Analog camera prices

[Craig]

FWIW, the USA Fiat enthusiasts website I visit from time to time is full of people who wax eloquently about the pros and cons of the various high spec (and relatively expensive) oil options there are for the quite demanding requirements that the Fiat (and Alfa Romeo and Ferrari and Maseratti and Lancia, etc., etc.) engines have.

Like us, the Fiat owners are the small niche. Most people take photos with their phones, right? The vast bulk of the population have never been in a darkroom and probably don't know that B&W film still exists.

 

[mshchem]

The seismic shift was in prices....not exchange rates or tariffs......

Map camera prepays the tariffs for the US customers (baked in to the price) since the US had almost zero tariffs on the photo stuff I purchased on Ebay until recently. You're correct that prices have gone way up. The exchange rates don't tell the actual story as it's a race to the bottom on the value of currency.

 

[Craig]

I noticed this as well, but the Japanese sellers seem to be holding the prices high still. In North America I noticed you can only sell something for half of what Japan sells for. Of course Japan seems to have most of the gear out there today.

The Japanese gear for the most part seems to be in better condition too. Japan is almost always my first place to look for used equipment, then in Canada. The USA is last resort if I can't find what I want anywhere else.

 

[RezaLoghme]

The '70s era Fiats are entirely different cars then the more modern ones.
The modern, high torque, high efficiency engines are really quite advanced.
The 2014 Fiat 500 we have is probably the best car we have ever owned, in my 50 years of owning cars. And it definitely is the most fun!

I have never owned or driven a Fiat, but I kept on changing the oil of my Mercedes W116 frequently, when I owned one 20 years ago.

 

[mshchem]

Not just cameras, there are very different attitudes towards maintaining cars in the US vs Europe for example.

I knew a fellow who worked for a major oil company and said it was a remarkable difference between what people would pay for motor oil in the US vs the rest of the world. They made bargain basement spec oil for the US market and a premium quality product for the rest of the world. He said Americans simply wouldn't pay for quality motor oil.

I use Mobil 1 and I rarely have more than 3,000 miles before I change the oil. I order genuine made in Japan Subaru oil filters for my 5 year old Crosstrek Limited 2.5 L no turbo nonsense. I run some lovely Michelin tires on the alloys in the non frosty months and Bridgestone Blizzaks on steelies in this godawful weather. I changed my oil in October, before the cold, I had 900 miles on the oil and filter.
People are cheap on tires and drive the crap out of them, not for this kid. Same with oil.

 

[mshchem]

The '70s era Fiats are entirely different cars then the more modern ones.
The modern, high torque, high efficiency engines are really quite advanced.
The 2014 Fiat 500 we have is probably the best car we have ever owned, in my 50 years of owning cars. And it definitely is the most fun!

Oh as a former 80 Spyder owner I know that story, pretty car.

And get this, I traded a guy a leaf shredder for a Fiat X 1/9. A buddy repainted it factory color deep red burgundy. My head stuck above the roof with the targa top stowed in front. It ran great, but at 60mph it felt like 100. 13 inch Campagnolo wheels!

 

[gbroadbridge]

.
As many of those participants seem to also have experience with "American" high performance cars, I think it must be more to do with how crazy about cars/trucks/vehicles the users are.

Ford or Leica?

 

[John Wiegerink]

The Japanese gear for the most part seems to be in better condition too. Japan is almost always my first place to look for used equipment, then in Canada. The USA is last resort if I can't find what I want anywhere else.

Back when I was doing mainly Photorama Camera Shows during the late 70's to early 90's the big name Japanese camera dealers and stores were sending buyers directly from Japan to the shows with huge aluminum flight cases to send their purchases from here directly to Japan. Funny how it has reversed now. They mainly were looking for Leica, Contax, Zeiss and Rollei. But that's not all they bought and I remember selling a folding Mamiya 6 and various other non-German items to John the Japanese buyer, but those items had to be mint or no sale. Most of the sellers on eBay from Japan are very good about the condition rating on items they sell, but like anywhere else there are always one or two bad apples. The one thing you have to watch is not so much the condition of the camera body when buying from Japan, but the lens element condition. Japans super high humidity has taken a toll on many lenses from there in the form of fungus.

 

[Kino]

People are cheap on tires and drive the crap out of them, not for this kid. Same with oil.

Take the "dealer recommended oil change interval" and cut it in at least half, if not more. Your car will last much, much longer...

 

[4season]

I think there's an art to making money buying and selling cameras, and that many people err in hanging onto theirs far too long.

 

[Saganich]

If I can show a buyer that my 50-70+ year old camera is in perfect working order, maybe I can get an extra 10% over an 'as is, who knows if it works' in same cosmetic condition...that seems too small to me and either functionality isn't high priority or there is more $$ that brains out there.

 

[Pioneer]

yup, yup, yup. Us Amiricens ar turrible, turrible, turrible.

 

[Pieter12]

If I can show a buyer that my 50-70+ year old camera is in perfect working order, maybe I can get an extra 10% over an 'as is, who knows if it works' in same cosmetic condition...that seems too small to me and either functionality isn't high priority or there is more $$ that brains out there.

Short of a receipt for a recent CLA, how would a buyer know that 70-year-old camera "in perfect working order" won't fail in the near future?

 

[4season]

If I can show a buyer that my 50-70+ year old camera is in perfect working order, maybe I can get an extra 10% over an 'as is, who knows if it works' in same cosmetic condition...that seems too small to me and either functionality isn't high priority or there is more $$ that brains out there.

That's pretty much why I haven't learned to fix Leica M: Typical selling prices for a camera with decent cosmetics are sufficiently high that anything beyond a 1-2 hour quick cleaning looked like a money-losing proposition.

 

[eli griggs]

I'm mainly curious from a European perspective but would also be interested to see what's happening in the US.....

I have a large collection of kit that I have been meaning to reduce for some time and I noticed of late that, on some of the auction and other sites, prices seem to be softening quite a bit, with stuff that would have previously easily sold for reasonable money failing to attract even half acceptable offers.

Is it just the time of year or have old film cameras lost their shine?

I think it’s part of a four - six moth cycle we’ve seen before.

 

[eli griggs]

Not to mention that it is very likely that it'll need a repair due to the shutter squeak that is common on them.

But the Canon squeak repair is a well documented repair, on You Tube.

 

[Melvin J Bramley]

I use Mobil 1 and I rarely have more than 3,000 miles before I change the oil. I order genuine made in Japan Subaru oil filters for my 5 year old Crosstrek Limited 2.5 L no turbo nonsense. I run some lovely Michelin tires on the alloys in the non frosty months and Bridgestone Blizzaks on steelies in this godawful weather. I changed my oil in October, before the cold, I had 900 miles on the oil and filter.
People are cheap on tires and drive the crap out of them, not for this kid. Same with oil.

Vehicles in Europe now suggest an oil change interval of $20,000 km.
Todays oils are far superior to the oils of 25 years ago.
I used to service equipment that recommended an oil change at 2000 hours!
Perhaps Photrio should start an oil and Fiat thread?

 

[Pieter12]

I use Mobil 1 and I rarely have more than 3,000 miles before I change the oil. I order genuine made in Japan Subaru oil filters for my 5 year old Crosstrek Limited 2.5 L no turbo nonsense. I run some lovely Michelin tires on the alloys in the non frosty months and Bridgestone Blizzaks on steelies in this godawful weather. I changed my oil in October, before the cold, I had 900 miles on the oil and filter.
People are cheap on tires and drive the crap out of them, not for this kid. Same with oil.

You are wasting resources and contributing to pollution.

 

[MattKing]

You are wasting resources and contributing to pollution.

Not necessarily.
Used oil is recyclable.
And some engines are very demanding on oil.
The engine in our Fiat being an example - hydraulic, variable valve timing, high torque and power from a relatively light and small engine designed to run comfortably at high rpm.
Many of the improvements that lead to lower fuel use and pollution make heavier demands on the technology, and that leads to heavier demand on the oil.

 

[Pieter12]

Not necessarily.
Used oil is recyclable.
And some engines are very demanding on oil.
The engine in our Fiat being an example - hydraulic, variable valve timing, high torque and power from a relatively light and small engine designed to run comfortably at high rpm.
Many of the improvements that lead to lower fuel use and pollution make heavier demands on the technology, and that leads to heavier demand on the oil.

3000 miles is not demanding of any modern motor oil. Recycling takes energy, as well as the delivery of fresh oil to the consumer. Adds up if a lot of people are needlessly changing the oil in their engines at 4 or more times the manufacturer’s recommendations.

 

[Brendan Quirk]

Oh as a former 80 Spyder owner I know that story, pretty car.

And get this, I traded a guy a leaf shredder for a Fiat X 1/9. A buddy repainted it factory color deep red burgundy. My head stuck above the roof with the targa top stowed in front. It ran great, but at 60mph it felt like 100. 13 inch Campagnolo wheels!

I drove X 1/9s for decades. I have had a 1976, 1981, and a 1987; the last two purchased new. I wouldn't mind one now. Not the fastest, but fun.

 

[images39]

I once came very close to buying a Fiat 124 Spider. What a pretty car. But I got a Honda S2000 instead. Yeah, there's a story there...

Back to the topic, I'm a bit out of touch with film camera prices, but might need to get back in touch with them from a seller's perspective. I'll set my expectations low, based on this thread.

Dale

 

[mshchem]

You are wasting resources and contributing to pollution.

I take my used oil to a friend who uses it in her 1970 Chevy Malibu, 4 door well rusted, inline 6. She bought that car 35 years ago. I ride a bicycle everywhere. Throwing away perfectly good vehicles to save resources that's wasteful.

Besides like used camera prices spiking I'm counting on the same thing happening with my Subie in 30 years. I love that car!

 

[eli griggs]

3000 miles is not demanding of any modern motor oil. Recycling takes energy, as well as the delivery of fresh oil to the consumer. Adds up if a lot of people are needlessly changing the oil in their engines at 4 or more times the manufacturer’s recommendations.

But it’s impossible for anyone to say with authority and for certain, that 3000 mpg, changing engine oil does not keep your car in first class condition, so doing so is just a “best practice“ to avoid most engine related issues.

 

[Pieter12]

But it’s impossible for anyone to say with authority and for certain, that 3000 mpg, changing engine oil does not keep your car in first class condition, so doing so is just a “best practice“ to avoid most engine related issues.

Why not change the oil weekly, then? The oil companies as well as the car manufacturers have rigorously tested their products and would not recommend the intervals they do without being certain the oil will easily perform for as long as they state.

Some put premium gas in a car that clearly only needs regular, thinking that somehow "premium" will be better for the car. A waste of money.