Are old film compacts worth it?

[Ko.Fe.]

I wouldn't bother with P&S cameras. The cheap ones are poor with tiny viewfinders and basic auto metering. The good ones are very expensive.

I'd buy a compact AF SLR instead like the Canon EOS300x or Nikon F65, both have pop-up flash, can be used as a P&S and are cheap.
Put the pancake 40mm f2.8 on the Canon and an af-d lens of your choice on the Nikon.

EOS300 has now rechargeable batteries for it on eBay. Sold as two, with charger.

 

[brainmonster]

Now this is just me so your luck may vary but I've come to believe that most "as is" or "for parts" cameras on eBay

That's interesting, probably worth taking small risks, assuming you don't invest too much in a camera listed as "for parts". Could be a nice display piece for the "collection" even if you can't repair it.

Taking a "broken" camera, "refurbishing" it and making such small "repairs" doesn't seem too difficult, but people who don't use cameras are probably overwhelmed when they come across something they have no idea how it works and comes across as gibberish and too much of a hassle to get to work, sometimes.

 

[M-88]

Taking a "broken" camera, "refurbishing" it and making such small "repairs" doesn't seem too difficult, but people who don't use cameras are probably overwhelmed when they come across something they have no idea how it works and comes across as gibberish and too much of a hassle to get to work, sometimes.

That is very true. However, it happens too often that the seller just has the junk and sells it as "untested", pretending they don't know how to test it, or they don't have the money for 2 pieces of LR44 cells and can't be bothered. Therefore I never buy as is / parts / untested items unless I'm certain I can get them fixed.

 

[Kyle M.]

I have had hit and miss luck with this. It is basically a form of gambling for me. I bought a D300 for $39 that was sold "as-is". The camera's grip had come unglued... so I glued it. One of the dials was also a bit sandy - this had clearly been a working camera. It's still a little rough, but everything works. It's probably the best $39 camera I've ever bought, and complements my D700 perfectly for when I need more reach. I don't have to baby these cameras at all.

When I do this I definately try to be careful about it. I've never spent over $15 including shipping on an "as is" or "parts" camera. In all three cases that I listed even if the cameras hadn't worked the lenses would have been worth as much or more than I paid for the whole thing. The only one I still have is the SR-T 101and 58mm F=1.4, it's my go to 35mm SLR.