What was the best deal ever you've got on a purchase of photographic gear ?

I suspect many people have interesting killer deal anecdotes to tell that would make us salivate.
At the same time, I am not looking forward to hear about someone taking advantage of a distressed elderly widow by offering her $500 for her late husband's mint EF 600mm f/4L IS USM.

My best deal was probably an (EX+) 300 f/4 non-IS lens.........$600 was asked for it, $600 I paid for it. The lens is perfect.

My best deal came in the last few months...$300 for a great condition 20D and grip. I'll hold onto it for a while yet until I have enough in the bank to upgrade to a 40D.

Ryan

I've had quite a few "best deals", here are a few recent additions:

My former US D700 for $2000 (brand new)
My US 24L II for $1480 (brand new)
My Canon 5D for $900 (very good cond with 3000 shutter count)

Those are excellent deals, good money saved.
Some folks had real big hits not long ago on 1DsMkIII's from Dell. Before that, Dell again, thru a mistake or otherwise, supplied a bunch of people with brand new 1DMkIIN's at very substantial savings.

Bought a mint Canon 200 1.8L from a Canon rep for $1700.

My best deals have been on OM MF lenses, but I think the $140 I paid for my Zeiss 1.7/50 was a low price for what this lens is capable of.

joeisayo wrote:
Bought a mint Canon 200 1.8L from a Canon rep for $1700.
I think you win.

Mine are small items.

Tamron 1.4x TC for $45
Canon non-USM 100mm macro for about $200
Arca Swiss B-1 Ballhead for $120 with a RRS plate

Mark

joeisayo wrote:
Bought a mint Canon 200 1.8L from a Canon rep for $1700.

Joe, don't say.....you didn't.
When was that

Years ago I bought a Leica 280mm R lens at a flea market for $40. A couple of weeks later I traded it even at a camera show for a black Leica M4 body. I still have the camera, although I never shoot film anymore.

(used) New Mamiya 6 with 75mm lens. LEDs in viewfinder were a bit dim (hard to see in daylight) but the focus was SPOT on. Some loss of paint, but no real damage to the camera nor lens. Lens had a small "floater" in one of the elements behind the lens shutter. Doesn't seem to impact quality, that I can tell.

Paid $600 cash for the set.

PetKal wrote:
joeisayo wrote:
Bought a mint Canon 200 1.8L from a Canon rep for $1700.

Joe, don't say.....you didn't.
When was that


$2500 i take it away from you please

A brand new in box Zeiss 85/1.2 for $3300.

Canon 400/2.8 non-IS - $1500 Cdn
Canon 300/2.8 non-IS - $2000 Cdn
Canon EF 1.4x II & 2x II - both $400 Cdn

Felt I got a good deal on these.

A friend of mine picked up a 16-35 for $400 or so.

Maybe not the best deal ever, but my recent 40D & 28-135 (like new) refurb from Adorama was already a good deal @$799 but it's better now since the same refurb now costs $899! I got a nice body upgrade & my wife got a starter lens for her 1st DSLR. Worked out great for both of us!

Omar

40D for US$550 at the B&S here. This was in January, before the inflation kicked in. Also, a 24L mkI for US$750 locally.

I have made some amazing deals, but the best is: an ugly-looking cosmetically and minty optically Pentax-K 50/1.2 for 30 dollars. Add more $30 for caps and adapter and...

Brand New 400 5.6 L for 500.00

My HP Designjet 30N with tons of extra ink for 65.00

Newegg's buy-a-lens-and-get-a-free-580ex deal.

So I did.



I cherry-picked the best 17-40 (one of the new ones was better than my current copy) and sold everything else.

Long time ago, back when the internet was new...seriously this was probably 94 or 95...I ordered a Nikon N90s film body from one of those places in NY - don't even remember the name anymore. They shipped the camera fine, but I waited and waited and they never billed my credit card. By the time I finally decided to call them back they had vanished and gone out of business...probably from losing so much money due to lousy bookeeping! I got 10 solid years of use out of that body before making the switch to Canon dSLR's (I even turned it on the other day and it still works just fine)!

Nikon D2h with 600k actuations, and it looked like it was dragged behind a bus cross country. Shutter and mirror box was just replaced. Local camera store had i in the used case for $400. I laughed. Came back the next week, and it was still there. I jokingly said to the owner, I'll give you $100 for it. He said for $125 I'll give it to you, plus 2 like new batteries. I picked it up in a heartbeat, and I have put another 20k on it since.

D60 at list price, when they were impossible to get. Got three, sold two, paid for the 3rd

fall of 06 my 20D died the night before fashion week.
I had to rent a 30D for a week+, and the producers footed the bill

come Monday morning & time to return the 30D & pay the $800 rental fee, I read & re-read the sign behind the rental counter it said "rental fee applies towards purchase" it did not specify one day's fee, and I asked 3 times (paraphrased each question) if I could apply the rental fee to that open box 30D for $1150 behind the counter

well, when the guy pulled up my acct he said "I'm soo fired for this" and I handed him the producers check for $800 and gave him $350 from me, so my 30D cost only $350 and my 20D was repaired under warranty

Great thread

- I also bought a bunch of the D60 bodies and sold all but one (mine was free)

- Canon 300 f/2.8 (local purchase) - $1500

- Sandisk 8 GB cards with Visa rebate card. Got mine free after selling 2.

greg

XT (sticky flash, easily fixed with a stiff brush under the flash bracket, cracked rear-LCD cover replaced for $10) + 18/55 + 75/300 for $120 (pawnshop)

Nikkormat FTn (busted) + Nikkormat FS (working...my first SLR back after 40yrs) + 105/2.5 + two 50mm/F2 Nikkors (the 105 and 50 were by first lenses back then too) + Weston meter for $110 (craigslist)

For all of $75 I got a grabbagbox full of old dusty gear...Hexanon 45/1.8, (bent filter ring, otherwise mint) + Canon 50/1.8 FD and 3rd party 80-200 zoom for my AE1-P + Nikon 300/4.5 (very clean glass, aperture stuck at F5.6-8, PK mount siliconed to F mount) + Nikon 180/2.8 (with L1A filter, pristine glass, stuck focusing barrel) + a bunch of other strange FD accessaries and lenses that I gave to my local camera repair guy (he chops them for the screws, I give him a lot of busted gear for the screws, like the busted Nikkormat FTn above) who fixed the 180 for $50...fixed the 300/4.5 mount and gave the lens to a friend...sold most of the rest...except for the 180 of course...(craigslist)

Nikkormat FG busted + 50/1.4AIS + 50/2 SMC-A pentax for $50...sold the FG for $20, haven't sold the pentax yet (pawnshop)

Mint 300/4.5 Nikkor AI-mod for $50 (ebay)

EOS 10s + 50/2.5 CM for $70 (pawnshop)

Nikkormat FTn (working) + 50/1.4 (pre-AI) + 135/2.5 (not Nikon) for $25

Nikon telescope adapter for $6...(thriftshop) sold on ebay for $200

and

Canon D30 + nifty50 for $90 (thriftshop) that I sold me on Canon...added a 10D a month later (used the D30 and 10D for a year until I got the XT, above, and then sold the D30/nifty50 for $280)