Your best deal ever?

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Making photos the analog way is rife with experiences of deals, hitherto-dream cameras now bought at bargain prices, pros unloading their material to amateurs in drove, and an ever-falling devaluation of formerly (or still) great equipment.

My best deal ever was the following setup: A Vivitar VI with dichroic colour head (the Dioptic one), all negative carriers (35mm, slides, 6x6), with a Unicolor set of drums+roller base, and to top it all: the Mythical Minolta C.E.-Rokkor 50mm f/2.8.

All in mint condition. Price? 100$.

Canadian dollars!

 

[Trask]

Polaroid 180 at a brocante in Brussels for around $2. Rolleicord Vb for around $75, Brussels again. Plaubel 67 Wide for $800 just after all the cables were fixed properly -- expensive, but still a bargain. Black Olympus FT with sought-after pancake lens, yard sale Virginia, $40. And others which my aging memory can't recall at the moment....

 

[sepiareverb]

I got a Leica M3 with a 50/2 lens plus a old ICA Stereo camera for $35. I sold the lens and that paid for a full CLA and mirror re-silvering. The ICA is about to go for $150.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

A Canham 14x17 and three Lotus film holders in exchange for making some art with it.

And what was supposed to be a couple of 5x7, 8x10 and 11x14 contact printing frames for $20 turned into a half-dozen 5x7, 2 8x10, 2 11x14, 1 14x17, 1 12x20 contact printing frames, six 7x11 film holders, three 11x14 dry plate holders, 2 11x14 film holders, scads of 4x5 and 5x7 film and dry plate holders, and a MASSIVE Kodak enlarging easel that can handle a 20x24 inch print with a 5" border.

 

[Steve Smith]

Rolleicord V for £34


Steve.

 

[David Brown]

pros unloading their material to amateurs in drove,

Local pro goes digital - sold me his entire darkroom:

Beseler 4x5 with computer dichro head & a Zone VI cold light
4 (count'm 4) Componon lenses
temp control sink
trays, tanks, timers, etc.

$200

Sold 3 of the Schneider lenses to get the money back. Sold both enlarger heads and bought different ones - even.

 

[domaz]

A Hugo Meyer Gorlitz Plasmat convertible in a working Compur shutter for $40. I didn't even know how good of a deal this was at the time- thought it was just a fun junky lens to play with. Igor Camera and EBay have them listed for $300-500.

 

[wrench]

Yashica 72e half frame camera for $3 at a thrift store. After only shooting with a Hasselblad for 5 years, some color film in the Yashica has been a revelation. I couldn't be happier that I found that camera. Turns out it was just what I needed.

 

[Jon Shiu]

I paid $1.50 for a Diana F camera about 20 years ago. Made more good pictures with that camera than any of the other 35mm, medium format, 4x5, 8x10 cameras I've had.

Also got at Gitzo G 1228 carbon fiber tripod with Arca Swiss B1 head for $7.50 at a rummage sale.

Jon

 

[bdial]

A brand new Saunders 16x20 4 blade easel for $20.00

 

[mjs]

Probably the Beseler 45 enlarger for $7.50 at a local school district surplus auction. I was the only one who knew what it was but some old woman still bid against me a couple of rounds.

There was the one that got away: an estate auction with a B&J Grover monorail 8x10 with a couple of old wooden film holders and three or four old lenses (not good lenses and not particularly valuable.) I had it at $60 when some guy ran up out of breath just before "Sold!" and bid. Irritated the heck out of me. I got him up to $500 and let him have it. He came up to me after the auction; he thought it was a camera but wasn't sure. He asked me whether or not they still made film for it! I pointed out the rail clamp and told him to take care of it, that was the most important part because it was often missing. Never did hear how that turned out.

Mike

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

There was the one that got away: an estate auction with a B&J Grover monorail 8x10 with a couple of old wooden film holders and three or four old lenses (not good lenses and not particularly valuable.) I had it at $60 when some guy ran up out of breath just before "Sold!" and bid. Irritated the heck out of me. I got him up to $500 and let him have it. He came up to me after the auction; he thought it was a camera but wasn't sure. He asked me whether or not they still made film for it! I pointed out the rail clamp and told him to take care of it, that was the most important part because it was often missing. Never did hear how that turned out.

Mike

What a jackass. He deserved every penny of what he spent to get it.

 

[heespharm]

Bought a mint hassy 500c (late model) with 3 backs and 80mmplanar t for 300 bucks

 

[benjiboy]

A Nikon F with a 50mm 1.4H lens for £40 from an outdoor market stall in a small town in North Yorkshire about twenty years ago that I later sold (because I'm a Canon FD user) for enough to buy another Canon F1N body that I still use.

 

[PaulW128]

An OM-1 body, 50mm 1.8, 28mm 3.5 and a 35-70mm 3.6, all in great condition for $66.00 on Ebay

Paul

 

[Shawn Rahman]

I got a Leica M3 with a 50/2 lens plus a old ICA Stereo camera for $35. I sold the lens and that paid for a full CLA and mirror re-silvering. The ICA is about to go for $150.

Wow! Who was the silly person who sold you this?

 

[eddie]

Do freebies count? If so, a beautiful, working Rolleiflex 3.5f, from my Mom's best friend. I told her what it was worth, but she said she'd rather give it to me, if I'd use it. I do.... often.
Another one of her friends gave me an Olympus Pen EE, also with the proviso that I use it. I do...
Her brother (my Uncle), recently gave me a Retina IIIc, with 3 lenses, filters, etc. Wonderful condition, and I've used it a few times ( I got it about 2 months ago).

My Mom needs more friends & brothers...

 

[3e8]

Not exactly a steal, but considering the dwindling supply, I got a Fotar 10' vertical 8x10 enlarger with 2 dichroic heads, 2 negative carriers, and an Ilford RC2150 RT processor for $200.

 

[removed account4]

i gots a lot of them, can't really just say one
well, maybe a mint condition manhatten wizard 4x5 plate camera, case and 3 or 4 plate holders
and 60 magic lantern slides all for 300$ ... sold the slides for 350$ so i guess i was paid 50$
to take the camera &C off his hands ...

 

[Brian Legge]

I've gotten a few nice ones but nothing on the scale of what people are talking about here:

- Rolleicord IV, needs a CLA but decent condition otherwise for $35.
- Olympus 35 DC for $8 (spent about 12 hours addressing issues but is in good condition now).
- Canonet 17 QL III for $15.
- Cosina CX-2 for $6 (film advance stuck, turning via the motor drive slot got it loose enough again). I feel like I should sell now, given the crazy price they go for due to the Lomo craze. I have a hard time justifying holding on to it honestly.

I had a chance at a cheaper Leica deal but couldn't do it. An elderly couple were wandering around a camera store looking for a good bag for their digital camera. Evidently they were really into photography a long time back but preferred to instantly share pictures with grandchildren after taking them now. They mentioned that they were going up to the counter in a minute to find out if their Leica M3 and dozen lenses were worth anything. They didn't really figure they were worth much but thought they'd ask anyway. At one point, they asked me if I'd be interested in them.

I probably could have lowballed them and walked away with it but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't afford a fair price for their kit anyway so I politely turned them down. I passed on info on rough worth and places to go to sell it.

It was the right thing to do but damn.. it would have been awesome getting an opportunity to shoot with a setup like his.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

I got a freebie a number of years ago when my father passed away. A Rolleiflex 2.8 TLR.

Jeff

 

[JPD]

$14 for a Rolleiflex 2,8E (but it needed repair service for $400).

$50 for a Rangefinder-Bessa with Heliar.

 

[ricksplace]

Beseler 45MX with componons 50/4,80/5.6,135/5.6"S", neg holders, saunders 4blade 11x14 and a bunch of tanks, reels, safelights, etc. Free. They were about to go to the dump. I have given away most of the tanks, reels, etc. to members on this site.

 

[2F/2F]

Probably a Rolleiwide in near mint condition for $750. Not cheap, but KEH offered me three times as much, cash, not trade. I imagine they would turn around and try to sell it for twice what they offered me. It is a camera I never would have dreamed of owning, especially in this condition, as prices are so high, and a Mamiya C with the 55mm is practically the same thing at a small fraction of the price. There were just under 4,000 of them made, and I found this one in a local thrift shop.

 

[Shaggysk8]

A Durst 605 with glass neg carrier, plus developing equipment £10 and a Leica IIIF with Canon F1.8 50mm both perfect condition £120