Photoclubalpha

As I was walking around Shinjuku on this beautiful spring Sunday I was near one of the old camera shops that I have been stopping in on for the last 23 years. I bought my Minolta 9xi there years ago. They have new stuff, used stuff, and also they always have some old,valuable cameras on display that are not for sale (or, at least, they have no price tag). Today in the case they had a 1916 Kodak Brownie with original box among the old Leicas, Contaxes, etc.

What sort of made me sad though was to see a Canon EOS 1n for 6000 yen, a Nikon F4 for 6000 yen, and a Canon 300D for 7000 yen. Years ago the EOS 1n and F4 were wonderful, expensive cameras, but now sell for less than a 300D. The 1n and F4 are several orders of magnitude better than the 300D, but they use film instead of an old, out of date APS-C 6mp digital sensor.

6000 yen = US$58
7000 yen = US$68

Actually, 7000 yen for the 300D seems like a good price. I paid $900 in 2003 for one. It was a pretty good problem-free camera. For some people it would still be a good camera for a giveaway price.

15-20 years ago the 1n and F4 were, and still are, really wonderful, high performance, robust cameras. Even back in the '90s while living in Tokyo I didn't really want such big, heavy cameras, but I occasionally would think about getting one. Much higher prices then though.

Interesting comparison Henry. A bargain like this would be tempting if you had the glass to go with it.

Hum! How much am I bid for a 1968 SRT101 with original 55mm F1.7 Rokkor?

Cost new in UK about £180

Which works out at roughly £2800 by today's rates.

Now who grumbles about the price of A99 (no flake supplied)?

Birma wrote:Interesting comparison Henry. A bargain like this would be tempting if you had the glass to go with it.

Do you mean the film SLRs or the 300D? I have no need for any of them, but the 1n and F4 are such nice cameras that for 6000 yen they are almost free. Both cosmetically looked pretty good and the shop doesn't sell junkers. It still sort of surprises me how fast things have changed. It just doesn't seem that long ago I was looking at those cameras here in Tokyo, even used, and trying to convince myself to pay the high price for one. Now they are giving them away.

I suspect the 1n AF is probably better than the 5DIII. With the introduction of DSLRs a few years ago it sort of seemed like the camera companies lost much of their AF tech since many DSLRs were worse than the film SLRs. My $1500 KM 7D was pathetic compared to my old 7000i.

Hi Henry - I meant the film cameras. As you say, 'pro' spec bodies for very little money.

Birma wrote:Hi Henry - I meant the film cameras. As you say, 'pro' spec bodies for very little money.

A few days ago I was back in the shop and noticed that the Canon EOS 1n was still there, but the Nikon F4 had been sold.

By the way, the name of the shop is Camera Miyama. Here is a photo they have on the wall of their earlier store in Showa 22 (1947):



Here is a photo of the current store. It has looked like this since I first went there in 1990:



This is not one of the really big stores such as Bic Camera, Yodobashi, etc.

A few days ago I saw what appeared to be an almost new one of these for US$300:

Mamiya RZ67
Mamiya 127mm f3.5
Eye level prism finder
Auto winder

Much like this one. I found this photo on the web, but the one I saw was in much better condition.

I also saw an excellent condition Canon AE-1 + Canon 135mm f2.8 for US$20. The lens alone goes for about US$100 here. Popular with people who like to use adapted lenses on mirrorless digital bodies.

Both cool finds Henry. I would like to experiment with MF film one day. Too many other projects on at the moment, but one day ...

I saw what looked like a barely used Nikon F2AS + Nikkor 43-86mm + Nikkor 80-200mm f4.5 in the glass case of a small camera shop a couple of days ago. All for 19,800 yen - $190.

Today I was in a shop and they had a very nice looking Alpha 7 (Maxxum 7, Dynax 7) + Minolta 24-105mm f3.5-4.5 lens for 5000 yen (US$45). I was tempted to buy it, but didn't.

Back in the States I have a basically unused Maxxum 7 I bought in January 2002 and it was my last film camera. I shot only 2 rolls of slide film with it and then put it away and haven't used it since. I also have an Alpha 707si, Alpha 7xi, and Maxxum 7000i back there. I used to have an Alpha 9xi that I sold in 2000. Certainly the Maxxum 7 was the best of the bunch and a great camera, but in May 2002 I bought a Minolta D7i and never shot anymore film. I have never missed film.

I got these photos off the internet:

Yesterday I stopped by the same store with the Alpha 7. It sells all kinds of used stuff: books, games, guitars, electronics, etc. They have a glass case with a few old cameras and lenses so when I am in the area I sometimes stop there to take a look. They had 2 Canon 300D (Digital Rebel, Digital Kiss) 6.3mp bodies for 500 yen (US$4.50) and 1000 yen (US$9.00). They both worked and looked in pretty good condition. The 500 yen one had a bit of a scuff on the handgrip, etc., but still looked pretty good. I didn't ask to handle them so I was just looking at them through the glass.

I bought one in October 2003 along with the 18-55mm kit lens for $1000. I used it on big multi-week trips in Japan in 2003 and Ecuador in 2005. And I used it in Canada and all over the U.S. until I got a new camera in 2005. It was a really nice camera and I got some great shots with it. Sure, in 2021 I wouldn't pay $1000 for one, but $4.50 is a steal. No, I didn't buy it. I no longer have any Canon lenses and I have several Olympus and Panasonic bodies + a dozen lenses that I am using these days. Also, a couple of 1" digicams (Panasonic and Sony). What a deal though for less than $5!

I am back in Tokyo for a week. Last time was in January 2020 just before the pandemic hit. I was in Shinjuku walking around today and I noticed that this camera store is gone now. Closed up. I did not investigate to find out if it has just moved or is gone for good. A good chance that it is gone though.

bakubo wrote: ↑Sun May 26, 2013 8:21 am As I was walking around Shinjuku on this beautiful spring Sunday I was near one of the old camera shops that I have been stopping in on for the last 23 years. I bought my Minolta 9xi there years ago. They have new stuff, used stuff, and also they always have some old,valuable cameras on display that are not for sale (or, at least, they have no price tag). Today in the case they had a 1916 Kodak Brownie with original box among the old Leicas, Contaxes, etc.

What sort of made me sad though was to see a Canon EOS 1n for 6000 yen, a Nikon F4 for 6000 yen, and a Canon 300D for 7000 yen. Years ago the EOS 1n and F4 were wonderful, expensive cameras, but now sell for less than a 300D. The 1n and F4 are several orders of magnitude better than the 300D, but they use film instead of an old, out of date APS-C 6mp digital sensor.

bakubo wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2013 2:49 am A few days ago I was back in the shop and noticed that the Canon EOS 1n was still there, but the Nikon F4 had been sold.

By the way, the name of the shop is Camera Miyama. Here is a photo they have on the wall of their earlier store in Showa 22 (1947):



Here is a photo of the current store. It has looked like this since I first went there in 1990:



This is not one of the really big stores such as Bic Camera, Yodobashi, etc.