Would you consider A Nocvtilux as an investment?

[stephan_w]

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Hello

 

Thinking about buying a Noctilux (New one or old one), I wonder if anyone would consider this as an investment (with some benefits, as using a fine lens from time to time).

 

How did the prices develop over the years (btw the old Noctilux is one of the rare goods that was sold over 30 years nearly unchanged).

 

Any opinions?

[Guest jarski]

I own -80's version of Noctilux, and expect to be able to sell it same or little less of money, of what I paid myself, assuming lens is on same condition by then.

 

if you want to invest, better put money on gold or stocks, not on camera lens. if you consider lens as "investment", you probably wont use it, the way it is meant to be.

[luigi bertolotti]

I agree that "investment" in itself is someway outside the perspective of the collector/user : I prefer to speak about "lasting value" which is a slightly different concept ; in this sense, my opinion is that the new 0,95, with its stellar price, can make some doubt to arise : there are very few or no STANDARD old lenses that have a current value next to the current 0,95 price.

For the "old" f1 the things are different : prices, I seem, have stabilized around a value that, personally, I consider not exaggerate, and my idea is that the f1, if treated with care, is an item that will maintain value and a certain demand in the market.

Of course, anyone can have his own view of the "right" price for a certain item... user/collector is a market strictly "sentiment-based"

[jc_braconi]

I consider an "investment" if you will use it professionaly => making money with the pictures you will take/make with it.

if it is not the case it is just a "money expenditure" as it can be for a car.

 

[stephan_w]

if it is not the case it is just a "money expenditure" as it can be for a car.

 

There are cars that can be considered as an investment. A Porsche RS has always kept it's value.

 

I think the old Noctilux has also kept it's value, no. Unfortunately i don't know the price that was payd for it for example in the seventies, but I bet it was a better investment than, lets say, bonds .......... ?

[andybarton]

IMHO, you should either buy it, keep it in the box and never look at it again (as you would a share certificate) then sell it if the value ever gets to what you consider a reasonable return on your investment, or

 

Buy it, look after it, use it, enjoy it, make money with it if that's how you earn your money, then sell it if you want to for what you consider to be a reasonable sum.

[dpattinson]

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Hello

 

Thinking about buying a Noctilux (New one or old one), I wonder if anyone would consider this as an investment (with some benefits, as using a fine lens from time to time).

 

How did the prices develop over the years (btw the old Noctilux is one of the rare goods that was sold over 30 years nearly unchanged).

 

Any opinions?

 

By 'investment' I assume you mean something that might appreciate in value at a greater rate than inflation.

 

I think you are out of luck with respect to the Noctilux. Certainly the price of the f1 version jumped from around £1300 and sitting on the dealers shelf 4-5 years ago, to the current £3-4000 and hard to find. That seems to have been due to the advent of digital M bodies as well as a contemporary fascination for shallow depth of field, possibly arising from the lack of it in compact digital cameras. This is an appreciation in value that is not likely to reoccur in my opinion, and 'user' Noctilux f1 prices are most likely going to track along at their current percentage of the new (0.95) price.

 

So from an appreciating investment point of view, you are in my opinion about 5 years too late to the party. Having said that, you can 'rent' a Noctilux for a rather small amount by buying second hand and reselling if you tire of it... which is more than can be said for many things.

[cocker]

So from an appreciating investment point of view, you are in my opinion about 5 years too late to the party.

 

I agree. I was offered an f1 in lovely condition for £2000.00 about 2-3 years ago. i didn't buy it beacause i didn't think I would use it enough (whihc was a good judgement) but of course I could have made a few quid on it now. But that doesn't worry me too much. Life's too short and too much fun in other areas to worry about something as boring as investments.

[rob_x2004]

Well...no. You can get three percent from the bank and thats as dumb as you can get.

Hang on, it says Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera. The tour is coming up. Iinvest in Roche.

[Guest jarski]

perhaps one thing that *might* hike Nocti prices a bit, are new EVF cameras (e.g. Sony's NEX, Canikon still holding its cards in sleeves) where Leica lenses can be adapted. ability to experiment with expensive niche lens, on a consumer camera body can be attractive to some and not just Nocti only, of course.

[pico]

perhaps one thing that *might* hike Nocti prices a bit, are new EVF cameras (e.g. Sony's NEX, Canikon still holding its cards in sleeves) where Leica lenses can be adapted. ability to experiment with expensive niche lens, on a consumer camera body can be attractive to some and not just Nocti only, of course.

 

That's a good observation. Since the 4/3rds cameras came out, many fast (f/.75, f/.95) cine c-mount lenses have become much more expensive; just several years ago they were being practically thrown away.

 

I just tried Canon's 50mm f/.95 lens on a Lumix G1, and because the Canon lens requires an adapter to C-mount, then the Lumix requires another adapter from C-mount to itself, the lens will not focus farther away than about 1.5 meters.

[spydrxx]

It is not an "investment" in the classical sense. It may be an investment in your career. Most "investments" are purchased with an expectation of financial return which not only exceeds the rate of inflation, but, dependent on risk characteristics, significantly increases in value. Most of the basis for increase in value can be determined through fundamental analysis, tempered with other factors. OTOH, it is one hell of a lens to play with. I had one for a year or so, decided It didn't suit my style or needs, and sold it for 3x what I paid for it...good luck, nothing else. They had been declining in value, then the M8 came out and lots of people wanted to try one out and were willing to pay for it.

[pico]

It is not an "investment" in the classical sense. [...]

 

Indeed. Who would consider an "investment" that could turn to $zero if you dropped it.