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Finding old cameras in the wild.

TheGreatGasMaskMan

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Michigan, United States
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I'm just wondering, how often do any of you find a valuable camera for sale at a thrift store/ swap meet ect? (no ebay or legitimate camera shops, those don't count). Maybe I'll post some pictures later, but the best I think I've done so far is a Contax with a non functioning shutter, and fogged lens and rangefinder, though I've also found a mostly functional Petri 7s, and a seemingly beautiful Yaschica MG-1 (haven't gotten to trying it yet, and don't have a battery for a meter test).

Other finds include 110 cameras I thought I would try but still don't even touch, a MInolta QT si I wish had manual controls, Two Polaroid land cameras, a Kodak XL33, a Kodak Pony 135 with a slow shutter, and some point and shoots that only serve as wall decorations (which I only bought because they had film in them)
 
No, but I have been given cameras especially since the start of the digital revolution.
 
For me, never. Except the one given to me by a guy at a little league baseball game.
 

My mother gave me some cameras from an antique store, including a Yashica LM which she got for $20, which I think was actually worth closer to $100.
 
I haul around my SLRs, TLRs and oddball cameras. Living in a small community people will give me their old cameras. I got pretty good at replacing light seals and simple stuff.
 
I found this Leica IIIc with a Summitar lens, the turret finder a leather case plus a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye and a projector condenser lens for $30 at a garage sale in a trailer park. I sent the Leica and Sumitar lens out for a CLA and they work great. The Summitar was in excellent condition after it was cleaned and lubed.

Leica IIIc with a Summitar 5cm f/2 lens by Bryan Chernick, on Flickr
 
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Not recently, but over the years I have been quite fortunate.
My best find was a Contax 167 MT (that I gave to a friend) in a camera bag that I still use, accompanied by several B&W filters that I use.
I think it cost me $20.00.
 
Value is in the eye of the beholder, but within the past year of cruising local antique shops I've come up with a Graflex RB Tele, Konica III, Kodak Rainbow Hawkeye Model 2 and Kodak Carousel with trays and screen.

All were functional or fixable. Did I need them ? No. Did I buy them? Yes.

At least it's not cigarettes or opioids.
 
Found cameras and projectors on flea markets, the first one, a Paillard-Bolex L8, in 1978, I think. When I closed my shop in 2008 a number of commission items were given up by their owners. In 2003 I could save an Eyemo that belonged to one of the better known producers in this country. It lay between cutlery and other household things in a shop run by a dark-skinned person not far from mine. A 35mm step-contact printer I could buy from a cinema supplier, it crouched on the floor of an ancient cocoa store.
 
My only camera I bought in a thrift store was my Olympus XA / A11 flash in OP. It was good working condition and still works today. Payed 40,-- Euros.
Saw a Polaroid Land 101 Automatic for 30,-- a week ago, but it was described 'non working - for decoration only' and I decided to forego buying.
 
about 15 years ago i found a 18"+ petzval lens at a junk store on a 10" square lensboard
for IDK 15$ i had just eaten at the greasy spoon next door and given all my remainig $$ as a tip
to the waitress. i went back a day or 2 later and someone had scooped it up. in todays's
brass lens market that lens would cost about IDK $6,000.00.
i did find a 1943 bell sound systems record a phone 33rpm recording cutting system for $35
had it re-tubed by a musican friend ... and some blank laquor plates for not too much $$ from transco
( you can watch how its made and see them making the laquor plates if you want )
turned out the record-o-phone was a prototype and worth quite a bit of $$. i eventually sold it
to a high caffeine slurping person in cali .... and a box of IDK 60 lantern slides of aviation scenes
at a photo flea market ( does that count ? ) turns out they were aviation + air mail pioneers
and i sold them to a nice person in niceville florida a decade or 2 after i bought them.
and a handful of LARGE framed+signed cowboy portraits made by "captain ferricyanide" himself
for "$50 / each, or make me an offer" and after i consulted with the only person i knew who knew about
captain ferricyanide ( lee/carmichael RIP ) i went back $$ and the lady
quickly removed them from the shop.
no cameras though ..
 
Hmm. Nothing worth getting a yard sales. In flea markets, not much. Nikon R8 (that's a fine Super 8 cine camera) for $10. Two dagor type 210/9 G-Clarons for $20. And that's about it. Junk shop finds? Two so far, 210 Busch Nicola Perscheid for $42, 60/5.6 Konica Hexanon to fit Koni-Omega for $50. And that's about it. Camera shows? Nothing since the dealers wised up and started selling on eBay. Before then 40/4.5 Mikrotar for $10, 100/6.3 Luminar for $25, 80/6.3 WF Ektar for $40. Most recently, and that was several years ago, an ancient Ries Model C for $25.
 
In an antique furniture shop a Voigtlander Prominent with 35, 50, and 150 lenses, Turnit finder, hoods, Proximeters, etc for $45.
 
The only thing I ever found is this Revere 8mm. Solid metal everywhere.



 
My best find was a pre-war Bessa 66 folder in fine working condition at a community flea market -- $20 CAD.
 
I haven't been too lucky with cameras. I bought a Minolta 5xi a few months ago for the film it had with it. Camera works I think. I'll probably never use it though. I did pick up just last week an Eizo monitor. Couldn't believe it when I saw it. Works perfect. Probably owned by a doctor or something. If you don't know what an Eizo monitor is, Google it. I occasionally find flashes. Once found a complete Vivitar 283 with all the filters and such. Threw it in the flash drawer. Found a two blade Saunders 11x14 easel a few years ago. Still haven't used it since I have a pile of easels, but how can you pass that up? Most of the time when I see something I ask myself if I can use it or not. If the answer is no, I pass on it. Got enough stuff laying around and I am not much of a seller. Too much work.
 
My best find was in a small camera sore (remember those.?). A 180mm Telyt for Leicaflex Standard. Not very practical because lens so fat it covered meter window but few were made. Traded to a friend who has a shop catering to collectors for a ton of Nikon lenses, etc. There is, of course, no way to explain the mind of a dedicated collector, though without them very little of the past would remain.
 
Often I find something for 3-5€ that I sell for 20-30€. Couple of times before I found 2-3 Yashica's T4 plastic camera for 10€, and sold for 100+, and also from time to time I find Mju II 35mm f2.8 for couple of euros, people are buying them for high price as well.
 
A Leica III with uncoated Elmar, Leica IIIa with Summar, Rollei 35TE, and Rolleiflex TLR for $15 each. Nikon M w Sync and early 5cm F1.4 Nikkor for $30. Obviously, Nikons are worth more than Leicas.
 
Three years ago I would frequently find cool cameras in thrift stores and antique stores that went for well below what they do now. Even Craigslist had a gem pop up once a month. Anything that didn't have bellows seemed to be almost worthless in the wake of the digital revolution. These days, hipsters have caught wise and even cheap point and shoots seem to be going for a lot more money. Most of the "good deals" I've had recently involved me finding broken cameras and fixing them. And none of those were high dollar cameras to begin with (Anscos, Kodaks, Yashicas, and plastic SLR's from Nikon, Pentax, and Canon, etc.). My best deals have been in antique large format lenses, but how many uncoated CZJ Tessars and Wollensak Rapid Rectilinears do you need, even if they are only $30 with a functional shutter?
 
Free cameras from yardsales and private individuals:
Nikon F2a body.
Kodak 35 RF with leather case
Canon QL 19, with case
Minolta Maxxum 7000 with 50/1.7 and 80-210/4
Pentax K1000 with 50/1.8 and some sort of 35-70-ish zoom
Pentax SP 1000, 55/2
Edit: Rollei Automat, 1946. Needed complete overhaul, but now works as new.
Zorki S with case and Industar 22
Gossen N100 meter

Yardsale and thriftshop, $5 or less:
Pentax ME Super , std lens
Spotmatic F, 55/1.8
2 or 3 K1000s with std. lens. Maybe a few more, that's all I can think of. I bring the working K mounts to the nearby community college, which still teaches film.
 
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Thrift store haul. Everything worked except for the rangefinder on the right. All for $40. The film was pretty good too!
 
Traveling to from Arkansas for work for the past 2 years, I snapped up 2 old cameras at estate sales and lawn sales. Plus colleagues just gave me stuff from their grandparents or parents. Two cool cameras I got were a Beacon in a leather case and an Argus with a flash.

Regards, Art.
 
Oooh I forgot my best garage sale finds of ever, one photographic and one audio - audio, an AR Amplifier in gro for $2, ca. 1996 and c.a. 1972 a plate camera that fell apart, but it had a 210 Dagor type lens in a Goerz Sector shutter which my 11 year old self did not trash by tinkering; still use it and it's absolutely stunningly good. I've realised that there are fairys at loose. Camera fairys, garage sale fairys, and believe it or not even garbage fairys.
 
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