Let's hear it for thrift stores

[oftheherd]

To day I went to meet my wife at her favorite thrift store. No cameras of interest. However, as I wandered around, I found a cheap tripod missing a handle to pan or to point the camera up or down. Pointed that out and got if for $2.50. I think our machine shop can fix me up nicely and my daughter can have her own tripod.

Better yet, I spotted a Vivitar 283 without price markings. $2.50 again. Now I guess my daughter has a good flash to use. I just have to convince her to learn how to use it manually as well as on auto.

I love a good deal.

[nikon_sam]

I stopped at a Goodwill on my way home from the camera shop...nothing...but they did have a selection of LP's by the back wall...

[oftheherd]

Yep, ya gotta love thrift stores. The goodwill store in this area doesn't usually seem to have anything of value photographic wise. Hopefully yours does from time to time. Goodwill on line often has some good buys.

[HSI]

I just picked up two Pentax screwmount lenses.
- f3.5 28mm
- f3.5 135mm
Glass clean on both, with original cases.
$5 for both.
Now I need a spotmatic with a f1.4 50mm and I will have a nice kit.

[oftheherd]

That was the first two focal length lenses I picked up when I got back into photography over 30 years ago. I felt so empowered even thought they were Yashikors. Actually, I took a 1st place at the Korea-wide level of a photo contest. I forget if it was Army wide or Interservice wide. I have always thought those were two very useful focal lengths. I guess that is why they were often sold together.

You are right. A Spotmatic with a 50mm f/1.4 will give a good kit. If you see a good condition and cheap Pentax SP it is a good Pentax without a light meter. Of course, you could also look at other brands that happen to use the M42 mount that might be cheaper. Yashica had some good models. I liked the TL Super which was my first SLR. Their TL Electro was a good model as well, and can usually be had cheap. I think it was the AX which was AP, but stop down metering.

All that assumes you aren't just stuck on having the Spotmatic, which is OK. They were very good cameras.