Are film cameras rebounding in price?

[flavio81]

Oh yes!! Let them go UP in price!! That way i can justify my previous GAS.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Oh yes!! Let them go UP in price!! That way i can justify my previous GAS.

 

[jspillane]

The prices for used Canon and Nikon film camera lenses which work on digital cameras have not dropped as much as similar Canon and Nikon lenses that do not work on digital cameras.

That's always been true, but now mirrorless cameras with very short registration distances have bumped up the prices on 'abandoned' lens lines (since effectively anything can be adapted to them). Many are still affordable, but for really good lenses the prices have definitely moved up.

It is still true that EOS and Nikon lenses have a different premium on them. Anything that can be adapted to EOS gets more expensive (OM, Contax, etc.) since Canon currently has the largest user base.

 

[Xmas]

Same is true of Pentax K lenses that can be mounted on DSLR or alternatively the wides have gone up in price relative to the longer focus.

Independently the lower volume lenses may be increasing in price but it is difficult to confirm statistical significance without an Excel spread sheet. That may be fashion rather than volume increase... Ie bin a 1.8 get a 1.4 cheap.

The bodies may still be dropping in $ for the high volume cameras like the K1000. If your K1000 has a problem it is simpler to buy another...

Sover Wong says if your F2 shutter cracks buy another F2...

 

[Kyle M.]

Judging by KEH and eBay (sold auctions not asking prices) large format, some medium format, and even a small amount of 35mm gear has gone up in the past two years. Other than some really rare cameras, lenses, and accessories I don't see any of it ever going back up to the price it was new.

 

[Allicio]

I'm hoping voigtlander rangefinder cameras go up in price now they have stopped being made. But that's only because I've just bought the last new r4m in the uk haha!

 

[John_Nikon_F]

It depends, at least, Nikon body-wise. FM2/FM2n bodies seem to be appreciating a bit. Used to be that you could get a real nice FM2n for $100. I've owned a few like that. Minor wear marks here and there, yet, $99, plus tax takes it out the door. Now, you're looking at $200-$300 for the same condition. One of the bodies I bought in 2011 for $104, plus tax, sold for $260 on eBay just recently. Traded it for a lens or something at Glazer's Camera later that year. KEH got it, then sold it to a guy in TN. I was outbid by $1.00 by the person who sold it for $260. Figured I'd buy it back. Yet, I can buy a fairly decent, BGN grade F3P off eBay and pay $165 shipped for the camera and a MD-4. The F3P was obviously a lot more expensive than that FM2n when both cameras were new. Even beater FM2n bodies, provided they work, seem to be in the $150-$200 range. In 2008, $62 bought me a well-worn, but fully functioning FM2n. A couple weeks ago, that same $62 bought me a dead parts camera.

AF film bodies, except for the F6, seem to have taken a real hit. The most I've paid for an F4 in the past 2-3 years has been about $125 or so. Got one with some minor LCD bleed in the upper LCD early this year for $50, plus tax. Traded it and an FM2n that was functional, but missing a screen (had one on hand to install into it), plus an 18-55 for an 18-70 zoom for my D2x. Got about $175 back in the trade. Said shop apparently sold the F4 for $200, but the FM2n is still in their case at $220. F5 bodies, seems like decent bodies can be had for $220 or so. A few years back, beater F5 bodies were going for $325-$375...

-J

 

[darinwc]

I think that's all a good sign. Nikon fm and fes are more popular for amateurs I think. So it could be a sign that interest in film is picking up.

 

[BobD]

I've been selling film cameras on eBay since eBay began. Prices go up and down. Some cameras get more popular for a while, some less. It's hard to give an analysis for camera sales in general. Same with lenses.

I can say one thing for sure though: a camera or lens has to be in excellent condition with a stated guaranty to that effect to get a decent price.

Many camera-clueless sellers buy cameras at estate or yard sales thinking they'll get the same prices shown on eBay but they don't even know if the equipment works or not and so they have to sell the stuff "as is." Either that or, out of ignorance, they state that the stuff is "in excellent condition" (because it looks pretty) and end up having to take it back as a return when the buyer finds it doesn't work or has undisclosed issues. So, they often lose money as a result, poor fools. They usually learn fast and quit buying cameras but there's always another fool behind them who does the same thing.

I look for cameras in good cosmetic, optical and mechanical condition and then replace the light seals and other tweaks and sell with a guaranty. I usually get good prices and happy buyers.

 

[Xmas]

As well as digital cameras getting more pixels and cheaper there was a recession.

Stock exchanges go up and down like yoyos?

Agfa Vista is spilling on to floors of our cheap shops.

Looking at completed sales on eBay is not a statistical test for anything other than completed sales on eBay.

 

[alanrockwood]

...
Looking at completed sales on eBay is not a statistical test for anything other than completed sales on eBay.

Yea, except that eBay is probably by far the biggest single market in the world for used photo equipment, and is therefore probably the one place that gives the most reliable indication of market price. At least I can't think of any other single place to find better market information, can you?

 

[blockend]

Anything compact has gone up in price, anything big and clunky has gone down, generally speaking. Professionals and big male jewellery amateurs who bought an F4 or an EOS 1 have gone full frame digital, leaving a glut of heavy metal on a shrinking market, whereas the number of people wanting an XA or T3 for their pocket has increased. The street photography boom has also contributed to the desire for smaller cameras.

 

[John_Nikon_F]

I think that's all a good sign. Nikon fm and fes are more popular for amateurs I think. So it could be a sign that interest in film is picking up.

Usually only the various versions of the FM2 or the FM3a... The former because it has become the "new" K1000 (remember when K1000's were around $200 with a 50mm lens, used?). The latter, because it was always kind of a collector's item. The plain FM has become as cheap as what a Nikkormat was a couple years ago. Don't get me started on the Nikkormats. Great cameras, but you'll lose money if you fix one up, then try to sell it. The FE bodies are like the F3 bodies. Typically in the $75-$150 range, depending on if it's an FE2 or not.

With evilBay, it's important to look at sold listings. That way, you can separate the "feeler" ads from the actual sales. KEH usually is a good valuation guide, provided you realize that their grading is typically stricter than most other shops, so something that they rate "EX+" may be another shop's "LN-"...

-J

 

[Xmas]

Completed $ needs to allow for currency shift of purchaser and US inflation.

The £ price in the UK for UK kit does not seem to have altered in 2 years.

It increments August to Oct as Arts students discover their joining PDF requires a manual film system camera.

 

[blockend]

Don't get me started on the Nikkormats. Great cameras, but you'll lose money if you fix one up, then try to sell it.

Nikkormat prices never cease to amaze me. They fulfil everything anyone looking for a quality hand made mechanical camera could wish for, and they sell for buttons. For a generation, they were the default "serious" camera for people who couldn't afford an F2 or a Leica, so there are plenty around, some beat up, some nice. Since digital, Nikkormat prices have been depressed by a glut of professional Nikons, but that doesn't mean the Nikkormat is not their equal as a photographic tool.

I agree they are barely worth fixing financially, because it's cheaper to buy another and keep selling until you find a good one. They lack three things people look for, the Nikon name, easily available metering batteries (excepting FT3), and cheap lenses (the F mount is still extant). In every other way they're great cameras.

 

[Chan Tran]

Nikkormat is a great camera. The best Nikon they ever made, and they're worthless--you can't stand on a street corner and give them away. I just finished restoring my black FT3 which will be my staple camera. Since there's not indexing parts under the Nikkormat name plate, I removed it. Nobody but me knows the name Nikon is printed in small letters on the back. Doesn't attract attention. Best Nikon ever.

Hmm you meant the Nikkormat is better than the Nikon and Nippon Kogagu was so stupid to sell them for less than the Nikon.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

So, I've got the hots for a black Nikkormat FT2 (because I like the mandatory indexing dance). An acquaintance says he has a bunch of Nikkormats and can get me a near mint one. What would be a battery I could use in it?

As for trends, I think prices are increasing for the more mechanical cameras (e.g. FM2) and still going down for the more electronic ones (e.g. F3 onwards).

 

[blockend]

Hmm you meant the Nikkormat is better than the Nikon and Nippon Kogagu was so stupid to sell them for less than the Nikon.

The Nikkormat and Nikon are both handbuilt cameras using virtually identical components. F buyers paid a premium to buy a system camera. As few of those accessories are still widely available, and even fewer are relevant to the contemporary film camera user, the Nikkormat is as good an option as an F or F2, and much cheaper on the used market. I've owned the F, F2As and Nikkormats.

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

So, I've got the hots for a black Nikkormat FT2 (because I like the mandatory indexing dance). An acquaintance says he has a bunch of Nikkormats and can get me a near mint one. What would be a battery I could use in it?

As for trends, I think prices are increasing for the more mechanical cameras (e.g. FM2) and still going down for the more electronic ones (e.g. F3 onwards).

The Nikkormat FT2 like the later FT3 uses a single SR44 silver-oxide battery.
The FT3 was just an AI version of the FT2. All other functions are the same.

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

Nikkormat prices never cease to amaze me. They fulfil everything anyone looking for a quality hand made mechanical camera could wish for, and they sell for buttons. For a generation, they were the default "serious" camera for people who couldn't afford an F2 or a Leica, so there are plenty around, some beat up, some nice. Since digital, Nikkormat prices have been depressed by a glut of professional Nikons, but that doesn't mean the Nikkormat is not their equal as a photographic tool.

I agree they are barely worth fixing financially, because it's cheaper to buy another and keep selling until you find a good one. They lack three things people look for, the Nikon name, easily available metering batteries (excepting FT3), and cheap lenses (the F mount is still extant). In every other way they're great cameras.

Nikkormat is a great camera. The best Nikon they ever made, and they're worthless--you can't stand on a street corner and give them away. I just finished restoring my black FT3 which will be my staple camera. Since there's not indexing parts under the Nikkormat name plate, I removed it. Nobody but me knows the name Nikon is printed in small letters on the back. Doesn't attract attention. Best Nikon ever.

Hmm you meant the Nikkormat is better than the Nikon and Nippon Kogagu was so stupid to sell them for less than the Nikon.

For your pleasure:

A Nikkormat with the "Nikon" name:
WP_20150922_16_13_23_Pro by Ricardo Miranda, on Flickr

My minty Nikkormat FT3:
WP_20150922_16_13_15_Pro by Ricardo Miranda, on Flickr

My bashed out 2 Nikkormat FTN, each in perfect functional condition, including the meter:
WP_20150929_10_36_44_Pro by Ricardo Miranda, on Flickr

Each of my 4 Nikkormats has seen a dozen rolls passed through them just last month.
They are great tools that just keep working.
Only the Nikon EL2 was over £50 and that was 5 years ago.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

Just beautiful.

 

[John_Nikon_F]

My last FTn... Got it for $50 from Pacific Rim Camera last year. Needed CdS cells, which I had in my camera parts box, and a refoam job.



The FT2 and FT3 are great student cameras. I'm really surprised that instructors aren't suggesting those cameras instead of the FM2n and the K1000. Yes, they're a few years older, but they're still very capable.

-J

 

[Chan Tran]

They weren't stupid. After all, the manufactured it, didn't they?. Let's just say that their budget offering was accidentally better than the flagship model. Certainly more generally useful in lower light situations where there's not enough light overhead to see the meter needle. The 125 sync doesn't hurt the Nikkormat either. Just a happy accident for us. I dare say the 'mat is every bit as rugged, if not more so.

I think you're right! They finally figured it out. Why make the better cameras and sell for less so they make the lesser camera the FM putting Nikon name on it and sell for more.

 

[Xmas]

I think you're right! They finally figured it out. Why make the better cameras and sell for less so they make the lesser camera the FM putting Nikon name on it and sell for more.

An FM was cheaper to make only a problem if you need to fix problems now
Don't ask about F4, F5, etc. problems...

The camera manufactures were commercial entities only interested in retaining staff and paying dividends!