Spent $60 on a 'vintage' camera that was just broken junk

I saw this old Argus C3 at a flea market last month and the guy swore it worked fine. He said the shutter was crisp and the lens was clear. I got home, loaded some film, and the whole advance mechanism was stuck after two frames. I tried to fix it myself and snapped a gear inside. That camera is now a paperweight and I'm out $60 plus the cost of the film I wasted. Did I mention the lens had a haze that I didn't notice until I looked through it in decent light? Anyone else get burned by a seller who had no clue what they were talking about?

2 comments

2 Comments

stone.thomas1d ago

Did you actually check if that haze was on the lens surface or between the elements? Sometimes it's just the old lubricant they used evaporating on the glass and a good cleaning saves the lens.

ryanprice1d ago

Three lenses in my bag right now have haze from some ancient lubricant and I'm too scared to check if it's cleanable or just my terrible photography skills hiding behind the fog.