What's Your Best Bargain Find?

This week I bought a box of old rangefinder cameras. I didn't really know what was in the box until it arrived in the mail today. All told, it contained 28 cameras and 3 lenses.

Some of the interesting cameras which still work are an Olympus SP, and two small Olympus Pens. A black Yashica GX, a Yashica GL, and a few Electro 35s of various types. 3 Minolta Hi-matic E cameras, including a black one. A Ricoh 500 G, three Yashica Ministers, a Petri, and a few others which I can't recall. Other arrivals were another Yashica GX, a Yashica CCN, and an Olympus 35 DC. I'll be sorting through all these cameras for the next few days, cleaning them up and getting the resealed, tested, and ready to use. The 3 lenses were old Minolta MC Rokkors, which will go well with my SRT 101.
 
Was walking around downtown Philly and stopped in a pawn shop. On the shelf they had a mint condition Bronica RF645 with 65mm lens that was listed as "broken". Bought it for $170 bucks.

Long story short, not broken, shutter just doesn't fire without film loaded. Just had it CLA'd, everything is perfect.

Great XMAS present to me.
 
tonyjuliano said:
Was walking around downtown Philly and stopped in a pawn shop. On the shelf they had a mint condition Bronica RF645 with 65mm lens that was listed as "broken". Bought it for $170 bucks.

Long story short, not broken, shutter just doesn't fire without film loaded. Just had it CLA'd, everything is perfect.

Great XMAS present to me.
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I thought I ended up with a great deal. :).

Mine was a keh bargain grade perkeo ii for $79. Turned out to be the harder to find perkeo "e" version that has uncoupled rf with color skopar...

Gary
 
Just got a Kodak Retinette IB for 1 Euro in good condition and including original leather case. :D Okay, not a great camera, but very good for that price.
 
Someone I know got a Leica IIIc and Summitar (both 1949) for £10 in a charity shop, just because he asked if they had any old cameras...

Regards, David
 
It may be an evil SLR but I thought I should investigate one of these new fangled displays and custom functions so chose a Nikon F100. Picked one up for £120 in as new condition. First impressions are how fast the autofocus is, I have an F4, how I wish I could separate the autofocus from the shutter on that camera and how one can spend hours deciding if the film should wind on when loaded or wait 'till I trip the shutter, I never knew I cared ;)
Of course I picked up the M2 to join me going out this morning they seem to have pared that down to all that is needed for me. Even the M8 seems a model of simplicity and I usually curse those menu options.

Other was a new metal lenshood for the Summicron f2 Asph 21mm. The Leica box shape thing came apart and they want £175 for a new one PLUS £22 for the cap. This one, from China, came for £5.70 and doesn't block the finder as much either.

So an new lenshood and nearly state of the art film SLR for less than a Leica part
 
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Frontman said:
This week I bought a box of old rangefinder cameras. I didn't really know what was in the box until it arrived in the mail today. All told, it contained 28 cameras and 3 lenses.

Some of the interesting cameras which still work are an Olympus SP, and two small Olympus Pens. A black Yashica GX, a Yashica GL, and a few Electro 35s of various types. 3 Minolta Hi-matic E cameras, including a black one. A Ricoh 500 G, three Yashica Ministers, a Petri, and a few others which I can't recall. Other arrivals were another Yashica GX, a Yashica CCN, and an Olympus 35 DC. I'll be sorting through all these cameras for the next few days, cleaning them up and getting the resealed, tested, and ready to use. The 3 lenses were old Minolta MC Rokkors, which will go well with my SRT 101.
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The Highmatic E looks cool in black. Once there was a RFF project where such a camera was passed around.
 
Some of my best finds:
ebay: Hasselblad 2000FC, Zeiss 100mm f3.5, HC4 finder 70mm back. All for $158.

flea market: Black 1932 Leica II with 5cm Summar, visor viewfinder, hoods, copy stand, close focus, bellows and case. Asking price $50 but negotiated and got it for $40.

Kijiji: Mint M6 TTL w/35mm Summicron f2 ASPH. and 90mm Elmarit f2.8, case, flash. Asking $2800. Settled on $1800. Later sold the Elmarit for $1000.
 
A couple of months ago a Contax 137MA with Car Zeiss T* 1.7 in a charity shop, grand total £5.. case was rather battered though, new batteries and wrks like a charm..
 
krötenblender said:
Just got a Kodak Retinette IB for 1 Euro in good condition and including original leather case. :D Okay, not a great camera, but very good for that price.
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C'mon, its a great camera! Xenar lens and everything. I had to pay 15 times more for mine and I'm still happy as a clam :)
 
Olympus XA & XA1 at flea markets, one was $3 and one was $5. In the used dept of a legit camera shop a year or two ago I scored a Canon 50mm f1.8 ltm in excellent condition for $99 - I love this lens.
 
Several years ago, I went into a local pawn shop and saw a Yashica Electro 35 GS in mint condition with case. I explained to the shop owner that batteries are not available and would not function without. I offered $29 Canadian.

He explained that it was a consignment item and the owner likes to make a little extra cash to take his wife out to lunch. He had to phone the owner to get permission...who agreed on price.

Another $20 for a battery adapter from the Yashica Guy got me going. Great RF rig.
 
I found at a flea market a dirty photo bag containing a Nikon F, 35 f2, 105 f2.5 and 50 f1.4.
That day it was raining so no much customers were out. The old man requested 50 € for the lot and I got it for 30 €. Hey, once in a while !
 
Voigtlander 90mm f3.5 Apo Lanthar, mint condition, with original hood and cap, plus UV filter and M adapter, for £100. It was listed on eBay as "Voigtlander Lens", and there was only one other bidder.
 
Yesterday at the thrift store I found a scuffed and scratched, but functional Yashica T4 for $2.99. I have loaded it with Ektar 100 and I am giving it a whirl to see if this camera lives up to its legendary performance.
 
$400 for a Hasselblad 500C w/ 50mm f/4, 80mm f/2.8, 2 film backs, meter prism, waist-level finder, flash, bracket, and light meter on Craigslist.

(I know it's RFF, but I had to put it out there!)
 
For a quite a few months I was looking for a Voigtlander Bessa T body, but all I was able to find were a few that were either sold as a kit and more important out of my budget.

Today I found an add in a German DSLR forum for a brand new body.
I couldn't be more happy, as I paid only 185€! :D
 
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