Value of film camera's these days

[Jared]

Has anyone else noticed they seem to rising in value pretty consistently at the moment, I just paid nearly £10 for an old box camera posted which would have cost me £5 a year or so ago.

Also all the old SLR lenses seem to be going through the roof no matter what they are there's a Pentacon 50mm going for over £16 at the moment, I paid just £3 for mine a year ago.

Even old dogs of SLR's are becoming more expensive, the other problem is everyone splits up sets now so there are no longer the nice usable items like before. I paid £8 according to my records for an Olympus om10 with case lens and strap a few years ago.

Rant over, I just miss the bargins.

 

[excalibur2]

Has anyone else noticed they seem to rising in value pretty consistently at the moment, I just paid nearly £10 for an old box camera posted which would have cost me £5 a year or so ago.

Also all the old SLR lenses seem to be going through the roof no matter what they are there's a Pentacon 50mm going for over £16 at the moment, I paid just £3 for mine a year ago.

Even old dogs of SLR's are becoming more expensive, the other problem is everyone splits up sets now so there are no longer the nice usable items like before. I paid £8 according to my records for an Olympus om10 with case lens and strap a few years ago.

Rant over, I just miss the bargins.

They have gone up on ebay..and sooo many zooms for sale I'm wondering if they are running out of primes.

 

[pinktrainers]

There are other avenues for finding bargains (we all know where, it's just having the time and mobility for it) - I've been very successful so far, picked up most of the gear I actually want with enough extras I can sell on eBay to actually turn a profit on the whole deal. So for me the rise in eBay prices is a definite bonus!

 

[Jakska]

I think the reason for lenses becoming more and more expensive is because more and more people are snagging them to use on their digital bodies.

 

[ah5168]

As hardly any film cameras a being made the supply is finite. Digital has brought loads of people into photography and if a small percentage of them want to try film they are buying up from depleting pool of cameras, hence the price will rise.

Fill your boots now before the prices rise significantly.

 

[Rolleikin]

I think there are still quite a few bargains about in brick and mortar shops. I think specialists and ebay users are using the film 'revival' as a reason to inflate prices.
There are still bargains, like a Nikkormat for £5 and the ocaisional boot sale buy.
What I have noticed is the rocketing price of plastic cameras that just five years ago you couldn't give away like 1950's Kodak Brownie types that can now sell for £20-30.

The upside being that people are using them, I don't think the sudden surge is due to collectors I think there may be a groundswell of LOMO type buyers who have Holga and its hip now to shoot unsharp images with plastic lenses.
In my opinion this movement is kind of a photographic foil to the ultra sharp psudo realism that seems to be in vogue in the DSLR world where people chase unotainable 'realism'.

Mark Antony

 

[MartynK]

I think there are a lot of reasons for this, but bargains are certainly harder to find. Local charity shops and car boot sellers were asking 30 - 40 quid for tatty Instamatics and similar cameras when I last looked. I suppose people heard that "old" film cameras could be worth more than they thought.....?

There's a similar situation in some of the "antique" shops around here. I know anything more than 100 years old is an antique, but age doesn't turn junk into collectibles, unless you collect junk of course.

 

[Andysnap]

Fortunately I'm at a stage where I have all the cameras I need (except for an Ensign 820 and these are going for silly money at the minute), but I do need more lenses and they seem to be going the same way.

Andy

 

[TheBigYin]

Fortunately I'm at a stage where I have all the cameras I need (except for an Ensign 820 and these are going for silly money at the minute), but I do need more lenses and they seem to be going the same way.

Andy

pretty much the same here - i'm determined not to buy into any more different systems at the moment, as what I really need is decent glass for the 35mm AF and the dijikal kit to share - and those lenses with the L's aren't cheap

 

[menthel]

pretty much the same here - i'm determined not to buy into any more different systems at the moment, as what I really need is decent glass for the 35mm AF and the dijikal kit to share - and those lenses with the L's aren't cheap

They never have been though!

I don't want any more kit at present and the prices of OM lenses are not too bad so if I feel the urge it should not be too tricky. Unless my sp breaks!

 

[TheBigYin]

They never have been though!

I don't want any more kit at present and the prices of OM lenses are not too bad so if I feel the urge it should not be too tricky. Unless my sp breaks!

Thats the thing though - it's one thing complaining that old kit prices are high, but compared with the stuff for current systems, bye-and-large, older kit is still pretty bargainous.

 

[classcams]

When one bought an SLR camera years ago, maybe it had an exposure meter fitted. One expected it to last for years, maybe a life time. It was a mechanical camera, and built to last. Nowadays if you bought a digital camera having so much electronic gadgetry, you would be very lucky to get a few trouble free years. I get this from dealers today,they all say the same thing. I have a vintage Canon F1 camera, still going strong, It will be used until they stop making the batteries.

 

[puggie]

from a modern build point of view my Pentax Super Takumar lenses make my Canon EF stuff feel like it belongs in a christmas cracker (especially the nifty fifty).

 

[menthel]

from a modern build point of view my Pentax Super Takumar lenses make my Canon EF stuff feel like it belongs in a christmas cracker (especially the nifty fifty).

Yep, but you can't compare the build quality when looking at what you pay second had, Those pentax lenses would have cost a pretty penny when new, where as the 50mm f1.8 is a bargain basement priced lens, even when new.