Buying Film Camera 2nd Hand

[Netforce]

Hi everyone,

how do I judge whether the price of a 2nd hand film camera is reasonable? As there are no other similar posts in BnS.

[Canvent]

Hello Netforce,

Let me just give you a general guide.

Camera Condition:

General/Cosmetics, this somewhat personal preference. If you don't mind a little scratch here and there (expected for old cameras).

Minor functional, look out for cracked viewfinders, inaccurate meters, cracked knobs, worn out/degraded light seals and mirror foam , ect. (light seals and mirror can diy fix( if you dare, quite messy)

Major functional, meter not working, inaccurate shutter speeds, mirror mechanism damaged, missing knobs, ect. (This might cripple the camera for your use, so price must chop chop chop or don't buy)

Note: CLA a camera locally can be costly and really not worth it for some cameras.

Prices:

Local shops, local shops tend to be quite expensive compared to others (can't blame them as they got to earn some income, pay rent, raise families, ect) but more safe IMO as got short warranty ect. Generally not worth IMO unless you are looking for something specific, have loads of money and are too lazy to look for alternative.

Local BnS, lower than shops but can be erratic (different people, different price for same condition). Just do a search and judge by pass prices and gauge for yourself. You can arrange a meeting and see and touch all you like to look for defects before payment!

Online, online shops like KEH or ebay. Do a search compare prices. Ebay can be really cheap and worth it but also risky as it is overseas and item conditions are hard to judge, when there are problems they can be difficult and takes ages to resolve.

[raytoei]

tell me about it, recently i was playing with a canon pellix which is FL mounted. Can't find any place that sells FL mount lenses in singapore

[Riotbmx]

Hello Netforce,

Let me just give you a general guide.

Camera Condition:

General/Cosmetics, this somewhat personal preference. If you don't mind a little scratch here and there (expected for old cameras).

Minor functional, look out for cracked viewfinders, inaccurate meters, cracked knobs, worn out/degraded light seals and mirror foam , ect. (light seals and mirror can diy fix( if you dare, quite messy)

Major functional, meter not working, inaccurate shutter speeds, mirror mechanism damaged, missing knobs, ect. (This might cripple the camera for your use, so price must chop chop chop or don't buy)

Note: CLA a camera locally can be costly and really not worth it for some cameras.

Prices:

Local shops, local shops tend to be quite expensive compared to others (can't blame them as they got to earn some income, pay rent, raise families, ect) but more safe IMO as got short warranty ect. Generally not worth IMO unless you are looking for something specific, have loads of money and are too lazy to look for alternative.

Local BnS, lower than shops but can be erratic (different people, different price for same condition). Just do a search and judge by pass prices and gauge for yourself. You can arrange a meeting and see and touch all you like to look for defects before payment!

Online, online shops like KEH or ebay. Do a search compare prices. Ebay can be really cheap and worth it but also risky as it is overseas and item conditions are hard to judge, when there are problems they can be difficult and takes ages to resolve.

And do check the batt compartment(if it has any). Some may be corroded due to batt leakage

[davsmiths]

Important:
Check for fungus if a lens is included in the outfit.
Check if the shutter is working at all speeds, particularly if it's a mechanical camera.
Check if the film advance level and film counter are working. Would be terrible to not know which frame you are at and end up re-winding the entire roll or not shooting a single exposure.
Check if the metering is still working properly. You may use an Android or iPhone app to verify. Note that some cameras use a different metering calculations.
Check if the shutter (metal or cloth) has no holes.

Non-important:
Check if light seal foams are there. Else they are easy to replace.
Check if the body is dusty. Can clean for cheap. No worries on dust on sensor issue cause it's a film camera.
Check if PC sync port are working. Most probably not going to use them anyway. (at least for me).
Check if hot-shoe is working.
Check if body got scratches (heck it's an old camera, adjust expectations.)

Hope this helps.