Price check on summilux 35mm pre-asph

[martinsf]

Hey Guys,

 

I recently bought a 35mm lux from a major retailer in what they reffered to as

E- condition. The price was 1049.00, with hood and no caps. The cosmetics are

fine and there is no haze or scratches on the glass. However there is quite a

bit of dust in the glass, the aperature blades are very worn, and they have a

lot of dust/lint on them. Was this a fair deal, or should I return it? Thanks.

 

Martin

[torben_daltoft]

Depends on the currency!

[martinsf]

1049USD

[i want my photo.net histor]

Return it. It really sounds like you are looking for a reason to return it. Do so, otherwise it'll nag you that you spent so much on it in this condition.

 

But then that's just what I would do.

 

Rav.

[Bill Blackwell Images]

There seems to have been a number of these posts lately with someone wanting to know if they paid too much for something.

 

In this case, I think you did. I would also suggest that next time you should probably ask before you buy. Many of these "major retailers" require a restocking fee for returns.

[Rob F.]

I have one of these, and the last time I checked, they were trading for around $1400 USD. However, there are some details affecting the value. Some of these have an infinity lock, and some do not. I understand that the ones with infinity lock are the more highly prized. Dust is no big deal. I don't know how the wear on the blades will affect the value. There is a good chance that you got a fair price, though. Does it have the locking infinity catch? Mine does, and the focus tab is metal. I have not seen the other kind, but I think the tab is plastic on those. What does yours look like?

[stevep]

I would suggest considerably less is the going price for a CDN 35/1.4 pre-asph. Infinity lock is a very personal thing - some love it and some hate it - although it may come into play on a mint example to a collector. Otherwise it's a take-it-or-leave-it thing.

 

I've seen this lens as low as USD700 in used but clean optical condition. If you use KEH's online estimator it gives a cash-in value of about $575 for a lens as I described. Obviously their selling price would be higher, but I don't think by a factor of three.

 

I'm suspicious how a lens is cosmetically "fine" with worn aperture blades? It's unlikely to be a mixed bag of parts. So either someone used it an awful lot wearing kid gloves (to wear down the aperture blades but not the paint) or your description is somehow inaccurate. And how did you determine there is dust in the lens? On a light table or by shining a strong light through? If the latter, you won't find many lenses without dust.

[eliot_rosen1]

I don't understand some of the comments I see about lens prices on this website. It seems that some people think that whatever you pay, it is too much.

 

In the first place, the lens was described as being E-, which shands for excellent minus. Look it up. This means the lens is fully functional but may be cosmetically challenged. it sounds like the lens was described accurately, since it seems to be working fine.

 

Dust is relatively harmless. All lenses will accumulate dust with use, since they are not vacuum sealed. The ware on the shutter blades is a sign of use. I have lenses like with blade wear that work perfectly. A near mint lens of this type would cost more (?$1400-1500). So you saved some money by buying a not perfect lens for $1049.

 

Of course you can expect to hear from someone who bought a mint example of the same lens for $700. Lowballing is a common sport around here. :-)

[mattalofs]

Having bought and sold numerous things from KEH, their buying price is usually just a bit more than half of what they think they can sell it for.

 

$1000 seems to be just about on target for the condition dscribed.

[martinsf]

Thanks for the useful responses. The lens performs great. I just wanted to make sure that I couldn't return the lens and buy it somewhere else at half the price.

[35mmdelux]

send it to Sherry for full CLA and cleaning. $100 well spent.