Need advise on some older Photog equipment

[oursfan]

I have a good friend that has been into photography for a while and is just doing it as a hobby and has recently gotten into collecting old equipment. I wanted to get her a present for an upcoming birthday and though I would look into some older equipment on ebay to see what I could find. I am simply an beginner and do not know a thing about older photography so I need some help. I found the following:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=160267810911

The auction ends soon and it is reasonably cheap right now so I figured what the heck. Any advice on these items in this auction? Anything will help me in making up my mind to bid on it.
Thanks!

 

[Big Mike]

I wouldn't call that a collector's item...there were fairly plentiful in the 70s & 80s. But it should still be working well and could be used, if that's what she wants to do.

 

[oursfan]

Thanks! I guess "collectors item" may be the wrong phrase to use. She likes to use older cameras and such as decorations in her office and likes the vintage look of the older stuff. I think she has been wanting to get into using some older film cameras to play around with as well. I do not know if I will pull the trigger on this one. It was just a thought. Is that stuff worth making a bid on for like $50 if I change my mind in the next few hours?

 

[Bifurcator]

If you can get that kit for $150 or so it's a great deal!

The camera alone: ~$200
The Tokina SD 70-210mm f4-5.6 isn't that great and only worth about $50.00 these days.
The Canon FD 50mm f1.8 goes for about $25~$35 currently.
The Vivitar 550FD flash is about $10 to $25

That the manuals are present usually means the kit was cared for and increases the overall value a little (more than you would expect actually +$30 to $50 ?)

So that's like $300 to $350 all total and if you can get it for 1/2 that - wow! nice!

It's a nice camera too, I used to have one.

 

[Mike_E]

Get her one of these...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Zeiss-Ikon-Cont...ryZ98924QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

(notice it has "Contessa" on it )

 

[Stratman]

Get her a Pentax K1000, make sure it is the "Asahi Pentax" version ( Japanese made ) they are built like a tank, and there were millions of them sold. it is a fully manual camera, and works like a charm !!