What's Your Best Bargain Find?

[Dave S.]

Originally Posted by RF_newbie

Dear RF_newbie,

Please provide an inventory of all the items that came with your $50 "old cabinet with 14 drawers". Associated photos would be welcome too.

But seriously, IMHO if it had been my old cabinet and camera collection I would be quite pleased to have it shared with a great community of rangefinder enthusiests such as those here on the rangefinderforum after my passing. A tribute of sorts.

- Dave S.

[myoptic]

I am so glad I am no longer a Leica owner. Seeing RF_newbie's score made my eyes water and made me feel faint. Many years ago I worked at the Camera Exchange in Ottawa and a man came in one day trying to sell a camera. Looking and smelling much the worse for wear, I was expecting a Kodak Brownie, but instead he pulled out an officer's Luftwaffe Leica with original lens. I paid him $350 for it, and my boss sold it a few days later to a Japanese buyer for $6000US. That was my best ever buy, and it wasn't even for me, although my boss was not in the shop when the transaction happened, but honesty is the best policy, etc.

[Scheelings]

An E60 Noctilux and 35mm Summilux ASPH (V1) both for $4500 USD 6 months ago...

[kbg32]

Picked up a beautiful black chrome Leica R4 with a 60 Macro Elmarit for $300. I didn't need the macro Elmarit and sold it for $550. Still have the R4.

[kbg32]

Originally Posted by RF_newbie

i was riding my bike back home from the market down the street from our house and noticed this tiny little old lady that looked to be about 80 years old fiddling with a jack next to a green 1970 GTO. I stopped and said, this a very nice car, and she said.. "but it has damn flat!"
I asked her if i could help her out and found that she had no spare tire. We talked about how she came across this fine GTO all in beautiful original condition(i think it had about 46,000 miles on it) and she told me she had seen a GTO ad in Playboy magazine back in the 60's and convinced her husband to buy one. Anyway i told her i lived a couple blocks away and would be happy to get my truck and she could hang out at my house with the wife while i went to a tire repair shop. After i got her tire fixed and back on the car she asked if i would take some money for my time, and of course i told her not to worry about it. She then told me her husband had died not to long ago and she was preparing for a yard sale and maybe there was something she had in her garage that i might want real cheap. So i followed her home and took a quick look around and told her i did not really see anything i needed, but thank you anyway. She pointed to an old cabinet with 14 drawers and said how about that? I glanced at it from the other side of the garage and said jokingly to her, how much! She thought for a minute.... and then she said "50 bucks....but you have to take everything in the drawers too"

That is just sick! F***ing sick. For real???

[kbg32]

Did you pay her the $50?

[Fraser]

We need a picture of everything together out of the drawers don't be shy.

[myoptic]

This may not count for a couple reasons, the item bought was a TLR, and I was not the buyer, but the buyer got such a great deal, it reminded me of this thread and the ridiculous Leica deal.
Anyway it was an auction for a Rolleiflex Tele. The deal was pretty incredible.

[p.giannakis]

Plenty of finds actually.

1) A pound for a mint Yashica MG-1 with case.


2) Two pounds in total for those two...


3) The absolute bargain.... £0.10 (that is 10 pence) for the Olympus XA2


Other bargains include:

A pound for the EOS 10


A pound for the Olympus Mju-1


And as I wrote earlier on on this thread... Fuji DL supermini for £2

[Range-rover]

My best Flea Market fines were a Nikkor 20mm f2.8 AIS for $40.00 and a Olympus
21mm F3.5 for $20.00, I sold the Olympus for $300.00 and the Nikkor I still have, I'm
looking for a inexpensive Nikon Digital to use with it because I'm a Canon user and
don't want to spend a lot a money on it (I know Good Luck) or maybe I'll sell it??

Range

[bugmenot]

Post pics of the other drawers please ... O_O

[Greyscale]

I find a lot of bargains, but I work hard at it.

$15 bought me all of this last Friday, it mas all that would fit in the sack.






$20 for these two at a pawn shop


$25 at an estate sale


$12 on eBay


$4.00 at a thrift shop


$0.01 on eBay. Shipping was advertised at free, but I paid it because it was right to do.


$0.75 at a thrift shop


$19.00 on eBay

[someonenameddavid]

A contax iiia color dial with 50 1,5 Sonnar a 135 f4 sonnar and 35 2.8 biogon for $150 in a sweet optima case.

Mint super Ikonta B for $125

David

[River Dog]

My favourite, although not the cheapest, bargain was £45 for this immaculate Rollei 35 S at a boot sale (flea market). Knocked him down from £80 because he didn't know how to remove the back or cock the shutter to prove it worked for me. A real man's camera, if it wasn't for the girly strap and meter

[Greyscale]

$16.00 on eBay


$19.00 on eBay


$3.00 on eBay


$29.00 on eBay, with 5 Yashica lenses and winder


$26.00 om eBay, with 4 other lenses


Free, from a dear friend


$10.00 at a garage sale

[River Dog]

$0.01 on eBay. Shipping was advertised at free, but I paid it because it was right to do.

There is much honour in that gesture. Sir, I salute you.

[denizg7]

Originally Posted by chris00nj

What's your best bargain you've found? For example, did you find a nice Leica IIIf at a garage sale for $50? Or did you find a sale of a "Cannon 50/1.5" for $50 because someone misspelled Canon. Or did you find that Canon 50/1.5 on eBay because it was on a Canon IIS and just listed as a "old Canon camera"

What did you find, what did you pay and what do you think the true value was?

I really have had any super great finds. I guess the best were that I got my Canon 35/2 for $215 and I got a Tele-Elmar (user) for $75. Neither was listed improperly, so perhaps no one was looking at the time.

well this might not be considered a bargain, but let's just say I know someone who thinks i am their dear friend and I get to use that persons noctilux summilux summicrons and m7 m8 m9 plus that persons dark room: for free

[Lauffray]

35mm summicron ASPH for 1400$

[michaelshane]

$15.00 flea market

[agphotography]

A friend of mine was GIVEN a mint Nikon S2 w/ the Nikkor HC 5cm f1.4. One if his Coworkers said "here I never use this thing, you want it?"

Of corse this happens after I no longer work there

[Spanik]

Best was a Mamiya 645e for €175 that came with prism and 80mm. Turned out to be a hardly used clean 80mm Macro. Rest was in good condition as well.

[edodo]

My best was a radioactive summicron collapsible for 120€ five years ago... Now sold and replaced by a tabbed chrome summicron 5cm

[ronnies]

My best bargain must now be the Yashica FRI and Yashica 50mm f/1.4 ML for £10.

Ronnie

[2WK]

Black Olympus OM2n with motordrive with a 50 macro for $10.
I got it at dentists garage sale. It was used to shoot teeth it's whole life.
A few olympus flashes were included which I still use on my M6.

[hamradio]

I hate bragging, but I have to tell someone.

just got home with a nikon F photomic, non-ai 50 1.4, non-ai 135 2.8, and a one gal freezer bag overflowing with expired 120 ranging from 70s to 90s. $40 at a yard sale.

I feel kinda dirty.

I think I'm going to leave one of my handmade leather camera straps on the woman's doorstep, for the dslr she was talking about.