Suggestions for a "affordable" used 35mm SLR?
 

Hey, i'm looking to buy a 35mm SLR on ebay or something for cheap (like $80 or something). I'm looking for suggestions or anything on what would work and be decent? I noticed that Canon AV-1's, AE-1's, and stuff are pretty popular for cheap on ebay, are these any good? I found a couple AE-1 "outfits" with a few lenses and stuff for cheap...

Or does anyone have a working used SLR for sale, for cheap, that they would sell me? :D

Thanks.

The AE1 Canon is quite good. I had a new one which someone gave to me a few years back. (Old but new.) I have since givin it away.

The one thing to remember with many of these old SLR's is, if they break there are no parts available to fix them, in most cases. Canon AE1's are well over 20 years old. But on the other hand they are cheap. Find out what the return policy is on any old camera. If they don't give you at least 5 to 7 days to check it out, Don't Buy It. Many of these old cameras have light leaks. It costs around $50 to replace the seals.

My oldest brother, Lew, manages the Dodd's Camera in downtown Cleveland (I'm from Cleveland, Berea actually, but no one knows where that is). Call him, tell him you know me, and see what kind of deal he has on older SLR's. They probably have a short warranty and a decent return policy as well.

My Olympus OM2 is the only 35mm I have ever owned and it's still good and repairable by Olympus now 26 years later. The same is probably true of the Canons you mentioned. Many photographers use cameras that are 20 years old and older. In fact, many pros won't buy the newer versions (with all the electronic gizmos like auto-focus) because they get in the way.

There are many parts not available for OM 2's and the Canon models mentioned. Call any reputable repair agency (or the manufacture) and they will inform you of the same. Canon won't even accept AE1's for repair anymore. Olympus USA quit looking at OM 2's about 5 years ago.

Dodd's? Do they have an online shop? The name sounds familiar, but I've only passed through Cleveland a couple times.

I believe they have a small web site. There used to be a fairly large jewler by the name of Dodd's also.

Rob, I hear you. I've got a FM2T which serves me well; and I just won another bid on ebay (for an old Nikon lens of course).

PS: my second choice would have been an OM2, followed by an old mechanical Minolta---can't afford a Leica M6---or is there a M7 out now?

Thanks guys.

Jeff, i'll find their number and call them up and see if they got anything, thanks.

What are the things to look out for when buying a cheap used camera like this?

For the most part, if you buy from a reputable dealer such as the one Jeff mentioned (vs an individual on eBay), the dealer will look out for you. They will let you know if a camera is being sold "as is" and they don't want to sell non-working junk to their customers! I bought my NIKON N2000 used a few years ago (body only) for $90 at a local camera store and added a lens a few weeks later (also used).

As far as what to look for, different people will have different needs and wants. Most used SLRs that have been mentioned in this thread will have everything you (or I) will ever need. You may want to look through the lens/viewfinder to see that it is clear, bright and focuses easily. Make sure the meter works and if there is an auto winder that it works also. Make note of any dings or dents and see that the lens is free of scratches and prints.

However - that said - most reputable dealers would not sell a camera that had known light leaks, bad lens and non-working meters!

I'll check the two local stores here (if you want) and see what they have in their used case. You should check stores in Dayton also. Good luck!

Thanks, i'll check out the local pawn shops soon.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=29971

That looks nice, would it be worth it to bid on that? The seller has good feedback...

I checked out the local pawn shop, they had a nice 70's minolta (sp) slr with a autowinder on it, but it was going for $200.

The only other SLR they had was a black Canon Rebel G, and I can afford it ($119), however, when I looked through it, I couldn't get it to focus sharp at all, but after we left I forgot that I probably needed to adjust the diopiter in the viewfinder, DOH! I might go back there and check it out some more. Do you guys think it's worth it? It's a Rebel G with a 35-80mm lens, does this thing have full manual control? It's not like they had a battery in it or anything. They said if there's something wrong with it, I can bring it back also. Would it be worth it to buy it? Like I said, I couldn't get it to focus right, but I imagine theres a diopiter on the viewfinder that I needed to adjust, right? DOH! It also had a 52mm tiffen sky filter on it...

Canon Rebel G's do not have diopter adjustments, to the best of my recollection. They do have manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, and two program modes. In addition to the creative modes, it also has icon or imaged based modes for sports, portraits, macro, backlight and night time flash. All and all a decent camera for the money. You won't be able to tell anything without a battery.

Yeah, but it should still focus manually even without a battery, right? After all, it is SLR. :D

Yes, it should.