what are the biggest bargains you have found?

Layer-cake · Joined: 18 Mar 2013 Posts: 560 Location: Cape Town

Had a good run the last month finding lenses locally.

Olympus H.Zuiko 24mm 2.8 $10
Tokina Om mount 24mm 2.8 $20
Vivitar om mount 24mm 2 $20
Panagor fd mount 28mm 2.5 $15
Canon fd 35mm 2.8 free:)
Two Konica 35mm 2.8 $50
Voightlander Skoparex DKL mount 35mm 3.4 $10
Soligor 105mm 2.8 $20
Olympus 100mm 2.8 $20

I'm Rather pleased!

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4744 Location: Cheshire, England

A Durst M370 Color enlarger with Schneider Componon 50mm f2.8 lens

lamp needs replacing - it'll probably cost an arm and a leg!

from Freecycle. Free!

Aanything · Expire: 2014-05-30

So... the package arrived today: the camera is jammed, a couple of caps are missing, one front cap is not original contax.
But, the seller forgot to mention the Planar 1.7/50 that was mounted on the body, and the lenses are all in good condition, used, but good - with the 1.4/85 being the best looking.

That's the kit:

(sorry for the pic, but I was kinda excited about it Wink

)

Well, it looks like I have the range from 28 to 135 covered now.

spoilerhead · Joined: 25 Jan 2012 Posts: 68 Location: Austria

alm001 · Joined: 13 Sep 2013 Posts: 67 Location: New England

Went to the local Goodwill at lunch and they had (2) NEX-F3s for $150/ea, and a Nikon 1 for $100... all BNIB, "donated from Target"
Went out to the car to think it over, went back inside and ALL THREE WERE SOLD. Guy in front of me in line had bought both NEXes

Colossally upset with myself.

mackeral · Joined: 21 Oct 2012 Posts: 64 Location: United States

Recently scored a fully boxed Zenit 3M with 44 silver 13 blade version for $15.

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4744 Location: Cheshire, England

Mir · Expire: 2017-09-30

hifisapi · Joined: 25 Sep 2012 Posts: 941 Location: USA

I scored my ultra rare smc k pentax 28mm f2.0 wide angle (floating element) in a package
deal for $250 a few years ago. Its worth about $750 today.

pentaxpete · Joined: 02 Dec 2011 Posts: 651 Location: BRENTWOOD England

At Brentwood Photographic Club we used to have an annual 'Auction' and there I got some bargains as nobody else bid against me:
Carl Zeiss Jena 134mm f4 for £1-00 and a Canon SSC Breechlock fit 35mm f3.5 for £1--00
The when I bought my Pentax 6x7 Mark I in 1980 I ordered the 105mm, the 75mm f4.5 and the 200mm f4 lenses + extension tubes and when it arrived I found some poor stock person had given me the 75mm f4.5 SHIFT lens instead of the much cheaper version so I was very lucky and did a lot of Architectural work with that 'shift' lens !

barryreid · Expire: 2015-11-04

sceptic · Joined: 01 Jun 2013 Posts: 255

On my way to pick up a Konica AR 85/1.8, a 28/3.5, a Minolta SR bellows, some adaptall 35-70, flash, various accessories and a large metal case to hold everything, all for 200 USD. Not a super bargain, but the 85 should be worth more than that on its own.

kiruajon · Joined: 01 May 2013 Posts: 50 Location: France

takumar 4/40 macro, takumar 4.5/20, vivitar 3.5/250, plus some af canon zoom... 6€.

konicamera · Expire: 2014-06-14

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4744 Location: Cheshire, England

konicamera · Expire: 2014-06-14

kiruajon · Joined: 01 May 2013 Posts: 50 Location: France

Some months ago I got a konica fs1 with hexanon 2.8/24, 2.8/35 and 4/70-150 for 20€.

I kept none of them but it was a good deal.

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

For years, I've wanted a copy of Tamron's big SP zoom -- the 200-50mm f/5.6. Know that one? Big and heavy with a 95mm front filter size. I've never been able to justify the expense for what it is, though. I mean, I know how I tend to use zooms, which is I tend to extend them out to their maximum focal length and I just leave them there. But I already have a 500mm f/5.6. Yeah it's bigger and heavier, but still -- I got that focal length and aperture covered already with a tack sharp telephoto. Plus I have a much lighter 500mm, albeit an f/8, in my Tamron SP 500mm 55B. And when it comes to 300mm I have the Tamron SP 300mm f/2.8 LDIF. Add a 1.4x to it and I have a 420mm f/4. So both of those focal lengths are faster and probably weigh less too. And 200mm? Heh, I got a half dozen good 200mm lenses that are faster and much lighter. So why would I want to get one of these 200-500 monsters? Just because? Hell I dunno.

Still I can't say why, but I've always kept my eyes open on eBay for a good deal on one. Typically they have BINs ranging from $500US to $1,000US. Way too rich for my blood. But a few weeks ago, one of them appeared on US eBay as an auction. And with a low starting bid, too -- around $50 or so. The lens was pretty clean with a few light scuff marks but mint glass. Missing the case, though, but that wasn't a deal breaker for me. So I start following it, and end up putting a last minute bid on it. And, damn it! I got outbid with one second to go. Oh well. I tried. Then about a week later, I get a note from the seller with a 2nd chance offer, for the amount of my bid. Hell yeah! So I picked up this Tamron SP 200-500mm f/5.6 for $219.50 plus shipping.

Here it is: Click here to see on Ebay

I haven't gotten to shoot much with it yet, but I did do a series of test shots, and I can say this: it is a remarkable lens. Very close in sharpness to a nice 500mm telephoto, even wide open. So Tamron was definitely doing something right when they came up with that lens formula.

eeec · Joined: 16 Jun 2013 Posts: 45 Location: Edmonton, Canada

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

You ain't lying. That mortar tube weighs in at a whopping 6 lb (2724 grams). Compare that to the Tamron 300mm f/2.8, which ain't exactly a small fry, at a mere 4.6 lb (2096 grams).

ManualFocus-G · Expire: 2014-11-24

Just picked up another Contax Carl Zeiss Planar 50/1.4 for £59.00...not quite the bargains some of you lot have captured recently, but good enough for me Laughing

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

I dunno, Graham -- that seems a very good deal to me. 'specially if it's clean.

Belcanto · Joined: 17 Oct 2013 Posts: 72 Location: Karlstad, Sweden

I got a Planar 50/1.4 and a Nikon 135/2.8 at a local secondhand shop. The planar was small so it cost 6$ and the nikon was big so that costed 8$ (equivalent). A nice day!
Kjell

Nordentro · Expire: 2015-01-29