I picked up this little gem on our last trip to Tokyo. It's a German, medium-format folding camera that was produced between 1950 and 1958. Because of the folding bellows design, it's incredibly portable, even if it has the density of a sturdy but slightly overweight German matron.
I've been wanting to dive into medium-format photography for awhile (I don't think lomo-style Holga stuff counts, really), and I've got my eyes out for the following:
-Rolleiflex 2.8f
-Hasselblad 500 c/m
-Mamiya C330
The used camera market in Japan is amazing, as would be expected, but it suffers from price-inflation of cameras that are considered "classic." A Rolleiflex in decent condition in the states would run between $500 and $1000, while here Japan they go for upwards of 200000 yen (about $2000). While it's undoubtedly a "collector's" camera, it's a shame to see such a beautiful tool be put on a shelf or in a moisture-free safe, never to be used. Japanese-made cameras fare better. Mamiya systems can be found for a good deal cheaper, and used Nikon and Canon lenses are overabundant. New gear skews higher in price, oddly enough, compared to the states. I've been looking at getting a SB-800 speedlight for my D80, but they cost almost $500 here, whereas in the US you can find them for $300. The discrepancy seems ridiculous considering that there's a Nikon factory here in Sendai, but I suppose the hobbyists here are simply used to getting price gouged. I've got to give it to the Japanese for being the best-equipped amateur photographers in the world. When we visited Kyoto I saw flocks of the elderly carrying massive Manfrotto tripods and pro camera bodies slung around their necks like dead albatross.
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