Moldy Canon 50 1.5 - worth buying?

[flip]

Ever since passing on one or two in the past year, they have been hard to find for me. The local shop has one for sale with an ivsb for about $US475. However, the lense has a large - 1.5 cm blotch in the middle of an inner element near the rear - looks like someone let milky water dry in a little puddle. I've been passing on this for some time. It's an uncoated lens, right? So, how bad can the damage be? How hard to clean an old serenar? No experience here.

 

[LeicaTom]

Canon f1.5 lens is a COATED lens......the IVSB & f1.5 is WAY TOO EXPENSIVE at $475 if the gear has issues!!!!!

If it`s got haze damage/problems the lens is salvagable, but needs CLA (that`s at least $100) and there`s no telling how bad the damage is, the combo sounds like it should be $225 instead of $475.
(the camera more than likely also has issues, the combo would be a great shooting team, but the repair costs for camera/lens would be at least $200 from the start and that`s just guessing)

When you buy anything old you have to figure in the repair costs when you are buying, if gear is mint and CLA`d then you pay more right from the start, but if gear is just old/original, used and badly stored (sounds like this one was) then you have to figure in the repair costs, I do this on ALL cameras, even the rarer collectable ones, if it`s broken I offer/pay less, if a lens is messsed up I offer/pay less) I always have to figure out total value of a camera before I buy, I`m not getting stuck sinking more $$$$ into something than it`s worth.

If they won`t deal with you walk away from this one, (it will be there two years from now at that price) better to save your money and find a minty lens for $450/$500 😀

Tom

 

[flip]

Thanks, Tom. Good to know my instincts were largely ok. ;-) FWIW/ the camera was in fine shape - but not wanting an ivsb I'd likely have flipped it. Oh well. Patience....

 

[LeicaTom]

Thanks, Tom. Good to know my instincts were largely ok. ;-) FWIW/ the camera was in fine shape - but not wanting an ivsb I'd likely have flipped it. Oh well. Patience....

Well, turning Canon "knob tops" right now isn`t a good time, the cameras are bringing nothing on the market, I bet I couldn`t sell a extermely rare IIF2 FOR MORE THAN $300! ~ Terrible market now. 🙁

It`s always a RISK buying lenses that are hazy/cleaning marks etc. But most milky haze is cleanable, it`s when fungus and separation start working, then there`s BIG trouble. 😱

The f1.5/50 Canon is a uncommon lens, I didn`t quite say rare, but it`s boarderline, I think that MOST of them all went to US FORCES who bought up early examples at the Tokyo PX. and others went to the states in export, I think it`s a pretty hard lens in Japan to find (I saw your avatar).

I know Kevin had one, recently near mint for I think $475? It`s must surely GONE by now, but I`ve bought one from him before together with a hood and it was of the best quality possible. 😀 (I paid for the perfection, but I also got what I had invested in it when I sold it plus about $125 on top of the original price) ~ *It was a very rare <EP> version on a 1955 IIF2 w/ rapid winder the camera with the original rare winder case, went to a museum*

His prices are very high and sometimes TWICE the range of what the items worth, but the f1.5 is a CULT LENS, and it`s status really won`t change, there`s been up`s and downs in the market for them ~ one year ago NO ONE WANTED THEM, and I saw clean examples sell for $325, NOW it`s just an UP PHASE, with time, it will come down to the $300 range, best is to buy from private, the net`s always a BAD PLACE to buy CULT PHOTOGRAPHY items....

Just be patient, yours is out there someplace, look on Canon VT`s that`s where I scored mine, on a 1956 VT body, (IN CALIFORNIA) like new in the case for $350! (TWO YEARS AGO!)

Tom

 

[bennyng]

I have had a few lenses labeled as lemons with mucked up rear elements. When I tried it on the R-D1, the pictures actually came out fine. Virtually no difference from a nice minty one. But it's always nice to get a minty one.

But an opaque blotch of 1.5cm will surely affect the final image. I won't buy one.

Cheers,

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I just sold a user condition Canon IVSB with a very sharp 1955 J-8 5cm f2 for $100.

Pass on the camera and lens. The Lens has a 50/50 chance of having permanent damage that will effect use. Sometimes it cleans off, other times is damages the coating, glass, and balsam used to hold the rear group together. I've been lucky before, others not so lucky.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Oil on the blades is fairly common with old lenses. The problem with the Canon 50/1.5 seems to be the particular oil used, and that it easily gets on the surface behind the blades. If the glass is clean, it is well worth having the oil cleaned out. This is an expensive lens, and I would contact DAG for doing it.

With that stated, the optics module is held in by a retaining ring. The rear group comes out quickly, allowing access to the blades. You can use Ronsonol to flood clean the blades and swab up the residue. I do this for my J-3's and Sonnar's, as I know how to get all of the glass out.

I am thinking that a recently CLA'd Canon 50/1.5 will go for more than $400.

 

[FallisPhoto]

Milky/hazy lenses are not a big deal, as long there isn't any fungus or speration. I would have strong issues with the price though.