What's Your Best Bargain Find?

I got this one for £20 and it is in excellent shape.

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I bought an Olympus XA and a NIB waist-level finder for my Canon F-1 in a box of assorted "stuff" at a thrift store for $15 total. A Yashica CC and a Nikon L35AF3 for $20 for both on eBay. $25 at an estate sale nabbed me an Olympus 0M10 with the Zuiko 50/1.8 and 135/2.8, complete with OM winder, flash and manual shutter attachment.
 
Livesteamer said:
A late production dual range Summicron, new, in box for $500. Got it several years ago at Ball Photo in Asheville NC. It's a beautiful lens with perfect glass and a lovely fit and finish. I used it a few times with the goggles when my daughter was a newborn, other than those few rolls it's still new. This was just after the owner, Mr. Ball had died. He was a wonderful character but this was the only good deal I got from him in 25 years as a customer. Joe
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They had a store here in Knoxville in the mid 70's to early 80's. I can't say it was a fantastic deal but fair. I bought my first M2, 50 rigid summicron and 21 Super Angulon with finder from him. It was 1968 and I think I paid $250 for a minty body, I think just over $100 for the 50 and something around $250 for the SA 21 and finder.
 
Not as great as you guys but 4 cameras that crossing my mind is:
M3 ds in great condition for $400
Rolleicord iii for $25
Pentax p30t for $10
Olympus xa $20
 
One of my best was a big lot of Nikon F gear that included an F and standard prism, a Nikkormat+winder, and 5 lenses for $450. But here's the kicker. I didn't even know at the time, but in this kit was a 3.5cm f/2.8 "Tick Mark" lens as well as a 13.5cm f/3.5 TM. These two lenses together I sold for over $2k.

Most of my other notable bargains were Pentax 67 bodies or estate lots. One time I bought a 67 body with metered prism that had the rare multi-exposure modification for $99. I sold it later for $800 I think. I also once bought a huge estate lot with a couple cameras and 6 lenses for around $750. I think I parted everything out for a couple grand. And a couple months ago I picked up one of the uncommon 500mm f/5.6 P67 lenses for $250.

Oh yeah, a recent one, my M6 Classic, 0.85x VF that I bought for $800. I had been casually looking for an M6 but wasn't planning on getting one when that fell in my lap.

Last one - I bought two Linhof-Select Schneider 150mm f/2.8 Xenotar lenses (4x5) for a combined total of $2500, then sold one for $2500. So the one I kept which was mint was basically free! 😀
 
Not a rangefinder, please don't kill me...

It's a Canon F-1n. I saw it sitting in a charity shop (thrift store for our friends across the pond) with a 50/1.8 New FD, flash handle and a honking great Nissin wallpaper stripper attached. The flash had a sticker on it asking for £25, so I thought "that's nice" and asked how much the camera was, while pretending to be interested in a Nikon FG with its 50/1.8 Series E.

"Nah, it's £25 for the lot."

I bit her arm off, and took the FG for £10 as well, because for a budget body, it's a joy to use!

Got them back, and found there was a blob of black paint on the top right of the top plate. Took it off, and discovered it was a 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics edition. I nearly fell off my chair.
 
A couple good deals: box of filters turned out to have a bunch of those Canon lens mount converters, an original Leitz LTM>M mount perfect for my M3, an M2/M3 brass rewind crank (looks closest to what I've seen called the Magnum rewind), a VIOOH, some original Canon filters (what I was originally interested in), some other little RF bits.

Craigslist deal a couple years ago now, Canon RF listed. Show up and the guy has an <EP> VT with a beat up 50/2.8 and a VT Deluxe with a 50/1.2. He says take any combo you want of one lens and one body for $200. So, I look them both over and the Deluxe's shutter is jacked up. VT is well used but seems like it is working and the RF patch is brighter, so I choose that. Lens choice should be obvious. I didn't have cash for them all, and $200 for a broken VT-D + thrashed 50/2.8 didn't seem like such a great deal.

So, I give him the cash, and he then offers to and throws in an IVSB + FD 50/1.4 with the Canon adapter to make it fit LTM, all for another $25.

Sold the IVSB, FD50, mount converter and now my VT + 50/1.2 are better than free! 1.2 is in phenomenal shape compared to the rest of the kit, I'm not sure how he put it all together or why, but that's one of my favorites.

I've also bought an 8-element Takumar 50mm f/1.4 for $20, but that's not for RF land.
 
Not sure it is really a bargain find, but... I have bought in a local fleamarket a Rolleiflex 2.8 F Planar for 50€ but the viewing lens is milky to the point of not being able to see anything and the timer works but it does not actuate the shutter.

Not sure if this was a bargain, or it will cost me a hell lot to repair it.
 
YashicaMat for $50.85 with a case including shipping from the Photonet classifieds. The camera and case looked showed minimal wear and the camera worked perfectly.
 
They keep getting better.

First, there was a Yashica YF with a Canon 1.8/50 for $130 at a Goodwill store. The body needs an overhaul, but the lens I cleaned myself, and used it on my Canon P.

Then a Nikon FA with 1.4/50, MD-15, and data back for $100 at my favorite junktique store. The data back cable had been ripped out, and later on I found the plain back in the data back box, finger grip, and an SB-16 flash at the same place (must have been part of the lot) for another $25 (the flash had a corroded battery holder that I pointed out to the owner). The camera and drive came to life with a little contact cleaning, and new batteries, and the same for the flash after I replaced the holder with one I already had.

Then at the same place a year later, I get an Nikon F2S (chrome) with a Series E 1.8/50 for $60. It looks like it hasn't had two rolls of film run through it, and works just perfectly.

Those are the major ones I can recall. Lots of little goodies that sometimes get included in with a lot, or sometimes no one else is bidding.

PF
 
I'll create a thread when it arrives but...

I purchased a Leica M2 and a V3 50mm Summicron in used but loved condition from an estate sale in upstate NY two weeks. The kit belonged to photojournalist Paula Allen (http://www.paula-allen.com/). I purchased both for a couple of hundred dollars after an extensive phone call with Paula, who was lovely to speak with.

The body and lens are with Youxin Ye for CLAs. They should return in mid October.

This is my first Leica and I am stunned to have discovered that such deals (and people) are still around. I've no idea if I will mesh with the M2, but I'm thrilled to have the chance. This forum helped fuel the Leica bug and I'm excited to show it to the forum when it's back!



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