Where to buy used lenses, etc?

[Tin Can]

Perhaps they are responding to demand.

We are a grouchy bunch on this forum and may be well out of touch with market realities.

Facebook/eBay

Most online dealers these days seem to price LF stuff too high.

[Corran]

I'll mention here that I bought a lens last week on Facebook for $225, identical to one a prominent online dealer is selling for over $1000. I didn't think the lens price was particularly amazing, but it had some accessories along with it that I wanted, so I made the purchase.

I think there's a lot of interest in LF right now, and it is true that the barrier to entry is high with regard to knowledge/understanding of what lenses to get, and dealers can capitalize on that by providing kits or specific categories, and up-charge appropriately...but sometimes it's just egregious.

[John Kasaian]

Be patient.
The For Sale sub forum here awaits you (after 30 days)

KEH has good deals IMHO
Ebay, IMHO, is a crap shoot unless you really know your LF "stuff"

[Michael Kadillak]

It is all about demand turning up a bit and limited product supply. As we are all aware driving this issue - plastic sheet film holders along with Copal shutters have ceased production. The major lens manufacturers have either ceased production of have regressed to limited productivity with increased prices. Certain desirable lenses like the lightweight and small multi coated Fuji 600C are commanding enormous market premiums as those that cannot or will not pay the inflated prices scramble for cheaper alternatives. The increase in demand I feel will never rise to a level of accommodating market entries for what products have been lost so what is in the market cycle has to last for the time being IMHO. Being patience and knowing what is a reasonable and/or acceptable price for a lens is critical when you are in acquisition mode in LF or ULF at this juncture. Just be ready with the cash and don't wobble when you find an acceptable deal.

[jim_jm]

Also, Igor Camera has a large selection of LF gear. I've bought several lenses from him and been very satisfied. His prices seem to be a bit lower than KEH in some cases.

[OKAROB]

Brian,

I do not recall you telling us what size/format camera you are using. Finding deals on stuff for 8X10 and larger cameras is getting tough. I have been buying gear on e-bay for years and have had fairly good luck. If you watch e-bay long enough you will sometimes notice that prices drop or the bidding drops off or increases during different times of the year. It seems like late Spring or Summer large format gears seems to sell for higher prices. Oddly I have gotten some of my best large format e-bay deal during the few weeks leading up to Christmas. Why????. I also look for items ending on major holidays as sometime the bidding competition is less apparent. Also I sometimes save some money by buying a lens with a small ding in the filter ring provided that the glass is good. So far every lens I have bought with a dinged filter has worked and focuses fine. I do not care to buy a lens where the seller has tried to fix the ding, I like to see for myself how bad the ding is. That way I will not feel so bad if I drop it or it gets bounced around in my pack. Also remember that will impact resale value.

I have bought a few KEH bargain lens that were way better than described. My experience is that in the past they were very conservative in their rating of equipment. Just make sure you closely study the photographs and stay away from lenses with fungus or obvious deep scratches, separation or obviously abused lenses. Unfortunately it seems that sometimes they using a "boiler plate" description or disclosure statement of their Bargain rated equipment making it tough to ascertain the quality of item under consideration.

Regards,
Robert

The name of the game is patience.

[Dan Fromm]

I have bought a few KEH bargain lens that were way better than described. My experience is that in the past they were very conservative in their rating of equipment. Just make sure you closely study the photographs and stay away from lenses with fungus or obvious deep scratches, separation or obviously abused lenses. Unfortunately it seems that sometimes they using a "boiler plate" description or disclosure statement of their Bargain rated equipment making it tough to ascertain the quality of item under consideration.

Regards,
Robert

The name of the game is patience.

Robert, KEH is very explicit about the pictures on their site. They are guaranteed not to be pictures of the item on offer.

About patience, yes, we cheapskates need a lot of it.

There are still real bargains out there but they're very rare and often hard to justify buying even when real. Mr. Galli and I occasionally twist each other's tails. The day a 65/5.6 SA (not engraved Multicoating) that I'd snagged for $142 including postage and (hmm) NJ sales tax arrived I sent him an e-mail, subject "steal of the week if not the year." He topped it handsomely with a casket set he'd just acquired.

With respect to our steals, Jim really has no use for tiny little lenses like my new (to me) SA. Although casket sets fascinate me, I have no use for his wonderful find. I'm not sure he'd have grabbed the SA, if he'd stumbled across it, as a speculation. I mean, the man has principles. I certainly wouldn't have bought the casket set for resale if I'd found it.

[reddesert]

IMO: As an amateur photographer, these days, it feels a bit like being a visiting barbarian stumbling around the decaying capitol of a fallen (professional) empire. You can pick up all sorts of amazing things out of the rubble. The infrastructure to support those amazing things is another story.

Use value and bargains are relative. Jim gave a more eloquent description of this upthread, but for example, with a bit of care I think one could buy a good modern plasmat lens (Symmar, etc) for US$100-150 (sometimes less, a wide angle like Super Angulon would be more) on ebay, or a working Sinar or Toyo 4x5 monorail kit for ~ $300. These prices are unimaginable compared to 20 years ago when they were still professional tools and used price was 3 times as much.

8x10 kit doesn't seem to be at as much of a discount (because the market isn't as flooded with former professional gear, I imagine), and maybe all of it is more expensive than 10 years ago when film seemed like it might disappear. But it still seems much less expensive to get started in film photography than it was in the past. The hangup is the film and processing - gear is very durable, but there are fewer suppliers of consumables and fewer labs.

[Jim Galli]

Brian, Just send me your wish list and your budget. I live out on the edges of area 51 and we've got these *LGM's that can find me the most amazing things. I've got two 12" Goerz Dagor's just in the last couple of weeks that they brought me. I think I have a link on my web pages that explain the LGM's and the Tonopah connection.









*(little green men)

[Jac@stafford.net]

I am all done buying military/government lenses. I'm satiated! Now the issue is how to get rid of some!