On another thread there was a discussion of a few overpriced items seen recently on dealer or auction sites, and a lot of strong opinions were expressed. We user-collectors are now competing with Millennials who are attracted to the medium and entering their peak earning years, as well as with dilettantes and collectors buying up gear to decorate their shelves with. The great film equipment glut of the first decade of the new millennium is over, and we're having to shop carefully, snipe auctions, and buy "project" camera gear or gear with significant cosmetic defects which detract from value significantly but don't affect use. We're also investing in models in need of repair at prices that would have commanded a recently CLA'd model just a few years back.
I own and use a decent collection of gear in Hasselblad, Rolleiflex, Pentax M42, Barnack Leica, Retina, and a couple of others. I've recently begun rebuilding the Nikon F system I had in the 1970s. I still need a few items to complete my Hasselblad and Rolleiflex outfits, and lust after a couple of the less common Takumar or Super Takumar lenses, but I'd like to beat the trends while I still can. Like many of us, my interests lie primarily in the pre-electronic era. If I want LEDs and motor drives, I'll stick with my digital outfit.
I'm thinking that several items are still affordable but about to skyrocket out of the range of amateur users and non-collectors. Nikon rangefinders already seem to be headed in this direction, but I still see bargains in Canon rangefinder bodies and LTM Japanese and Russian lenses. I was thinking about buying a bargain early Bronica and a couple of lenses. There are also a plethora of bargain folders with great optics and solid, serviceable shutters and bodies. I have seen some old view camera brands at bargain prices, although Arca and its wannabes are now getting unaffordable.
I thought it would be fun to see what other user collectors are acquiring these days before the hipsters discover them and the prices go sky high. What are you buying or thinking of buying with a plan to use? What mechanical camera systems, unrecognized folders, under appreciated large format, and unrecognized lenses are you looking at?
Andy
I own and use a decent collection of gear in Hasselblad, Rolleiflex, Pentax M42, Barnack Leica, Retina, and a couple of others. I've recently begun rebuilding the Nikon F system I had in the 1970s. I still need a few items to complete my Hasselblad and Rolleiflex outfits, and lust after a couple of the less common Takumar or Super Takumar lenses, but I'd like to beat the trends while I still can. Like many of us, my interests lie primarily in the pre-electronic era. If I want LEDs and motor drives, I'll stick with my digital outfit.
I'm thinking that several items are still affordable but about to skyrocket out of the range of amateur users and non-collectors. Nikon rangefinders already seem to be headed in this direction, but I still see bargains in Canon rangefinder bodies and LTM Japanese and Russian lenses. I was thinking about buying a bargain early Bronica and a couple of lenses. There are also a plethora of bargain folders with great optics and solid, serviceable shutters and bodies. I have seen some old view camera brands at bargain prices, although Arca and its wannabes are now getting unaffordable.
I thought it would be fun to see what other user collectors are acquiring these days before the hipsters discover them and the prices go sky high. What are you buying or thinking of buying with a plan to use? What mechanical camera systems, unrecognized folders, under appreciated large format, and unrecognized lenses are you looking at?
Andy