35mm SLR Rip Off Time

Cliffy13 · Oct 7, 2009

As we are all aware film istarting to make a renaissance and with all these things there are some little scrotes out to make a fast buck,in a camera shop in York last weekend I saw a Canon EOS 50 (not the E) with grip but no lens and they were asking £119.00.On Ebay they are about £30 and I have seen other shops advertise them fot about £50,so watch out for our beloved film gear to start going up in price

Andy K · Oct 7, 2009

I think thats just second hand camera shop prices. There is a very good one near me, they are always well stocked with Rolleiflex, Leica, Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad etc. but their prices are always nearly two or three times what you would pay on an auction site. Of course buying from the shop you get a warranty.

Mike Kennedy · Oct 7, 2009

If you affix a tag that says "Antique" the price doubles.

Ian Grant · Oct 7, 2009

Mike Kennedy said:
If you affix a tag that says "Antique" the price doubles.

Last trip to the UK I saw a Zeiss Ikon on a market stall selling antiques. the price was more than double ebay and the condition scruffy.

Ian

Brac · Oct 7, 2009

What you need to watch out for in buying SLR's on ebay & the like (if they are more than 20 years old or so) is that in most cases you will find the light seals/bumper foam has perished, thus making light leaks almost certain. The seller won't tell you that as often they don't know, and as someone mentioned above there is no warranty. That's why there is a huge price difference to buying in a camera shop. I have often bought on ebay, but it is always a bit of a gamble, and most of the SLR's I've bought have needed the seals re-doing. You can do this yourself (& I have) but it's time consuming and fiddly.

Tom Stanworth · Oct 7, 2009

people seem to be asking insane amount for mint FM3a and Oly OM 3/4Ti cameras on ebay. Do people really pay $1500 for a clean OM3 ti? I think you'd have to be bonkers to pay $1000 for a FM3a too, when a really clean Fm2n can be had for $200.

Tom Kershaw · Oct 7, 2009

The FM3a cameras go for about £350-£400 at Ffordes.

Tom

Paul Jenkin · Oct 7, 2009

Andy K said:
I think thats just second hand camera shop prices. There is a very good one near me, they are always well stocked with Rolleiflex, Leica, Nikon, Canon, Hasselblad etc. but their prices are always nearly two or three times what you would pay on an auction site. Of course buying from the shop you get a warranty.

Andy,

Where is the one near you? I've driven past what looked like an old-school camera shop on the A13 heading west out of Southend. However, if the one you're referring to is as well stocked as you suggest, I'd be grateful for the details.

Cheers, Paul.

Andy K · Oct 7, 2009

They were called Westcliff Photographic, and are probably the shop you have seen.

FilmOnly · Oct 7, 2009

While camera shops always seem to charge way beyond an item's actual value, I find that with "run-of-the-mill" (not necessarily lesser quality, just common) cameras, the price differential between eBay and camera shops is more extreme. When an item is even slightly out of the mainstream, such as an OM-4T or Canon F-1, the eBay price is almost identical to that observed in stores. Indeed, I have been misled on a number of eBay camera items, and I rarely use eBay now. I buy from only two or three sellers (or perhaps a seller that has a 100% feedback rating). Overall, KEH has been my best source of camera equipment.

Blacknoise · Oct 7, 2009

I find that auction site ok as long as I am very careful to buy from a seller with good feedback. But thinking about it, I've only had one thing that I had to send back. It was a Leningrad RF, it worked for one film, then the shutter curtains separated, the seller was very understanding and took it back, even paid me back for the postage both ways. But this could have just been a particularly nice ebayer, which I think it was, most probably would have told me to stick it where the sun don't shine...

I have noticed this, mostly in antique shops, where the seller doesnt know too much about the cameras. One place had a broken (from what I could tell) baby rollei for £115 ($180) and also, a Zenit B for £35 ($55). I managed to buy 4 of them for £5 (less than $10) from the second hand market in Leeds once, all were broken and only one had a lens, but I managed to make one working camera from all the pieces!

Rhodes · Oct 7, 2009

Here, almost everything is allways a rip-off. It's antique, double the valor, even if the camera is completly ruin! In antique fairs, every camera is overprice, my latest experience was asking the price of an zorky 4k and ear the price of 100€ (I bought mine by 21€...).
I friend of mine is considering buying the new pentax, the KX and possibly use lenses of the k mount and or use a adapter and go for the m42 lenses and told me that he was considering going to the antique fairs and see what could fine, and I said that he would only find overprice gear, and to go to ebay and look carefull. One cand find some great deals!

Paul Jenkin · Oct 8, 2009

Andy K said:
They were called Westcliff Photographic, and are probably the shop you have seen.

Cheers Andy, that's much appreciated.

I'm hoping to come into a little bit of money towards the end of the year - maybe enough to get me an older Hassy and 80mm lens or even a simple Voigtlander RF with a 40/50mm lens. I'll have a wander down there and see what they've got as and when the money materialises.....

Paul.

benjiboy · Oct 8, 2009

Auction sites dont have to pay the very high rents that are often many thousand pounds a week for prime city centre sites, pay council tax , heating lighting and staff salary bills, pay VAT or guarantee the used equipment.

Sirius Glass · Oct 8, 2009

Paul,

You could always go to KEH and then pay the shipping and customs people a ton of cash. Heck, they need to make a living too!

Steve

Ian Grant · Oct 8, 2009

benjiboy said:
Auction sites dont have to pay the very high rents,council tax , heating lighting and staff salery bills that prime high street sites cost, or guarantee the used equipment.

Which is why good Camera stores with Websites & Ebay stores are fairer priced than many of the Ebay only stores - "Buy it Now" prices.

Work that one out They need turnover so they price to sell.

Ian

cooltouch · Oct 8, 2009

I have found, as is often the case, that prices vary substantially, independent of the source. For example, on eBay, I see wildly hopeful prices on many of the "Buy it Now" listings. And few if any takers. There is much better value to be had to be patient and play the auction game. Case in point, I just won at auction a Canon original F-1 for less than $170. Condition-wise, I would give it a KEH Exc. New seals and mirror bumber even. Old F-1s of equivalent condition were going for several hundred dollars more in the BIN listings.

Where I live, there are a couple of camera shops that carry used gear. Their prices are also not all that understandable. I bought an FD 85mm f/1.2 SSC Aspherical from one shop about a week ago for a good price -- at least a few hundred dollars less than equivalents were being listed for with BINs on eBay. And about a month or so ago, I bought from this same shop a Nikon MD-2/MB-2 motor drive, in at least EXC+ conditions, for $70. But most of this shop's other gear, Canon FD included, was priced well up into the "hopeful" range. Still, it bears checking out what they have there, cuz every once in a while they'll have something priced way below market.

2F/2F · Oct 8, 2009

IME, brick and mortar stores are generally horrible places to buy used equipment. Prices over twice what the market calls for, sitting in a case with no body cap, no record of service, no warranty, nobody who can tell you a thing about the equipment, etc. Samy's here in L.A. is one of the most vile offenders. I have to wonder: Do they ever sell any used equipment there? If they do, who exactly is buying it? I am sure there are shops that are exceptions, but I have never seen one.

One of my only moments of weakness with buying used equipment from a camera shop: I decided to bite the bullet back in Jan. and pay $200 to replace my FD 200mm f/2.8 IF that I had dropped on a rock on the banks of the Mississippi. (The lens was the closest lens I have to being dead mint, and of course I go and drop the camera it is mounted on.) Glass was all fine, but the mount broke off and I lost some tiny screws and an important coupler of some kind in the mud, so could not put it all together again once I got to VA. Penn camera in Washington happened to have the same lens in decent shape, and I badly wanted it for the next day, so I forked over the green. I was just glad they had the 200 fixed lens, which is one of my favorite and most useful lenses. My other options were one of two 70-210 f/4s, and they were only $80 a piece, but I knew they would just be stop-gap lenses, and I would eventually either replace the 200 or get it fixed anyhow. I can't believe that desperation on the buyer's part is the only way camera shops sell used equipment, but it is certainly the only way I have ever bought it from one.

Jeff Kubach · Oct 8, 2009

I agree with 2F/2F that camera shops are not always the best place to buy used stuff. There is a camera shop near where I live which is not to bad for buying used equipment. I have stuff from them over the years and all have been pretty good.

Jeff

photomem · Oct 8, 2009

I can tell you the ultimate rip off... Students at the beginning of the semester. In my photo class (which can be taken by non-majors as a Gen Ed art requirement), several people came in the first night with Digitals, only to be told that we are using film. Many of these went out to buy film 35mm and were taken to the cleaners. One particular example was of a girl who bought a camera from someone advertising on Craigslist. For 75.00 USD, she purchased what looked to be a 20 yr old Vivitar with more brass showing than paint, but wait.. there's more! He so benevolently threw in a "flash" which was a cheap sears branded flash which was powered by one (huh?) AA battery. It looked to be older than the camera. Also, the in camera light meter does not work, her pictures are always underexposed. The lens had more dust and what looked to be fungus inside than some swamps I have visited. I could go on, but I think all of you get the picture.

In any case.. anyone got any half working cameras they want to send me? I am going to go into business at the beginning of next semester and we can all share the profits...

Sirius Glass · Oct 8, 2009

Perhaps it depends on which Samys store and which department. I bought a Hasselblad 503, 250mm CF lens and 80mm CF lens. All KEH EX or EX+ condition for about the same price or lower than KEH of the same condition.

I brought the Hasselblad 903 in LN- condition for $800 less than KEH from Samys too.

The Hasselblad sales people were not shy about telling me to pass on this item or that item and wait for a better one to come in.

On the other hand I have passed on some of Samys used Hasselblad equipment because they wanted too much for it. Why? Because they paid more for those lenses and they wanted to get their money back out of it. The prices can vary so it pays to check KEH first.

Samys has the advantage that they have a Hasselblad technician there and I have him check out anything that I am thinking of buying.

I have not seriously looked at their other used equipment so I cannot comment of anything other than Hasselblads. I know the Hasselblad sales people, but I do not know about there other sales people. And my knowledge is only of the people in the Fairfax store for camera. [I have the 120 film processed in the Culver City store and I know the processing people well.]

As with any camera equipment, you have to know the product and have a good relationship with the sales person. If you do not have either, then move on.

Steve

benjiboy · Oct 9, 2009

The current rate that camera stores are going bankrupt worldwide at the moment and disappearing forever, I don't think any will be around soon to "Rip off" anyone.

Jeff Kubach · Oct 9, 2009

benjiboy said:
The current rate that camera stores are going bankrupt worldwide at the moment and disappearing forever, I don't think any will be around soon to "Rip off" anyone.

You are right! I wish you were wrong. Sign of the times, I'm afraid.

Jeff

Joe Grodis · Oct 12, 2009

I have to recheck my camera collection prices again... B&H is selling an FM3a for $1449 (USD)!!!

alexmacphee · Oct 12, 2009

Brac said:
most of the SLR's I've bought have needed the seals re-doing. You can do this yourself (& I have) but it's time consuming and fiddly.

The first few times I did this, it was very fiddly and time-consuming, though almost the entire effort goes in getting the old seals out, not in putting the new seals in. Jon Goodman ('Interslice' on eBay) does a brilliant little kit which is child's play, and will re-seal a camera for, literally, pennies. I've renewed the seals on a pile of cameras, from '70s rangefinders to my Contax RTS and a bunch of Yashica SLRs, and it's one of the tasks I now find quite relaxing and satisfying to do. If you're selling one of your surplus cameras on eBay, and you mention that the light seals and mirror damper foam have been renewed, the value-add is much greater than the marginal cost and the half-hour or so it takes to do the job.

35mm SLR Rip Off Time

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