I am still on a lookout for a few replacement lenses for my Bronica.
Today, I decided to log onto KEH and see what they have for sale.
They had 4 Bronica SQA lenses listed - in total.
When I bought my SQAi not much more then 2 years ago, there was lenses and gear everywhere - now it nearly seems like its dried up. Whats happened? Are people hoarding? Is all the SQ gear failing? This is very curious.
Yesterday after a long break I did a Bronica search on ePrey and found considerably more gear than I recall from a few months back, sometimes I think it's seasonal! But perhaps the toss-offs from the pros who went bit-zapping has dwindled as people like ourselves took advantage of the opportunities and now most of the gear is in the hands of happy users; I know I haven't been coveting anything much lately. As an opportunist of sorts, there are a couple of items I might yield to temptation for at giveaway pricing, but I doubt such an opportunity will happen.
Quite right, I have noticed this too as I recently bought a Bronica EC just for mucking around really, and noticed that there were more of the earlier S and E series cameras and lenses around than the SQ. Still seems to be a bit of the 6x4.5 stuff available, although much of this was well used by the wedding folks.
Maybe the SQ series didn't sell in huge numbers or they are so good that no-one will let them go
I've seen threads suggesting that many used camera places minimize their inventory around tax season. I have no idea if this is accurate or not but I can imagine some seasonal fluctuations in stock. Reduced availability may not be limited to the SQ line.
Not that this helps you, but it's not specific to Bronica. KEH's inventory has shrunk across the board in the last year or two. There's still lots of Hasselblad and Nikon gear on offer, but there are no RB67 bodies listed, and the listings of Pentax bodies and lenses are less than a quarter as long as I remember them being in 2009-2010, which is the last time I was seriously looking. It makes me wish I'd taken advantage of the great bonanza of bargains. Ah well.
I hope that today's pickings are slimmer because all those cameras are in the hands of happy shooters, or better yet that Brian Legge's hypothesis is correct and that we'll see a seasonal expansion of inventory around when I go on a shopping spree this summer.
KEH posts notices quite often that they are coming to such and such a place to buy and sell gear. I think they must be the most aggressive buyers in the business, and as a result usually have a good inventory. But, at Christmas time, I've noticed for the last few years their stock dwindles considerably and we are not that far away from gift buying time that stocks have not yet been replenished. But, I think they're working hard at doing so.
Hmmm -- I was just cruising the 'Large Format' listings (don't ask) on ePrey and must have seen at least four or five Bronicas -- maybe they're disappearing into the wrong categories as the latest generation doesn't know what 'medium format' and 'large format' actually refer to??!!
I do recall getting quite a few e-mailings from KEH over the last couple of months. I seem to recall a recent one saying they had acquired a bunch of stuff and were in a bit of a bottleneck getting it sorted and posted. Maybe there's a bunch in a warehouse in Georgia. I do recall they were on buying missions at a couple of camera stores here in the Philadelphia area last fall.
They are disappearing because people are buying them. The range of SQ's and lenses has decreased considerably from two years ago on Ebay, and it is the same with Hasselblad, etc. Photographers want to use film again. But the Bronica SQ in particular has been getting great press on the camera forums, justifiably so, and rather than being seen as a wannabe Hassel alternative is viewed in a more considered light for what it is.
This is purely anecdotal so take it for what it is worth. I had my eye on several items for a Rollei 6008i for several months. One by one they disappeared and were not restocked. Their entire Rolleiflex SLR inventory seems quite low as compared to even a few months ago. I haven't been watching KEH's Rollei inventory for years so I don't know if this is unusual.
Similarly their Contax SLR 35mm stuff is only fraction of inventory vs only a few months ago. I think personally this is less a demand thing than KEH not being as aggressive buying items that do not move too quickly....do you remember SQ stuff showing up and being gone fast?
Hi, here in Germany this week some SQ items "disappeared" in my camera bag:
2x SQ-A, Prism Finder Ae, metered waist level Finder, normal finder, Speed Grip, Lenses. S80, PS 65, 180, TC PS2x, ext ring 36, Bellows, 3xMag120, 1Mag135, external Battery pack...
were 2 sets from ebay germany....
A hasselblad like equipment was my dream as a student in the 90s, now it is really affordable, as i have all my MF BW lab gear from those times ( Yashicamat 124 and 35mmSW those days...).
I have to agree with Steve. The last time I was at Adorama there were four different guys there buying up used MF gear from Hassy to Mamiya RZ lenses, etc. I haven't had my eye on the market for very long but I am still able to find some good stuff and I have just recently started to build up my SQ-Ai system. I was a little upset that over Passover someone had managed to snatch up a bunch of lenses (online) that I was about to go in and see and possibly buy. I still managed to get what I wanted but it seems to me that interest is quite solid. I was having a hard time finding a 50 but after a few days I did find a nice on on the bay for a great price. Another thing to look at is KEH's "In-Transit" area. Just this week I've seen quite a few bodies, lenses and even a minty waist-level finder show up in their inventory!
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