Lens Value - Rodenstock Grandagon-N 200mm and Sinar Super-Angulon 210mm

<p>A family friend has asked me to help him sell two rather large lenses for which I can't find a whole lot of documentation online. He's a lifelong hobbyist photographer who shot large format for some time but hasn't shot anything in the last 8-10 years.<br>

The lenses are a Rodenstock Grandagon-N 200mm F/6.8 on a Copal 3 shutter in beautiful as-new condition, and a Sinar Schneider-Kreuznach Super-Angulon 210mm F/8 with what appears to be a built-in shutter, in excellent condition.<br>

I'm going to snap a few photos this afternoon and get them up, but I wonder where I could find resources to help determine the value of these lenses. eBay isn't much help as there are no current or recent listings for these particular lenses, and B&H got back to me saying they're too niche to be of any interest to them...<br>

I'll get those pics up ASAP; any help is appreciated!<br>

Ben</p>

<p>You can try KEH Camera.</p>

<p>It's on my list of things to do. I tried them for some vintage Leica gear another family friend enlisted my help in selling last year and was utterly disappointed in their offer -- about 1/6th of actual market value -- so I'm not holding my breath.</p>

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<p>and a Sinar Schneider-Kreuznach Super-Angulon 210mm F/8 with what appears to be a built-in shutter</p>

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<p>Its probably a DB shutter. Expect prices to be a fraction of retail as business have overhead and there is no way of knowing how long an item will sit on the shelf waiting on someone that wants it. Have you considered ebay?</p>

<p>I will most likely sell them on eBay. I've used it for years to sell old equipment I no longer use and have had generally good experiences (except one time a buyer claimed I had sold him a broken Phase One P45+ back which had worked flawlessly for me for several years, until the day before it was packaged and shipped out)...I just thought I'd see if there was an approximate value I should look to get for each lens.</p>

<p>these lenses were costly when new but are now very much niche items. realistically you should get some interest on ebay with a starting price of 150 dollars - peanuts, but that's today's market.</p>

<p>I will be honest and pass over a spectacular deal for my 11x14 camera, but those lenses are unique and very specialized ultra wide angle lenses. It pays (literally) to do some research. I suspected they are worth much more than some of the responses here. Actually they are worth at least $2000 Each. The Super Angulon 210mm is made by Schneider and one sold for $3000 last month on the Large Format Photography forum. <br>

Find more information on them, such as what size format they will cover. They will cover at least 8x10, 11x14, 16x20, and larger. Lenses this wide are hard to find and finding a buyer may take time. Be patient and sell wisely. </p>

<p>Thank you, David, for your candor. I definitely had some idea that they were unique and specialized (not seeing any comparable examples on eBay tipped me off) and I've made my living in commercial photography since the day I graduated high school in 2002 and became an apprentice, so I have some general knowledge of large format equipment.<br>

When I began as an apprentice we were shooting a Toyoview 4x5s system and we continued to do that until late 2004 when we switched to Phase P-Series backs on the Contax 645 platform. I loved the Phase/Contax system for its relative reliability and simplicity, but I feel very fortunate that I was able to learn how to do those now-forgotten large format things like loading 4x5 film holders, learning film sheet notches, setting up and zeroing that glorious Toyo 4x5 system, etc...I don't think most young photographers these days are learning those things, so I'm very happy that I got to do that!<br>

There is no hurry to sell these items -- they've been sitting cased for 5-10 years now in a closet, so the idea is to find out what exactly they are worth and attempt to get as close to that number as possible. As always, the market will dictate their true value.<br>

People like you are the reason that Photo.net is the place I come to for absolute information on things like these. Thanks for doing what you do!</p>

<p>Ben, I've had 4x5 Toyo view cameras since 1986. Still have two 4x5's, and an 810M Toyo which is my favorite format now. I've had 4x5 transparencies published over the years and I still shoot often and just for fun. You have the right attitude to get the most for those lenses. Best of luck to you. </p>

<p>Ben, take a look at the following link:<br>

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lenses/LF8x10in.html<br>

While the link is dated in terms of street price, I would venture a guess and say that they're probably worth substantially more than 150 dollars starting price. As has already been mentioned, they are a pair of niche lenses, but they're still in demand for the right audience. I have an 8x10 camera and can say with certainty there is still a market for analog equipment, especially in the larger formats. My point is that I wouldn't "give" the lenses away, especially if they're clean examples. Patience is the name of the game for this type of equipment . . . </p>

<p>I agree with the above comments. The problem here is that these two lenses, costly as they were when they were new, are now subject to microscopically small demand (the Schneider data sheet for the Super Angulon quotes its coverage as 30 x 40 cm, roughly 12 x 16”, nearest practical format 11 x 14”). The number of ULF photographers is incredibly small, from what I have seen of them most prefer to work with one lens only (a standard 450 mm or so).<br>

It is certainly a viable strategy to list on eBay for the (high) price which you think the lenses are worth and simply go on re-listing until you get it. I know of one such seller in England, I noticed the other day he is still trying to get $80 for a lens board which I sold him over a year ago for $20. To get a better price, it is certainly a good idea to advertise a lens on any forum frequented by ULF photographers.<br>

My personal eBay philosophy is to list items with a starting price close to what I consider a fair selling price. If an item does not sell after two weeks, it gets relisted with the same price as a buy-it-now price, open to offers. For me this is a reasonable balance between getting decent prices and not wasting too much of my (very limited) time. With film photography equipment today, the word “worth” is totally meaningless – it is absolutely and only a question of what somebody is willing to pay.</p>

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I haven't read all this, so apologies if my suggestion is redundant.</p>

<p>Bring your question to the large Format Photography Net boards, There is a forum there for large format lenses only and a For Salw/Want to Buy forum too. Registration is free. The community is generally friendly to requests such as yours if you are up front about the situation and your lack of knowledge.</p>

<p>You might also try the APUG forums for another source of information.</p>

<p>Cheers</p>

<p>Thanks again, all, for the valuable input. I'm going to hopefully get a chance to shoot a few photos this week...I'll post them up when I have them.</p>

<p>They are worth what the market is prepaired to pay. B&H and other resellers will talk them down, and if you asked them again, their response would be, humming and mumbling: "Ok, we can offer you $25 each to help you out" Then they would be online with a minumum opening bid of $250. Or in their own second hand outlets for double that.<br>

Don't be a sucker, and don't expect to make thousands. Just keep an eye on eBay around the world, including eBay.co.uk and eBay.de. </p>

First of all, thanks to everyone who contributed something meaningful re: valuation last year.

 

I listed both lenses on eBay recently and can report that the Rodenstock Grandagon-N 200mm has just sold for over USD $4000.

 

The Schneider remains listed on eBay.