Rant: Found out my 'vintage' lens was actually a 1990s knockoff from a swap meet

Honestly, I was so proud of this old 50mm lens I picked up for $40 at a swap meet in Austin last month. I thought it was some rare Japanese glass from the 70s. Took it to a guy who does optical bench testing for fun, and he laughed. He said the serial number matches a cheap Chinese rehouse from the mid 90s. Apparently a bunch of these got sold as 'vintage' to tourists and newbies. I felt like such a fool, but also kind of impressed by the hustle. Has anyone else gotten burned by fake vintage camera gear from a flea market?

3 comments

3 Comments

nina_harris392mo ago

That swap meet guy knew exactly what he was doing.

noranguyen23d ago

Nina, I have to disagree with you on that one. That swap meet guy is probably just trying to make a living like everyone else. The vintage market is tricky because nobody really knows what something is worth unless you look it up. If he found that lamp at a garage sale for ten bucks and cleaned it up a little, why shouldn't he ask a hundred for it? That's how business works, you find something low and sell it higher. It might seem unfair but that's the game both sides agree to play when you walk into a swap meet.

wyatt_shah852mo ago

The whole vintage market is wild like that. It's the same with old concert tees and vinyl records, people just slap a story on something and triple the price.