Wish you had bought before the boom? Cameras

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Archiver

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In 2006, I got a mint black Contax T3 for what was about $600 USD. A lot of money back then, especially when factoring in exchange rates and shipping to Australia, which came close to $900 AUD total. That's what you paid for a premium digital camera at that time, even now.

Now, the T3 sells on eBay for over $1500 USD, sometimes coming close to $1900. It's bananas.

In 2007, Matt Alofs noted that a Hexar AF sells for between $300 and $500. A quick check of the Bay suggests prices of $630 for a used silver to $1200 for a mint black AF.

http://blog.mattalofs.com/hexar-af-review/

In 2008, I had the opportunity to buy a black Hexar AF in good condition. Passed on it because I thought at the time that my T3 was just as quiet, and even smaller. There was a decent condition Contax G2 set with three lenses, which I also passed on. Now kits go for twice the price. Had I bought them, I would have got ten years of enjoyment, assuming all was well with their operation.

Are there any cameras you wish you had bought before the boom? How do you feel about the rising prices of niche film gear?
 
Raising prices on some cameras I never cared for doesn't concern me. But I paid higher price for new R2M knowing what they are not going to be sold for less. :)
Yet...
Somewhere at verge of millenium we purchased EOS300 for under 300$ with kit lens as family camera. I'm still using it and in fact this camera put big question on Leica more and more.
Today I purchased EOS, one we couldn't afford back then.
EOS ELAN IIe with wider kit lens, for 80 CAD.
 
If I had a crystal ball and could foresee events in the future then I would be a multimillionaire by now and I would rarely make a mistake.

Many things that could have been bought for relatively low prices a few decades ago or even a few years ago are now beyond the reach of most people.

I remember seeing a 1957 Goldtop Les Paul guitar in 1981 going for 3100 dollars and thinking that is a ridiculous high price... now 80,000 to 50,000 dollars is the going rate depending on condition and originality.

Hindsight is 20/20 is the well known saying, and very true.
 
I think all-mechanical cameras are still good buys, especially 50's and 60's with no batteries. It is lenses that seem to be climbing faster every month.
There are lots of things that are falling in price though, like my stock picks.
 
I would have loved to play around with a T3 or similar, mostly because it’s a type of camera which would never be more than a novelty for me, so there’s no way I’d pay $1k+.

At a more relevant level for me personally - I wish I’d bought a Summaron f2.8 before everyone seemed to remember how good they are...
 
Another camera which has caught my eye is the Pentax LX. I've only just found out that it was a pro level body which was produced for almost twenty years, but it still very compact, and completely dust and moisture sealed. I already have a couple of nice SMC Pentax A manual focus lenses from the 70's and would quite enjoy a small pro film SLR. Prices on these seem to be semi reasonable at the moment. Maybe now is the time to grab one, before Instagram models start parading them around and jack up the prices.
 
Archiver said:
Another camera which has caught my eye is the Pentax LX. I've only just found out that it was a pro level body which was produced for almost twenty years, but it still very compact, and completely dust and moisture sealed. I already have a couple of nice SMC Pentax A manual focus lenses from the 70's and would quite enjoy a small pro film SLR. Prices on these seem to be semi reasonable at the moment. Maybe now is the time to grab one, before Instagram models start parading them around and jack up the prices.
Click to expand...

Your issue with the LX is going to be serviceability, rather than inflation. The prices have hardly shifted over recent years, but Eric Hendrickson (legendary Pentax technician) has commented a few times recently that parts for the electrical circuits are becoming very difficult to come by.

Definitely get one, they're fantastic! Just don't be surprised if you end up with a pretty paperweight in a couple of years...
 
No cameras but Leica M lenses. Back in ca. 2005 they were expensive but nowadays second hand prices are that high.
 
@nickthetasmaniac - thank you for the advice, I'll take that on board. The Pentax ME is a lovely camera, and the thought of having a full fledged pro camera that takes these lenses is very appealing. I'll be careful and try to get something recent with little use, and for a reasonable price.
 
Not really. But I do wish I'd bought the 911 I walked away from ten years ago because it had the nasty tan leather interior.

Ah well :)

Anyone else noticed that the price of Hasselblad V cameras and lenses hasn't moved much in the last three years? Maybe those will be the next ones to go boom?!
 
Seems that now's a good time to invest in the "second-best" cameras to the ones that are most hyped.

Mamiya 7 prices have gone through the roof, and Pentax 6x7/RZ67's are following as people get priced out of the 7 (hard to find a P67 kit with the 105 2.4 for under 700-800 nowadays)
Contax T2/T3 has gone crazy, driving up the prices on the Yashica T4/Stylus Epics that were once seen as bargain versions of the Contaxes.
Leica M6 and Contax G2 have also seen a decent (though not as pronounced) spike, which seems to be bleeding over to some of the other Leicas. The M4-2 and M4-p in particular are selling for 200ish more than they were a year ago, at least on eBay/KEH.

Seems to just be a matter of anticipating what people will move to when the hype cameras get too expensive/start dying out (in the case of the compacts). I'm personally pleased that I bought an M4 last year, when the M6 was getting all the attention, and prices on it have climbed $200-300 in that time as people look for something cheaper than the M6.
 
I bought a bunch of cameras during the price dive of film cameras all are worth more than I paid except one. I have a mint Canon 650 that is worth less.
 
I bought before the boom, had my fill then sold them at a profit.

Every now and then I'll come across a deal on something and usually buy it up, bring it back to the city and sell at a profit.

An example would be a P67 WLF in the case for $50 that I resold for $150. Little things like that to get some extra film money or whatnot.
 
I've won some and lost some. I picked up my very nice collection of Canon FD and Pentax M42 Takumar glass just before the mirrorless "legacy lens" thing started driving them up; on the other hand I probably sold my black M6 TTL .85 way too cheap about two years ago, if recent prices are any indication. And I've pretty much given up on the Pentax 67ii ever coming down to earth. But my favorite 35mm camera at the moment is a Canon EOS Rebel K2, which despite being all-plastic and a very toylike silver color, is a hell of a lot of camera for the $20 I paid.
 
I've had my fair share of buying-and-selling action so no complaints from me. All the Leica stuff I picked up around 2006 costs now two to three times as much. Ditto for anything Contax or Leica R I got. There were real bargains at the time. Someone mentioned -quite rightly- the Summaron 35/2.8. Contax G1s with a Planar 45/2 were going for £200. Noctiluxes were still expensive but not yet made of unaffordium, apparently. Leica R lenses were selling for a fraction of what they go for now. I know if I were starting all over again now, Leica wouldn't be an option. Voigtlander, on the other hand, would.
 
Archiver said:
Now, the T3 sells on eBay for over $1500 USD, sometimes coming close to $1900. It's bananas.
Click to expand...

Never understand this logic. Is buying any digital camera for 1,5k or even 3,5k like a Sony RX1R2 which looses half of their price in 2 years then also bananas? Or a M10 and so on and so on. If you buy a new car you loose the same amount of money in the moment you turn the first time the key, a normal smoker pays the same amount in one year for cigarettes. You get the idea.

I bought my T3 for around 1k USD after using a T2 for many years (still working), use it since 2,5 years every day, makes around 1 USD per day for a lot of fun, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one for 1,5k USD if mine would break (doubt it).

At the end, important is which value has the camera (or any other expensive item for you hobby) to you personally, the price only decides if you can afford it or not.

Coming back to the tread title, wished I had bought a Ricoh GR21a few years ago for a fraction of the current prices, now I hesitate because the Ricohs are extremely prone to failure (display and motor drive), if they were reliable like the Contax T3 i would pay another 1,5k USD for it, simply love this high end compact film cameras. Ah, also add a Pakon F135 plus which went for 300 USD 2 years ago. Missed it :bang:

Jürgen
 
mod2001 said:
Never understand this logic. Is buying any digital camera for 1,5k or even 3,5k like a Sony RX1R2 which looses half of their price in 2 years then also bananas? Or a M10 and so on and so on. If you buy a new car you loose the same amount of money in the moment you turn the first time the key, a normal smoker pays the same amount in one year for cigarettes. You get the idea.

I bought my T3 for around 1k USD after using a T2 for many years (still working), use it since 2,5 years every day, makes around 1 USD per day for a lot of fun, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one for 1,5k USD if mine would break (doubt it).

At the end, important is which value has the camera (or any other expensive item for you hobby) to you personally, the price only decides if you can afford it or not.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
I think film cameras are getting "their real value back". They have been far too cheap for quite a long time.
With increasing interest in film photography and demand for film cameras we will see increasing prices in the coming years. Especially for those cameras which were built in only small volumes, and which offer high quality.
And when prices surpass a certain level it makes sense for manufacturers to offer new film cameras again. I am convinced that we will see that. The question is only when we will see it. I guess in 4-7 years.
 
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