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.
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.
The seismic shift was in prices....not exchange rates or tariffs......
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.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 '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!
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.
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!
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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.
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.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.
People are cheap on tires and drive the crap out of them, not for this kid. Same with oil.
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?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 $$ that brains out there.
If I can show a buyer that my 50-70+ year old camera is in perfect working order, maybe I can get an extra 10% over an 'as is, who knows if it works' in same cosmetic condition...that seems too small to me and either functionality isn't high priority or there is more $$ that brains out there.
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?
Not to mention that it is very likely that it'll need a repair due to the shutter squeak that is common on them.
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.
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.
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.
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!
You are wasting resources and contributing to pollution.
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.
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