMat for $50 from the Photonet classifieds and a Kiev IIIa for $24 from Robertscamera on Ebay. The latter had some light leaks which I fixed with liquid electrical tape. The YashicaMat worked perfectly right out of the box.

Of course I'm ignoring the cameras which didn't work.

 

[p.giannakis]

You bought a picture of an OM-1 for 15 quid? I hope it was framed.


😉

Yes.... let's just say i did that....🙄

 

[Blaidd_Drwgg]

I dream a little smaller than most here.
Recently, I bought a Leitz UVa 39mm original filter for 0,50€, because it was dirty. Underneath it was mint.
I was surprised what a difference there could be in smoothness of the threads between it and my "more expensive" cheaper filters. Plus the knurling is absurdly nice.

 

[relyt]

I recently purchased a mint black Pentax MX with M40/2.8 from the big auction site. It was described as fully functioning without issues. When the camera arrived I noticed the camera wouldn't focus to infinity, otherwise everything was great. I asked the seller for a discount since the camera didn't match the description. The seller refunded the purchase and told me to keep the camera! So basically I got a mint MX with 40/2.8 for the price of a CLA 🙂

 

[Wouter2]

I bought lots of good stuff on the brazilian ebay over the last 15 years. Basically it comes from people who inherit equipment they don´t know anything about, or from resellers that have no clue what they have. Some gems:

Canon 7Sz with 0.95/50, basically mint: $ 80 as a matter of fact I bought two of these sets for ridiculous prices over the years
beaten Rollei wide: $ 75
Leica M3 & summilux V1: $ 200
Summarex 85/1.5: $ 300
Fuji G690 with 100mm, 150mm and 55mm (!) lenses for $ 350
Nikon 35Ti mint: $ 40
Nikon S & nikkor 50/1.5 (!): $ 50
Nikon S4 & 50/1.4 beautiful: $ 200
Canon EF & 35/2.8 mint: $ 70
3 weeks ago: Yashica T3 (some damage to door latch): $ 20

I´ll probably remember more ...

 

[Tim Murphy]

Not exactly steals but I'm happy

Not exactly steals but I'm happy

Dear Board,

I never find anything anywhere for pennies on the dollar but I've made a few auction scores.

A Retina 111c complete with an excellent case and meter cap in the sewn in tab in fully operational condition for $ 44.00

A working Nikkormat FT2 with 50mm/f2 AI lens and a Tamrac bag for $ 27.00.

A Canon F-1 with a 50mmf/1.4 SSC, a motor winder MF, a Sunpak 333D flash, several genuine Canon filters, lens hoods and caps, a flash coupler D and a nice leather bag for $ 111.00. The flash sync on the camera doesn't seem to be working but everything else works 100%.

2 Pentax P30T's. one with a 50mmf/2 and one with a 50mm/f1.7 lens for $ 31.00 total. Both lenses are in excellent condition but only one of the bodies works.

A grab bag of various film and digital cameras for $ 20.00. I got a working Olympus IS-10, a working Olympus Stylus 105, another working Olympus P&S, and a sort of working Olympus C-2500L. It works and displays a proper picture on the monitor of the camera but when loaded to my computer the pictures show heavy banding like there is a shutter problem? But it came with a working Olympus 32Mb Smart Media card that allowed me to resurrect my Olympus C-2040.

I'm a junk man. I just like to collect stuff. I do use what I buy, but the collecting is a big part of the fun for me too.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg, PA 🙂

 

[ChrisPlatt]

An elderly widow once paid me $20 to haul off her deceased husband's Leica collection,
which included many valuable and collectible historic model cameras and lenses.

Oops, wait. That was going to be my April Fool's Day post last year, but I forgot...

Chris

 

[Hern]

A Rolleicord Vb with a boatload of accessories and boxes, and a Rollei 35SE thrown into the mix for the price of me scanning a box of slides for the elderly photograp-hmmm-enthusiast.

Or the Yashica T5 I picked up for about 15 USD, but went kaput a few rolls later. Sold it as parts for 50.

 

[Arbitrarium]

Oh... forgot to say (probably this is my best deal).

This combo for £15

Any advice on how to get drool out of my keyboard?

I got my late serial OM 50mm 1.4 for £30 and I thought that was a good deal... you win this time.

 

[northshore3D]

Not my greatest find ever, but the most recent. Two days ago on my after-work thrift shop circuit, a black Canon FTb that will clean up very nicely. Not so special in itself, but mounted on it was a FD SCC 35mm f2 lens, the concave thoriated one, also in nice condition. Cost? $4. I'll probably put the rig in a box of cameras that need new seals that I'll work on when I retire later this year and have time for them. There are still things to be found out there, but it takes a lot of looking.

 

[dmr]

I guess this is probably my biggest score ever, although technically I'm the possessor, custodian, guardian, etc. of it and I don't consider myself to be the real owner.

I'll explain more about climbing the learning curve with this in the developing sub-forum.

 

[skibeerr]

A Luftwaffe Leica with Elmar and case for 10 euro.
From an estate. I went there for a couple of folders and this was lying in a box.

At that time I was totally oblivious of what I bought, I just thought this will look nice on display.

I remember my Grandfather who fought in WWII had a box full of likely suspects, never found out where they went.

 

[agoglanian]

I'm having a hard time reading this thread. You have all found some truly exceptional bargains!

My best deal thus-far was an essentially unused Nikon F with a plain-prism and a 50mm f/2 for $25. Worked great for the few years I had it but I sold it a while back. I regretted that though and bought another one last year (and Apollo this time).

 

[Emile de Leon]

A Korona 12x20 w/holder..for $300-...
A Noctilux F1.0 for $1300- in mint..

 

[rybolt]

First let me say that I believe in kharma. I won't cheat widows, orphans or anyone who needs the money.
a few days ago I bought:
Nikkor 2.8cm F3.5 LTM
Nikkor 35mm f1.8 LTM
Nikkor 50mm f1.4 LTM
35mm f3.5 Summaron
35mm f3.5 Summaron
Xenogon 35mm f2.8
Summitar 50mm f1.8
a pile of hoods, LTM-M rings and a 50mm BL
M2 in non working order
IIc/IIIC converted body

all for $500

 

[Doug]

Sort of a reverse "score" in a favorable sale of my black M9, all boxed up as new. It went to eBay at a slightly inflated offering price in view of possible negotiations, but the buyer hit the 'buy it now' button and got it for $4700... This was Oct 2013 before the M9 sensor issue was known. I got a good deal, and I hope the camera has been serving its new owner well.

 

[benlees]

Another reverse "score": put a Fuji GW690ii in the classifieds here for $400. No takers. Got $541 for it on eBay auction.

 

[benmacphoto]

My best Leica score was an M3 single stroke with 50mm Summicron and 28mm f3.5 Voigtlander Color Skopar with mini Voigtlander 28/35 finder for $650.

Best camera score is a Canon A-1 with 50mm f1.4 new FD lens for $35

 

[bobby_novatron]

Ridiculous but true: I was driving through a small town in central British Columbia and stopped at a local church "thrift shop" -- just out of curiosity. Maybe they would have some cameras stashed away behind the knitted bed throws and 1980's furniture.

Sure enough I found a neglected cardboard box full of random electronics: an old computer modem, a broken TV cable box, some random cords and cables. And buried also in the box, a Contax T3, in excellent condition.

I was shaking with excitement, I couldn't believe my luck!

I approached the checkout stand, trying to stop my giddiness and asked the employee how much the camera was.

"One dollar."

What? A dollar? My face must have registered my shock.

"But since it's 50% off Tuesday right now, that makes it only 50 cents. Will that be everything for you today?"

🙂 True story. I kid you not.

 

[p.giannakis]

I came across the DL super mini while i was going through a box of junk cameras on a car boot sale. It was in pretty bad condition, dirty with a small nick on the lens cover and loads of dust on the lens and the viewfinder. I asked the seller how much he wanted for it and he told me that he "has no idea what it is but i can have it for a couple of quids".