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.
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
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)
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)
I've purchased the majority of my used gear for under market value so I guess I got pretty good deals on everthing. The best was probably getting a Tamron 90mm macro for 210 and then trading it for a 85/1.8 w/ hood straight up.
Just in the past year using the BIN/cashback I've gotten:
135L: $590
17-40: $385
MT-24EX: $375 (which almost beat the MR-14 I found a couple years ago on CL for $200)
24II (new): $1499
Seek and ye shall find... (no wonder I haven't bought anything from the FM B&S forum in years)
PS. While it's always fun to find killer deals, I think that many of us (and certainly I) spend too much time snooping around for them. Over the years I've been buying and selling camera gear I've saved maybe $2-3K from standard prices (used or new) by hunting around - and I've certainly spent at least 50 hours in any given year in this pursuit. If I'd just put even half of this effort into working a few hours of overtime I could have easily made more than I've saved. But there remains something of the cheap starving grad student in me that loves a deal - even when the rational part of me realizes that the hunt really isn't worth the time.
From craigslist a 'kit' of a Canon 650 body, 50/1.8 mk I, and 100-300 USM zoom for $200. Sold lenses here for $220 net to me... thus, I got a 650 body and $20 for some EOSFun
My sweetest by far was a 17-85IS that had been wrongly priced on the net and I got it new for about $49. Horrible lens that it is I made a nice tidy profit seeling it on ebay
Tesco did a similar thing with a 400D kit, which was priced for a day at about $250. Not as good a deal but still a decent profit
My best deal for new kit was a 1DsMkIII for less that half what I would have to pay for it now.
I got a similar deal on a used 400/2.8 IS - the guy who was selling was splitting with his wife and wanted cash urgently. It looked like it had never been out of the box.
- 30D used in mint condition, just serviced with 6 months warranty
£300 (alright not a steal but I thought that, considering the beautiful renditions I get from this body, the price was great)
- 50mm F1.8 Mk I - a friend came over, picked up my tripod and I said seeing as it was going spare he could have it. I got the 50/1.8 the next week when I asked him what lenses he had. I was going to offer him something for it but he very generously sent it free
£0
- 580EX II
£240 on rebate (I believe they are now roughly £300-350)
- Bought a slingshot 300AW. 1 year later decided to sell it. Sold for £41, £21.50 less than I bought it for. But then the guy was from belgium so he had to pay my stunningly good value £46.50 P&P. So I broke even.
Pretty good considering it had a slight rip in the top.
vachss wrote:
Just in the past year using the BIN/cashback I've gotten:
135L: $590
17-40: $385
MT-24EX: $375 (which almost beat the MR-14 I found a couple years ago on CL for $200)
24II (new): $1499
Seek and ye shall find... (no wonder I haven't bought anything from the FM B&S forum in years)
PS. While it's always fun to find killer deals, I think that many of us (and certainly I) spend too much time snooping around for them. Over the years I've been buying and selling camera gear I've saved maybe $2-3K from standard prices (used or new) by hunting around - and I've certainly spent at least 50 hours in any given year in this pursuit. If I'd just put even half of this effort into working a few hours of overtime I could have easily made more than I've saved. But there remains something of the cheap starving grad student in me that loves a deal - even when the rational part of me realizes that the hunt really isn't worth the time. ...Show more →
