Biggest "steal" you ever made...

[Sighthound Lover]

I have no clue as to what you would consider a steal. I bought a 8 x 10 Korona Home Portrait camera for my son. It came with a hard carry case and a 5 x 7 reducing back. Had to get a new aspirator bulb for it but otherwise it is like new. Got it through Craigs List for $75.00. Steal, good deal or not???

[Kimberly Anderson]

Saunders LPL 4550 XLC = $60
Beseler 20x24 4-bladed easel, the good one = $35

I had a pretty good week last week. Oh and all of the gear is in dang good shape...not perfect but definitely usable.

[Bart B]

All in pretty good condition, especially the SSG.

Super Speed Graphic serial number 6547XX (1965?)
135mm Graflex Optar f/4.5-32 Rodenstock lens in Graflex 1000 shutter, serial number 55990XX (1964?).
Graflex Super Graphic Optical Viewfinder with mask for 10-exp. 120 film.
Both batteries dead, need replaced.
Two Graflex double-sided sheet film holders.
One Graflex Graphic 4x5 film pack adapter.
One Graflex Grafmatic 4x5 film holder.
One Graflex RH10 size (2.25x2.75) 120 roll film back.
One Graflex Polaroid Land 4x5 film holder.
One Graflex Presslok tripod mount.
One Graflex 2-cell Graphlite flash with "Y" connecting cord.
One 5-inch and one 7-inch reflector heads.
Twelve Sylvania 25B flash bulbs.
Series 6 Kodak red and yellow filters.
A dozen or two sheets of old film.
Users manual, price list, accessory manual, repair cost sheet.

Now I gotta learn all over again how to push-pull film holders.

Bart

[Drew Bedo]

Last spring I bought a used LowePro bag from the bargan bin at a local photo shop. A zipper was broken—the slider had pulled out of one set of teeth. It was $5.00 and I figured I could get it fixed or replaced. t5he bag was well used and most of the deviders were missing.

Later that same day I dropped by a local camping store (not a national recreation chain) and asked for guidence. I was looking for a referal for zipper repaire. They offered to send it off to get the an estimate from the Mfg. less than a week later they called to say my item was ready. When I got there they gave me a BRAND NEW bag from LowePro! All the inserts and little straps . . .all of it. Lifetime warrenty seems to mean just that!

Steal or deal?

[Wade D]

This happened years ago but was still a steal. I was helping my contractor friend clean out an old building which was slated for destruction. The bottom floor was a studio and the basement was a huge darkroom. I took out many boxes of paper, film and chemicals, all good. Also there were safelights, deep tanks for 4x5, film hangers, trays, timers, enlarging lenses and a bunch of other goodies. All for the price of helping my contractor friend clear the building.

[edtog]

Jobo CPP 2 with lift and loads of drums, for £175 a couple of months ago
Signed copy of Calderdale photographs by Martin Parr (his 2nd book and very rare) for £7 about 3 years ago, still can't believe the price as they rarely come up for sale.

[goamules]

My wife get's most of our steals, at thrift stores. The other day she brought home a brand new MSR Whisperlite mountaineering stove, with the bag and all spares, for $5. Was in a "unknown stuff bin" at Goodwill or something. She occasionally finds camera stuff, but not too often. I have to search the continents and seven seas for those items!

[Deniz Merdanogullari]

Ok here is mine!
Traded my Nikon D300 and 35/2 straight up for a Leica M6 + zeiss planar 50/2

D300 paid itself off 10 times over. and is now pretty much worthless.. M6 on the other hand....

No more digital toys for me.. except the iphone

[c.d.ewen]

Confessions of a long-time thief:

Bought two 18" Verito's (one from Andy Glover, AKA Dagor77) for about $200 apiece. Both needed minor fixing.

Picked up a free Beseler Dichro 67 at the dump.

Bought a Jobo CPP2 w/lift from a retired pro photog for $400 off Craigslist. He thought he was stealing from me, as the Jobo motor was failing. I still have it, but I sold the four 3063 drums it came with for $200 apiece.

Bought a Seal 210M hot press on eBay from a local school that insisted on pick-up only. Needed a new pad, but only cost $17.

I could go on, but you'd all hate me.

Charley

[Dan Fromm]

I don't know about magnitude, but I think this one is my heaviest.

900/10 Apo Saphir. Weighs 3.9 kg. Covers 655 mm at infinity. Mounting threads M140x1.5. If a long pinhole is needed, it stops to f/128. Makes the 600/9 Klimsch Apo Ronar I used to have look a bit puny.

Price new in 1982 from Rolyn Optics, $4898.80. Cost delivered from Germany, $201. My, how the mighty have fallen.