Photographer Finds $2,000 Leica Camera for $10 at Thrift Store

A very lucky photographer in northern Ontario recently made the thrift store find of a lifetime when he scored a functional Leica M3 Double Stroke in good condition for just over $10.

Brandon Simpson, who goes by Artistic_Doubt_2758 on Reddit, posted a couple of images in the Leica subreddit, detailing his incredible purchase.

“Walked into a thrift store I go to regularly and saw the lady working there stocking some new items on the shelf,” Brandon explains. “I grabbed what I thought was just another camera in a leather case, my heart dropped as soon as I saw the logo.”

Inside the brown Leica-branded leather case was a Leica M3. Single-stroke M3 models are available online for approximately $1,100, while double-stroke versions, such as the one Brandon found, cost upwards of $2,000 at KEH. They are even more expensive when purchased directly from Leica through Leica Classic. A Leica M3 DS is available now for over $4,600, although it is from a first production batch, which adds to its value. So, clearly, $10.49 is a complete steal

“You’re lying right? He’s lying, right? Guys can someone tell me he’s lying?” one Redditor replied in a top-rated comment.

“The thrift stores in my city have dirty socks, grandma’s china, and a weird smell,” another Leica subreddit commenter added.

“I’m sorry in advance for the rabid squirrel that’s going to land in your hoodie after falling 47 floors tomorrow. The universe [has] gotta balance,” someone else joked.

“I found the camera in Northern Ontario — I saw the leather camera case across the thrift store not thinking much until I got closer and saw the logo,” Brandon tells PetaPixel. “I knew I found something special immediately.”

“Photography has been a very big part of my life and has allowed me to meet many people over the years,” he continues. “The most memorable moments in my life a camera has been in my hand.”

Brandon tells PetaPixel that he plans to use the camera soon, and he’s confident the camera is fully functional.

“[It is] definitely my best and favorite thrift store find ever,” Brandon adds. “I will be chasing the feeling of finding it for a while!”

Brandon is not the first person to get an incredible deal on a Leica camera. In 2021, then 16-year-old Tyler B. in Michigan bought a Leica M outfit for just $15 from a church yard sale. In 2017, a Redditor, GreenteaBanana, bought a Leica M2 for only $5 at a Value Village, the same thrift store chain from which Brandon S. grabbed his Leica M3 just a few months ago.

Thrift stores may be mostly full of junk, but every so often, lucky customers with a good eye can find truly spectacular deals on cameras, much to the envy of photographers everywhere.

Image credits: Brandon Simpson (@brandonsimpsonofficial)