Price of diaphragm lens holders

[cyberjunkie]

Diaphragm lens holders are going for crazy prices these days.
This one just sold for 790 USD!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251158256949
Payed mine (identical - max diameter 122mm, min diameter 30mm, IIRC), in like new conditions, for about 1/3 of the price... and i thought that i was overpaying!
Of course the price is proportional to size, this is the largest i have seen, but smaller sizes go for good money as well.

I guess that the popularity of large size brass lenses (Petzvals, faster Aplanats, portrait and soft focus optics), often sold without flange, makes this kind of accessory a very desiderable item.
I wonder if there could be a market for chinese made flanges, at least in the most common sizes (metric and in inches).
I've read somewhere that the majority of non-metric threads in early UK lenses used just 12 sizes.
I don't know about USA-made lenses, but i think that the metric threads used in large lenses are not that many.
I purchased a chinese-made flange for an Ilex No.5 for a decent price, and there are cheap rings for 00, 0 and 1 standard shutters (now also for No.3, but no distancer ring..)
Probably there are too many flange sizes, and too small a market, but the prices of diaphragm lens holders (and of custom made brass flanges) makes me wonder if another cheaper option could be possible, at least in the most common (and larger) sizes.

I realized that some chinese vendors are willing to meet the requests of large format amateurs, even if it's a niche market.
Until very recently there were just a couple of models of chinese-made bellows, now you can get 11x14" bellows, made to customer's specs.
Not long ago i asked for a Compur No.3 ring, and i found that he didn't have the measures (which can be easily found on the Web).
I found a ring and i didn't reply, but somebody must have done it, because now the rings are available, from the same vendor
Sometimes you have just to ask...

[taulen]

Chinese made universal iris for a reasonable price would be nice :P
I would rather have a couple of those, than a few dozens flange and lensboards

[Steven Tribe]

I have used every opportunity here in the last 4 years to suggest that a new production of iris clamps would be a suitable niche production.
The other candidate is long throw cable releases for Sinar Copal shutter.
The market would only be 100's rather than 1,000's so it is probably only a dream!

[CCHarrison]

Steven

Funny you should say that. I designed a modern version with my brother-in-law. You also nailed the problem. To produce them at a price point of $ 300-400 USD, we would need a committment of about 1,000 units to make it worthwhile.

Dan

[goodfood]

Steven, i found someone in China made and start sell long throw cable that can use on Sinar ten days ago with the price about us$100. Don't know the cable durable or not. I also hope a diaphragm holder make from China on market.

[Amedeus]

This guestimate is for what size Dan ? PM ...

Steven

Funny you should say that. I designed a modern version with my brother-in-law. You also nailed the problem. To produce them at a price point of $ 300-400 USD, we would need a committment of about 1,000 units to make it worthwhile.

Dan

[Amedeus]

Do you have a link to this product ?

Thanks !

Steven, i found someone in China made and start sell long throw cable that can use on Sinar ten days ago with the price about us$100. Don't know the cable durable or not. I also hope a diaphragm holder make from China on market.

[DrTang]

When I was just starting out going to camera shows/swap meets - those iris things were always in the junk box under the tables.. they fetched 20 bucks tops

I remember getting a couple in some package and selling them off for something like 10 bucks for the pair

they seemed heavy and cumbersome and usually rusted.. of course no one was buying old brass lenses except for maybe display

[cyberjunkie]

When I was just starting out going to camera shows/swap meets - those iris things were always in the junk box under the tables..

Same thing in Italy.
About 20 years ago i used to go to camera shows (which were much better than now, from what i get from those who still go..), diaphragm lens holders and accessory shutters were marginal and very cheap items.
They were not rare, as some of them were italian-made.
I purchased a set of pneumatic shutters just because they looked good. No lens holders, unfortunately... i had to buy some of them in the last years, for much more!
At that time, my oldest lens was a Voigtlander Heliar in Compound shutter, and the only lenses that could use a pneumatic shutter were a couple of Apo-Ronar and Repro-Claron.
In the trade shows of the time, i remember that the only popular vintage LF items were collector's stuff, mostly complete cameras.
A few lenses, like Universal Heliars, were considered worthy items, WAY cheaper than now, though.

After so many years, and plenty of Ebay and Internet stuff, i want to return to one of those camera shows and have a look.
I missed one near Milan a week or so ago, but i think i'll go on 21th (it's in Tuscany, not far from where i live).
I am afraid i will find no bargains, and very little of interest, but i think it's worth checking in person

[goodfood]

仙娜DB快门的福音 高仿仙娜专用快门线正式发售 单价700 包快递 终身保修 13703318805 I don't know the seller and don't know he can speak English. His from China. Sinar DB shutter good news, high level copy Sinar cable release start for sell. Chinese $700 per unit, shipping included in China. Life time warranty. Tel 13703318805. This massage found on 25 Sep 2012, Xitek large format forum.