As the economy goes down, the prices of lenses go up!

[Darryl Baird]

I watched (ok, ok, I did place a bid, but watched as the bids soared past me) this auction for a shorty (4X5) Verito lens.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120150949505

Wow, it's tough out there.. the lens looked to be in very nice condition, but compared to that lovely Darlot J. Galli sold earlier this week, this was just excessive.

(I bet "Bidder #6" was pissed.) Anybody here?

[Nick_3536]

It's just all the threads here:D Next year people will be talking about holga lenses on 11x14 cameras and the wonderful look they give. Then watch the prices of Holgas :p

[Jan Pedersen]

Made a couple of bids but did not really need it, already have the 8 3/4"
Bidder #6 Huh, what a way to post his/her interest in this lens.

[David A. Goldfarb]

$510 for a nice looking 9" Verito in a working Compound (or similar) shutter doesn't seem that extraordinary.

[Toyon]

Weird, a 10" Veritar (updated Verito with coating and color correction) in an alphax went for $335. Verito's are just hot items right now because there are some excellent photographers using them.

[Darryl Baird]

$510 for a nice looking 9" Verito in a working Compound (or similar) shutter doesn't seem that extraordinary.

No, not anymore, but I've been rereading threads here dating back to 2002 (or maybe earlier) that talk about these same lenses as bargains compared to X,Y, Z lenses and then the picture postings follow... the rest is a short history in niche markets (developed via a flow of information and strong content -- those pretty pictures!)

I'm sure Nick and Toyon have hit parts of this phenomenon squarely on the head, and you David have certainly had your part in this... your name and images pop up a lot in the old threads ;)

It's all very fascinating and exciting to use old "technology" to good use, I'm hooked and it appears I'm not alone.

[Jeremy Moore]

I'll have to agree with David that this doesn't seem to be an unreasonable price for this lens since you usually only see them in studio shutter for over $300. I've actually got one of these puppies in an Ilex #5.

[David A. Goldfarb]

But even five years ago, it was fairly unusual to see one of these in a working shutter with more than one speed or any instanstaneous exposure setting at all for that matter. That's always been worth a premium.

[Robert Oliver]

I thought everybody knew holga lenses only cover 8x10....


It's just all the threads here:D Next year people will be talking about holga lenses on 11x14 cameras and the wonderful look they give. Then watch the prices of Holgas :p

[Darryl Baird]

But even five years ago, it was fairly unusual to see one of these in a working shutter with more than one speed or any instanstaneous exposure setting at all for that matter. That's always been worth a premium.

Agreed, if we factor in the cost of a shutter, plus the labor involved to place these lenses into quasi-modern shutter, the price tag is certainly moving up. What would a reasonable premium be for this? $200-400? ...more?

I see big shutters (Acme, Betax, Compound, etc.) advertised for $400-500 in used condition. A new copal 3 is $475.00 It maybe (big maybe) makes more sense to find barrel lenses, then old undesirable lenses in big desirable shutters and get them retrofitted to the "good" glass. In other words, there is a "hassle" premium to consider as well.

So I guess "cheap" on my end translates to more work on my part in assembling the component parts into workable lens/shutter units. I'm still learning the art of vintage optics, so 'knowing' a Verito lens (with a specialized look and limited alternative usage) is really worth that kind of money hasn't quite jelled in my brain.

[ditkoofseppala]

I think most of us probably have a little bit of difficulty getting our heads around the *variability* of prices on the 'Bay. I got my Verito 11 1/2" Diffused Versar in early July for $245 (in a decrepit Studio shutter). There is a natural variation in auction prices for the same or similar items, depending upon a lot of factors, like whether two stubborn bidders happen to knock heads on the same item, or not. Example: I just won a 10" Wide Field Ektar in Universal synchro shutter, all in nice condition with one tiny scratch, for $460. Yet on July 11 the same lens in the same shutter, very similar in condition, soared to $1007. "It ain't WHY, it ain't why, it ain't why, it jus' IS..." ;)

[Bill_1856]

The secret to bidding on eBay is to decide (ahead of time) at what price you'd be relieved that someone else (ie, some damn fool) has outbid you.

[Ole Tjugen]

As the economy goes down, so does the US Dollar. That makes it cheaper for the rest of the world to buy your lenses; which again drives the prices up (for all of us). :)

[Dan Fromm]

Um, which economy is going down? I ask because I've noticed that most of the crappy old lenses I've thought about chasing seem to be going to China. That's China as in PRC, HK, and Taiwan.

[Toyon]

ditkoofseppala,
The Verito and the Versar are two entirely different lenses and lens designs. Sounds like you got a chimera.