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Thread: Who is paying these prices?

  1. #1

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    Who is paying these prices?

    I can understand some high prices for rare lenses. But this one? Is this a sign that inflation is coming and in lenses we trust?

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

  2. #2

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    Re: Who is paying these prices?

    Thanks for finding this - it is an eye opener! P&S and Eidoscope no. 4 I can understand but this I don't fathom!

  3. #3
    Drew Saunders drew.saunders's Avatar
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    Re: Who is paying these prices?

    Fools...their money...divorce.

    It's a sad and all too common story.
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/drew_saunders/

  4. #4

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    Re: Who is paying these prices?

    Hmm. If you believe the VM, these beasties cover up to 110 degrees. If true, a 141 mm lens will cover 400 mm. So perhaps there are some ULF fanatics who want one. It takes only two. If you look at the bidding history you'll see that the winner and #2 both outbid #3 by quite a lot. That said, Protars' prices have been rising for a while.

    I've noticed high and rising prices for fast lenses for smaller formats, e.g., f/1.4 Boyer Saphirs. Sold one last year for what I regard as very silly money. It went to Japan; interestingly, the buyer sells from Korea.

    There are cost-no-object types in HK and China, also Japan, who chase lenses that seem, at least to me, not worth the effort. Use Google Translate to look at, e.g., www.oldlensclub.hk to get an idea of what they prize and what they do. IIRC, they're not interested in slow wide angles.

    Hugo, I see no way to anticipate price trends. I've made interesting money on lenses by sheer luck (that f/1.4 Saphir) and by being brave (my heap of 38/4.5 Biogons).

    I'm aware of few people who might be able to drive prices. One is Klaus Schmitt. I'm convinced, with no data to support the belief, that his site macrolenses.de stimulates demand for lenses mentioned on it. If so, I salute him. Jim Galli might be able to interest people in his soft focus lenses. If so, I salute him too. At one time Andrew Glover stoked a small crazy for Pro Raptars; I salute him too.

    Cheers,

    Dan

  5. #5

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    Re: Who is paying these prices?

    Quote Originally Posted by Hugo Zhang View Post
    I can understand some high prices for rare lenses. But this one? Is this a sign that inflation is coming and in lenses we trust?

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT
    It just takes few bidders to heat up the bidding frenzy. Take a look at this lens sold about a month back on Feb. 24th:
    Linhof Zeiss Planar 135mm f/3.5
    18 bids, sold for $10,100 - this is not a typo!
    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=120532203383

    And this lens does not even have the coveted Carl Zeiss T* coating.


    // Atul

  6. #6

    Re: Who is paying these prices?

    Gee, I wonder what I could get for my 600mm Protar V?

  7. #7

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    Re: Who is paying these prices?

    Dan,

    I followed this item out of curiosity because I won an identical Protar v 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 lens made by B&L in shutter for $62 just a few days ago. Same focal length: 141mm.

    Hugo

  8. #8
    LF/ULF Carbon Printer Jim Fitzgerald's Avatar
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    Re: Who is paying these prices?

    Makes me want to take a look at my glass. Seems that even the projector lenses are going for big money. Good time to sell I guess.

    Jim

  9. #9

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    Re: Who is paying these prices?

    Well, there's another Zeiss Protar for sale at about $150. So don't be a fool.

    But... yesterday I sat in on a conference of small business executives, and a big-name macro economist was pontificating about his crystal ball. His charts tell him:

    - the recession has bottomed out and we can expect more "normal" business for the next few years.
    - Interest rates are going up starting next week - for good. If you ever intend to get a mortgage or re-fi, do it ASAP.
    - Price hikes all around begin this summer. If you have an opportunity to negotiate long term contracts with vendors, do it now.
    - 1970's style inflation will reignite in the coming years due to crushing governmental deficits, partly from bogus war accounting practices during the Bush years, partly from expanded health care insurance and other entitlement programs for aged, cranky large format photographers!
    - The US Gov't deficit will be $1 Trillion a year indefinitely, interest on that debt becoming approx 35% of the GDP by 2020. Expect higher taxes all around.
    - China will stop purchasing US debt as soon as it doesn't need our business anymore - ie gets their middle class established. Then it will buy up US holdings and become economic master of the USA. Wait, didn't capitalism defeat communism?
    - China will start aggressively seeking females for their overwhelmingly male population (even to the point of Asian wars and large-scale kidnapping),
    - Europe and Japan are very fragile economically, and will suffer worse than the US.
    - In the 2020's, a major world Depression will likely set in due to systemic breakdowns in private and public debt.

    So, there you go. But he's just an economist - they've been proven wrong before. Right, Mr. Greenspan/Geithner/Bernanke/Rubin?

  10. #10

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    Re: Who is paying these prices?

    Robert, name the jerk.

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