Lens prices: There oughta be a law

bluesun267

bluesun267

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Can we here at RFF form some sort of price militia or enforcement group, preferably with the backing of the US Department of Homeland Security (any contacts there)?

I am feeling extremely triggered by what I'm seeing on E*prey. Like the lens thing has moved to a whole new heretofore unknown level of greed. It's cutting into my sense of well being at this point and I believe the whole art of photography to be under imminent threat.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115387506772?hash=item1adda1a054:g:0GQAAOSwxlxiaqod (Canon 85/1.5 for $24,800)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/115388479232?hash=item1addb07700:g:PuoAAOSwedtihUac (Cine-modded Canon 35/1.5 for $28,800)
 
I would have made an offer of $5 just to spite this seller, but I can't be bothered. Whenever I see one of these outrages I just think: "what a moron", and just move on. They should be totally ignored.
 
Another way to look at this is that we are getting poorer. That's actually the consequence of inflation and why it is so devastating -- unfortunately. (The government inflation indices do not reflect reality either - never have - actual prices do though).
 
They are just hoping to stumble on a really dumb rich person. Even years ago I’ve seen a Minolta 16II subminiature listed as a BIN for $199.00. I have bought 5 of them and never paid more than $15. One deal I chanced upon was $25 but included 6 film cartridges and several packs of AG-1 flashbulbs, so the camera was free. To see how much stuff is actually selling for do a search on completed sales. Asking prices are just that.
 
Well, if you don't ask, you don't get. Besides, asking prices aren't selling prices... it would be mildly interesting to come back and see what they actually sold for (although not interesting enough that I'm actually going to do it.)

In defense of the 85/1.5, it does seem to have really nice cosmetic finish on the barrel, and it's hard to keep these "panda" barrels looking nice -- both the chrome and the black sections mar very easily just from knocking around in a bag or case (although the fact that these lenses might be approaching 70 years of age could have something to do with it as well.) Going by the photos, I would say the one I own has better glass, but much more barrel wear than the one for sale. I don't know why barrel condition would be important if the lens is destined for a cinema remount, but one with a nice barrel is more rare and that might justify a higher price.

The 35/1.5 is already in a cinema barrel, and fabricating and fitting that barrel must have been an expensive project (although if it's routine to pay THAT much, it makes me wish I had paid more attention in shop class back at school!)

Meanwhile, it's possible that the trend of cinematographers seeking out exotic vintage lenses may be drawing to a close fairly soon. The other day on a cine site (which I can't find again offhand, sorry) I was reading a review that noted a small but growing school of thought: Instead of paying through the nose for a cranky old lens as a way of getting "bloom," flare, soft focus, or hue shift, it might make more sense to start with a high-performance modern lens and add front-of-lens or back-of-lens filters that have been designed to produce an exact amount of the desired "vintage" effect. The author said that several filter manufacturers are starting to offer calibrated sets of these filters, and noted that while they're not cheap ($500 for one filter in typical cinema sizes isn't unusual) it's more economical, more versatile, and more predictable than trying to track down a full set of the most in-demand exotic lenses. Hmmm...
 
bluesun267 said:
Can we here at RFF form some sort of price militia or enforcement group, preferably with the backing of the US Department of Homeland Security (any contacts there)?

I am feeling extremely triggered by what I'm seeing on E*prey. Like the lens thing has moved to a whole new heretofore unknown level of greed. It's cutting into my sense of well being at this point and I believe the whole art of photography to be under imminent threat.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115387506772?hash=item1adda1a054:g:0GQAAOSwxlxiaqod (Canon 85/1.5 for $24,800)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/115388479232?hash=item1addb07700:g:PuoAAOSwedtihUac (Cine-modded Canon 35/1.5 for $28,800)
Click to expand...

It is a free market, if you do not want it, do not buy it. If you think life is unfair, you are right. Welcome to the party. Photography will continue with you or without you. There is a large supply of good lenses at reasonable prices, Soviet lenses can be quite good. Many people have had good luck there. Older Japanese lenses are quite good, many better than their contemporary German lenses. There are excellent current lenses out of Japan, China and Korea. We are awash in good glass. What is happening in a small corner of the cinema world need not affect us at all unless we are watching a movie. Unless we want it to bother us. I just do not have the time. YMMV
 
David Murphy said:
Another way to look at this is that we are getting poorer. That's actually the consequence of inflation and why it is so devastating -- unfortunately. (The government inflation indices do not reflect reality either - never have - actual prices do though).
Click to expand...

no doubt.

as for this listing, anyone can put an asking price ‘or best offer.’ Great way to get other people to share your link, isn’t it?
😎

This is the same technique that Rockwell uses…write something controversial so people link to your page, he’s been laughing all the way to the bank for decades now.
 
the older canon cine glass is very expensive. 30k for that modified one is a little high, but it would sell immediately at $5k maybe even 10. panavision does this a lot and when i worked at rental houses that glass is not just rare, it's a one off. we made a few zeiss cine lenses from hassys for 70mm shows. if they came up for sale ever, which they won't, $30k is not unreasonable considering the cost of cine glass, such as leica summilux c, which goes for even more.
 
bluesun267 said:
Can we here at RFF form some sort of price militia or enforcement group, preferably with the backing of the US Department of Homeland Security (any contacts there)?

I am feeling extremely triggered by what I'm seeing on E*prey. Like the lens thing has moved to a whole new heretofore unknown level of greed. It's cutting into my sense of well being at this point and I believe the whole art of photography to be under imminent threat.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115387506772?hash=item1adda1a054:g:0GQAAOSwxlxiaqod (Canon 85/1.5 for $24,800)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/115388479232?hash=item1addb07700:g:PuoAAOSwedtihUac (Cine-modded Canon 35/1.5 for $28,800)
Click to expand...

Typical forum post about something stupid on eBay.

Sorry, you are looking for prices addressed to complete morons.
It has nothing to do with SOLD on ebay statistics.

Also gear has absolutely nothing to do "the whole art of photography".
 
Maybe seller is hoping for some Hollywood production studio to jump on this. A few thousand dollars are nothing considering the budget of mainstream movies. Everyone else would be out of his mind spending 20.000+ on this stuff.
 
Ko.Fe. said:
Also gear has absolutely nothing to do "the whole art of photography".
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Try practicing your art without any gear! No avoiding it; we have to make choices about equipment, and those choices are reflected in our art. And as our art evolves, so do our equipment choices. A pretty basic premise that we all sometimes seem to forget as we fall prey to the marketers.
 
Ever since Ebay allowed free re-listing of unsold items, there has been a disconnect between supply and demand on the effect of prices on the site. Because there is no incentive to sell/make money. People who're motivated to sell will lower the price until they find a buyer willing to pay. People who have no interest in selling will not. Ebay has become clogged with old farts who have no incentive to sell. Kind of the like the old farts who have 20 cars on cinder blocks in their yard, and think every one of them is worth 40K despite having a see-through floor from sitting in their yard for 20 years.

The fun part of these stories is these people die eventually and everything they thought was precious goes into an estate sale for a couple bucks or gets thrown in the trash.
 
bluesun267 said:
Can we here at RFF form some sort of price militia or enforcement group, preferably with the backing of the US Department of Homeland Security (any contacts there)?

I am feeling extremely triggered by what I'm seeing on E*prey. Like the lens thing has moved to a whole new heretofore unknown level of greed. It's cutting into my sense of well being at this point and I believe the whole art of photography to be under imminent threat.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/11538750677...QAAOSwxlxiaqod (Canon 85/1.5 for $24,800)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/11538847923...oAAOSwedtihUac (Cine-modded Canon 35/1.5 for $28,800)
Click to expand...

This looks like my Canon 85/1.5 lens that I sold Nathalie Lauer.
She is asking for ten times what she paid me for the lens.Oh well. There is no law against making some profits.
 
boojum said:
There are other 35mm f/1.5 LTM Canons for sale starting at USD6,499.99. Does anyone really think their photographs will be that much improved?
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It is about movie makers trying out a new look for their movies. Their budgets can absorb such costs.
 
In addition to rich people money laundering / investment diversification, I imagine that many of us out there have hoarded quite a bit of equipment that we are not actively using, thus further reducing supply and increasing prices.
 
The concept of tongue-in-cheek re; my original post seemed to have eluded Ko-fe and boojum (and maybe others).

For this I'm very sorry. And yes humbled.

The rest of the discussion is really interesting when it isn't full of mansplaining/admonishments, or downright insults.
 
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