From the Arch Club Journal
What is your old film camera worth?
Found one in a closet? How to tell a treasure from a keepsake, and what to do next.
Written by Arch Club. We don't buy or value cameras; this is general guidance.
Four steps to a fair value
I
Find the exact model.Look for the name and number on the front or top plate, and the lens details on the ring around the glass.
II
Check that it works.Fire the shutter at several speeds, look through the lens for haze or fungus and try the meter with a fresh battery. Working cameras are worth far more.
III
Look at sold listings, not asking prices.On eBay, filter by sold items. Used dealers like KEH and MPB also show what they pay.
IV
Be honest about condition.Dents, sticky shutters and dead meters lower the price. So does a missing lens.
Often valuable
- Leica rangefinders and lenses
- Hasselblad, Mamiya 6 and 7, and Pentax 67 medium format cameras
- Premium point and shoots: Contax T2, Olympus Mju II, Yashica T4, Ricoh GR1
- Fast prime lenses from Canon, Nikon, Zeiss and Leica
Usually modest
- Consumer SLRs with a basic zoom lens
- APS and 110 cameras
- Cameras with dead electronics
Sell it, or use it
Selling to a dealer is quick but pays less. Selling privately pays more but takes time. Or load a roll and find out why it was kept.
Sometimes the most valuable thing a camera holds is the next roll.
Shot on film at Arch Club
ARCH CLUB
A members' club for foot photography, shot only on film.
Every Arch Club photograph is made on a Canon EOS-1V, a Mamiya 7 or a Fuji GW690II, with real models in New York and never AI. Members receive new film photographs every month, and collectors can own the original negative, sealed in display resin with a print of their choice.
Membership$49.99/mo
Polaroid$111
4×6 print$200
Negatives$1,100 to $2,000
Cameras35mm, 6×7, 6×9
Anyone can find a picture. Few will ever hold a photograph.
Visit Arch ClubPublished by Arch Club, Brooklyn, New York.