r/AnalogCommunity 13d ago

Just had a heart attack at the thrift store Gear/Film

Post image
2.6k Upvotes

477

u/hendrik421 13d ago

Funnily enough, they also had a AE-1 with an awful soligor zoom lens for 85€. I wonder how they decide on pricing things

386

u/8Bit_Cat Pentax ME Super, CiroFlex, Minolta SRT 101, Olympus Trip 35 13d ago

Well the zoom lens is (probably) longer so it's clearly worth more. Besides it's on update f5.6 while that thing is only on f1.2

109

u/Josvan135 12d ago

Craziest thing I ever saw was a thrift store with a very clean german-made 35mm Leica lens right next to a busted old tokumar 200mm telephoto.

The Tokumar was $30, the Leica was $15, probably because "one was bigger than the other".

27

u/8Bit_Cat Pentax ME Super, CiroFlex, Minolta SRT 101, Olympus Trip 35 12d ago

I clearly don't visit enough thrift and charity shops. Best camera/lens I've ever seen in one is a Bolex H8 with 3 lens turret for £300. (Tbh if functional it's reasonable)

It's usually much more common to see a box brownie for £60.

10

u/Spacer1138 12d ago

Please tell me you bought the Leica lens!

63

u/Leading-Sandwich-486 13d ago

Usually thrift stores just price things on what they imagine it to be. Some think every camera is a gold mine, others think bigger is better, some think its all junk. It really depends on the owner honestly but almost never are they priced at the actual value

58

u/penguinbbb 13d ago

That was before the Internet

Now they look shit up on eBay, hence price is often absurd (pro tip: that lens you saw as buy it now for $560 has been there for four years because it’s really worth half of that, don’t price it at $500)

10

u/ProfessionalMockery 12d ago

Yeah my local thrift store told me they literally just look up the going rate on eBay, and then go a bit below that.

5

u/TubeLogic 12d ago

Listed price is not the selling/traded price is what I often tell them.

1

u/Remebond 11d ago

Yes! im always looking at what the recently sold prices are for any given product on ebay

1

u/icysandstone 9d ago

New to this… how do you approach stuff that is sold only with a buy now price, and no option for haggling?

2

u/Remebond 9d ago

Some will say "or best offer", but you can always send the seller a message and see if they will accept a lower price I suppose. Im personally too impatient for bidding, so I use buy now often if I dont want to wait or compete for an item.

1

u/icysandstone 9d ago

Thanks this is a good strategy!

5

u/farminghills 12d ago

Usually that's true but gems still exist, I know one person that got a 14$ Leica m4p with 50 cron and another person with a $12 m3 with 3 lenses. I haven't been that fortunate but I still look everywhere I go.

3

u/Leading-Sandwich-486 12d ago

Again really depends on the owner, i go to so many thrift stores where someone is just like, 5 euro a camera and your good to go. And thats canon cameras of €70 to €100 euros without lenses

2

u/thespruceguse 12d ago

In the US this is far from true. Google lens and eBay are the thrift store owners best friend nowadays. Can’t go to the thrift without paying online secondhand prices.

1

u/TubeLogic 12d ago

Which is dumb on so many levels. They should just list them if that is the game that want to play.

1

u/Leading-Sandwich-486 12d ago

Yeah i agree, europe is still the wild west for thrift stores

1

u/draggon7799 11d ago

Eh, ive gotten a handful of good deals recently from thrift stores but yeah... its kinda shit how im paying as much (sometimes more) for stuff at thrift stores compared to something on ebay

15

u/blimeyo 13d ago

Bigger, I mean longer is better 🥖

2

u/Standard-Pepper-6510 12d ago

That's what she said

1

u/Otterwarrior26 12d ago

I just had the same exact model and year delivered to me yesterday in the US.

539

u/Kugelbrot 13d ago

48

u/Kugelbrot 13d ago

Where is the store located? °_0 Asking for a friend of course.

105

u/hendrik421 13d ago

Bielefeld, Germany haha. Have been going to that store for 5 years and never found anything more than 50mm lenses for my Nikon and Canon. I think consistency is key

114

u/DRURID Olympus pen FT | Nikon FM | Rolleicord IIc mod5 | Ae-1p | x700 13d ago

Funny joke, not revealing your super secret shop by saying Bielefeld exists

24

u/juanc30 12d ago

I laughed so hard when I read it is in Bielefeld. Like, great, it doesn’t exist.

2

u/Flimsy-Homework-9440 12d ago

Does it actually not exist or it’s just in the middle of nowhere?? Lol

5

u/BTWIuseArchWithI3 12d ago

It doesn't exist, there is a big conspiracy theory about it existing, which it doesn't. Everyone who tells you otherwise is a paid shill

16

u/MGPS 13d ago

Wait a minute did you say Bielefeld or Beilefeld? Because my travel agent is having a hard time booking my flights

12

u/mampfer Love me some Foma 🎞️ 13d ago

Endgegner aller Second Hand Läden: eBay, beendete Angebote 😁

7

u/Dr_Bolle 13d ago

schätze sie haben nur den body gegoogelt und die linse nicht extra gecheckt. für den body passt der preis.

15

u/No-Advertising9067 13d ago

Hä, du Systemnutte. Bielefeld gibt's doch garnicht

2

u/Kugelbrot 13d ago

Well thats right around the corner ........

2

u/Helemaalklaarmee "It's underexposed." 13d ago

Even for me. I't a 2 hour drive, but with prices like these I even make back gas money.

1

u/feinmechaniker 12d ago

What Spritkosten? 1%-Regelung regelt - ich brauche nur eine Stunde, winke dir dann 👋

1

u/Kugelbrot 13d ago

Welcher von den ganzen die es dort gibt?

1

u/b1rdhous3 12d ago

Oh wow, I guess I'll have to visit the Brockensammlung more often :)

1

u/hendrik421 12d ago

That’s it!

1

u/canomat5000 10d ago

Crazy, I am from Gütersloh, which is right around the corner. Have been to the Brockensammlung recently too!

1

u/HeyStan 12d ago

Random Bielefeld mention. Now will visit it too

1

u/RockyRockyRoads 10d ago

Never thought I’d see Bielefeld mentioned on here lol. Cool castle tho

1

u/elmokki 13d ago

It definitely is. I tend to go to thrift stores weekly, sometimes twice a week, and most of the times it's nothing, and most of the remaining times it is just okay stuff. A few times I've been very pleasantly surprised.

In addition to consistency, even the time of day can matter. Others are consistent too.

3

u/riomx 12d ago

It's pure chance. There's no way of knowing if or when something desirable is being donated. You could go more often to increase your chances of being first to see something you want, but there is no consistent factor that you can work with to ensure you get a nice camera or lens, unless you somehow learn one of the receivers has a personal schedule or tendency to place sought-after items out on a certain day or hour.

176

u/mampfer Love me some Foma 🎞️ 13d ago

1000 IQ move: Use up all your remaining luck of the year just before new year

Congrats! Sincerely, I hate you 😁

126

u/16ap 13d ago

Is that the 50mm 1.2? If so and it’s in decent condition only the lens can make you a 1000% profit 😅

101

u/hendrik421 13d ago

It’s the 85 1.2 L. Funnily enough, I already own that lens so this one’s probably going to go for the 50 you mentioned.

29

u/16ap 13d ago

Isn’t the 85 1.2 L even more expensive than the 50?

35

u/Shandriel Leica R5+R7, Nikon F5, Fujica ST-901, Mamiya M645, Yashica A TLR 13d ago

if it's in good condition, yes!

but you can sell it and use the profits to buy the 50/1.2L (accounting for a steep "loss" due to fees and not getting the best possible price with ebay in Germany)

15

u/hendrik421 13d ago

There are no fees on eBay for private sellers, and what do you mean with not getting the best possible price?

11

u/Shandriel Leica R5+R7, Nikon F5, Fujica ST-901, Mamiya M645, Yashica A TLR 13d ago

no fees?!?

I'm very much a private seller and eBay is positively draining me!

https://preview.redd.it/6kwk6crc56ae1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca80b0b0199415d3d7d0c355eae3f2a369c0f4a9

yes, you got that right, I paid 30€ in "transaction fees" for an item that sold for 210€ that's 15% !!!

Your chances in Germany (EU) might be better than mine (non-EU), but people with lots of money to waste on camera gear usually prefer it to not ship with 30€ shipping cost on top of everything else.

these 25€ were for economy intl (CH to UK) without tracking, or insurance, or signature.. cheapest option! I sold a camera for 400€ with 45€ shipping to Sweden.. (paid 15€ myself bc I didn't expect tracking + insurance + signature to be this expensive)

I also paid 60€ in transaction fees.. 🤷

10

u/hendrik421 13d ago

That’s really steep. I’ve recently sold a Yashica t4 for about 400€, no fees and like 6€ for insured shipping with tracking inside Germany

1

u/Shandriel Leica R5+R7, Nikon F5, Fujica ST-901, Mamiya M645, Yashica A TLR 13d ago

why don't you have to pay transaction fees?!?

12

u/hendrik421 13d ago

Might be the very popular “Kleinanzeigen” app that became a direct competitor to eBay, and eBay needed to regain customers so they made buying and selling free for private accounts

8

u/killerpoopguy 12d ago

Holy shit you lucky ducks, in the US we have minimum 13% fees.

→ More replies

2

u/Fnzzy 12d ago

At least in Germany I have to pay a fee if I send the item to a different country, even if it's EU. If I sell within Germany there is no fee. I once sold a Yashica T5 to France and had to pay 22€.

-2

u/oxpoleon 12d ago

Please tell me you bought it.

If not, go back, buy it, and I'll pay you for it plus shipping. Just the lens. You can keep the AE-1P, I already have a drawer full of those.

39

u/elmokki 13d ago

Yeah, this is why you should look at lenses first every single time you see cameras in thrift stores. No matter what the camera is, buying it as a lens cap can be worth it.

Not that 52€ would be bad for AE-1 by itself, but I might not bother personally. With that lens I'd take it in a heartbeat.

20

u/Hyperfocus_Creative 12d ago

I once bought a Zeiss 24mm f1.8 with a Contax mount for $4 at Goodwill, now I check everything that even remotely looks like it’s camera related and I google it lol

11

u/oxpoleon 12d ago

For a working AE-1 that's not a bad deal.

That lens is worth a lot more than 50 EUR though.

5

u/elmokki 12d ago

Yes, precisely. The camera itself is just a good deal. The lens is what makes it amazing.

The camera itself would generally be worth getting, but it's not that exciting unless you plan to flip it for some profit or happen to need a replacement body or something.

3

u/hendrik421 11d ago

I don’t actually need AE-1s, but I do like to give them a good clean, new light seals and then gift them to friends who are interested in analog photography - it’s a great camera to get them hooked

2

u/oxpoleon 11d ago

Exactly.

2

u/afvcommander 12d ago

If it was priced 300€ I would still take it instantly.

25

u/Johram515 13d ago

What a score that lens is worth more than that camera

28

u/dovdelavega 13d ago

It worth about 10X the camera 😂

13

u/cffilmphoto 13d ago

Way to get me pissed off

18

u/mrrooftops 13d ago

Another inheritance dumped in a thrift store by relatives who couldn't care less about finding out the value of things they don't care about. Some people really are dumb. Well done in finding it

13

u/hendrik421 13d ago edited 13d ago

It’s also often people who are wealthy enough that they don’t want to deal with the research and the whole selling process. They rather drop the stuff off at these stores and have the money go to charity

4

u/mrrooftops 13d ago

They'd let the store know what it's worth

2

u/oxpoleon 12d ago

Or they google the camera, see they're plentiful and only moderate value, and donate it to a charity they feel could use the money more than they could use the hassle of selling it.

Many people don't know there's a huge market for certain vintage lenses.

6

u/Ybalrid 13d ago

With THIS LENS?

Buy it!!

2

u/streaksinthebowl 12d ago

I was like, “whatever it’s another AE-1 program”, then I saw the red line.

4

u/john_with_a_camera 12d ago

Am I the only one reading this thread thinking I could never visit a thrift store weekly? My house would be full of useless, worthless junk well before I scored a deal like this, lol...

3

u/hendrik421 12d ago

The secret is that most thrift stores don’t have anything interesting, so you don’t buy anything interesting. And if you are relatively close to them, you can stop by for a quick rummage.

2

u/killerpoopguy 12d ago

I could never visit a thrift store weekly?

When you start going weekly, you quickly realize that 99% of the stuff does not change week to week. The key is to figure out what day or days they do the most amount of restocking and show up like 30 minutes after opening or sooner.

Doesn't matter how big or small your city is, there will be people that flip things as a job that will snap up anything good within an hour or 2 of it going out. (You'll recognize them pretty quickly as they will be at every store you go to, every time)

4

u/dovdelavega 12d ago

Post history says lies.

Nice try tho 😂

2

u/iZzzyXD 11d ago

Sharp! Good catch, have my upvote

3

u/TUNEYAIN1 13d ago

What’s the market price for that lens??

7

u/dovdelavega 12d ago

£600-700 gbp

3

u/Life-Departure9630 13d ago

Where are these magic thrift stores? All I find in the local ones are clothes that don’t fit me!! 🤨I sometimes come across cameras on eBay which seem like sellers are trying to flip them online!

3

u/hendrik421 13d ago

It’s what I usually see as well. The key is consistency. You never know if someone dropped of their fathers cameras the day before.

2

u/Legitimate_Dig_1095 10d ago

I bought an OM-1 with a 21mm F2 lens once for like 100 EUR at a camera store, in their "old stuff" bin. Found out later it was a desired lens and sold it for over 2000 EUR.

3

u/marteney1 12d ago

Lord, I’ve seen what you can do for others. I want that for me.

3

u/orebus 12d ago

I get it when a thrift store sells some boring point and shoot for a couple of euros (which ends up being yashica t5 worth 400), but how on earth you could look at this gorgeous body and lens, with a distinctive red stripe and huge glass, and not look it up or at least put a descent price on it?

7

u/hendrik421 12d ago

The Konica big mini next to it was at 80€, the Canon Ixus Aps point and shoot 110€. The Canon AE-1 next to it had a Soligor 70-200 zoom and was going for 85€. It’s nuts haha. But there was also a Praktika SLR that I might go back for, it was only 15€

2

u/crimeo 12d ago

You can get prakticas all day long for like $30 on ebay

2

u/madsvhg 13d ago

Wooaah!!

2

u/merlinowsky 13d ago

Heilige Scheiße

2

u/Dr_Bolle 12d ago

very nice! my best thrift shop find so far was a contarex with stuck mirror along with a 50mm 2.0 planar that had very bad lubrication and 35mm 2.0 distagon with permanent fungus damage for 100€

so not a great deal but i managed to lubricate the 50mm, the 35mm is great even with the fungus and i had lots of fun taking the contarex apart (it's still in pieces)

1

u/oxpoleon 12d ago

I've picked up some great stuff over the years. Full Canon T80 setup with flash, manual, AC autofocus lens, camera bag, accessories, the works, for fifteen quid (<20€), whole job lots of camera bodies, random Zenits with the hugely sought after Helios 44M on, priced like regular Zenits... you name it, the bargains are out there.

EBay and the fact more charity/thrift shops are using clearing houses for this stuff who sell on their behalf at closer to market rate and then pay a share back, rather than selling it directly means there are fewer bargains than there used to be... but you can still get deals!

2

u/m4xxt 12d ago

Congrats mate!

2

u/RhinoKeepr 12d ago

The pre-Covid price! Should be what it’s worth still.

2

u/Matt_Hell 12d ago

Thrift stores in my town don't take cameras in anymore because nobody wants them... 😭😭😭

2

u/rockytoads 12d ago

This is why I always peep the electronics section at thrift stores (even though for me it’s usually crappy lamps and dvd players)

2

u/Formal_Distance_8770 12d ago

OP is cappin 😂

2

u/exercisingDog 12d ago

European thrift store appears to be exponentially more interesting than California's. Here in any thrift store, about half the electronics are utterly broken and beyond repair, the remaining half is priced similar or higher than a comparable item on eBay. The only difference is that eBay item often comes with a "returns accepted" guarantee, but all thrift store items are sold AS-IS and non-returnable.

It is almost impossible to understand how thrift stores in California could ever sell their pseudo-electronics (a.k.a trash) at those prices.

2

u/Kamina724 11d ago

Dude that's an 85 f1.2 I really hope you bought that. That lens is like a $700 lens

2

u/justjeff0907 11d ago

I feel that the days of finding something really great at a thrift store are long behind us…sad.

1

u/According_Talk_381 13d ago

Congrats! What a day

1

u/timtamxchippy 13d ago

Looks pristine too

1

u/Top-Statistician61 13d ago

Nice find! Congrats :) It also looks quite mint to me

1

u/Fine_Town_5840 12d ago

I hope you bought it!!

1

u/andras_kiss 12d ago

I'll give you twice as much for it!

1

u/chance_of_grain 12d ago

Nice find! I need to check that lens out!

1

u/blasted-heath 12d ago

Nice lens.

1

u/eulynn34 12d ago

Fucking hell. What a find.

1

u/tihasz 12d ago

How do you call thrift stores in Germany? How do I find one in my area 😅

1

u/DoPinLA 12d ago

Nice find!

1

u/shbnggrth 12d ago

Nice and clean!

1

u/TrevorSowers 12d ago

Wow that lens. I’d buy that combo and donate the camera to make myself feel good

1

u/kevin7eos 12d ago

Fifteen years ago used to visit many pawnshops for classic cameras. By 2008/09 film was dead and I knew if it was priced 200.00 they paid under 50.00 so anything over 60.00 cash was usually taken as I never asked for a receipt. Got many a good deal but the best was a Yashica FX3 with a Zeiss 50mm f1.4 lens for 75.00 . Used that on a few Nikon or Canon. Best was my Sony A7ll and A7lll. Was even able to sell the Yashica body for 40.00 dollars a year later. So the lens was 35.00. Even found a few good digital cameras at great price.

1

u/doghouse2001 12d ago

Imagine their surprise when as you leave the store you pocket the lens and throw the lensless camera in the trash.

1

u/Moby_SLICK SRT-101/F/FM 12d ago

Absolutely legendary find, well done. Consistency certainly does pay!

1

u/1of21million 12d ago

wow. nice find!

some thrift store intern googled "canon ae1 with 50mm" lol

the devil is in the detail

1

u/WRB2 12d ago

I am not a canon person, with the exception of the EF, none of them have held any interest to me. This would be the exception, 52 euro, grand theft camera comes to mind.

I’d find cheap Canon 50, swap lenses, give it to some kid just starting in film. Get the best Canon to Fuji X adapter I could find and be very very happy.

Full points, well done.

1

u/WRB2 12d ago

Most of the thrift stores over here in the states are big organizations that centralize most of the new stuff

1

u/KennyWuKanYuen 12d ago

Bruh, I’m still emotionally recovering from my copy of the 85mm F1.2 L. Then I see this. 😭

1

u/hendrik421 11d ago

It’s an amazing lens, funnily enough it’s the second copy I’ve come across, so I will probably sell this one to a friend

1

u/Curious-_-Echo 12d ago

Oh neat, i think I have this same camera! Got it from my Mom's grandpa, she passed it on to me

1

u/Basic_Two_2279 12d ago

Love my AE-1. What I learned on.

1

u/hardrivethrutown 12d ago

Last thrift store I went to had two AE-1s for $99 each

1

u/Red_Wing-GrimThug 12d ago

OMG that lens

1

u/Poormansmemories 12d ago

Good for you. Wish I had the same luck. My ex-wife stole my father's AE-1 from me. Refuses to give it back. It's sitting on her shelf in her mansion next to photos of my daughter.

1

u/DesignerAd4870 12d ago

Nice camera but unless it has an M42 screw Lens I’m not interested 😂

1

u/SpiritedDot910 12d ago

holy thrift find

1

u/raw_jpeg 12d ago

Insanity!

1

u/KYresearcher42 12d ago

Paid 10$ for an AE1 program a month ago :), it had mirror squeal( easy fix ) first roll had light leaks ( light seals replaced) second roll is gold! A little oil in the right place and its like new! Shoot with it!

1

u/jerviiis 12d ago

I got my Yashica T4 for $30 from Goodwill

1

u/Critical_Ad_8455 12d ago

Maybe I'm stupid but, what's the exciting part about that? The lens or the camera? Is the ae-1 a particularly good camera?

1

u/hendrik421 11d ago

The AE-1 programm is a great camera for that price, so that’s a nice pickup. The lens however is one of the best lenses for the FD system. It’s an 85mm 1.2 and really expensive

1

u/afvcommander 12d ago

Must be nice to live in rich countries. In Finland no one had money to buy those lenses, even Program would be great find

1

u/pomJ 12d ago

Nice lens!

1

u/jamietothe 11d ago

I found a Contax T2 for 72£ about 10 years ago now. I know I’ll never beat that again!

1

u/JohnCHotmeat 11d ago

Did some browsing in the comments but couldn’t find, is this a particularly nice camera? I have had one my grandfather left me since I was a child that hasn’t been functional (to my knowledge) and now I’ve been into film photography for a few years and totally forgot I had it until seeing this, maybe I’ll try and repair it if they’re a special piece of machinery

1

u/hendrik421 11d ago

It’s a nice camera. In the past it was one of the most recommended cameras for beginners and enthusiasts who wanted to delve into analog photography, but due to that the prices have gone up quite a bit. But if you already have one, get it out and shoot with it. It was my first good camera, coming from a Zenit E, and it got me hooked on the hobby.

1

u/mrcalmcarrot 11d ago

Real L lens? 😮 I want to know the backstory behind who left it there

1

u/zachryrt 11d ago

Welp. Happy new year

1

u/VegetableMonk4893 11d ago

What are the specifics of that lens? and why is it worth $600+?

1

u/mc98144 11d ago

That was my first camera!

1

u/DeLegunde 11d ago

Found one in HS for $20, bought it, gave it to an ex. Bought another for fair price. :(

1

u/_BigDaddyNate_ 9d ago

My thrift shops go online to price. They'd mark that camera at $100 minimum where I'm at. 

1

u/CurtAngst 9d ago

An amazing lens holder! Wow 1.2!

1

u/3iii_raven 8d ago

Woah 50mm f1.2’?

1

u/Stoned666 8d ago

Got mine from a thrift store as well. Absolutely love that camera.

1

u/Nidsid 6d ago

Hmmm something’s not right here. The tag is supposed to say $5. Is there someone to talk to about this mistake?

1

u/_2_2__2_2_ 12d ago

No one seems to be asking the real question: But did you die?

-1

u/-_ByK_- 12d ago

W

T

F

!!!!

Soligor was priced bya woman (it was longer)