Look out for the SV, too, the non-TTL but better-made version of the Spotmatic. These usually go for well under £50/$100 complete with f/1.8 or even f/1.4 standard lenses. The shutters are normally very lazy, though: +1 stop is normal at 1/250 and above.
Cheers,
R.
Hi Roger,
Perhaps it's a typo. I think you meant the SL...which actually is a spotmatic sans meter. The SV (and it's brother from Honeywell, the H3V) is the spotmatics' ancestor.
To the original poster's question.."How much should I expect to pay?..."
It varies very widely. Some things that seem to factor into the price...
1) which 50mm lens. If the body comes with the SMC or "Super-Multi-Coated" Takumar 50/1.4 the price seems to go disproportionatly higher than say, the same body in the same condition with a 1.8 or, egad, the 55/2.0. The irony is that the 55/1.8 is actually a better (sharper) lens.
2) whether or not the meter is known to work and be somewhat accurate.
3) which model. The Spotmatic F commands a significantly higher price than all of the other models...I guess, this is because it was designed to use a currently available battery...I don't know. I think they later modela are at least as ugly as the early K-1000. That hot shoe on top just spoils it - for me.
4) as with all things, marketing. For example, an item presented with good sharp photos always seems to a higher price.
Personally, I'll pay a little extra for a kit that comes with the original lens caps or other little OEM bits (the accessory shoe for example). I tend to only look at cameras that appear to have either been little used or, well taken care of.
Soem things to watch out for:
Except for the 'F' and the 'SL', all spotmatics used a mercury botton cell to power the meter. When these leak they make a awful mess of the metal underside of the camera. The cloth focal plane shutters on these cameras are also getting old and weak. Not a big deal if it's going to sit in a display case I guess but, it is if you actually wanna use the thing.
Oh, and I have to agree with Roger. The glass is now overrated. It is very good glass considering it's age but...
Unfortunately, the current trend among Digital SLR users, and particularily the Canon breed, seems to be to get a 50mm, f/1.4 SMC-Takumar and an adapter and then go out and shoot 10,000 frames of garbage with the vintage glass and brag about how great it is to all you fellow digi-heads. Needless to say, this kind of behaviour is amusing at best. With any luck, this too shall pass.
Brad.
