Old 35MM cameras - what to do with?

[74-911]

Cleaning out a closet, I stumbled upon three old 35MM cameras from many years past:

Minolta SLR
Yashica Rangefinder
Canon Z155 point&shoot

Certainly no collectors items and from what I understand even pawn shops won't take anything but really high end 35's..

I'm sure I'm not the only one stuck with these old 35mms so anyone have any ideas other than to toss or put back up in the closet ?

[Zeke]

I've got a couple. The thing is all the expensive lenses. I could toss the camera bodies.

[widgeon13]

Let me know if you find some value, I have a Minolta SLR and three lenses.

[MT930]

www.keh.com/Used-Cameras

These guys have bought some of my used 35 MM stuff. I have consigned some of the other with local camera shops. We have a film school at the university the students are required to have a 35 MM film camera, they buy a lot of old Nikon's & Canon's.

[azasadny]

We just went through this with my father's and BIL's expensive 35mm camera. The "baffles" or whatever they're called get all gummed up and deteriorate with time and the cost to repair them is easily more than they're worth. Our son went through 4-5 cameras before he found one he could use and depend on. The old 35mm's don't age well at all, the mechanicals just fall apart...

[LWJ]

Understand. My wife is an amateur photographer. I picked up a 35MM rangefinder similar to the above Yashica for $5 at a garage sale. Cool camera. The meter even works. I also bought her a medium format range finder for cheap at the same time. Serious depreciation on these.

The ticket is as mentioned above. Art classes require 35mm manual cameras. The minolta / canon / nikon / similar will find homes to needy students. There is still some of a market for these.

The lenses do transfer somewhat. Nikon I think works with digital. My wife is a Canon gal so I just know that the old FD lenses don't work on the new EOS cameras. Not certain about other makes.

If it is a medium format, there is a market for it, although certainly a niche. I would love to find some trick cameras for the wife. A graflex type bellows camera is definitely something I would jump on. A large format camera would be super cool. There are some things that the photogeeks can only do with film that means a little camera hording comes into play.

As for most normal folks? Find someone who will love them. The shutters gum up without use.

Good luck.

Larry

[A930Rocket]

What I didn't sell on Craigslist for dirt cheap, I gave away.

[mepstein]

My son needs one for a photography class in high school. If you're willing to give them away, I will pay shipping. Thanks, Mark

[stomachmonkey]

Yes, look to donate to a local school or student.

Gave my Canon analog gear to a friends kid who was taking photography

[74-911]

Originally Posted by mepstein

My son needs one for a photography class in high school. If you're willing to give them away, I will pay shipping. Thanks, Mark

Mark, PM'ed you

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Nikon and Pentax are good at allowing old lenses to work with modern DSLR bodies. I have taken old, high quality lenses and used them with ease on the new DSLR.

[TimT]

All my old Pentax glass works on my new Pentax Istd and K5 bodies..

Pentax just came out with a K1 mirror less body which will accept all Pentax legacy glass...

Its one of the reasons I stuck with the Pentax brand...

Having said that I rarely use my old lenses.... There is some really good glass available, tack sharp, quick auto-focus...

[Rapewta]

I tried selling my old Nikon 35 SLR stuff on E-bay and no takers.
A Nikon Apollo Photomic FTN w/1.4 lens in pristine shape. Sn 7368542.
Nikormat w/1.8. 28 Nikkor. 35 Nikor. 55 macro Nikkor. 200 mm Nikkor.
85 to 205 Nikkor and many other accessories
Awesome equipment but totally obsolete.
Now... I suggest you donate the cameras to the local school that still has
photo development classes.
We (our daughter and I) set up a B/W dark room in the house and had a blast
about 5 years ago. I have photos in frames on the wall with our best efforts.

Digital has taken over 99%. Donate them.

[Bill Douglas]

Cry. I always wanted a Canon AE1 and I got a beautiful one decades ago. The sort of camera that lasts a lifetime. I bought some high end lenses to go with it and scoffed at the new digial "rubbish" that was coming out.

Now, being on digital camera number four or five, I don't even look at the old AE1, and my photos with the new Sony DSLR are better than I used to get with the old Canon - argh.

[RWebb]

keep it

- I have 3 DSLRs and 3 Digi P&S cameras right now, but they will have to pry my Nikon F3 out of my cold, dead fingers

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Originally Posted by Rapewta

I tried selling my old Nikon 35 SLR stuff on E-bay and no takers.
A Nikon Apollo Photomic FTN w/1.4 lens in pristine shape. Sn 7368542.
Nikormat w/1.8. 28 Nikkor. 35 Nikor. 55 macro Nikkor. 200 mm Nikkor.
85 to 205 Nikkor and many other accessories
Awesome equipment but totally obsolete.
Now... I suggest you donate the cameras to the local school that still has
photo development classes.
We (our daughter and I) set up a B/W dark room in the house and had a blast
about 5 years ago. I have photos in frames on the wall with our best efforts.

Digital has taken over 99%. Donate them.

Man, sounds like so good stuff!!!! Bet it will work with the new DSLR bodies as well! Are you donating???

Seriously, some of us might like those!

[sc_rufctr]

Buy some film and have some fun???

I recently saw a Nikon F5 in a local camera shop and considering what these were new they were almost giving it away at $600 for the body only.
The problem is most people (amateurs) want digital and as you posted earlier not even second hand shops will take them.

Personally I'll be keeping my Leica M3 and M4-P indefinitely. (I process my own film and still use an enlarger)

[javadog]

I've been selling a lot of cameras and lenses on eBay and getting decent money for it. If your stuff is in good condition, I don't see whay it wouldn't sell.

JR

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by javadog

I've been selling a lot of cameras and lenses on eBay and getting decent money for it. If your stuff is in good condition, I don't see whay it wouldn't sell.

JR

That's true and one for the reasons this is happening is because Micro3/4 and Sony NEX* cameras can use almost all of the older SLR lenses with an adapter.
I've got an adapter for my Leica Lenses and I regularly use my DR Summicron on my Sony NEX5. (I should have waited for the NEX7 because it has a detachable view finder)

[fred cook]

Originally Posted by azasadny

We just went through this with my father's and BIL's expensive 35mm camera. The "baffles" or whatever they're called get all gummed up and deteriorate with time and the cost to repair them is easily more than they're worth. Our son went through 4-5 cameras before he found one he could use and depend on. The old 35mm's don't age well at all, the mechanicals just fall apart...

I have a Cannon F1 that I bought over 40 years ago and except for the periodic battery change it is still going strong. Of course back then it was one of the top cameras on the market. When the last of the 35mm film is gone I will just put it on a shelf and dust it from time to time.