Cameras from thrift stores

mehguy · Jul 27, 2015

I found an olympus stylus infinity. About to pick it up but i realized that the front panel that slides was partially chipped and it the battery was dead so i passed on it. then one day I walk in the thrift store and I find the exact same stlylus infinity but it had power this time (which i find really weird). It seems to be snappin' pictures ok but i was worried that maybe the aperture or the focus wasnt working correctly, so I passed. Should i have picked it up?

BrianShaw · Jul 27, 2015

Magic 8 ball says "not so much"

Jon Buffington · Jul 27, 2015

For 1.99 I bought a stylus epic with a broke battery door. I little piece of tape now keeps it shut. Works like a charm! Big fan of thrift store cameras. If they don't work, I just donated $2 to a charity. If it works, then I have something for almost nothing. I figured a 2 dollar risk on an mjuII was a risk I was willing to take.

AgX · Jul 27, 2015

MjuII is a common camera at fleamarkets here. With a bit of patience I can get a fine sample for 3€.
You should wait at least until you come across a seemingly working sample.

With a cosmetically fine sample there is a reasonable chance that it will turn out fine at home.

jeffreythree · Jul 27, 2015

I saw an '80's Kodak 35 something or other at one today. I did not bother looking at it since the sticker said $29.95. I did pick up a Zeiss Contina IIa at a junk store last week for less than $20. I should have grabbed the Vivitar Big View for $6 as well, but it might be there for next time I visit.

leicarfcam · Jul 27, 2015

I picked up a Nikon F with Ftn finder at a flea market last summer. The seller informed me that the camera was not usable since the battery cap was missing. I ended up getting the camera with lens for $5 for the cost of the "cheap ass" lens 50mm f/2 Nikkor..

On the way home I stopped at a local camera repair shop and got a cap for $3. Put in a couple of batteries and the meter fired up and was working fine. I later converted it to use 357 silver batteries.. Apparently the seller did not know the camera itself does not need batteries to work..

Sirius Glass · Jul 27, 2015

I have found no joy in thrift stores.

MattKing · Jul 27, 2015

Contax 167 MT, Olympus XA, a bunch of B & W filters, a Pentax K1000, a couple of Gossen Luna Pro meters and a few others.

Plus oodles and oodles of point and shoot 35s.

We have a very robust Craigslist Photo and Video listing around here, so there are also a bunch of people who regularly check the local thrift stores for camera stuff that they can resell for a profit. As a result, timing is everything.

elcabezagrande · Jul 27, 2015

I bought this at a thrift shop.

Canon IVF by Mike Novak, on Flickr

zanxion72 · Jul 28, 2015

My best ever finds were a Trioplan 100/2.8 Exa for 40€ (I still haven't got that damn Exa to Fuji X adapter) and a Contax II for 50€ in like new condition. The Contax took another 100€ to get the ribbons replaced, but it is still worth every cent of it.

k.hendrik · Jul 28, 2015

http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag66/k-hendrik/DSC_0042_zpsna5rnahd.jpg
25E; the store owner didn't know how to open it including a brass tripod, 4 film/glass holders

Daire Quinlan · Jul 28, 2015

Another Contax 167mt, but accompanied by its TTL flash, and a Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 and a Distagon 28mm f/2.8 :-D All for €50. I felt guilty walking out of the store.

Tamara · Jul 30, 2015

elcabezagrande said:
I bought this at a thrift shop.
Canon IVF by Mike Novak, on Flickr

I think I hate you just a little bit.

I've had very little luck at the thrift shops and flea markets locally. Too many hipsters, I guess.

farmersteve · Jul 30, 2015

I went on a serious hunt for cameras a couple of years ago. Goodwill twice a week. dozens and dozens of of yard sales. I only bought two cameras a Canon QL17 GIII for like $5 and really nice black bodied Pentax Super ME for $20 but that was it and I still check from time to time but there is never anything out there...

Malinku · Jul 31, 2015

Ive had really good luck at My local thrift stores. But Im at them a lot. As I have a ton on my way to work.

Seem to always be a nice stock If 35mm cameras around. Mostly p&s and slrs. But rangefinders turn up from time to time.

My favorite finds:
A pre-World war 2 welta welti for $20. Fully works just needed the lens cleaned
2 Yashica T3s for under $6. Both work great .
an exakta twin tl and 3 lenses For $20. Camera body is Long gone as lenses were for the older mount. A 2x teleconverter was used for mounting the lenses on the camera. It was gross So I invested In the proper body for the lenses.
And a kowa set For $5. too bad it didnt work and I didnt think to test it out before buying it doh.
a few data ago i found a working fujifilm instax 7 for $3. Odd thing about was that it was the japaness Version. As it was labeled as checky 7 On the front.

scepticswe · Aug 2, 2015

This was included in a Minolta bundle I bought for ~80 USD:

Catch of the day by scepticswe, on Flickr

NitroRoo · Aug 23, 2015

I just bought an Olympus Stylus zoom 140 deluxe for $6.50 yesterday. It needed a battery but it looks practically brand new. Halfway through my first roll with it already. I'm not normally a p&s guy but I decided to do back to film so I figured I need a small camera. My son also picked up a 110 Minolta that he liked. He's 11 so I'm loving watching him learn about film photography.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

Chan Tran · Aug 23, 2015

Tamara said:
I think I hate you just a little bit.

I've had very little luck at the thrift shops and flea markets locally. Too many hipsters, I guess.

Thrift shop is OK but flea market is very bad. They are run by the pros who know what sells and what not.

Paul Howell · Aug 23, 2015

Just found a Minolta 7 xi, with 28 to 80 and 100 to 300 powers zooms,both with lens hoods, every ready case, flash, set of Cokin fliters and holder polorerizer, 2 UV, Minolta flash, and users manuals, and nice case, 3 rolls of Kodak Color 800 36, not in boxes so don't know how old all $32.00.

muhkel · Aug 24, 2015

wow what a beauty, how much did they ask for that? how its called?

removed account4 · Aug 24, 2015

naaah ez come ez go,
i am sure the your mythic camera will show up ...

=== my best finds were ...
a HUGE ( like the size of a small dog ) 1840s petzval ( daguarrian era )
that i let someone else buy for 35$ ( probably worth 80x that in today's market )
and 2 16x20 ( matted and framed to 20x24 )
cowboy portraits by captain ferrocyanide himself
didnt' have the $50 each for them so i let someone else buy them.
its OK, i don't mind letting all 3 things go ...

its like the 11# large mouth bass i caught a few years ago ..
bent my rod in half, put up a 10-13 min fight,
a crowd of latin american yard-workers encircled me
...mythic, and i threw it back ... or the lottery ticket that would
have made me rich, that i inadvertantly threw away ...

Jon Buffington · Aug 26, 2015

I frequent thrift stores weekly as well as antique stores and flea markets. Diligence pays off. Today I scored a like new Yashica T4 super for $2.99. Popped in a cr123 and a roll of film and off I have been today. At the same thrift store, I also picked up an Olympus stylus for $2.99 as well. Granted it was in user condition and not the find of the Yashica T4 however it had a fully charged battery in it ($10 value). Grand total of 6 bucks spent vs the estimated value of approx. $220. All in all a good day.

This is of course not the norm however most of my cameras have been found this way. I may go 6 months without a find and then luck up with several in a row.

ciniframe · Aug 26, 2015

My best buy was an Olympus OM-4Ti for $35 "not working".
Not working until I took it home and put batteries in it. Always had a fear of battery dependent cameras but this one is a little jewel.

frank · Aug 26, 2015

Visited 3 thrift shops today. Best camera I saw was a Nikon L35AF, but I already have one and this one was $13. Had it been $3 I'd have bought it.

http://www.d2gallery.com/camera-nikon_l35af.php

mehguy · Aug 26, 2015

frank said:
Visited 3 thrift shops today. Best camera I saw was a Nikon L35AF, but I already have one and this one was $13. Had it been $3 I'd have bought it.

http://www.d2gallery.com/camera-nikon_l35af.php

Quite funny you said that, because I, as well went to a thrift store yesterday and saw a Nikon L35AF for the same price... did we visit the same store?

Cameras from thrift stores

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