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what are the biggest bargains you have found?
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 8:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
!Karen wrote:
I got this today in an auction room for 52,5€, commission fees included:

Pentax spotmatic
Auto-takumar 55mm f1,8
Super takumar 105mm f2,8
Meyer optic gorlitz telemegor 180mm f5,5 black M42
Carl zeiss jena tassar 40mm f4,5 M42
Minox B
A bolex camera with accessories in cute little boxes

All in beautiful condition except for the telemegor that looks worn on the outside, but optics are perfect.

Sorry for the quick cell phone snaps!


That seems like a really good deal! Is that a 8mm Bolex camera?


PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 12:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hey Udhave, I've owned quite a few 8mm Bolexes. Since !Karen mentioned accessories in cute little boxes, I'll wager she got an 8mm. Back in a previous life I was a camera dealer and I frequently came across the old 8mm Bolexes. Some were triple lens turret models, some with zoom lenses -- Vario Switars, I believe they were called. This was some 25 years ago. Back then, I could pick up interesting Bolex double-8 outfits for next to nothing and I'd sell them at camera shows for a decent profit. They are so amazingly well made. Works of art, which I guess is why I was drawn to them. These days, they've become quite collectible and it's hard finding them for cheap prices anymore.

But that's not why I'm posting this note. I was paging through the listings over at Goodwill's auction site a couple of days ago and ran into an interesting auction: a Nikon N80 with three AF lenses and the hard-to-find MB-16 battery pack. The lenses are all AF: 50/1.8, 28-80/3.5-4..5, and a 70-300/4-5.6 Well I already own an N80 and I don't really need the lenses, but I've been looking for a good deal on the MB-16 battery pack for quite a while. Cheapest I've found for just the battery pack was $63. So I bid on the outfit last night and won it. I had to pay quite a bit for the outfit -- $126. But fortunately I should be able to sell everything but the battery pack and make money off the deal. I'm figuring the N80 plus the three lenses should net me about $200 on eBay. Which means that I'll make about $75 profit on the deal plus I'll be getting the MB-16 for free. Now, see, those are the kinds of good deals I like. Any time I can pick up a piece for free plus a profit is a time I consider that I've made a great deal.


PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
konicamera wrote:
AMDBill wrote:
hello everybody
flea market yesterday : pentacon 135/f2.8 MC 6 blades (so not bokeh monster ) for 1.6€ (she ask me 2€ ) Very Happy


So you haggled her down from 2€ to 1.60€? You're a prudent spender, aren't you? Wink


No, I am not stingy has it it, it is what I had for currency before spending a bill Wink


PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Leitz Elmar 3.5/5cm = 1.5 €



PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 9:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
But that's not why I'm posting this note. I was paging through the listings over at Goodwill's auction site a couple of days ago and ran into an interesting auction: a Nikon N80 with three AF lenses and the hard-to-find MB-16 battery pack. The lenses are all AF: 50/1.8, 28-80/3.5-4..5, and a 70-300/4-5.6 Well I already own an N80 and I don't really need the lenses, but I've been looking for a good deal on the MB-16 battery pack for quite a while. Cheapest I've found for just the battery pack was $63. So I bid on the outfit last night and won it. I had to pay quite a bit for the outfit -- $126. But fortunately I should be able to sell everything but the battery pack and make money off the deal. I'm figuring the N80 plus the three lenses should net me about $200 on eBay. Which means that I'll make about $75 profit on the deal plus I'll be getting the MB-16 for free. Now, see, those are the kinds of good deals I like. Any time I can pick up a piece for free plus a profit is a time I consider that I've made a great deal.


That's great. I still have not sold any of my lenses although I do have a few I would like to sell. Embarassed
I am not sure how to get started though. It would be good for me to learn since I do not have so much money to buy lenses.


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Never mind. This was a dupe and I can't delete it.

Last edited by cooltouch on Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:24 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Valjo, congratulations on an incredible deal. The 50mm f/3.5 Elmar is probably the sharpest lens that Leitz has ever made. It may be slow, but it is an amazingly good optic.

uudhava, it isn't difficult. Here's an example: Choose one of the lenses you'd like to sell, then go visit eBay and do a search on that lens. Then in the left column, scroll down to "Show Only" and click on Sold Listings. This will show you what your lens actually sold for on eBay. I recommend that you make a good evaluation of the condition of your lens and then choose a selling price for your lens that falls in about the middle of the range that the lens sold for. An exception to this would be if you have a lens that looks like new with no marks or flaws on it anywhere. In that case, you might want to think about asking a bit more for it. I don't know what sort of sales venues you have available in Hungary, but if eBay is available there for you to sell items, then I'd start there. I'm pretty sure it is, though. The forum owner, Attila, is from Hungary and he sells on eBay.

In the business of selling used camera gear, there's an expression that I'm sure is common to more used items businesses than camera gear: The money is made in the buying, not the selling. Basically it means that if you can buy the gear for great prices, you have a much better chance at making a decent profit on it when it sells.


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
Valjo, congratulations on an incredible deal. The 50mm f/3.5 Elmar is probably the sharpest lens that Leitz has ever made. It may be slow, but it is an amazingly good optic.

uudhava, it isn't difficult. Here's an example: Choose one of the lenses you'd like to sell, then go visit eBay and do a search on that lens. Then in the left column, scroll down to "Show Only" and click on Sold Listings. This will show you what your lens actually sold for on eBay. I recommend that you make a good evaluation of the condition of your lens and then choose a selling price for your lens that falls in about the middle of the range that the lens sold for. An exception to this would be if you have a lens that looks like new with no marks or flaws on it anywhere. In that case, you might want to think about asking a bit more for it. I don't know what sort of sales venues you have available in Bulgaria, but if eBay is available there for you to sell items, then I'd start there. If not, then you'll most likely have to seek out local selling venues.

In the business of selling used camera gear, there's an expression that I'm sure is common to more used items businesses than camera gear: The money is made in the buying, not the selling. Basically it means that if you can buy the gear for great prices, you have a much better chance at making a decent profit on it when it sells.


Thank you, I will try it out. I am living in Hungary, BTW. Wink


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yeah, sorry for the error. I realized it after I posted the message, then went back and corrected it, and for some reason a duplicate was made. I deleted all I could of the first one, leaving the second, which does mention Hungary, btw. So sorry for the oversight and good luck at your selling your lenses and stuff.


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
Valjo, congratulations on an incredible deal. The 50mm f/3.5 Elmar is probably the sharpest lens that Leitz has ever made. It may be slow, but it is an amazingly good optic.


It's a Russian fake. However, it may not be bad either. Wink

I've compared the shown picture with some original lenses from the Leicashop. They are looking a little bit different.


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 9:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
tb_a wrote:
cooltouch wrote:
Valjo, congratulations on an incredible deal. The 50mm f/3.5 Elmar is probably the sharpest lens that Leitz has ever made. It may be slow, but it is an amazingly good optic.


It's a Russian fake. However, it may not be bad either. Wink

I've compared the shown picture with some original lenses from the Leicashop. They are looking a little bit different.

The Elmar should be a genuine copy(triple checked myself). However, I am not an Leica expert. Rolling Eyes


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
calvin83 wrote:
tb_a wrote:
cooltouch wrote:
Valjo, congratulations on an incredible deal. The 50mm f/3.5 Elmar is probably the sharpest lens that Leitz has ever made. It may be slow, but it is an amazingly good optic.


It's a Russian fake. However, it may not be bad either. Wink

I've compared the shown picture with some original lenses from the Leicashop. They are looking a little bit different.

The Elmar should be a genuine copy(triple checked myself). However, I am not an Leica expert. Rolling Eyes


The front scale and markings are rather good but still there are minimal differences.

However, even the FED 50/3.5 which is most probably the basis of this lens and an (almost) 100% copy of the Elmar is a very good bargain for Euro 1.50 and it's definitely not a bad lens.

I've compared my FED 50/3.5 from 1931 and my KMZ Industar 22 50/3.5 from 1951 with the pictures of some original Leitz ones and the picture shown here. I have to admit that it's rather tricky. But I am still convinced that Valjo's lens is a fake, i.e. rather a FED lens.

A very obvious difference:

Original:

Valjo's picture:

Last edited by tb_a on Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:22 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
WNG555 wrote:
stevemark wrote:
Minolta MD 4/200mm CHF 12.--
Konica Hexar 4/200mm CHF 4.--
Konica Hexanon 3.2/135mm CHF 5.--
Tokina AT-X 2.8/35-70mm CHF 25.--
Minolta Dynax 9 CHF 99.--

and many more Wink


Very nice finds!!
Especially the Hexanon f3.2/135. I was bidding for one that started cheaply on evilBay but the auction ended with a bidding frenzy.
Sunday is the worst day on ebay for buyers in the USA.

Yes ... when i bought it i didn't know how good it actually is. The Konica Hexanon 3.5/135mm (second version) is not bad at all, similar to the contemporary Minolta 3.5/135mm designs, but the 3.2/135mm is even a tiny bit better. And it focuses down to 1m, which is really useful for portrait work.

Steve


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
Valjo, congratulations on an incredible deal. The 50mm f/3.5 Elmar is probably the sharpest lens that Leitz has ever made. It may be slow, but it is an amazingly good optic.
...


The Leitz Elmar 3.5/50mm certainly is a legend, but it is NOT a good lens at all. I have tested it - together with a few other vintage lenses from Leitz and Zeiss on a NEX-5N (16 MP APS-C):

http://www.artaphot.ch/minolta-sr/objektiv-vergleiche/320-nex-5n-und-klassische-50mm-zeiss-leitz-objektive

Now look at Minolta normal lenses from the 1970-1980 area - they usually are dirt cheap and at the same time much better than the Elmar:

http://www.artaphot.ch/minolta-sr/objektiv-vergleiche/322-nex-5n-und-minolta-50mm-objektive-teil-ii

A Minolta MD-II 1.7/50mm from 1979 is better at f1.7 than the Elmar at f11 ...

But of course it's fun to use an old Leica III and the 3.5/5cm Elmar. That's how i learned to take picture, at the age of 15 ...

Greez Wink
Steve


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
stevemark wrote:
cooltouch wrote:
Valjo, congratulations on an incredible deal. The 50mm f/3.5 Elmar is probably the sharpest lens that Leitz has ever made. It may be slow, but it is an amazingly good optic.
...


The Leitz Elmar 3.5/50mm certainly is a legend, but it is NOT a good lens at all. I have tested it - together with a few other vintage lenses from Leitz and Zeiss on a NEX-5N (16 MP APS-C):

http://www.artaphot.ch/minolta-sr/objektiv-vergleiche/320-nex-5n-und-klassische-50mm-zeiss-leitz-objektive

Now look at Minolta normal lenses from the 1970-1980 area - they usually are dirt cheap and at the same time much better than the Elmar:

http://www.artaphot.ch/minolta-sr/objektiv-vergleiche/322-nex-5n-und-minolta-50mm-objektive-teil-ii

A Minolta MD-II 1.7/50mm from 1979 is better at f1.7 than the Elmar at f11 ...

But of course it's fun to use an old Leica III and the 3.5/5cm Elmar. That's how i learned to take picture, at the age of 15 ...

Greez Wink
Steve


Stephan, that's a totally different story. Wink

However, those old Elmars are still sold for 200 to 400 Euros. That's crazy enough. If such a lens can be found for 2 Euros or even less then it would certainly be a big bargain. There is no doubt about that. But as I already found out, it's definitely no Elmar (as shown in my pictures above).


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
Yeah, sorry for the error. I realized it after I posted the message, then went back and corrected it, and for some reason a duplicate was made. I deleted all I could of the first one, leaving the second, which does mention Hungary, btw. So sorry for the oversight and good luck at your selling your lenses and stuff.


No problem, I thought that you were tired when you made the mistake. I am from Fullerton, California actually.
Birth place of the Fender guitar! I lived in Dallas, Texas for twelve years also.


PostPosted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Cool! I like Fullerton. I attended CSUF, got my BA and MA there. Fond memories of that school. And my '96 50th Anniversary Strat is one of my favorite guitars. And I see you were no doubt "Texanized" if you lived in Dallas that long. I was born and raised around Houston, TX, but spent the first quarter-century of my adult life in SoCal. I miss the place, but I don't miss the people -- way too many loonies have infested it now.


PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 7:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Several days ago, I mentioned here that I was the successful bidder on eBay for a Tamron SP 24-48 zoom. Paid 55GBP (about $86US) for it. It arrived yesterday. It is in almost mint condition, so I'm very happy I could get it for such a good price. I was really surprised at just how small it is! It's about the same size is my 24mm primes when fully retracted. My Vivitar Series 1 24-48 dwarfs it. In fact, the page on this zoom over at adaptall-2.org emphasizes its compactness by showing a comparison of equivalent, or close to equivalent optics:

http://adaptall-2.org/lenses/13A.html

The page also compares this zoom to the Minolta 24-50/4. I gotta say the Minolta definitely outperforms this Tamron, resolution-wise, but the Minolta Rokkor-X is uncommon and expensive. The Minolta AF 24-50 is much more common and cheaper, so it's a viable option for Sony alpha shooters. As for this Tamron, I'll have to see how it really does with my own cameras. On my NEX 7, it'll be a normal to short telephoto, so I'll have to use it with one of my film cameras to really tell the difference. I think I'll use it with the Canon FD mount. That way I can compare it against my FD 24/2.8 SSC, my FD-mount Vivitar 35/1.9, Canon 50/1.4 SSC, and my FD-mount Vivitar S1 24-48/3.8.

Stay tuned . . .


PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 8:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I was browsing ebay and saw a new listing, few seconds old, selling a Schacht 85mm f/2.8 for Exakta for 55 euros... I bought it, and I am actually very impressed by the lens. It's perfectly sharp wide open, has no CA, the bokeh is fantastic, it's really a big surprise. I have yet to test it more...

F/2.8 on Sony A7II:



100%:



Shocked


PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Billou wrote:

Shocked

That crop is absolutely amazing!


PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The subject is creepy but yes, the copy I got seems to be pretty awesome. I will take a walk with it this afternoon and post some results !


PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 10:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Billou wrote:
The subject is creepy but yes, the copy I got seems to be pretty awesome. I will take a walk with it this afternoon and post some results !

Actually, I'm not at all certain what that critter is up to. I was referring to your lens' optical properties. Astounding detail.


PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi Michael, we both like the same lenses.





PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hey kryss, I wish mine would have come with that nice tulip hood, but it didn't. Maybe I'll be able to pick up a copy for not too much money on eBay.

A few days ago, I took a chance and bid on a Canon EF over at the Goodwill auction site. I ended up paying more than I wanted to -- $71 -- knowing that it was untested, and not having a very good experience at all with previous EFs I've bought recently (and then returned because they were dead).

Well, the EF arrived yesterday and today I stuffed some batteries in it and, hoping for the best but expecting the worst, I pushed in the battery check button and -- voila! It blinked! So I tried the slow (electronic) shutter speeds, and they worked too. Finally I checked the meter, and it responded to light as well. At last, I've found an EF that works! So, on balance, I guess $71 is not a bad deal, especially when comparing EFs that work on eBay. This Goodwill find is actually pretty clean. Very faint brassing on the corners and a couple of very small dings. Here's a photo of it. I mounted the lens for effect. I haven't cleaned it up yet, so it looks kind of grungy. But it should clean up fine.



PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 8:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Certainly not the "biggest bargain", but a nice find today at a flea market:

Asahi "Pentax S1", Super Takumar 1.4/50mm, Auto Takumar 2.2/55mm and Takumar 3.5/135mm from about 1961 (only the Super-Tak is from 1966) for CHF 25 (= EUR / USD 25)

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