Distorted used film camera prices

PeterSpencer

PeterSpencer

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I decided a while ago to sell my Leica IIIA because of eyesight problems, and I have switched over to a Canon rangefinder camera, bigger viewfinder, fuller body and better lenses (gosh, a very frank film photographer standing behind me said that!). That's not what this post is about.

So, to fund the Canon purchases, I put the Leica IIIA, a Yashica Electro GS, a Yashica Minister D and two Canon FT QL's with lenses on eBay. I don't really need all of these rangefinders and SLR's and neat lenses, do I?

I'm happy with the Leica disposal, it met my expectations, but the other four were a huge disappointment.

Eventually I sold the Yashica GSN at its starting price, but withdrew the other three because I couldn't let them go at the starting price. I'm pretty sure the buy now prices were realistic, given camera and lens conditions, perfectly working examples. Never mind the leather cases etc.

What amazes me is that you can't get a Lomo plastic camera for the price of a Canon SLR with a fantastic lens. I'll hang on and maybe try in a few months time.

The Yashica Minister is a very capable camera and what can I not say in praise of the Canon FT QL's and lenses? I think I would rather give them away.
 
Well I'm not buying anything off the bay, Amazon etc ATM till after xmas because of IMO possible delivery problems esp with added covid-19 restrictions...maybe others are doing the same and less people are buying\bidding?
 
I am finding that the most sought after film cameras on Ebay can attract high prices but perfectly usable classics, or lesser known ones, go for next to nothing or do not sell at all. I was recently looking for a thread mount Leica and many traders on Ebay were asking hugely inflated prices for cameras with very poor descriptions of condition; many just saying 'condition is used'. In the end I gave up on Ebay and bought an excellent iif with a spotless 5cm Elmar from a reputable dealer at a lower price with a 12 month warranty!
 
It's only the 'special stuff' that is fetching decent prices. Look how much an Olympus XA is going for. Nice little camera but depending on the model they have sold for over £100. The Olympus mju is even more expensive. The Canon QL17 GIII which is a good camera can fetch over £200. Worth it? I'm not sure, The Pentax K1000 has the same effect in SLR's even though there are much better Pentax and other cameras going for less.

I picked up a Minister D that was listed as not tested for £27 shipped from ebay. It seems to work fine though I'll stick in some light seals over Christmas if I get the chance to buy the material. I got a Minister 700 for £18 shipped from ebay but that did need a service so will end up costing me £115 but I really wanted that camera so that good. I also got a Canon QL19 for about £20 but that needs a service so it'll have to wait or I may just move it on. I got a fully working Agfa Isolette II with a Solinar lens for £35.80 shipped from ebay.

There are bargains but only if the seller is willing to part with it and I can understand why you weren't inclined to do so. Especially if you cared for them which I suspect you likely did, Peter.

I sold a very good condition Konica Pop I got for about £5 to a chap in South Korea on Depop for £112 (before shipping (£9) and Depop cut (£12)). It's a decent point and shoot and it was bright yellow!
 
You don't say what price you were wanting but the Yashica Minister range are very common and do not attract much in the way of a price. I would expect £10 to £12 for one of these. The Electro GS, around £40 to £50. Canon FT QL with lens, £30 to £40.
 
moggi1964 said:
It's only the 'special stuff' that is fetching decent prices. Look how much an Olympus XA is going for. Nice little camera but depending on the model they have sold for over £100. The Olympus mju is even more expensive. The Canon QL17 GIII which is a good camera can fetch over £200. Worth it? I'm not sure, The Pentax K1000 has the same effect in SLR's even though there are much better Pentax and other cameras going for less.

I picked up a Minister D that was listed as not tested for £27 shipped from ebay. It seems to work fine though I'll stick in some light seals over Christmas if I get the chance to buy the material. I got a Minister 700 for £18 shipped from ebay but that did need a service so will end up costing me £115 but I really wanted that camera so that good. I also got a Canon QL19 for about £20 but that needs a service so it'll have to wait or I may just move it on. I got a fully working Agfa Isolette II with a Solinar lens for £35.80 shipped from ebay.

There are bargains but only if the seller is willing to part with it and I can understand why you weren't inclined to do so. Especially if you cared for them which I suspect you likely did, Peter.

I sold a very good condition Konica Pop I got for about £5 to a chap in South Korea on Depop for £112 (before shipping (£9) and Depop cut (£12)). It's a decent point and shoot and it was bright yellow!
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It's been like that for a few years now; some cameras seem to develop something of a 'status' and the general sheep, I mean public, flock to buy them. Take the Canon AE1 for instance - a capable enough 35mm SLR, but absolutely loads of them about. It now seems to sell for more than the Canon A1, which has a significantly better specification and was far more expensive when new. I'm sure it's partially due to the AE1 being silver and black and looking 'retro'. To me this is lunacy... I've owned and used both these cameras, and the A1 knocks the AE1 into a cocked hat!
 
john.margetts said:
You don't say what price you were wanting but the Yashica Minister range are very common and do not attract much in the way of a price. I would expect £10 to £12 for one of these. The Electro GS, around £40 to £50. Canon FT QL with lens, £30 to £40.
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John, just wanted to say I really enjoy your blog. I learn a lot there. Thank you.
 
john.margetts said:
You don't say what price you were wanting but the Yashica Minister range are very common and do not attract much in the way of a price. I would expect £10 to £12 for one of these. The Electro GS, around £40 to £50. Canon FT QL with lens, £30 to £40.
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Thanks, those are the price points in my recent experience. Seems a shame that very capable cameras are going for so little while often pretty crude cameras fetch a disproportionate amount more.
 
Peter, I suppose the fact that film cameras have seen a resurgence is something good in of itself.

When I think back to what I sold my vinyl collection for..........well I try not to though at that point in my life it was either play vinyl or eat! :sneaky: What those albums would be worth now :rolleyes:o_O

Look on the bright side, at least film cameras didn't go the way of VHS players! If that has happened you might just have paperweights.
 
PeterSpencer said:
Thanks, those are the price points in my recent experience. Seems a shame that very capable cameras are going for so little while often pretty crude cameras fetch a disproportionate amount more.
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As someone who buys rather a lot of old film cameras, I like the low prices. But prices are steadily rising. The odd times I sell a camera, I am getting about twice what I paid for them a few years ago.
 
Prices in general seem to be going up, but the reasons for individual variations aren't always obvious. Screwmount Leica prices have been relatively static for years (perhaps because more of the cameras are showing their age and you need to price in servicing). M mount Leicas and their lenses have about doubled in price over a decade. Classic manual focus SLR prices have been rising, while AF SLRs are still relatively cheap, except for a few high-end models. That's probably a fashion thing - many people shooting film want the whole retro experience. A few cult compacts are absurdly expensive, like the Yashica T4 and (for different reasons, mostly marketing) the Lomo LC-A. Others with similar specifications turn up in charity shops. Whether this is a good thing or not depends on whether you are buying or selling, of course. The golden age for buyers was maybe a decade ago, when dSLRs were everything and the hipsters had not yet rediscovered film.
 
Some later Rolleicords sell for more than Rolleiflex Automats????
 
Andysnap said:
Some later Rolleicords sell for more than Rolleiflex Automats????
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..and you have always been a fan of Rolleis since knee high to a grasshopper, I don't think you would mind me showing the shot taken of you with MM.
aKlTFzx.jpg
 
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moggi1964 said:
Peter, I suppose the fact that film cameras have seen a resurgence is something good in of itself.

When I think back to what I sold my vinyl collection for..........well I try not to though at that point in my life it was either play vinyl or eat! :sneaky: What those albums would be worth now :rolleyes:o_O

Look on the bright side, at least film cameras didn't go the way of VHS players! If that has happened you might just have paperweights.
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Are you saying that vinyl is worth more than the cost of postage? I've got maybe a 20" stack of LPs which will never be listened to again..... maybe I could sell them and buy a couple of rolls of fillum.
 
Andysnap said:
Some later Rolleicords sell for more than Rolleiflex Automats????
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I think this slightly bizarre phenomenon is because the Rolleicord is often recommended as the cheaper way to get into TLRs, which ironically inflates their prices. The 'cheaper' Rolleiflex models are often quite purchases for this reason. Definitely a similar phenomenon a few years ago with Yashica TLRs - only a few years ago it would be unusual to see a Yashica 124G for significantly more than £100, for instance.

A similar pattern with Pentax K1000, Canon AE-1, Olympus XA....
 
It is odd to watch isn't it. Frustrating sometimes when there's something you want. OTOH bargains are to be had. I bought a box of old Pentax SLR's (SP, SP500, SP1000 plus some standard lenses) for £20. The lenses were absolutely knackered (coatings gone, damaged front from being bashed, etc) but the cameras were fundamentally intact. A service of each by my Pentax specialist guy Harrow Technical/Robin Gowing, and I have all 3 in perfect working order and valued at around what they would sell for if unserviced.
 
Andysnap said:
Some later Rolleicords sell for more than Rolleiflex Automats????
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Makes sense as far as I'm concerned. My Va is lighter, nimbler, mechanically simpler than an Automat, and optically its equal (or likely better, for those who find a more recent Vb in greater condition than an Automat). The result is that it's with me all the time whereas an Automat maybe wouldn't.

As somebody who loves their 3.5F and Va to death, I see merit in both and use them both frequently, and I would totally skip the Automats or Ts if I were in the market for a Rollei again.
 
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And Voigtlander camera prices, pre Japanese buyout versions anyway, are extremely low. A good condition Bessamatic with lens can be had for under £40 on a regular basis, these are top quality slr's and stunning lenses.
 
trypdal said:
Makes sense as far as I'm concerned. My Va is lighter, more nimble, mechanically simpler than an Automat, and optically its equal (or likely better, for those who find a more recent Vb in greater condition than an Automat). The result is that it's with me all the time whereas an Automat maybe wouldn't.

As somebody who loves their 3.5F and Va to death, I see merit in both and use them both frequently, and I would totally skip the Automats or Ts if I were in the market for a Rollei again.
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I don't disagree it's just the prices being asked for Cord's are ridiculous, £300-400 in some cases, whereas I have just sold my late model Automat for £220, 3 or 4 years ago this would have been the reverse.
 
tikkathreebarrel said:
Are you saying that vinyl is worth more than the cost of postage? I've got maybe a 20" stack of LPs which will never be listened to again..... maybe I could sell them and buy a couple of rolls of fillum.
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A couple of years ago, I sold about half my vinyl collection. Some of my stranger late 60s albums sold for over £20 each in well-played condition.
 
There is a 'knack' to using ebay as well, as a seller start everything at 99p - it takes 'bottle' but will always attract more bids and eventually higher selling prices.

No reserve or 'buy it now' either. You have to make a bidder feel like they can win.
 
RWDW said:
You have to make a bidder feel like they can win.
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Indeed, that worked for me. At one time I was fairly active on Ebay and did very well by starting auctions at 99p without reserves. I sometimes had my doubts as to whether I was sane but lots of good pictures and a detailed description always delivered profitable sales and positive feedback.
 
There are articles on the 'psycholgy' of using ebay. Further to the above it is very important to describe the item well and almost in a story like fashion!

make it sound like a very regrettable sale etc, it was much loved and well looked after whilst in your posession etc.
 
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