43 replies to this topic

[K-9]

Are they all on ebay only?  I rarely ever find them at yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores, or even craigslist.  They are very few and far between, and considering the big change to digital wasn't that long ago, there has to be more lenses and camera bodies floating around.  Do dealers quickly find them from these places and immediately turn to ebay?  I wouldn't think so, because the amount of film bodies and lenses that don't sell or get bids on ebay is staggering.

 

Where are they all??

[KurtCopeland]

I have two Minolta X-370's in my garage. I'll bet their are millions more like them stored in various nooks and crannies around the world.

[K-9]

I have two Minolta X-370's in my garage. I'll bet their are millions more like them stored in various nooks and crannies around the world.

 

Yes, everyone seems to be forgetting about them or something.  Although, some will bring them out and throw them on ebay for 10 times what they're really worth! 

[Eagles1181]

There is one on craigslist locally. Been posted for a while. At $35 I am tempted to get it just for the lens.

[Merco_61]

I think people go on ebay, see the non-selling auctions and come to the conclusion that they won't get hardly any money and just put them away in a drawer. I have bought some lenses locally that have come with an FG, EM or even an FE attached, just because the previous owner has lost the rear cap and don't see any value in the old film body.

[Jerry_]

I have been buying some on yard sales and flea markets to use as deco objects.

When I started buying (20 years ago) you could make good deals. Nowadays, either you have people selling online and trying to get a multiple of the real value of the object, or they just have it lying somewhere and do not care about selling, or you find on the flea markets cameras that need lots of restauration before being adapted for even suiting as deco objects (not saying they are still functioning).

[TBonz]

I expect there are quite a few stored away...While going through my parent's house several years ago, I found what I expected to find - my Grandfather's Leica gear from the late 40s or early 50s which definitely had value and sold pretty well.  I also found some more recent gear - two old rangefinder cameras, my Dad's Pentax ME Super with lenses and flash and a later Minolta with lenses and flash.  Also found his last camera which was one of the early film versions of a point and shoot.  No real quality lenses other than my old 50 f1/4 that I had given him when I sold off my Pentax gear...I sold all of it off over time to help finance some of my gear.  I really hated to part with the Leica gear, but finally decided to sell it since I just wasn't giving the equipment the activity that it needs to stay healthy.  It was better to get it in the hands of someone who would care for it...

 

I wouldn't mind picking up an older film body, but I'm not sure I'd use it enough to justify the money I might have to pay.  The lens would have to be the right lens, but I definitely keep my eyes open for them when I'm wandering...I try to avoid that on e-bay just so I don't get tempted !

[Ron]

Over the years I've occasionally considered selling off some of my old equipment. Then I look at the prices people are getting for similar stuff and remember what I paid for most of my stuff. At that point I usually decide that it's not worth the trouble to sell stuff where you literally get tiny fractions of a cent per dollar. I suspect there are many people who feel the same way. 

 

--Ron

[yauman]

They are in the camera store I work in - Seawood Photo in the little city of San Anselmo just north of San Francisco! People come in and by and sell old old film cameras.  I do the product photos and put them on eBay. We bought this amazing 4x5 View Camera made of ebony wood last weekend and just put it up on eBay for sale!

[Long Exposure]

I troll the few camera stores I find along the way and flea markets.

[morticiaskeeper]

There are a few on UK ebay, but not as many as you would think.

I've bought two T Mount lenses in the past year, one was from ebay, a 300mm f5.6 that cost me £12.60. It's a bit soft, so I've set up a style in Darktable to automatically give it a boost.

The second lens was spotted in a local photographic store. It is a 400mm f6.3 that cost me £5! There were about 7 old lenses in the shop, so I expect it was a camera bag of gear from a clearance.

Old fashioned independent stores seem to be the best places.

[Thumper]

B&H still has a few. I bought an F5 from them last year.

[K-9]

True, but places like B&H know their stuff.  I like to find deals! 

[Tony]

It is true that there a lot of film cameras available on ebay.  However, be sure to check out Amazon.com for great selections and prices.  Also, there is Craigs List.  Another good source is to check any local camera shops in your area.  I am certain they will be willing to price it right for you and be happy to answer any questions you have regarding your purchase. In addition, many camera shops will offer warranties from six months to a year.  Here in the Portland, Oregon area there are many ads in the classfieds for good used photographic equipment.  Check out estate sales, these are a good source for photographic equipment.  I hope this helps,

good luck.

 

Tony

[charles76]

I have been tempted to take my F100 out and put a roll through it. Just to shoot film again. I simply.haven't had the time.

[dps3006]

Hello everyone, brand new to the forum. I am a film guy and have quite a bit of equipment. Every time I think I am going to thin out my herd and I go the Ebay route, I get slapped with fees and shipping costs which just don't make it worth it to me. I guess that's why my collection always seems to grow.

 

Doug

From the city of good neighbors

Buffalo, NY

[George in Georgia]

I buy the majority of my gear second-hand.  KEH.com has been a favorite of mine for over 20 years, they rate the gear very conservatively and offer easy return.  Adorama and BH are also reliable.  Here in the Atlanta area Wings Camera is the place to go.  Mike the owner is very knowledgeable; his family founded the store over  100 years ago.  I've also had good experiences  with purchase through Pentaxforums.com and APUG.org, a forum devoted to film photography.  Of course, YMMV. 

[Jblackfish]

So, along the lines of film cameras, what could I do to sell or donate my N70 and AF Nikkor 28-80 3.4 and 80-200 4.5 with polarizing filters for both lenses?  I'd like to get them out of my way -I'll never use them.  I even have a few rolls of Fuji film left.  All have been stored in my house in a Pelican case since I converted to digital years ago.  I tried eBay with what I thought would be a decent price just for the lenses (with make an offer) without any activity at all.  About the only thing I can come up with is to put them back on eBay in an auction and let it all go for $20 (maybe) or put em back in the closet.  I'd rather give it away than do that.  Any useful suggestions?

[Merco_61]

If you have a university near by with an art department, you can put an ad up on a noticeboard and probably find a new owner for your camera and lenses quite fast as art students often are curious about using film even if it isn't obligatory everywhere.

 

Another way is to see if there is a facebook group locally for donating or selling things cheap.

[Tony]

I do not know if you are still in the hunt, but here is a place in Portland, Oregon.  It is called:  BlueMoonCamera.com.  They eat, drink and sleep film and film cameras.  I can attest to their high quality lab work and they are wonderful to trade with.  You can send them your film with confidence as they are a close knit business within the community.  They will also answer any questions you have.  Good luck.

 

Rgds,

 

Tony