Are old cameras worth anything?

Some old cameras are worth a great deal, most are worth less than people hope, and a few surprise everyone. What decides it is the model, the condition of that particular camera, and whether anyone is looking for it right now. Age on its own counts for very little.

Almost every family has a camera in a drawer, and almost everyone assumes it must be worth something because it is old. Sometimes it is. Here is how to tell, without paying anyone and without taking it apart.

What makes an old camera valuable

The maker and the model. Leica, Hasselblad, Rolleiflex and Contax hold their value because they were built to last and are still used. So are some cameras nobody paid much attention to at the time: the premium 35mm compacts of the 1990s, like the Contax T2, Nikon 35Ti, Ricoh GR1, Konica Hexar AF and Yashica T4, are now sought after in a way nobody expected.

The condition of this camera, not of the model. Two cameras of the same model can be very different cameras. What matters is whether the shutter fires at the right speeds, whether the meter works, and whether the lens is clear. Scuffs on the body matter much less than haze in the glass.

Whether it is complete. The original lens, the box, the manual, the case. With some models the box matters almost as much as the camera.

Demand, now. Film photography has come back, and it has come back unevenly. Cameras people want to shoot with are wanted again; cameras people only want to look at mostly are not.

What is usually worth little

Being honest about this saves a lot of disappointment. Most box cameras and folding cameras from the first half of the century, 110 and APS cameras, early digital cameras and the plastic point-and-shoots of the 1980s and 1990s are rarely sought after. Many heavy 35mm SLRs from the 1970s and 1980s are wanted more for the lens on the front than for the body. There are exceptions in every group, which is why the model name matters more than the category.

How to find out what your camera is

1. Find the exact model. The name is usually on the front or the top plate. Write down every word and number, including the lens markings.
2. Look it up. Many of the models we see most often have their own page in The models: what they were, what goes wrong with them, and what collectors look for.
3. Compare like with like. A tested camera with a clear lens and a working meter is a very different camera from one described as untested.
4. Look through the lens towards a bright window, from the back. Clear is good. A milky haze, fine threads or spots are common and matter.

Please do not oil anything, force a stuck lever or clean the glass with whatever is in the kitchen. Most of the damage we see was done in the last week before a camera was sold.

If it is one camera, and if it is a shelf

For one camera, the steps above are worth an evening, and selling it on its own is usually the right route.

For a shelf of them, doing this forty times is a different matter. That is where we come in. We buy whole collections and take all of it, including the pieces nobody would want on their own. How that works is on our Pass it on page.

Short answers

Are old film cameras worth money?

Some are worth a lot, most a little. The model and the condition decide it, not the age.

Is an old camera worth more if it still has film in it?

No, but do not open it. Exposed film from decades ago can sometimes still be developed, and it might be the most valuable thing in the camera to you.

Should I get my camera serviced before I sell it?

Usually not, except on the most valuable models. A buyer who knows cameras would rather see it as it is.