I go to a liqudation auction most Tuesdays after work these days. There is always the chance for astounding buys while there.
I have bought a tray of cameras and other bits for $10. It contained in part:
- Two good 35mm p&s auto cameras with integral zooms's - a fuji 28-100mm and a pentax 28-150 - one even complete with it's lithium battery. One is now used by my son, and the other is now a glove box potential accident documentation ready camera.
- Two functioning P&S 1.3MP Samsung's as functioning historical oddities of early inexpensive digicams; still work when fed a CF card and two AA's. One same dead one discarded.
- One Canon s1a1 or something like that P&S digicam, which had an iodine poisoned image sensor, as so many made of that era did. Discarded, but it has 4-AA 2800mAh NiMH batteries that are sitll fully functional, and now provide a spare set for one of my Vivitar hot shoe camera flashes.
- One Fuji Instax 210 instant camera missing a battery competment door. New functionally equivalent door replacement made from matt board and gaffer tape. Camera works great, and its Instax Wide instant film is widely available.
On a second lot I bought a Fuji Instax 500AF for $6. At the moment it's film eject rollers are jammed, and the viability of repair has not been fully sussed out. It's lithium CR123 batteries are good, and are now being held as spares for powering my wife's Canon Sureshot P&S.
A third lot bought for $2 contained a 12V 3.4Ah AGM lead acid battery that now functions as a second battery to extend the flash capabilities for one outing of an old Norman 200B pack and head flash that I use for location work. That third lot also included enough denture cleaner to keep my wifes' dental appliance clean for at least year. Yes, the combinations of things in aech lot can be odd.
It is an unual way to spend a tuesday evening, but it can be a great way to save money when I bring home household staples as well as my camera ephemera. Plus it is a night spent standing mostly, rather than flopped on the couch, being tempted to snack at each commercial break while zoned out watching TV.
