Photography equipment question

[OldSowBreath]

Hey, guys, I'm always coming across 35mm photography equipment at garage and sometimes estate sales which is usually cheap because of the digital revolution. I realize a lot of the camera bodies don't have much value, but that lenses can have some value. I was also slightly blown away by some light meter values that was discussed in another thread. My questions are in the 35mm realm, what brand names are good sellers? I would think anything Zeiss (lenses) and maybe Pentax. But are Canon and Nikon good buys? Of course, Hasselblad would be solid gold. Also, how can you tell if a 35mm lens would work on a digital camera? Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

 

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[Tallone]

I'm not that familiar with light meters but I have bought and sold quite a few camera lenses. You are right that the film camera bodies often don't have much value. Many of them don't work properly but the lenses are usually fine. Pretty much any of the higher quality European and Japanese optics are good. The Japanese brands would include Nikon (and Nikkormat), Canon, Pentax, and perhaps some others (I just sold a Minolta lens). European brands would include Leica, Hasselblad, and perhaps some others. Bring up a list of used camera lenses on eBay. Display the sold items and sort high to low. Scan the list for brand names and you should get a pretty good idea of the brands to be on the lookout for.

I can usually get $30 - $50 for a 50mm lens. More for longer ones. Specialty lenses like macros and fisheyes can bring a premium price, too.

Be sure to look carefully at the lenses to be sure the glass isn't scratched. Also, look through the lens (end-to-end) and see if there are any cloudy spots. These are usually a faint white-ish color and indicate the presence of mold inside the lens. There is no way to remove interior mold and the lens is worthless if it is present. One other thing to look for... Recently, I purchased an entire camera bag which included a Nikon body with Nikkormat lens with additional lenses in the bag. I made the mistake of not checking the makes on the others lenses - assuming the other lenses were also Nikon/Nikkormat. Turns out they were Bushnell lenses. I tried to sell those with a $0.99 auction. No takers.

By the way, you should do pretty well with all optics from high quality makers. This would include things like binoculars, telescopes and photographic enlarger lenses although these types of items are much less common than cameras. I did well recently with some German enlarger lenses. I can't remember the name just now.

 

[watercolor]

Vintage 35mm rangefinder cameras with interchangeable lenses are the ones I'm on the lookout for. Especially Leica, Canon & Nikon.
You may want to use your smart phone at some of these garage sales so you can look up any specific items that you're interested in.

Some of these earlier types are sought after by collectors and will generally bring in good money depending upon rarity.
Leica, for example, was notorious for changing features on their cameras during their production runs and sometimes only produced several hundred cameras with a specific type of feature.
These are the ones that collectors look for. Years ago, I bought a Leica IIIG for $100 and sold it to a collector who paid me $350 for it.

Regarding your question if older "analog" 35mm lenses are compatible with digital cameras the answer is: sometimes. . . you'll have to check with each specific manufacturer.
Most often if an older lens will work on a newer digital, you may loose many of the "auto" features such as: auto-focus, exposure, etc. because the lens may not electronically connect with the camera body.

Good luck!

 

[dejapooh]

Hey, guys, I'm always coming across 35mm photography equipment at garage and sometimes estate sales which is usually cheap because of the digital revolution. I realize a lot of the camera bodies don't have much value, but that lenses can have some value. I was also slightly blown away by some light meter values that was discussed in another thread. My questions are in the 35mm realm, what brand names are good sellers? I would think anything Zeiss (lenses) and maybe Pentax. But are Canon and Nikon good buys? Of course, Hasselblad would be solid gold. Also, how can you tell if a 35mm lens would work on a digital camera? Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Lenses are what Smart Phones are made for. There are so many varieties and makes that it is hard to say what is worth what. Check them out on Ebay sold. Make sure there are not cracks or clouding in the lenses. Remove both caps and hold it out to the light. Let the light shine through and shine on the ground. You can easily see flaws... This also works for Binoculars. Be careful since the light shining through the lens will be concentrated and you don't want to burn anything.

I make very good money breaking up sets. Donating bodies and bags (some are worth money, but most are not), and selling lenses. Don't worry about what works with what. That's the buyer's job. Just include all of the information on the top of the lens and they should have enough information...

 

[Tallone]

When things went digital, Nikon retained the same mount it used on their film cameras. That does NOT mean that all the modern features like autofocus will work, however. At some point, Canon changed their mount but you can buy adapters that will allow you to use older lenses on newer cameras. I know some of the late model Canon film cameras use the same mount as their digitals. We bought our daughter a new Canon EOS T3 DSLR for Christmas last year. A few months ago I came across a late model Canon film camera with two Canon lenses. The body had some electronic features and autofocus. The lenses (including the autofocus) worked perfectly on my daughter's camera so I gave her the lenses. I hope she's grateful because I probably could have gotten $200 for those lenses... but then I only paid $15 for the camera, 2 lenses, the bag, and a printed manual (which I sold for $10) so it's all good!

BTW, old manuals for good quality cameras sell pretty well, too, so look for those.