No Luck Buying Used 15mm Heliar

[dazedgonebye]

I regret selling my cv15mm and I’m looking to buy another, but I’m not having much success. The last couple of lenses I’ve seen have come attached to Bessa Ls for about $400. I really don’t need a Bessa L and I hate to spend extra for that body.
I guess I could buy the combo and then sell the L, but that seems too expensive really.
What would I get for the L? Maybe $75? That makes the price of the lens $325…which is too close to the new price of $345 to be attractive.
Anyone remember what the last couple of cv15mm lenses went for here?

 

[sevres_babylone]

I paid $285 plus shipping and paypal last August.
Very nice lens. i can understand your regret.

 

[crawdiddy]

I regret selling my cv15mm and I’m looking to buy another, but I’m not having much success. The last couple of lenses I’ve seen have come attached to Bessa Ls for about $400. I really don’t need a Bessa L and I hate to spend extra for that body.
I guess I could buy the combo and then sell the L, but that seems too expensive really.
What would I get for the L? Maybe $75? That makes the price of the lens $325…which is too close to the new price of $345 to be attractive.
Anyone remember what the last couple of cv15mm lenses went for here?

That sounds like a cool lens indeed.

I realize I could google it, but why bother when the foremost experts are RIGHT HERE? So I will ask: I assume that's a full frame fisheye lens, right? That sounds great. What do you do for a finder? Just open your eyes wide? I'm intrigued. OK, next round of questions-- Is it a retrofocus design? Will it work on a Leica Barnack? How about on Canon 7 and Canon P?

Thanks for indulging me.

 

[ferider]

That sounds like a cool lens indeed.

I realize I could google it, but why bother when the foremost experts are RIGHT HERE? So I will ask: I assume that's a full frame fisheye lens, right? That sounds great. What do you do for a finder? Just open your eyes wide? I'm intrigued. OK, next round of questions-- Is it a retrofocus design? Will it work on a Leica Barnack? How about on Canon 7 and Canon P?

Thanks for indulging me.

It's a rectilinear lens, comes with finder, and works on Barnacks and Canons.

Roland.

 

[crawdiddy]

It's a rectilinear lens, comes with finder, and works on Barnacks and Canons.

Roland.

Thanks, Roland. So it's not quite 180 degrees. But it must be close.

 

[Nando]

Thanks, Roland. So it's not quite 180 degrees. But it must be close.

According to the Cameraquest lens chart, the FOV is 110 degrees.

Some images from flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=15mm+heliar&s=int

 

[dazedgonebye]

Thanks, Roland. So it's not quite 180 degrees. But it must be close.

FOV looks like this:

 

[drewbarb]

I regret selling my cv15mm and I’m looking to buy another, but I’m not having much success. The last couple of lenses I’ve seen have come attached to Bessa Ls for about $400. I really don’t need a Bessa L and I hate to spend extra for that body.
I guess I could buy the combo and then sell the L, but that seems too expensive really.
What would I get for the L? Maybe $75? That makes the price of the lens $325…which is too close to the new price of $345 to be attractive.
Anyone remember what the last couple of cv15mm lenses went for here?

I did the same thing a while back. Be patient. I think I sold my first CV 15mm for about what I paid for it. After casually looking for a year or so, I bought it's replacement for $300. A decent deal will turn up, you just have to wait- and keep your eyes open for the right deal. I learned from my mistake. I won't sell the one I have now.

 

[Al Kaplan]

http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com/ has lots of 15mm Heliar shots, with links to more.

I just leave it on my Bessa L body. By the time you get an M adapter and find a deep rear cap you may as well just just use the L. Think of it as a deep rear cap with a built in meter and film transport system

 

[drewbarb]

Al is right- but if you find a "$400 for the lens you want and L body you don't" deal (like the one currently on PN...), offer the seller $375 and I'll give you $75 for the body. PM me if you want to take me up on this.

 

[BillBingham2]

They have come up on and off over the past year, it's really a question of being in the right place at the right time. I doubt you will get one south of $300. While there's not much that can go wrong with it, I'd drop Stephen a line and go there. It could be a month before you might save $20.

I keep praying that Pres K will come out with the F to S adapter again and then I would put my LTM version on the market to fund an F version.

B2 (;->

 

[Al Kaplan]

The worst thing about that L body with the 15mm Heliar is that it goes everyplace with me and l never seem to use anything else anymore.

 

[M. Valdemar]

So you really want the lens and you can get one for around $300 to $325 if you get one with a body and sell the body?

Or buy one for $345 new?

So you're talking about a matter of $20 keeping you away from one for months or possibly a year or more keeping you from something that would give you a great deal of pleasure and use, and all that time you're deprived of it because of a $20 difference??

Be a big sport, man, get the damn thing for yourself.

I don't understand the reasoning of people sometimes. We're not talking high finance here. Hell, your money is devaluing faster than that in a year.

 

[dazedgonebye]

I now have an offer of a good deal on a lens.

Just the right amount of patience I think.

 

[luketrash]

If you ever want camera equipment cheap, purchase the item at more expense than you desire and then check ebay a day later.

It never fails.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Just the right amount of patience I think.

The path to photoenlightenment is long and sharp with trials like a gentle mid-Spring breeze on a tender snowman, Grasshopper.

 

[bobkonos]

I paid $180, boxed as new with the finder.

 

[Al Kaplan]

Bob, I'll give you $250 for it.

 

[dazedgonebye]

Mine's on its way from oz.

Nice how these discussions attract sellers.

 

[bobkonos]

Bob, I'll give you $250 for it.

That's very generous, but then I'll have to start a thread like this one. 🙂

I got lucky, and am still behind on a lot of other bonehead purchases.