Ok, choices, choices, choices! Olympus, Nikkormat, or Leica?

pepper said:
Thanks for the advice Martin, I'm not going to sell a lot of them (despite what my other half may think) I'm selling some of the more modern bits and am putting the money into a little collection and am going to buy the Grandkids a small digital camera each to remember him by.

If I gave them an SLR or a Rangefinder they'd never use it but having a small compact digital camera and being able to take pictures to show me what they've done will please me and I'll be able to see the results of what my Dads money has done.
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I think that that's a really good idea to be honest. Something to remember grandad by, and hopefully set them off along the same road...
 
I'd keep the OM-1 and the Nikon F5...if it were me...
 
I will be keeping the OM-1, even though I tend to use my OM-30 on a regular basis, as I have the manual adaptor and it runs on newer batteries so doesn't have the issues that the OM-1 does with the mercury batteries.
 
What a pragmatic way of dealing with your grief. Good on you.

The OM1 was an iconic camera, the smallest and lightest SLR ever built - so there is one good reason to keep that one. The OM10 was simply an auto version of the 1 and so as it was what you had to use with your Dad, then why not keep both the 1 and the 10? It isn't going to break the bank. There was the OM2 running at the same time and the 10 was a more amateur version of more or less the same auto/manual camera.

The PenF was another iconic camera in its day - which is why they have just relaunched the name, trading of the nostalgia of the previous success.

The Leica M2 would be my choice from those. But it depends on what you are keeping them for. You try replacing them now - they will fetch really good money.

One piece of advice that nobody has suggested is that you get in touch with one of the specialist auctioneers, say Christies, or Bonhams. Tell them what you have and ask them if they have any specialist collectors sales coming up - you are likely to get a better price at these sales than on ebay. Either that, or get in touch with specialist collectors groups - it can't be that hard in this day and age. I would certainly not rush into selling anything just yet, other than the more "ordinary" items, such as the Zenits.

Make an inventory of everything - maker by maker. So have a list of all the Leica stuff, both SLR and Rangefinder together, one at the top and then the other at the bottom to seperate them but have them together. That way you will be abble to make more of an informed decision without overlooking anything. Take your time and look for some advice from a specialist and from collectors groups. I think you will be surprised at how rare some of that is, especially if it is boxed and in good condition.
 
Thanks for the advice Lensflare,

I've already made a spreadsheet up with all the cameras and am then filling in what I sell them for as I go along, this week I've put his Ricoh cameras up and a couple of his tripods, oh and relisted the Rollei QZ 35.

Basically as I said above I'm selling most of the run of the mill stuff through Ebay, the only cameras which have real value are the Leicas and the Nikon, the rest are relatively low value but its good fun researching the cameras as best I can before placing them on Ebay. I'm surprised how much the cameras are going for on there, as I've seen cameras being sold for more at auction there than you can buy them for from dealers websites!!!

I also sell second hand mountain bike parts (something which I do know a fair bit about and again the prices people are paying at auction can be way above the market value, its a sellers market on there and yes the Ebay and PayPal fees can hurt but the market place they are getting these auctions out too is amazing.
 
pepper said:
I also sell second hand mountain bike parts (something which I do know a fair bit about and again the prices people are paying at auction can be way above the market value, its a sellers market on there and yes the Ebay and PayPal fees can hurt but the market place they are getting these auctions out too is amazing.
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I know what you mean with the bike bits - especially silly prices on retro kit - i've got a complete 1992 XT drivetrain thats only got something like 500 miles on it and a complete Campag. Record groupset (even the hubs, pedals, toeclips and headset) from 1989 that would probably fund my retirement if I stuck it on german ebay :lol:
 
That Ricoh you are selling is beautifull...

I'm myself a photographer student (I think I'd be student forever) and somekind of collector...

I have 14 cameras and 11 lenses and I'm allways looking for more. I'm 22 now so I think how many cameras I'll have when I get my kids... Hope I could give them very nice moments using this equipments in the future...

Best luck in your sales and I'll be wathing the items on ebay...

Regards,
Ivo
 
Thanks BigYin, saved me searching for my own post.

Most of the cameras my Father had are lovely, the engineering that goes into these building these pieces of art is amazing.

The only disappointment I've had is that my Dads GR Digital isn't amongst them, I've found the box leads manuals and cd's but it was the camera I wanted to give to my son and its the one that's missing!

I reckon he part exchanged it for his Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 and forgotten to search out the rest of the bits of the camera when he did so. As the battery, camera and charger are the only bits missing.
 
Well I'm going to need some money to pay for this poor dogs leg. its sort of making my mind up for me, the Leica and the Nikon F5 are going to be up for sale shortly.
 
If the OM1 uses the mercury PX13 or PX625 battery for its light meter, then getting an accurate modern replacement with a decent lifespan is a real problem.
 
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