Where to find vintage cameras

What is a Daguerreotype camera? What is a Brownie camera? What is a 35mm? What was the first instant camera? How do you choose a retro camera? There are many different ways to start collecting retro units. Decide on what you want to collect - There are countless choices available.

Some people choose to specialize in one format while others create a more general timeline. Do your research - Know the types of old cameras available in your specialty.

Compact cameras that were highly reviewed when they were released or were released in limited numbers make great collectors items. Consider condition - Working retro models are often more highly prized than non-working models.

Therefore, make sure to check out the cameras components including shutter, lenses, sensor, and viewfinder. If accessories like lenses are included, then check that they work too. Browse by Brand. Bell and Howell. Carl Zeiss. Konica Minolta. More To Explore. Art Deco Camera. Kodak 35 Camera. When the Leica M6 appeared, many people thought it was one of the most perfect M cameras ever made.

It became one of the first full M cameras to include a working built-in light meter while keeping the size down the Leica CL could also attest to this claim, but it lacked the feature set; the Leica M5 included a meter built in, but physically towered over every other M camera made. Not only that, but reading the meter became simplistic, as the LED arrows in the viewfinder conveyed the over- or underexposure. The M6 included frame lines for lenses as wide as 28mm — which many rangefinder aficionados clamor for.

Leica M6 cameras still sell for a lot of money, and the lenses can rack up an even more costly price tag in the long run. Voigtlander manufactures some very good and affordable alternatives, though, and they can introduce you into the Leica world. But what also made the camera so famous is its ability to use wide angle lenses. The rangefinder looks bright and beautiful with very highly visible frame lines.

Sometimes you can take a picture and not even know that the shutter fired. The Mamiya 7 II will steal the hearts of landscape and wedding photographers. Want one for brand new? The Rollei 35 S is, to this day, one of the smallest 35mm cameras on the market. Kitted with a Zeiss Sonnar 40mm 2. It is small enough to easily fit in a pocket, making it easy to transport and great for capturing candid snapshots.

It's not technically a rangefinder: you'll have to settle for scale focus. But that's the price you pay for being able to have it in your pocket literally all the time. The Contax G1 is a titanium-clad, Japanese-made marvel that was introduced in as a high-end electronic rangefinder to compete with Voigtlander and Leica, and became host to some of the best camera lenses ever made. Studio and wedding photographers should look no further than the Mamiya RZ Its changeable film backs can be preloaded with color or black-and-white film.

And the backs also rotate to allow you to switch between landscape and portrait orientation without moving the camera or tripod. The Pentax 67 is a monster of a camera. Its beefed-up SLR body weighs more than five pounds and a special-accessory wooden hand grip is pretty much required for hand holding. The sound of the mirror coming before an exposure is enough to start an avalanche.

Compared to other twin-lens cameras like the Rolleiflex, the Yashica Mat G is a steal. The 75mm 3. They boast many of the same features, but the ETRS is considerably smaller and lighter. It works great as a studio camera, but can easily make the transition to on-the-go street-style photography. It comes in a variety of lens configurations, all of which feature leaf shutters. Be careful when buying lenses, as the leaves are prone to jamming up from oils or fungus. The camera was produced in the Arsenal Factory in Kiev, Ukraine, and is an excellent alternative to the more expensive Hasselblads though some models are believed to have been poorly produced during certain years.

The TL in its name designates a metered prism viewfinder, though non-metered versions are also available. The company has often been deemed the Rolls Royce of cameras. This Hassy uses film, which trumps 35mm in size and therefore gives you more bokeh, that beautiful blur that you see in so many photos these days. The combo will yield you prints well worth hanging up in your living room after being printed on white glossy aluminum.

Fast-aperture Zeiss glass? The ability to one day go medium-format digital? In the hands of an experienced snapper, it came across as simple to use, had autofocus with lenses as fast as f2 which is extremely shallow in medium format due to the larger negative size , and could probably knock a thief out cold if one tried stealing it from you. They are still highly sought-after but very rare; finding one is quite honestly like snagging a unicorn.

And if you can find one in perfect working condition with an 80mm f2, back and an AE prism, pony up the Benjamins. If there is one Instant Film camera that will stand out in the minds of many people, it is the Polaroid SX Sporting leather exteriors trimmed with metal, the camera folds down for compact storage and unfolds easily enough to snap a cat before it can escape the sneaky bugger. Today, you can still get film for the camera from the Impossible Project — who have come a far way in developing and improving their formula.

Be sure that you can snag one in good condition with no holes in the bellows. In fact, back in the day, it was the camera of choice for many traveling photographers and paparazzi. I know this sounds like a joke but bear with me. Medium-format film has a bunch of really interesting advantages over puny 35mm roll film and digital DSLRs.

Shelling out nearly a dollar per picture might seem unbelievably expensive until you consider the digital alternative. If you want to shoot medium format digitally, get ready for some sticker shock. I can get the amazing results of medium-format photography without auctioning off naming rights to my first-born. Every DSLR has a manual mode and manual focus, but — be honest — how many times have you used it while shooting day to day?

Lens Accessories. Filter Accessories. Cleaning Supplies. Film Camera Accessories. Tripod Legs. Tripod Heads. Tripod Accessories. Storage Drives. Pocket USB Drives. Multimedia Storage Devices. Inkjet Paper. Color Management. Camera Straps. Camera Strap Accessories. Spotting Scopes. Binocular Accessories.

Scope Accessories. Digital Photo Frames. Archival Storage Binders. Archival Storage Containers. Archival Portfolio Pages. Enlarging Paper.

Darkroom Supplies. Underwater Mirrorless Camera Housings. Underwater Camcorder Housings. Underwater Waterproof Cases. Underwater Lens Ports. Underwater Accessories. Open Box. Video Video Camcorders Professional Camcorders. Consumer Camcorders. GoPro Cameras. Action Cameras. Security Cameras. Specialty Camcorders. Action Camera Accessories. Video Camera Bags. Video Camcorder Mountable Lights. Video Stabilization. Video Dedicated Camcorder Audio Accessories.

Video Cables. Audio Recording Devices. Lens Mount Adapters. Digital Cinema Cameras. Video Lighting. Microphone Accessories. Wireless Audio Systems.