The facts
Let’s take three lines of manual focus cameras which still have a very active second hand market today: the Leica R series, the Nikons FM & FE and their derivatives, and the Olympus OM-1 & OM-2 and their “single digit” descendants. Each line contains automatic exposure cameras (Leica R4, R5, R7; Nikon FE, FE2, FA; Olympus OM-2, OM2s, OM4, OM4t), and manual exposure cameras (Leica R6, R6.2; Nikon FM and FM2; Olympus OM-1 and OM-3).
For a given generation of camera, manual exposure models are almost always worth more than their automatic exposure siblings.
Average retail price of a camera in Excellent Condition (source: a reputable specialist of used photographic equipment)
| Brand | Manual Camera | Auto exposure Camera |
|---|---|---|
| Leica | R6.2: $ 999 | R7: $ 550 |
| Nikon | FM: $ 190 | FE: $ 170 |
| Nikon | FM2: $ 245 | FE2: $ 199 |
| Olympus | OM-1: $ 150 | OM-2: $ 190 |
| Olympus | OM-3: much more than $500 * | OM-4: $ 235 |
| Olympus | OM-3T: much more than $1,000 * | OM-4T or TI: $ 450 |
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