What's Your Best Bargain Find?

chris00nj

chris00nj

Young Luddite
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What's your best bargain you've found? For example, did you find a nice Leica IIIf at a garage sale for $50? Or did you find a sale of a "Cannon 50/1.5" for $50 because someone misspelled Canon. Or did you find that Canon 50/1.5 on eBay because it was on a Canon IIS and just listed as a "old Canon camera"

What did you find, what did you pay and what do you think the true value was?

I really have had any super great finds. I guess the best were that I got my Canon 35/2 for $215 and I got a Tele-Elmar (user) for $75. Neither was listed improperly, so perhaps no one was looking at the time.
 
$10 for an Olympus 35SP was probably my best. I keep waiting for that yard sale Leica. :D

Edit: Now that I think about it, the Spotmatic II with 24mm f/3.5 Takumar for $30 was probably my best find, but I flipped it on eBay after only 1 test roll. I kind of wish I had kept it but the money went toward my Bessa w/ZM lens.
 
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I bought a "Plus X Camera" once for $25 plus shipping. It ended up being a fully functioning Anniversary Graphic with a lot of accessories. To me the value is "priceless" since it is such a good camera to use.
 
I got an Angenieux Retrofocus Type R1 2.5/35 from a thrift shop for $11. It's an M42 mount. The same shop sold me a really nice condition Plabel Makina II complete kit with the 3 lenses and 2 roll film backs for $150. Also got a mint Zuiko 2/21 and 2/90macro for $600 from my local printing shop. A consignment that was overpriced and I just low balled on a day the owner was there and hungry. Traded those two away regrettably.
 
My ex is in the antique business. A few years ago one of her dealer friends called me up. He'd just come from an estate auction and wanted to know if I'd be interested in buying "a sack of old cameras" for $500. It was months later that I discovered that he was expecting me to bargain him down to maybe $300, and his winning bid (the ONLY bid!) at the auction had been $25.00. (That's TWENTY-FIVE dollars)

I was amazed that the stuff truly looked brand new, everything complete with hoods and caps. There was a Hasselblad 150 Sonnar, a 'blad back, a 'blad prism, filters and cases.

On the Rollei list was a a late model camera with prism, caps, hood, and filters and
a Rollei 35 (German)

There was a Leica CL with a 40mm Summicron.

Like new Leica M2 and M3 bodies, a 90mm chrome Elmarit, 35mm f/2.8 Summaron w/eyes, a 28mm BLACK PAINT Elmarit, all with hoods and caps.

Assorted straps and what not.

Half a dozen Leica cassettes,

An hour later I'd sold the 150 'blad Sonnar to my repair guy for $600 cash and install M4 style synch sockets in the two M bodies.
 
After the last two comments, my findings will be nothing at all.

Rolleiflex Automat for $65, Pentax 28mm 3.5 for $6, Leica M4-MOT for $1200, ... etc.
 
I got a Fed 3a for 30 euros. Sounds alot but it came with an Orion 15 28mm lens. Whilst not in leica bargain territory it has proved a good little street lens even with the added cost of CLA.
 
Canon 100/2 LTM for $112, really excellent condition.

eBay BIN for a Nikkor 35/1.8 in Nikon RF mount, with original lens hood and caps, for $175. Looks really nice on the Contax II and Nikon SP
 
Well, I can't top Al's find, but I've had various success finding bargains...from memory:
Canon GIII w/Canonet D and hood - $18
Welta Weltur - $12
Miranda Sensorex EE w/50 - $20
Yashica Electro G - $5
Olympus XA w/A16 - $28
Rolleiflex D w/2.8 Xenotar - $120
Ricoh Diacord L - $28 + ship
Minolta XD11 w/50 f1.4, 35, 135, 320Px flash - $120

Of course this has been over 25 years of looking with too many hours spent, so the ROI is probably negative. ;) But it is fun - it's the thrill of the hunt. Right now I seem to be running into lots of the first generation autofocus cameras.
 
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Some time ago I found a beat-up Rolleiflex 2.8F, with case, filters, hood, rolleinars for a price south of £180. Ugly enough to chase the suitors away, but still doing exactly what it says on the tin.

.
 
A black paint M4 at a thrift store. That was before I knew how rare these are btw... :D Paid a about 500 € as far as I remember.
 
Swap meet...
- Petri 2.8 $5 (like new with case but had to unstick shutter)
- Ricohflex DIA $5 (like new and works like a charm)

The bay...
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L $650 (new, sold it for twice as much).

C-list...
- Canon EF 100-400mm $500 (like new)
- Epson R1800 $100 (like new)
 
Hey guys, that was a once in a lifetime find! I ended up selling a lot of it privately for a lot less than I could have got on ebay. My son talked me out of the Rollei 35, and a year later, the Leica CL, then I ended up getting him a 90/4 Elmar-C and a 21mm VC lens and finder. Naturaly he uses his wife's digital most of the time and getting them to send pix of my granddaughter is like pulling teeth...LOL
 
I got a Leica 28mm elmarit in mint condition for $125 and a mint condition 50mm 1.4 summilux for $350 at an estate sale.

I missed out on a lot of Leica stuff at a different estate sale that had a table full of Leica gear and accessories--both M and R and 2 Leica 10x42 binoculars, which went for $120 each. No one was buying the camera stuff. At the time, I just wasn't that familiar with Leica. Ouch, it still hurts.
 
-M3 DS (slight vertical misalignment of RF patch, but works just fine)
-Summicron DR 50mm with Leitz cap, Leitz 39mm UV filter, and Leitz folding metal hood, but no goggles
-Elmar 90mm with hood (aperture ring a little stiff, but honestly don't use this focal length much)
-Leica MR meter
-New not-yet-applied cameraleather even though the only thing peeled off is a dime size patch by the rewind lever.

All the above for around $950

I was perfectly happy with my Olympus family (OM-1, 35SP, XA) until I started reading this forum. I blame you guys for this *almost* impulse buy. How could I pass it up?
 
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