Nikon F5's are selling real cheap

[Johnkpap]

What's going on in the world?, I just bought a F5 for $150

In the late 90's they sold new for about $3500.00 ! :crazy

I always wanted one back then but I did not have the silly money for one.

Johnkpap

 

[Nick Merritt]

Yes, I've wondered about that myself. I got one a few years ago for not too much more than that and was thrilled with the bargain. Great cameras -- but you knew that.

 

[Bschif]

I guess there a couple reasons IMO. The F5 is pushing 20 years old now and a lot were made so they are not uncommon. I have one and it is a great piece of hardware. I also have an EOS 1d mkII that I paid 3500 for brand new. I guess I could get only a fraction of that if I tried to sell it.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

I got lucky with my F5. It even has the covers for the PC and 10 pin ports. And I'm always looking for another one in that kinda shape. Of course every time I find one the cash in there but hope springs eternal. I'm going to shoot some with mine today using the chipped 50-135 f3.5 lens. Wheeeeee.........the pro Nikon cameras are some amazing machines.

BTW I bought both here on APUG.

 

[summicron1]

You can buy SLR leicas for just as cheap -- an R4 for less than $200? An R8 for around $700?

such is life.

 

[CatLABS]

I guess there a couple reasons IMO. The F5 is pushing 20 years old now and a lot were made so they are not uncommon. I have one and it is a great piece of hardware. I also have an EOS 1d mkII that I paid 3500 for brand new. I guess I could get only a fraction of that if I tried to sell it.

If you bought it new i think you paid way more then 3500$ closer to 9000$ at the start and 8000$ a bit later.

 

[TheToadMen]

I found a like new Nikon F4s for $200. And almost a Nikon F6 for $600 but someone beat me to it....

 

[GarageBoy]

F5s aren't as retro and "cute" as other 35mm film cameras. Film seems to be more popular with the mechanical, or atleast, manual everything crowd (who want Nikon FE/FMs, Pentaxes, etc)

 

[vpwphoto]

And I got a near unused F6 for 2012 F5 money!!!

 

[Chan Tran]

It's not so much with the retro thing but I think the price of the F5 dropped seriously when they introduced the F6. The F6 price isn't going down in fact price new has went up a bit. I bought my F5 in 2002 brand new for ouch $1950. In 2004 when the F6 was introduced it went down to about $500.

 

[brian steinberger]

All the Nikon F's are great cameras. I have an F4s but they are too heavy IMO to carry around. If I'm gonna carry around that much weight I might as well bring my MF camera instead. I have an F100 and love it. It's like the F5 but lighter. I think most on APUG agree about the F100s greatness. I believe they're going for $100-$200 now.

 

[dynachrome]

Just about anything used with film has gone down in price. I recently bought a 100/4 Zenzano macro for the ETR cameras for $90 and the first version of the Auto Bellows for the same camera for $100.

 

[Johnkpap]

Thanks for the input

The only issue I am having with the camera is that the finders and data backs, are selling for more than I paid for the camera.

At the moment I don't have any Af lenses, they seem to hold their value due to the DX users,

We have a swap meet here in Adelaide this weekend and you never know what you will find.

At the moment I am just having fun using my AI manual lenses and using some film.

Johnkpap

 

[destroya]

love my F5 but dont use it as much as I should. its really not that much smaller than my pentax 67 with the small 105 2.4 lens on it.

Johnkpap, get the small nikon af-d 50mm 1.8. one of the sharpest nikon lenses, its AF and cheap. and works great on the MF bodies as well. wish Nikon would do away with the G concept. I would kill for my 14-24 to have a aperture ring on it.

 

[John_Nikon_F]

Got mine for $100. From BradleyK here on APUG. Was expecting a beater from what he was describing. Yeah, the MS-30 is a little chewed up and there's a cut in the rubber grip below the self-timer LED, but, otherwise, it's almost what KEH would refer to as an EX grade camera. Only minor paint wear. Am paying 80% of the purchase price for an L-bracket that I just won for it.

-J

 

[Tom1956]

F2's are king.

 

[BMbikerider]

Too big, too bulky and too heavy. The F4 was bad enough but bolting on that 'anchor' to the base killed it for me. I will wait for an F6 when they drop down in price a bit.

 

[benjiboy]

I don't want or need anything so mechanically and electronically complex for my needs, too many things to go wrong.

 

[Chan Tran]

Too big, too bulky and too heavy. The F4 was bad enough but bolting on that 'anchor' to the base killed it for me. I will wait for an F6 when they drop down in price a bit.

This is the primary reason for the price of the F5 to go down so much.

 

[GarageBoy]

Yup, no one needs a 8FPS film camera these days that can survive a war. Pretty sure most people into film are not doing that type of photography

Hence- Nikon FE2s and FM2s are still worth a good bit and top level pro cameras have dropped in price

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

A Nikon F5 is still around £250-300+ here in the UK. That's at least US $421.7 at current rates.
You are welcome to buy from the UK if you think your prices are too low!

Yup, no one needs a 8FPS film camera these days

[video=youtube;hwv82GIrHOg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwv82GIrHOg[/video]

 

[TheToadMen]

I'm offered a Nikon F5 today for Euro 205. ($285, GBP 168). I'm going over on Thursday.
I had an F5 but it died on me. Buying an other seems cheaper than sending it in for repairs.

I just love this bulky, heavy camera. And no need for an extra grip: already included for free!!
I like the looks of the F4s better, but I love to hold a F5 more.
Silly me, I guess.....

 

[BradleyK]

What's going on in the world?, I just bought a F5 for $150

In the late 90's they sold new for about $3500.00 ! :crazy

I always wanted one back then but I did not have the silly money for one.

Johnkpap

Sad to say, but your experience is not unusual. I paid only $212.00 USD for one of my F5 bodies (and it came with all its original documentation and packaging); the second - complete with a nice Lowepro bag - cost not much more (< $250.00 USD, if memory serves). Both are in almost mint condition (KEH E+). My F4e was likewise almost a freebie (<$100.00 USD, with shipping to Vancouver, BC). "Worst" though, was my last purchase of an F3HP and, subsequently, its MD4 drive: the camera (original price of $1219.00 USD - from Bel Air Camera of Palo Alto, CA listed on the box) was purchased for $85.00 USD; its MD4 (almost mint) was purchased on eBay for $6.01 USD (yes, you read that correctly). Looking in at ebay, recently, and KEH as well, only the Fs and F2s seem to sell at something more than give away prices.

 

[John_Nikon_F]

Sad to say, but your experience is not unusual. I paid only $212.00 USD for one of my F5 bodies (and it came with all its original documentation and packaging); the second - complete with a nice Lowepro bag - cost not much more (< $250.00 USD, if memory serves). Both are in almost mint condition (KEH E+). My F4e was likewise almost a freebie (<$100.00 USD, with shipping to Vancouver, BC). "Worst" though, was my last purchase of an F3HP and, subsequently, its MD4 drive: the camera (original price of $1219.00 USD - from Bel Air Camera of Palo Alto, CA listed on the box) was purchased for $85.00 USD; its MD4 (almost mint) was purchased on eBay for $6.01 USD (yes, you read that correctly). Looking in at ebay, recently, and KEH as well, only the Fs and F2s seem to sell at something more than give away prices.

That, and FM2 bodies. They seem to have gone up in price. Used to be able to pick up well-used examples for $50-$60. Ones that need work, for $30-$40. Now, the ones that need work go for $60-$75, and beaters usually end up being around $100-$120. Nice bodies, some are going for what they sold for new in the mid-late '80s. Suspect it's because the FM2/FM2n has become the new "K1000". Yet, a few days ago, I picked up a working, but somewhat beat up Nikomat FTn with 50/2 Nikkor-H for $21.50, plus shipping. A black FT3 that was pretty clean for $40.99, plus shipping. I remember looking at one that was in almost the same condition at a camera shop in '87. Was going for $369.00. Same with the FT2 I just bought. $45. Back in '91, there was one at Glazer's that didn't look as clean as mine, going for $329.00

-J

 

[MartinCrabtree]

I got an F with two FTn prisms free. What a great piece of work the F series Nikons are.