I dropped into a Salvation Army thrift the other day. They had a Canon EOS Rebel XT, body only. It was Senior Day and it was on sale to boot. I picked it up for Ten bucks. I figured if it ended up being a boat anchor, I hadn't lost much. I brought it home, charged the battery, ran the camera through its paces, and WaLa. It worked.

I took it to my local camera store and tried a lens with it. It took great photos. I purchased the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Lens for $90 used and a 9+, great shape. I got it for my wife, But of course, I'll be using it too.

Do the math, $100 bucks and below are some of the results so far.....not bad I don't think.

You got a great deal on the combo.

I know of one guy who did better. This was about 1972 - so film era.
He worked over near the coast NW of Los Angeles and was taking classes at Cal State Los Angeles which is on the East side of the city (lived at home with parents in East Los Angeles while in school) and used to cut through Beverly Hills on surface streets when the freeways were jammed up getting from work to home or school. Well one day he was doing that and as he went through Beverly Hills he saw a sign for "Charity Yard Sale". Wanting to know what you would see at a yard sale in Beverly Hills he followed the signs. A large yard of a very big house and several people with tables selling stuff for a charity. One lady had a couple of tables filled with camera gear and light stands etc around the tables. It turned out her brother had died and they were clearing out his photography studio in Hollywood. She, her husband and kids were all the "Kodak Instamatic" type of photographers so the brother's stuff was going for charity. She had a Leica 35 and a Hasselblad, each with a lenses mounted. Both marked $50. He said they are worth more than that - she "It's for charity." He said he only had $35 cash and wanted the Hasselblad - she said "sold". He told her he had a friend who would love the Leica but was also a student without much money - she said call him on my phone (it was her yard and home) and I will hold it for him for the same $35 until the yard sale ended in 3 hours. He called, his friend made it there in 1 hour and got the Leica. In our Photo Class the next night he showed all of us and the professor the camera and told us the story.