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Juhani Halmeenmaki
cedricfan
Finland
1020 Posts
My Collection
Posted - Jun 22 2008 :  2:51:04 PM  Show Profile  Visit cedricfan's Homepage  Reply with Quote
So, I am back and finally time to make a summary here...
As usual in FSU-countries, the places to find cameras are "antique stores". And the streets to find them are Buzesti and Covaci.

Some shops are idiots, like a Zenit-130 with missing battery cover 100 euros... Generally there was less FSU-cameras than I thought, Prague was much better. Also the range was odd: only two Smenas and a couple of Prakticas, but two Chinese ones (Peafowl-DF1 and Eastar-S2)!

Best place that I visited was called Photo Hobby. Reasonable prices, a Kiev-10 or Drug for 70-80 euros is OK as you can test it. I was also allowed to take some pictures:



http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/FotoHobbyi.JPG


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/FotoHobby2.JPG


And there was two Canon-RFs with the F:0,95 lens, so they did have some untypical cameras also:

http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/LeicaCanon.jpg


Unfortunately nothing for me this time, the Zorki-Zorki and FED-1 were too young. Zorki-Zorkis & Zorki-1 with bowl under shutter release and old FED-1 with totally round shutter speed knob platform serials over 40.000:


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/FedZorki.jpg


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/BucZenitPrakt.jpg


Smena rules
Don Gillette
dgillette4
USA
202 Posts
Posted - Jun 24 2008 :  09:29:43 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Well Juhani: What a wonderful selection of classics. It reminds me when I was a camera salesman, Back in the 60s..Thanks again...Don

ZORKIE'S Survive
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okynek
759 Posts
Posted - Jun 24 2008 :  4:41:25 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Well don, Juhani! Looks like you had a fun trip across Eastern Europe!
If honestly I was expecting better prices, there. I hear stories about $3-$5 for cameras like Zenit E, FED 3 or Smena 8M; $20-$30 for Kiev SLRs, or Start, or Zenit 19. Apparently this time pass, or indeed it was only stories?
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Steve
Bull Halsey
USA
229 Posts
Posted - Jun 25 2008 :  12:10:38 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Now that's something that's disappearing from camera stores today. Not too many stores that have used cameras on display. For that matter, not many stores accepting trades on equipment anymore.

Having spent over 20 years in photo retail in Chicago, I appreciate those days when you could walk up to a camera store window and spend some time looking at the used "toys".

Great shots, Juhani !!
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Juhani Halmeenmaki
cedricfan
Finland
1020 Posts
My Collection
Posted - Jun 25 2008 :  12:46:39 AM  Show Profile  Visit cedricfan's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Okynek: No more real bargains in shops here, maybe in Russia? But still better than ebay as yo can see & try the camera and there is no postage. Some times you can find bargains when you find a true rarity, as it is usually sold for the normal price level.

Steve: Unfortunately true, used camera business is nowadays tricky so only few stores do it. I guess in the Europeaan FSU-countries the shops buy in so cheaply from people in need that they can do a profit even if the sales is low in quantity.

Smena rules
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