Your Great Garage Sale 35mm Find?

[GM Bennett]

I picked up a (barely used, as far as I could tell) Konica Auto S2 for $5 (CDN - so like US$4!). Pretty hefty for a 35mm rangefinder, but the lens is sharp and contrasty.

 

[snegron]

I believe that I got lucky with the Pentax and Minolta cameras I mentioned in my original post. However, after reading everyone's great finds here I am now motivated to actively go out and search garage sales for bargain 35mm equipment!

 

[nyoung]

I was working at a camera shop in the mid 80's when a woman came in with two 35's she bought at a garage sale. A Practica, and a Leica IIIc. She bought them both for $20. Neither worked. I told her how much it would cost to fix them both and she wasn't having any of that. I told her the Leica was worth quite a bit, but she didn't want to bother. I even got the used camera value guide out to show her. Still not interested. She said she couldn't even see through the little focusing hole, her words. I had two 20's in my pocket and I offered them to her for the Leica. I was a student and it was all I had for the rest of the month. She just shrugged and said, "ok."

I paid a little over $100 to get it fixed and sold it a few years later for a pretty good profit. Probably the only time I'll ever own one.

The only time I ever got to touch one of those, a high school freshman student brought a camera bag into class the second day and told me that it was her grandmother's camera.

She wanted to know if it was good enough to use in the class because it was kinda old. I opened the bag to find the Lecia III and three lenses - all in immaculate condition.

I thought about trading her a Pentax K 1000 for the kit but my better nature took over. I sent it home with a note to her grandmother telling her about what I thought it would be worth and the number of a dealer I knew who would be interested in buying it. I didn't have that kind of money at that time.

 

[GeorgeDexter]

Last summer I found a double-stroke Leica M3 with collapsable 50mm f2 at a garage sale! It had been on a shelf for 20 years, and the rangefinder was sluggish and the speeds off. It came with a hardbound Leica book, lens hood and very useable eveready case. It had belonged to the seller's father and had sentimental value. I offered her all I had, $100, and though she knew it was worth more, she took it on the condition that I promised her that I would care for it and use it (and not sell it on eBay). After a $125 re-lube and adjustment, the camera is in perfect working order. BTW, I do consider myself extremely lucky! Now if I could just find a 35mm Summicron at a yard sale...

 

[snegron]

A brief follow up to my garage sale expedition today:

I found absolutely nothing! There was a bulk film loader, but I didn't want to take the risk because I wasn't sure if it would have a light leak due to its age. So I guesss the quest continues...!

 

[C A Sugg]

In the early 90's I picked up and Alpa 9d with 50mm 1.9 and a German 135mm at a yard sale for $75.

And at an estate sale last year I bought a Bronica ETRS, AE-II finder and with 50, 75 and 150 (4.0) MC lenses for $300. All but the 75 could reasonably be called "like new." And the wide and tele sported the proper lens hoods. All in good working order.
Question -- what is the difference between the 150 4.0 and the 3.5?

 

[PHOTOTONE]

I have had a studio for 30 years. Over the years various people have offered me equipment. One that stands out was a lady I knew that had a Leica IIIg, with various accessories, in mint condition. She wanted a modern (for that time) 35mm SLR. I traded her (ordered brand new) something like a Canon AE-1 with lens. She was very happy. Of course the IIIg was worth about triple (or more) what the Canon was worth. Alas when I got into a financial pinch I sold it. Never again will I sell photo rare gear. I still have plenty of Leica gear for my use, but I have never since had a IIIg.

 

[Ektagraphic]

I have had terrible luck with garage sale camera finds! I have found great other things including a brand new Kodak Carousel 4400 for $5!!

 

[Joe Grodis]

The Local Flea Market here in Wyoming PA (USA) is a Hot Spot for vintage camera gear that isn't junk. So far in the last 9 months I've purchased 13 Range Finders and one large format camera. I could have bought more but I only pick up the "choice" deals. The past Sunday I added a Yashica Lynx 5000E (mint), Fujica 35(EX+), and a Minolta 16 (P) to my collection.

 

[mudman]

Well I'll add a craigslist buy - nikon 35mm f2 AIS, 50mm f1.8 AF, 105 f2.5 AIS for $100 total.

 

[nyoung]

Well I'll add a craigslist buy - nikon 35mm f2 AIS, 50mm f1.8 AF, 105 f2.5 AIS for $100 total.

That's a SCORE!!!!!!

 

[mudman]

All the gear is in like new condition - he bought it as back up gear and it sat in a closet for 10 years or so. I'm anxious to try the 35 and the 50 in low light. He said he knew it was worth more but just wanted the space back in his house.

 

[John Bragg]

Just recieved an Olympus Mju II / Stylus Epic from Fleabay. £6.50 in apparently VGC. Looking foreward to loading it with Neopan 400 and giving it a go..

 

[andrewc]

Our local flea market frequently has great finds. I found an Exakta VX with a Carl Zeiss Jena f/2 Pre-set Biotar for $30. The camera is in excellent working condition (I use it fairly frequently) and the lens is very clean. Most recently I also found my SRT 102 with a 50/1.7 Rokkor-X at the same place for $40. After cleaning it up and replacing seals, it's almost like new. Almost. At our Goodwill I found a Vivitar 35ES in great condition with a $1.99 price tag and the Japanese version of the Sure Shot Supreme (a quartz-date model with Japanese script on it).

 

[brian d]

From local flea markets a near mint Kodak Retina Reflex IV with working meter,schneider 50mm, and field case for 10$ and a also near mint Stereo Realist for 25$.
The Realist had more lenses so it was "worth more":rolleyes:

 

[darinwc]

I've never found anything decent any a yard sale.
I've bought a couple SLR's from thrift stores, not any high quality stuff and not for the best prices, but it does save me the cost of shipping.

 

[Dennis S]

Finds

Bought a Canon AE 1p for 40 $ last year. Not a big deal. BUT it was in the ORIGINAL box! Still had the plastic insert that goes in side new cameras. Didn't ever have a battery put in so they thought it was no good.You have to take it as is no returns. New battery every things works like new. I never knew that sutters sounded so good.

 

[Steve Roberts]

Not a garage or car boot sale, but yesterday I bought two Pentax lenses 50mm f1.7 SMC-M and 28mm f2.8 SMC-M both in superb condition for £8 the pair.

Steve

 

[benjiboy]

I bought a Benbo MK2 tripod with a ball head and case a few years ago for £12 ( about $15 US )

 

[Trask]

Recently, about $55 for a non-AI 24mm f/2.8 Nikon lens, in it's bubble with dessicant, in its original box, unused AFAIK. Or a Polaroid 185 for $3. That was nice. A nice Rolliecord Vb for $80, and Nikon FE2 for $80 because battery was dead and the guy didn't know better. Leica AF-C1 (Minolta) for $16. And so on.

 

[Taslim Abdani]

I once came upon two guys selling stuff on a blanket on the sidewalk. For $3.00 I picked up a baby Rollie. It worked perfectly and I even found 127 film for it. I later sold it for $125.00 to a dealer. He probably got 5 times that much for it.

 

[snegron]

Recently, about $55 for a non-AI 24mm f/2.8 Nikon lens, in it's bubble with dessicant, in its original box, unused AFAIK. Or a Polaroid 185 for $3. That was nice. A nice Rolliecord Vb for $80, and Nikon FE2 for $80 because battery was dead and the guy didn't know better. Leica AF-C1 (Minolta) for $16. And so on.

I need to move to your neighborhood!

 

[darinwc]

LOL I just stopped by a thrift store and they had a "CANON"..., one of the FAKE plastic holga-esque things with a viewfinder where the pentaprism should be.. for $150!!!

Then i picked up a Yashia T4 for $.74 (25% off 99 cents).

 

[palika]

My story

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the group, so bear with me.
In any event, I'd like to tell you about my analog-digital-back to analog conversion (I wish changing religions was that easy).
I had quite a few analog (film) cameras over the years, rangefindrs, slr's, you name it. The best of the crop was - believe it - a Zenith, with a selenium-powered light meter (no batteries) and a decent Helios lens. I got that from a neighbour for $50.00 and I had it for close to 10 years.
I went through the digital conversion slowly - first a 2.3 MP Fuji MX2900, an amazingly reliable and decent camera, then came a few hits and misses (bought one, returned it, bought another, returned it). Then I found an absolute delight of a camera, the Contax i4R, barely larger, than the old Minox spy camera, with a Zeiss Tessar lens and a 4MP sensor - takes fabulous pictures in the right environment. The real credit to this engineering marvel however goes to its construction - I left it once on my car's hood, fell off, hit the pavement, another car went over it. You think that was the end?Think again. It works like a charm, a couple of bruises here and there, but the innards are find.
I eventually talked myself into a digital SLR as well (a Christmas present for myself), a Sigma SD14, but it went back too - way too big and bulky.
So, I was on a hiatus of sorts, when I linked up with a fellow in Belgium (I'm in Canada) who suggested that instead of chasing after the fast-obsolete latest digicam, why don't I invest in a film scanner. Huh?
Now the bug was in my ear and after having spent some time studying the subject, I decided that I'm going back to film. Shoot a roll, get the negative developed, then scan the strips and work with the image. My first test scan came out so good - I put it up on my PC as a desktop.
It IS the real thing - after all, with 4800x9600 resolution, I'm getting a digital image, equivalent to 42 MP (give and take).
Nothing comes even close.
Being a fan of Zeiss lenses, I then started to chase after a couple of Contax bodies and now have 2 - a 137MA with a built-in winder and my latest acquisition, a fabulously simple, all-mechanical S2. The lenses: 1.7/50 Planar T* and 1.4/50 Planar T*. I'm eyeing an East German Zeiss Flektogon 2.4/35 wide angle.

And this is just the start.

Paul
Toronto

ps I alsmost forgot: I also had a laser-drilled pinhole adapter custom-made that fits both my SLR's. Pinhole photography - as many of you probably know - is the latest craze.

 

[andrewc]

brian d--where in Indiana are your flea markets? Mine is in Lafayette!