Shukins! I forgot a P&S visual quality I scored for $60.00 from a Rolleflex dealer at the Boston camera show! I only bought it because it was an 8", and could use it on my Ansco view.
Shukins! I forgot a P&S visual quality I scored for $60.00 from a Rolleflex dealer at the Boston camera show! I only bought it because it was an 8", and could use it on my Ansco view.
Voigtlander Bessa II w/ Color Heliar for $40
Wurlitzer Electric Piano (200A) for $2
:-D
I don't know about steals, but people tend to give me things for some reason. As far as buying things, I picked up a 300mm APO Ronar, cells only, for $60 on Ebay a few weeks ago. I already had a shutter for it so I was a happy camper and I will use it a lot. Glass is clean as a whistle.
The best deal I ever got lucky with was on Ebay a little over a decade ago. I was surfing the large format stuff and found a 60mm Zeiss S-Orthoplanar. I had no idea what it was, but I figured, what the heck? Might make a good enlarging lens for 35mm. Got it for $100, and the rest they say is history. You couldn't pry that lens away from me even if I was dead! Phenomenal lens. It is striking how much better than a normal enlarging lenses it is.
I'm still holding out for a good 120 folder steal.
I've had a good good pickups. A box full of 35mm rangefinders for $3 each. Included a several Canonet 17 GIIIs in various states of disrepair, an Olympus 35SP, 35RD and 35RC and a bunch of other cameras. I sold a few of the cameras and used the money to pay for service on the 35RD. The others I spent months repairing and rebuilding myself. Lots of fun.
An Autocord in need of work for $40 was pretty good. Still tracking down a light leak with this one though. Best camera deal without any work required was a Retina IIIc for $15 or so. Wonderful camera and amazingly sharp.
Most smaller scale than the deals people here have found but I just started shooting film again a year and a half ago so I missed much of the transitional gear unloading that happened a few years ago.
Not a huge "steal" but I recently got a 300mm 5.6 Orbit S (same as Symmar-S) in a Copal 3 for $45 from KEH. They listed the lens as Ugly but it's really quite usuable. It has schneideritis and a little bit of balsam overflow in one corner, but not bad really. My originial plan was to trash the glass and get an APO Ronar or something that would screw into the #3 shutter but not sure I will bother now.
Damn... I'd have snapped your hand off for a Copal 3 for $45!!
Don't give away your secrets to anyone
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