Anyone know what the heck this is?

EASmithV · Dec 17, 2012

And why he's put such an obscene price tag on it?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-400...309?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item337ea09945

polyglot · Dec 17, 2012

It could be an aerial mapping lens, but there isn't much call for those to be f/4.5 since they're generally shooting stuff under Sunny-16 conditions.

As to the price, it could be part of a money-laundering operation. Crappy old lens (unusual or obfuscated enough that it's hard to argue its real market value) goes one way, big sack of cash goes the other and the eBay transaction legitimises

semi-ambivalent · Dec 17, 2012

EASmithV said:
And why he's put such an obscene price tag on it?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-400...309?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item337ea09945

No, but I'd pass just because of the ad's typography.

ME Super · Dec 17, 2012

Free shipping!. I would hope so, considering how much he's asking for it!!

Alan W · Dec 17, 2012

Hey,it's rare earth glass!

AndreasT · Dec 17, 2012

1 000 000 ?!?

Dan Fromm · Dec 17, 2012

The prices smell like a typo.

The lens, well, it smells like a 400/6.3 Telemar-17. There are several on offer on eBay at much lower prices. See the 1963 GOI catalog, which can be downloaded from: http://www.lallement.com/pictures/files.htm If you look in the catalog, you'll find two other 400/6.3s. I'm pretty sure it isn't an Arktik-A or an Ob-87. None of these lenses has anything like the claimed coverage.

The seller reeks of ignorance.

Jeff Kubach · Dec 18, 2012

At that price why not get a dozen!

Jeff

AgX · Dec 18, 2012

It is as typographic error. Bear in mind that in the anglo-american world dot and comma have an opposite meaning concerning figures than in other ports of the world.
I once erroneously typed in a bid on a US-site german-wise and also got something of that kind. But was warned by the system....

Laurent · Dec 18, 2012

semi-ambivalent said:
No, but I'd pass just because of the ad's typography.

May be the typography is so rare that it justifies the price

railwayman3 · Dec 18, 2012

AgX said:
It is as typographic error. Bear in mind that in the anglo-american world dot and comma have an opposite meaning concerning figures than in other ports of the world.
I once erroneously typed in a bid on a US-site german-wise and also got something of that kind. But was warned by the system....

That's the obvious explanation...note that the postage is also given as $1200.00! As you say, dot or comma in the wrong place.

(But the ideas of money laundering and spies are more fun )

AndreasT · Dec 18, 2012

I hope it is not a typo I am about to sell all my lenses on the bay.

EASmithV · Dec 18, 2012

Even if the dot/comma error occurred, he still had to manually enter all the numerals to space it out

FiatluX · Dec 18, 2012

He sure went to extremes to make his ad look like crap, the use of typography is "something else"!

E. von Hoegh · Dec 18, 2012

Dan Fromm said:
The prices smell like a typo.

The lens, well, it smells like a 400/6.3 Telemar-17. There are several on offer on eBay at much lower prices. See the 1963 GOI catalog, which can be downloaded from: http://www.lallement.com/pictures/files.htm If you look in the catalog, you'll find two other 400/6.3s. I'm pretty sure it isn't an Arktik-A or an Ob-87. None of these lenses has anything like the claimed coverage.

The seller reeks of ignorance.

What Dan said.

AgX · Dec 18, 2012

EASmithV said:
Even if the dot/comma error occurred, he still had to manually enter all the numerals to space it out

The latter is done by the system automatically.

Sirius Glass · Dec 18, 2012

The seller has been inhaling hypo fumes for too long.

BradS · Dec 18, 2012

polyglot said:
....As to the price, it could be part of a money-laundering operation.

Agreed....or, it could be an encrypted/obfuscated message broadcast to the sleeper network of spies and terrorists!

Photo Engineer · Dec 18, 2012

Comparable USAF mapping lenses ran in the range of 900 mm and were not that expensive. The shutter speed of the camera varied but the f stop was fixed as were the filters. I've forgotten the aperture of these lenses. Actually, the f stop could be varied by an insert before flight.

PE

Dan Fromm · Dec 18, 2012

Ron, see, e.g, post #17 in this thread. Mapping lenses are typically nearly symmetrical wide angle lenses with very low distortion. The Telemar-17 is a telephoto lens, i.e., very asymmetrical, with less coverage than one would expect given the focal length (30 degrees, per the GOI catalog, was used on a camera that shot 5" x 7" on who knows what) and probably doesn't have low distortion.

These days serious mapping lenses are much shorter than 900 mm. My USAF datasheets aren't as relevant to this as I'd like them to be because they cut off around 1970. Even so, all of the long lenses in them are Type Is (reconnaissance). The longest Type IIs (aerial mapping) are six inchers that cover 9" x 9" on 10" roll film. Zeiss (BRD and DDR) and Wild may have made a few mapping lens types longer than 6", I'm feeling lazy and am not going to go looking for them. Asking prices for used modern mapping lenses make most LF lenses look cheap.

Reconnaissance cameras aren't all fixed aperture -- I've bought some with shutter preferred auto exposure -- and I'd be surprised if modern mapping cameras didn't have autoexposure too. Most of the aerial cameras and lenses for/from them offered on eBay are relatively ancient reconnaissance types, are far from representative of the last generation of reconnaissance cameras that used film. That Telemar-17 is a 1948 design, not quite today's state-of-the art.

Photo Engineer · Dec 18, 2012

Dan;

It depended on altitude and resolution. Recon lenses varied all over the map. One description did not cover all. I show a photo of one in my gallery.

There were 2 types of recon cameras, rectified and non-rectfied. There are so many cameras and lenses that it would be difficult to describe them. All I know is that I still have my recon slide rule!

PE

DREW WILEY · Dec 19, 2012

For that kind of money I know someone who will make a custom lens that will make this one look like it was made for a Holga. They accept NASA credit cards.

Old-N-Feeble · Dec 19, 2012

I once questioned an overseas seller about a crazy price. He replied, stating that there was a currency conversion error.

scheimfluger_77 · Jan 1, 2013

polyglot said:
...

As to the price, it could be part of a money-laundering operation. Crappy old lens (unusual or obfuscated enough that it's hard to argue its real market value) goes one way, big sack of cash goes the other and the eBay transaction legitimises

I like this explanation.

Anyone know what the heck this is?

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