whatdat wrote:
A friend has two AE1 Cameras (program & manual modes - film cameras). Also a nikon 50mm prime lens, a 80-200 macro zoom lens and a 2X teleconverter lens he would like to sell. Includes UV filters. Can anyone tell me what they should be worth, as he probably would like to sell them?
Thanks, fellow UHHer's.
They aren't worth a great deal... probably around $25 to $50 apiece for the cameras, depending upon the condition. Maybe a little more depending upon what lens or accessories are included with them.
There are two different AE-1 models. the original AE-1 (1976), which has shutter-preferred auto exposure (AE) and manual exposure mode. And there is the later AE-1 Program (1981), sometimes called the AE-1P, which is somewhat improved with program AE, shutter-preferred AE and manual mode, as well as a few other added features the original didn't offer, such as user-interchangeable focus screens. Both cameras use a similar horizontal travel cloth shutter giving a top speed of 1/1000 and 1/60 flash sync speed. When left unused for long periods of time, it's not uncommon for these and other A-series Canon with similar mechanisms to develop a "shutter squeal" that indicates it's time to have the camera serviced. The loud squeal the camera emits every time you fire the shutter is actually pretty easily fixed... a single drop of oil in the right place.... but it really indicates that the camera needs overall cleaning and lubrication. The added electronics of the Program model make it a bit more prone to "issues" and a little more difficult to repair. Both cameras sold in very large, are still widely available and because they're designed to use modern SR44 (and similar) silver oxide, there's no problem getting batteries for them (the way there is with many cameras that used mercury batteries). Both AE-1 and AE-1P were offered in matte chrome and all-black finishes. The all-black ones typically bring a little more money in the U.S.... maybe $10 to $25 additional.
Your friend should search for AE-1 on eBay and use the "sold" filter to see what prices they've been bringing. Read the details, take into account if there's free shipping included or a warranty, make a list that discards the cheapest and the most expensive, and come up with an average price. That will give your friend the best idea of what they're worth and might be expected to bring, selling them himself. As trade in or sold to a dealer, your friend would get 33% to 50% less for them.
The lenses are a much bigger problem. We'd need a lot more info to have any hope of giving you estimates. There have been a bunch of different 50mm Nikkors made over the years and values vary wildly. Not knowing the brand or details of 80-200mm it's impossible to say about that, too. Very few 2X teleconverters from the 1960s through 1980s were worth using... so that might be worth $10 or less. But it's also very hard to say without more details. UV filters from that time are commonly uncoated, pretty poor optical quality and worthless, too.
EDIT: Okay, so the lenses are Canon, too... or at least they are a brand that fits and works on Canon (probably FD/FL mount, like the cameras.... and thus are manual focus lenses from the mid-1980s or earlier). Once again, there were a bunch of different Canon 50mm lenses (f/1.8, f/1.4, f/1.2, FDn, FD, FL, S.S.C., S.C.). Search eBay by the VERY SPECIFIC model.
The 80-200mm, if it's a Canon manual focus lens that fits AE-1, there were two versions. The later "FDn" L-series version is fairly desirable and might bring a higher price. It has a single ring that serves both for focus and a push/pull zoom ring. It also has the L-series red stripe. The earlier FL version is less valuable.
There were many other manufacturers of 80-200mm lenses, most of which would be less valuable than those two Canon lenses. An exception is the Tamron SP 80-200mm f/2.8 "Adaptall" (interchangeable mount) lens, which is pretty high quality and enjoys a larger aperture than most zooms of its day, and still has fairly high value in good, usable condition (in part because it's designed to be easily adapted for use on virtually any 35mm SLR/DSLR ever made). There also was a manual focus Tokina AT-X 80-200mm f/2.8 that's fairly highly regarded, though it does not have an interchangeable mount like the Tamron zoom.
A Canon teleconverter would be worth more than third party 2X... except possibly a "matching" one designed specifically for use with the 80-200mm... which I know Tamron offered.... not sure about Tokina. Tamron also offered an optional tripod mounting ring for the lens. Accessories such as tripod mounting rings, the matching lens hood, and even the original front and rear lens caps all can add a bit of value.