What's Your Best Bargain Find?

Probably it is a pefectly working black Nikkormat EL in almost mint condition bought for 10$ few days ago in a local second hand store (100 meters from my home)! :)
 
Recently:
-2 Olympus XAs @$5.00
-1 Rollei 35 S $40.00 ( needs repair )
-1 Nikon FE with 55mm macro $20.00 ( seals are fudge )
-2 Nikon FEs from Henry's in Toronto via Ebay $35.00 listed as parts but both work!
-2 Olympus RCs @ $5.00 each
 
I lost a great deal yesterday: how about a Leica R6.2 with Elmarit ROM 19/2.8, motor drive and some extras... for 1200 U$. A lot of money, but worth about 3000. Appeared on the auction site here and went within 30 minutes.
 
I've had my fair share of bargain finds, but nothing ridiculous like the thrift store Leica.

What I have experienced is that the more I seek out bargains, the fewer I find. However irrational this may be, I seem to find my best luck when not looking for it.
 
Got this one for £28..

e-thesis+011.jpg


The seller had replaced the original leatherette with black lizard skin...
 
I once scored a mint 35-80 2.8 OM Zuiko for 30 Euros, I guess the store mismatched it with a 35-70 standard zoomlens... :D
 
gooseta said:
I wish people in Britain held garage sales..
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There are also thrift stores, car boot sales, and flea markets... There is always one somewhere in the weekends. Last Queens day I came home with a working Canon EOS 300 for 10 Euros and a working Yashica T4 for 5.

As so many others I am still looking for that old leather case that just happens to have a mint Leica M3 still in it ;) Or maybe my own personal holy grail, a baby blue Yashica 44, a camera so elusive not even a decent photograph seems to exist of it. I am not talking about the simpler 44A, but the 'real' 44.

Next weekend the 'Meimarkt' wil be held in the Dutch town of Tilburg. A massive flea market that goes on all through the night. It is so big that you'll run out of steam long before running out of stalls. Anticipation is building already!
 
Maybe not my best find but a good one none the less...
Ebay win for $5.50 a very nice Mamiya m645 Winder As is Parts/Repair...
There was corrosion in the battery tray and a bad wire connection...I was able to completely clean out the tray and replace the wire and it works & looks just fine now...only bad part is it's missing the winder coupler...
 
I decided to stop by a thrift store I've recently found today and in their glass case I found a used but in good working condition Canon TX (meter works) with a Canon 28mm 2.8 FD lens mounted on it...
I really just want the lens but doubt they will just sell me that...
If I wait until Saturday it will be 20% off their price of $49.99
What would you do...???
 
Ronald_H said:
As I said, naked envy. You realise you are looking at a resale value that is probaby 15 times what you paid right?

Disclaimer: Don't care about the money, care about the camera.
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Yeah, saw the "Nikon" leather case sitting on a shelf. Tag said "Old Nikon 35mm, case, meter." I was thinking maybe an FE/FM or maybe an original F or something. I nearly fell over when I opened the case.

And there's definitely more care for the camera than the money (although my better half would probably disagree). The thing is in beautiful shape, works perfectly, and is pure pleasure to shoot with. It would take a miracle to get it out of my possession. All I need now is a 50mm lens for it. I'm not the biggest fan of 28mm, but alas, that's what was on it.
 
maitani said:
I once scored a mint 35-80 2.8 OM Zuiko for 30 Euros, I guess the store mismatched it with a 35-70 standard zoomlens... :D
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:eek::eek::eek:

That is one tidy profit if you decide to sell!

Best I ever seem to do is the occasional Stylus Epic (2 last week) or Yashica T4!
 
I found this at a thrift store for $12, with ERC, hard case, and a Vivitar 2800 flash. All work fine, the Yashica obviously had had the original light seals replaced:


Yashica Electro 35 G (Gold Mecanica) by Greyscale3, on Flickr

Then yesterday, I picked up this little cutie, also for $12. It seems a bit of an oddity and I can't find any solid info on it, it seems like a postwar (USA Zone) production of a prewar-style Franka Solida (1936 version):


Post-war Franka Solida (?) by Greyscale3, on Flickr

I don't know the actual market value, but I think that I can safely assume that it is more than $12.00.
 
My best score ever was all of this equipment given to me for FREE! I had a regular customer at my store who told me she was moving out of town. We got to talking and little did I know she was a working pro for a number of years before a back injury halted it. She gave me all this stuff because she knew i would use it and not just sell it.

The big deal items are:
Nikon F100
Nikon sb-800 flash
sb-28 flash
Nikkor 70-300 ED lens
Tamron 28-105 available light lens
Manfrotto 3221 tripod with Manfrotto 3265 joy stick head
a set of studio strobes and tons of accessories to go with everything else.

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Now for deals I have scored through purchase, an Electro 35 GSN in good working condition for $20 at the flea market. A Miranda F slr with a 50 f/1.8 and more grime and grease on it than a mechanics wrench, took it home and cleaned the insides and its near perfect. I left the grime on the outside because I kinda like old grimey tools.

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Picked up a Hi-Matic 9 at the flea market as well, $5. ($ varies around 40)
Tamrac 706 convertible bag, clean and with all dividers. $5 ($150 new)
Nikkor 50 f/1.8 AF in the box and in like new condition. $20 ($129 new)

Im a bargain hunting fanatic. I go to the flea market about 40-45 times a year, so I have more opportunity to score deals such as these. But like all collectors, we're all looking for a long lost Van Gough in the attic at a yard sale. Keep on digging, tell everyone you know that you like old cameras and you will have stuff come to you.


-Xander
 
The absolute best deal I have ever made was in the mid 70's at a pawn shop in Millington, Tn. I walked out after buying (all working) a M4 body, 3 Leica IIIc's, and a IIIa all with lens (Leica) for $30.

Nobody wanted used Leica gear back then....

My $5 Contaflex Super bought last weekend ranks up there too.
 
craigslist $50, about 8 52mm filters of various colors, gossen Luna Pro SBC meter, and two of the plain prism finders for the Nikon F-2. One of the finders is well dented but works great, the other is in great shape, "near new" or so. The filters are fine. The meter is great, I've used it a bunch. I'm using the dented finder, will probably sell the nice one.
 
My Yashica electro 35 GSN! Only €10 because the film advancer was stuck,but when i opened the camera,i saw a very little screw stuck in the rack of the film advancer...i just removed that screw and the camera now working like a brand new.
(I've inspected all internal parts of the camera,but all screws are in the right place...i think that screw was lost in the camera during a previous repair)
Nice bargain...
 
Leica R4 with 60 Macro Elmarit - $300. I sold the macro Elmarit for $550. Still have the R4 body. Needs new light seals. Otherwise perfect.
 
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