whats my camera worth?

hi everyone.

I bought a decent camera years ago from Jessops, with the aim of taking up photography.

I never did of course, and Im thinking of selling it. What I need it a digital camera for messing about with..

I was hoping someone who knows their stuff might tell me what its worth, so I can see if Id like to sell.

I have..

Pentax P30
Pentax Flash gun
Petax 50mm lens
Sirius 28-200mm zoom

all works perfectly but is a little well worn.

hope you can help?

Chris

 

can't really tell you an accurate figure, but I suspect precious little, maybe £50 for the P30? - have a look in Jessop's second hand stalls (or website) and you will see 35mm cameras that sold new for £600 now going for around £100. Third party lenses are dirt cheap.

On the digital side - have a look at the Nikon Coolpix 4300 (half original price at £199 in Jessops) - 4mp, fine lens and excellent value.

 

I'd echo that. 2nd hand 35mm SLRs are worth practically nothing these days unless they are one of a handful of "classics" (eg Nikon F2) or an absolute top of the range professional model.

Everyone is moving to digital.

If you want a superb digital SLR though, look for a second hand Olympus E-10 on eBay (or maybe even at Jessops). They can be had for around £3-400 and are absolutely superb (I've got one and it will still compete with any modern digi SLR). Only downside is that it doesn't have interchangeable lenses.

If you want interchangeable lenses then look for a s/h Canon D30. It's "only" 3 megapixels but it will still blow most modern 8 megapixel "prosumer" cameras out of the water.

Michael.

 

Is the F3 worth anything??

OH GOD - it's actually an F301 - and there's a film in it - with only 6 exposures - f*** knows what's on that!!!

 

The F3 is worth similar money to the F2 (probably more) but I think the F301 is not considered a classic...sorry

Michael.

 

Hi Chris,

There are a few on ebay with 'buy it now' at £50. There are a couple that have had some bids & are currently at £21.

SCIDB

 

surprising actually which models have held their value. the F2 is frankly well out of date in technical performance, as is the F3 - but they live for ever and can take endless battering. I used to have an FE2, which still go for a fair bit (not as much as the fully manual FM2), but traded it in for an F801s which at the time was a top flight camera, and being metal bodied, just as robust as the FE2 - but they now go for a mere £150. I do get tempted by the F70 now and again...

 

Ah well, I'm not going to sell it anyway (it's built well, works well, and looks cool). I've had it since 1991, when I paid £180, so 13 years' use and 70% depreciation I can live with

 

Doh! - I meant to say FM2. I always mix those up. The FM2 I believe is still in production. Fully manual, built to last forever.

Michael.

 

Its because they are collectable classics and becoming moreso as time goes on - a bit like old Leicas or even stuff like old Leak amps

 

I have one of these and the original FM. I feel I should get the FM3 to complete the set but HiFi got in the way

Sorry, back to your comment Michael, are you sure FM2 is still in production? I thought the FM3 finally replaced it a few months ago.

 

You might be right about that dev. ISTR reading something similar. AFAIK all the FM3 adds is an "automatic" aperture priority mode though and you can still operate the camera fully manually (and without batteries) if necessary. Otherwise I think the body is pretty much identical.

Michael.

 

Top of the range "pro" kit that comes onto the market is generally (although this is not always the case) knackered and the price on offer usually reflects that.
My F4s, which I've had from new since 1990 (and now sits rather forlornly in it's bag waiting for some use), is worth bugger all s/h tbh ,which is one reason why it and the lenses are not for sale.
----------------------------------
Edited to add:
FMs are lovely cameras and beautifully weighted (something the F4 and F5 are not). All F series cameras I've played with up to the F3 are stunning bits of kit.

 

there is a definite tactile quality to the older Nikons which brought a satisfaction of ownership that the little digital wonders can't match (oh dear, do I feel a vinyl / cd analogy coming on..). many's the hour I spent polishing my lens, so to speak.

the fact that the manual or semi-auto cameras, with manual focus, made you think hard about what you were doing also meant you got a much better hit rate of good pictures. I had a fully manual Mamiya C220f where you had an upside down waist level image and parallax correction to contend with - and as a result 9/10 of my shots were ones I wanted to look at more than once (having said which they were bloody expensive to get developed so I sold it!) on the other hand, with digital it's all free and deletable so you can machine-gun away till something works..

 

Not just the older Nikons! The FM3a is a new model, which as Michael pointed out is sort of FM2 and FE combined. I don't use my FMs any more, relying on digital compact instead. I'll probably get the D70 (digital SLR) on my next birthday if I drop enough hints to SWMBO , which is another beautifully made machine.

 

Lucky man! I hope you treat her right!

 

Of course you know I meant the D70 was the beautifully made machine. SWMBO is just beatifully made

 

man, only 50 quid?!?

I might aswell keep it for that.

Its crazy really, its fantastically made, and takes pictures of very high quality.

I guess people just dont want traditional cameras any more?


NB Im waiting till you can get a quality digital camera for under 100 quid before I buy one..

Chris

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Chaps

I have no wish to rub salt into the wounds but this thread demonstrates the sense of buying in at the very top end.

The only 35mm camera which is still appreciating in value is the Leica.

Always buy in at the top, it pays in the long run.

Regards

Mick

 

Re: Chaps

The reason Nikons don't appreciate secondhand is because they are used by professional photographers for photographing wars, celebrities, sports events, fashion models etc and so come in for heavy abuse on a daily basis. Also, digital cameras are rapidly becoming the norm in many areas, so the bottom is falling out of this market.
The reason Leicas appreciate is because they are obsessively collected by middle-aged men with lots of money and no talent.