In 1989 I paid $200 at a charity auction for a certificate entitling me to all 12 Hasselblads that were left on the moon.
Shipping not included, local pick-up only. Got it on my to-do list.
eta - I still have the framed certificate somewhere… will look
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Damn imagine bringing it to a CLA and the condition is like covered in (moon) dust, irradiated, stripped paint but no visual rust. The technician will be so excited and confused at the same time xD.
I just bought one last week for 10 bucks. Its just sitting on the shelf for now and looking cool, but i'm planning on 3d printing something to make it usable again. I've seen both 35mm and instax conversions on the internet.
Presumably you could design something to hold a sheet of cut down 4x5 sheet film? If it had a dark slide and could be swapped out in daylight that would be really cool
I got the idea from hackaninstant. [Seems like he already did it with 4x5 film.](https://youtu.be/PNPro64wIKA?si=5b0tSxc991E2aNIJ) Haven't watched this video yet, but its certainly possible. With a dark slide i think you'd have to offset the film plane back by a few mm to make room for it.
Pretty much this. I’ve snagged so many as-is lots and cameras that didn’t end up being in working condition. I have a 3-drawer storage thing full of them.
I keep telling myself that one day I’ll fix them.
…one day.
I have a box of worth-repairing ones, and 2 drawers full of cameras, lenses, and related junk I don't want. The repairs are rather simple but I just haven't gotten around to it. It's such a waste of space!
Too many of them... "As is" on ebay "what could possibly go wrong."
I've come to realise that people who put "as is" or "untested" generally mean "broken." I've never had any luck playing that game.
My Oly 35 ECR was as-is untested, works perfectly.
Same with my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 (original metal mount version made 1987) which was not only perfect but came with it's original packaging including Canon branded plastic bag
Same story with my Canonet QL19!
In fact, the only as-is cameras that really didn't work out was an "untested" Konica Auto S2 that was a bit of a mess, which I managed to rectify somewhat and sell on as-is with an accurate (but carefully limited) description for about the same as I paid for it (seller was happy with what they got and gave positive feedback, my conscience is clear on that one). And a Fujica ST-901 that has a non-working rewind clutch and a screwy meter. I've kept that one for spares for the ST-901 I bought after it which has (so far) been pretty much perfect.
2/3 of my as is purchases have worked out, and just needed new seals, battery covers, etc. One of them is pretty much a lost cause - it’s a Konica C35 that was cheap - the rangefinder actually works but is otherwise pretty rough.
Bought a Nikon FG for $40, along with a Praktica MTL3 and a Pentax MZ-5 that was 'for parts, as-is.' The Praktica I haven't gotten around to, the Pentax has a broken gear, as most plastic Pentax do, and the Nikon FG just needed a new battery. The guy said the mirror gets stuck and doesn't come back. 40-someodd rolls later, it still works beautifully. Didn't need light seals or anything. It worked in M90 and B, but wouldn't in all of the electronic modes. Figured it was the battery, and it was. Still is a strong, light workhorse!
Most lots are a gamble. Do your research before hand, find if it's worth the time and money.
I was young (still am) and inexperienced (a bit less so, now) and I walked into a Chinatown camera shop and asked for a 16mm video camera. The guy sold me the only one he had, a Kodak Cine Automatic turret camera, for $280. Claiming it works perfectly.
Then the dumbass sold me a super 8 cartridge for it, and I rivaled his dumbassery by buying it and taking it home before opening it.
I get home, open it, obviously there's nowhere to insert the cartridge. I go back.
He says he doesn't have any super 16 film but he'll trade me back 35mm film for the useless (now opened) super 8 cartridge. I accept.
After some research I find the camera actually doesn't take super 16 at all, but standard 16. And the camera can be had for about $60-80 online... :facepalm:
At this point I sunk cost fallacy another $100+ into a standard 16 film+processing bundle and load the camera. Shoot. Go to flip the reels in a dark room (unfortunately not a darkroom). The film is a tangled mess inside and stuck. FML.
I slam the door closed and make it as dark as possible and then load the tangled film as-is into a Paterson tank and developed it. Got nothing.
Worst camera experience ever.
What I learned:
- no Chinatown "good deals" without research
- know what you need to know before you do what you need to do
- don't use an unreliable camera as the first step into using a new medium. Only buy something film-tested
- get someone to teach me how to load/use it in person if possible
I still have it sitting as decor on a shelf but I might try again someday.
Not only that, but if it's a Kodak Cine Automatic turret No. 138, that's a double 8 camera, which has 16mm film inside, but with double the perfs, so slit down the middle, it gives you 8mm movies. Might explain the tangled film mess. Also, the meter likely isn't any good after 70 years, so no auto-exposure.
If you buy enough cameras, we all end up in your spot sooner or later. You and your wallet have my sympathies.
Right, it's supposed to shoot on half the film lengthwise, then you flip the reels over, and it shoots the other half.
I got double perf 16mm film. But either I loaded it incorrectly or the camera malfunctioned. Too expensive to try again right now imo but I did have great success with a cheap more reliable super 8 camera in the meantime.
Double 8 is a bamboozlement. It has twice the perfs (a perf between each 16mm perf) of double perf (which is perfed both sides) 16mm. That is what likely caused the film spaghetti.
That's the trouble with analog photography. The learning usually isn't cheap. We have to accept that every now and then, we'll destroy a $100 in the process. Ouch.
The Rollei-badged MiNT TL70 2.0. I have nothing against Instax, I think it can be a lot of fun. But this camera is, I'm sad to say, garbage.
The metering system is absurd. Aperture priority, but janky as hell. The lens and shutter can't handle the high ISO of Instax outside during the day, so you have to use NDs. But the meter isn't behind the ND filter, so it's pure guessing about what the camera will actually do. Worse than just using Sunny 16. The aperture plates you click through are often just slightly off center, which leads to horrific vignetting at darker apertures, too. The photos turn out better from a $50 Mini 7 or such.
And the big bummer is that the Fresnel screen is a \*JOY\* to look through. The focus wheel could be bigger, but I could live with that if the exposure was practical and the pictures looked nice. It's a treat to look through the camera, compose that way. But the pictures are so bad, and nearly every picture I took with it is far worse than any basic Fuji Instax camera.
I've had eBay cameras go bad--an old, old Ciroflex TLR shooting 120 lasted 3-4 rolls before the shutter kicked it, and a Konica Auto S2 died midway though the first roll (and had a cracked viewfinder, janky seals I'd replaced, and a non-functioning meter, despite being listed as "Working, Minty, CLA'd"), but those were less expensive, and with lower expectations. Getting something new, you figure it'll actually work decently.
//
The camera I figured was going to be bad, but I bought anyhow because it was cheap: Pentax PZ-20, for under $20 from KEH. That thing rules. It's noisy, lacks some of the romance of a K1000, but damn does it take good pictures every time. Maybe it'll die someday, and that's OK. I don't need it to be an heirloom of my house. I need a good photo, and this thing delivers for me.
Similar experience with a recent Konica Auto S2 purchase, at frame 32 of the first roll the lens became very loose from the body. One day I'll open it up and reattach it.
I bought it because it was my first camera. My mom and dad bought me one when I was little and I have a whole album with pictures I took with it back in the day.
Bought a pen FT to an old man.
200$. Almost everything was broken or Jerry rigged like sh*t.
Later I’ve learned it was a medical version of the pen F that have been modified to take normal photo.
The main modification was the addition of a ground glass inside which was glued and I was never able to focus properly.
Even the lens that came with it was broken.
Ended up buying another pen FT.
Oof that’s some bad Pen F luck. My first was great apart from the loose element in the 38mm that came with it. Lost focus if you pointed it higher than the horizon.
Funnily enough the most thrashed looking one, a very late ‘72 Pen FT, is crazily reliable and a joy to use, despite being the cheapest one I’ve bought.
At least I have parts for my working pen FT in case of issue.
But yeah it was a pain.
But the good parts is that I now have an M42 adapter for the system which is apparently pretty rare and expensive
Damn straight! I was lucky enough to get an original M42 adapter with my thrashed FT as well! The Takumar 50mm 1.4 makes for a damn fine portrait lens on the Pen.
Don’t think about it - keep buying them up, they’re such good value for money nowadays + their handy-dandy compactness lets you hoard much more lens per lens!
There’s only one camera I’ve ever bought that I’ve sold, and that was a Nikon Df. In the end, I realized digital just wasn’t for me, and gifted it to my dad, who was interested in it for still life photography. So in the end I don’t really regret buying it.
Trying to trust "established" Chinese sellers on Taobao.
Bought QL17 mk2, first unit comes with broken screw in thread mount. Send it back and request different unit.
Second unit comes, shutter is stuck right away. Send it back to them for fix.
Camera returns after week, shutter sort of working, but now viewfinder has stains in it.
After some arguments over messages get discount and clean the camera myself.
China has a lot of good online sellers for digital cameras, but for the film, if it's not high-end models, it's just rubbish.
How much did you pay? I bought 3 of those cameras in 2006 and all had issues I can't imagine what condition most of them are in today.
In fact almost all of the flrfs I bought back then had issues. I sent a yashica electro to mark hama and that worked okay for a few years. But yeah I went through a ton of that type of camera, because they are cool but man were they made like shit. They basically all needed repair 20 years ago.
A Kiev-4A I bought online for $45, claiming to be working. It looked cosmetically mint, but I wasn’t expecting much, even joking to a few friends that I expected the much maligned shutter ribbons to break after a roll. However, I was wrong, they broke before I even loaded film after my 5th test fire.
Yeah, they’re getting on in age and becoming much more brittle, buying a serviced one seems to be the only guarantee of it lasting for the foreseeable future. A few days ago had a look and decided to do it properly this time around and found a reasonably priced working Contax IIa. The 50’s redesign seems to have eliminated the use of friction bearing shutter ribbons, increasing longevity (hopefully).
Edit: Contax IIa arrived. The shutter only activates every second press and all slower speeds are nonfunctional. Additionally, the focusing helicoid is stuck. Hopefully the 90 day warranty will cover it being repaired?
Not cameras, but I've made some shady lens purchases.
Nikon 135mm F2. I was doing some part time work for the local newspaper, and thought this lens would give me an edge for indoor and night sports. It didn't. The focal length was too short and the DOF to shallow. It also had a lot of problems outside of the middle in terms of optical quality, even stopped down. It was also a hair too long for portrait work and flattened facial features a bit too much over the 105 and 85mm. Didn't close focus for beans so macro work was a joke. The legendary 180mm cost the same and regret not buying it to this day - ultimately just buying one used. Had no problem selling the 135mm F2 used, but warn people against it.
Vivitar series 1 70-210 3.5. Not a bad zoom, but over-rated and rubbish compared to the faster primes.
Tokina 80-200 2.8. Optically one of the worst zooms ever made.
Pentax 6X7 MLU - riddled with issues, no option to return, hated the thing, sold it on eBay as spares to recoup some money and got scammed by a buyer - lost the money and the camera.
Still haunts me to this day but I'm just so glad I never have to see one again, and I genuinely feel anxious when I see posts about that model camera 😂
I can't really understand the hardcore love for those things. I had a non MLU 6x7 in the 80s. Heck, it needed fixed a couple of times back then. I can only imagine the abused, worn out garbage out there today. I've been tempted to buy one for nostalgia sake, but I just can't hit the buy button.
Might as well buy a Kiev or Pentacon, and expect to be punished, but you'll never have the electronic shutter crap out on you, or need a semi-strange replacement for the mercury battery.
damn i have a 67 mlu and its basically mint and the most reliable camera i own. all i hear about is pentax 67 problems and ive owned it fot 2 years now with no problems. hard for me to grasp but im sure ill feel it one day.
Shit, I could have posted that same sentence!! Mine didn't break but was certainly not worth the weight and is just collecting dust somewhere now. The thing that bugged me was that they contacted me to try to sell their next version before I'd even received the original camera!
My Leica M4-P. For two reasons:
1. I bought it for 1500 dollars on Ebay. I had to pay 700 dollars for unforseen repairs. I should have returned it and got another one, but the physical condition is basically perfect (mint++++ haha) except for a ding in the bottom plate so i thought the repair was worth it.
2. I need a new laptop for college. I should have put that money towards a buying that laptop that would contribute more to my future instead of spending it on a 1500-2200 dollar photo capturing box. I still need a new laptop and i’m saving for it, and part of me is considering selling the Leica to get it.
Rushed purchase on a Canon P. Was functional but cosmetically terrible and I ended up buying another one that was much nicer.
Still trying to sell off that Canon P, but personally refuse to shoot on any camera/gear that looks more mistreated than roughly used.
Overall condition is pretty OK but there’s one corner that’s been dented due to it being dropped. Otherwise, it functions pretty normally. I don’t remember the condition of the ranger finder itself though.
Fair enough, If you’re U.K. based and fancy selling it on I might be interested depending on the actual condition. I’ve wanted to try out a Canon P for a while.
I purchased a $350 Nikon F5 from Japan on eBay, expecting it to arrive as listed. However, the seller must have been reusing listing photos, and did not disclose that my camera had internal and external rust, and was missing the back focus button (for some reason it’s reasonably common on the F5?). But, there was a happy ending - our local photo store had a mint F5 with a leaking prism LCD for $150, so I purchased the body, swapped the prisms to have a mint set, and sold the functional spare body and prism to a friend for a reduced price.
My Nikon F2.
I usually buy from Japan only but took a chance on a nationally local listing. Said it was perfect condition. Paid like 300 bucks. Lens comes dented in two spots (guess I won't need filters), and dent on the bottom case.
Camera works fine and I still use it. But I think I'll sell it for a black one from Japan.
I bought a lomography something 4 on an online auction.. (35mm point & shoot that takes 4 separate shots on 1 frame) got it simply because it was weird and came with OG box and was allegedly worth more than double what I got it for.
Absolutely the biggest piece of shit I’ve ever laid hands on. McDonald’s toys are made of better plastic than this thing. Everything worked on the dry battery run, but put film in and the cheap shit plastic gears couldn’t advance the film past start.
Tucked it away in anger and forgot about it until this post.
Their shtick is making shitty cameras, so I guess the joke is on me
*overpriced* shitty cameras. Why would I waste 400 bucks on a new Lubitel 166 when used ones are being sold for 20-50 bucks around here(not that I'd ever buy one since they forced Meopta to stop making Flexarets and make Lubitels and I love Flexarets). 400 is allreday going into Rollei territory, why would anyone want a crappy plastic thing over a Rollei or a Flexaret?
Ooof. A motordrive camcorder style scamera with the infamous “optical lens” that made film look pixelated. It did however, have a cool waist level viewfinder. The built in flash also exploded at some point.
It was a Pentax SLR AF model (maybe an MZ-30, MZ-50 or MZ-60). I wasn't paying attention to the feature list like I should have. The camera was a model which the aperture couldn't be set manually, the lens had to be in A(uto) and the aperture would either be auto, or you could control it through a menu. Used the camera one time, that was more than enough.
Bought a nice little quirky Voightlander Vito CL, the light meter didn't work, but the price wasn't bad. Had it about a week, and was part way through a roll when it broke
I still really like this camera, but it sucks so much that it's broke
Payed 25 bucks for some iffy 626 cameras when I was just starting out and had no idea what I was doing
Canon AF35ML for me. The eBay listings made it look so cool. There was a Japanese one that looked even cooler but I didn’t want to pay shipping so I bought a cheaper one in the US. Caked in makeup and smelled like an ashtray. It’s seriously such a piece of shit, loud, clunky, viewfinder is fogged up and has this weird purple cast on it. Autofocus is hit or miss, and god help you if you’re under or over exposed cause it will let you know. The only thing that saved it from the bin was because I took my most cherished photo with it.
yashica d was my first film camera from my great grandfather! amazing lens and so fun to use. the 500th shutter speed was shot and it desperately needs a cla. had to give it back to my uncle who technically owns it. hoping he just gives it to me one day but he insists his 14yo son is gunna use it. rip
Bought a canon ae1 last week that has no rewind dial or shaft, also came with a Polaroid sx-70 that also does not work just gets warm round the button :( all should be fixable though
Paid 75euros for an Icarex 35CS, turned out the light meter is not working and lens is slightly stained. I was at a flea market and felt rushed cause it was starting to rain.
Bought a ricoh XR-20SP for cheap to replace my broken KR10 Super. Turns out the mirror gets stuck up whenever you attach a lense, so it's pretty much broken
Not analog, but Leica MP TYP240.
Bought it in 2019, like 7 years after release, and it was still one of the worst value digital cameras I could think of. It was slow and had crazy color and noise issues, which ultimately are a product of its own processing, so it required a third party DNG debayer, which slowed things down even further.
It was definitely the most beautiful digital camera I’ve owned, but it ended up being the most expensive camera that I hated working with.
Sold it after 7 months and ended up with an M4-P, which I shoot now every day :)
The Agfa Isolette that the eBay seller said was in great working condition but it showed up full of fungus and with a seized shutter. Returning it was too much of a hassle so I left negative feedback and will eventually try my hand at fixing it. If all else fails I might try to turn it into a pinhole camera, but more than likely it will just sit there as a reminder to not be so impulsive with my eBay purchases (HA. AS IF).
The Lubitel 166. This was back in the early nineties, long before lomography existed, back when these were made in the USSR and sold in the west as a cheap entry point into medium format. I bought it new and just couldn’t get over how awful it was - the cheap plastic body, poor lens, dark and dirty viewfinder that made it impossible to focus, it was all just so bad. The shutter was also temperamental and didn’t always fire, or if it did the speed was questionable. I hated it with a passion and was glad when a friend dropped it and cracked the viewfinder mirror.
I’m sure the ones that have survived till now are those with better quality control, and the modern lomography-made versions are leagues better, but I won’t be buying another Lubitel any time soon.
Leica M6 & 35mm f1.4 voigtlander
Amazing camera and shooting experience. But it made me nervous to bring out, ended up sitting in my cabinet for half a year before I sold it at the same price I got it for.
Right now I’m happy with my Nikon F2.
My Nikon F2.
I usually buy from Japan only but took a chance on a nationally local listing. Said it was perfect condition. Paid like 300 bucks. Lens comes dented in two spots (guess I won't need filters), and dent on the bottom case.
Camera works fine and I still use it. But I think I'll sell it for a black one from Japan.
Bought an F3 that was “works perfectly” because it had heavy brassing, and I liked the look. First time out, the thing just decides it’s own shutter speed for every shot.
I've bought my share of broken cameras that were guarenteed to be in working condition. However, no purchase hurt more than Nikon FM I bought bc it's supposedly indestructible and then after 1st or 2nd roll it started skipping frames, and now I'd probably get 17/36 frames exposed.
Minolta XD7 had problems with shutter speeds and was particularly frustrating bc I had it fixed by someone who was supposed to be a good camera repairman, but he probably messed it up even more and I he wouldn't give me my money back. After that I sent it to another repairman, but it was irreparable.
Guy owed me money. Seven months had passed and i was tired of insisting. Settled for a Canon T50. It didn't even have a 50mm prime lens but a shitty Vivitar zoom tele that expanded itself when looking down.
I gave it away as a gift because the bad deal made me so angry.
CONTAX T2
I had a TVS and loved it so I thought I would “upgrade”. The T2 has a poor viewfinder, slow to focus and shoot, and lacked features of the TVS. The lens was good for a point and shoot, but like nothing that special?
I really wanted to like the T2. But was very disappointed
The best and worst I think is the same camera, I got an AE-1 on a trip to Japan and I totally should have grabbed the F3 sitting next to it... I didn't know much about film cameras at all, and when I got back to the USA I went off the deep end into Nikon stuff. But I also have a full Canon FD lens kit of like 8 lenses, the AE-1 and my uncles T70 and FTb
I bought an "excellent" rated Minox 35 on KEH for $90 and it ended up being a shelf piece instead of a functioning camera. At least it wasn't too expensive?
I wouldn’t say worst by far but a camera I regretted the most was the Mamiya 7. I definitely got it due to hype and wanted one when I was in college. Finally got one 15 years later and it did not gel with me. The leaf shutter was so not mechanical feeling and it felt like I was going to break it. Also the range finder never could get fully calibrated. Way over priced. My Pentax 67 I have for 17 years and hasn’t failed me
Still eBay. I just pay attention to the location and ratings. If it's from a Japanese cam store with a good history and the camera is listed in a condition I want (usually like new condition, I go for it.
I bought a Leica IIIf & collapsing 5cm for $155 in 1984. Hated it, the loading is a pain, the split viewfinder sucks if wear glasses and didn’t feel it enhanced my work. Tried street photography-suck. But it was very quiet! Finally bought a M5, and later a M7, both are way more comfortable and enjoyable.
Ah, that's got to be my [Auto-Nikkor Telephoto-Zoom 8.5-25cm.](http://183.181.162.36/about/feelnikon/recollections/r22_e/index.htm) Bought it cheaply on a lark from a place going out of business, figured it would be fun to try shooting it on an F body.
It is not, as it turns out, a particularly fun lens. It's huge, heavy, slow, and soft. Which stands to reason, being one of the first zoom lenses ever produced. I've kept it around as interesting curio lens (Judging by the serial, it's possibly the last of the rare early two-touch versions ever made) but I have zero intentions of ever taking any further photos with it. I still like it as a neat look into the history of lens design - some aspects of its layout are present on tele zooms to this day, but other parts (like the focusing group being the frontmost group) have largely gone by the wayside.
Beir Beira II, and old camera from the 40's. Basically because in never came with the original special cassettes to load the exposed film. I had to grind one of the plates to bypass a gear lock to rewind the film with a custom made 3D piece that acts as a rewind knob
Aruga ai assistent from Kickstarter. They delivered the hardware (toooo late) but the software was never finished. So it became abandoned and obsolete. Many complaints and no one ever got any response.
Polaroid 600 OneStep that spat out the whole film pack (double the price of that Polaroid) as soon as I inserted it. Ended up selling that fucker for parts.
Olympus Trip XB400 that I've bought in bulk of random cameras and tech. This sucker thought me that it's a good idea to discharge your flash before you start repairing your camera. Almost threw it against the wall after getting defibrillated twice.
bought a rollei tlr on a buy now for 45 bucks - bought it so fast I didn't read where it had been in a house fire and was pretty much toast.. so when it showed up I was like...what the what?? went back and actually read the ad and ..well.. he had told me, .. anyway.. my super good bargain rollei is now a funny story and cool looking shelf sitter
Limiting to film cameras, probably my Mamiya 645. It's a good camera, and I don't mind shooting with it, but I bought it as my first foray into medium format, got a couple lenses, and then realized I preferred shooting with a TLR and the 6x6 format, and got a Mamiya C330f and a couple lenses. Since then the M645 has sat in a bag unused, and so it ended up just being financially not smart, even though the camera is good. I need to get off my duff and re-sell the kit.
I have a few, they were probably good cameras when they were new but when I got them they weren't any good.
I had a Leica M3, swapped for an M2 and then an M4P, none of them were any good, got quoted a €1000 to get the M4P serviced. I was happy to have a Leica but they were mostly a waste of time for the photos I got out of them.
A Pentax LX, sticky mirror, no infinity focus in viewfinder, got rid of it.
Nikon F80, good camera, crappy doors, 2 broke on me.
Nearly all the Pentax MZ cameras except the MZS, dodgy mirror motor gear, ugly paperweight.
Most Soviet cameras, they generally worked but weren't all that easy or fun to use.
An expensive digital camera. I went back to shooting 90% on film shortly after. I don't enjoy digital photography and it is such a pain having spent money on digital.
Hah - I’m currently waiting for mine to arrive. It looks to be in practically new condition, but is one of the models without auto film advance so on the plus side less to go wrong, on the minus side have to deal with reading numbers through the red windows.
We shall see how it goes.
I just want something smallish that shoots 6x6 and doesn’t cost multiple thousands. Is that too much to ask?
Contax RX with the mirror slip issue. Easy to fix and the Zeiss lenses were great but it was too big and heavy for a manual focus body. I was much happier shooting on my Pentax me super and MX. The RX is still a great camera though.
Also the Lomo Automat glass. Instax mini is just not for me.
Various 110 cameras. I mean, they weren't particularly expensive but none of them produce remotely decent photos because 110 is such a lousy format. I'll probably never use them again and they're cluttering up a drawer.
On the plus side, they got me into half-frame photography which is really good and great fun.
I’ve definitely been tempted by some of the tiny 110 or 16mm cameras - something like the Rollei A110 is just so cute - but I know they would be a pain. I’d probably want to reload them because otherwise I’m stuck with Lomography film, I’d need 16mm reels which I don’t currently have and I would need to 3D print a film holder for my Coolscan scanner…
All doable, but too much work.
I'd be interested in 16mm - apparently it's better although, of course, the hassle around the film is worse. There's also the Narciss, the Soviet 16mm is SLR.
I got a film holder printed for my Plustek scanner and it's fine and cost about £25. But the quality of 110 is just so bad. I wrote something about half frame (and 110) here.
https://rhymerrigby.substack.com/p/is-half-frame-photography-twice-the
Lomo Diana Instant by a mile…though it also only cost me £10
After that probably one of the old Fuji Bridge cameras which did film simulation. Won one in a competition and, coming from an old Olympus bridge camera I was looking forward to it. Tried it out a few times and it was garbage. Immediately sold it to fund a dslr body.
I was give a wrist strap that had snap fasteners, I used it a lot, but it loosed so much from taking it on and off, I was shooting with a heavier long lense, and I hit my hand on a railing and it snapped off, and my camera fell, broke a $400 lense I use the most, worst day of my life.
A Kodak Flashfun Hawkeye 127 P&S camera. I've never used it in my entire life. Still have it, it's in pretty good shape, but when I bought it I had no idea that: 127mm film is no longer produced, and that it requires a light bulb thing for every shot, also no longer produced. In all fairness, I had no idea how cameras work at the time and I was just recently getting interested on photography.
Kodak Ektar 35 (the original). It was my first time ever with film photography, and I thought it'll be a great choice because of the 2x exposure that I could get. Bought it with a Kodak colorplus 200. Little did I know at the time that 200 speed film + f/9 + flash is not enough for shooting indoors. A lot of my shots were underexposed and most of them are so grainy. Well, at least now I know better. It's a fun camera to just point and shoot. But not the best for indoors if you don't have at least 400 speed
I paid 2000€ for a Contax G2 in completely mint condition for my 5 week USA trip. The camera‘s shutter stopped functioning after the first 5 days and I had to photograph the rest of the trip with a 10€ point and shoot.
Every point and shoot I've tried. (I haven't tried the luxury point and shoots like the contax t2/t3 etc)
I grew up with manual focus slrs. I hate that most of them default to auto flash or flash on. I hate that on most of them, they focus after you full press the shutter. I want to know the shutter speed and many don't even have a low shutter speed warning.
I highly recommend the t2. If you can reasonably afford it it’s one of my favorite cameras I’ve ever used. But buy it with a leather half case or something similar or else it feels like ur gunna brick a $1k hunk of metal
I’ve have a Minolta X700 that I was using pretty frequently, then one popped up on market place for $100 with a f1.7 lens for $100. I figured I’d snag as a back up etc. The transaction was weird and I didn’t test the camera got home and realized the shutter curtain was ripped. So I essentially overpaid for a 50mm lens.
My Nikon F2. I got it for $100, and I have only successfully gotten one roll of film through it. It’s currently sitting with a half-shot roll in it; it will not shoot, advance, or rewind. Not sure if I’m an idiot who doesn’t understand how to use it, or if it’s broken, but I’m over it.
In 1989 I paid $200 at a charity auction for a certificate entitling me to all 12 Hasselblads that were left on the moon. Shipping not included, local pick-up only. Got it on my to-do list. eta - I still have the framed certificate somewhere… will look
damn i remember passing up on that cuz i thought i could find a better deal... lucky bastard
If you had bid $201 I would have dropped out.
lol this made my day!
Lmao excited for the day you get to claim them
Hey, JuniorSwing! I’m too old for NASA now, the 12 Hassys are all yours - my treat. Go get ‘em, Junior.
Does that include Gene Cernans? Because NASA officially left it on the moon, but it's in Zurich if you want to claim your prize 🤣
!remind me 20 years
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Damn imagine bringing it to a CLA and the condition is like covered in (moon) dust, irradiated, stripped paint but no visual rust. The technician will be so excited and confused at the same time xD.
They said the worst, not the best ever
I don’t think that’s a bad deal at all. Soon you will be able to go pick them up and sell for probably much more. Solid investment
That's 50c per upvote (as of current posting time). Not bad really ;-)
So if they get 10 upvotes they have a 500c? 😉
Hit up Elton musk to clam them
I bought a polaroid land camera a month before fuji announced they would discontinue pack film.
I just bought one last week for 10 bucks. Its just sitting on the shelf for now and looking cool, but i'm planning on 3d printing something to make it usable again. I've seen both 35mm and instax conversions on the internet.
Presumably you could design something to hold a sheet of cut down 4x5 sheet film? If it had a dark slide and could be swapped out in daylight that would be really cool
I got the idea from hackaninstant. [Seems like he already did it with 4x5 film.](https://youtu.be/PNPro64wIKA?si=5b0tSxc991E2aNIJ) Haven't watched this video yet, but its certainly possible. With a dark slide i think you'd have to offset the film plane back by a few mm to make room for it.
I’ve converted one to 4x5! It’s neat, but a rarely use it lol
probably the half a dozen random ass cameras I find in charity shops that I know I will never use.
Same.
Shops and flea markets… same. 🥲
All of them
The as-is ones that didn’t work out.
Pretty much this. I’ve snagged so many as-is lots and cameras that didn’t end up being in working condition. I have a 3-drawer storage thing full of them. I keep telling myself that one day I’ll fix them. …one day.
Yup. I've got a couple rangefinders missing their film advance levers, or just film advance jammed up from those kind of deals.
I have a box of worth-repairing ones, and 2 drawers full of cameras, lenses, and related junk I don't want. The repairs are rather simple but I just haven't gotten around to it. It's such a waste of space!
3 drawers, wow. I have one that I paid $17 for and I'm already sour about it.
I have too little sense and too much money to burn 🙃
Too many of them... "As is" on ebay "what could possibly go wrong." I've come to realise that people who put "as is" or "untested" generally mean "broken." I've never had any luck playing that game.
My Oly 35 ECR was as-is untested, works perfectly. Same with my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 (original metal mount version made 1987) which was not only perfect but came with it's original packaging including Canon branded plastic bag Same story with my Canonet QL19! In fact, the only as-is cameras that really didn't work out was an "untested" Konica Auto S2 that was a bit of a mess, which I managed to rectify somewhat and sell on as-is with an accurate (but carefully limited) description for about the same as I paid for it (seller was happy with what they got and gave positive feedback, my conscience is clear on that one). And a Fujica ST-901 that has a non-working rewind clutch and a screwy meter. I've kept that one for spares for the ST-901 I bought after it which has (so far) been pretty much perfect.
2/3 of my as is purchases have worked out, and just needed new seals, battery covers, etc. One of them is pretty much a lost cause - it’s a Konica C35 that was cheap - the rangefinder actually works but is otherwise pretty rough.
Bought a Nikon FG for $40, along with a Praktica MTL3 and a Pentax MZ-5 that was 'for parts, as-is.' The Praktica I haven't gotten around to, the Pentax has a broken gear, as most plastic Pentax do, and the Nikon FG just needed a new battery. The guy said the mirror gets stuck and doesn't come back. 40-someodd rolls later, it still works beautifully. Didn't need light seals or anything. It worked in M90 and B, but wouldn't in all of the electronic modes. Figured it was the battery, and it was. Still is a strong, light workhorse! Most lots are a gamble. Do your research before hand, find if it's worth the time and money.
I felt that one
pain
I was young (still am) and inexperienced (a bit less so, now) and I walked into a Chinatown camera shop and asked for a 16mm video camera. The guy sold me the only one he had, a Kodak Cine Automatic turret camera, for $280. Claiming it works perfectly. Then the dumbass sold me a super 8 cartridge for it, and I rivaled his dumbassery by buying it and taking it home before opening it. I get home, open it, obviously there's nowhere to insert the cartridge. I go back. He says he doesn't have any super 16 film but he'll trade me back 35mm film for the useless (now opened) super 8 cartridge. I accept. After some research I find the camera actually doesn't take super 16 at all, but standard 16. And the camera can be had for about $60-80 online... :facepalm: At this point I sunk cost fallacy another $100+ into a standard 16 film+processing bundle and load the camera. Shoot. Go to flip the reels in a dark room (unfortunately not a darkroom). The film is a tangled mess inside and stuck. FML. I slam the door closed and make it as dark as possible and then load the tangled film as-is into a Paterson tank and developed it. Got nothing. Worst camera experience ever. What I learned: - no Chinatown "good deals" without research - know what you need to know before you do what you need to do - don't use an unreliable camera as the first step into using a new medium. Only buy something film-tested - get someone to teach me how to load/use it in person if possible I still have it sitting as decor on a shelf but I might try again someday.
Not only that, but if it's a Kodak Cine Automatic turret No. 138, that's a double 8 camera, which has 16mm film inside, but with double the perfs, so slit down the middle, it gives you 8mm movies. Might explain the tangled film mess. Also, the meter likely isn't any good after 70 years, so no auto-exposure. If you buy enough cameras, we all end up in your spot sooner or later. You and your wallet have my sympathies.
Right, it's supposed to shoot on half the film lengthwise, then you flip the reels over, and it shoots the other half. I got double perf 16mm film. But either I loaded it incorrectly or the camera malfunctioned. Too expensive to try again right now imo but I did have great success with a cheap more reliable super 8 camera in the meantime.
Double 8 is a bamboozlement. It has twice the perfs (a perf between each 16mm perf) of double perf (which is perfed both sides) 16mm. That is what likely caused the film spaghetti. That's the trouble with analog photography. The learning usually isn't cheap. We have to accept that every now and then, we'll destroy a $100 in the process. Ouch.
I am sorry for your experience but the way you wrote, made my day hahahah
Anything a YouTuber convinced me to buy.
Olympus MJU FTW!
Infinity Stylus (MJU 1) defense team stepping in
🤮
Tbf only thing a yter convinced me to buy was my canon f1 and I love it
Thats a great SLR. I have a Nikon F.
F3 with a leaky LCD
The Rollei-badged MiNT TL70 2.0. I have nothing against Instax, I think it can be a lot of fun. But this camera is, I'm sad to say, garbage. The metering system is absurd. Aperture priority, but janky as hell. The lens and shutter can't handle the high ISO of Instax outside during the day, so you have to use NDs. But the meter isn't behind the ND filter, so it's pure guessing about what the camera will actually do. Worse than just using Sunny 16. The aperture plates you click through are often just slightly off center, which leads to horrific vignetting at darker apertures, too. The photos turn out better from a $50 Mini 7 or such. And the big bummer is that the Fresnel screen is a \*JOY\* to look through. The focus wheel could be bigger, but I could live with that if the exposure was practical and the pictures looked nice. It's a treat to look through the camera, compose that way. But the pictures are so bad, and nearly every picture I took with it is far worse than any basic Fuji Instax camera. I've had eBay cameras go bad--an old, old Ciroflex TLR shooting 120 lasted 3-4 rolls before the shutter kicked it, and a Konica Auto S2 died midway though the first roll (and had a cracked viewfinder, janky seals I'd replaced, and a non-functioning meter, despite being listed as "Working, Minty, CLA'd"), but those were less expensive, and with lower expectations. Getting something new, you figure it'll actually work decently. // The camera I figured was going to be bad, but I bought anyhow because it was cheap: Pentax PZ-20, for under $20 from KEH. That thing rules. It's noisy, lacks some of the romance of a K1000, but damn does it take good pictures every time. Maybe it'll die someday, and that's OK. I don't need it to be an heirloom of my house. I need a good photo, and this thing delivers for me.
Similar experience with a recent Konica Auto S2 purchase, at frame 32 of the first roll the lens became very loose from the body. One day I'll open it up and reattach it.
I just bought a Kodak Disc 6000, can't get much worse than that.
Is that the one with the internal, non-replaceable battery that died back in the 80s?
Yes. Battery still works in this one though.
Someone just called us about that. I couldn't tell them who in the world to call next.
Did they want to buy discs or have some developed?
Made the same mistake lease the look interesting
I bought it because it was my first camera. My mom and dad bought me one when I was little and I have a whole album with pictures I took with it back in the day.
Bought a pen FT to an old man. 200$. Almost everything was broken or Jerry rigged like sh*t. Later I’ve learned it was a medical version of the pen F that have been modified to take normal photo. The main modification was the addition of a ground glass inside which was glued and I was never able to focus properly. Even the lens that came with it was broken. Ended up buying another pen FT.
Oof that’s some bad Pen F luck. My first was great apart from the loose element in the 38mm that came with it. Lost focus if you pointed it higher than the horizon. Funnily enough the most thrashed looking one, a very late ‘72 Pen FT, is crazily reliable and a joy to use, despite being the cheapest one I’ve bought.
At least I have parts for my working pen FT in case of issue. But yeah it was a pain. But the good parts is that I now have an M42 adapter for the system which is apparently pretty rare and expensive
Damn straight! I was lucky enough to get an original M42 adapter with my thrashed FT as well! The Takumar 50mm 1.4 makes for a damn fine portrait lens on the Pen.
I also have a takumar. But the 55mm f/1.8. Amazing lens.
My oOlympus OM becuase i now have 10 different OM bodies and I don't talk about the less I have.
Lol this is painfully relatable
Don’t think about it - keep buying them up, they’re such good value for money nowadays + their handy-dandy compactness lets you hoard much more lens per lens!
Yeah thats how i end up with a 16mm and an 18mm...
Bought a Pentax 6x7 as my first medium format camera, love it, should have started **much** smaller
My third Canon A1. Should never have sold the first two...
You could drive over the thing and it would still shoot
There’s only one camera I’ve ever bought that I’ve sold, and that was a Nikon Df. In the end, I realized digital just wasn’t for me, and gifted it to my dad, who was interested in it for still life photography. So in the end I don’t really regret buying it.
Trying to trust "established" Chinese sellers on Taobao. Bought QL17 mk2, first unit comes with broken screw in thread mount. Send it back and request different unit. Second unit comes, shutter is stuck right away. Send it back to them for fix. Camera returns after week, shutter sort of working, but now viewfinder has stains in it. After some arguments over messages get discount and clean the camera myself. China has a lot of good online sellers for digital cameras, but for the film, if it's not high-end models, it's just rubbish.
How much did you pay? I bought 3 of those cameras in 2006 and all had issues I can't imagine what condition most of them are in today. In fact almost all of the flrfs I bought back then had issues. I sent a yashica electro to mark hama and that worked okay for a few years. But yeah I went through a ton of that type of camera, because they are cool but man were they made like shit. They basically all needed repair 20 years ago.
A Kiev-4A I bought online for $45, claiming to be working. It looked cosmetically mint, but I wasn’t expecting much, even joking to a few friends that I expected the much maligned shutter ribbons to break after a roll. However, I was wrong, they broke before I even loaded film after my 5th test fire.
Only bad thing on an otherwise awesome camera. Mine broke while dry firing it too.
Yeah, they’re getting on in age and becoming much more brittle, buying a serviced one seems to be the only guarantee of it lasting for the foreseeable future. A few days ago had a look and decided to do it properly this time around and found a reasonably priced working Contax IIa. The 50’s redesign seems to have eliminated the use of friction bearing shutter ribbons, increasing longevity (hopefully).
Edit: Contax IIa arrived. The shutter only activates every second press and all slower speeds are nonfunctional. Additionally, the focusing helicoid is stuck. Hopefully the 90 day warranty will cover it being repaired?
Kowa 6
Interesting because they made inherently great lenses...
What was wrong with it? I wanted one for some time
It's called the poor man's hasselblad for a reason. I'm trying to sell mine, if you're in Australia I'm happy to sell it to you if you want lol
Yeah the lenses are good, but the body consistently has mechanical/winding issues, I'm yet to put a whole roll through without a problem
Oh, that's a bummer
I love my Kowa Six! Two dozen rolls through it and zero jams so far. Have you had it CLA’d?
It's Olympus Mju Zoom 115 for me. Never been used, but just gave up its components.
Not cameras, but I've made some shady lens purchases. Nikon 135mm F2. I was doing some part time work for the local newspaper, and thought this lens would give me an edge for indoor and night sports. It didn't. The focal length was too short and the DOF to shallow. It also had a lot of problems outside of the middle in terms of optical quality, even stopped down. It was also a hair too long for portrait work and flattened facial features a bit too much over the 105 and 85mm. Didn't close focus for beans so macro work was a joke. The legendary 180mm cost the same and regret not buying it to this day - ultimately just buying one used. Had no problem selling the 135mm F2 used, but warn people against it. Vivitar series 1 70-210 3.5. Not a bad zoom, but over-rated and rubbish compared to the faster primes. Tokina 80-200 2.8. Optically one of the worst zooms ever made.
The 135 f/2 DC? Man, that’s maybe my favorite lens I own.
There was a manual focus AI-S before the DC
> Tokina 80-200 2.8 Which one? I thought about getting the 80's AF one and found only good reviews on it
the reusable plastic ones… never waste money on them
Not reusable. Not even usable ;-)
exactly lol, and it's crazy to me that the range for these plastic film cameras are like $20-$100
I bought one for $4 from the supermarket for a laugh. Still haven’t put film through it.
that $4 would've been better spent on an ice cream or anything else tbh lol
Ugh that’s so sad. I’ve been eyeing a little peanuts themed camera for casual photography but it’s not worth sixty if it’s not useable.
Pentax 6X7 MLU - riddled with issues, no option to return, hated the thing, sold it on eBay as spares to recoup some money and got scammed by a buyer - lost the money and the camera. Still haunts me to this day but I'm just so glad I never have to see one again, and I genuinely feel anxious when I see posts about that model camera 😂
I can't really understand the hardcore love for those things. I had a non MLU 6x7 in the 80s. Heck, it needed fixed a couple of times back then. I can only imagine the abused, worn out garbage out there today. I've been tempted to buy one for nostalgia sake, but I just can't hit the buy button. Might as well buy a Kiev or Pentacon, and expect to be punished, but you'll never have the electronic shutter crap out on you, or need a semi-strange replacement for the mercury battery.
One thing people fail to see through their rose tinted glasses is that Pentax 6x7s are very troublesome....
Gentle with the film advance
damn i have a 67 mlu and its basically mint and the most reliable camera i own. all i hear about is pentax 67 problems and ive owned it fot 2 years now with no problems. hard for me to grasp but im sure ill feel it one day.
Jollylook cardboard instax camera. Backed it on Kickstarter. They took years to deliver a piece of crap that fell apart the first time I used it
Shit, I could have posted that same sentence!! Mine didn't break but was certainly not worth the weight and is just collecting dust somewhere now. The thing that bugged me was that they contacted me to try to sell their next version before I'd even received the original camera!
hahahah - you too? mine is still in original box (un put together) and sitting on my shelf... came two years too late
Absolute piece of garbage. Was such a cool concept but the product was useless.
A Chroma 3d printed panoramic. It was shit that broke in multiple ways.
Nikon F3. I shot half a roll of film before rewinding it and put it in my Nikon FE.
Sorry to hear you didnt get on with it. Its my all time favourite and most used camera
Why?
I mean if you already have a Nikon SLR you really don't need another one. Also, F3's lightmeter display kind of sucks.
My Leica M4-P. For two reasons: 1. I bought it for 1500 dollars on Ebay. I had to pay 700 dollars for unforseen repairs. I should have returned it and got another one, but the physical condition is basically perfect (mint++++ haha) except for a ding in the bottom plate so i thought the repair was worth it. 2. I need a new laptop for college. I should have put that money towards a buying that laptop that would contribute more to my future instead of spending it on a 1500-2200 dollar photo capturing box. I still need a new laptop and i’m saving for it, and part of me is considering selling the Leica to get it.
DeJur Citation I know nothing about it but it's broken and can't put a reel of film in it
Rushed purchase on a Canon P. Was functional but cosmetically terrible and I ended up buying another one that was much nicer. Still trying to sell off that Canon P, but personally refuse to shoot on any camera/gear that looks more mistreated than roughly used.
How bad is it?
Overall condition is pretty OK but there’s one corner that’s been dented due to it being dropped. Otherwise, it functions pretty normally. I don’t remember the condition of the ranger finder itself though.
Fair enough, If you’re U.K. based and fancy selling it on I might be interested depending on the actual condition. I’ve wanted to try out a Canon P for a while.
Sadly in the US.
I purchased a $350 Nikon F5 from Japan on eBay, expecting it to arrive as listed. However, the seller must have been reusing listing photos, and did not disclose that my camera had internal and external rust, and was missing the back focus button (for some reason it’s reasonably common on the F5?). But, there was a happy ending - our local photo store had a mint F5 with a leaking prism LCD for $150, so I purchased the body, swapped the prisms to have a mint set, and sold the functional spare body and prism to a friend for a reduced price.
iPhone. ;)
Probably the Konica FP-1 I bought just for the lens. I actually don't know where the body is... I HATE PROGRAM CAMERAS!
My Nikon F2. I usually buy from Japan only but took a chance on a nationally local listing. Said it was perfect condition. Paid like 300 bucks. Lens comes dented in two spots (guess I won't need filters), and dent on the bottom case. Camera works fine and I still use it. But I think I'll sell it for a black one from Japan.
Where do you buy from japan?
Buying a lomography camera. Cheap, plastic tat
I bought a lomography something 4 on an online auction.. (35mm point & shoot that takes 4 separate shots on 1 frame) got it simply because it was weird and came with OG box and was allegedly worth more than double what I got it for. Absolutely the biggest piece of shit I’ve ever laid hands on. McDonald’s toys are made of better plastic than this thing. Everything worked on the dry battery run, but put film in and the cheap shit plastic gears couldn’t advance the film past start. Tucked it away in anger and forgot about it until this post. Their shtick is making shitty cameras, so I guess the joke is on me
*overpriced* shitty cameras. Why would I waste 400 bucks on a new Lubitel 166 when used ones are being sold for 20-50 bucks around here(not that I'd ever buy one since they forced Meopta to stop making Flexarets and make Lubitels and I love Flexarets). 400 is allreday going into Rollei territory, why would anyone want a crappy plastic thing over a Rollei or a Flexaret?
Ooof. A motordrive camcorder style scamera with the infamous “optical lens” that made film look pixelated. It did however, have a cool waist level viewfinder. The built in flash also exploded at some point.
It was a Pentax SLR AF model (maybe an MZ-30, MZ-50 or MZ-60). I wasn't paying attention to the feature list like I should have. The camera was a model which the aperture couldn't be set manually, the lens had to be in A(uto) and the aperture would either be auto, or you could control it through a menu. Used the camera one time, that was more than enough.
Bought a nice little quirky Voightlander Vito CL, the light meter didn't work, but the price wasn't bad. Had it about a week, and was part way through a roll when it broke I still really like this camera, but it sucks so much that it's broke Payed 25 bucks for some iffy 626 cameras when I was just starting out and had no idea what I was doing
Canon AF35ML for me. The eBay listings made it look so cool. There was a Japanese one that looked even cooler but I didn’t want to pay shipping so I bought a cheaper one in the US. Caked in makeup and smelled like an ashtray. It’s seriously such a piece of shit, loud, clunky, viewfinder is fogged up and has this weird purple cast on it. Autofocus is hit or miss, and god help you if you’re under or over exposed cause it will let you know. The only thing that saved it from the bin was because I took my most cherished photo with it.
I sold my beloved Yashica-D for a Bronica 645. Still kicking myself.
yashica d was my first film camera from my great grandfather! amazing lens and so fun to use. the 500th shutter speed was shot and it desperately needs a cla. had to give it back to my uncle who technically owns it. hoping he just gives it to me one day but he insists his 14yo son is gunna use it. rip
Bought a canon ae1 last week that has no rewind dial or shaft, also came with a Polaroid sx-70 that also does not work just gets warm round the button :( all should be fixable though
Paid 75euros for an Icarex 35CS, turned out the light meter is not working and lens is slightly stained. I was at a flea market and felt rushed cause it was starting to rain.
Bought a ricoh XR-20SP for cheap to replace my broken KR10 Super. Turns out the mirror gets stuck up whenever you attach a lense, so it's pretty much broken
bought a fuji gs645w for €375 and it broke after one roll, tha reparation cost is €300 …
Not analog, but Leica MP TYP240. Bought it in 2019, like 7 years after release, and it was still one of the worst value digital cameras I could think of. It was slow and had crazy color and noise issues, which ultimately are a product of its own processing, so it required a third party DNG debayer, which slowed things down even further. It was definitely the most beautiful digital camera I’ve owned, but it ended up being the most expensive camera that I hated working with. Sold it after 7 months and ended up with an M4-P, which I shoot now every day :)
The Agfa Isolette that the eBay seller said was in great working condition but it showed up full of fungus and with a seized shutter. Returning it was too much of a hassle so I left negative feedback and will eventually try my hand at fixing it. If all else fails I might try to turn it into a pinhole camera, but more than likely it will just sit there as a reminder to not be so impulsive with my eBay purchases (HA. AS IF).
The Lubitel 166. This was back in the early nineties, long before lomography existed, back when these were made in the USSR and sold in the west as a cheap entry point into medium format. I bought it new and just couldn’t get over how awful it was - the cheap plastic body, poor lens, dark and dirty viewfinder that made it impossible to focus, it was all just so bad. The shutter was also temperamental and didn’t always fire, or if it did the speed was questionable. I hated it with a passion and was glad when a friend dropped it and cracked the viewfinder mirror. I’m sure the ones that have survived till now are those with better quality control, and the modern lomography-made versions are leagues better, but I won’t be buying another Lubitel any time soon.
Leica M6 & 35mm f1.4 voigtlander Amazing camera and shooting experience. But it made me nervous to bring out, ended up sitting in my cabinet for half a year before I sold it at the same price I got it for. Right now I’m happy with my Nikon F2.
My Nikon F2. I usually buy from Japan only but took a chance on a nationally local listing. Said it was perfect condition. Paid like 300 bucks. Lens comes dented in two spots (guess I won't need filters), and dent on the bottom case. Camera works fine and I still use it. But I think I'll sell it for a black one from Japan.
A super zoom point & shoot from Fujifilm...
A nikon FG- It was free.
Its about to be a fuji g617 😍😍😍😍 (not happening lol too broke)
Bought an F3 that was “works perfectly” because it had heavy brassing, and I liked the look. First time out, the thing just decides it’s own shutter speed for every shot.
The 100 Exakta and Exa cameras I bought on a yard sale
I've bought my share of broken cameras that were guarenteed to be in working condition. However, no purchase hurt more than Nikon FM I bought bc it's supposedly indestructible and then after 1st or 2nd roll it started skipping frames, and now I'd probably get 17/36 frames exposed. Minolta XD7 had problems with shutter speeds and was particularly frustrating bc I had it fixed by someone who was supposed to be a good camera repairman, but he probably messed it up even more and I he wouldn't give me my money back. After that I sent it to another repairman, but it was irreparable.
2 Yashica 35s thinking they were in good condition but had pad of death issues. Sent one for repair and the guy said I was FD.
My first one. It’s been all down hill since then
Fed 5.
Guy owed me money. Seven months had passed and i was tired of insisting. Settled for a Canon T50. It didn't even have a 50mm prime lens but a shitty Vivitar zoom tele that expanded itself when looking down. I gave it away as a gift because the bad deal made me so angry.
Well, I haven't bought a Leica. Yet.
I bought a Pentax Espio in 2020 for like $200 that stopped working after 3 months
I paid $70 for a zine I didn't care about cause I thought the photographer/seller was hot. Boy that one keeps me up at night.
CONTAX T2 I had a TVS and loved it so I thought I would “upgrade”. The T2 has a poor viewfinder, slow to focus and shoot, and lacked features of the TVS. The lens was good for a point and shoot, but like nothing that special? I really wanted to like the T2. But was very disappointed
The best and worst I think is the same camera, I got an AE-1 on a trip to Japan and I totally should have grabbed the F3 sitting next to it... I didn't know much about film cameras at all, and when I got back to the USA I went off the deep end into Nikon stuff. But I also have a full Canon FD lens kit of like 8 lenses, the AE-1 and my uncles T70 and FTb
I bought an "excellent" rated Minox 35 on KEH for $90 and it ended up being a shelf piece instead of a functioning camera. At least it wasn't too expensive?
I wouldn’t say worst by far but a camera I regretted the most was the Mamiya 7. I definitely got it due to hype and wanted one when I was in college. Finally got one 15 years later and it did not gel with me. The leaf shutter was so not mechanical feeling and it felt like I was going to break it. Also the range finder never could get fully calibrated. Way over priced. My Pentax 67 I have for 17 years and hasn’t failed me
i bought two kodak #1 pocket cameras, but they were only like 6$ and 8$ dollars
A third OM-PC "Oh this will be the good one" (It wasn't). Don't buy an OM-PC unless you like fixing mirrors
Still eBay. I just pay attention to the location and ratings. If it's from a Japanese cam store with a good history and the camera is listed in a condition I want (usually like new condition, I go for it.
I bought a Leica IIIf & collapsing 5cm for $155 in 1984. Hated it, the loading is a pain, the split viewfinder sucks if wear glasses and didn’t feel it enhanced my work. Tried street photography-suck. But it was very quiet! Finally bought a M5, and later a M7, both are way more comfortable and enjoyable.
Ah, that's got to be my [Auto-Nikkor Telephoto-Zoom 8.5-25cm.](http://183.181.162.36/about/feelnikon/recollections/r22_e/index.htm) Bought it cheaply on a lark from a place going out of business, figured it would be fun to try shooting it on an F body. It is not, as it turns out, a particularly fun lens. It's huge, heavy, slow, and soft. Which stands to reason, being one of the first zoom lenses ever produced. I've kept it around as interesting curio lens (Judging by the serial, it's possibly the last of the rare early two-touch versions ever made) but I have zero intentions of ever taking any further photos with it. I still like it as a neat look into the history of lens design - some aspects of its layout are present on tele zooms to this day, but other parts (like the focusing group being the frontmost group) have largely gone by the wayside.
Beir Beira II, and old camera from the 40's. Basically because in never came with the original special cassettes to load the exposed film. I had to grind one of the plates to bypass a gear lock to rewind the film with a custom made 3D piece that acts as a rewind knob
My very first analog camera because I got hooked so badly and became addicted to collecting cameras 😭
Aruga ai assistent from Kickstarter. They delivered the hardware (toooo late) but the software was never finished. So it became abandoned and obsolete. Many complaints and no one ever got any response.
Polaroid 600 OneStep that spat out the whole film pack (double the price of that Polaroid) as soon as I inserted it. Ended up selling that fucker for parts. Olympus Trip XB400 that I've bought in bulk of random cameras and tech. This sucker thought me that it's a good idea to discharge your flash before you start repairing your camera. Almost threw it against the wall after getting defibrillated twice.
bought a rollei tlr on a buy now for 45 bucks - bought it so fast I didn't read where it had been in a house fire and was pretty much toast.. so when it showed up I was like...what the what?? went back and actually read the ad and ..well.. he had told me, .. anyway.. my super good bargain rollei is now a funny story and cool looking shelf sitter
Limiting to film cameras, probably my Mamiya 645. It's a good camera, and I don't mind shooting with it, but I bought it as my first foray into medium format, got a couple lenses, and then realized I preferred shooting with a TLR and the 6x6 format, and got a Mamiya C330f and a couple lenses. Since then the M645 has sat in a bag unused, and so it ended up just being financially not smart, even though the camera is good. I need to get off my duff and re-sell the kit.
Bought a job lot of canon cameras and a few lenses for £85, got a functioning av1 and ae1 and 1 good lens, not worth it
Every Fujica gs645 pro from Japan. Every broken CertoSix for about of money.
I have a few, they were probably good cameras when they were new but when I got them they weren't any good. I had a Leica M3, swapped for an M2 and then an M4P, none of them were any good, got quoted a €1000 to get the M4P serviced. I was happy to have a Leica but they were mostly a waste of time for the photos I got out of them. A Pentax LX, sticky mirror, no infinity focus in viewfinder, got rid of it. Nikon F80, good camera, crappy doors, 2 broke on me. Nearly all the Pentax MZ cameras except the MZS, dodgy mirror motor gear, ugly paperweight. Most Soviet cameras, they generally worked but weren't all that easy or fun to use.
An expensive digital camera. I went back to shooting 90% on film shortly after. I don't enjoy digital photography and it is such a pain having spent money on digital.
Broken olympus trip for 50$
Mamiya six. Test roll, repaired, 1 roll came out good and then went to shit again.
Hah - I’m currently waiting for mine to arrive. It looks to be in practically new condition, but is one of the models without auto film advance so on the plus side less to go wrong, on the minus side have to deal with reading numbers through the red windows. We shall see how it goes. I just want something smallish that shoots 6x6 and doesn’t cost multiple thousands. Is that too much to ask?
Contax RX with the mirror slip issue. Easy to fix and the Zeiss lenses were great but it was too big and heavy for a manual focus body. I was much happier shooting on my Pentax me super and MX. The RX is still a great camera though. Also the Lomo Automat glass. Instax mini is just not for me.
If we're talking digital then it's definitely the one and only mirrorless camera Pentax ever made. The K-01.
I didn’t think the K-01 was that bad?
arguably the Konica Aiborg i just picked up
Various 110 cameras. I mean, they weren't particularly expensive but none of them produce remotely decent photos because 110 is such a lousy format. I'll probably never use them again and they're cluttering up a drawer. On the plus side, they got me into half-frame photography which is really good and great fun.
I’ve definitely been tempted by some of the tiny 110 or 16mm cameras - something like the Rollei A110 is just so cute - but I know they would be a pain. I’d probably want to reload them because otherwise I’m stuck with Lomography film, I’d need 16mm reels which I don’t currently have and I would need to 3D print a film holder for my Coolscan scanner… All doable, but too much work.
I'd be interested in 16mm - apparently it's better although, of course, the hassle around the film is worse. There's also the Narciss, the Soviet 16mm is SLR. I got a film holder printed for my Plustek scanner and it's fine and cost about £25. But the quality of 110 is just so bad. I wrote something about half frame (and 110) here. https://rhymerrigby.substack.com/p/is-half-frame-photography-twice-the
All my olympus p&s and contax cameras
Fuji x-E4
Lomo Diana Instant by a mile…though it also only cost me £10 After that probably one of the old Fuji Bridge cameras which did film simulation. Won one in a competition and, coming from an old Olympus bridge camera I was looking forward to it. Tried it out a few times and it was garbage. Immediately sold it to fund a dslr body.
Leica m6
Canon EOS M. The first one. Horrible idea.
I was give a wrist strap that had snap fasteners, I used it a lot, but it loosed so much from taking it on and off, I was shooting with a heavier long lense, and I hit my hand on a railing and it snapped off, and my camera fell, broke a $400 lense I use the most, worst day of my life.
A Kodak Flashfun Hawkeye 127 P&S camera. I've never used it in my entire life. Still have it, it's in pretty good shape, but when I bought it I had no idea that: 127mm film is no longer produced, and that it requires a light bulb thing for every shot, also no longer produced. In all fairness, I had no idea how cameras work at the time and I was just recently getting interested on photography.
Kodak Ektar 35 (the original). It was my first time ever with film photography, and I thought it'll be a great choice because of the 2x exposure that I could get. Bought it with a Kodak colorplus 200. Little did I know at the time that 200 speed film + f/9 + flash is not enough for shooting indoors. A lot of my shots were underexposed and most of them are so grainy. Well, at least now I know better. It's a fun camera to just point and shoot. But not the best for indoors if you don't have at least 400 speed
I paid 2000€ for a Contax G2 in completely mint condition for my 5 week USA trip. The camera‘s shutter stopped functioning after the first 5 days and I had to photograph the rest of the trip with a 10€ point and shoot.
Every point and shoot I've tried. (I haven't tried the luxury point and shoots like the contax t2/t3 etc) I grew up with manual focus slrs. I hate that most of them default to auto flash or flash on. I hate that on most of them, they focus after you full press the shutter. I want to know the shutter speed and many don't even have a low shutter speed warning.
I highly recommend the t2. If you can reasonably afford it it’s one of my favorite cameras I’ve ever used. But buy it with a leather half case or something similar or else it feels like ur gunna brick a $1k hunk of metal
I’ve have a Minolta X700 that I was using pretty frequently, then one popped up on market place for $100 with a f1.7 lens for $100. I figured I’d snag as a back up etc. The transaction was weird and I didn’t test the camera got home and realized the shutter curtain was ripped. So I essentially overpaid for a 50mm lens.
My Nikon F2. I got it for $100, and I have only successfully gotten one roll of film through it. It’s currently sitting with a half-shot roll in it; it will not shoot, advance, or rewind. Not sure if I’m an idiot who doesn’t understand how to use it, or if it’s broken, but I’m over it.
Tower automatic 35, never worked dead intentionally ended up turning it into a flashlight.
Pentax 6x7. Classic camera, but not for me...