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