My Incredible Bargains! List yours, please.

[Mitica100]

I have been collecting photo equipment for many years and a few times I've come across some incredible deals and bargains! Such as:

A Canon SBIV Rangefinder (Leica copy) with 50/1.8 Canon lens, leather case and side rail flash, Canon flex shutter release, lens caps and filters for only $20! The seller, at a local flea market, said he wanted to put the $20 towards buying a point and shoot camera. :shock:

A Kodak Ektra kit, a rare 35mm interchangeable back camera with 4 dedicated lenses, viewfinders, filters, case and manual for $180. Sold it for $2,200 in a few months and I know it's worth more now. :cry:

A Contax If, 'Made for China' with the shutter jammed for $65. Bought it, cleaned the shutter and brought it back to life, sold for $1,000. :D

An Olympus XA with side flash attachment for only $2. Needed batteries. I feel ashamed for basically stealing it. :oops:

A Leica IIIf with a Rodenstock lens stuck on it, for $25. Sold the Leica for $75 (parts) and put the Rodenstock on my 4x5 Speed Graflex, where it belongs. :P

A Polaroid 180 with a 127mm Tominon lens (very sharp) for $10. :)

A 19in/f11 Goerz Apochromatic Artar process lens for $3. I use it on my 8x10. :D

A 1934 Minolta Six (folding 120) for $5. Sold recently for $100. :)

And the list goes on...

What incredible bargains did you find?

[ksmattfish]

Well, as I said in another post, much of my collection was given to me. One of the more valuable cameras given to me was a Widelux F6 which probably goes for $600 on EBAY.

I have at least a dozen cameras valued in the $100 to $300 range that were cleaned out of closets and given to me for free.

Here are some of the other deals I've found.

Rolleiflex 3.5E Planar for $150 at a garage sale ,and it included Rollei accessories that were probably worth $100+.. At the time I bought it these seemed to be going for about $350 on EBAY. Last night when I looked they were at $450+. I didn't know how much it was worth when I bought it, and obviously neither did the guy who was selling it. He was "going digital". I don't know how he missed checking it's value on EBAY.

Calumet monorail viewcamera for $75 at a garage sale ($150+ on EBAY).

Graflex film 6 shot sheet film holder for $10 at a garage sale ($75+ on EBAY)

Giant box of 4x5 and 5x7 sheet film developing equipment (hangers, tanks, etc...) for $5 at a garage sale. Nothing that is worth much individually, but if I would have bought it all on EBAY it would have cost $200+.

Besides the deals though, I've seen an awful lot of complete trash that folks try to sell. Would anyone pay anything for rusted, nasty darkroom equip that has obviously spent years soaking in a flooded basement? Stuff that you can't even handle it's so nasty. I've seen moldly, rustly old enlargers missing most of the parts marked $150.

[Mitica100]

Calumet monorail viewcamera for $75 at a garage sale ($150+ on EBAY).

Cool! Wish I found one... :(

[axl1826]

Lets see where to begin,

Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic F
Honeywell Pentax H3v
Nikon F2
Super Takumar 1:1.8/55
SMC Takumar 1:2.8/105
SMC Takumar 1:4/200 x2
Kilfitt München Pan-Tele-Kilar 1:4 300
Nikon MD4 x2
Canon Lens FD 28mm 1:2.8
Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.8
Nikkor 50mm 1:1.2
Micro-Nikkor-P.C. Auto 1:3.5 f=55mm
All in one lot for $150.37
Takumar 1:4.5/500
Got it for $40.15
Thats everything, I'd say I did pretty good.:)

[ilyfel]

way to bring a thread back from the dead

[Don Simon]

way to bring a thread back from the dead

11-27-2003
to
11-14-2007(!)

axl1826, aka Re-Animator :lol:

You did get quite a lot for your money there. All in good condition?

[lordson]

got a Pentax K100D Super and Sigma 18-200mm DC for $700

reckon i did pretty good,

obviously not the bargains you guys got,

howd you get all that for $40? after sayign that, i dont know what any of that is apart from knowing they're lenses

[tpe]

1x f:1.7 50mm, 1x 28mm f:2.8, 1x 70-210mm f:4 beercan, 1x 7000, loads of filters manuals and a 2800 flash all in a camera bag sold as parts on ebay for 20 GBP :). Not selling it, but will probably give the body and flash away when i find someone who needs old fim minolta equipment.

tim

[Don Simon]

1x f:1.7 50mm, 1x 28mm f:2.8, 1x 70-210mm f:4 beercan, 1x 7000, loads of filters manuals and a 2800 flash all in a camera bag sold as parts on ebay for 20 GBP :). Not selling it, but will probably give the body and flash away when i find someone who needs old fim minolta equipment.

tim

Now that was a good deal! Minoltans love their beercans (the lens; I'm not suggesting they're alcoholics :wink: ) and to get that and the other stuff as well for £20 is great. I should really lurk more :lol:

Actually I shouldn't, since I really shouldn't spend any more after my latest purchase, which was a bit of a bargain. A Pentax 6x7 (mirror lock-up model) with a later TTL prism and a 90mm f/2.8 (also a later model). All for £220 posted, after being listed in the wrong area (the buyer was informed about this but didn't seem to mind). And all working fully (the meter's still accurate) and almost completely spotless; it only needs the light seals replacing (no light leaks, they're just a bit sticky). OK so not a jaw-dropping bargain, but still half the price in second-hand camera stores, and at least £100 less that usual eBay prices considering it's all later-model. Can't complain really :D

[ZedU54]

1x f:1.7 50mm, 1x 28mm f:2.8, 1x 70-210mm f:4 beercan, 1x 7000, loads of filters manuals and a 2800 flash all in a camera bag sold as parts on ebay for 20 GBP :). Not selling it, but will probably give the body and flash away when i find someone who needs old fim minolta equipment.

tim

...hmmm...haven't I seen you over at Dyxum? :wink: ...and I thought I got a good deal on MY Beer Can at US$50...:meh:

[Alex_B]

my best bargain was when i sold a used lens at ebay for
what you would pay for it new ;)

ok, it was not really a bargain then ;)

[nealjpage]

Leica IIIc for $75. Works great.
Rolliecord III for $75.
Ihagee/Exacta SLR (non-working) $10
Nikon FE2 for free (needed 2 batteries)

[Battou]

Zeiss Ikon Box Tengor-54/2 - $6.00 (USD)

[Mitica100]

OK, it's been four years since I started this thread. Some of my 'finds' found their way somewhere else (sold). Meanwhile I found some other ones.

A beautiful 1953 Hasselblad 1600F with lens (Ektar 80/2.8), back and viewfinder for slightly over $100.

A mint Rollei 35 SE for $75.00 (I still think it's a bargain) and a mint, like new Planar 50/1.8 for $15 (from Adorama of all places).

[nealjpage]

A beautiful 1953 Hasselblad 1600F with lens (Ektar 80/2.8), back and viewfinder for slightly over $100.

I still can't believe that you scored that off ePay of all places! :drool:

[TATTRAT]

way to bring a thread back from the dead


why not?

beats a million people saying, "re-post".


I got my latest deal, Nikon D50, kit lens, 70-300, 2 1G cards, all software cables and wires...$420

[malkav41]

Well lets see...

I bought a Canon FTb-n w/ a vivitar flash in August of 06 from the local Goodwill for 8 Bucks.
A Nikon FG w/ motordrive MD-E, Nikon SB-18 Speedlight, Minolta Electroflash-P, and a Sigma 28~85 zoomlens for 95 bucks at the same GW.
A Nikon N65 w/ a Nikon AF 28~80mm and Kodak AF 80~210mm lenses, and a camera bag at a local Pawn shop for 160 bucks.
And a Minolta SR-T101 w/ MC Rokkor-PF f=58mm 1.4 lens, and a camera bag w/ various bits and bobs for 40 bucks.
Plus about 25 more from various places that I don't remember how much I paid.

[Mitica100]

I still can't believe that you scored that off ePay of all places! :drool:

I still can't believe it either. :lol:

[axl1826]

11-27-2003
to
11-14-2007(!)

axl1826, aka Re-Animator :lol:

You did get quite a lot for your money there. All in good condition?

Yep everything works fine, got it all from an estate auction, all the equipment used to belong to the state of wyoming the spotmatic f needed a new meter but that was it.

[TheLostPhotographer]

Two of my favourite cameras came for very little. A 1957 Yashica J Star rangefinder for £1.06. Perfect working condition and a great little camera.

And, a Zeiss Icarex 35 that came my way for £36 with Weston III meter, original Voigtlander lens hood, period carry bag, manuals, leather case etc as fresh as the day it left the factory in 1967. Great fun to use. 100% mechanical and built like a tank. Nowhere near as good results wise as my contemporary 35mm SLR equivalents, but a joy and a pleasure to use.

I'll never sell either of them and I'm sure both will last as long as I do.