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APO-Lanthar value?

Discussion in 'Large Format Cameras and Accessories' started by Yuri, Feb 1, 2009.

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  1. Feb 1, 2009 #1
    Yuri

    Yuri Member

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    I'm getting rid of my 4x5 stuff (shooting digital and 8x10 now). Everything is gone except apo-lanthar 15cm 4.5 - late coated version. This is the best 4x5 lens I ever had. I was trying to justify keeping it but it won't give me enough coverage for 8x10...
    I did some research on ebay - apo-lanthars are priced $1500+ which I think is way too much. I can't find any other current price information for this lens. If anyone bought or sold this lens recently, would you mind sharing the price?
     
  2. Feb 1, 2009 #2
    edtbjon

    edtbjon Member

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  3. Feb 1, 2009 #3
    Steve Hamley

    Steve Hamley Member

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    I think Bjorn is about right. About 3 years ago I bought a perfect one with a sticky shutter for $425 IIRC, so I ended up with about $525 in it. Prices went higher after I bought mine, but I doubt you'd get a kilobuck for a 150mm today. Maybe a 210mm, which I'd like to have, but I wasn't going to pay what people have been asking for them.

    Cheers, Steve
     
  4. Feb 2, 2009 #4
    ljsegil

    ljsegil Subscriber

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    I bought mine, a Linhof select in an excellent shutter for I believe $750 a little less than 18 months ago. As far as I can tell by monitoring eBay and some other forums, they have continued to appreciate substantially since then, perhaps another 25-50%, but I don't know if they are fetching those sorts of prices more recently. It seems to me it's worth a run on eBay and see if you can hook some collectors not yet afflicted by the world's woes. It is still a very sought after and valuable lens for 4x5, it seems a pity to let it go without a try on the auction site; a generous reserve price might help you establish current value without much downside risk other than listing fees.
    LJS
     
  5. Feb 2, 2009 #5
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    Yuri

    Yuri Member

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    Thanks for info - I think something around $600-700 will be a good opening price for the auction.

    By the way I tested it with my sony a700 (I mounted the lens on a macro bellows) - I was amazed by the absence of the chromatic abberations. Lens is corrected better than some of the modern lenses. Truly an APO lens. I have a pretty decent 100-300 minolta maxxum-APO lens and it shows more purple fringing than 50 year old APO-Lanthar. :smile: