Got any great stories? I haven't found any massive scores, but I am quite consistently able to get somewhat sought after vintage lenses for cheap when bundled with with cameras and other gear. What about you guys?[EXIF data available. Click here to show/hide.]Camera-Specific Properties:Camera SoftwareGoogleImage-Specific Properties:
>>4372100I keep an eye on certain cameras brands on ebay and occasionally there will be a kit that has some really good value inadvertently bundled with it. Sometimes a really niche item will go for way less than expected also.
>>4372110Yes, the good old gramps dusty camera bag bundle listing.>"Brand name camera with lenses"Love that stuff. If you know what you are looking at it is easy to minimize the risk. I've acquired a small collection of lenses for next to nothing using that strategy. Most recent acquisitions were a radioactive Pentax 50mm 1.4 with the original hood and a Canon FD 85mm F1.8 SSC.
>>4372100Ya I got the 8 element 50mm 1.4 takumar bundled with a SLR because I recognized one of the markings unique to it on a grainy side pic of the camera for cheap.Also got a 70-300 vr lens cheap for parts price bc the guy thought something was broken inside because of the magnets rattling when the lens is off. Kek
Got a Contax 167MT bundled with an 28mm f2.0 and an 85mm f1.2mm Zeiss lenses for $450Admittedly I got these in the late '80s, but I still have the two lenses and sold the body years ago
>>4372100I picked up your mom cheap on the used market.
>>4372176Your father was free.
i was looking for a takumar 35mm lens and i found someone selling a yashica + the lens + 2 other lenses and a flash for the same price as the takumar. also a Zenith in great cosmetic condition with the helios 44-2 in a thrift store for €10. the shutter didn't work but the lens is in great condition. and my hasselblad 500c was produced in the late 1970s so it has some of the improvements of the 500cm (removable focusing screen and automatic magazine) but it was priced like the older models
found a yashica t5 for 5 bux at the thrifts, ran a roll through it and sold it for 200
Some deals as of late:Olympus e-p2. It had the electronic viewfinder included. Sold that one alone making the camera free.Lot of Minolta telephoto primes. Saw a Vivitar Series 1 135mm included in the lot which I have always wanted. Sold 2 of the lenses and the rest are now free.Minolta x700 which had some accessories included, sold the Minolta alone for more than the cost of the lot and shipping, sold a motor drive, an adapter and a lens on its own separately. Doubled my money and I think I still have a shitty zoom lens from that deal.Some digisharters I instantly resold for a handsome profit.
My wife found a Hasselblad 500CM, A24 back, 150mm lens, prism finder, and about 100 various 120 rolls at an estate sale for $500 back in June
>>4372100Best thrift store find:Mint Nikon FE with an equally mint 50mm f/1.2 AI for $180 leafbuxBest pawn shop find:Nikon D3300 with a 35mm f/1.8 DX, 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 DX, 85mm f/1.4 AF-D, 77mm circular polarizer, a backpack and some extra goodies for $500 burgerbuxBest Facebook Marketplace find:Mint Nikon 105mm f/2.5 AI for $125 leafbuxThe more time you spend looking for deals, the more likely you'll find one. If you browse Ebay/Craigslist/etc for a few minutes each day or visit a pawn or thrift store every few weeks, you'll eventually luck out. Browsing listings often also gives you a better idea of the average prices of many items, so you can spot a deal easier even if it isn't something you were looking for. I am keen to give garage or estate sales a look sometime since I hear it's a good place for deals as well
>>4372100Best recent deal was a 21mm, 28mm, 55mm Macro, and a fucking 15mm fisheye all for Hexanon, bundled together for a grand total of $200. The fisheye was missing the screws for the metal mount, but I had a moldy old lens I just took a few screws from. All work perfectly.
>>4377754Nice one. I bought a similar bundle with Minolta lenses recently where I ended up with an almost free Rokkor fisheye, not nearly as good of a deal as you got, but still.. Also got a bundle of Minolta telephotos where I sold the ones I didn't want and now I am left with a free vivitar series 1 135mm f2.3 and a few other obscure 60s short telephotos nobody wants.
>>4377759Thanks. To make the deal even better, it came with some adapters I don’t need (Sony mounts), a janky Sony lens I can sell for parts for at least some money, and I already had a 55mm Macro so I can sell whichever isn’t as clean. Nice deal on the tele lenses too! Those are fun. But hope you’re enjoying the Rokkor. This is my first time with a fisheye (been looking for a good deal for years) and I’m really enjoying it.
>>4377760Yeah, adapters are often overlooked. Got a Minolta X700 with a few lenses a while back and it had a Chinon 55mm f1.7 with a Minolta SR mount and for the longest time I could not figure out what the deal was until it dawned on me that I was looking at an adapter. Original Minolta M42 (pentax U) to SR adapter which I managed to sell for $40. Another one of those deals where I managed to double my money just on the parts. It had the Auto-winder thingie as well.
guys, this is lens in good enough condition to shoot with? Looks like a bit of spores or dust under the outer lens, and a bit of mold bloom on the edges. I don’t see an obvious way to remove the outer lens to clean that but maybe it’s not enough to worry about.[EXIF data available. Click here to show/hide.]Camera-Specific Properties:Image-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Width1179Image Height1137
>>4378416just shoot a test roll and see what happens
>>4378416>>4378417nvm I just realized that you're considering buying the lens and you don't already own it. I'd probably skip it. But then again I'm not very confident with lens repair. It also depends how much of a discount you're getting.
>>4378420Yeah thanks, I was about to add that. It does come with an original Autoreflex, which I’ve kinda wanted to play around with half-frame (the camera can switch mid-roll between full and half frame, which could be fun to supplement my Autoreflex T3)I’ve cleaned some other lenses, I have a spanning lens opener and rubber cones depending on what’s needed, and soaking and wiping gently with hydrogen peroxide and ammonia helps… but depending on the fungal spores, it can eat away at the glass.I’m thinking about going for it but still on the fence. Right now it’s the same price as another same lens (without the body), and the body itself usually goes for half the price, so I’m looking at a “discount” but not a massive one.
>>4378416Front element comes off by unscrewing the ring with text, i'm 99% sure. Preferrably with one of those big rubber/silicone cork looking things but a lens rear cap with double sided tape can be used in a pinch.Up to you if its worth buying and fixing tho.
>>4378427I was thinking that might be it, but looking at it now, aren’t these two ridges I circled the grooves used for unscrewing the element?[EXIF data available. Click here to show/hide.]Camera-Specific Properties:Image-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Width1179Image Height1137
