Zeiss Planar 2.0 50mm in San Francisco Area

[pheasantpluckerza]

I am planning to visit the San Francisco area in the middle of May and I am hoping to pick up a M-mount ZM 50mm at a lower tax rate than the 13% in Canada and also take advantage of the lower USD 🙂. Can anyone recommend a good walk-in store?

Thanks in advance!
C

 

[majid]

Camera West in Walnut Creek (reachable by BART) and Calumet Photo in San Francisco may have it, but you would be advised to call them first. Otherwise your best bet would be to order it from Amazon, Adorama or B&H (when they resume from their week-long Passover break) and have it shipped to your hotel.

 

[jsrockit]

Many of the Zeiss lenses are out of stock in the US. It must have something to do with the Earthquake. It'll be hard to find used, and new, they are going for a premium.

 

[pheasantpluckerza]

Thanks guys. I will certainly keep this in mind and look around at the suggested places! Sounds like I won't be able to take advantage of the situation though.

 

[Rogier]

Mail order from B&H or Adorama and have it delivered to your hotel 🙂
No sales tax!

 

[jsrockit]

Mail order from B&H or Adorama and have it delivered to your hotel 🙂
No sales tax!

They don't have it in stock. I think the earthquake / tsunami has effected Zeiss production and shipments.

 

[Bluedog2212]

try popflash- they have a lot of zeiss ikon lenses.

 

[jsrockit]

I hate to keep saying this, but popflash is out of stock too. There is a shortage of this lens. You will have to buy used likely.

 

[pheasantpluckerza]

I hate to keep saying this, but popflash is out of stock too. There is a shortage of this lens. You will have to buy used likely.

I guess it's not that much of a train smash if I don't get the lens immediately, considering what those poor souls in Japan are going through right now.

Thanks for the info guys!

 

[andrewteee]

The scarcity of Zeiss ZM lenses existed before the earthquake.

 

[jsrockit]

I guess it's not that much of a train smash if I don't get the lens immediately, considering what those poor souls in Japan are going through right now.

I agree. Buy used if you need to.

 

[pheasantpluckerza]

UPDATE: I found some supply on ebay from Hong Kong. It's on a best offer or buy now for USD 855, but if you do the best offer you can get it with USD 800. You may be able to try a lower offer to see if it gets accepted. I tried 800 and it worked for me. Can't wait until it arrives! 🙂

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250731718170&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

 

[semilog]

Call Tony @ Popflash and tell him you were advised to call @ RFF.

 

[35mmdelux]

forget the zeiss and get a used summicron. Why make things difficult? you'll waste your time driving.

 

[jsrockit]

UPDATE: I found some supply on ebay from Hong Kong. It's on a best offer or buy now for USD 855, but if you do the best offer you can get it with USD 800. You may be able to try a lower offer to see if it gets accepted. I tried 800 and it worked for me. Can't wait until it arrives! 🙂

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250731718170&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Great, have fun. It's a great lens... don't let the Leica only folks get you down! 😉

 

[thegf]

why not try the Camera Store in Calgary. I am pretty sure they have them. their shipping is cheap/fast and you pay only GST.

 

[benji77]

forget the zeiss and get a used summicron. Why make things difficult? you'll waste your time driving.

I don't mean to be rude, just that I feel the Cron V3 (which I have) is grossly overated Leica glass. In fact, after using other stuff like VC & Zeiss 2.8/25, I realised how much a marketing/hearsay world Leica glass is about.

I am in fact, going to sell my CronV3 for a Planar & Sonnar. 😀

 

[KM-25]

I don't mean to be rude, just that I feel the Cron V3 (which I have) is grossly overated Leica glass. In fact, after using other stuff like VC & Zeiss 2.8/25, I realised how much a marketing/hearsay world Leica glass is about.

I am in fact, going to sell my CronV3 for a Planar & Sonnar. 😀

I am no hobby shooter, so I really tend to put this stuff through it's paces on a near daily basis and I will tell you that other than a few exceptions, you are spot on. After shooting over 1,000 rolls of Kodachrome with them, I sold nearly every overpriced piece of Leica glass I had, 28 cron, 35 lux and 50 lux aspherics and bought what I need for the rest of my career shooting Tri-X in Leica, a 28 CV 3.5, 35 cron asph and a silver ZM 50/2 Planar for my M3. All small, all sharp and no where near as overpriced as Leica 2011.

A lot of people talk like Leica glass is making them a better shooter, then you look at some of the work they are browbeating Leica across your face and, well.....you know....?

The photograph matters and I am getting better ones from the lens set I have now over the larger, frame blocking stuff I had before and I got to do some serious pro computer and Nikon upgrades with the money I saved.

So there...