overrated equipment

Chan Tran · Jul 18, 2021

Don Heisz said:
Minolta SRTs routinely sell with lenses for 1/10th the current selling price of a K1000.

SRTs are also perfectly good, not at all over-rated. They, like most Minolta stuff, are normally undervalued.

I don't know if prices have changed. Auer said SRT's are selling for same prices as K1000, perhaps true because I haven't check their prices recently. Back a few years ago the K1000's are selling for about $100 (about the price when they were introduced) the SRT were selling for like $35-50 or less. (The SRT's were in the $200 price range in their time).

Don_ih · Jul 18, 2021

I can tell you from experience it's easier to get a higher price for a K1000 with three third-party lenses than it is to get for an SRT with three Minolta lenses. Minolta is not a hyped brand.
I think of the SRT as being similar to the FTb and the Nikomat. Those cameras aren't normally badly overpriced, either.

Auer · Jul 18, 2021

Don Heisz said:
Minolta SRTs routinely sell with lenses for 1/10th the current selling price of a K1000.
.

Not on an average, no.

Robert Maxey · Jul 18, 2021

cullah said:
the alpa line were very overrated. while some of the lenses,were stellar, especillay the ones from angenieux, the camera bodies were problomatic. the alpas i used were the best hand-fit and by far had the best rewind i have ever come across, but all four of the ones i had, had shutters that were not dependable.

I occasionally look at the new Alpa Cameras and they seem quite good.

The price, well, that is also a consideration. The cameras are no doubt well made, as is the price. Perhaps I am a sucker for rosewood.

Optics are great, no doubt. My personal experience with Alpa cameras is limited. Just the old stuff that came in used. I looked at some of the sample pictures on Alpa's web site and they look good.

I'll probably look for a Speed Graphic or a good, used Linhof, so for now Alpa is off my radar.

Chan Tran · Jul 18, 2021

Don Heisz said:
I can tell you from experience it's easier to get a higher price for a K1000 with three third-party lenses than it is to get for an SRT with three Minolta lenses. Minolta is not a hyped brand.
I think of the SRT as being similar to the FTb and the Nikomat. Those cameras aren't normally badly overpriced, either.

I have 2 K1000's I think I am going to sell them. I would never use them anyway. I got them for free. I have a couple of KX's and an ME Super if I want to use K mount lenses.

removed account4 · Jul 18, 2021

I've been using a K1000 as my main 35mm camera since around
1980. I have a MeSuper, and a L**a too...
and while the Mesuper would be my desert island 35mm,
I'd rather use the K1000 every day ... It was purchased new at a local
department store with a lens for $129,
and
has only gone to the shop once
about 4 years after it jumped out of a hole in my backpack
and the baseplate slammed the sidewalk when I was running for a bus,
I had duct tape on it for a few years while I continued to use it
( that was 30 years ago ).
I don't think any other camera I own / have used would survive slamming the pavement like that ...
for me at least, it is UNDERrated, not OVERrated...
YMMV

4season · Jul 18, 2021

I expect to de-emphasize Fuji, Pentax and Minolta from my own collection, at least those produced from the late 1970s onward. No manufacturer designs cameras to last forever, but some just seem needlessly fussy to keep alive due to cost-cutting, complexity or just plain odd design decisions. But there are some exceptions: For example, Minolta Hi Matic F is a reasonably tidy design, and I think odds of keeping one alive in the years ahead are decent with proper storage.

I got a Nikon F3 in my repair queue and don't yet know if there's an easy fix for problems like flakey LCD, but what I've seen so far of the interior has been impressive: You can really see where your money went with cameras like this!

M-88 · Jul 18, 2021

jnantz said:
I've been using a K1000 as my main 35mm camera since around
1980. I have a MeSuper, and a L**a too...
and while the Mesuper would be my desert island 35mm,
I'd rather use the K1000 every day ... It was purchased new at a local
department store with a lens for $129,
and
has only gone to the shop once
about 4 years after it jumped out of a hole in my backpack
and the baseplate slammed the sidewalk when I was running for a bus,
I had duct tape on it for a few years while I continued to use it
( that was 30 years ago ).
I don't think any other camera I own / have used would survive slamming the pavement like that ...
for me at least, it is UNDERrated, not OVERrated...
YMMV

Hmm... How about Km or Kx? K1000 is cheaper version of those two and yet, somehow it used to cost substantially more than those a few years ago. Km has DOF preview and self-timer, while Kx also has "judas window" for aperture reading. And among those three, K1000 is the one that's overrated.

Same goes for Canon AE-1/AE-1 Program, by the way. A-1 is a much more capable camera and yet everybody is losing their mind about the former model. Internet blogs and "influencers" can be a nuisance.

NB23 · Jul 18, 2021

I have snobbed the K1000 ever since I started Photography 30 years ago. After 15 years of heavy Leica M use I have stumbled on a K1000, in a used cameras store.

I was very pleasantly surprised at the camera. Solid feel. Excellent viewfinder.

And the shutter lag seemed to be totally unexistant, making the camera’s shutter ultra responsive. I am veeeeery sensitive about my cameras, I can lend you one of my cameras and know what has changed, how you used it, when you’ll give it back. I pick up the slightest feels.

The K1000 definitely has a great shutter response and this alone gives confidence in the camera. Definitely one of the fastest out there. Please note I have only ever handled one sample, so I cannot judge the whole K1000 production.

faberryman · Jul 18, 2021

NB23 said:
I am veeeeery sensitive about my cameras, I can lend you one of my cameras and know what has changed, how you used it, when you’ll give it back. I pick up the slightest feels.

Wow.

NB23 · Jul 18, 2021

faberryman said:
Wow.

I don’t know if it’s sarcastic or not, and it is irrelevant. But I do know that camera repairmen can’t easily get by when working on my stuff.

Like the times I sent many leicas back at least 3 times to get a proper job done. Or just last months when I got my rolleiflex 2.8E2 back from a full cla; the shutter button lost its firmness and a few unpleasant feels here and there. In the end, it all got corrected... as it should.

eddie · Jul 18, 2021

NB23 said:
I am veeeeery sensitive about my cameras, I can lend you one of my cameras and know what has changed, how you used it, when you’ll give it back. I pick up the slightest feels.

You're a "camerawhisperer"...

removed account4 · Jul 18, 2021

M-88 said:
Hmm... How about Km or Kx? K1000 is cheaper version of those two and yet, somehow it used to cost substantially more than those a few years ago. Km has DOF preview and self-timer, while Kx also has "judas window" for aperture reading. And among those three, K1000 is the one that's overrated.

Same goes for Canon AE-1/AE-1 Program, by the way. A-1 is a much more capable camera and yet everybody is losing their mind about the former model. Internet blogs and "influencers" can be a nuisance.

not sure about those cameras, I have never had one or held one or used one.
I guess the influencers are there to influence people woh don't want to do anything for themselves ...
it seems we are currently in the golden age of people living vicariously through their influencers..

reddesert · Jul 18, 2021

People get information now from watching videos on Youtube or Instagram, rather than celebrity endorsements or TV commercials. "Influencer" could be anyone hyping a camera on youtube, whether they are making quality photography instructional videos or just flacking equipment. Once upon a time, camera companies got famous people to endorse their product, like Hollywood actors with the stereo camera craze, or Andre Agassi with the EOS Rebel. Obviously Pentax is not going to pay anyone to advertise the K1000; the difference for "influencers" today is that they have to draw their own audience, which means their videos tend to be breathless excitement, or hyping the latest vintage discovery.

The younger people in the audience today didn't grow up with film photography and they have to learn about it somewhere - if they learn about it from someone who has an overly high opinion of the Canon AE-1, that's a pretty small price to pay.

Don_ih · Jul 18, 2021

Auer said:
Not on an average, no.

Not on average, but routinely. There are 12 recent results for srts that sold under $25 Canadian. There are 3 recent results for k1000 under 25 Canadian dollars - they were all broken. Some of the srt cameras were broken, too, but some were working.

warden · Jul 18, 2021

reddesert said:
if they learn about it from someone who has an overly high opinion of the Canon AE-1, that's a pretty small price to pay.

Much agreement here. Youtube is the source of a lot of film photography enthusiasm and education for the younger crowd, and older crowd too. And it doesn't matter if you pay $100 "too much" for a camera that will last a lifetime.

Nicholas Lindan · Jul 18, 2021

[QUOTE="warden, post: 2443635, member: 34532"... it doesn't matter if you pay $100 "too much" for a camera that will last a lifetime.[/QUOTE]

For a lifetime buy the Nikon F2 is an underrated camera, what with F2A & AS cameras selling for less than the youtube hyped FM2. Though, to tell the truth I am very partial to the FM2...

After seeing the hype over the Olympus Stylus Epic/mju II I dug my Father's old Stylus out of a storage box and decided to flog it. It seems photrio is deficient in hipsters. The stylus is a good camera, with a foible in the focus (put it into 'spot' mode or it may decide to focus on something you weren't planning on), but $400!!??

warden · Jul 18, 2021

M-88 said:
Hmm... How about Km or Kx? K1000 is cheaper version of those two and yet, somehow it used to cost substantially more than those a few years ago. Km has DOF preview and self-timer, while Kx also has "judas window" for aperture reading. And among those three, K1000 is the one that's overrated.

I guess we have to think about whether we actually want a self timer. (I have them on a few cameras and never use them.) Or a depth of field preview. (ditto.) etc.

Paying less for more features might be appealing to some and less appealing to others. I just checked eBay - K1000s and KX cameras both appear to sell below $200 with a lens included, which is a great deal imo. There was a K1000 for $175 that included three lenses. It's hard to go wrong with these simple old cameras.

Moose22 · Jul 18, 2021

Nicholas Lindan said:
e youtube hyped FM2. Though, to tell the truth I am very partial to the FM2...

Is that what happened? I mean, they were cheap a couple years back. About a year ago I was looking at getting back into film. Couldn't find my FM in storage and the EM needed repair -- didn't like that camera in the 90s anyway -- so I thought "I'll buy a new old camera" and was looking at an FM2N. Prices were a little more expensive than 2 years before, but still a lot of them around for reasonable money.

Well, I ended up going for medium format first, then decided to get an F6 to experiment with film stocks (it writes exif data, and 135 is a lot less expensive when burning frames on bracketing). Then this year I went back to get a manual camera and Fm2 prices were double what they were a year before.

F6 I get it. Right after they announced the production stop you could no longer find a US model on ebay.But all the old manual nikons had gone WAY up in price, too.

New

warden said:
... it doesn't matter if you pay $100 "too much" for a camera that will last a lifetime.

Exactly. Film photography is expensive. The equipment, especially durable equipment you can sell later if you care for it, is the least of the real expense.

This was my thought when I bought some to try. I have an FM3A which I thought was way overpriced. After 4 rolls I loved it. And I just looked and they're also more expensive than I paid 6 months ago. But I'm not selling it until I can't buy film anymore. It works for me. SO I could have gotten a different camera for $200 less, but amortize that $200 over a decade, or over the refrigerator full of film I have here, and it's not nearly so big a deal.

I also have an FA (which was cheap) and an F3 I'm trying out. I'll sell the ones I don't bond with for what I paid, or if I lose $50 I'll just call it a rental fee for the 10 rolls of film I ran through it. But I'm sure the Fm3 and the F3 will still be working or reparable for a decade.

Oh, on topic, if you're going by price, FM3A is overrated. I paid $200 extra to get the needle meter (The FE2s have the same meter though) and a few features I pretty much never use or can easily do without.

Fabulous example of a camera to cap the end of the manual focus Nikon era, but they're two or three times the price of other nikons that are functionally just as good.

Chan Tran · Jul 19, 2021

M-88 said:
Hmm... How about Km or Kx? K1000 is cheaper version of those two and yet, somehow it used to cost substantially more than those a few years ago. Km has DOF preview and self-timer, while Kx also has "judas window" for aperture reading. And among those three, K1000 is the one that's overrated.

Same goes for Canon AE-1/AE-1 Program, by the way. A-1 is a much more capable camera and yet everybody is losing their mind about the former model. Internet blogs and "influencers" can be a nuisance.

They can be a nuisance but they helped me buy the KX and A1 for peanuts. I wouldn't buy the K1000 or AE-1 (But someone gave them to me so I guess I will sell them as the fetch good bucks and I don't use them as I have better).

removed account4 · Jul 19, 2021

reddesert said:
The younger people in the audience today didn't grow up with film photography and they have to learn about it somewhere - if they learn about it from someone who has an overly high opinion of the Canon AE-1, that's a pretty small price to pay.

to be honest I am not one of those people who cares about the whole influencers racket .. like you said its been going on forever. but I gotta give it to their internet friends and influencers, they are pretty excited about using film, like they should be ! film is fun and its fun that can last a lifetime.
still people are funny they actually think that perfume or pants or shirts or cameras sold to them by a Movistar or internet movie star / influencer / ticktocked is going to change who they are. oh well. I think people's expectations are kind of over inflated by gear sold to them via video by some talkster ..

I'm still waiting for my gold bars ... so I can buy a gigantic camera this guy sold me, most definitely ...

I’m contacting because I want to be your friend and confide in you because I have in my possession now 92 Kilograms of Gold Bars, Quality: 23 carat, purity 96% that I inherited from my late mother which I want to ship to your country and sell for investment in your country because I want to leave XXXXX and relocate to your country to continue my education in your country. I want you to stand by me as my tutor and ship this Gold Bars to your country and sell for investment in your country. Note that I am writing you this email purely on the ground of trust because I don’t know you and we have not met before. I found you here and my mind convinced me that I can trust you.
Waiting to hear from you.

faberryman · Jul 19, 2021

Does anyone actually buy equipment based on a review by some random guy on YouTube?

Vaughn · Jul 19, 2021

Just another source of info. What one does with it it what is important.
I recently was checking YouTube videos for info on ebikes...it is not so 'random' if the person is a bike shop owner that sells and repairs ebikes.

Chan Tran · Jul 19, 2021

faberryman said:
Does anyone actually buy equipment based on a review by some random guy on YouTube?

Not so much for film cameras as I generally only buy those that I knew for a long time. But with new equipment yes but never their opinion. For example if the guy said he loved it because it has the exposure compensation right under the right thumb I know the camera has it and I won't buy it. If he said it's on the left side and you have to push a button to move it makes it difficult to move then I know that's what I like although the guy would hate it.

warden · Jul 19, 2021

faberryman said:
Does anyone actually buy equipment based on a review by some random guy on YouTube?

Random Youtube guy? No, of course not. Trusted expert on Youtube? Well yes, of course their opinion matters. You have to do your homework, and Youtube is one of many places to do it.

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