When was the golden age of film camera buying?

[Theo Sulphate]

Indeed - the adaptors for the digital mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras (MILC) made otherwise neglected lenses rise in demand.

It took me a year to find a nice 35/2 FD lens (one that I could inspect before buying).

...and Minolta AF 50/1.4 (Alpha mount): much more expensive now.

 

[dmr]

I think the real "sweet spot" is the combination of 1960-1970s glass and early 21st. century film.

Unfortunately there's lots of old equipment out there and not that much of a film selection left.

 

[Agulliver]

From my perspective in the UK, it seemed that around 2002/2003 a lot of quite serious amateur and pro photographers ditched film ad "went digital". The used market was flooded with bodies, lenses, accessories, decent compact cameras, half frame, range finders...pretty much anything you wanted in the realm of 35mm gear. Medium format less so...because some pros were still using it and relatively few amateurs had decent MF gear.

But from 2002-2009 the auctions and classified ads were swamped with used equipment of decent quality from people who had "upgraded". I bought bricks of B&W and colour film, Tamron lenses, flash guns, a couple of Nikon F50 bodies for my wife to use....all for peanuts really. And you're not telling me that Joe Bloggs bought his film in bricks of 20, or that he had flash units which had cost a month's wages back in the 80s.

Then around 2009/10 the tide began to turn...there's still loads of equipment out there even today...but auctions receive more bids, prices begin and end higher...stuff I bought 10-15 years ago is going for prices that I would not consider today.

The only thing I regret is buying the cheap film...because it caused me to buy less new film in the years 2006-2013. I am guessing that I wasn't the only one...and that if we collectively had bought more new film...maybe there would be more choices today...

 

[Nodda Duma]

Oh and don't look for used equipment near the start of college semesters.

 

[railwayman3]

I'd say mid 1960's to mid 1970's particularly for 35mm equipment. I think it's the simplicity and functionality of cameras like the Spotmatics, I've always felt that most later cameras became over complicated with the various metering/auto options. Also this was still a time when cameras and lenses were over engineered, plastics weren't being used.

Ian

I'd agree with that 100%. Up to the 1960's "serious" photography was something of a specialist hobby, and often seemed to be regarded as difficult and expensive. In the mid-60's new equipment (as with many other "consumer" goods) became more readily available with larger choices, while disposible incomes rose, as did free time. Manufacturers still made equipment to the old high engineered standards, and there wasn't (yet) a demand for the latest all-singing, all-dancing models; , as you say, these later became more-and-more complicated, often just to persuade the more gullible that the newest upgrade was the Holy Grail which would revolutionise your photogrsphy.

 

[cooltouch]

It seems that most folks here agree that the tide had turned by 2009. Coincided with the uptick in the stock market, I wonder, that continues to this day? But my own perspective is different. I sold off some gear that I thought I'd never use again (big mistake) in 2004 and got good money for it. For example, a minty Rolleiflex Automat dating from the early 50s that I paid a couple hundred bucks for about 15 years prior, sold at auction on eBay for almost $500. A couple of Polaroids went for big bucks as well. But darkroom stuff sucked wind. Then in 2009, I really started getting interested in buying gear, and to me, deals abounded. Most of the deals were on eBay too. I was picking up Canon FTb's for $20 or less -- some extremely clean examples too. Oly OM-1 MD's for $30. Canon A-1s for $40. A Canon F-1n for less than $150. Nikon FEs for $40. One of my best scores was a Bronica ETRSi with lens, prism, and two backs (120 and 220) for $127. And I picked up a 40mm and 150mm for it for dirt cheap too.

At a local camera shop, I bought a Tamron SP 60-300 for $20, a Nikon MD2/MB3 motor drive for the F2 for $40, and a four lens deal, which included a Canon FD 85mm f/1.2 Aspherical, a Canon FL 55mm f/1.2, a Vivitar S1 28-90, and a Vivitar macro 2x TC for $350. !!! At this same place, I bought a Pentax SMCT 100mm f/4 macro for $40 and a Contax RTS Winder for $20. At another local camera shop, I bought a Gossen Luna Pro F for $5, a Vivitar close-focus 135/2.8 (the good one!) for $5, a Tamron 500mm mirror for less than $100, and other deals.

These deals were all happening in the 2009-2012 time frame.

In about 2013, I guess it was, I bought a Bolex H-16 reflex with a turret full of lenses for $100. Sold the camera a few months ago for $600 and one of the lenses for $250. Also that year, I bought the big Canon A-1 outfit I mentioned earlier, another smaller Canon outfit for cheap, but which included the rare and expensive Spiratone Bellows Master bellows with 150mm lens -- these are the bellows with full view-camera-style movements. I also picked up from KEH a "BGN" Tamron SP 80-200mm f/2.8 LD for $225.

Since then I have continued to find excellent deals. Like a Tamron SP 300mm f/2.8 LDIF for $500, a Pentax 67 outfit, including three lenses and the TTL finder for less than $600, and a beastly Tamron SP 200-500mm f/5.6 for about $250. I've picked up two Canon F-1n outfits with motor drive and winder for great prices, and a New F-1 with motor drive for a great price as well. I bought a Nikon PB-4/PS-4 bellows from a guy out of Craigslist for about half the going price and he gave me a black F2S! And everything worked on the camera, too. I even bought a nice F3 outfit from a guy on Facebook for a super price (F3HP, MD4, 70-300 ED, and 35mm f/2.8 AIs).

The deals haven't stopped coming either. I won't bore you with more of them, but I'm still finding cool stuff for great prices. I think the key is to be patient. On eBay, I'll bid on auctions and avoid BINs unless the prices are way cheaper than typical. Sometimes I get lucky at the local camera shop. But you know what I have noticed? Since about a year ago, the super cheap prices for 70s and 80s vintage cameras have almost completely dried up. What I used to be able to find for $20 are now going for $50. Cameras I used to be able to find for $50 are now going for $100 and up. And we're talking the good old classic film cameras like Canon FTb's and AE-1P's and Nikkormats and Nikon FE/FM's and Pentax K-series, MX, etc. So there really is a resurgence in film interest. The used market is starting to feel it now. Suddenly it has become "cool" to shoot film again, I'm thinking. If this trend continues, film cameras may reach prices they haven't seen since the mid-90s. And we're talking cameras, now, not lenses to be used with MILC's.

Really, even at today's higher prices, they're still way cheaper than they were, say, 30 years ago. Back in my camera dealer days, I'd get $150 for a clean Canon FTb, $250+ for a clean Canon F-1n, $350+ for a Nikon F3. So, even though prices are on the rise, they're still incredible deals compared to where they used to be during the heyday of film.

And about film, yes, it is obviously true that there are fewer choices now than even 10 years ago. But one thing is definitely true -- film is the best it has ever been. With the exception of the gaping hole that was left when Kodachrome went away. But for everything else, what there is left is truly great stuff. From Velvia 50 to Portra 400, T-Max 100 to Ilford HP5+, it's never been better. So, let's load up our classic cameras and get out there and burn through a bunch of rolls!

 

[railwayman3]

I've bought a fair amount of stuff on Ebay over the last 15 years, for photography and other interests. There were certainly bargains to be had for many hobby items back in the 2000's, but people have become more savvy and, while there is now a lot of "rubbish" at inflated prices, the better items fetch serious $$$.

A friend who is an antique dealer tells me that E-Bay killed the retail market for more modestly priced second-hand collectables in the 2000's, but in the last few years, genuine collectors have come back and are willing to pay good $$$....but only for items in the best condition.

 

[chip j]

With camera prices & interest in film shooting rising, maybe we can expect a few NEW film cameras??

 

[TheRook]

With camera prices & interest in film shooting rising, maybe we can expect a few NEW film cameras??

Well, there has been a steady stream of new instant film cameras coming out over the last few years.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

...
In about 2013, I guess it was, I bought a Bolex H-16 reflex with a turret full of lenses for $100
...

My Holy Grail.

Are most of what you buy coming from eBay or Craigslist? Anything bought at swap meets?

 

[Sirius Glass]

With camera prices & interest in film shooting rising, maybe we can expect a few NEW film cameras??

Highly doubtful. New designs and factory start up are expensive.

 

[Eric Rose]

This should be a poll.

 

[cooltouch]

My Holy Grail.

Are most of what you buy coming from eBay or Craigslist? Anything bought at swap meets?

The vast majority of items I've bought over the past eight years have been from eBay. I used to be able to pick up some good deals from shopgoodwill.com, but not so much anymore. Folks bid the prices up too high on any of the halfway decent items anymore.

That Bolex I found on Craigslist, though.

One of the things I miss most about Southern California is the swap meets everywhere. Especially the giant Rose Bowl swap meet that happens once a month. Back when I lived there, I used to have some major hauls buying at the Rose Bowl, but they all could be sporadically good. Here in Houston, there is one swap meet in the entire city and about 98% of the vendors are selling new crap. Last time I went, though, I snagged a huge Majestic tripod for $20. Dunno what I'll ever do with it, but since it was the only piece of photo gear in the entire swap meet, I couldn't leave it there.

 

[michr]

For me personally, the last two or three years have been great. I've been able to get ahold of many if not most of the types of interchangeable lens rangefinder excepting Leica and Leica clones. I have a handful of Nikon SLR bodies from the 70s that ten years ago I would have thought were amazing finds, that cost me less than $25 apiece with a lens recently. Once I became aware of the many manufacturers and models of cameras that have been made, the big makers, Leica, Rollei, Nikon and Canon, seem far less appealing. There's a tremendous variety of great stuff out there, which I suppose has been on eBay all along, probably at even better prices. But this is a golden-enough age. It seems amazing that I can buy a fully functional camera for less than the price of a roll of film + processing. And at this point, I'd rather have the camera itself as an Objet d'art than the 36 photos, if forced to choose.