Here's what you can find slumming in pawn shops.

JohnR · April 22, 2006

Found this beauty sitting there on the shelf. Bought it for $150. :clap

Red Bull · April 22, 2006

Very nice. The only pawn shop that I know of near me never has anything good. And if there is something that I see that I like, it's way overpriced :cry

Seymore · April 22, 2006

Good snag John... Yep, it's really surprising what you can find there. I got my first MF 50/1.4 for $25 from a Pawn. But, my best find was a MF Tamron 300/2.8 that was just under 2 bills...

Keep your eyes open man. They're out there, if you watch for them!!!

gus · April 22, 2006

Red Bull wrote:

The only pawn shop that I know of near me never has anything good. And if there is something that I see that I like, it's way overpriced :cry

Me also...they ask more than original price. So much absolute rubbish but its 'moth to the flame' with me. One day i will find a 200 f/2.8 L prime for $300.

ScottMcLeod · April 22, 2006

JohnR wrote:

Found this beauty sitting there on the shelf. Bought it for $150.

SHeeeyit. Nice find.

I got about 100$ worth of stuff for 15$ today at a pawn shop for a project i'm working on.

Osprey Whisperer · April 22, 2006

I've had luck at our local pawn shops and Good Will. Never with photography gear for myself. I picked up a 300mm MF Minolta lens for my dad for $25.

I also picked up a $350 bike for $35

and a $200 vacuum for $15..but no "L" lenses or 1D MK II bodies. :cry

Nice snatch on the Nikkor lens.

oldbmw · April 22, 2006

I always stop at pawn shops and Goodwill just to look. The best I found was Mamiya rangefinder at Goodwill for $3.00.

ScottMcLeod · April 23, 2006

oldbmw wrote:

I always stop at pawn shops and Goodwill just to look. The best I found was Mamiya rangefinder at Goodwill for $3.00.

Dayyyum. Nice!

I'm hoping someday to get myself a medium format from some hapless person that doesn't know what they have.

Red Bull · April 23, 2006

I also often stop at thrift shops but I still haven't gotten lucky.

I also try swap meets.

controld · April 23, 2006

I don't speak from direct experience here - but I would imagine that, much like bicycles, the good deals on photography gear at pawn shops are not someone cluelessly dropping off an expensive lens for nothing, it's stolen merchandise being pawned to buy another couple bottles of cheap scotch.

Just my $0.02.

- Mike

photocat · April 23, 2006

Where did you say that pawn shop was?

Bob Bell · April 23, 2006

John you are quite lucky. The only pawn shop around here tha has decent glass sells everything through ebay only and not cheaply. They like the fact that ebay will buy used glass at retail+10% if its popular glass

Congrats on your find.

JohnR · April 23, 2006

This pawnshop got it along with a Nikon film camera. They said that they normally don't take lenses.

ScottMcLeod · April 24, 2006

controld wrote:

I don't speak from direct experience here - but I would imagine that, much like bicycles, the good deals on photography gear at pawn shops are not someone cluelessly dropping off an expensive lens for nothing, it's stolen merchandise being pawned to buy another couple bottles of cheap scotch.

Just my $0.02.

- Mike

I disagree. It's usually people down on their luck (credit card debt, etc...), getting shafted by the pawn stores, not knowing there's legit places they could sell their old gear, usually handed down from parents, or bought as gifts so they don't know the value.

Also, estate sales.

Seymore · April 25, 2006

ScottMcLeod wrote:

I disagree. It's usually people down on their luck (credit card debt, etc...), getting shafted by the pawn stores, not knowing there's legit places they could sell their old gear, usually handed down from parents, or bought as gifts so they don't know the value.

Also, estate sales.

And, one mans trash is another mans treasure. But, sometimes these people are not computer savvy... don't even own a computer or they have no other means to offload this gear and it enters the marketplace from many different sources. Flea markets... Garage sales... I even bought a lens at a farmers market of all places. Just keep your eyes open, and make sure you can follow up on it down the road... if you need to research the item.

But, just keep your eyes open people. BTW, I did find a couple collector film cameras recently... both Nikon. A FM2t and a FM2 Millennium 2000 Commemorative Model. And they were worth every dime I spent. These were found on CraigsList in Portland. I drove down and snagged them up. You never know what corner you'll round that has a gem hiding nearby.

Here's what you can find slumming in pawn shops.

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