Film cameras have a market. Leica rangefinders, Nikon F-series and FM bodies, Canon, Pentax, Olympus OM and Minolta SLRs, Hasselblad and Rolleiflex medium-format cameras, Mamiya, and Polaroid SX-70 and other instant cameras all have buyers. Some everyday point-and-shoot film cameras from the 1990s are sought after too.
Lenses are priced on their glass. Haze, fungus, scratches, separation between elements, and oily or stuck aperture blades all lower the price, and buyers of lenses ask about every one. We photograph the glass with light behind it and describe what we can see, and a lens is sold with its caps, hood and case when those survive.
Older digital cameras are worth a look. Early 2000s compact digital cameras have found a new audience, and digital SLR bodies and lenses from Canon, Nikon and Sony still sell, with lenses again holding value better than bodies. Many other digital cameras, especially generic ones, sell for very little, and we will say so.
Keep the system together where it helps. A body with its matching lenses and accessories can sell better as a kit, while a valuable lens can do better on its own. We decide piece by piece and never list the same item twice.
Cameras and lenses ship well, so they sell on eBay and through our own shop to buyers across the country, not only in Charlotte.
Before you sell a camera.
If there is film in the camera, do not open the back: that film may hold family photographs, and we will help you get it out and developed first. Take out any old batteries, since leaking cells corrode the contacts. Do not clean the lenses with household cleaners or try to fix a stuck shutter. We describe a camera from what is visible and only say it works if you tell us it does.
What the family receives.
- ✓A free walkthrough, or a first look from photos of each body, lens and its model markings
- ✓A written quote before any work starts
- ✓Every body and lens identified by maker and model
- ✓Glass photographed with light behind it, and haze, fungus and scratches described
- ✓A decision on kit versus separate listings, piece by piece
- ✓Listings on eBay and our own shop, packed and shipped for you
- ✓No working claims you have not made
Why VaultXL.
Lens by lens
We price lenses on their own glass and condition, because they often carry most of a camera bag's value.
Light through the glass
Haze and fungus are invisible in an ordinary photo. We shoot every lens with light behind it so buyers can see the inside.
Your film comes first
Film found in a camera is set aside for you before the camera is listed.
Honest condition
If you do not know whether a shutter fires at every speed, the listing does not pretend to.
Where we serve.
Charlotte · Myers Park · Eastover · SouthPark · Foxcroft · Dilworth · Elizabeth · Cotswold · Ballantyne · Huntersville · Cornelius · Davidson · Matthews · Mint Hill · Waxhaw · Fort Mill · Rock Hill
Start with a walkthrough.
A free walkthrough in your home, then a written quote before any work starts.
Frequently asked.
Many are. Leica, Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus, Hasselblad, Rolleiflex and Polaroid cameras all have active buyers, and lenses can be worth more than the bodies. Common plastic cameras and many recent digital cameras sell for little.
A mould that grows inside a lens kept somewhere damp, showing as thread-like patterns when you look through it at a light. It lowers the price, and we always photograph and describe it.
Leave the back closed. We can help you rewind and remove the film so it can be developed, because it may hold family photographs.
Sometimes. Matching kits can sell well together, but a valuable lens often brings more on its own. We decide piece by piece and tell you why.
Every project is quoted in writing after a free walkthrough: a non-refundable setup fee set in your quote, and 15% of what sells after marketplace fees. You keep 85%.
