Let’s face it: Buying a used film camera is fraught. The majority of them, at this point, are decades old. Many haven’t been physically well taken care of by their owners. Most haven’t seen a camera tech’s workbench once in their entire lives, other than (perhaps) for warranty service when still relatively new. Tons of them are filthy dirty on the outside, and likely just as grubby on the inside. And yet, many people buy cameras expecting (or at least hoping) that they’re ready to load with film and to work perfectly for years to come. While that’s sometimes possible, my experience tells me that’s the exception, not the rule. Instead, I find it best to become an educated buyer, and to calibrate one’s expectations in the process.
And so, as someone who’s now purchased nearly 150 film cameras on the used market as of Fall 2021, I offer the following tips and advice. Some of these are, perhaps, common sense; others perhaps not so much. But hopefully it might save a reader or two from making the mistakes I’ve made along the way.
Know what you want, and do your homework.
Be an educated buyer no matter what the venue.
It’s tempting to see an interesting camera in an online listing or sitting in a glass case at a retail shop, and be intrigued or mesmerized to the point of impulse. Resist it. If you’re in the market for a camera, pick a specific model (or model family), and do your homework before you shop.
With most online auctions or marketplaces, all sales are final. Even many brick and mortar shops that sell used film cameras sell with no return policy, and often with no warranty. So regardless of where you’re shopping, it’s best to figure-out what you want ahead of time, then:
- Read reviews. Web sites like the one you’re reading now, as well as many others, have in-depth reviews of specific cameras that are worth a read to understand pitfalls.
- Watch videos. Some reviews can be found in the form of YouTube videos, which also sometimes take the form of repair videos, product tours, video manuals, and the like. Watch them to learn how your target camera works, and what common issues might exist.
- Read the manual. We have some manuals in our Reference Library, but there are dedicated sources for digital manuals for a wide range of film cameras. See if one’s available for your target camera, and read it cover to cover — even the boring parts. Study it like you’ll be tested on it. For the simplest of box camera, this isn’t essential, but the more complex or advanced the camera, the more important it is.
- Study photos very, very carefully. An image search with your favorite search engine for your camera of choice should yield a lot of photographs. Study them. Identify common attributes, learn what might be different between cameras of different times in their production history, and know what a good, working example looks like from all the relevant angles. The aforementioned reviews should help too. When it comes time to shop, you’ll need this insight.
With the homework done, you should be equipped to do two key things:
- Be able to judge visually whether a camera is complete and intact. This is important for online sales, but also for in-person purchases. If you’ve taken the time to study everything properly, you should know on examination if something doesn’t look right, and if it doesn’t, pass it by. This is also a reason to skip online auctions are marketplaces offering a camera with only a single photo or two, or for listings with poor quality photos. They could be hiding something — and probably are. Pay particular attention to parts that may be broken, dented, altered or missing.
- Be able to inspect and test the camera. If you’re buying a camera in-person, you should know how to operate all its major functions, and in particular, how to dry-fire the camera (cock and trigger the shutter with no film). This can be complicated with some cameras; make sure you know how to do it. And know too the idiosyncrasies of specific cameras, like the fact that the lenses on a Hasselblad should never be removed unless the shutter is cocked.
While this is important on an in-person purchase, it should also be your very first act with a camera you’ve just purchased online, presuming you have a return policy on the purchase. If there’s a problem, identify it immediately while there’s still time to take action with the seller.
If the camera has a leaf shutter, it will need service. (And don’t force it.)
Factor service into your purchase decision.
Most cameras from the 1940s (or earlier), 50s and even into 60s will have a leaf shutter — also known as a “between the lens” shutter — rather than a focal plane shutter. Most commonly from the era, they’re from Compur or Gauthier (e.g., Prontor, Vario, etc.), or in the case of Japanese cameras, Copal or Seikosha (Seiko). That name should appear somewhere around the lens. But the brand is irrelevant; with few exceptions, a leaf shutter that hasn’t been serviced in the past 20 or 30 years will not perform well — or at all — until it’s been properly disassembled, cleaned, carefully lubricated where needed, and adjusted by a competent camera technician. As a result, you need to factor the cost of a shutter service into the price when deciding to make a purchase.
Sometimes the leaf shutter is in the camera body, and sometimes it’s a part of a changeable lens. It doesn’t matter; the issues and the needs will nearly always be the same. Some lens-based leaf shutters seem to be more reliable for longer periods, while others are seemingly always a problem; lenses for the “C” series Mamiya TLRs are a great example of the latter.
It is extremely common that a leaf shutter is noticeably slow or “gummy” on the slow speeds, or may not even operate at all at slow speeds, while the faster speeds seem to work fine. That’s meaningless; faster speeds can seem to function just fine and still be one, two, three or even more stops off, resulting in over-exposed shots. Even if that’s not the case, it’s only a more specific sign that the shutter needs to be serviced to work properly or reliably.
It may seem benign, but do not ignore the servicing of a shutter like this, and choose to just shoot it only at the higher speeds. The dirt, hardened lubricants, and other factors involved in the slowness will only cause the shutter’s components to wear more quickly, and eventually fail beyond the point of reparability. A leaf shutter will not “work itself out” with use, getting better or more accurate with time and from being operated repeatedly. That seems to circulate online quite a bit, and it is patently and demonstrably false.
Additionally, statements in camera listings that indicate that a shutter “seems” to work, or “appears” to work, “fires fine” and/or “sounds about right” are completely meaningless. They indicate almost nothing about the shutter. One that doesn’t work at all may be completely serviceable, and one that “sounds about right” may never work properly again.
IMPORTANT: Never, ever attempt to force a shutter (or an aperture) if it’s stuck open, closed or in some other position. If in such a state, do nothing other than get it to a camera technician immediately. Cameras in this state will be easily or permanently damaged by attempts to free their mechanisms, and the bent parts or broken pivot points that may result are frequently permanent, irreversible damage, since the shutters and their parts are no longer made.
Know the pitfalls of the camera you’re buying.
In short, be an educated buyer.
I’ve made the mistakes — all of them, including not doing my homework about the specific make and/or model of camera I’m considering buying. If you’re truly interested in a specific camera, take the time to know what to look for, or what to ask, before you buy one.
Every camera has its idiosyncrasies, as well as its “tells.” Knowing them can save you a lot of disappointment, and a lot of money as well. It’s worth the time to do web searches, and to speak to other photographers — whether in-person, or in online forums (although with the latter, the “help” you get can be somewhat mixed).
It’s hard to make generalizations here, so I’ll just cite some example of the sorts of things I’m talking about:
- Later Kodak Retina cameras have a counter advance lever on the back of the top housing. If you see marring on the top housing from the movement of this lever (see the photo above), it’s a sign the camera has been well used. If that area is free of rubbing marks, it’s likely that the camera has not seen that much use — or that it’s been used with great care. (Neither, by the way, is a reflection on its operating condition; it’s just a data point.)
- Agfa and Ansco folding cameras are notorious for having seized focus helicoids, because to the grease used during manufacture has completely solidified to a glue-like consistency. Once seized, they are very difficult to separate, and will need the knowledge of a professional to get them going again. Often times, the lens focus ring appears to be working fine, when in reality, the lens is seized, and it’s the lens ring that is turning because it’s been twisted so hard, the set screws have loosened or broken.
- Folding cameras (Kodak Retinas through the 1950s, Ikontas, Isolettes, Solidas, and many, many others) have bellows to keep a light-tight chamber between the camera’s front standard, and the camera body and film chamber. The material used is subject to flexing and wear each time the camera is opened or closed. After 60 or 70 years of use, many have not fared well. Some (Agfa Isolette / Ansco Speedex) are particular prone to problems. Know if this is common with your camera, and know ahead of time whether the bellows can be replaced if needed; many cannot be.
- Many older cameras with focal plane shutters use a fabric for the shutter that is prone to wear. The Ihagee Exakta is a good example of this; like the bellows of folding cameras, pinholes develop over time that can cause light leaks onto the film. Know if this is an issue for the camera you’re considering, and like the bellows, know ahead of time whether they can be replaced, and who can do the work for you.
Assume online sellers are lying.
And make sure you have recourse.
Whether out of ignorance — often the case with estate sellers — or malice, most sellers on sites like eBay, Etsy, Mercari, Bonanza, etc. are actively working to put the most positive spin on the merchandise they’re selling that they possibly can, while omitting or downplaying downsides. Assume that you’re not getting the full story, assume that there are problems, assume you’ll need to invest money in repairs — and make your buying decision accordingly.
In my review of the Mamiya Press Super 23 — which was purchased from eBay in a particularly bad experience — I said that my general thoughts about it are much like Obi-Wan said in the original Star Wars when he was describing Mos Eisley Spaceport: “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.” And you, too, must be (very) cautious of online marketplaces.
To date, I’ve bought dozens of cameras and dozens more accessories (lenses, etc.) from auction and marketplace sellers, and I can count on one hand — one hand — the number of times that the item I received was equal to or better than the descriptions of the sellers. I have received useless garbage buying from listings where the photos looked great; I have spent hundreds of dollars on repairs for cameras that were listed as working; and in one instance, I bought a camera from a charity auction, and when I receive it, its case, and the camera inside, were saturated in oil. It was disgusting, and had to be carefully discarded.
But yes, I’ve also gotten a camera (my Kodak Retina IIIS from a seller in England) that was actually better than advertised, a rare find indeed, which turned out to be practically museum-quality and fully functional, after I paid what I considered to be a bargain price. It can go either way — but that way is rarely a truly good one.
I am, therefore, always leery of situations where I can’t return the merchandise to the seller. When the seller won’t allow returns, part of my calculus is basically whether I can afford to throw the money I would spend into the trash. That limits the amount of risk, because generally, I don’t throw money into a trash can. Even if the seller does allow returns, it’s worth looking at the seller’s ratings and transaction volume for signs of issues. And shipping returned merchandise internationally can also be so expensive as to not be worth it.
It may be a negative attitude, but I find I’m always better off assuming the worst and being pleasantly surprised when the worst isn’t what happens.
Choose your sellers carefully.
eBay isn’t the only option.
The resurgence of film photography has created a lot of sources for used film cameras. Choosing the right one for you is at least part of making sure you have a good experience.
I’ve purchased cameras and accessories from private individuals. Dedicated online stores (e.g., KEH, UsedPhotoPro, NatCam, etc.). Online auctions (e.g., eBay, ShopGoodwill, etc.). Online marketplaces (e.g., also eBay, as well as Mercari, Bonanza, etc.). Brick-and-mortar retailers. Camera swap meets. Each has their plusses and minuses.
Broadly speaking, my best experiences have been with dedicated online stores, primarily because they offer generous return policies, allowing you to fully evaluate a camera before being forced to keep it, and secondly because they offer warranties in many cases as well. KEH has been particularly good to work with; anything that’s arrived not fully working (and which was sold as working) is accepted back, and they pay return shipping. Things I’ve not liked, they’ve happily taken back, though I pay the return shipping of course. National Camera Exchange (“NatCam”) in Minnesota has also been pleasant; my Graflex Crown Graphic arrived with a shutter that needed service. While they would not provide a warranty repair, they offered to either accept the return of the camera, or to provide a credit back as a gesture. I took the credit, had the shutter serviced, and have been very pleased with the outcome of the experience. All of that said, these sources generally charge a slight premium over other options.
Brick-and-mortar retailers have been generally good as well. My two local camera shops that sell used film gear often have great stuff. But neither of them provide returns except under the most extreme of situations (significant misrepresentation really). One doesn’t offer a warranty either; the other does unless the camera is offered as-is. In both cases, the cameras on offer are evaluated before being sold on, but are not cleaned or necessarily always serviced. That means that there can still be issues with the cameras, and we’re back to the advice I offered above: be an educated buyer, know what to look for, and fully evaluate the camera yourself before you buy.
As outlined above, my experiences in auctions and marketplaces have been hit-or-miss. Sometimes it’s a great experience, and in other cases, I’ve spent sums of money that netted me a glorified piece of garbage that not only doesn’t work, but cannot be repaired. Because I now refurbish and repair many (but not all) of my own cameras, this is easier for me to deal with than may be the case for others. But complex cameras are still ones I’d send-out to professional techs, and as a result, a really attractively-priced camera can still result in a final, after-repair price tag that is well above its market value. Know what you want — and be prepared to pay to get it.
In closing…
As I said at the start, some of these suggestions may be common sense; others perhaps not. But however you approach buying your first (or second, or hundredth) film camera, don’t go into the transaction blindly. Doing so is a sure formula for disappointment — and unplanned expense.
