I love bargain hunting. But I also do a CLA on each and every camera and lens I buy. Actually, I do buy cameras to repair them, I don't need anymore cameras or lenses to use them for photography. I can deliver proof that my cameras actually do work when I sell them again, and thus I can ask for a - sometimes much - higher price than I paid for it, and this prices are actually paid, because not all (newbie) camera buyers are ignorant or naive. Especially for newbies in film photography a cheap camera is a big risk, as you mentioned. The newbie buyer does not know if the camera works, and more often than not the seller doesn't know either - they sell a camera found in a drawer of the recently deceased Grandpa. The advice to a newbie should be to buy a camera which is declared to have undergone a CLA - and those cameras are never a bargain. On the other hand, I have seen cameras being declared to have been CLA'd in actually terrible condition - the problem to trust the CLA label or not remains, when you don't know how to verify it. So the best advice to a newbie camera buyer is actually the same one given to a person who wants to buy his/her first car: take someone with you who knows the trade.

Definitely agree with points here. I worry also that it will get to a stage of hoarding where someone will buy all and every camera they can find and suddenly people have 30+ cameras that they may not even use. I will confess from my side, that I have purchased many cameras from thrift stores and yard sales with the sole intention of selling them for a fair market value. Times are getting tougher for some folks with their finances so I definitely understand why they would like to make en extra buck or two to help pay for life.

@10rollsoffilm11

2 жыл бұрын

Goes without saying - everyone's life situation is different, people make different choices because of that and it's perfectly understandable. No one should feel like they have to spend the last money on their bank account or go into debt in order to get a camera repaired! Unless they are a working professional and need that camera up and running to make a living... There have also been quite a few cameras/lenses I bought because I wanted to try them for a bit but knew I wouldn't keep them in the long run, so low price was a powerful justification factor as it allowed me to break even or even make a few bucks in the process.

Totally agree. I shot film for 15 years before jumping on the digital wagon and hadn’t looked back. But I started missing the look of bw film (mostly). Found a decent lab to work scan and developing and hunted for a rangefinder. First two thrifts (and not so much tbh) we’re cameras on the brink of falling into pieces. Half my rolls got ruined. If i hadn’t my previous experience with film, I would have cut my loses and quit. But I decided to change strategy. Instead of bargains, I started looking for mint condition, late film cameras. Paid more, but not as much as the go-to crazy hyped and expensive point and shoots that sell like pancakes. I got great cameras that work perfectly without a ton of quirks and the experience turned around 180 degrees.

@10rollsoffilm11

2 жыл бұрын

I was lucky to get the good advice early on into my film journey but I got burned on bargain finds later on - and even at that point it still made me consider quitting film. Careful consideration, reliable sources and willingness to get things professionally serviced/repaired sure is the way to go, if we are to go forwards.

Good points very well made!!

@10rollsoffilm11

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching! 🙏

Very interesting points! I bought most of my film cameras over 10 years ago when you could get them for really cheap during the DSLR boom. So of course to me the prices today seem very expensive, but on the other hand they are more realistic now. And this way there is more incentive to get them repaired. I go looking for used film cameras now and then, and it can be a lot of fun! But I try to only buy what I need, I mostly look for medium format or cameras with film in them. Usually I leave things that I know I wont use, even if they are bargains. Unless, of course, it is something very valuable, but I’ve never actually found any ”super bargains”. One thing that makes me sad is the trend with the Helios-44m2 lenses. So many Zenit cameras have been discarded because of it and I guess this is the case for many other film cameras as well.

@10rollsoffilm11

2 жыл бұрын

Definitely! I see this especially often with obscure systems that have 'halo' lenses - Topcon/Exakta (because of 58/1.4 Topcor and the original 58/2 Biotar), Praktica B-mount (because of 50/1.4 and 80/1.8 Prakticars) and many others. Although I must admit, having used Zenit-3M with silver 58/2 Helios (M39 mount), I totally understand why someone would keep the lens but throw away the camera - the lens was a joy to use but that viewfinder was unforgivably dim and only showed about 80% of the captured frame 😱

@mikaelrphoto

2 жыл бұрын

@@10rollsoffilm11 Well, the usability between the Zenit models vary and Soviet cameras in general are definitely an acquired taste! (I got a comment yesterday from someone who said they couldn't believe I'm using the Russian junk from their childhood XD) I have a 70s Zenit EM, which is not too bad. Of course a bit crude compared to Japanese cameras, but still fine for taking photos with.

@10rollsoffilm11

2 жыл бұрын

@@mikaelrphoto Very true! I may be dissing Zenit-3M all day long - and yet quite a few images I shot with it ended up in my zine, so go figure 😂

Your analysis makes me feel some guilt as I have bought a few lenses that just happen to have cameras attached to them with no intention of ever using or reviving the camera. I have a Pentax AF body that I have never tested, I bought it for the lens to use on my K1000. I don’t even have a Pentax AF lens to try it (it had an old manual lens on it for some reason). I have a Minolta HTsi Plus that I do use but I bought it for the cult 28-135mm lens that was on it. $10 at a thrift store. I have no intention of paying to have it repaired if it ever dies simply because it’s a random mid range model with little value in the used market and I’d rather replace it with something much better even if I have to pay fair market price. I’m part of the problem while being part of the solution. Hmm.

@10rollsoffilm11

2 жыл бұрын

As I mentioned in the video, I'm also part of the problem every once in a while! My Pentor Super TL is one such example, I'm wouldn't seriously consider paying to get that camera repaired if something happens to it. Same with Minolta Dynax 5 I recently got simply because I needed a Minolta AF mount body, no particular interest in that camera (or getting it serviced, although it's been a real trouper so far). And of course there will be some 'natural selection' coming into play when we choose which cameras to preserve and service - personal preferences, features, sentimental value, access to particular lenses or accessories, market value, prestige/hype, etc. Would be silly to suggest that every single camera we buy must be serviced/repaired no matter what!