John P wrote:
>
> Help, John Hermanson!
> I went on my first pawn shop forray today and found three Olys. The
> most interesting one is a -2n in what I would call Ex
> condition but for
> one problem--more later. The body is clean, with ordinary
> paint loss at
> corners, etc. The battery check light on the front is
> missing; the self
> timer lever is still there. I ran through the shutter speeds
> and didn't
> *hear* anything suspicious. But when I tried the self timer,
> the mirror
> locked up, and nothing we could do would get it back down again. I
> suspect that the missing battery check light is not the only
> thing wrong
> there. It has a very clean 50/1.8 on it. The guy has it priced at
> $189, but when the mirror froze, he said I could have it and the lens
> for $100. I'm wondering what the odds might be on having it repaired
> and still having some room for profit on eBay. I know you can only
> estimate its problems, but what do you think?
> He also had a -1md, no lens for $100, in better shape than
> the 2n, maybe
> Ex+ condition, except that it's missing the crank handle on the rewind
> knob.
> Finally, there was an OM-10 with 50/1.8 for $90. It may be a little
> rougher cosmetically than the -2n.
> I'm excited to have found something on my first attempt, but I don't
> know if any of is worth buying. A quick look at the history of -2n
> sales on eBay suggests that it might not be, unless the fix is fairly
> easy.
I don't like to dampen your enthusiasm, but those prices look pretty high
for Pawnshop stock (I assume $US). Do the pawnshops offer a warranty ? The
prices look comparable to those I would expect to pay in Oz at a camera
shop, for cameras without any obvious problems and a 90day warranty.
Check some other obvious things like the back seal foam and mirror buffer
foam, compare the exposure reading with a known good camera, check that the
focus is even across the focussing screen, check that a known good lens
installed on the body will focus to infinity, etc. I was bitten once on the
purchase of an OM-10, it looked EX+ but cost me more by the time it was
CLA'd than buying from a reputable camera dealer.
Good Luck !
Wayne Harridge
Ivanhoe, Victoria, Australia
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Louvre/6152/
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