Canon FD lens value - sell now or hold off a while?

[a._valerio]

Hi,

 

Is this a good time to sell FD lenses? Or do you think the value will increase

in a year or so? I have a perfect 50-135/3.5 in original packaging that I

bought new 7 years ago, and only used for several rolls of film. Should I put

it up for sale at this point in time? I would say it is worth about $250. Does

that sound right? Or might it appreciate in value?

 

Thank you very much!

[wildwoodgallery]

Check prices on keh.com

 

Prices are low on fd lenses now I would just keep them unless you don't have any old Canon cameras.

 

Rick

[awahlster]

You should have sold that lens 4-6 years ago it's current value is half what it was then I would guess top dollar would be in the area of $100-125.00.

 

The 50-135mm f3.5 was not a popular lens few were sold. It is a very good lens optically I had one along with the 28-85mm f4.0 and 35-105mm f3.5 I could see no reason for keeping it and sold it a while back.

 

Good luck.

[steven_clark]

It's a dead system with no comaptibility to the current system. I don't see that ever getting better and Leica seems to have a chokehold on the collector stupidity market with Nikon picking up the scraps.

[14mm 2.8l]

I burned some film a couple weeks ago testing my newest bricks of cheap color print film and my downsized FD kit.

 

I remain impressed with my:

 

24mm f2

 

28mm SSC f2

 

50mm 3.5 macro

 

85mm 1.8

 

100mm Vivitar 2.8 macro

 

200mm IF 2.8 US NAVY

 

400mm 4.5 US NAVY

 

1.4x-a

 

2x-a

 

2x-b

 

Vivitar 3x

 

and several pounds of FD mount macro assessories and a half dozen F-1 family bodies.

 

I ignore the F-1 bodies most of the time as I've "gone pentax digital" and moved sideways into eos film but occasionally use the F-1 and they still provide me stunning and super sharp images.

 

Your zoom is kinda slow for what it is, but new in the box might get you the $250ish you need if you run it till it sells for your price at ebay. I cashed out all my FD zooms years ago in favor of primes. The only zoom I miss is the 35-105mm f3.5 which I sold for almost $400, which was what I paid for it three years prior. Thesedays you can get it new in the box for $100 in auction offers if you're lucky. One of these days i'll get another one as i have a canon professional services soft leather case made special for it when its mounted on either a F-1 or F-1n body. Cool case, only one I've ever seen and imbossed with CPS eagle eye canon logo.

 

My Canon FD equiptment might indeed be dead, but still works as made 25 years ago

 

Lindy

[norbert_meijering]

I sold most of my FD gear the last 6-7 months. I was lucky to come in contact with some collectors you paid a nice price for my items.

 

However I noticed prices drop rapidly the last few months. For example I saw a very nice 20-35 3.5L and 300 2.8L at a very big dutch retailer. The 20-35 was set at 350 Euro's and the 300mm ad 650 Euro's. I've seen both and they were mind. I sold mine a few months earlier and got 575 Euro's for the 20-35 and 1050 Euro's for the 300.

 

Also I had a new, in the box, never used 200 2.8 IF. sold it 3 months ago for 190 Euro's. Just sold my 200mm macro for 170,-- and 20mm for 150,--.

 

A year or more ago these sold for quite a bit more.

 

Also I just donated some AE-1 along with some 28mm, 50mm and 135 mm to a local school. These things though very nice and great quality are worthlees these days.

 

The 50-135 like new in the box might interest a collector and he will offer around 125,-- dollars I quess.

[steven_moseley1]

Hi,

 

The prices of FD gear has been falling steadily for the last 6 years. The chances of an upturn in prices is nil...why should they?

 

The only FD lenses which still fetch anything like reasonable money are some of the fast primes and the L lenses. Just last week a brand new in box never used FD 135mm f2 only fetched a little over 250 USD, so there is no chance in hell of your lower end zoom fetching anything like 250 USD IMO...and the longer you hang on to it, the less it will be worth..

 

cheers Steve.

[pensacolaphoto]

I decided a while ago to keep my FD lenses. They are too good to sell at such low prices. I might as well enjoy using them.

[awahlster]

Well I got the 38 Canon FD lenses I'm keeping so it makes no difference to me what the market value is.

 

I might pickup one or two or the ones I don't have the 85mm f1.2L or 135mm f2.0 are possibilities. A 300mm f4.0L maybe.

 

And of course if a really good price comes along a 14mm f2.8L would be nice.

 

But I pretty much got everything else from 17-500mm including my 85mm f2.8 Soft Focus and 35mm f2.8 Tilt and Shift

[14mm 2.8l]

I sold my 14mm 2.8L and my tilt shift 35mm, ect. In my opinion the Tamron 14mm 2.8 is optically superior to the FD 14mm 2.8L and thats why I sold it. I own two Tamron f2.8 14mm's now, one for eos mount and one for pentax mount. These rectilinear tamrons sell for several hundred less than 14mm 2.8L, but they do not exist for FD mount. I agree the 85mm 1.2L would be nice to own, but it still sells for more than I care to pay for a mint example.

 

I bought some FD macro equiptment last week off ebay and I still search for certain items but having more than one system limits my FD expenditures. I got 6 brand new in the box Canon made FD items in one lot for $28 delivered.

 

Lindy