IWC Doppel Posted July 21, 2012 Share #1 Posted July 21, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I was thinking about keeping some of the lenses I have been trying as hopefully it will be more entertaining and no worse than having the money in the bank. I have a 24mm which I use more than my 21mm, I also have a 50 Summilux and 50 Elmar, plus a 90 Elmarit-M that I don't use very often. I was thinking about selling my 21 Elmarit-M ASPH, 50 Summilux V2 and 90 Elmarit-M and looking to try a Noctilux F1. Any thoughts about increase in value of my 50 Summilux/90 Elmarit-M/21 Elmarit-M vs a late model 50 Noctilux f1 over the next few years ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Hi IWC Doppel, Take a look here Long term value. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted July 21, 2012 Share #2 Posted July 21, 2012 If we could predict the rise in value of lenses, we'd ALL be millionaires. The rarer lenses are likely to do better than the run of the mill ones. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodriger Posted July 21, 2012 Share #3 Posted July 21, 2012 You have made a nice collection of your lenses and believe me if you restore it for the future it will be considered as the antique storehouse. If you sell this in the coming future it will have a good value. So keep it for the future and dream of becoming a millionaire. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlet Posted July 21, 2012 Share #4 Posted July 21, 2012 The Leica Pocket Guide may give some indications. I'd be surprised if the 90 Elmarit-M would be one to keep for the sake of value appreciation. As for the Lux 50 I'd say the same. Rarer versions of it, like the screw mount version, made in small batches are better value. Apart from numbers made, it seems to me another factor is a lens's status as a cult (for lack of a better word) lens. Luigi mentioned this in relation to the Xenon which I recently asked about. The f1 (and definitely the 0,95) Nocti would perhaps fall in this category, as does your Aspherical. The Thambar and the Summarex too. This is, naturally, just speculation on my part. However numerical rarity and 'peculiarity' do seem to be important considerations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyoung Posted July 21, 2012 Share #5 Posted July 21, 2012 Almost all of the leica lenses I have go for considerably more than I paid for them, but its taken a while, the newest are not there yet, only a couple of years old and cheap ones at that. Mind you I have never paid the new price for one. Gerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted July 21, 2012 Share #6 Posted July 21, 2012 Keeping lenses for investment has two major problems (like any other investment I guess) that is, when to buy, and when to sell! For myself, like art, I'd buy lenses purely for the enjoyment that would ensue; with Leica lenses, any loss on sale would be more than outweighed by the pleasure that I'd derived from using them. I would think of any potential profit as a bonus. (I bought several of my R lenses ex demo, as new, with full warranty, and it is apparent that they could now easily be sold privately for significantly more than I paid for them. Should I sell them? No, because that's not why I bought them. Eventually, they'll be worth nothing - I don't care.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWC Doppel Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share #7 Posted July 21, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thanks for your thoughts I currently have 21 Elmarit-M APSH, 24 Elmarit-M ASPH, 28 summicron ASPH, 35 Summilux ASPHERICAL, 35 Summilux ASPH, 50 Summlux II, 50 Elmar-M, 90 Elmarit-M My most used and preferred lenses in terms of focal length and rendering is 1 35 Summilux ASPHERICAL (Closely followed but far enough behind, the ASPH) 2 28 Summicron 3 50 Summilux 4 (Nearly 3rd =) 28 Summicron My 50 Elmar is only 30 shots into my relationship, the 90 is a length I haven't really bonded with and don't end up using, the 21 is used much less than I did on my M8 and I should take it out more...... I could be very happy (perhaps my honeymoon period !) with just the 35 ASPHERICAL :roll eyes: Maybe I should see how I get on with the Elmar, buy an F1 Noctilux and the 75 Summilux and then decide on 4-5 keepers...... Selling the others. I guess one question is those with a lot of lenses, do they use them and those who had and sold, did they regret it ?!? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyoung Posted July 21, 2012 Share #8 Posted July 21, 2012 Most people here come to regret ever selling a Leica lens, the only ones I have disposed of were the R lenses I had with an R4 which I traded for Nikon over 20 years ago, and even those I could (and would!) use now that Leitax mounts are available. Gerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted July 22, 2012 Share #9 Posted July 22, 2012 Every thing keeps its value... untill you sell it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebidwell Posted July 22, 2012 Share #10 Posted July 22, 2012 Every thing keeps its value... untill you sell it Oh so very true Best wishes Mike B:) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twotone Posted July 23, 2012 Share #11 Posted July 23, 2012 I think the market for Leica gear is over-saturated, I mean there were over 220,000 M3s made and with three lenses per camera plus adaptors, Leicameters, cases & etc there are an awful lot of items out there most of which is pretty much run of the mill. I have noticed however that Leica lens prices are rising and have been since I bought mine about 18months ago. I paid £550 for a mint rigid Summicron circa1968 and I think that lens would now sell for nearer £900 however there is an optimum time to sell lenses like Hi-Fi. Best time to sell lenses in Europe, IMO, is spring or early summer and the best time to sell Hi-Fi is autumn or late summer. Having said that though quality always sells as does rarity but personally I wouldn't waste three or four thousand pounds on a single lens like the Noctilux F1 or F0.9. Aren't those lenses enormous? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted July 23, 2012 Share #12 Posted July 23, 2012 I have noticed however that Leica lens prices are rising and have been since I bought mine about 18months ago. I paid £550 for a mint rigid Summicron circa1968 and I think that lens would now sell for nearer £900 Having said that though quality always sells as does rarity but personally I wouldn't waste three or four thousand pounds on a single lens like the Noctilux F1 or F0.9. Aren't those lenses enormous? Brand new lens are not cheep ... It is for that reason, that the used lens are seeked and making their prices arising Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted July 23, 2012 Share #13 Posted July 23, 2012 Heh! Money in the bank here is a waste of money. 1% interest! Money goes back into an IRA (mostly FAST), but I will be forced to stop that practice in a couple years. If you do not use the lenses and if they are properly stored, I'd say they will rise above currency value at about 6% per year, compounded. I wish certain Linhof labeled lenses held value. I'm amazed that some of the best and rarest have gone down. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted July 23, 2012 Share #14 Posted July 23, 2012 I wish certain Linhof labeled lenses held value. I'm amazed that some of the best and rarest have gone down. Large Format gear is not "hot" in this moment... one of the reasons can be that is too costly to have a Digital Back for some superfine classic like Linhof 70 & similar..., so some tasty Planar or Biogon, or their "Linhof branded" twins are nice for a well made display stand... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted July 23, 2012 Share #15 Posted July 23, 2012 Large Format gear is not "hot" in this moment... one of the reasons can be that is too costly to have a Digital Back for some superfine classic like Linhof 70 & similar..., so some tasty Planar or Biogon, or their "Linhof branded" twins are nice for a well made display stand... I keep an eye on the large format 75mm Biogon and the 135mm Planar mainly because I have them and think about selling. There are some rather damaged and quite odd versions out there, cheap, but not many very clean ones. You might be right! Must check again. BTW - have you ever seen a lens shade for the 75mm Biogon? No? Want to see one? . OBLeica - If Leica made LF it would be the Super Technika, a rangefinder! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddp Posted July 24, 2012 Share #16 Posted July 24, 2012 Depending on what you paid for the 35 aspherical - that could be a nice chunk right there. Not sure where the ceiling is on that one, all I know is I sold when an offer dropped my jaw a little. Great lens, but it was time to move it. I can't get sentimental about photo gear - watches like my grandfather's Omega and my dad's Benrus Jump Hour are a different story. I've moved a lot of gear in the past year or so and some of it wasn't easy to do but I felt that things strangely worked in my favor on that end given some of the Leica insanity we've seen since the M9's release... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
enboe Posted July 24, 2012 Share #17 Posted July 24, 2012 General advice - never sell a lens - you'll regret it later and wind up paying more to get it back. It took me three mistakes to learn that lesson. If you still decide to sell, the following site gathers closing auction prices over time and gathers trends. I hope you find it useful. Eri Leitz Lenses Price Guide: estimate your lens value Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
normclarke Posted July 24, 2012 Share #18 Posted July 24, 2012 I sold two Leica lenses last year of the same 80's vintage. One made almost double its original cost the other about half. This was not on ebay but through a trusted dealer so the value was as the market would stand. Lesson: who can predict where the market will be in ten years? Best, normclarke. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc_braconi Posted July 24, 2012 Share #19 Posted July 24, 2012 If you want to invest in actual and future values, I just received an email from "Boris" http://arsenal-photo.com/Just-Arrived-Items-24-July-2012 enjoy ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlet Posted July 24, 2012 Share #20 Posted July 24, 2012 I have found that Arsenal is often over-priced on non-collectibles. Is it the same with collectibles? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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