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The lens or lenses you most regret selling?


Jeffry Abt

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Here my story:

 

about 2 years ago, I had bought from a forum member a mint Summicron-C 40mm for my M9.

If I remember well, price was in the normal region, about 350-400 Euro.

The owner said that he did not needed the lens anymore and it could go to a new owner.

 

After experimenting some weeks with the 40mm I must say that I liked the rendering of the lens but that the image fitting between the 35 and 50mm frames was difficult.

 

So after seeing a nice 35mm Summicron in the window of my local shop, I decided to trade in my 40mm to get the 35m.

 

About half a year later, the original owner of the Summicron-C contacted me again with the question if he could get back his 40mm Summicron-C!:cool:

I told him that I had sold it but that it was still for sale by the shop.

 

So he contacted the shop, paid of course some additional €€€ to get his cron back.

 

So in the end everybody was happy.

Me with the 35mm Summicron,

the shop that earned €€€ and

the initial owner that received back his lens.

 

John

 

 

p.s. now I have again a Summicron-C 40mm :D:D:D but also a 50mm Lux, my favorite!

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At one time I had 21/2.8, 35/2, 35/1.4 ASPHs, 75 Lux, 90 Elmarit-M, 90 APO-ASPH and 135 APO-Telyt. Sold all of them, as for me they didn't live up to the hype compared to the older versions I had and kept. Also sold a 2nd-version MATE because it was neither here nor there on the M8. I only regret selling them before the prices went absurdly crazy.

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As user, the Summicron-C 40 (sold for lazyness of managing the UVIR filter issue on M8)

As a collector : I have still VERY clear , in my mind, that in 1982 bought and sold a Noctilux 1,2 in 7 months (after having experienced that it was too bulky for using, most of times, between 1,4 and 2,8...) : apparently, a decent deal (netted 70-75 Euros), but the selling amount was for the equivalent of less than 750 Euros....:o

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Except for the 1.2 Noctilux, it seems that I bought most of the other lenses you all sold.

 

What I regret selling, but not all that much was my extensive R collection. Still have one 80/1.4, 28-90, 80-200, APO 180/2.0 and APO180/2.8. Might still keep unloading R stuff, but they are superb.

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It seems like I go back and buy again the ones I sell or trade except the 75 lux. I sold all of my R stuff years ago as I got out of film. Of course I had to go back and buy an R zoom this year. It was one of algrove's many in his collection. Great lens.

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I sold the current versions of the 35mm Summicron and the 28mm Elmarit in order to help fund the 35mm Summilux FLE. I regret not having the elmarit as I really like that lens and how contrasty it renders. The upside is that it's relatively affordable so at some point I will purchase it again.

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I've never sold a Leica lens. I learned my lesson selling and re-buying Canon lenses a while ago. I have the old 21/2.8 ASPH which isn't that good but the price collapsed after the f/3.4 came out so I never bothered to sell it.

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I've never sold a Leica lens. I learned my lesson selling and re-buying Canon lenses a while ago. I have the old 21/2.8 ASPH which isn't that good but the price collapsed after the f/3.4 came out so I never bothered to sell it.

 

Ain't it the truth. If I sold all my AiS Nikkors I couldn't buy a new 50 Summilux. :D

 

s-a

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Ain't it the truth. If I sold all my AiS Nikkors I couldn't buy a new 50 Summilux. :D

 

That too. Books and lenses. Every time I've sold them, I've regretted it. Except for that crappy 28-135 Canon zoom I sold. That thing I don't miss.

 

-jbl

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For even-handedness, here are the lenses I don't regret selling at all!

 

ANY 90 Summicron - if I need a big, fast tele, the 75 Summilux is faster, frames tighter, and frames more accurately at longer distances. And is not much heavier.

 

ANY slower 90 - If I want a longer, slow tele, I prefer a 135.

 

ANY 50 - great fast "portrait" lens on the M8, otherwise, not my focal length.

 

35 f/1.4 pre-ASPH - close focus of 1 meter too far; 35 Summicron v.4 is a dead match for "character" with closer focusing

 

ANY 28 - great substitute for a 35 on the M8, (I used the Mandler v.3 - loved the color), but is not a focal length I need on full-frame.

 

EVERYTHING wider except the pre-ASPH 21 f/2.8 and 15 voigtlander - the 15 isn't worth selling, and the 21 is "my axe, man!"

 

Lenses with which I have an "approach/retreat" relationship - have sold, but might reconsider in the future:

 

75 Summarit, 35 f/1.4 ASPH non-FLE, 135 APO f/3.4

 

R lenses: only one I sold and bought back (several times) is the 180 f/3.4 APO. SO hi-res and SO free of CA that it can handle teleconverters and still equal most longer primes. So it is also my "250 f/4.5," my "360 f/6.8" and my "500 f/9."

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The lens or lenses you most regret selling ... What are yours? Mine are 28mm, ASPH Cron and the 75mm ASPH APO Cron. My only consolation is that they are probably making some photographer 'out there' happy. When I do sell a lens, it is generally for the purpose of financing another purchase. Nevertheless, I have sworn off selling Leica lenses!

I have most regretted selling any or all of my Leica M lenses over the years, as I always seem to come back to the Leica system and have to re-buy them again, for more money (:-(

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No Regrets - I sold all of my Nikon AI-S primes and F3/T as soon as I saw the results from my new Leica M9 and 1.4/35 Summilux FLE in 2010. I'd kept the Nikon in case I went back to film but decided that if I did it so it would be with Leica lenses on a film M body.

 

Regret - selling my first 2.0/40 Summicron. Fortunately I bought and sold the first one for the same amount which was also what I paid fo the second one which proved to be the better lens :)

 

Biggest Regret - selling the Zeiss 2.8/35mm Sonnar attached to my Contax T3.

A spectacular lens on a great compact camera.

 

Mixed Regrets - selling the 4.5/21 ZM C-Sonnar I bought for my M9. Although I generally shoot for B&W the red edge was a pain on colour images. I have a 21 Summilux and replaced the Sonnar with a 21 SEM. The reason for the regret is that the Zeiss seems to be a spectacular lens on the Monochrom.

 

 

This is a timely thread as I'm thinking about thinking of selling a few rarely used ZM lenses (for which I have the same/similar focal length Leicas) with my now rarely used M9. I think I need to think some more. :confused:

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For even-handedness, here are the lenses I don't regret selling at all!

 

ANY 90 Summicron - if I need a big, fast tele, the 75 Summilux is faster, frames tighter, and frames more accurately at longer distances. And is not much heavier.

 

ANY slower 90 - If I want a longer, slow tele, I prefer a 135.

 

ANY 50 - great fast "portrait" lens on the M8, otherwise, not my focal length.

 

35 f/1.4 pre-ASPH - close focus of 1 meter too far; 35 Summicron v.4 is a dead match for "character" with closer focusing

 

ANY 28 - great substitute for a 35 on the M8, (I used the Mandler v.3 - loved the color), but is not a focal length I need on full-frame.

 

EVERYTHING wider except the pre-ASPH 21 f/2.8 and 15 voigtlander - the 15 isn't worth selling, and the 21 is "my axe, man!"

 

Lenses with which I have an "approach/retreat" relationship - have sold, but might reconsider in the future:

 

75 Summarit, 35 f/1.4 ASPH non-FLE, 135 APO f/3.4

 

R lenses: only one I sold and bought back (several times) is the 180 f/3.4 APO. SO hi-res and SO free of CA that it can handle teleconverters and still equal most longer primes. So it is also my "250 f/4.5," my "360 f/6.8" and my "500 f/9."

 

 

Maybe it is not such a good idea to use a 1.4x extender on the 180 f/3.4 APO! :confused:

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So is it yes or no?

 

Mark,

 

The APO Extender-R 2x is designed to work with the APO 180/3.4 lens.

The 1.4x extender is not as the front glass element of the extender protrudes too much.

It would interfere with the lens glass when focusing to infinity. :eek:

 

Also, the 1.4x extender cannot be attached behind the 2x extender.

It would have to go first on the lens.

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