The other day I acquired an Olympus OM10 in perfect condition with case (also perfect) and a 50mm lens. I threw some new 357 button cell batteries in it, and it responded nicely. I figured I might be able to flip it on eBay for 50 bucks or so, but in looking at past sales these cameras (in perfect condition) are going for $10 - $15 or so with lens and case. Entire multiple camera OM10 outfits with thousands of dollars (originally) worth of lenses & accessories are being sold for $100 or so. Are quality optical SLRs really that obsolete?
I used to use the Nikon FM2; I liked this camera so much that I had three of them. I also had a couple of autofocus Nikon bodies. But after I bought my D70, I’ve sold all but one of the film bodies. (The one remaining FM2 has a dent on it so it’s not worth selling, and it has sentimental value.)
A couple of years ago my dad sold (via one of those “I’ll sell your stuff on eBay” guys) a fancy Nikon that he’d bought in Hong Kong in 1958. I don’t know the specs, but he was quite a photography buff in his day, and I was told that it was a sweet setup. I think there were some lenses and filters with it, and maybe even the leather case. Sounds pretty high-quality and vintage to me. The story was that he’d paid a few hundred bucks for it back then.
Selling price was around $2500.
So unless my dad’s camera was some other fancy non-SLR type deal (I’ve seen it, and it looked like an SLR to me), or you’re only talking about the last six months or something, there’s at least one exception to the rule.
No normal SLR is selling for $2500 today or in the past 5 years. Whatever your dad bought in 1958 was either a medium format, rare, or collectible. New film 35mm SLRs are just a few $100.
Very few people are buying film SLRs today. Used ones don’t fetch much because almost no casual users are buying film. Why invest $100’s in film and processing when it’s on the way out?
I don’t think Nikon made SLRs in 1958; if that year is correct, it was probably a rangefinder. It’s different world altogether (though I still don’t understand why) - $2500 is not at all unusual.
Here I was thinking this thread might be about the L1A1 SLR, but instead it’s about cameras. Talk about a letdown!
Only joking- I’m quite fond of photography myself, as it happens (I’ve got a Nikon F5 35mm SLR), but I have to concede Digital is The Way Of The Future.
For a start, no more heading to the chemist or your local K-mart/Big W to get your photos developed (which costs money and takes time), and you’ve also got the ability to see how your photos have turned out as soon as you take them, rather than a few days later once you get them back from being developed…
It’s not just that so many people are switching to digital, thus reducing the demand for older film SLR cameras.
The other side of the coin is that, combined with the reduced demand is a concomitant glut in supply, as thousands of photographers sell or trade their film cameras for digital. The second-hand market for good-quality and lesser-quality film cameras has been flooded for a few years now.
I got a couple of nice Canon’s a few years ago on eBay, when the digitals were still prohibitively expensive for me. I wonder if the bottom’s fallen out there too? The FD mount in particular are very unpopular because you can’t use the lenses on any body made in the last 15 years.
I bought a 35 mm SLR Minolta camera on ebay for $60 this year for a photo class I’m taking.
I did a preliminary search on ebay just now, and looking on ebay, quality cameras that seem to be well-cared for and have cases and lenses are at least $50-60 dollars, and most have a few days left to bid. The ones that are really cheap AND have pictures have a few days left to bid too. I don’t use ebay that often, but AFAIK, most bidding goes on during the last 24 hours. $60 probably means that it’s depreciated a lot in value though, since I’m sure they were fairly expensive before digitals were invented.
Yeah, SLR bodies are a dime a dozen, nowadays. However, TLRs, tilt-shifts, rangefinders, etc., are still very desirable and fetch good prices on ebay.
Good SLR lenses still hold their value, though. The major players have done a pretty good job with backwards compatibility so that even decades old glass will work with brand new DSLRs (with some caveats such as crop factors, and lack of autofocus or light metering).
