what are the biggest bargains you have found?

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

My latest finds and bargains...

A Minolta md zoom rokkor-x 50-135mm f3.5, Tokina AT-X 28-85mm f3.5, and Olympus Flash 210/310? for $20 USD

A Vivitar (Tokina) Auto-Wide Angle 35mm f2.8 M42 for $7.

A Sears Auto-Sears (Tokina, same as above) 28mm f2.8 M42, un-used for $10.

A Rikenon EE 50mm f1.7 M42 made by Tomioka in pristine shape for $15.

A Fujinon EBC 55mm f1.8 M42 for $28.

Carl Zeiss C.Z. Triotar f4 135mm LTM with caps for $23.

Konica 3 bellows for Hexanon AR lenses and set of extensions and reverse ring, un-used, for $55.

Vivitar 70-150mm f3.5 close focusing zoom , and 2x matched multiplier, for minolta SR, for $5.

Vivitar Series 1 70-210 mm f/1:2.8 - 4.0 (Komine version) in Canon FD mount. Un-used condition, for $32.

Canon FD 50mm f3.5 Macro and FD 100mm f2.8 telephoto, for $27 and $25 respectively.

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

Oh my, somebody's been busy! Good deals all, it appears.

Monday, I had to shell out $62 for a Nikkormat FT3 with an AI 50mm f/1.4, both in really nice shape. Not exactly a steal, but given that just the lens goes for about $100 on eBay, I guess I did alright. Besides, it's been a loooooong time since the last time I saw an FT3. They're pretty rare birds. Think I'll keep it for a while. It should be here early next week, I'm figuring.

I also bought an AF setup, but being that this is mflenses and all, I don't always mention my AF purchases. However, in this case, it bears mention, I think. I bought a Nikon N80 with a 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 AF-D attached for $85. I think this was a good deal for a couple of reasons. First, I really like the N80 as an AF tool. It's lightweight, yet fully functioned, and just feels good in my hand. I believe it was one of Nikon's last AF 35mm cameras (not including the F6, obviously) before they switched production entirely over to digital, so it's quite advanced. Next, about the lens. It being a D lens, for some reason AF Nikon users shun them, and they can be found for relatively cheap prices. I don't entirely understand this. I mean the modern G AF lenses are incomplete in my view because they're missing an aperture ring. So they can be used only on cameras that support G lenses. But the really nice thing about the D lenses I've found is they also can be used easily and comfortably as MF lenses. They have a focusing ring of adequate size that has a amply ribbed grip and the ring is well-damped. It feels like an MF lens, in other words.

Here's a shot of it I snagged off the net. As you can see, it's a pretty stout lens. Front filter size is 62mm. Weight isn't too bad, almost exactly 1 pound (450 grams). But best of all is its decently sized and well ribbed focusing collar. True, it's a lot narrower than the focusing collars you'd find on MF lenses. But it's wide enough to find without looking and to grip comfortably. And if it's anything like the collar on my 70-300 D, it is well damped as well. One feature I just found out about it is, in macro mode at 105mm it gets all the way down to 1:2, same as a true macro lens. That's pretty incredible for a zoom lens. We'll have to wait and see what macro images will look like with it, though. Probably good enough for snapshots, certainly.

Currently I own a Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 ED AF-D lens. It came with an F3 I bought. I thought about selling it on eBay until I used it on my EOS with an adapter and saw how fantastic the photos were. It's an ED lens, after all. So I decided to keep it. Later, I bought an F4 and now I use it regularly with that camera.

So the main reason why I bought this N80 with 28-105 D lens was for the lens to complete a small AF set for my F4. And, I dunno, maybe I'll keep the N80 around as an AF backup. Then again, I may decide to sell it, just haven't made up my mind yet, really.

I'll come back here and post pics of both these outfits once they arrive.

sceptic · Joined: 01 Jun 2013 Posts: 255

Minolta MC TELE ROKKOR-PF 100 mm f/2.0 (not 2.5) at a whopping $75 (including SRT101 body and 55/1.7 lens)

listera · Joined: 24 Oct 2013 Posts: 126 Location: Ankara

StyxD · Joined: 18 Nov 2014 Posts: 79 Location: Italia

Nikkor-P 105 2.5, never used, with lens hood and its original Hoya Skylight filter at 150�

Rick1779 · Expire: 2014-06-06

not a real bargain but... I'm quite happy Cool

sceptic · Joined: 01 Jun 2013 Posts: 255

barryreid · Expire: 2015-11-04

I'm currently awaiting a Canon T70 with an FD 50mm f/?, FD 35/2.8, Tokina 24/2.8 and an unknown Hoya lens. All for the �29.80 including postage. If it's all in good shape I think I'll have done well, and if the 50 turns out to be anything other than a 1.8 I'll have done very well. I've also bought a Yashica 100/3.5 Macro for �79 from Ffordes which seems like a good deal, though not a screaming bargain.

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

Michael,

A very good deal on the Nikon body and Nikkor zoom. That does look like a very stout lens. I wasn't aware of the aperture ring on these AF lenses. Mostly dismissed Nikon due to cost. Stuck to searching for Ai/AiS offerings. But they are even getting too pricey, thanks to Youtube videos like the Angry Photographer.
What's the mount on these D lenses?

Yeah, some of them I couldn't pass up, and can pass along, some of them I wanted. The Konica gear was still in boxes!

I've been resisting to go (back) to Canon lenses for the longest time. I don't recall mentioning, when I first came here asking for repair info on the Series-1 'Stovepipe', but I started with Minolta Maxxum in flim and Canon EOS in digital. All of my gear (and everything else) was stolen by my ex-wife during a hellish divorce. Turned out she was a fraud, only interested in a green card to gain entry to the USA. Well, back to Canon...

Familiar with Canon glass, I wanted to try all the brands out there. The Sony makes it so easy and fun.
A buddy recently was tossing out stuff and came across his old FD 50 f1.8 kit lens and accessories, and gave them to me. I needed a Canon FD adapter, and down the rabbit hole I went!
The last three lenses listed were nicely priced. Especially the Vivitar Series-1 zoom. I was surprised how much they go for now!
Wasn't even looking for one, just a lucky find.
Now that I've added an FD adapter, been open to more Canon glass and FD mounted 3rd party gear. Would like to add something SSC next.

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

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

dino1 · Expire: 2014-08-21

Just returned from a local car boot sale.
Pentax ME Super with M 50mm f1.7 �1.
Hanimex 75 300mm f5.6 macro �3.
The ME body is shot. Battery and M drive covers missing and generally scruffy. Paint reasonable but looks like it's been in a damp situation.
50mm is just dirty but no visible fungus.
Hanimex is very clean and again no fungus.
Only really interested in the 50mm but how can one possibly walk away for bargains like this.
If anybody would like the ME body to restore or for spare parts let me know, FOC just postage costs.
dino1

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

Those SMC-M 50's are built like a rock (unlike SMC-A's), easy to strip down and put back together, and I am yet to encounter one where fungus would damage coating. And you got it for about 3% of its current going rate, so yay!

dino1 · Expire: 2014-08-21

Yes you are right about the build quality of M lenses compared with the A series.
I have 3 A 50mm's and two of them have the known problem with the aperture ring.
dino1

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

Hmm I'm still coming up on the learning curve when it comes to Pentax lenses. Glad I have an M 50/1.4 and 50/1.7 and I also have a 50/2 that i think is just a plain Pentax lens. They all seem toe be built very robustly though.

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

Okay, this post is about keeping a promise. I mentioned in previous posts my getting a couple of Nikons with lenses and here they are:

Nikon N80 w/28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 AF D

Nikkormat FT3 w/50mm f/1.4 AI lens:

I bought these outfits for a good price at goodwill (including shipping which these days at shopgoodwill.com can be significant) -- $104 for the N80 with the 28-105 and $76 for the Nikkormat FT3 with the 50/1.4 AI. I was originally planning to sell everything except for the AF Nikkor on eBay. But now, I'm strongly thinking about keeping the lot. I dunno -- I need to probably think on it some more.

The Nikkormat is a surprisingly nice camera. Heavy as a tank, but you can tell it was put together really well. Film advance is as smooth as a Contax, Minolta XD-11, or Nikon FE2. It needs a good cleaning, though, and a few parts I'm hoping somebody with a junk Nikkormat can supply me with. The N80 I'm already familiar with from a recent outfit I bought, then sold on eBay (for a $230 profit!). It's one of two AF Nikons I find that I really like. The other one is an F4. This N80 will do most anything a 35mm photographer will ever need. Its shutter is very quiet, which means it would be an excellent candidate for unobtrusive photography, like street photography, for example. Clean examples have maintained a decent value on eBay, although if you wait around for an auction to close, there's a chance you can pick one up for cheap. That seems to be the way auction on eBay are anymore. Much cheaper than Buy It Now prices usually.

As I mentioned above, I bought the N80 outfit for that 28-105 AF D lens. I'm not exactly sure why, but "AF-D" Nikkors sell for fairly cheap on eBay. You can find this one there for around $150, sometimes less. Now, what I like abouot the "D" Nikkors is they are still very easy to use as manual focus lenses. Take a good look at the photo above. This lens has a decent-sized focusing collar with a ribbed rubber grip, as all the D's I've seen have. And that is the main reason why I bought this lens. If I decide to sell this N80 (and that's a pretty big 'if'), I can probably get about $50 for it, maybe more. But if I sell it for $50, this means I'll have spent $54 for a lens that typically sells for $100 more than that. Which is what makes it a good deal.

I bought the Nikkormat FT3 for a couple of reasons. First, it's been a long time since I've had an FT3. They're kind of special because they're relatively uncommon. And they're quite useful since they have the AI lens meter coupling mechanism. But I don't really need another manual focus Nikon, since I already own five. And I also already own a 50/1.4 AI lens, so I don't really need this lens, either. But I couldn't pass it up for the price it was going for at the goodwill site. These days I do a lot of shopping at goodwill with an eye toward reselling the gear on eBay and making a bit of a profit on it. If I sell the pieces separately, I can probably get about $150 for them, which means a $75 profit. These days, having to live on a fixed income where it's pretty hard to make ends meet with that income alone, I look for every opportunity to add to my spending money. It isn't a lot, but every little bit helps.

StillSanj · Joined: 21 Apr 2015 Posts: 412 Location: United States

I have only been in the legacy glass hunting game for about 3-4 months and I have not come across any crazy deals such as mentioned here. But it got me to thinking, and I'm certain my best pickups so far have been a black Preset 135 3.5 Takumar for $7, a Auto Chinon Macro MC 1.7 55mm for $40 with camera body, a Topcon RE Super with a mint 58mm 1.4 with original hood for $100 dollars, and a mint pentax-m 1.4 50mm for $20. I would only call the preset a bargain, and the Topcon with Topcor-Auto 58mm 1.4 a damn good deal. Also recently aquired few more Topcor lenses: 58mm 1.8, and 28mm 2.8, as well as 200mm 5.6 and Beseler D body for $115.00- I would think I came out pretty good on that too.

!Karen · Joined: 20 Jul 2013 Posts: 837 Location: Belgium Baby

I bought a box of camera's yesterday. It had a couple of APS camera's, a noikon L35AD and then these two:
-Steky subminiature camera, model IIIb, in wooden box, leather bag, instructions - mint
-Olympus XA2 + flash, also with box, leather bag, instructions, lightmeter and 2 lottery tickets - mint
10� Paid for all

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

Minolfan · Joined: 30 Dec 2008 Posts: 3437 Location: Netherlands

!Karen · Joined: 20 Jul 2013 Posts: 837 Location: Belgium Baby

No, the aps camera's I tossed straight into the bin!

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

I had a bit of unexpected good luck on eBay the other day. I won a Canon P -- at auction -- for $71. There was a brief flurry of last second bid activity, but it was half-hearted stuff. I wanted that camera and I put up a big enough max bid to make sure it would be mine. Honestly, though, I thought I'd have to pay more.

The seller was from Japan, and the P made it here very quickly. Honestly I wasn't expecting it to arrive until next week. But it came yesterday. Here are some photos. As you can see, it is in very nice shape. The top cover shows some wipe marks from the film rewind crank, and it sustained an impact on the right side, but the damage is mild. The lens I've mounted on the P is one I already own. I mounted it just for looks. The case is in good shape with all stitching still intact, and is made from high-quality leather. It also has a hump, which I believe is there so the P can have an external meter attached and still fit in this case.

Shutter speeds sound accurate. The rangefinder is only very slightly misaligned in the vertical, but the its contrast is strong, so it is easy to use. And check out the shutter curtain! When's the last time you've seen a P with a not-wrinkled shutter curtain? Me, in the 25 years or so when I've owned a few Ps and looked at a lot more, I have never seen a P with a straight shutter curtain. This is indeed a rarity, and shows me that this camera was probably almost never used. There is some discoloration on the film guide rails, but so what? Even though they feel smooth, I'm going to dress them down with 0000 steel wool so they will look smooth. And I'll blow out the compartment to get rid of all other traces of dust.

I'm running low on B&W film atm, so I think I'll load it up with some C-41 and take it out for a shoot. This should be fun.

uddhava · Expire: 2021-06-21

Congratulations on winning the Canon P! Looks nice, especially as you mention with the non-wrinkled
shutter curtain.

Minolfan · Joined: 30 Dec 2008 Posts: 3437 Location: Netherlands

Congrats! The camera must be pleasant to use and looks still very good.

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

Thanks guys. And yes, it feels nice in the hand. Oh, I forgot to mention -- the shutter speeds appear to be accurate. Especially the slow ones, which are timing out exactly correct.

Since my case has the bulge on top, I'm thinking about buying a still-functioning clip-on light meter. There's a pretty good selection on eBay right now, and the prices aren't too bad, for the most part.

I have a Canon IIIa, which looks a lot like the IVSb, but without the side flash rail, with a small collection of lenses, including the 50/1.8 shown above. The others are a Canon 100mm f/4 Serenar (with finder and case) and a Kyoei Super Acall 135mm f/3.5 (with original box). But I don't have any wides yet. I've been looking at 35s and 28s, but they're all so expensive. I paid less for my IIIa with 50mm and a LOT less for this P than what a decent wide sells for these days.

I've got a bunch of stuff for sale on eBay right now, so hopefully some of it will sell and maybe I can get a wide angle with the proceeds.