Please suggest a list of vintage cameras I can collect? :)

[John Fantastic]

The pandemic is really a life changer. I have always want to start collecting cameras but never had the time to do it, until this Pandemic.

So now I decided to collect 50 cameras and my theme is cameras of the 60's, 70's, 80's. I intend to have complete my collection in 2-3 years. And probably no or only 1 leica camera as I can't them .

I only want to collect mint or almost mint fully functional cameras. So far I have purchased a Nikomat EL, A Rollei 35T and a Yashica FX-3 super 2000 which was given to me by a friend when he learned that I have started collecting,

There are 3 cameras I want to include in my list for sentimental reasons.
1. A Canon T70 because this was my first SLR
2. A Canon A1 because I really wanted this but cannot afford it so I bought the T70
3. A Nikon FA for the same reason as #2

I also have a Bronica 645 with 3 lenses and 3 camera backs and a polaroid back but I think I need to have them CLA'd. As I have not seen them for the last 25 years and I probably have to look for it somewhere in my attic .

Here are the 3 cameras I currently have in my possession.

Bought this for 60$

Bought this for 120$

Free given by a friend.

 

[John Fantastic]

Question I got some offers for a:
1. Canon F1 + 50 f/1.4 in mint condition - asking price is US400$
2. Nikon F + 28 f /1.8 in mint condition - asking price is US300$
3. Nikon F3 + 50 f/1.8 AF in mint condition - asking price is US350$
4. Yashica 35 rangefinder circa 1959 (The forerunner or the Yashica electro 35) - asking price US$140

Would this prices be fair? If not how much should I bargain ?
Thank you very much for your inputs.

 

[jcdeboever]

Question I got some offers for a:
1. Canon F1 + 50 f/1.4 in mint condition - asking price is US400$
2. Nikon F + 28 f /1.8 in mint condition - asking price is US300$
3. Nikon F3 + 50 f/1.8 AF in mint condition - asking price is US350$
4. Yashica 35 rangefinder circa 1959 (The forerunner or the Yashica electro 35) - asking price US$140

Would this prices be fair? If not how much should I bargain ?
Thank you very much for your inputs.

Those look about right as of 2021. Heres the thing, mint is a very broad term when it comes to cameras. Things that you may not see are mold, fungus, slow shutter speeds, etc. I was lookin for a Nikon F2 for the longest time a few years ago and bought 3. They were all listed as mint which was important to me as I wanted to use it. Sellers were all 100% and many sales. 2 from Japan, one from the US. All 3 were no where near mint and the picture were not representative of the purchase. The 2 from Japan and a couple small traces of fungus, so I decided to look deeper and they were riddled with fungus internally. The US one was not even the same one as pictured and the person must have photoshop'd the S/N. All 3 offered a discount. I sent them all back. The 4th was the charm and it was very clean but needed a CLA and the seller was up front about it. So the moral of the story.... is I only buy from sellers I trust and have a no hassle return policy.

 

[John Fantastic]

Those look about right as of 2021. Heres the thing, mint is a very broad term when it comes to cameras. Things that you may not see are mold, fungus, slow shutter speeds, etc. I was lookin for a Nikon F2 for the longest time a few years ago and bought 3. They were all listed as mint which was important to me as I wanted to use it. Sellers were all 100% and many sales. 2 from Japan, one from the US. All 3 were no where near mint and the picture were not representative of the purchase. The 2 from Japan and a couple small traces of fungus, so I decided to look deeper and they were riddled with fungus internally. The US one was not even the same one as pictured and the person must have photoshop'd the S/N. All 3 offered a discount. I sent them all back. The 4th was the charm and it was very clean but needed a CLA and the seller was up front about it. So the moral of the story.... is I only buy from sellers I trust and have a no hassle return policy.

Thank you @jcdeboever , Yeah I have the same fear too. That is why I am keen on looking for sellers within 50-70 miles from my residence to personally look at the cameras. I don't really mind driving that far as I have lots of time right now and I missed driving, Looking for cameras give me an excellent excuse to my wifey to go out . But of course I always wear a face mask and I carry a face shield although I don't wear one. hahahahaha

 

[dxqcanada]

Yashica-MAT
a half frame 35mm
a 110
a 126
Olympus XA
Konica Auto S3
Minolta CLE
... ah too many to list

 

[star camera company]

Here’s an idea.......hold off buying cameras. Pick up a few Good Books which will educate you as to what the vast vast universe of late 20th century film cameras has to offer. Find a niche you like, learn it fully and develop an interesting collection with a theme. For instance, I studied the “Stereo Craze”, which gave me the knowledge to understand the evolution of the Stereo Realist, the creation of the Only Wollensak still Camera, the legal troubles of the 1946 Haneel Stereo 828 Camera and obtaining an ultra rare Contura Stereo Camera ••••••. As with ALL collectibles, the first thing you MUST collect, is knowledge and understanding of Exactly What you are collecting! The web is good. If you’ve not encountered the website of vintage camera buff Mick Eckman, it’s a treat for the user/Collector. Mike gives very good very well researched history Plus his report and review of the camera in use. He reviewed both my Bell and Howell Foton and my Leica Model 1A.

 

[John Fantastic]

I bought 2 cameras today. 1 is a nikon F with lense which I bought for US$300
and the other 1 is a minolta SRT101 with lense for 120$
Both cameras are in very good condition.

Lenses are both very clean

I also ordered 2 books in Amazon about retro cameras as suggested by Star Camera.
1. Retro Cameras - The collectors Guide to vintage Film Camera
2. Comprehensive Guide for Camera Collectord

 

[star camera company]

You Cannot beat a classic Nikon F, and the small prism model is enjoying a good deal of popularity. As a salesman in a camera department in the mid ‘70sci sold that Minolta brand new. We looked at it at the time as the “Chevy” of SLRs. Solid, dependable and reasonably priced. Both, Nice Cameras! BTW Great Choices on the Books. I guarantee you’ll enjoy taking my advice there. ••• Looks like you enjoy SLRs.........ever look at mid ‘50s Exaktas?? (Wait till you get your books though)

 

[John Fantastic]

My Pentax Auto 110 SLR arrived last weekend. I bought an almost complete set in ebay for 145$ + Tax

 

[John Fantastic]

Hello Guys,

I have another question , is a Tessina 35 in near mint condition and perfectly working a fair price at 250$? I don't need it to be a bargain, just a fair price. Thank you very much for your answers.

 

[dxqcanada]

MCK Camera

sadly the newest edition is not complete

 

[John Fantastic]

MCK Camera

sadly the newest edition is not complete

I just bought 2 books in Amazon about vintage cameras, I would be interested to by this if it cost less than 300$ or maybe between 300$ - 400$. I still like to read printed material over reading it online.

 

[Pixeldawg1]

You have a good start to your collection. The Nikomat is interesting as it was produced ONLY for the Japanese market. The Nikkormat was exported to the rest of the world. The Pentax LX, if you can find one, is on par with the Nikon and Canon pro cameras mentioned and there are many, many others as well. Several good antique and vintage camera groups on FB and most are quite friendly and willing to answer questions for you. I would suggest if you have access to FB, you check around. You also never go wrong collecting anything Leica, either- but beware of the Russian fakes- many of them out there and again, these groups are great for teaching you the real deal from the fakes.

 

[John Fantastic]

Thank you Mark, It seems that the Pentax LX is a much harder to find camera than a Nikon or a Canon. But I do want a pentax in my list of 50 cameras. Funny thing is almost all the cameras I like are the cameras I read in photo magazines before or cameras that I drool about but cant afford to buy before.

 

[Peeb]

Given that I've run into electronics issues with cameras with 'modern' shutters, I've come to love the older mechanical cameras that don't need batteries or electronics to run the shutter. I've got:

Nikon original Photomic (the F)
Nikon F2 (I've got 2 of these)
Nikkormat FTN

And I would LOVE to add:
Olympus OM-1
Canon GIII QL rangefinder
Pentax K-1000
Yashica mat 124G TLR camera

I almost want a Nikon F3, but again, the electronics are vey old, and not really repairable, so probably not even tho this is a legendary camera.