Upward trend in camera prices.

ColColt · Dec 18, 2015

4C is hardly severe cold; even 4F isn't severe.

Not severe!! You wouldn't catch me dead in 4 degree weather. My fingers would be frost bitten in no time.

I have an LG V10 I just bought and it does an admirable job of videos I do of my dog. The back camera is 16MP...good as the D7000 Nikon. I wouldn't know where to start attempting to upload them to the computer. I'm good to be able to make and receive calls on it.

At 49 years of age I doubt that there is enough time left for me to wear out the mechanical cameras I own.

You're just a youngin'. I'll be 70 this February and would give a months pay(if I was still working) to be 49 again and feel and look today the way I did then. You've got a long time yet.

Sean Mac · Dec 18, 2015

Theo Sulphate said:
American spy John Walker made 250,000 photos with his Minox before wearing out the shutter.

The night before last I was buying a 50 F1.8 Zuiko off a guy with a Canon digicam. To be fair to him, he makes videos with it.

To test function and fit I brought a nice black OM1n. He was amazed at the idea of a camera that worked with no battery.

"How do you know if the picture is good?"

"Practice"

That camera and my OM2n had the prism foam removed more than 10 years ago. I run it through the shutter speeds every now and again but it has seen very little film. It's a clockwork backup for the OM2N.

Madly, since I signed up here at APUG I have started to wonder if I should buy a "backup" for it and the OM2n.

To compound the insanity I mostly shoot with a equally beautiful FM2n. My nephew has the "backup" for that. So a real clean one of those could easily find a new home.

Then there's the Rolleiflex 2.8f...Maybe a Tessar 3.5 for "backup". One for sale locally for 250 euro asking.

Even worse is the whole sheet film deal, 8x10 Foma is "only" 3 euro or so a pop. The rack style Phillips looks easy enough to build..

Theo Sulphate · Dec 18, 2015

Sean Mac said:
... since I signed up here at APUG I have started to wonder if I should buy a "backup" for it and the OM2n.

Oh most certainly you should. Even benjiboy has a backup F-1N. Can't have too many backups. Aircraft have triple redundancy in their controls, you know.

onre · Dec 19, 2015

Great, now I'm trying to resist the urge to get a FD mount system. Please, either talk me out of this or alternatively, if you're just pure evil, provide some information about reasonably priced FD mount glassware that everyone should at least try.

mr rusty · Dec 19, 2015

Madly, since I signed up here at APUG I have started to wonder if I should buy a "backup" for it and the OM2n

Ha! Which is why I have 5x OMs - 1x OM1n, 1 x OM2 and 3x OM2n. I keep film in 3 most of the time ektar and delta 100/400

Naples · Dec 19, 2015

John Bragg said:
Is it just my imagination or is the price of film cameras, especially compact ones, going up?

I know supply for some cameras is down, and when supply drops, prices tend to rise. This time last year I bought a nice used Nikon F100 from KEH in LN- condition. At the time, they had all sorts of F100s to choose from, from BGN (bargain) to EX (excellent) to EX+ (excellent plus) to LN- (like new minus) condition. Today KEH has no F100s for sale. None. In any condition.
:confused:

skorpiius · Jan 18, 2016

Naples said:
I know supply for some cameras is down, and when supply drops, prices tend to rise. This time last year I bought a nice used Nikon F100 from KEH in LN- condition. At the time, they had all sorts of F100s to choose from, from BGN (bargain) to EX (excellent) to EX+ (excellent plus) to LN- (like new minus) condition. Today KEH has no F100s for sale. None. In any condition.
:confused:

As a Nikon D80/D300 user, I initially got back into film after I was given a few antique cameras to mess around with, but once I decided I'd like to also use film for more 'serious' photos, it made sense to me to get a FSLR which was compatible with my Nikon lenses, even though I still had a Pentax PZ-1 from the 90s, but with no significant lens collection. Guess what Nikon FSLR was recommended the most as the best bang for the buck on multiple websites?

I suspect other Nikon DSLR users went the same route, exhausting the supply of F100s.

It would be interesting to see if the Pro/Prosumer late model Canons and Minoltas are going the same way.

Sirius Glass · Jan 18, 2016

I find the MF bodies and lenses prices are dropping. 35mm bodies have dropping prices. 35mm camera lenses has rising prices if the digi-snappers can use them. Supply and demand.

skorpiius · Jan 18, 2016

I notice KEH also has no N/F80s and only 2 F5s, both of which would be my 2nd choices to the F100.

Sirius Glass · Jan 18, 2016

With all the specials and sales that KEH had in December, their inventory is really down. I cannot complain because I got a 500mm Hasselblad lens in EX condition with a very low price and I got 30% off and free shipping. And I was not even that interested in getting the lens.

benjiboy · Jan 18, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
Oh most certainly you should. Even benjiboy has a backup F-1N. Can't have too many backups. Aircraft have triple redundancy in their controls, you know.

I actually have four Canon F1-N's Theo all bought second hand, and in more than twenty years none of them has ever let me down and at my age I'm more likely to fail than they are

Richard S. (rich815) · Jan 18, 2016

skorpiius said:
As a Nikon D80/D300 user, I initially got back into film after I was given a few antique cameras to mess around with, but once I decided I'd like to also use film for more 'serious' photos, it made sense to me to get a FSLR which was compatible with my Nikon lenses, even though I still had a Pentax PZ-1 from the 90s, but with no significant lens collection. Guess what Nikon FSLR was recommended the most as the best bang for the buck on multiple websites?

I suspect other Nikon DSLR users went the same route, exhausting the supply of F100s.

It would be interesting to see if the Pro/Prosumer late model Canons and Minoltas are going the same way.

There are dozens and dozens of F100 bodies and kits listed on eBay right now. Many, many sold (and completed) auctions too showing them going for $90-$180 or so depending on condition.

dabsond · Jan 18, 2016

I just wish people would stop using the Ebay 'Buy It Now' price to value their stuff. There is a reason it is still listed and not sold, they are asking to much. I did pick up a Nikormat FtN with the 50/f2 for $25. Excellent shape.

Richard S. (rich815) · Jan 18, 2016

dabsond said:
I just wish people would stop using the Ebay 'Buy It Now' price to value their stuff. There is a reason it is still listed and not sold, they are asking to much. I did pick up a Nikormat FtN with the 50/f2 for $25. Excellent shape.

That's why I always check sold and completed auctions....

seanE · Jan 25, 2016

A while back i was watching prices of ''digital'' Leica x1s and the prices seemed to be sky rocketing.

kal800 · Feb 4, 2016

But the question is "what now"?

To be honest, for the last years I've not been watching the market anyhow - just shooting the photos, happy that film photography still stands still. After brief research last days I realized that it is not. Hasselblad discontinued V series couple of years ago, so did Mamiya, there is no Canon SLR any more, Nikon only keeps F6, and MF camera is cheap OEM produced. On the other hand - Ilford's film sales is growing, there is Rollei, Adox, Ferrania's rebirth is expecting soon, there are still Fuji films in production, shops with analog photography stuff grow as well, even here in Poland. But how is it going to work if there is no new camera supply available. You can either buy new digital, or preserved new film camera for great price tag, or used depending on the condition and there are people who do not buy any used gear as a rule.

Any ideas what will become?

blockend · Feb 4, 2016

kal800 said:
But how is it going to work if there is no new camera supply available. You can either buy new digital, or preserved new film camera for great price tag, or used depending on the condition and there are people who do not buy any used gear as a rule.

Any ideas what will become?

At the lower end, cameras will be available for many years. Canon made millions of F, A and T-Series consumer bodies and lenses, enough to keep body parts going for a long time. At the high end specialists service Leica rangefinders and professional SLRs. As of 2016 there is no requirement for a new film camera, so the only entrants will be novelty cameras or jewellery Leicas. At some point there may be such a requirement, either because parts dry up, or digital camera technology offers high-tech spinoffs that have film camera application, but chances are film manufacture will be endangered by low sales before film cameras run out.

While ever fine examples of classic film cameras are available for less than the price of a new equivalent, manufacturers will stay out of the market.

kal800 · Feb 4, 2016

blockend said:
At the lower end, cameras will be available for many years. Canon made millions of F, A and T-Series consumer bodies and lenses, enough to keep body parts going for a long time. At the high end specialists service Leica rangefinders and professional SLRs. As of 2016 there is no requirement for a new film camera, so the only entrants will be novelty cameras or jewellery Leicas.

OK, agreed - in the 35 mm world - no problem - I can get brand new Leica, or Nikon if I desired automation and AF. Classic camera enthusiasts have no problem as well - millions of bodies, accessories are available - this week I acquired mint condition X700 with 50/1.4 lens and motor drive without any hassle. But in case of Medium Format things are not so sweet - that gear was intended for professionals and it is natural that production volumes were much smaller. The choice of Hasselblad cameras and accesorries is not as it was couple of years ago, parts in really nice conditions cost fortune, more than originals bought at Hasselblad dealer years back. Mamiya? 10 bodies only at german ebay right now. It is not very fortunate situation, taking into account that medium format cameras outperforms current digital SLRs significantly, which is not the case for 35 mm - modern FF DSLRs give comparable quality to film cameras. It should be right opposite - medium format should be sustained with slow decline of 35 mm. Now it looks as if the market was phasing out record players and records keeping alive cassette recorders if we wanted to apply it to the audio market.

blockend · Feb 4, 2016

kal800 said:
But in case of Medium Format things are not so sweet - that gear was intended for professionals and it is natural that production volumes were much smaller.

Mamiya 7 was still available until recently, but sales figures must have been small enough for Mamiya to cease manufacture. If 1990s prices are converted to 2016, we should be paying £4000-5000 for our medium format cameras. Instead, people buy professional DSLRs or secondhand 120 bodies. Manufacturers made money on lenses and accessories, and the market for those is almost non-existent at the price they would cost new.

wblynch · Feb 4, 2016

We can find amazing, serviceable film cameras from the past that can easily last 50-100 years with care.

We must care for the supply we have and not tear them up and throw them away. We won't continue being able to buy a replacement for $20 much longer.

fstop · Feb 9, 2016

dabsond said:
I just wish people would stop using the Ebay 'Buy It Now' price to value their stuff. There is a reason it is still listed and not sold, they are asking to much. I did pick up a Nikormat FtN with the 50/f2 for $25. Excellent shape.

I watched an auction that got relisted so many times that the seller probably paid more in listing fees than they got for the item.
It was on ebay for 18 months.
I've taken to throwing stuff away than list it on ebay.Parts bodies and aftermarket lenses I wound up with when buying other stuff is all going in the garbage.

nolanr66 · Feb 10, 2016

I just watch KEH with their dwindling 35mm camera gear.. KEH is carrying much less inventory then before so there is definitely less for me to consider. I do not shop ebay or Craigslist and there are no camera stores around.. I have a son that is a camera magnate however and I can always hit him up for a film box to shoot if I need to.

Sirius Glass · Feb 10, 2016

KEH when down to almost no Hasselblad lenses only to spring back up with many more a few days later.

Upward trend in camera prices.

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