$125 For these equipment, good deal?

AMBIVALENCE · 09-15-2009, 02:22 PM

Hi!

I just got into a film photography course in my university. Although I have an old ricoh camera already, it doesnt allow me to choose my shutter speed.

After a few failure in trying to find a decent camera on Craigslist, I landed my eye on a more expensive camera, the P50. The user claim she only used it twice. So its practically brand new.

To put it short, below is the list of equpiment, all for $125CAD. is that a good deal at all? If not, any simple reason why?

0) Pentax P50 Body
1) Vivitar 28-210 F4-5.6 with Macro at 1:4 ratio
2) Pentax A 50mm F1.7 with a skylight filter
3) a camera bag
4) some Pentax flash that the seller dont know much on. she say it labels with a zoom 35-150... what could the possible model be?

a 50mm F1.7 mint condition eh... hmmm, that alone would worth 60 dollars?

thanks all for your advice!!!!

Last edited by AMBIVALENCE; 09-15-2009 at 02:27 PM.

AMBIVALENCE · 09-15-2009, 02:23 PM

BTW, i have no clue if vivitar 28-210 is a good lens, it's confrim its made by Kiron tho.

wlachan · 09-15-2009, 02:57 PM

Of the list above, none of them are good I am afraid. The aperture variable resistor of the P50 is very prone to failure and erratic when using the aperture ring. This makes M/A exposure modes unusable if you want metering. The Vivitar 28-210 is a very soft lens and everyting looked diffused. It has certain character if you are into that sort of effect. The A50/1.7 has weak aperture ring spring which often breaks. Whether the lot worth the price being asked is not for me to answer however.

Peter Zack · 09-15-2009, 03:05 PM

I would have to agree. There's nothing very special about this kit. Maybe what you should do is have a look here on our marketplace. Also list the requirements for the course here and we may be better able to advise you on what to get. I know there's an MX for sale there and a few other bodies that might suit you better. Always lots of lenses.

What's your budget?

Peter Zack · 09-15-2009, 03:11 PM

Here's a much better starter kit:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/photographers-marketplace/73514-sale-pent...entax-bag.html

AMBIVALENCE · 09-15-2009, 05:03 PM

Oh my god... thats sad.
I promised to deal with her too...

Well. if I were to get the 50mm, what price should I offer for it? As a mint condition?

And... thanks for the ad, too bad i am in canada.. I usually look into the marketplace, but there are not many film camera for sale, like the one you show me... =(

AMBIVALENCE · 09-15-2009, 05:06 PM

Quote:

The aperture variable resistor of the P50 is very prone to failure and erratic when using the aperture ring. This makes M/A exposure modes unusable if you want metering.

What does that mean? I cannot use aperture by turing the ring and have good picture?

Peter Zack · 09-15-2009, 05:07 PM

I dunno. The aperture ring issue is very real on these lenses. You need to check and make sure that the ring turns correctly from one end to the other without any locking or binding. The bearing is held in by plastic that wears out with regular use and then it's tough to use the ring.

Maybe $40 or so.

Btw, most sellers will ship to Canada if you ask.

AMBIVALENCE · 09-15-2009, 05:17 PM

argh...
I feel like I had made such a hasty descision...

I'll see her anyways, just to bargin, and if that fail, I'll try to convince her to put the camera up on craigslist or sth like that.

wlachan · 09-15-2009, 05:19 PM

Originally posted by AMBIVALENCE

What does that mean? I cannot use aperture by turing the ring and have good picture?

As you turn the aperture ring manually, the camera should meter continuely and give you an exposure reading. But this particular model is prone to failure and the reading might jump randomly. In M exposure mode, you can set the aperture and shutter speed manually and just ignore the reading. In A exposure mode, the shutter speed depends on the reading so there is nothing you can do. It is a design flaw and the way they made those variable aperture resister underneath the camera mount with this camera so better avoid imho.

AMBIVALENCE · 09-15-2009, 09:37 PM

well! well! well!

thank you wlachan and peter zack for your analysis. I would have not thought of the aperature/metering flaw that could totally affect the working nature of the course!

I've just sent a email to her, explaining the situtation, hopefully she'll understand.

AMBIVALENCE · 09-15-2009, 09:42 PM

how was the SF1's performance? for $20 dollar it couldnt go wrong....
and how was the lens selling there?

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/photographers-marketplace/73340-sale-f35-...-90mm-sf1.html

**Canada_Rockies** · 09-15-2009, 11:14 PM

I keep my SF-1 for the very cold days here in the mountains. I have a special battery/cable/grip combination that puts the batteries inside my parka and has a one metre long cord to the camera's grip. It isn't the fastest auto focus camera on the market, but mine is still working fine after all these years. For your photo course, you can control everything manually if you wish, or go as automatic as the particular lens mount will allow. I have never had any problems with mine.

AMBIVALENCE · 09-17-2009, 06:27 PM

I turned down the deal after 5 mins of inspecting her gear.

1. NONE OF THE EQUIPMENT ARE IN PRISTINE CONDITION AS ADVERTISED, I need to clean for her to see thr stuff better.
2. Her 50mm lens has rust on the screws (those screw on the mount)
3. The Kiron lens (confrimed made by kiron, not vivitar) is interesting, but later figure out the crack on the glass, a very small crack that is not noticable via viewfinder, but it's rooting from the edge. (i cant believe she is capable of doing that)
4. One of the aperature leaves on Kiron is not symmetrical with other (prolly got knock out of place when she damage it)
5. The body... sigh. lets not talk about it.
6. And you are right, the body dont feel quite right
7. the camera bag is full of cat hair
8. Both lens works correctly.
9. dispite of all those horrible stuff, I still offer her a $60 for everything, well, the usable parts would just be the AF240 flash and the rusty 50mm lens.

Of course she said no.

So all i did today was a lens cleaning service and went back to my school for class.

what a false advertisement.

geauxpez · 09-17-2009, 07:10 PM

Welcome to Craigslist -- where you have to sift through tons of overpriced crap to find the rare jewel. I sometimes think that sellers get "mint condition" confused with something that has mint-colored fungus on it.

Are you looking to get an auto focus body or a manal focus body? I have a K1000 that I am going to list soon.

Best of luck with your gear purchase and your class.

Cheers,

Adam

09-15-2009, 02:22 PM	#1
AMBIVALENCE Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 149	$125 For these equipment, good deal? Hi! I just got into a film photography course in my university. Although I have an old ricoh camera already, it doesnt allow me to choose my shutter speed. After a few failure in trying to find a decent camera on Craigslist, I landed my eye on a more expensive camera, the P50. The user claim she only used it twice. So its practically brand new. To put it short, below is the list of equpiment, all for $125CAD. is that a good deal at all? If not, any simple reason why? 0) Pentax P50 Body 1) Vivitar 28-210 F4-5.6 with Macro at 1:4 ratio 2) Pentax A 50mm F1.7 with a skylight filter 3) a camera bag 4) some Pentax flash that the seller dont know much on. she say it labels with a zoom 35-150... what could the possible model be? a 50mm F1.7 mint condition eh... hmmm, that alone would worth 60 dollars? thanks all for your advice!!!! Last edited by AMBIVALENCE; 09-15-2009 at 02:27 PM.

09-15-2009, 05:03 PM	#6
AMBIVALENCE Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 149 Original Poster	Oh my god... thats sad. I promised to deal with her too... Well. if I were to get the 50mm, what price should I offer for it? As a mint condition? And... thanks for the ad, too bad i am in canada.. I usually look into the marketplace, but there are not many film camera for sale, like the one you show me... =( Last edited by AMBIVALENCE; 09-15-2009 at 08:46 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Is my equipment too good for me	RHW698	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	27	05-17-2010 02:23 PM
Is this as good of a deal as I think?	ckusnierek	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	32	04-09-2010 07:24 AM
Did I get a good deal on a K-x ?	J3ff	Pentax DSLR Discussion	8	10-31-2009 02:14 PM
good deal or not?	losecontrol	Photographic Technique	11	07-03-2009 02:36 AM
Is this a good deal??	mr tibbs	Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras	6	04-21-2009 12:14 PM

09-15-2009, 02:23 PM	#2
AMBIVALENCE Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 149 Original Poster	BTW, i have no clue if vivitar 28-210 is a good lens, it's confrim its made by Kiron tho.

09-15-2009, 02:57 PM	#3
wlachan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada Photos: Albums Posts: 2,625	Of the list above, none of them are good I am afraid. The aperture variable resistor of the P50 is very prone to failure and erratic when using the aperture ring. This makes M/A exposure modes unusable if you want metering. The Vivitar 28-210 is a very soft lens and everyting looked diffused. It has certain character if you are into that sort of effect. The A50/1.7 has weak aperture ring spring which often breaks. Whether the lot worth the price being asked is not for me to answer however.

09-15-2009, 03:05 PM	#4
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	I would have to agree. There's nothing very special about this kit. Maybe what you should do is have a look here on our marketplace. Also list the requirements for the course here and we may be better able to advise you on what to get. I know there's an MX for sale there and a few other bodies that might suit you better. Always lots of lenses. What's your budget?

09-15-2009, 03:11 PM	#5
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	Here's a much better starter kit: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/photographers-marketplace/73514-sale-pent...entax-bag.html

09-15-2009, 05:06 PM	#7
AMBIVALENCE Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 149 Original Poster	Quote: The aperture variable resistor of the P50 is very prone to failure and erratic when using the aperture ring. This makes M/A exposure modes unusable if you want metering. What does that mean? I cannot use aperture by turing the ring and have good picture?

09-15-2009, 05:07 PM	#8
Peter Zack Pentaxian Moderator Emeritus Join Date: May 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 10,643	I dunno. The aperture ring issue is very real on these lenses. You need to check and make sure that the ring turns correctly from one end to the other without any locking or binding. The bearing is held in by plastic that wears out with regular use and then it's tough to use the ring. Maybe $40 or so. Btw, most sellers will ship to Canada if you ask.

09-15-2009, 05:17 PM	#9
AMBIVALENCE Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 149 Original Poster	argh... I feel like I had made such a hasty descision... I'll see her anyways, just to bargin, and if that fail, I'll try to convince her to put the camera up on craigslist or sth like that.

09-15-2009, 05:19 PM	#10
wlachan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada Photos: Albums Posts: 2,625	Originally posted by AMBIVALENCE What does that mean? I cannot use aperture by turing the ring and have good picture? As you turn the aperture ring manually, the camera should meter continuely and give you an exposure reading. But this particular model is prone to failure and the reading might jump randomly. In M exposure mode, you can set the aperture and shutter speed manually and just ignore the reading. In A exposure mode, the shutter speed depends on the reading so there is nothing you can do. It is a design flaw and the way they made those variable aperture resister underneath the camera mount with this camera so better avoid imho.

09-15-2009, 09:37 PM	#11
AMBIVALENCE Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 149 Original Poster	well! well! well! thank you wlachan and peter zack for your analysis. I would have not thought of the aperature/metering flaw that could totally affect the working nature of the course! I've just sent a email to her, explaining the situtation, hopefully she'll understand.

09-15-2009, 09:42 PM	#12
AMBIVALENCE Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 149 Original Poster	how was the SF1's performance? for $20 dollar it couldnt go wrong.... and how was the lens selling there? https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/photographers-marketplace/73340-sale-f35-...-90mm-sf1.html

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

09-15-2009, 11:14 PM	#13
Canada_Rockies Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sparwood, BC, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,385	I keep my SF-1 for the very cold days here in the mountains. I have a special battery/cable/grip combination that puts the batteries inside my parka and has a one metre long cord to the camera's grip. It isn't the fastest auto focus camera on the market, but mine is still working fine after all these years. For your photo course, you can control everything manually if you wish, or go as automatic as the particular lens mount will allow. I have never had any problems with mine.

09-17-2009, 06:27 PM	#14
AMBIVALENCE Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto Posts: 149 Original Poster	I turned down the deal after 5 mins of inspecting her gear. 1. NONE OF THE EQUIPMENT ARE IN PRISTINE CONDITION AS ADVERTISED, I need to clean for her to see thr stuff better. 2. Her 50mm lens has rust on the screws (those screw on the mount) 3. The Kiron lens (confrimed made by kiron, not vivitar) is interesting, but later figure out the crack on the glass, a very small crack that is not noticable via viewfinder, but it's rooting from the edge. (i cant believe she is capable of doing that) 4. One of the aperature leaves on Kiron is not symmetrical with other (prolly got knock out of place when she damage it) 5. The body... sigh. lets not talk about it. 6. And you are right, the body dont feel quite right 7. the camera bag is full of cat hair 8. Both lens works correctly. 9. dispite of all those horrible stuff, I still offer her a $60 for everything, well, the usable parts would just be the AF240 flash and the rusty 50mm lens. Of course she said no. So all i did today was a lens cleaning service and went back to my school for class. what a false advertisement.

09-17-2009, 07:10 PM	#15
geauxpez Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Atlanta Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,196	Welcome to Craigslist -- where you have to sift through tons of overpriced crap to find the rare jewel. I sometimes think that sellers get "mint condition" confused with something that has mint-colored fungus on it. Are you looking to get an auto focus body or a manal focus body? I have a K1000 that I am going to list soon. Best of luck with your gear purchase and your class. Cheers, Adam