Ebay Watch: A Clear Rolleiflex, an Early Zeiss Prototype and More

The wildest and rarest photography gear up for auction this week

By Dan Bracaglia | Published Mar 17, 2011 12:53 AM EDT

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Nikon FEA SLR (with extremely large viewfinder)- $4,516.00 or Best Offer According to our research, these Nikon SLR's were originally made specifically for underwater photography by National Geographic. But before you buy one and jump into a lagoon with it, do know that the camera itself is not waterproof. The huge viewfinder was necessary to accomodate the effective, but unweildy underwater housings of 1977. The auction listing claims that only 50 were made, but some reports claim it was more like 100. According to multiple camera/Nikon-nerd sites, it appears that 25 of the 100 were made and delivered to National Geographic, another 25 were dolled out to respected underwater shooters and the last 50 were "quietly" sold off.

**Pentax EI-C90– $40** This strange looking digicam first made its appearance back in 1996 at PMA. What truly makes this camera unique is its ability to split in two pieces, down the middle, allowing you to leave the part with the LCD at home if you so desired. The El-C90 features a 768×560 pixel CCD sensor and can only shoot at ISO 200. However, it did feature an f/2.8 50mm lens and shutters ranging from 1/8 sec up to 1/400 sec. The camera also contains a gigantic (by 90’s standards) internal memory of 2MB’s, but can also take PCMIA flash cards. If you’re fresh out of those, it’s no worry since the seller has graciously thrown in an adapter so that you can shoot with CF cards instead. And while the backlight on the LCD may be busted, the historical value of this camera is surely worth the price.

**“Ocean” Edition Linhof Technorama 617 S III Outdoor panoramic camera with 90mm f/5.6 Lens– $6,500.00** With a name like Technorama, how could this camera not be awesome? According to Ebay seller BreguetCamera, this version of the T 617 S III was available in four outdoorsy themed colorways, including “desert”, “fire”, “jungle” and “ocean”. And while we have yet to see any of the other color-ways, we can’t imagine them being more beautiful than “ocean”. Anyway, the first Linhof Technorama panoramic camera hit the scenes in 1976. Exactly 20 years later the German manufacturer released the Technorama 617 S III interchangeable lens panorama camera seen here. It shoots 6×17 cm panoramic images and can use a variety of lenses including the 90mm that comes with it, a 72mm and a 180mm.

**Pre-1891 Prototype Carl Zeiss 170mm f/6.3 Lens– $15,000.00 or Best Offer** Ebay seller ttheCooke claims that this is a pre-1891 original Carl Zeiss preproduction prototype lens with hand-engravings. It is made of brass and features an aluminum alloy aperture as well as an aluminum casing around the front and back element. Also, according to the seller, it is an f/6.3 170mm equivalent lens, however, from his description and the photos, it is hard to tell if that is actually the case. It should also be noted that the fact that the lens contains no serial number, gives credence to its prototype status–either way, we would look to have it appraised by an expert before dropping that kind of dough. It also has one of the most incredibly hectic product descriptions we have ever seen.

**1/1 Transparent Rollei Rolleiflex 6003 Professional Camera– $5,999.00 or Best Offer** We have to admit, we are suckers for transparent cameras. There is just something about being able to see the inner workings of our gear, that fascinates us. This Rollei Rolleiflex 6003 is certainly no exception. According to Ebay seller Leicaplace this is the only clear Rolleiflex 6003 in existence. In fact, its serial number apparently reads “PROTOTYP.” And while Rollei is no longer manufacturing 6003, it is surely a marvelous camera to own (and look through).

**5 Bronica Cameras, 20-something Lenses and Accessories Galore– $4,345.67** Ebay seller DieselOne3294 is apparently fed up with his massive collection of Bronica medium format cameras and accessories and is looking to sell everything in one quick swoop (and for an oddly specific price). Included in this gargantuan auction are 5 Bronica bodies (2 EC’s and 3 ECTL’s), along with prisms, waste level finders, polaroid backs and chimney finders for them all. In addition, the seller is giving up two 50mm lenses, three 75mm lenses, a 300mm, a 40mm a 100mm, a 105mm, a 135mm, a 150mm, a 200mm, a 400mm a 600mm a 2x converter, a 1.4x converter and a 300mm that apparently has a bit of a mold issue (plus more additional accessories than you can shake a stick at). According to the seller all of the gear, for the most part, has been professional tested and is working order. Also, if you commit to buy right now, the seller will throw in a 6×6 slide projector complete with magazines plus whatever else he has laying around in his garage. Not bad for four thousand three hundred and forty five dollar and sixty seven cents. [Ed note: This is the first time we’ve made it through an eBay watch without a single Leica. But don’t worry red dot fans, they’ll surely be back next week.]

Dan Bracaglia

Dan Bracaglia, the News & Features editor at Popular Photography, has been covering imaging and camera technology for 13 years, with work appearing—both written and photographic—in publications including American Photo magazine, Digital Photography Review, Popular Science magazine, the Star-Ledger, Sound & Vision magazine, and of course, Popular Photography. Contact the author here.

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