Hi there! My name is Jahan (@doyoudevelop on Instagram), and I’m writing this to share my personal experience as a photographer navigating the often-unpredictable world of second-hand gear.
I’m not one for pointing fingers, but I deeply appreciate gear that works and people who are trustworthy. In fact, those are probably the two most important characteristics of any camera seller. I’ve always wanted a Pentax 67, and after spending time scouring reseller pages, eBay, and local flea markets, I finally found one in Japan that caught my eye.
I should clarify: I’m not a Pentax 67 expert. My knowledge was limited to internet research and pestering colleagues. A friend had previously lent me his by "accident" for a couple of months—he forgot it at my place right as the pandemic started and couldn’t get back to retrieve it. Ever since then, I’ve been hooked. The 105mm Takumar f/2.4 lens is a masterpiece; it produces 6x7 images that look like they were captured on a 4x5 view camera.
But enough Takumar-drooling. The point of this article is to demonstrate how even a relatively informed buyer can end up with a dud.
My buying experience with this Japanese seller started great. I’ve bought some items from Japan before, and they’ve always arrived in the described condition—until this Pentax. Out of respect for the seller, I’ll keep this anonymous, but the details are important. The seller had around 300 100% positive ratings. The photos looked good, and for the price (around 550USD), the amount of scuffs and wear seemed acceptable. I wasn’t looking for a shelf-queen; I wanted a reliable tool with clean optics. Even though it didn't have the infamous 105 Takumar, I was willing to settle on this bundle to get things started. The listing advertised the camera as "fully working" and the lens as having "no fungus and a thin haze." Since I don't care about cosmetics, just functions I thought: good enough!
But when the package arrived, I decided to try a little experiment. Before taking it out to shoot, I had a quick look at it and then decided to get a buy-back offer from Kamerastore. You're probably thinking, what the heck? But I had a hunch about the camera ...
When selling to Kamerastore, you receive an initial pre-offer before sending your gear to them free of charge. Their technicians then thoroughly vet the equipment and provide an updated quote based on its actual condition. You can either accept that new quote or if you refuse it, get your gear sent back to you free of charge. So I thought: why not just try this. I knew I would probably lose money on this, because you can't just flip cameras like that as a consumer, but I was curious to see what professional technicians would say about its actual condition if I was to resell it to them.
So after sending the Pentax to Finland the technicians checked the camera and I got the uncomfortable news ... The lens was in much worse shape than described—that "thin haze" was actually a significant fog, and fungus had eaten its way through the coating of the front element. The body had hidden faults, too: the film roller was porous and cracked, meaning small chunks of rubber could break off and ruin a negative mid-roll. To top it off, the light seals were shot.
(Lens showing significant haze and spots of fungus)
(Cracked film transport)
The community often jokes about "Top Mint" eBay listings that arrive wrecked. This was a classic example. It was a "very used" camera with multiple faults—none that would totally prevent it from taking a photo, perhaps, but certainly not as advertised.
(Worn seals of Pentax 67 prism)
So, what did I do? I could have sent it back to Japan, but with the sunk costs of shipping and import duties, it felt counterproductive. Instead, I sold it to Kamerastore and knew the technicians would repair it to a proper standard rather than letting it circulate back into the market for another victim to find. Maybe I could have also anticipated the "damages" by comparing the price to other Pentax 67 models that had higher prices. But the point is, not everyone goes that far or can put in that kind of research and effort into buying a camera. As a consumer, I want to trust the seller and know that I'll be receiving a camera that I can actually use.
I’m not trying to play the good Samaritan, but there is a real value in this experiment: the realization that proper repairs and maintenance go a long way. These cameras aren't disposable consumer electronics destined for a landfill; they are serious machines that can last centuries if they are maintained correctly. I value what the team in Tampere does because they treat these tools with a level of respect and trust that is rare in today’s "built to break" world. Through the Kamerastore condition ratings, you know that the gear you're buying has gone through a strict procedure of tests that ensures you actually get what you paid for, something that almost seems rare today.
Finally, i'm not trying to blame the Japanese seller, as far as I am concerned, they might have judged this camera to the best of their knowledge. The eBay auction had a variety of photos and even a video showing the function. But these things can be misleading if you don't know what to look for. There were no photos of the film transport and without knowing where to look it's not easy to spot the faulty seals. I could have also just returned the camera to Japan and asked for a repair or even a refund, but with the hassle of import duties and not knowing if the Japanese seller was capable of repairing the camera, I decided to let this one go.
