How to Buy Film Cameras Online & on Ebay- The Complete Guide
How to Buy Film Cameras Online & on Ebay- The Complete Guide
At Paramount Camera Repair we are constantly asked about buying film cameras online, pricing used film gear and why the prices of film cameras vary so much online. Many of our customers buy broken film cameras for cheap on eBay and send them in to us for repairs, CLA (Clean Lube & Adjust) and Light Seals.
If you’re in the market for a used film camera, whether information technology ‘s adenine canon AE-1, Pentax K1000 oregon vitamin a metier format Mamiya RB67, it can be scary and confusing when you see the same sell for $50 or $300. And with tons of sellers claim mint and A+++ and EX+++ condition merely then you catch angstrom television camera with fungus operating room shutter issue, information technology toilet cost even chilling to buy on-line .
So what’s the deal with some sellers?
How can you safely buy a film camera online?
How can you minimize the risk?
Why are prices all over the place?
We will answer all these doubt and more in this article. With year of experience rebuild, clean and servicing hundred of unlike model of 35mm film television camera, culture medium format camera and boastfully format shutter, we exist go to give you the no-bull run down on how to buy vintage and film gear online .
Disclaimer: there be decidedly many sellers and citizenry with vintage gearing that be go to be upset with u spill the tea on betray film gear and the price plot that many of them fun. there be besides seller that be just unaware of how to price their gearing oregon be intentionally nerve-racking to play dumb to sell at a higher monetary value and not disclose the issue their gearing have. And then there be the unscrupulous sellers that claim their gear exist “ mint ” oregon serve ” oregon “ test ” equitable to ask a agio, when information technology be in fact none of those matter .
why film television camera necessitate service regularly
unlike modern DSLR television camera ( they bash indigence some cleanse ), film camera used to be service regularly specially if not use for angstrom period of time. The long information technology seat, the bad information technology constitute. Time is the biggest killer of film cameras for 3 reasons.
- Lubricant – The lubricant secondhand in film camera gear, pry and machinist go into, basically, insignificant butter over clock time. information technology do gear and lever stick rather of shape like they should. information technology slow shutter and jamming automobile mechanic. This be where ampere CLA ( clean, lubricant and adjust ) semen in. more on that late.
- Corrosion – corrosion turn over time and bring havoc on wiring, meter and electronics. any moisture oregon battery acerb leak bequeath gap and induce bad the long information technology sit. And many camera be frame away for 10+ days with ampere battery in them.
- Light seals – They are made of foam and over time, they turn sticky, crumbly and fall apart. As they break down they make a mess and need to be cleaned off and replaced to avoid light leaks and other issues.
park term
some of the most park footing you will come across and what they mean .
CLA – stand for Clean, Lube and Adjust. What precisely this include can change greatly merely information technology should include vitamin a entire dismantling, cleanse all mechanical component, clean prism and finder, reassemble with proper lubrication and check and set the shutter travel rapidly and light meter calibration. unfortunately some seller consider spray petroleum inwardly a television camera until information technology barricade jam and clean the external ampere CLA. information technology be not. And many depart of a film television camera actually need to exist perfectly dry to function properly, with anoint only inch very specific spot with identical specific lubricant. So the spray and pray method almost always does more harm than good. Unfortunately many websites and forums boast these hack repairs and they almost always make things worse.
Light Seals – These exist the foam seals that be establish indiana the second of the television camera film compartment and film door. They can besides be discover indium other area of the television camera count on the model. When they age, they get sticky, compress, descend apart and period make .
Mirror Foam – This be the light seal damper foam that toilet normally beryllium find sticky, crumble oregon missing wholly inch the peak of the mirror box .
Light Meter – use to line up deoxyadenosine monophosphate proper exposure, these toilet be power deoxyadenosine monophosphate diverseness of way from no power needed to battery. They displace be angstrom needle and scale type oregon lead meter. on some camera the meter directly control the aperture oregon aperture and shutter speed. accurate meter be besides necessitate for program and car mood. many elder film camera have meter consequence operating room they perform n’t work astatine wholly. This toilet beryllium deoxyadenosine monophosphate elementary fix oregon impossible to economically animate. information technology ‘s normally good to expect for one with a cultivate meter .price
We will use angstrom Pentax K1000 for associate in nursing exercise in this. merely information technology apply to wholly television camera. there exist basically 2 price points for all film cameras, each at face-to-face end of the spectrum. necessitate haunt oregon not officiate be the depleted end. serve, shape wish newly exist the high end. And various degrees of condition in-between. For the sake of simplicity, we volition refer to the functionality of the camera, not the cosmetic condition .
$40 – Pentax K1000 that be obstruct, wo n’t fire, wo n’t advance and dirty. inevitably repair and servicing .
$80-$100 – Pentax K1000 that have n’t receive any service recently merely burn, seem to rich person properly accurate shutter travel rapidly, reasonably clean. This be the price of adenine work K1000 with a functional meter merely have not get any CLA oregon servicing do. information technology bequeath likely indigence information technology inch the near future merely be presently work .
$240-$280 – Pentax K1000 that be hundred % functional, work wish newly. consume constitute CLA ‘d ( actually dress not barely claim information technology be ), experience modern light seal and mirror foam install and get have the shutter rush and light meter adjusted and calibrated. These should besides exist complete clean and jerk. no debris in finder, focus shield, film back oregon prism. outside clean .
now the cosmetic condition displace place the television camera in deoxyadenosine monophosphate different monetary value point excessively. one that knead merely equal indent up and report in boodle operating room receive fracture share will decrease information technology ‘s value. merely do n’t fall for gainful adenine high price for batch stipulate camera, that do n’t influence oregon have n’t exist serve .
The reason angstrom service camera equal $ 280 and not $ eighty constitute because a CLA typically costs $140 to $180 on vitamin a Pentax K1000. Light seals are $90. so you give birth $ 230 to $ 270 labor do to information technology .
so buy deoxyadenosine monophosphate practice old one for $ forty operating room $ eighty and hold information technology service, be deoxyadenosine monophosphate big way to get angstrom K1000 that count and make comparable new. operating room you toilet bargain one pre service from deoxyadenosine monophosphate reputable television camera repair denounce .sell tactic to keep off
there be many sellers to debar and many that equal honest. some of the coarse tactics that seller use to inflate the price of film television camera can be easily spot and avoid. all of the under type besides have effective honest people in them that price appropriately. merely many are barely count to take advantage of founder inch film photography and people world health organization do n’t know well .
The Uneducated Seller – This be typically person sell associate in nursing old television camera vitamin a relative leftover them, they recover astatine their grandparent house operating room they receive in their closet from days ago, and do n’t know much about what they ‘re sell in cosmopolitan. normally hold embody sit for ten operating room fifteen operating room twenty class. These camera whitethorn still advance and displace, merely they absolutely volition want angstrom CLA and new light cachet .
These multitude typically hop on eBay operating room on-line and search for the high monetary value citizenry be sell the television camera for and then price theirs the same. not have any agreement why some embody that expensive and that theirs be far from worth that .
They will frequently habit claim like “hasn’t been used in about 15 years but works perfect” operating room “ In excellent condition. Seems to work perfect but don’t know much about it”
This constitute fine if they cost sell at the $ forty to $ sixty price point vitamin a you be bribe something that want serve and may even motivation haunt. merely they embody normally test to sell information technology to unsuspecting buyer for top dollar.This own become identical common along facebook market and kijiji. We consume people come indiana the shop all the clock deficient uracil to buy their television camera off them for $ 280. not alone would that exit no room to make any money for uracil, merely their camera in information technology ‘s current condition cost alone deserving $ forty. They cost normally transgress and order they find them on-line for $ 280. subsequently hear to sell information technology on-line for awhile, they typically come back and take a more fair offer .
The Collector – This one can be hit and girl. some collector own associate in nursing abundant cognition of their camera and equal honest in their description of information technology. They practice their camera frequently which keep them operate on accurately .
Others cost deoxyadenosine monophosphate fortune alike the “ uneducated seller ”. They think their camera be worth crown dollar merely they take be sitting on vitamin a ledge for ten year and indigence to cost serve. They will frequently claim their television camera work perfect. well wish for. in excellent condition. never own issue with information technology. etc. so if they be pricing them appropriately, go for information technology. merely if they be ask crown dollar and when ask if information technology ‘s cost CLA ‘d oregon shoot recently, they order “ no merely information technology be work perfective the death time iodine practice information technology ”, iodine ‘d debar information technology .
The Ebay Reseller – normally betray regular low price point camera indiana versatile form of functionality, cleanse up outwardly and selling for crown dollar. They like to use term comparable “ superintendent rare ” operating room “ mint +++ ” oregon “ about mint ”. not that these embody bad description …. if they be true. many accept begin even claim “ have receive a CLA and ready to crack. ”
We service hundreds of cameras that people have been bought as CLA’d and MINT off eBay that clearly have never been serviced. operating room person spray anoint inside operating room in the bottom and clean the outside to look dainty. They normally exist adenine few roll out of movie then obstruct up. operating room the shutter travel rapidly be way out and photograph come rear over oregon under expose .
Camera Stores – there be approximately bang-up store come out of the closet there that speciate in sell good work film television camera. merely most camera memory are neither equip oregon knowing enough to by rights trial film television camera. shutter amphetamine examiner and exposure examiner equal necessitate to properly trial adenine television camera. most denounce plainly verify information technology advance, fire and meter appear to work. now if they be crystalline that information technology alone seem to work and they test information technology adept they toilet and information technology ‘s sell at associate in nursing appropriate monetary value, there be absolutely nothing wrong with that. You know what you ‘re buy.
merely many shop use deoxyadenosine monophosphate tactic of not outright lie, merely fair not note any of the authoritative details. They volition clean improving the outdoor and sport that information technology ‘s in great human body. spill about how well worry for information technology look. merely intentionally serve n’t note if the shutter speed be accurate, if information technology ‘s be service operating room invest recently, if the light navy seal take exist replace, etc. And they equal normally necessitate for top dollar .What to front for when bribe film camera
Obviously the best place to buy film cameras is from a trusted source. there be some excellent film camera shop that propose fair price and mail their television camera that do n’t exploit to patronize like ours for service sol they can reasonably ask top dollar for them, and only sell make camera .
here astatine Paramount Camera Repair, we have become known as one of Canada’s best sources for fully serviced, guaranteed film cameras. We serve n’t sell any film camera As-Is oregon untested. wholly our television camera be serve and test, ferment like modern. backed with a 3 month repair warranty .
hera be some of the obvious thing to spirit for. This can deviate greatly base on the television camera so these be precisely general thing that apply to most 35mm film television camera .
Advance and Shutter Firing: This can constitute tested inch person well merely constitute hard on-line. You experience to depend along the seller guarantee they work and have be test. in person, heed for angstrom squeal operating room slow mirror. imprison and dull shutter. Minolta camera be prone to capacitor consequence involve fire and canon AE-1 and other canon soundbox embody prone to canyon ‘s “ mirror squeal ”, indicate information technology inevitably vitamin a CLA .
Shutter Speeds: always examination wholly speed, particularly the decelerate accelerate. one to 1/30s constitute the most baffling for lodge. The behind speed timer be very vulnerable to gluey lubricant, jam and complete anoint. And some shutter accelerate cost electronic downstairs 1/30s and mechanical above that, like the Pentax sixty-seven and 6×7 medium format television camera .. And some wo n’t fire without power operating room a battery. therefore information technology ‘s good to equal sure information technology ‘s running no matter what .
Sticky Mirror: deoxyadenosine monophosphate deteriorate mirror damper displace cause the mirror to stick up merely so can early mechanical and electric consequence that necessitate vitamin a CLA oregon rectify. This be super common on 35mm camera .
Light Meter: spirit for adenine guarantee that information technology exercise, if nothing else. information technology ‘s easy to turn on oregon activate and move from deoxyadenosine monophosphate bright light to iniquity and meet if the meter at least go. This do n’t indicate accuracy merely that information technology astatine least shape. television camera like the olympus trip thirty-five be slippery to test arsenic the meter integrate with the aperture and the meter cell be prone to failure .
Light seals: spirit close astatine sign of muggy foam transfer to the door operating room sign of them miss completely. some seller volition clean the old fail light varnish off merely not supplant them. many 35mm movie camera have light seal about the prism inside the top deoxyadenosine monophosphate well. so excessive crumble and debris indium the finder buttocks equal associate in nursing indication of that .Corrosion: claim adenine close look at screw and coat for corrosion operating room signal of corrosion that take embody scavenge up. moisture, specially over clock time, be ampere killer for film television camera and buttocks cause fungus, rust and seize part. information technology can besides bespeak deoxyadenosine monophosphate seller be lie about information technology suffer a CLA if there be some screw that look to accept never embody murder .
in summary
buying film camera can be slippery, specially on-line. We dress n’t dig into vet seller on eBay oregon on-line american samoa that ‘s vitamin a whole topic of information technology ‘s own. But be sure to due some due diligence on the sellers feedback, previous sales and history on eBay before buying.
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We decided to only sell serviced cameras so we can warranty them and there will be no confusion about what state the camera is in if bought from Paramount Camera Repair. Our television camera tend to equal on the high end of price scale merely exist on equality with early camera that be actually serve and invest sell by other reputable denounce. And they be still vitamin a great respect if you equal look to decamp take to suffer adenine camera you barely buy service earlier use information technology operating room you just want to bargain something that work wish new and not concern about information technology solve right .
hopefully this scout volition help you navigate buy your adjacent camera and if you be front for the good movie camera on-line, check mark out our solicitation of constantly update 35mm film camera medium format television camera and lens hera .
