The most pricy LF lens

[sdwfx]

Hi all,

I am having a discussion in another forum when this question came up and I didn't know the answer.

What is the most pricy/expensive/unobtainable lens that you know of, LF only, of course.

No need for specific money amount or auction links, just ballpark figures, after all this is just a discussion.

[Songyun]

Hi all,

I am having a discussion in another forum when this question came up and I didn't know the answer.

What is the most pricy/expensive/unobtainable lens that you know of, LF only, of course.

No need for specific money amount or auction links, just ballpark figures, after all this is just a discussion.

If restricted to modern lens still in production, that might be the XXXL 550.

[Gem Singer]

How about the Cooke triple convertible lens for 8X10?

No longer manufactured, but still obtainable if you can find someone who is willing to part with one.

[John Schneider]

How about the Fujinon 300 SW, if it even actually exists?

Or the 70" Apo RD Artar; reportedly only a dozen or so were made?

[Songyun]

How about the Cooke triple convertible lens for 8X10?

No longer manufactured, but still obtainable if you can find someone who is willing to part with one.

that was only 3k, the XXL 550 is over 5K.

[Songyun]

How about the Fujinon 300 SW, if it even actually exists?

Or the 70" Apo RD Artar; reportedly only a dozen or so were made?

How about hypergon 200?
:D

[8x10 user]

I saw a 1.8 meter Ronar, and an Eidoscope No. 0 sell for a lot on ebay.

[Gene McCluney]

Are you wanting to keep this survey to lenses in current manufacture? Or lenses of highest value, regardless of when they were manufactured? Also the "value" of a lens is not in direct proportion to its photographic merits. Some highly valuable long discontinued lenses have a high value even though they are mediocre picture takers, just due to rarity.

[harrykauf]

any old junk sold by Photo-Arsenal on ebay

[Dan Fromm]

Per Rolyn Optics' 1982 Boyer price list, the 1500/12.5 Apo Saphir sold for $12,452, the 1200/12.5 for $8672.20, the 200/1.9 Saphir (covered only 6x9) for $8014.65, and the 600/4.5 Saphir for $6368.45.

The 2500/12.5 Apo Saphir was "price on application" and undoubtedly cost considerably more than the 1500.

[Bruce Watson]

Per Rolyn Optics' 1982 Boyer price list, the 1500/12.5 Apo Saphir sold for $12,452...

Holy cow! In 1982 I bought a car for $12k IIRC. A mazda RX-7. Great fun. But that was before I got into LF. Costs even more, but even more fun :D

[Renato Tonelli]

Holy cow is right! Who made the Apo Saphir (and what was it made of)? I had never heard of it until now.

[Dan Fromm]

Renato, see http://www.galerie-photo.com/boyer-optique-objectif.html (in French) or http://www.galerie-photo.com/boyer-lens-optic.html (in English). Sorry, there's no Italian version.

[beegee]

I am almost positive the Carl Zeiss Hologon 110 f8 over 30K ... maybe in second position the short 160mm f6 Emil Busch Nicola Perscheid

[Hugo Zhang]

Almost. https://www.leicashop.com/vintage/carl-zeiss-110mm8-hologon-p-4416.html

[GPS]

Hi all,

...
What is the most pricy/expensive/unobtainable lens that you know of, LF only, of course.

...

The most expensive lens I know about was the one sent and repaired on the Hubble telescope... I think it is a LF, isn't it ??:)

[Armin Seeholzer]

One of my fav's ist the Rodenstock APO Ronar 1760 mm if I remember correctly it was solt in the day's for about 25'000 DM the Saphir ist much to cheap sorry!

Cheers Armin

[George Stewart]

150mm Zeiss Hypergon $10,000. AWSOME!

[Nathan Potter]

If 6X6 format qualifies as LF then the Zeiss monster mentioned in a post somewhere here might qualify. It is the Zeiss Apo Sonnar f/4 1700 mm (564 lbs). Custom ordered I believe it goes for over $100,000.00. But contact Zeiss and place your order to find the exact cost.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[neil poulsen]

If enlarging lenses meet the criteria for this discussion, I've heard of an Apo El Nikkor 480mm lens that sold for over $25,000. It's used for enlarging 8x10 film. I've heard that the number of these made was in the 20's.

[Armin Seeholzer]

6x6 is MF not LF sorry!!!!

Cheers Armin

[Mark Sampson]

The 150mm lens attached to a 9x9" Wild aerial camera might qualify. Rumored to be around $250k, although the camera comes with it. Add the airplane and then you're talking real money.

[Joseph O'Neil]

Neat thread, but I think there needs to be a distinction made here - lenses made for commercial use, and lenses made for military and/or research use that are now in surplus, etc.

For example, I have a surplus lens, huge thing, easily covers 4x5, and likely 8x10, and the only camera I can ever find that this type of lens was ever used in was mounted in a SR-71 Blackbird. Seriously, not making this up.

the original cost of this lens I never did find out, but rough estimates are kinda scary. I think at the time it was made, you could buy a house for less. :)

I also have a surplus lens made by Elcan, and one person estimated that the new cost of this lens 25-30 years ago would of been in excess of $25,000. I bought it used for $100.

So while it's cool to dream, I think for clarity, we shoudl be quoting lenses that are actually in use, and not sitting on a desktop looking pretty.
:)

joe

[Preston]

The priciest LF lens is any lens I can't afford...which is most of them. :D

-Preston

[Renato Tonelli]

I feel like I am downright frugal with my most recent purchase of a 110XL...

[Steve M Hostetter]

one of the most expensive lenses you could actually buy from a dealer..? The Schneider 800mm Tele Xenar @ $7500.00

It had a 500mm image circle and was a tele I guess is what made it so dag gone expensive.?

[Dan Fromm]

Joe, the Boyer lenses whose prices I quoted were made for general use. Rolyn still has a small stock of 'em, still wants their 1982 prices.

Now, the 2500/12.5 Apo Saphir, price on application, is slightly another matter. AFAIK, most, if not all, were made for the French Atomic Energy Commission and were used to record tests at Mururoa. I have, somewhere, a propaganda piece from Boyer with a picture of fourteen of 'em, and much later Eric saw another six or so. Rare lens, and with a 2507 mm flange-to-film distance very hard for most of us to use.

[Steve M Hostetter]

Sinar has a photo in ,, I think it's the blue book "basics" where they show a 2400mm on a Sinar 8x10 with a special 10' long rolling rail base platform.. The 2400mm lens that was mounted had it's own built-in standards.. 9' of bellows

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Apo EL NIkkor 480mm - ca $36.000 a few years ago, now "a bit" more since only 12 are known to exist....

[Kirk Keyes]

Neat thread, but I think there needs to be a distinction made here - lenses made for commercial use, and lenses made for military and/or research use that are now in surplus, etc.

For example, I have a surplus lens, huge thing, easily covers 4x5, and likely 8x10, and the only camera I can ever find that this type of lens was ever used in was mounted in a SR-71 Blackbird. Seriously, not making this up.

the original cost of this lens I never did find out, but rough estimates are kinda scary. I think at the time it was made, you could buy a house for less. :)

I also have a surplus lens made by Elcan, and one person estimated that the new cost of this lens 25-30 years ago would of been in excess of $25,000. I bought it used for $100.

So while it's cool to dream, I think for clarity, we shoudl be quoting lenses that are actually in use, and not sitting on a desktop looking pretty.
:)

joe

Can we see a photo of your lens? Please!?

[Dan Fromm]

Joe, which Elcan do you have?

[sdwfx]

Cool answers, thank you guys. It gave me a lot of ammunition for the discussions to come :)

To clarify, I was looking for most expensive lens for "commonly used" LF cameras, not specialty ones like on the HST or bomber/reconnaissance lenses :)

[Joseph O'Neil]

Joe, which Elcan do you have?

Not sure, they were made for Phillips (or so I was told). Give em a day, I'll post soem pics here of my various lenses. I even have a weird Claron (no Iris), and maybe somebody can ID some of these lenses for me

joe