What lens do you most regret selling?

[james]

Always seems like a good idea at the time but time brings stupidity into sharp focus.

My greatest regret was selling a CV 2,5/125 Makro APO SL I in Nikon mount.

Special lens I should not have let go.

[cooltouch]

That was a sweet lens you let go. I think I'd also have rather deep regrets if it had been mine.

There have actually been two lenses I regret selling. I owned both when I was a camera dealer and they were inventory, but I still wish I would have kept them.

1. Nikon AIs 200-400mm f/4 ED zoom. A giant push-pull zoom with a 95mm front filter diameter. An amazingly sharp lens that still sells for a LOT of money. Only drawback to it was it was HEAVY!


2. Tamron 63B SP 180mm f/2.5 LD IF. Sharper even than Nikon's legendary AIs 180mm f/2.8 ED. Only 3,000 were made, so it's pretty rare and as a result, expensive whenever one shows up for sale.

[Oldhand]

There were only ever two.
Both were Auto Revuenons.
One was probably of Tomioka lineage, the other was anyone's guess.
However I did relent later and bought a second copy of each.
Both 55mm lenses - 55/1.4 and 55/1.7
Tom


#1


#2

[Lightshow]

Why would you let one go???

[james]

BUT......on the upside, the proceeds did pay for ~40% of a pristine, demo 50 M APO Summicron. Not for something stupid like food or rent.

A reasonable consolation. Never (ever) selling that one.

[jamaeolus]

Zeiss loxia 21mm 2.8. Reluctantly sold to free up cash for an AF (zeiss 16-35mm f4) to use my a7ii in an underwater housing. Dive trip was disappointing as there was significant bleaching in the reef we went to. I only got a few good photos. When finances get better I WILL replace it. Just a fantastic ultrawide. The 16-35 f4 AF zeiss is a very very good lens though.

[Gardener]

I've parted with some very nice glass over the years, some of it not easily or cheaply replaceable, and passed on even more nice glass, but it does not keep me awake at night.

[tromboads]

Oh it keeps me awake at night!

Nah! but in spirit of the thread; my Super Tak 24mm f3.5.

I'm not even sure why I sold it? Was a I poor? Maybe.

A close tie for second is the;

-Pentacon 50mm f2.8
-Zeiss Tessar 50mm f2.8

Both were just lovely. The Pentacon was a little easier to use (The Zeiss just needed a clean)

And third;

-Mir 1b, 37mm f2.8
-Jupiter 9, 85mm f2
-Jupiter 37A, 135mm f3.5

I list those three because it was always fun playing Russian dress up and just using those on a day out. They just smelt different amongst being fun to use. I hardly used the Jupiter 9 (wasn't into portraits and used it like a short telephoto at night time) But now, well now I miss them

[Oldhand]

[Lloydy]

My lens "I should never have sold" is a dirt cheap, fairly common Petri 55 f1.8, it was wonderful and I used it a lot. But, it came with a camera and they were in mint condition, and someone wanted the camera - but only with the lens. So I sold it, at a decent profit. I shall get another.


I liked this Noritar 17 f4 as well, but that paid for my Sony A6000

[alex ph]

Tom, why did you sell the Revuenons? They do not seem to have the same value as branded collectible items, being more on the side of working horses. I hardly imagine a big profit that might be got with them. Were you just trying to reduce a bit too long list of the 50s being in your possession? Did you have real success, and is your list shorter now?

[Oldhand]

[tromboads]

I agree OldHand.

I find the 55's 58's etc more appealing then a "50mm" Ah the curse of liking odd things I suppose.

(hugs the '71 Reno 12 in the driveway)

[Oldhand]

[tb_a]

I didn't sell any lens up to now. Therefore no regrets.

[kds315*]

[vivaldibow]

[kypfer]

My first slr was a Zenit 3m, 1969, 39mm screw-mount. For that camera I had the 50mm Industar-50 "kit lens" which went with the camera when sold, but has since been replaced, but what I haven't been able to find at a reasonable price was the Lithagon wide-angle lens. I'm not even sure exactly what the focal length was, but I seem to remember it was either a 24mm or a 28mm ... that's the lens I regret selling!

[Big R]

I sold quite some lenses but what I regret selling most is an Minolta MD 75-150 f4 in excellent condition. Best telezoom I ever had.

[Slalom]

None yet, I disposed one way or another the APS-C lenses when I went full frame. After some time on Sony decided the Canon L lenses could go ( now have a TS-E 17). Now eliminating the Canon Ef lenses I acquired just after the full frame move. These are all AF, most of the MF lenses have some unique ability or character. Looking at some new wide lenses for the Sony A7.

[Ray Parkhurst]

I bought a 95mm Printing Nikkor for a good price on eBay, and used it for a while to help improve my skills and technique, but never found a particular need for its either 1/2x or 2x optimum magnification. I ended up trading it for a custom-made stacking rig, which was a very good move at the time...needed the rig, but didn't need the lens. However, it nagged at me since it is a hard and expensive lens to replace. When another came up for a good price again, I snagged it! Turns out the new one was a newer model, and performed even better than the first, but I still had no particular need, just a desire to eliminate that nagging feeling, which I know from experience usually means that I'll need it in the future. Lo and behold, a year or two later I started doing Stack and Stitch, and suddenly getting the very best performance at 2x was important to me. Luckily, the 95PN is the very best out there for 2x, and I had an excellent copy of it! I don't think the first one I sold would have done as well, so this is a story of need, regret, and compulsion driving toward a favorable result, the moral of which is "don't worry about selling that lens...now you have opportunity to get a better copy to replace it". Here's an example of what the 95PN can do with SnS:

https://easyzoom.com/image/127189/album/0/4?mode=manage

[stevemark]

Minolta AF 2/100mm.

* Bought it in 2003 for a mere CHF 190.-- (one year before the arrival of the first real Minolta DSLR),
* then it was stolen in 2009,
* I bought it again (in Hongkong, for CHF 1000.--, well, it was a few months after the introduction of the Sony A900)
* then i sold it in 2013 for CHF 650.-- (because I thought the Af 1.4/85 and the AF 2.8/100mm would be sufficient)
* then i did regret it for a few years
* and finally i found another one last year ... for CHF 120.--.

Extremely sharp over the entire 24 MP FF at f2.8.
At f2.0 it has a much better resolution / contrast then the Nikkor AiS 1.8/105mm wide open.

Stephan

[RichA]

[papasito]

MC Rokkor 58/1,2

SUMMICRON M 50/1,4

SUMMICRON M 35/2

SKOPAGON 40/2 (a real dream)

I want all of them with me again.

[kds315*]

Most? These:

Luminar set of 4 last series
Nikon 2.8/6mm fisheye
CZJ 5.6/1000mm Mirotar
CV Apo Lanthar 125mm (but bought one again)
2nd 41mm Quartz Fluorite lens from Mars mission I had