what are the biggest bargains you have found?

rupertfather · Joined: 17 Feb 2015 Posts: 23 Location: La Habana, Cuba

A gentleman who answer to an advice I had post some weeks ago. This man had this lenses unused for 30 years and offers me two lenses for a ridiculous bargain price. The lenses were: Super Takumar 50mm 1.4 (8 elements version) and Super Takumar 135mm 3.5. Both lenses came with their original front and rear caps. Optics were clean, with no haze, no scratches, no fungus. Diaphragm blades were clean and snappy and oil free. Mechanics were great, focus works accurately and has a silky movement.
And now, the best part of it is the price: 20CUC for both lenses (20USD more or less). A really fucking bargain price!!! In my country (Cuba), there�s no much money, and almost nothing to buy. So, you can find awesome bargains like this with a bit of luck. Another incredible bargain I find was my M42 to P/K adapter, the genuine one. (It costs about to 60USD in eBay).... I bought it for 5USD NEW/Unused, in its box.
Cheers

WNG555 · Joined: 18 Dec 2014 Posts: 784 Location: Arrid-Zone-A, USA

eddieitman · Joined: 12 Apr 2011 Posts: 1247 Location: United Kingdom

WNG555 · Joined: 18 Dec 2014 Posts: 784 Location: Arrid-Zone-A, USA

NikonD · Joined: 29 Jul 2008 Posts: 1922 Location: Slovenija

Minolta X300 + MD Rokkor 50/1.7 + MD Rokkor 75-150/4
all in excellent condition for 30�

notko · Joined: 22 Apr 2014 Posts: 55 Location: Uppsala, Sweden

Edixa Color-Ennalyt 50/1.9 with an Edixa Reflex attachet to it for 15�. Not sure it was a great bargain but inexpensive it was.

thebbm · Joined: 11 Dec 2013 Posts: 295 Location: France montpellier

first bundle for 200e :
Olympus zuiko om 28mm F2
Olympus zuiko om 50mm F1.4
tamron macro 90mm 2.5
tamron 500mm f8
tamron 70-210

second bundle for 50e :
rollei carl zeiss planar 50mm 1.8
rollei 35mm f2.8 ( not a zeiss )
rollei 85mm f2.8 ( not a zeiss )

TAo2 · Joined: 09 Mar 2012 Posts: 319 Location: Scotland

Just paid 60GBP, for this 7000AF outfit - inc. Databack 70 (which only goes up tae '05 Crying or Very sad

but everything else on it works. ). Lithium battery holder+battery. Camera is immaculate, looks like original (unshrivelled) seals. One careful lady owner since new. Well happy with that...

f4/35-70mm.
f4/70-210mm.
Program 2800 AF flashgun
3 filters
Brushes,cloths and cleaning fluid.
All instruction books, guarantees etc.plus original Minolta 7000 brochure.
A Minolta camera bag and last but not least, the coolest film cartridge cases ah've ever seen... Cool

Other bargains...

Yashica M5 - 5GBP

FED 2 + Industar И 61 - 15GBP

scsambrook · Expire: 2011-11-18

My latest, and maybe best ever bargain isn't a lens, it's a Leitz leather holdall made in the early 1960s, bought on eBay for just 99 pence (less than a dollar or a euro). The original price was around �40, over �400 in today's values. Like everything else that Leitz sold back then, it's sensibly designed and beautifully crafted from the finest materials.

The lid opens away from the body - sensible, why don't modern bags do the same? - and inside is a lift out tray that holds up to two bodies and six lenses, depending on what you have. Even the latest digital M models fit nicely. Back in its day, there were different trays for different combinations of equipment.

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7554 Location: Hong Kong

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

A great buy Stephen,I wish I could find a camera bag that is that good and cheap Very Happy

...and have those items to go in it!

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

Hey Stephen,

As I've acquired various camera systems over the years, I've also collected several hard bags, although never a Leitz. Most of mine also have the holders for lenses and camera bodies, and tuckaway pockets for various items. A couple were rather cleverly designed, having a hinged front that would open in addition to the top. I still have them, although I don't use them, except for storing seldom used items. Today's tastes for photo baggage have swung in a vastly different direction, so I haven't even attempted to sell them. It's nice to see one that's actually being put back to use (yours), though.

eddieitman · Joined: 12 Apr 2011 Posts: 1247 Location: United Kingdom

I was super lucky today, just the other day i mentioned that i wanted the Minolta 135 F2.8 Pocket rocket, well today i opened gumtree and a brand new add for a 135 F2.8, 30 Miles from where i live, price �50 and he mentioned there was another lens he was going to advertise if i was interested i could have them both for �80 so went to pick them up the second lens the Minolta 100mm F2 AF both in pristine condition.
�40 each

Very Happy

thebbm · Joined: 11 Dec 2013 Posts: 295 Location: France montpellier

Tedat · Joined: 08 Nov 2011 Posts: 800 Location: Berlin/Germany

thomasbest · Joined: 16 Mar 2015 Posts: 25

just recently got an m42 adapter for my canon 500D and saw this bundle for �50....
Carl Zeiss jena DDr f;3.5 135mm,
Carl Zeiss jena mc f;2.8 29mm,
Carl Zeiss jena ddr f;2.8 50mm,
Helios 44m 58mm f;2,
Palar auto 135mm f;2.8,
Soligor 35mm f;3.5,
Pentacon 50mm f;1.8,
Harmony 400mm f;8.....
along with 2 praktika cameras MTL 50 and LTL 3, 2 flashes and load of cokin filter kits.

Grabbed them quickly, lol and all seem in great condition and clean.
looking forward to trying this lot out.

Gamera · Joined: 16 Feb 2014 Posts: 86 Location: Scandinavia

WNG555 · Joined: 18 Dec 2014 Posts: 784 Location: Arrid-Zone-A, USA

Wow! You guys are making out like bandits. Some desirable glass and kits! Congrats.

Now I wonder if I should post my latest humble finds. Wink

Vivitar (Komine) 135mm f2.8 in Konica AR mount for $0.99 USD.
Konica Hexanon AR 135mm f3.5 EE with the chrome ring for $0.99.
Sigma XQ 400mm f/5.6 in Minolta SR mount for $1.25.

A Fujica ST605 body with a Super Takumar 55mm f/1.8 attached, a seized Argus 55mm f/2, and a Sigma Minitel 200mm f/4, all for $10.70.
The bundle wasn't without issues. The front filter ring of the S-Tak was detached. I rebuilt the Argus, and the Sigma needed the aperture ring aligned.

The Fujica body works but the prism and mirror is stained with melted black foam that used to surround the the prism. Tried alcohol and acetone. Mirror cleaned up but not the prism.
Would like to get it refurbed and pop the Argus on there and pass it along to a kid or hipster. I don't need it.

I was only interested in the Takumar. It was a simple fix and now works great.

Oldhand · Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 10:18 am Post subject:

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

My latest not a lens but a simple hood .99c, the postage was the killer on the deal Laughing

konicamera · Expire: 2014-06-14

Got a nice bundle a few days ago, from the acquaintance of an acquaintance (the best source sometimes):
Konica FS-1, Hexanon 35/2.8 compact (rare item), Hexanon 50/1.4, Hexanon 135/3.5, a National 36GN flashgun with camera rail, and various odds and ends (Kodak photo guide, filters, pear brush, lens cleaning tissue, and such like), all in beat-up late seventies case.
Camera and lenses all in excellent working order and clean.
All this for 150 zł (that's a little under $40). I'm quite pleased Smile

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

I dropped in at one of the last two remaining camera shops in Houston, and thinking that I was gonna try to just look and not buy anything . . . unless it was just a killer deal.

Heh. Famous last thoughts.

I quickly spied a few items that I wouldn't mind adding to my collection, but my budget was tight, so I rejected a few (it was tough, but I managed), but I just couldn't pass up two items.

They had a very clean Canon 540EZ flash sitting in their case and just a short distance away, a Tamron SP 55BB 500mm f/8 mirror telephoto lens. I wanted both pieces, but I couldn't spend their asking prices. I managed to pick up both for $150. Checking eBay prices, the 540EZ is selling in the ~ $50 range, and the Tamron's price, which I'm familiar with, often sells for $200-300 on eBay. This one is very clean, comes with the front cap, hood, rear 30.5mm clear filter, and a Canon FD Adaptall-2 mount. The case is missing.

The 540EZ works perfectly and is just what I needed for my EOS Elan IIe, plus it's backwards compatible for my T90, and even though it won't do TTL with my EOS DSLR, it sets the shutter speed at least, and setting its manual flash output to match correct exposure is a very simple process.

So I spent about $150 on about $250 worth of gear. Which, to me, is a pretty good deal.

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

Well, this isn't really a best bargain, but I fellt that it goes here anyway, at least partly because I picked it up for a good price. Recently I ran across an interesting find at my local 2nd hand store. It was a zippered pouch with the words "Canon EOS-1d Mark II" stenciled on the exterior. They were asking about $5 for it so I knew that, regardless of the contents, it was mine.

I opened it up to find a cute little travel kit for a laptop user:

That rectangular piece that I'm holding up (so the light of the flash doesn't wash out the writing) is a USB 4-port hub. The small adapter is a USB to PS/2 (which dates it some), but the mouse with retractable extension cable is an LED mouse, so it works on any surface.

Kinda cool, eh? Looks like a legit Canon product, so I guess this was something they offered back when the EOS-1D Mark II was new, which, incidentally was between 2001 and 2005, from what I've been able to determine. About the only thing from this kit that I use is the cute little mouse, which comes in handy at times when I'm working on my laptop.

WNG555 · Joined: 18 Dec 2014 Posts: 784 Location: Arrid-Zone-A, USA

Gardener · Joined: 22 Sep 2013 Posts: 950 Location: USA

Bought a Nikon F body with a lens for ~$80, picture quality was horrible, but identified it tentatively as Nikkor Ai 24/2.8. Turns out I was wrong - it is 24/2.0 Ai-s.