Takumar Collection (41 lenses) - Potential sale

[dragom]

Hi,

I'm facing a tough decision... so please help me to decide. I've been collecting Pentax Takumar lenses and some cameras since 8 years ago. Don't know why I started, really... as I'm a Canon user, but I just like the feel and touch of these lenses and they still produce magnificent photos.

Right now I'm hesitating in continuing the collection or stop and sell everything. It's becoming harder and harder to acquire lenses in eBay as prices are just insane, and locally these lens are very scarce and low offer (I leave in Portugal). My main photograph interest are Bird Photography and I'm needing the money I can put in Takumar lenses, to buy long lenses (600mm and 800mm). Keeping them in shape is also taking time and storage space. But they are just so beautiful and give pleasure using them.... I just don't know what to do. either continue, or sell everything and keep a few CZ I also have to continue using as manual lenses.

So, please help me, what would you do?

I'm posting the list here, so if anyone has the will to start or grow their collection and is interested in buying all of them, I'll consider a fair offer. I'm not interested in selling individual lenses for now.

[Attila]

To buy all lens in bulk, chance is near zero and if anybody do price will be very low for sure and bring also more hassle than benefit , postage , bulk is heavy, have to pay large amount of money to a stranger I doubt it will work.

If you wish to sell all and not just finest pieces , make small batches like a sought after piece and 2 not wanted item.
It will works and all lenses will gone , but count people not really pay more for bulk than one wanted lens...

Have you ever try 600-800mm lens , really need? How about a higher resolution camera 20mp+ and crop from a 400-500mm lens picture? My less expensive and better, my friend did bird photography to many years paid by National Geographic he did use 300mm lens and rather built friendship with birds than use longer lenses.

[dragom]

Thanks Attila. I'm only considering an offer for all, right now, because as I'm having trouble deciding what to do, I don't want to start selling individual lenses and later find out that I want to continue the collection. If I sell everything at once will be different.

Regarding the long lenses, yes and yes.

I currently use a 400mm with a 7D (18Mp) and it's barely enough most of the time. Small birds are really very small in frame, and also eagles and vultures tend to be always 200m away.

[David]

I agree with Attila. If you elect to sell them all as a single lot, you will get a LOT less money for them than if you sold them individually. The fastest way to sell them is to listen them all simultaneously as separate lots on eBay or a similar site. I start all my auctions at $1 and let the market decide the price. ALL of them will sell, and most for higher values than if you started them all at, say, $50. Plus, they'll all end at once, so it will be similar to selling them to a single buyer.

I would guess that dogmatically selling them all as a single lot will yield less than half the total sale price of selling them individually.

[dropmyload]

Gosh I want those fish eyes!

Good luck with this sale...

[dfujevec]

Nice stuff! If you are open in single or few lens offer I would be interested in few lenses.

[visualopsins]

Selling points of a set of lenses is 1) buyer saves a lot of time and effort assembling similar set, 2) saves buyer lots of money on separate shipping, and 3) buyer gets an instant collection. Given that, and enough time (30-day BIN auctions), I think selling a set of lenses can bring in nearly as much as selling separately.

This dilemma I have too!

I did reduce collection to S-M-C & SMC versions, plus a few Super versions with different optics.

I will keep S-M-C, SMC:

fast -- 35/2, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 135/2.5
portrait -- 105/2.8, 120/2.8
wide -- 17/4, 20/4.5, 24/3.5, 28/3.5
tele -- 150/4, 200/4
macro -- 50/4 (1:1), 100/4, 100/4 bellows

and sell these:

35/3.5, 55/1.8, 135/3.5 -- a nice set to sell together
300/4, 400/5.6, 500/4.5 -- (I might keep the 500/4.5!)

I will try selling the 35/3.5, 55/1.8, 135/3.5 as a set. First a 7-day BIN auction. If no sell, move to 30-day BIN auction. Separate sales after month or two...

[kds315*]

The old rule "buy in bulk, sell in parts" is still very valid and I have profited from that quite often.
Lazyness doesn't pay off but you'll always be able to comment on a single sale what else you have to
offer and that you'll be willing to sell it at a premium to a collector who "wants it all"

[ylyad]

I'd double Attila's comment by advising on the latest Olympus micro-4/3 bodies (OM-D and E-PL5) that have a great sensor with a 2x crop factor. Or even consider the new Nikon J2 that seems to also have a great sensor with an even higher magnification (2.8x if I'm correct)

[OrcaH4H]

Hi.

I could be intereseted in buying the whole kit for our shop. Pop me an message with what you want for it shipped to Finland.

Juho

[dragom]

Hi guys,

An update: I've decided to not sell my collection for now and will continue to grow it slowly.

I've been able to acquire a used Canon EF 600mm/4 which solves my requirements in bird photography.

I will anyway sell several items shortly, to avoid the tentation to continue more "collections" and free some money.
So, several cameras and lenses (Canon FD, russian, Pentax PK, etc) will be looking for new, good care taken, owners.

Thanks for your inputs.