Used prices seem to have rocketed

[blackfox]

Been looking for a cheap backup camera for the wife to use recently but the market appears to have gone mad , I started looking at 1 mkii bodies but most still suffer from peeling grip syndrome ,,with excuses such as needs a bit of glue , easy fix or obviously superglued but denied .. , also looked at 1 mkiii and e.m1x bodies but there going for silly money . .looking on e.bay there always seems to be 50 to 60 watchers per camera and most go for more than dealers sell for . My criteria includes being able to use PayPal in payment as I don’t want to part with cash up front . Just wondering why these old bodies are fetching so much weird or what

[pdk42]

Used prices are a mixed bag in my view. Some gear seems to fetch silly prices (Fuji X100 variants, Pen-F, Leica gear, ...); other stuff seems to just plummet in value. I recently picked up a Panasonic S1 for under £700 and it's mint with only 7k clicks on it. That was a camera sold at £2.2k when new.

And the EM1X seems crazy cheap on the used market at around £500 on MPB - for a camera that was £2.8k at launch. Yet the EM1.3, which is basically almost the same camera in its internals, seems to go for over £600.

[blackfox]

Agreed it looks like despite the predictions Olympus/ oms is alive and well and thriving . I have even considered getting a Nikon dslr as a back up having had good success with them in the past . But no rush .will have another look at mpb as well

[Ian]

My E-M1 Mark II hasn't had a problem with a peeling grip... it's been to some very hot and humid places as well.

Ian

[blackfox]

My E-M1 Mark II hasn't had a problem with a peeling grip... it's been to some very hot and humid places as well.

Ian

It’s a problem with a hell of a lot of bodies Ian and also happened to a few models in the Nikon range , despite denials from the manufacturers I am 100% certain it’s down to oily skin , the rubber absorbs it and swells , my own skin is unfortunately one of them , my first 1-mkii went back twice in the first year for replacement grips . Nothing to do with heat or humidity just skin oils . I.e my I.pad screen needs constant cleaning yet the wife’s is spotless .. luckily the 1 mkiii and e-M1X didn’t use the same type of grips .
Coming back to bodies I think I will probably go for another E.M1X as it offers just that bit more function wise than the mkiii and has bird .i.d to

[pdk42]

My E-M1 Mark II hasn't had a problem with a peeling grip... it's been to some very hot and humid places as well.

Ian

I think the problem is how hard, and how long, you handle the camera. If you do a lot of shooting at a time, and tend to hold the camera firmly, then the warmth in your hands will cause the glue to weaken. That leads to slipping and stretching of the grip and over time to it peeling and no longer fitting (gluing it back with superglue etc seldom works because the grip becomes slightly larger than the body).

I've never had a problem with grips, but I tend to use my camera only in short bursts, with smaller lenses, and with not a lot of camera movement. Net net, that means I don't need to grip too hard nor for long periods. But if you're doing bird/wildlife shooting with big lenses, usually holding the camera for longish periods, and waving it about tracking the beasts then it's a different story.

But there's clearly also a design/manufacturing element to it as well. The EM1.2 looks much worse for grip peeling than the EM1.3, yet they share a virtually identical body. I suspect that Olympus changed the glue and/or the grip material between the two.

[griffljg]

The EM1.2 looks much worse for grip peeling than the EM1.3, yet they share a virtually identical body. I suspect that Olympus changed the glue and/or the grip material between the two.

All of my Olympus cameras, up to and including the EM1.2, had grip peeling issues. From the EM1.3 onwards the grip peeling issue has gone away. Paul, you are right. - The grip on the EM1.3 is made of a different material to that on the EM1.2. The grip on the EM1.3 is made of a harder, stiffer material than that on the EM1.2, which makes it less "grippy" and the EM1.2 feels better in my hands.

[Wreckdiver]

Didn’t the E-1 have rubber grip problems back in 2004/2005?

[Shaw]

Yes, I had to replace both front and back rubbers on my Olympus E-1!

[dustyE1]

I have two E1 modes - rubber grip is fine WFIW. Regarding used prices, patience may be the best practice. I purchased an Olympus OM-D E-M1X for $475 from US Ebay. It was on a hope and a prayer as shutter count was not part of sellers description. It turned out to be 100K out of the usual 400k life expectancy. I've purchased most of my equipment used either from KEH (US) or MPB (US) or in a similar fashion from ebay - waiting and waiting and purchasing quickly when I find a deal. Isn't this a fairly normal practice for everyone?

Just one more thought - when I purchase from MPB I wait for an excellent grade item to be priced at or below a "good" graded item of the same type. My guess is that this happens when they want to move merch. I have read of some MPB purchases having to be returned for poor condition. I have only had the best purchasing experience from both MPB and KEH.

[Ian]

I think the problem is how hard, and how long, you handle the camera. If you do a lot of shooting at a time, and tend to hold the camera firmly, then the warmth in your hands will cause the glue to weaken. That leads to slipping and stretching of the grip and over time to it peeling and no longer fitting (gluing it back with superglue etc seldom works because the grip becomes slightly larger than the body).

I've never had a problem with grips, but I tend to use my camera only in short bursts, with smaller lenses, and with not a lot of camera movement. Net net, that means I don't need to grip too hard nor for long periods. But if you're doing bird/wildlife shooting with big lenses, usually holding the camera for longish periods, and waving it about tracking the beasts then it's a different story.

But there's clearly also a design/manufacturing element to it as well. The EM1.2 looks much worse for grip peeling than the EM1.3, yet they share a virtually identical body. I suspect that Olympus changed the glue and/or the grip material between the two.

That's interesting, Paul. I haven't yet had any issues on any body with peeling grips. This includes the E-1 Wreckdiver As you say, Paul, it could be the way I hold the camera. I tend to hold it with my fingertips or slung over my should or around my neck. Or hold the lens. I also have quite dry skin on my hands. My mid-90s Canon EOS-100 SLR body developed a sticky exudation from the rubberised surfaces.

Ian

[Gerry]

I often wonder about some of the cameras listed on MPB in Germany. For example at the moment there are 7 OM-1ii listed "as new" and each is going for €1,849.00 with the same description for each. Are they getting grey imports from somewhere and then putting them up as used?

They also have 7 E-M1ii going for €809.00 each and listed as excellent condition. There are no E-M1X on offer, but they have a bunch of PEN-Fs between €669.00 and €629.00.