World's most expensive Zenit?

[matty]

The wife's aunt is visiting from Texas and as she deals in antiques over there we thought we would take her around some of the antiques centres and flea markets in North Wales. As usual I was on the look out for cameras and spotted a Zenit 12XP, Helios 50mm and 135mm lens, Helios x2 teleconvertor with a Helios flash unit. As I haven't got one of these and I like FSU kit I thought I'd have a closer look, that is till I saw the price. £225!!!! (about $330) I would have thought £30-40 would have been a more realistic price but can anyone think of why a Zenit would reach such a price apart from pure greed on the part of the seller? I looked it over and couldn't see anything that marked it out as being special, 86 start serial number, no special edition markings, just a bog standard Zenit.
Regards
Matty

[mickeyobe]

The Zenit 12XP is one of the very few Russian cameras I have. I hope the price is right.

".....can anyone think of why a Zenit would reach such a price......"?

Perhaps to raise money to get rid of Putin and bring the Czar back to power?

Mickey

[Dave]

I think the problem with uncommon cameras in antique stores and flea markets is that the seller has no idea of the actual, normal selling price. They can go high, as in your case, or extremely low, as the Leica IIIC with 50mm f2 Summar and case that I bought for $40. When the prices are so far off, I don't think there is any point in bargaining. I just walk away. (But not from the Leica) Dave

[matty]

Cor, I'm definately trying the wrong places, $40 for a Leica! It sounds even better in £s, 30 quid!!
I wouldn't be so surprised at the price if Zenits were rare over here but they are pretty common.
Anyway Aunty has promised to look out for cameras in the yard sales and thrift stores around Fort Worth, so I might get some stuff that is rarer over here; I would quite like an Argus or a Honeywell Pentax would be a nice conversation piece.
Matty

[Dave]

Not only that, but as I picked up the Leica, the seller said in a very gruff voice, "You know, that will be $40." My wife had to walk away to avoid laughing, and she is about as far from a collector as can be. As I paid the fellow and he handed the camera to me, I said, "Some people don't know what they have." There was no response and we certainly did not wait around.

Dave

[matty]

Hello Dave,
That is a collectors dream story but were you tempted to offer $30?
Mickey,
Perhaps you're right about bringing the Czars back. You did make my mind wander off on a tangent though. If Gorbachev and Perestroika not come along and the Soviet Union staggered on would they still be making clone cameras in the manner of the Hasselbladski, FED and Kiev 4? As a perennial skinflint (Yorkshire upbringing) I would love to see bargain basement DSLRs, possibly an EOSski or Alphaski.
Matty

[mickeyobe]

I cancelled this but the VP in charge of Annoying says I must leave a message.

This is it --- MESSAGE.

Mickey

[mickeyobe]

Sept 20, 2013 14:04:30 GMT -5 matty said:

Cor, I'm definately trying the wrong places, $40 for a Leica! It sounds even better in £s, 30 quid!!
I wouldn't be so surprised at the price if Zenits were rare over here but they are pretty common.
Anyway Aunty has promised to look out for cameras in the yard sales and thrift stores around Fort Worth, so I might get some stuff that is rarer over here; I would quite like an Argus or a Honeywell Pentax would be a nice conversation piece.
Matty

What kind of Argus? I have a number of spare C3's (Bricks).

Mickey

[mickeyobe]

Sept 21, 2013 3:02:07 GMT -5 matty said:

Hello Dave,
That is a collectors dream story but were you tempted to offer $30?
Mickey,
Perhaps you're right about bringing the Czars back. You did make my mind wander off on a tangent though. If Gorbachev and Perestroika not come along and the Soviet Union staggered on would they still be making clone cameras in the manner of the Hasselbladski, FED and Kiev 4? As a perennial skinflint (Yorkshire upbringing) I would love to see bargain basement DSLRs, possibly an EOSski or Alphaski.
Matty

How about the ultimate -

a Skiski.

Cross country of course.

Mickey

[Dave]

Mickey -- My wife whipped out two $20s. We grabbed the bag with the camera and ran. No negotiations. I knew the camera was a III because of the slow speeds, but I really didn't know which of the IIIs it was. I guessed correctly that it was a IIIc, because there was no flash sync.

Dave

[Dave]

I should add, as long as we are on the subject of dumb luck, that I check my local Goodwill store regularly, I have bought two Nikon Fs, one with a 58mm f 1.4 Nikkor, and the other with an off-brand zoom, both with working meters, very dusty but great when doing a little cleaning. One was $36 and the other was $31, found about two weeks apart. Three weeks ago, at the same store, in a bin were 5 Canon Rebel 2000s, for $4.99 each, no lenses. Two had very dusty mirrors. So, at that price, I took the three that were clean. All work.

Dear old Dad liked to say that luck is better than brains.

Dave

[schen]

I don't know where you are, but around the Dallas area Goodwills that I frequent, I've NEVER come across anything photographically relevant. The nicest thing that I've see are those little plastic cameras made to look like an SLR that they used to send you when you subscribed to some magazines!

[matty]

Hello Schen,
Wifey's aunt lives in Fort Worth, she's a bit of a yard sale addict and sees quite a lot of cameras. Over here in the UK charity shops (our version of goodwill) sometimes have interesting bits and pieces in them, I always try to have a quick look when I pass one. Sometimes stuff is horrendously priced, saw a £40 Praktica MTL5 not long back in one on a visit to York but there are bargains to be had. The shop with the £40 Praktica had an Olympus OM10 with the manual adaptor, new light seals, even the batteries worked; all for £20. So I bought that one, stuck a roll of film in and was taking pictures in 5 minutes.

[lloydy]

I haunt our local charity shops, and for a lot of them I repair and value cameras so they can sell them ( that way I get first choice ) I was in one a few days ago that I don't help out and go to infrequently and asked if the had any cameras? They had.
On offer was a horrible no name short zoom from the 80's with fungus and a bent filter ring for £40, then came a truly disgusting Tokina 70-210 or something similar, the rubber grip was torn and I've had steaks with less mushrooms than were inside this lens, it was bin fodder but the price was £48. I suppose the word 'Pro' on the front ring made it worth more?
Then, the lady passed me a ratty old camera bag full of stuff. Inside was a perfect Canon A1 with a perfect Tamron 28 / 2.8 ( a very good lens ) a Speedlite 188A, and a Hoya 135mm - and a bunch of filters and junk. The price for the whole kit? £50
I damn nearly bought it, but I can't sell the Canon A1 I've already got for sale at the same price! I really don't need another one...

[Stan]

Our local (East side of Dallas metro area) charity shops simply don't have photographic equipment of any use. Actually, not even the pawn shops have much of anything. It's probably that this side of Dallas is more working class and younger, so not as many of these sorts of items. This is why, when I'm in an older and more affluent part of the city, I'll stop at any of those types of places whenever possible.

I have had good luck with Craigs List, but I generally have to drive quite a bit to get to the seller. I'd love to be able to find a nice FM to go with my manual focus Nikon lenses.