AboutDavid Silver Expertise I'm an expert on all types of antique, classic, and contemporary cameras, as well as the general history of photography. Everything from ancient box cameras to modern single-lens-reflex; from simple Kodaks to sophisticated Leica and Nikon; from glass plates and roll film to movie and 35mm. I can identify and appraise them, explain how they work, and offer insights on their restoration and care. I can also provide historical background on vintage cameras and equipment, and guidelines on their purchase and sale.
Experience I've been a professional photographer and a student of the history of photography for nearly 30 years. During that time my collection of vintage cameras and photographic paraphernalia has grown beyond 2000 significant pieces. I've published nearly 70 articles in the field, including 16 in the popular "Buying Classic Cameras" series for PHOTO SHOPPER MAGAZINE from 1995 to 1997, I'm currently a contributing editor for CAMERA SHOPPER MAGAZINE and McKEOWN'S PRICE GUIDE TO ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAMERAS, and I've written numerous entries for WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA. Portions of my collection have been displayed in museums and special exhibits in the past two decades, and many of the items were photographed as illustrations for books. In 1985 I founded the International Photographic Historical Organization (InPHO), which eventually evolved into its intended purpose as the best first resource for information on the history of photography. I'm also a founding member of several e-mail forums dedicated to specialized areas of photography, and I'm the moderator of the Internet Directory of Camera Collectors (IDCC), which remains the largest and most successful such group in the world. For more information about the International Photographic Historical Organization and its many services, please visit its web pages at:
Expert: David Silver Date: 2/26/2007 Subject: antique canon camera
Question Hi, We have a canon 7 #926424 camera with a canon 50mm 1:0.95 lens #19920, and want to know approx. its value or how we can find out.Thanks
Answer
Hello,
I took an extra day to do some current market research for you because this is a particularly volatile area of collectible cameras. The rampaging popularity of digital has gutted the secondary market for used 35mm cameras, and something like the Canon 7 once had value as a usable as well as collectible item. It seems the market is still holding steady for these, however, so you have a surprisingly valuable piece. The Canon 7 is a classic 35mm coupled rangefinder camera, basically a competitive "clone" of the Leica cameras from Germany (they both use lenses with the exact same form of screw mount), made by Canon of Japan from 1961 to 1964. The Canon 50mm f.95 lens was a monster, a pat-on-the-back accomplishment for the Canon engineers because of its extraordinary maximum aperture yet a truly awful optic in practice, that has faaaaaaaar more collectible than usable appeal. A truly excellent Canon 7 with that huge lens should sell in the $500-$600 range these days. Oh, and to be complete, there's an accessory viewfinder that goes with the lens...the lens was so darn big that the normal viewfinder in the camera couldn't quite see around it! Anyway, this can be a bugger of a camera to sell because the market is rather small. If you'd like some recommendations on how best to sell it, drop me a line at <silver@well.com> and I can probably send you directly to some honest collectors for a stress free transaction.
