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Why is V system kit so expensive on Ebay?

S

superwhite

Member
A typical add for V system kit on EBay starts “Rare…” ? And a price in the region of £2850 is asked for a 503 body and A12 back. And there are loads of them at that sort of price.
A visit to the Procentre site has second hand 503 for just under a grand and A12 back for around £300.
Has anyone on here sold kit at these sort of prices? If so I can see a boost to my pension, anyone want a 503 body and 2 A12 backs for shall we say £3350???
 

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Currently used Hasselblad cameras and bodies are enjoying a renasaunce in prices. I've sold several 500c/m bodies and currently have a 500EL/m listed. The C/m's sold quickly at a higher price. I rated them 8/10's. The EL/m is languishing. Its not
the price but the item. Lenses have been fetching a higher price than last winter, this spring. So thats my experience for what its worth.
 
Let me give you an example.
In late 2018 I bought, in a local used camera shop, a nice, good working and well taken care of Hasselblad Distagon C 50mm T* for € 330.-.
Sadly this lens was stolen in 2020 (together with two A12 film backs)...
As I want to replace this lens (after some saving) I see now in the same shop a less good copy of the same lens for around € 650.- .
When I asked the shop owner why this price rising, he told me that analogue photography is booming and the demand for film cameras is even more, particularly during the Covid pandemic.
The prices of any cameras are following the market demand, and Hasselblad is very popular (for a good reason).
 
Yep, similar experiences here. I've seen the prices sky rocket over the past 10+ years. Not just Hasselblad cameras and lenses, but just about anything medium format that is considered half decent. Try buying a Maymiya 7II or a Pentax 67 (which compared to the Maymiya is reasonable). There are some online dealers whose prices are far higher than the average ebay seller. Reasons given; is their gear is thoroughly checked and tested, and they sell it with a warranty, which most eBay sellers don't. I even saw a guy at a weekend market in Cape Town, South Africa selling Hblad cameras, look to be in good condition too. All in all it looks like there is a huge demand for medium format equipment. Give it a few years, all the hipsters will get bored of it and move onto something else, then the demand will drop.
 
The Fontane said:
Yep, similar experiences here. I've seen the prices sky rocket over the past 10+ years. Not just Hasselblad cameras and lenses, but just about anything medium format that is considered half decent. Try buying a Maymiya 7II or a Pentax 67 (which compared to the Maymiya is reasonable). There are some online dealers whose prices are far higher than the average ebay seller. Reasons given; is their gear is thoroughly checked and tested, and they sell it with a warranty, which most eBay sellers don't. I even saw a guy at a weekend market in Cape Town, South Africa selling Hblad cameras, look to be in good condition too. All in all it looks like there is a huge demand for medium format equipment. Give it a few years, all the hipsters will get bored of it and move onto something else, then the demand will drop.
Click to expand...

But so will supply with the passage of time. Not so much the more robust cameras like the Hasselblad V's or Nikon F/FM series, but the dwindling numbers of techs capable of repairing them when they go out of spec.
 
On eBay I look at the sold items so you cam see the actual selling price. Some of the asking prices are unreasonably high, and these don't sell. Even though, Hassleblad prices have gone up recently. There is still a wide range in the selling prices, with some of the prices higher than one would expect. I wonder who buys those. I tried listing a Pentax 6X7 system in better condition than similar systems that have sold for $1600 to $1800, and didn't get any bids for my asking price of $1350. Go figure.
 
A better gauge of value are what resellers ask, not flEaBay phantasists. Adorama, B&H, KEH, Igor Camera, Camera West just to name a few reliable ones in the US. There’s nothing rare about 50x cameras, having been in production for decades but as time passes, fewer samples in good working order exist whilst expert repair people dwindle.
 
Speaking of expert repair, for Hblad V kit - Classic V in the UK are the shizzle - https://www.classicv.co.uk
Even if you're not in the UK, and your Hblad needs a service or tuning, it's worth the cost to courier it to them. They do top notch work on bodies and backs, haven't been able to find anybody as good elsewhere.

@tdp53 Do you still have that Pentax 6X7?
 
Do you still have that Pentax 6X7?

Most of my Pentax 6X7 system is for sale on the Pentax forum - mostly lenses (300mm, 200mm, 165mm, 75mm, 45mm) and accessories (wood grip, Penta Prism, Auto Bellows, extension rings, external battery holder, and others). I sold the body and 90mm lens. I have another body that needs to have some internal contacts cleaned, but I haven't gotten around to dealing with that as yet. Soon I will list the items on this forum as well.
 
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tdp53 said:
Do you still have that Pentax 6X7?

Most of my Pentax 6X7 system is for sale on the Pentax forum - mostly lenses (300mm, 200mm, 165mm, 75mm, 45mm) and accessories (wood grip, Penta Prism, Auto Bellows, extension rings, external battery holder, and others). I sold the body and 90mm lens. I have another body that needs to have some internal contacts cleaned, but I haven't gotten around to dealing with that as yet. Soon I will list the items on this forum as well.
Click to expand...
OK, I'll go over there and take a look. I've been hankering after a decently priced 6X7 in decent working order, with a 90mm or 105mm lens. I'll keep an eye out for your ads.
 
What stings for me, is the digital back's for the 501 series, H backs all day long for normal prices, try to get a 16meg pixel digital back for a 500 series and I feel like I would have to sell my soul.
 
pkipnis said:
Currently used Hasselblad cameras and bodies are enjoying a renasaunce in prices. I've sold several 500c/m bodies and currently have a 500EL/m listed. The C/m's sold quickly at a higher price. I rated them 8/10's. The EL/m is languishing. Its not
the price but the item. Lenses have been fetching a higher price than last winter, this spring. So thats my experience for what its worth.
Click to expand...
I've had a 500elm listed for several months with lots of bottom feeders making ridiculous offers but nothing serious. I'm priced right in the middle of the price range.
I've also have an older Leaf back for sale. Sold it once but buyer didn't understand it's a studio back. IE: requires a Apple laptop.
 
Sadly the EL/M's are not as highly sought after as the C's and CM's. I have an EL/M which I've had a great many years use from. Not using it much these days. I did get a nifty 9V battery converter for it, and it still works great. I'm guessing it might be the fact the the EL/M's are heavier and more unwieldy than the C's and CM's, which means - for me at least - it ends up staying in the cabinet more than it should. I ought to take it out for a spin one of these fine mornings.......
 
I think the other key is when it was last serviced. Not necessarily common on EBay, I always ask that question. Recent service I’ll pay for, which is true for any analog System I look at…
 
Anyone using a magazine 70 ? This camera is fully working but never really used . It sits in my glass cabinet and enjoys a pensioner life .

Happy new year .
OPAL.500ELM.02.jpg
 
I’ve always thought it would be fun to use large volume backs, but alas, I have no stainless development tanks and reels that would take a long roll! Beautiful setup.
 
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