what are the biggest bargains you have found?

thebbm · Joined: 11 Dec 2013 Posts: 294 Location: France montpellier

very clean olympus zuiko 35mm F2 mc & 85mm f2 (1version) for 45euros Wink

the focus ring need to be cleaned but still fully usable

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

Well, of the four purchases I made mention of above, two have arrived -- the Pentax K2 and the AE-1 and stuff. The K2 is very clean; everything works. The Tamron lens it came with is a PK Autofocus lens, and typical of a used Tamron with some miles on it, something's loose inside. But it's still usable as a MF lens, and 28-200 is a decent coverage, so I might just keep it instead of reselling it.

The AE-1 is in very clean shape except for the busted battery door. There's a guy on eBay that sells small parts like this and I ordered a new door from him. Cost me about six bucks, so not so bad. Everything else in the kit is very clean. The two ProSpec lenses are close to mint, and it came with a Nikon SB-24 flash, which I immediately inserted on to my F4 to give it a try-out (the F4 likes it Cool

) and also another flash that I wasn't paying any attention to is a Minolta 3200i. Well, when I saw its proprietary Minolta foot, I realized that my NEX 7 might like it, so I tried it out on the NEX. Well, definitely no TTL, but it syncs the camera to flash sync speed at least. I did some googling and found out the 3200i was introduced in 1988, so it's old tech for the Minolta Maxxum/Sony Alpha system. The flash has a high and low setting only. I've determined that for most indoor uses, the low setting will give me good exposure, whereas the high setting is more useful for outdoor work. So that was an unexpected boon. I was anticipating keeping only the SB-24 out of that batch.

And most recently, a Canon FTb I won at auction at shopgoodwill arrived -- a few days ago. This camera is mint mint mint! Everything works. And best of all, I paid $13 for it!

I have a few other orders that should be arriving this week. I'll let y'all know if there are any other exceptional deals.

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4745 Location: Cheshire, England

I picked up this Gitzo table tripod for £15 from a second hand shop. Beautifully made and stove enamelled its in mint condition. perfect for displaying my cameras. Although unsteady with the Leica attached - the tripod socket on its end. They are selling for £40+ on ebay.

soz for crap photos shot on my new Casio digital, found in a skip a few days ago. Another bargain!

Oldhand · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:05 pm Post subject:

As many of you know, I was given a Bronica ETRs some time ago with some lenses.
Recently I found a Zenzanon EII 8/500 which has some potential.
Here 'tis
OH

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

Say, Oldhand, when you get the chance, would you please do an evaluation of that bazooka with plenty of pics? Please? I've been jonesin' for one of them for a while now for my ETRSi. KEH has one, but it's about $500 or so, just too rich for my blood right now.

Yesterday I got two more shipments in from shopgoodwill participants, and man-O-man, am I stoked!

One auction was for a black Nikon FE with MD12, a pre-AI 24mm f/2.8 Nikkor that had been professionally AI'd by someone other than Nikon, and a ginormous Sunpak Auto 622 Pro System flash. The FE looks unused -- even the bottom plate is clean. The MD12 is in just as nice of a condition. The old 24mm is easily Exc+ condition, and the Sunpak is in decent shape, all told.

The other auction was for a Canon F-1 -- the second version of the original model -- with Winder F. Attached to the F-1 was a 50mm f/1.4 SSC. The auction also included a Spiratone "Sharpshooter" 400mm f/6.3 preset lens. Everything in this outfit is in mint or close to mint condition. I have seen lots of old F-1s in my life, but I have never seen one as pristine as this one is. The Winder F and the 50/1.4 are in just as nice of condition.

I wish I could say I'm keeping all this stuff, but I'm not. Or at least, I may keep it, but things I already own will get sold. The pre-AI 24mm Nikkor is for sale, and the Sunpak will be as well, as soon as I verify that it works. I'm keeping the MD-12, but I'll probably be selling my old one. I dunno. I may keep it for an FE2 I have on order. As for the Canon gear, the Spiratone 400mm is definitely going up for sale. I'll probably put up another 50mm f/1.4 SSC I have for sale, and keep this one. Oh, and I've got a clean old F-1 that I'll be selling as well. I don't need two of them. Wait a minute -- come to think of it, I have three of them now. Recently I picked up a 55mm f/1.2 SSC with an old F-1 attached for less than what the camera was worth. So that's two F-1s I'll be able to sell. One's already up on eBay. The other will go up tomorrow, I guess.

The FE will replace the one that was severely damaged when my equipment shelves collapsed. My F-1 escaped major injury, but the winder's shutter button popped off and I haven't been able to find it. Once I do, the winder will likely go on the auction block as well -- provided it still works, that is.

As I mentioned in a previous message, my plan is to make money at this little game. It's the only way I can afford to play anymore.

Oldhand · Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 6:45 am Post subject:

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

Jeez, I didn't realize until you mentioned it you're from Oz. Well, I tell you what. It's a fairly common situation here at the forum for folks to help out other folks when it comes to matters of shipping and such. I've helped out a couple of other members across the pond when eBayers wouldn't ship overseas, so we arranged for them to ship to me, then I shipped the items onward. Actually, I've done this with Calvin, also, come to think of it. So if, in the future, you see something you want from KEH, let one of us from the US know, and we'll check on best rates for you, and then you can decide what you want to do.

Of course, this offer is extended to anyone else that may feel the need, as well. Who knows, there may be a situation where I'll want to order something from Oz, knowing I can get a better deal on shipping. So far, I've dealt only with sellers from the UK, China, and Japan. I've found that all three of these countries tend to have quite reasonable shipping rates. Cheaper than US shipping to those countries, in fact, I'm sad to admit.

Oldhand · Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2015 2:56 am Post subject:

Thank you Michael for your offer.
Shipping from Oz isn't cheap either I'm afraid.
You can get some idea from the Australia Post website, but it does need some clarifying.
For example all parcels are charged by mass in 500g increments. In each category of postage there are different limits on maximum total mass of the parcel.
eg
a parcel up to 500g via Air Mail to the United States is $14.10. Maximum allowance via air-mail is 20kg but the cost of a 20kg parcel via air-mail is $339.50 with lots of variations in between 500g-20kg.

There are eight different postal delivery choices for the USA alone:

Express Courier International Platinum

Express Courier International Merchandise

Express Courier International Documents

Express Post International

Pack and Track International

Registered Post International

Air Mail

Sea Mail

............ and within each section, different options are available like tracking or signature on delivery or insurance - these cost extra.

Details are available on this website:

http://auspost.com.au/apps/postage-calculator.html

OH

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

Can't say I found it - it has pretty much found me, but as of today I am a happy owner of near mint Kiron 105 in Nikon mount. It was free Shocked

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4745 Location: Cheshire, England

Not terribly expensive, I'm embarrassed to say how much, but in almost mint condition, hardly a scratch, speeds and everything fantastic working as new. now I must find a lens.

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

Geez, beautiful, Phil. Well, I for one would like to know how much this embarassing figure is. Perhaps just so I can dream of having equally good fortune.

Speaking of good fortune, my lasted shipment from Goodwill arrived today. I've been waiting on this one, seems like forever, because of the Christmas and New Years breaks slowing everything down. It's a black Nikon FE2. Came with a pair of Soligor lenses -- a 70-210/4.5 and a 28-70/3.5-4.5, plus a nice little bonus -- a Nikon SB-15 flash, which provides TTL automation with the FE2.

I've had some really good luck lately. First a very clean FE, then a close-to-mint Canon F-1, then a mint FTb, most recently a mint Nikon N80. That was part of a Lester Dine outfit I sniped on eBay before anybody else saw it, near as I can figure. I don't think that Lester Dine outfit has ever been used. It's complete with the Kiron (aka Dine) 105/2.8 Macro, the Yuzo (aka Dine) ring flash with a dedicated Nikon module, and the N80. Comes with all documentation, too. All in a neat little case. And now this -- again an outfit that looks like it was never used. The Soligors are mint, as is the SB-15. There are just a few tiny marks on the FE2 that prevent it from being mint. Cost me $65 with shipping included. I'm keeping the FE2, of course, but selling everything else. I don't need the SB-15 -- I have an SB-24 that's even more capable. By the time the dust settles, I may not have gotten the FE2 for free, but I'm gonna come real close.

Oldhand · Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 4:11 am Post subject:

Very fortunate find - well done Michael.
There are pictures over in Best of lenses gallery for the Bronica Zenzanon 8/500 EII taken today. Will add to them as time passes.
OH
http://forum.mflenses.com/bronica-zenzanon-8-500-eii-t69565.html

jodtard · Joined: 22 Nov 2014 Posts: 13

Hi All,

I got this lens posted here http://forum.mflenses.com/viewtopic,p,1421447.html#1421447 for $20.00

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

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

Well my latest auction victory at shopgoodwill arrived yesterday. It's a chrome Minolta XD11. Cost me $31. Back when I was a camera dealer during the late 80s, I owned one but didn't have it long enough to appreciate it fully. Back then, a friend of mine at the time, who was also a camera dealer, delivered an impromptu lecture on the XD-11, passing along some information that most people perhaps aren't aware of.

The XD-11 was the most advanced 35mm camera on the market when it was introduced in 1977. It was the platform for Leica's R4 and subsequent models, as a result of Leica's and Minolta's shared technology agreement. It didn't hold this top dog position for long, however, being dethroned by Canon's A-1, which was released the following year -- the first ever camera with a fully programmed auto mode. But here's where it gets interesting. In actuality, the XD-11 was the first camera with a fully programmed auto mode. Even though it offers only Shutter and Aperture priority selections, it has an undocumented feature where, if the shutter speed selected is deemed by the camera to be too low, thus causing camera-shake, it will automatically bias the shutter speed to a higher selection, and then adjust the aperture as necessary to account for this, to insure a more usable image. Which means that the XD-11 was the first camera to select both shutter speeds and apertures based on exposure information. My friend knew about this because he was also a camera repair tech, so he got to see how they actually operated.

Anyway, this little nugget has always intrigued me such that I've kind of wanted another XD11 for my personal collection. A black one would be nice, but this chrome one is beautiful condition. Essentially no wear anywhere. There's one tiny bright mark on the base and that's all I can find. I don't have much Minolta glass right now. I have an old MC 50/1.7 I've used as a loupe for years, and I have a 135/2.8 I picked up about a year ago that has a hazy rear element. Maybe I should just pick up a Minolta adaptall-2 mount for my Tamrons. Another Minolta piece I owned as a camera dealer was a MC Rokkor 16mm f/2.8 full-frame fisheye. What a lens! Wish I still had it, too.

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

As some of you here know, my wife and I bought a house and moved recently. Well, most of my stuff is still in boxes, and a lot of the boxes are next to impossible to get to. And one of those boxes - somewhere - has all my film developing supplies in it. Driving me nuts, not being able to develop my own film. Well, so anyway, today I decided to do something about it. I went to one of this city's two remaining camera shops, hoping to find some good prices on developing tanks. Oh, I found good prices on the tanks, alright. Found good prices on some other stuff too. One of the things I like best about going to this shop is getting to dig through their boxes of junk. Well, a lot of it isn't junk, and a lot of it is perfectly usable stuff, although perhaps a bit too old school for most.

Well, I came home with a pile of stuff -- most of it I'll be putting on eBay with the hopes of making a few bucks off of it -- Tamron hoods, mostly. Couple of motor drives and a winder. Couple of lenses . . . hang on a sec -- I'm keeping those lenses.

One of the lenses appeared to be perfectly normal -- a Vivitar 135mm f/2.8. Actually it's called a Vivitar "close focus" 135/2.8. I didn't pay that bit of salesmanship much mind as I checked it out. I started turning the focusing collar, absentmindedly, then I took another look at the lens because I'd been turning it for so long. Shoot, the lens had doubled in size! And there were these macro markings on it I didn't see at first. It focuses all the way down to 1:2 -- same as many, if not most, macro lenses.

The other lens wasn't as big of a surprise. It's a Mamiya Sekor 200mm f/3.5 in M42. I reasoned that Mamiya builds great medium format optics, so they had to start somewhere. It's an old lens, probably dating back to the 60s.

I took some example photos using each lens on my NEX a short while ago. Rather than post them here, I'm gonna start threads on both lenses and post the photos there.

Mr G · Joined: 27 Jan 2014 Posts: 187 Location: London & Essex

Just received an immaculate Peak anstigmat 4x loupe that I picked up off eBay for the princely sum of £10, current listed price is $246!

mutusorin · Joined: 07 Sep 2014 Posts: 31

my new toy:
a mint Jupiter-9 85mm f2
for only 20 euros including shipping

Marek · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 6:30 pm Post subject:

I just won some old sack of stuff, including Trioplan 50mm export version, some prewar/wartime 35mm Tessar, one small and probably wasteful lens of unknown origin, exa extension rings and two other tubes of unknown origin. All covered with a bit of dust. Altogether for €21.5 Shocked

Went to work, made a higher cap. Now I a bit surprisingly see I won. Cap hit far from being filled.

Funny thing is I wanted only those exa rings Very Happy

Braddanman · Joined: 13 Aug 2012 Posts: 94 Location: UK

I spotted a local ad last Monday morning. It had been posted online the previous day and I thought it would have gone but luckily no.
It said- Lots of darkroom equipment, enlargers 35mm cameras etc. FREE! But whoever wanted it had to take everything.
Everything filled my VW golf. Enough to do anything with film.
3 enlargers and all the darkroom equipment needed.
Some slrs and compacts.
11 lenses and 6 enlarging lenses.
Nothing outstanding but a nice early Chinon 55mm 1.4, and Edixa Xenar 50mm 2.8 silver version.
Well worth the trip.

Very Happy

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

Another successful shopgoodwill.com auction for me. A Sigma 600mm f/8 mirror, in the somewhat rare Canon EOS mount. I've been jonesin' for one of these Sigma mirrors for years, but have never wanted to spend the high prices they've been going for in recent years. So I was jazzed to see this one appear. I had to pay good money for it, though. Not a great bargain, but still a very good deal, I think. $76.

The lens arrived yesterday and I found myself opening the box with some trepidation because the photos at the auction site seemed to indicate a lens in possibly rough exterior condition, although in the photos the optics looked clean. So I open the box and pull out the case that the lens is in and open it up. And it looked like my fears were justified. The hood slips over the lens for storage, covering almost all of the barrel, and the hood was completely coated with some sort of sticky black stuff, Yuck. I slip it off, though, only to discover a lens that is in virtually mint condition. Honestly, it looks like it's never been used. At least everything was there in the case: the lens, the hood, and a set of four filters in a round storage case that fits between the hood and the lens as the hood is mounted backwards on the lens.

So I turn my attention to the hood and see if I can maybe wipe this tar-like substance off. Nope, nothing doing. I immediately go to the heavyweight stuff -- acetone, aka fingernail polish remover. It dissolves a few small patches, turns my paper towels black, but mostly just moves the sticky black stuff around. It will work to get rid of it, but it will require a major effort. So I go looking for something else. I come across a spray can of barbecue grill and microwave degreaser by the folks who make Simple Green, an environmentally friendly but excellent all-purpose cleaner. And i figure, what have I got to lose? So I follow the directions, and spray a thick white foam all over the hood. I let it sit for about half the allotted time and try wiping some off. I immediately notice that a big clean swath was left behind. So I spray it down really good this time and let it sit for the specified amount of time. I take a paper towel to it, and all I can say is, "Wow!" Next time I need to degrease anything, I know what I'm gonna use. So, what emerged from this process was an almost mint lens hood! It has one tiny ding on the edge and another equally tiny one on he opposite side. [addendum: shortly after writing this post, I proceed to drop the hood on the floor, where it bounces around and puts several marks in the anodization. Oh well, it was pretty while it lasted.]

So what emerged from a discouraging set of photos was a pristine Sigma 600 mirror in the very desirable Canon EOS mount. I owned one of these mirrors back in the 80s, with a Canon FD mount. I had established to my satisfaction that this was a very sharp lens with good contrast, and I loved it, but I sold it when I switched systems to Nikon, and never acquired another until now. What I don't remember about this lens is just how heavy it is. Coupled to a DSLR or SLR with some heft to it, and you're gonna have an outfit with quite a bit of weight. In fact, I weighed it just now. By itself, the lens weighs 2 lb 5.7 oz or 1070 grams.

Today I took it out to see if I could find something to take pictures of in late afternoon sunlight. At ISO 100 with my Canon XS, which is as high I dare shoot or else images get really noisy, I was looking at shutter speeds between 1/30 and 1/15. So I drag out my big tripod and mount it, and that does the trick, stability-wise. So I test shoot a few subjects and come back inside only to discover that all the shots I took with the camera's mirror operating normally were double images of varying degrees of severity. I did shoot a few with the mirror up, using Live View, but I really don't like trying to focus using my camera's screen, even when zoomed out to 10x, cuz nothing looks really sharp. Least not as sharp as it looks when I'm looking through the optical finder. But out of probably a dozen shots done this way, I have a couple that I thought looked acceptably sharp, and even then I used photoshop's smart sharpen because my camera just doesn't record images as sharply as I see with my naked eye.

An oak tree "thicket" behind my house

A really late autumn color turner in our backyard -- dunno what kind of tree it is.

SonicScot · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 2:58 pm Post subject:

SonicScot · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 3:00 pm Post subject:

Aanything · Expire: 2014-05-30

I just spotted and bought a perfectly clean MC Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 2.8/80 in pentacon six mount for a whopping 40 euros.

Analog lex · Joined: 10 Nov 2013 Posts: 95 Location: East Europe

Great Tair-3fs for just about 33 Euros.
Seller thinks it has broken aperture. In real - just factory defect, when blades are set in wrong position. So, after some screwdriver manipulation, it fully works. Cool

Here some pics: