eBay Vintage Cameras: Estimate Body and Lens Weight Before You List
Vintage camera shipping is a margin killer if you guess wrong. Here's a reference for common bodies, lenses, and combos — plus how to estimate before you buy at an estate sale.
Vintage camera resale is one of the better corners of eBay. Margins are healthy, the buyer pool is enthusiastic, and a well-photographed listing converts. The category killer is shipping, because nobody remembers how heavy these things are until they’re packing them.
A Nikon F2 with a 50mm lens weighs 1.2 kg. A Hasselblad 500C/M with back and lens weighs 1.6 kg. A Leica M6 with a Summicron weighs 870g. A Polaroid SX-70 weighs 540g. The shipping math on each is different, and getting it wrong costs $2-5 per shipment.
This is the reference for resellers and the field guide for estate sale sourcing — when you have 30 seconds to decide whether to spend $60 on a body that might weigh more than you think.
Why vintage cameras are weight-tricky
Three categories of camera each have different weight surprises:
SLRs (Single Lens Reflex) — heavier than they look. The mirror, prism, and metal body of a 1960s-1980s SLR mean a body alone is 500-900g, and that’s before you add a lens. The 35mm format SLR average is about 700g for body, 200-400g for a normal lens.
Rangefinders — usually lighter than SLRs but the metal-bodied brands (Leica, Contax, Canon Canonet) can surprise you. Modern mirrorless equivalents are 30-50% lighter for the same focal length.
Medium format — the silent budget killer. A Mamiya 7 with lens is 1.2 kg. A Pentax 67 with lens is 2.4 kg. A Hasselblad with back and lens is 1.6 kg. These ship as 3-4 lb packages, often Priority Mail because First Class only goes to 1 lb.
Polaroids and instant cameras — surprisingly heavy because of the roller mechanism and battery. A Polaroid 600 series is 600-700g empty, more with film loaded.
Lenses — the multiplier. A 50mm normal lens is 150-300g. A 35mm wide is 200-400g. A 135mm telephoto is 350-600g. A 70-200 zoom is 800g-1.2kg. Vintage zooms are heavier than modern zooms because they used more glass.
The reseller reference table
Body weights (no lens, no battery, no film):
| Camera | Body weight |
|---|---|
| Nikon F | 685 g |
| Nikon F2 | 730 g |
| Nikon FM2 | 540 g |
| Nikon FE | 590 g |
| Canon AE-1 | 590 g |
| Canon A-1 | 620 g |
| Canon F-1 | 720 g |
| Pentax K1000 | 525 g |
| Pentax MX | 495 g |
| Olympus OM-1 | 510 g |
| Olympus OM-2 | 520 g |
| Minolta SRT-101 | 700 g |
| Yashica FX-3 | 380 g |
| Leica M3 | 580 g |
| Leica M6 | 560 g |
| Leica M-A | 580 g |
| Contax G1 | 460 g |
| Canonet QL17 | 620 g |
| Mamiya 7 (body only) | 920 g |
| Pentax 67 (body only) | 1,400 g |
| Hasselblad 500C/M (body only) | 600 g |
| Polaroid SX-70 | 540 g |
| Polaroid 600 series | 650 g |
| Holga 120N | 200 g |
| Lomo LC-A | 240 g |
| Fuji Instax Mini 8 | 305 g |
| Disposable 35mm | 90-120 g |
Common lens weights (35mm format):
| Lens | Weight |
|---|---|
| Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AIS | 155 g |
| Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AIS | 230 g |
| Nikon 35mm f/2 AIS | 240 g |
| Nikon 28mm f/2.8 AIS | 250 g |
| Nikon 105mm f/2.5 AIS | 435 g |
| Nikon 35-70mm zoom | 410 g |
| Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 | 235 g |
| Canon FD 35mm f/2 | 245 g |
| Canon FD 100mm f/2.8 | 320 g |
| Pentax SMC 50mm f/1.4 | 235 g |
| Olympus 50mm f/1.4 | 230 g |
| Leica Summicron 50mm | 195 g |
| Leica Summicron 35mm | 255 g |
| Leica Elmarit 90mm | 290 g |
For medium format lenses, add 200-400g over the 35mm equivalent. A Mamiya 7 80mm is 600g. A Hasselblad 80mm Planar is 470g. A Pentax 67 105mm is 600g.
The body + lens combo math
Most listings ship body + lens together. Quick combos:
| Combo | Total weight |
|---|---|
| Nikon F2 + 50mm f/1.4 | 960 g |
| Nikon FM2 + 50mm f/1.4 | 770 g |
| Canon AE-1 + 50mm f/1.4 | 825 g |
| Pentax K1000 + 50mm f/2 | 700 g |
| Olympus OM-1 + 50mm f/1.4 | 740 g |
| Leica M6 + Summicron 50mm | 755 g |
| Mamiya 7 + 80mm | 1,520 g |
| Pentax 67 + 105mm | 2,000 g |
| Hasselblad 500C/M + back + 80mm | 1,440 g |
Add ~100-150g for packaging (bubble wrap + box) for any body. Add 30g for a body cap, 30g for a rear lens cap, 50g for a strap if shipping included.
The shipping math by combo
For US domestic, USPS Priority Mail rates roughly:
- Body alone (700g + 150g packaging = 850g): 1 lb tier, ~$8-10 to most zones
- Body + 50mm lens (1.0kg + 150g = 1.15kg): rounds up to 3 lb in most brackets, ~$10-14
- Body + zoom (1.4kg + 150g = 1.55kg): 4 lb tier, ~$12-18
- Medium format combo (1.6-2.5kg + 200g = 1.8-2.7kg): 4-6 lb tier, $15-25
International shipping can double or triple these numbers and is usually where vintage camera resellers make or lose the listing.
For more on USPS dimensional weight (which matters for the larger medium-format boxes), see USPS Dimensional Weight Explained.
The estate sale field test
You’re at an estate sale. Camera in a glass case. Seller wants $80. You know the model is worth $200-350 retail. The hidden cost is shipping if you sell on eBay.
The 30-second decision tree:
- Identify the model. Is it on the table above?
- If yes, estimate weight from memory. If no, photograph and estimate.
- Add the lens (if attached) — usually 200-400g.
- Add 150g for packaging.
- The shipping cost at 4 lb to a typical US zone is ~$12. International is ~$30-40.
- Subtract shipping from your retail estimate. If the margin still makes sense, buy.
A Nikon FM2 + 50mm at $80 sells for ~$300 on eBay. Total weight ~770g
- 150g packaging = 920g, ships at 2 lb tier for ~$10 domestic. Margin after eBay fees and shipping: ~$200 on a $80 buy. Solid.
A Pentax 67 body (no lens) at $200 sells for $600-800. Body alone is 1.4kg, ships at 4 lb for ~$15. Margin: ~$300 after fees. Also solid, but the body is bigger so DIM weight kicks in if your box is large.
A Leica M3 at $400 sells for $1,200-1,800. Body alone is 580g, ships at 1 lb for ~$8. Margin: $700+. Best ratio of the three.
The phone camera angle
You can buy a postal scale for $15. If you ship daily, do that. The camera method earns its keep at estate sales when you’re standing in front of an unfamiliar camera and don’t know what it weighs.
Photograph the camera (with lens if attached) on the seller’s table. Get an estimate. Add 150g packaging in your head. Multiply by your shipping math for the relevant zone. Decide whether to buy.
Scale for Grams will get you within 100-200g on most cameras. That’s enough to make the buy/skip decision when you’re sourcing in the field. For listings that need precise label weights, you’ll weigh on a real scale at home before printing the label.
For the actual listing-to-shipment workflow, see Mercari Shipping Label Math Without a Scale — the same logic applies to eBay’s USPS-based labels. If you also flip vintage clothing alongside cameras, see Depop Vintage Clothing: Estimate Weight for Listing.
The takeaway
Vintage camera resale rewards specific knowledge. Knowing what a Mamiya 7 weighs, knowing what a Pentax 67 weighs with a 105mm — that’s the difference between a 25% margin and a 5% margin on the same buy.
The camera is the obvious thing. The shipping is the hidden thing. The sourcing decision happens before either, and weight estimation is the sourcing decision tool.
Need to weigh something now?
Scale for Grams turns your iPhone camera into a pocket scale. Free to download.
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