Going price for a Copal #1 Shutter?

**Monkeyleg** · 14-Oct-2010, 20:09

After being a professional photographer for 30 years, I've gotten out of the business. I've sold all of my equipment, but still have a couple of pieces to go.

One is a Schneider Symmar-S 210mm f5.6 lens. Problem is, I don't have the lens elements in a shutter. I had them in a Prontor shutter, but sold that, and don't know where the original Copal went. So, I need to find a Copal #1 in excellent condition in order to sell the glass.

I've seen Copal #1 shutters at places like B&H, but a new shutter will cost far more than what I'd get for the glass and shutter together.

Any idea as to what a Copal #1 in excellent condition would run?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

**DanK** · 14-Oct-2010, 21:44

Might check 'used' prices at B&H....noticed a couple not to long ago...

I've had some luck purchasing lesser lenses (separation/scratched/etc) in the shutters I needed on ebay...

Of course, condition (and price) is hit or miss....

Thanks,
Dan

**Jim Galli** · 14-Oct-2010, 23:29

Sadly, the cheapest way to get a Copal 1 shutter is to buy a 210mm f5.6 lens and take the shutter. You'd be best served just putting the elements on Ebay and getting what you get.

**lenser** · 15-Oct-2010, 00:08

You might check with Carol at Flutot's.

**Brian Stein** · 15-Oct-2010, 03:37

If you look around for long enough you can get good deals: I had the pleasure of buying a #1 from Kumar here for about $75. Having said this I am with the vote to just put the cells up as much for simplicities sake as anything.

**eddie** · 15-Oct-2010, 04:04

IMO if you buy a shutter to sell the elements you will loose money....unless you have some time to look and get a real lucky price like Brian did.

there are two lenses like yours on keh now. one is $135 the other is $235

**Monkeyleg** · 16-Oct-2010, 07:27

Thanks for the replies.

Eddie, thanks for the link to keh. The $135 lens is rated as BGN, and the $235 one as EX. My "cells" are in excellent condition, so that gives me something to go by.

Now if I could just find a shutter. It just seems easier to sell with a shutter than not.

**IanG** · 16-Oct-2010, 08:46

You might look for another Prontor #1 shutter, or a late Compur #1.

As I happen to have a Prontor sat idle I'd be interested in cells alone if I needed a 210, (I have a 210 Symar-S already) and in fact bought 150mm Tessar cells (1950's) on this forum which I dropped straight into a 1931 Compur.

Like others I doubt you'd make any more buying a shutter, if someone buys the cells alone often they can fit them in a cheap old shutter and then look patiently for a newer version.

There's loads of early rimset Compur shutters around with scratched, foggy, poor quality, etc lenses sat in them, and surprisingly these are far more robust shutters than Copals. All the Zeiss 135mm & 150mm Tessar lenses in rimset Compur shutters are #1 size, and so were many equivalents. I have tried my 210 Symmar-S cells in the Prontor & Compur earlier this years and there's no problems.

Ian

**Monkeyleg** · 21-Oct-2010, 08:19

Thanks for all of the replies. It sounds like I should just advertise the "cells". I don't think that would go over well on a place like Ebay, so I'll have to post them on forums where there's more knowledgeable people.

In going through boxes I find all sorts of odds and ends that are of no use to me any longer. It's amazing how much you can accumulate in 30 years. Is anyone interested in a bunch of Kodak gel color correction filters from the 1980's, in varying stages of decay?