Wanted: Canon Scoopic m or ms What should I pay?

[shall]

I want to buy my son his first film camera. Seems like the Canon Scoopic M or MS would be good, although I believe they use Arriflex at his school. Scoopic seems to be reasonablly priced. I have a couple of questions.

 

What should I expect to pay?

What features should be included? (although they seem to not have many extras)

What should I look for as possible scams? (Reading some of the posts has scared me a bit) :o

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

Sharon Hall

[Annie Wengenroth]

I don't know much about these cameras but I saw some on ebay when I was looking for Arriflex and Bolex stuff. They seem to be between 300 and 600 dollars. I hate to say this but just to be safe (and to spend less on shpping!) you should probably look only within the US (assuming you're a US resident? in other words, maybe be wary of international sales). Beware of Western Union scams, obviously.

 

Make sure the camera has been cleaned and serviced recently. As far as lenses go, make sure there are no scratches or nicks. It seems really obvious but some camera packages go for less on ebay or wherever because the lenses are all beat up.

 

That's all I can think of, good luck.

 

This auction looks good:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVW

[Matt Pacini]

I have a Scoopic M, and I really like it for what it is.

 

I got mine for $331, but that's pretty rare when they're that cheap. (I had to make my own battery setup).

An "M" usually will run you around $500, often more.

Keep in mind when people say things like "I've seen them going for X dollarrs on ebay", that doesn't mean the auction CLOSED for that amount.

I've seen them going for $1, because that's what someone started their listing at, but then it closed at $800 or whatever....

 

An "MS" however, is quite a bit more usually. On ebay, I've not seen one that I can remember go for less than $850-ish, and they usually go over $1,000 and frequently as high as $1,500, which I think is too much.

The only thing the MS has that the M doesn't, is the behind the lens filters (kinda nifty), and the port on the top of the camera that enables you to use the even more over-priced 400ft magazine adapter, which will cost around $400-500 not counting the mag!.

 

Look for an M.

DO NOT get the "non- M or MS" model (it's the gray model).

The lens is apparently crap.

 

As for scams, to be safe, avoid overseas sellers, buy only from people with good ebay feedback, and as LOTS of questions, if they're not very specific about the condition of the camera. for instance:

1. Is there any fungus in the lens or viewfinder?

2. Any scratches or cleaning marks on the lens?

3. Are there any dents or cracks?

4. Does it run smoothly?

5. Does it come with the battery and charger?

6. Does the battery work?

 

There are a lot of these out there that have been beat to hell.

They were used by journalists, so they've been used in wars, etc., but then again, some of them look a little scrappy, but work fine.

Fun little cameras though...

 

Matt Pacini

Edited December 16, 2004 by Matt Pacini