what are the biggest bargains you have found?

[seta666]

I know that some years ago you could find very good deals, but now prices seem to have gone crazy, especially with anything with zeiss or SMC written on it
In my case these would be:
-Tamron SP 90 2.5 macro with OM, FD and C/Y adapters, near mint condition 16€ on a local cash converters few months ago.
- Fujinon W EBC 35mm 2.8 with hood, quite beaten up on the outside but lenses OK, 5€ on a local market some months ago too

And also very good deals, my yashicas MLs, from 35€ (28mm, 50mm 1.7) to 150€(24mm), tokina 17mm 65€, mint Mir-20 150€, 3 leitz summars for 150€, etc....


Now tell me about your findings and make me cry

[Attila]

Mint Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 75mm f1.5 M42 100 EUR
Carl Zeiss Distagon 35mm f1.4 266 EUR thanks for our members
Minolta 100mm f2 20 EUR
etc, etc there is always some excellent deal.

[fish4570]

very good used bessa r for $200.
very good canon 50/1.8 ltm for $135.
fujica st605 body for $45, including shipping.
super takumar 55/2 for $22.50, maybe. something like that.
minolta a5 fixed lens rangefinder, near mint, $28.
best deal of all: industar-50 50/3.5 ltm for shipping, thanks to a board member ...

[no-X]

I'm not sure if I ever bought a real bargain - maybe Meopta Meogon 60/5.6 (stunning macro performer) for €0.8

Maybe about 2 years ago a few lenses like Tair-11A or my silver SLR Jupiter-9, which were both cheaper than on ebay, but not typical bargains.

The winner would be my current copy of Vivitar 85/1.8. It wasn't in the condition as the seller described, he have me stunning discount and my repairman fixed the lens for free, so I got it for €25 total...

[Poolhall]

Pentax SMC Takumar 100/4 in its case for £4 with a Pentax uv filter too -but no hood -still you can't have everything!

[CarbonR]

My first S-M-C Tak 85/1.8 for 130€
Second, near mint, for 180€
S-M-C Tak 20/4.5 and 35/3.5, both near mint, 145€
Takumar 200/3.5 for 35€
Porst 55/1.2 for 60€ (not cased)
SMC Pentax A 35~210/3.5-4.5 for 35€ (not cased)
SMC Pentax 200/2.5 for 230€
SMC Pentax M 24/2.8 for 15€ (not cased)
Tamron 350/5.6 for 55€
CZJ Sonnar 135/3.5 for 13€ (not cased)

All lenses were in their original case unless mentionned, prices include shipping, all on Ebay, except for the Tamron

[Jieffe]

2 years ago, a Nikkor 24mm f2.8 for 15€ (seller labelled it as "Cokinlight 52mm")

Last year, Yashica Electro 35 GT (the rare black model) with original hood, wide and tele add-ons and external viewfinder, in perfect order, 20 €

A few months ago, I bought a 50mm lens for 15€ too. I saw later that the same lens (mint Steinheil München Cassar-S 50mm 1:2.8 ) was selling above 100 €

[Attila]

[ludoo]

Flektogon zebra 20mm f4 for 50€. I had the back element cleaned later, for an additional 15€.

[Esox lucius]

I suck at finding bargain lenses, I usually run into mint ones premium priced - which is why I am constantly at the brink of bankruptcy

My best bargain is a 1941 Omega Tank watch, flea market find for 5 EUR. Cost me 89 EUR to have it restored by Omega Switzerland, who also told me that it was originally sold to a German lieutenant in Bulgaria but no further history was known as it since had not received warranty service. Value? About 700 EUR if eBay is to trust.

Returned with the watch was also a personal letter from Omega, where they regretted that the watchmaster who originally quality checked my watch when it left the factory in 1941 could not sign the restoration report (he had passed away in 2001).

Talk about customer service and handcraftsmanship

[alex]

[visualopsins]

Biggest:

Certainly the 3.3Kg (8lbs) M42 S-M-C Takumar 500/4.5 with case & caps, brand new condition. I paid too much, but completed my M42 S-M-C set 17-500mm...

Others:

SPII with M42 S-M-C Takumar 50/1.4, S-M-C Macro-Takumar 50/4 S-M-C Takumar 85/1.8, Spiratone 18/3.5, all with original cases & caps, and Phillips Thyristor P536 Strobe, for US$370

M42 S-M-C Takumar 105/2.8 & hood, APE 2X and 3X TC, S-M-C Macro-Takumar 50/4, S-M-C Takumar 135/2.5 (6-element version) & hood, S-M-C Macro-Takumar, S-M-C Macro-Takumar 100/4 & hood, S-M-C Takumar 35/2 & square hood, S-M-C Takumar 28/3.5 with square hood, Asahi Magnifying Eyepiece, and Asahi Pentax Auto-Bellows. All lenses in like new condition with original caps & cases. US$456

6x7 MLU camera with 55, 75, 90 (leaf), 105, 135 macro, 150, and 200, all S-M-C with cases, the 75, 90 (leaf), 105 new old stock boxed, collapsable magnifying viewer, and (working) metering viewer -- all for US$1400!

Canon 5D1 with low (~5000) shutter count in original box with alll accessories for US$1080, in October 2008!

[nemesis101]

OBVIOUSLY the biggest bargain EVER is this forum - so much advice, good photography and helpfulness! Otherwise:

Either a G7 for 25 dollars (marked down in Goodwill as 'flash broken and shutter not working') which just needed the battery charging and the flash turned on in software.. or the Bronica S2 (since sold on) that I got at a garage sale marked as 'Box Camera'

I tried (yes doubters, atheist I may be but I do have a conscience) to explain to the woman that it was incorrectly described and was in fact a quality SLR and she said something along the lines of 'I ain't here to argue, do you want it or not?' so that cost me 10 bucks

Doug

[Attila]

[Nesster]

Tamron 52bb and Nikkor 43-86 from Goodwill for... $30
Bessa 66 and Gossen Luna Lux SBC for... $25
Retina IIa for... $20
Pair of new in box B+W proline uv filters... $15
Yashinon DX 35/2.8 silver for... $10
Yashica TL Electro X with DS-M 50/1.7 for... $9
Authentic Rollei bay 1 hood for ... $10

But over at pentax forums, some guy lucked into this, and was asking should he go for it!!

Leica original 1934 model III, "It comes with two rangefinder eyepieces, both in excellent shape, and a Canon 50mm f/1.8, Canon S 80mm f/2, Canon S 35mm f/3.2, and Canon S 135mm f/4; all in what I would rate as Excellent++ condition. There is also a nice lightmeter, but I forget what brand it is. They are asking $200 dollars firm for the whole set."

That's what I call economic stimulus!

[ManualFocus-G]

So many bargains to choose from!

Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50/1.4 - £18.00 delivered (mint)
Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135/3.5 - £12.00 delivered
Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35/2.4 - £35.50 delivered
Nikon 50/1.4 - $10.00 (from a fellow MFer here, and it's still in good use )
Tair 11A - £18.50 delivered
Tamron SP 28-80 - £16.00 delivered
Pentacon 50/1.8 - £4.00
Aetna 100/2.5 - £14.00 delivered
Steinheil Munchen 85/2.8 M42 - £20.00
Pentacon 135/2.8 preset - £9.50 delivered
Nikon 24/2 - £99.00 (just received this lovely little lens )

[hinnerker]

16 kg of Leica gear.. for 990 Euro, incl. Books, Service Manuals etc.,
everything in mint condition, Boxes, Leathercases, Bags and Filters..etc..

incl.

Leica R4 + DB
Leica R5 + MD + Grip
Leica Mini Zoom ..
Leica Elmarit 2.8/24mm
Leica Summicron 2/50mm
Leica Elmarit 2.8/90mm
Leica MR Telyt 8/500
Angenieux 2.5-3.3/35-70mm
Angenieux 3.5/70-210mm

The 2.8/24mm (not working on my 5D), MR Telyt 8/500mm (i hate donuts in the bokeh) and the Angenieux 3.5/70-210mm (have got an Canon L 70-200 for that) i did resell and thats refinanced the whole. So the Angenieux, both Leicas, Angenieux 35-70, Summicron 2/50, Elmarit 90 and lots of other stuff stay in my bag as Profit.

So this was a real bargain. After all i payed 0 Euro for that.

Cheers
Henry

[Arkku]

Helios-44M-4, 0 EUR delivered to doorstep. Appeared mysteriously behind my door a day after I asked to buy a broken one for parts; still no idea who brought it, but thanks if you're reading — the parts from this and the broken copies I had allowed me to put together two working lenses and one soft-focus version.

Fujica ST-801 body (working, though dirty), EBC Fujinon 50mm f/1.4 (mint), EBC Fujinon 135mm f/2.5 w/ hood (near mint), case, old flash. 35 EUR.

Black Spotmatic SP-IIa (rare version), Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 50mm f/1.4 (excellent condition), 60 EUR.

Minolta Rokkor 58mm f/1.2 (stuck aperture, easily fixed, otherwise excellent). 75 EUR

Vest Pocket Kodak with Kodak Anastigmat f/8, about 15 EUR shipped.

EBC Fujinon 19mm f/3.5 M42, like new, under 200 EUR. (Check out the prices & availability of this these days… Absurd.)

[cheekygeek]

Gosh, there are so many...

Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 85mm f2.8 for $5 at a local camera store's used closeouts.

A Pentax-A 50mm f1.7 in mint shape with caps for $7.50 at a local antique store.

Found a Super Takumar 85mm f1.8, a 50mm f1.4, and a S-M-C Tak 28mm f3.5 on a nice Spotmatic body, all for $125.

[Toeteraar]

sometimes things get rather cheap.

Vivitar 2.8/55mm macro € 15
Novoflex 3.8/200 € 50
Novoflex 5.6/400 € 25
Sigma Ultratel 500mm mirror € 20
Sigma 8/600 mirror € 50
Tokina SL 5.6/300 € 20
Tokina SL 5.6/400 € 25
Tokina 8/500 mirror € 35
Vivitar 8/600 rocketlauncher € 50
Tamron 5.6/300 € 5 (ok it was an adaptamatic, but still reasonable)
Zeiss Distagon 1.4/35 € 140

In the AF-corner, things get more expensive
Tamron 5.6/200-400mm € 150
Tokina AT-X 5.6/400mm € 100

[walter g]

I'm a bargain hunter. So almost everything I buy.
Local thrift shop. Minolta X-370 with Rokkor X45mm, JC Penney 135 lenses, and a Vivitar 2800 flash. $7 US. Pro-Spec tripod mint $3 US.

Spiratone 400mm f6.3 with hood and Spiralite filter. $5.13 but I had to pay $10.05 shipping. I don't think it was ever mounted to a camera.

[indianadinos]

Well, here's my list:

EBC Fujinon 55/3.5 Macro (M42, mint) at 15 euros
Pentax-K Bellows 100/4 (mint) at 20 euros
Pentax-K 135/2.5 (new from old stock, boxed) at 160 euros
P6 with TTL prism finder + Biometar 80/2.8 + Flek 50/4 + Meyer 300/4 + bellows + P6-to-M42 mount + paperwork + bag at 120 euros
Taylor Hobson Ental II at 7 euros
SMC Takumar 135/3.5 with caps and original bag at 10 euros

Cheers

[Attila]

[Rolf]

for example

Steinheil 35mm near mint 3 €
Steinheil 135mm near mint 3 €
Canon FD 1.4/50mm new 14 €
Canon FD 80-200mmL near mint 40 €
Jupiter 21M new 10 €

......

[Spotmatic]

I'll only mention my most remarkable find: a Meyer Primoplan 7,5cm 1:1.9 (pre-war): 80 euros