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More vintage stuff getting even more expensive
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 16, 2023 9:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
calvin83 wrote:
We can't become a good collector by taking photos. Similarly, we can't become a photographer from collecting lenses too. Wink


well, shapeau! for the comment


PostPosted: Sat Sep 16, 2023 3:33 pm    Post subject: Re: More vintage stuff getting even more expensive Reply with quote
Phalbert wrote:
I started getting extra MF gear when everybody (almost) switched to digital stuff I couldn't afford. I got a lot of good stuff for very cheap or even for free, but these times are obviously over. FF digital has come and with it a scramble for MF lenses. Now, that gear prices equal or even sometime exceed new stuff's.
Here is one - collectible I must admit - which struck me. (canon FD 55/1,2 Aspherical)
https://kamerastore.fi/en/products/canon-55mm-f1-2-s-s-c-aspherical-canon-fd
and
https://fotohandeldelfshaven.nl/product/canon-lens-fd-55mm-11-2-ssc-aspherical/
This one stuns:
https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.239511322840125.1073741868.162076460583612&type=3
I suppose I should stop looking...


Your first post on this topic from summer last year. Did you check the links recently, Phalbert? At least the first two are still available (I avoid fb so I didn´t check the last). Looks to me like it´s getting harder to make big money fast with collector lenses.


PostPosted: Sat Sep 16, 2023 4:23 pm    Post subject: Re: More vintage stuff getting even more expensive Reply with quote
ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
Phalbert wrote:

Here is one - collectible I must admit - which struck me. (canon FD 55/1,2 Aspherical)
https://kamerastore.fi/en/products/canon-55mm-f1-2-s-s-c-aspherical-canon-fd


At least the first two are still available ... Looks to me like it´s getting harder to make big money fast with collector lenses.


>3000.-- EUR/USD for a FD 1.2/55mm ASPH? Come on ... you're kidding me. The number of collectors willing to pay that much probably is quite limited.

Corona is over, and all the other opportunities to spend money are back Wink

S


PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 1:15 pm    Post subject: Re: More vintage stuff getting even more expensive Reply with quote
stevemark wrote:
ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
Phalbert wrote:

Here is one - collectible I must admit - which struck me. (canon FD 55/1,2 Aspherical)
https://kamerastore.fi/en/products/canon-55mm-f1-2-s-s-c-aspherical-canon-fd


At least the first two are still available ... Looks to me like it´s getting harder to make big money fast with collector lenses.


>3000.-- EUR/USD for a FD 1.2/55mm ASPH? Come on ... you're kidding me. The number of collectors willing to pay that much probably is quite limited.

Corona is over, and all the other opportunities to spend money are back Wink

S


That´s right Stefan, and it is likely a small satisfaction in it that those high priced items are getting harder to sell. So it might be that the rare and exclusive collector stuff, the dream lenses, sit for a long time until someone feels the itch is getting too much and coughs up the buck. But it´s still happening, occasionally.

The real rip-off happens with the less prominent items. Here, the inhibition threshold is probably less. You want a lens that used to go for 50 and now it´s 100, you still buy it and damn the additional 50, even if you know exactly what it was three years ago.

When I bought the Hexanon AR 21mm f/4 in late 2020, I remember exactly that the better and later 2.8 version was on sale for about EUR 1000,--
Now it´s considerably above EUR 2000,-- and ebay doesn´t find a single listing in Europe. So they still sell, I assume.

My f/4 version was for 240,-- and I found that harsh already. Meanwhile, it has almost doubled in price, too. And that´s one from the common stuff.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 1:39 pm    Post subject: Re: More vintage stuff getting even more expensive Reply with quote
ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:

The real rip-off happens with the less prominent items. Here, the inhibition threshold is probably less. You want a lens that used to go for 50 and now it´s 100, you still buy it and damn the additional 50, even if you know exactly what it was three years ago.

Strange ... I still see lots of interesting stuff, much more than I can possibly afford. But I guess as soon as you start looking for a certain lens, things pretty soon get expensive Wink!!

ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
When I bought the Hexanon AR 21mm f/4 in late 2020, I remember exactly that the better and later 2.8 version was on sale for about EUR 1000,--
Now it´s considerably above EUR 2000,-- and ebay doesn´t find a single listing in Europe. So they still sell, I assume.

OUCH ... I didn't know that. Actually I got my AR 2.8/21mm (well hidden in a lot of T3N plus other lenses) for CHF 150.-- around that time (2020??). In fact the AR 2.8/21mm looks very similar to the ubiquituous AR 3.5/28mm ... especially on low res images ... !

ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
My f/4 version was for 240,-- and I found that harsh already. Meanwhile, it has almost doubled in price, too. And that´s one from the common stuff.

Not that common I would say ... Here in Switzerland I have seen the earlier full metal version just a few times during the last ten years (the first time I saw it I bought it ... CHF 80.-- including some other Konica stuff). The later rubber grip version seems to be even rarer. The only time I found it I couldn't resist ... about CHF 130.-- a few months ago, and "like new"!

S


PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 2:13 pm    Post subject: Re: More vintage stuff getting even more expensive Reply with quote
stevemark wrote:
ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:

The real rip-off happens with the less prominent items. Here, the inhibition threshold is probably less. You want a lens that used to go for 50 and now it´s 100, you still buy it and damn the additional 50, even if you know exactly what it was three years ago.

Strange ... I still see lots of interesting stuff, much more than I can possibly afford. But I guess as soon as you start looking for a certain lens, things pretty soon get expensive Wink!!

ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
When I bought the Hexanon AR 21mm f/4 in late 2020, I remember exactly that the better and later 2.8 version was on sale for about EUR 1000,--
Now it´s considerably above EUR 2000,-- and ebay doesn´t find a single listing in Europe. So they still sell, I assume.

OUCH ... I didn't know that. Actually I got my AR 2.8/21mm (well hidden in a lot of T3N plus other lenses) for CHF 150.-- around that time (2020??). In fact the AR 2.8/21mm looks very similar to the ubiquituous AR 3.5/28mm ... especially on low res images ... !

ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
My f/4 version was for 240,-- and I found that harsh already. Meanwhile, it has almost doubled in price, too. And that´s one from the common stuff.

Not that common I would say ... Here in Switzerland I have seen the earlier full metal version just a few times during the last ten years (the first time I saw it I bought it ... CHF 80.-- including some other Konica stuff). The later rubber grip version seems to be even rarer. The only time I found it I couldn't resist ... about CHF 130.-- a few months ago, and "like new"!

S


You know, I always wondered how you do that. Mr. Green

So far, I haven´t found any place where I could get i.e. a Hex 21/2.8 for CHF 150,-- And I´m not like hunting for a specific lens which I want to have just right now and buying it in desperation. I usually buy cheap or reasonbly priced, sometimes just out of curiosity when it´s cheap. But the wish list... I just don´t see such bargains coming up. Neither on the notorious online places, nor in vintage photo shops or fairs. I´ve tried and searched quite a bit in my surrounding.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I was lucky enough to be able to buy the Olympus OM 21 f2 with the original lens hood for only 250 sfr in a camera store 6 years ago. They had gotten it in the purchase and I was there every day to get it before someone else bought it. And 7 years ago I found a Canon FD 50-300 f4.5 L for 100 sfr. at a flea market. I bought 3 weeks ago for 2000 sfr. sold. It's all a matter of luck. Sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're unlucky.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
After my first post about the sudden increase in price for Kowa SER mount lenses, I happened to search again and noticed another vendor with 5 lenses for sale for $4500 (!!!) each, and I also saw one with a sticky aperture reduced (?) to ~$3800. The weird thing is these are advertised next to SER cameras complete with lens going for ~$50, a somewhat more reasonable price.

Maybe some 'influencer' has done a video on them and now they're a hot item for cinematographers, who knows. It just seems completely unrelated to any special quality the lenses might have.

Part of this is maybe also bewilderment on my part. I see photographers making very good images with practically any lens, and am of the opinion that, perhaps except for ultra wide angles, cheap and readily available vintage lenses can easily make great art.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2023 9:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
5 years back got me that lens for 125e. just few tiny tiny scratches on the lens.

however it was ununsable till +f4-5.6 on aps-c.

sold it to a good friend, for 125e.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 1:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Alun Thomas wrote:
After my first post about the sudden increase in price for Kowa SER mount lenses, I happened to search again and noticed another vendor with 5 lenses for sale for $4500 (!!!) each, and I also saw one with a sticky aperture reduced (?) to ~$3800. The weird thing is these are advertised next to SER cameras complete with lens going for ~$50, a somewhat more reasonable price.

Maybe some 'influencer' has done a video on them and now they're a hot item for cinematographers, who knows. It just seems completely unrelated to any special quality the lenses might have.

Part of this is maybe also bewilderment on my part. I see photographers making very good images with practically any lens, and am of the opinion that, perhaps except for ultra wide angles, cheap and readily available vintage lenses can easily make great art.

Time to sell your copies. Wink


PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Alun Thomas wrote:
After my first post about the sudden increase in price for Kowa SER mount lenses, I happened to search again and noticed another vendor with 5 lenses for sale for $4500 (!!!) each, and I also saw one with a sticky aperture reduced (?) to ~$3800. The weird thing is these are advertised next to SER cameras complete with lens going for ~$50, a somewhat more reasonable price.

Maybe some 'influencer' has done a video on them and now they're a hot item for cinematographers, who knows. It just seems completely unrelated to any special quality the lenses might have.

Part of this is maybe also bewilderment on my part. I see photographers making very good images with practically any lens, and am of the opinion that, perhaps except for ultra wide angles, cheap and readily available vintage lenses can easily make great art.


He's just a grifter those lenses are still $50..Just because he s asking $4000 for any kowa lens dont mean anything.


PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2023 9:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
betfair39q wrote:

He's just a grifter those lenses are still $50..Just because he s asking $4000 for any kowa lens dont mean anything.


The seller won't get that price, and I think at some level they know that and are prepared not to. But, by putting a ridiculous price on it, other sellers will see it and raise their price to something slightly less ridiculous (but still very definitely ridiculous). Everybody looks and thinks that where there's smoke there must be fire. Eventually the overall price will rise to some extent. In this instance that has happened, with multiple sellers trying to get crazy prices for lenses in that range. The effect is self reinforcing. Eventually that even seeps into the minds of bidders, they will be happy if they get one for $100 instead of $50, and so the price doubles with everyone happy. When you pay over the odds for a slightly rare lens, that act in itself also raises the market value, even though it makes no real sense why that should be. One recent auction on Yahoo Japan for a 35mm Kowa SER lens finished at US$323, and a 100mm lens for US$901, so the effect seems to be (in a certain sense) real. (Of course those sales could have been to ebay resellers hoping to cash in).

As always on auctions sites, this is tempered slightly by sellers who aren't aware of the inflated prices and sell it for roughly what a comparable lens or camera might be worth. Probably, again, to persons hoping to make a quick profit.

Looking through the sale prices on ebay, the effort to inflate the price of Kowa SER lenses doesn't seem to be going as well in the US, most items sold were much less than $100, although a camera with 50 and 35mm lenses sold for $410, and a 28mm lens (actually reasonably rare) for $150.
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