msbel
Member
I know this will be painful.
Going through my craigslist seller's history the other day (I should have know better), came across Leica lenses I sold in 2008 and 2009. I had blocked these out of my memory until now...
1 - Sold a mint 35/2 Chrome Cron ASPH for $1440 in 2008.
2 - THIS ONE HURTS - Sold a mint Nocti 1.0 for $3895 in 2009 that I had picked up used for the same price a year prior.
On the Nocti, I remember sitting at the table with buyer in Starbucks while he was flipping c-notes down, and going WTF am I doing?
Answer - I was in the grips of major GAS, dropping $4k+ on a 6008 Rollei MF system with the S-K APO Symmar and the rest. I used it twice.
Lesson learned? - Don't sell Leica glass I even remotely think I would use again, sell my car instead, and be grateful for what I do have, which is good..
Tell me your own if you dare..:bang:
Going through my craigslist seller's history the other day (I should have know better), came across Leica lenses I sold in 2008 and 2009. I had blocked these out of my memory until now...
1 - Sold a mint 35/2 Chrome Cron ASPH for $1440 in 2008.
2 - THIS ONE HURTS - Sold a mint Nocti 1.0 for $3895 in 2009 that I had picked up used for the same price a year prior.
On the Nocti, I remember sitting at the table with buyer in Starbucks while he was flipping c-notes down, and going WTF am I doing?
Answer - I was in the grips of major GAS, dropping $4k+ on a 6008 Rollei MF system with the S-K APO Symmar and the rest. I used it twice.
Lesson learned? - Don't sell Leica glass I even remotely think I would use again, sell my car instead, and be grateful for what I do have, which is good..
Tell me your own if you dare..:bang:
kanzlr
Hexaneur
Sold my voigtländer 90, 180 and 75 cheapish along with my D200. Two years before the stopped production and gained cult status. I bit myself when I came back to Nikon with a D700 
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Traded away a clean good-to-go 50 Rigid V1 that I somehow stumbled onto at B&H for only $499.00. This lens was somehow wrongly priced because it seemed to have just been CLA'ed, had no haze and was graded at only a 7 out of ten, but was really an 8+ or 9. Very rare to find one that didn't have any cleaning marks. Really miss that it had the distance scale marked in feet only. Wish all my lenses had the distance scale in feet only.
Cal
Cal
kshapero
South Florida Man
Alas too many to mention. But especially miss the Nokton 35/1.2.
finguanzo
Well-known
Id say every Leica lens Ive ever sold before 2011.. Everything when up right after I sold them, I think maybe I was the one that caused the price hikes........
35 summicron v.4, bought and sold for peanuts compared to now, 50 summicron, 75, etc. etc. etc...
Although Ive never lost money on any of them, always sold for at least the same price I paid for them, so I cant complain.......
I just got an M7, proably will sell my M6, so that means that M6 ttl's are probably going to go up in value soon...
35 summicron v.4, bought and sold for peanuts compared to now, 50 summicron, 75, etc. etc. etc...
Although Ive never lost money on any of them, always sold for at least the same price I paid for them, so I cant complain.......
I just got an M7, proably will sell my M6, so that means that M6 ttl's are probably going to go up in value soon...
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Remorse, no. But certainly ...
In 2002, it was unclear a) whether Leica would survive at all, and b) whether it was even possible to make a digital sensor that would work properly with lenses intended for a film RF camera such that the qualities that those lenses were wonderful for would be evident. As a result, wanting to learn and do more in digital capture, I sold and traded off my entire Leica M kit (five Leica lenses, 24, 35, 50, 75, and 90 mm) for other equipment.
I could not afford to buy back the lenses I had then as used equipment now ... ALL the prices are way off the charts. On the other hand, I put a lot of time in on digital capture equipment that was very high quality, learned an awful lot, and produced a great number of photos that satisfied both me and clients who bought or licensed them. I learned a great deal about image processing and printing in the inkjet printer world as well.
So I do not have any remorse for what I did, although I sure would like those same lenses back. Luckily, the selection of new Voigtländer lenses and used Leica lenses I've acquired in the past two years are performing on par with my old kit using both film and digital M bodies, and were far more affordable than replacing the old ones lens for lens would have been.
In 2002, it was unclear a) whether Leica would survive at all, and b) whether it was even possible to make a digital sensor that would work properly with lenses intended for a film RF camera such that the qualities that those lenses were wonderful for would be evident. As a result, wanting to learn and do more in digital capture, I sold and traded off my entire Leica M kit (five Leica lenses, 24, 35, 50, 75, and 90 mm) for other equipment.
I could not afford to buy back the lenses I had then as used equipment now ... ALL the prices are way off the charts. On the other hand, I put a lot of time in on digital capture equipment that was very high quality, learned an awful lot, and produced a great number of photos that satisfied both me and clients who bought or licensed them. I learned a great deal about image processing and printing in the inkjet printer world as well.
So I do not have any remorse for what I did, although I sure would like those same lenses back. Luckily, the selection of new Voigtländer lenses and used Leica lenses I've acquired in the past two years are performing on par with my old kit using both film and digital M bodies, and were far more affordable than replacing the old ones lens for lens would have been.
msbel
Member
Id say every Leica lens Ive ever sold before 2011.. Everything when up right after I sold them, I think maybe I was the one that caused the price hikes........
35 summicron v.4, bought and sold for peanuts compared to now, 50 summicron, 75, etc. etc. etc...
Although Ive never lost money on any of them, always sold for at least the same price I paid for them, so I cant complain.......
I just got an M7, proably will sell my M6, so that means that M6 ttl's are probably going to go up in value soon...
Great laugh on that...feel the same...I think the Leica elf waits and sees us post lenses, and then immediately calls Solms and says halt production for a year, then start again and double the price.
Vickko
Veteran
Too depressing to think about. But, been there, done that.
And not just Leica glass, but LF glass, Fuji cameras, ... the list can go on and on.
And not just Leica glass, but LF glass, Fuji cameras, ... the list can go on and on.
back alley
IMAGES
in hindsight...i should have kept all the zm lenses that i had...not to replace my current kit but to supplement it.
sometimes trying to maintain a simple kit is just dumb!
sometimes trying to maintain a simple kit is just dumb!
Messsucherkamera
Established
Same here. Sold my Nokton 35/1.2 v.1 - regretted it after about 6 months.
I'm thinking about replacing it with the new & improved version.
Lesson learned.
yossarian123
Sam I Am
Same here. Sold my Nokton 35/1.2 v.1 - regretted it after about 6 months.
I'm thinking about replacing it with the new & improved version.
Lesson learned.
I just bought one yesterday, glad to hear that it's a well loved lens.
I kick myself any time I sell Leica glass. Damn short sighted GAS.
JChrome
Street Worker
Sold my Pentax 67 with a great meter, wooden handle, 45mm, 105mm and 200mm lenses. Everything in great condition... For $500... Ugh... Such a stupid move!
mfunnell
Shaken, so blurred
My simple solution: don't sell lenses. Ever. I know I'll be sorry so I just don't do it. I don't think quite the same way about cameras.
...Mike
...Mike
filmfan
Well-known
I have sold 3 Hexar AFs before the one I have now. It's like selling children.
Gary E
Well-known
I have done a similar sale but with an almost mint 35/2 black Cron ASPH at about the same price if not a little less than yours
I replaced it with a 35/2 IV for less money, but part of me says it was better to have kept it for the choice alone
This is the reason I have still kept my 2 cam Elmart-R's, to avoid seller's remorse.
pete hogan
Well-known
This summer I traded a mint 50 DR 'cron owned 10 yrs for a very good IIf and some accessories, but no lens, with a dealer I knew well. Wasn't after the best price, wanted a satisfactory trade in the direction of my future shooting. I rarely used the DR in it's nice condition. When I bought it I had the choice of a good user DR with some marks, and that's what I should have bought, now with 10 years' perspective. It's best for me to buy or trade for good user equipment generally, ignoring mint, and to use it.
For me it seems best to try for a good camera and then take most any decent lens. FSU lenses from a reputable source also fit that approach well. Barnack will be my direction.
That's a report, certainly not a recommendation for anyone else.
For me it seems best to try for a good camera and then take most any decent lens. FSU lenses from a reputable source also fit that approach well. Barnack will be my direction.
That's a report, certainly not a recommendation for anyone else.
crispy12
Well-known
I sold a CV 50/1.5 about 8 months ago and went through a range of other 50mm lenses, mainly older glass as I could not afford new-ish Leica glass. I gave up, really missed the quality and speed of the CV so bought another one eventually!
G.A.S. always goes full circle!
G.A.S. always goes full circle!
twhittle
Established
In a charity shop in England I found a Contax G1 with the 90 and the 45 and a ttl flash for £10.
I swapped it for a Nikon F3 with 50/ 1.8 and 28/ 3.5 as I wanted something with manual focus.
I have been kicking myself ever since!
I swapped it for a Nikon F3 with 50/ 1.8 and 28/ 3.5 as I wanted something with manual focus.
I have been kicking myself ever since!
x-ray
Veteran
I bought a used 50 f1.2 noctilux in the early 70's and used it a few years and decided it wasn't that good compared to the Summicron. Anyway I swapped it at my dealer for several things. I don't miss the lens but have you seen the price now?
Six or seven years ago I won the 2nd prize in the LHS drawing an won the MP hammertone with Leicavit and retro 35 summicron asph. I made many great documentary images with it and decided to sell it to help fund a new Hasselblad digital back. No regrets with the back but I did have a silly emotional attachment to the MP.
Actually I think it's a good thing to force ones self to part with some of these things and not get emotional about a hunk of metal and glass. Im selling off more gear now and it painful but not because of selling. It painful because I realize when I retire in two years and move across the country I won't have a darkroom most likely. The pain is about parting with film after five decades of shooting. I've decided to keep thee kits with much fewer lenses, LF4x5, MF my Hasselblad that also does double duty with a digital back and one or two M cameras. I just can't stop shooting B&W. I decided I can process film in my kitchen and scan on my Imacon. I feel better now.
Six or seven years ago I won the 2nd prize in the LHS drawing an won the MP hammertone with Leicavit and retro 35 summicron asph. I made many great documentary images with it and decided to sell it to help fund a new Hasselblad digital back. No regrets with the back but I did have a silly emotional attachment to the MP.
Actually I think it's a good thing to force ones self to part with some of these things and not get emotional about a hunk of metal and glass. Im selling off more gear now and it painful but not because of selling. It painful because I realize when I retire in two years and move across the country I won't have a darkroom most likely. The pain is about parting with film after five decades of shooting. I've decided to keep thee kits with much fewer lenses, LF4x5, MF my Hasselblad that also does double duty with a digital back and one or two M cameras. I just can't stop shooting B&W. I decided I can process film in my kitchen and scan on my Imacon. I feel better now.
Timmyjoe
Veteran
Much to my wife's chagrin I've never sold a Leica lens. Will probably be putting up a iiif for sale and possibly an M6TTL, but ever since my days working as a cinematographer I've developed this insane habit of never parting with glass.
Did sell a Canon F-1n in 1996 that I would love to have back now. Otherwise, if I'm not using it, and don't see a future use for it, it's gone.
Best,
-Tim
Did sell a Canon F-1n in 1996 that I would love to have back now. Otherwise, if I'm not using it, and don't see a future use for it, it's gone.
Best,
-Tim