p.1 #3 · What's a fair price for a Nikkor 16/3.5 AI fisheye?
If you want to see what the current market is via what folks have paid for this lens recently, here's a list of completed eBay auctions to show the range, in part based on lens condition. You can use this range to narrow down what you think a fair price would be.
p.1 #5 · What's a fair price for a Nikkor 16/3.5 AI fisheye?
j.liam wrote:
Very good to excellent condition...
Is an AI'd, factory AI'd, or AI?
Does it come with the hood?
Is the front element spotless?
If it's an AI version with the hood and spotless front element then it's $550+
If it's an AI'd version in excellent shape or and an AI in lesser shape then $450 or so . . .
I paid over $500 for both of mine, but they are original AI and the glass on both is spotless (and both have the original hoods).
p.1 #7 · What's a fair price for a Nikkor 16/3.5 AI fisheye?
John is probably referring to the deep cap covering the front element. There is no separate "hood" for this fisheye lens,
it is built in.
I paid $450 for a K version with the Nikon AI conversion kit that is in excellent condition. John sold it to me when he picked up his THIRD copy of the lens. I guess that says something about how much he values the lens. I'm certainly delighted with it and the price seems fair.
p.1 #8 · What's a fair price for a Nikkor 16/3.5 AI fisheye?
CGrindahl wrote:
John is probably referring to the deep cap covering the front element. There is no separate "hood" for this fisheye lens,
it is built in.
+1 I'm on low sleep these days and my mind was not working right. Yes, it's the slide on cap - of course the hood is built in
p.1 #10 · What's a fair price for a Nikkor 16/3.5 AI fisheye?
I checked with Roland Vink's tally on lens production numbers and now see why they are still pricey and hard to come by. According to him, about 8000 were manufactured between 1973 and 1979, similar number to the NOCT, but with almost 2/3's in the F and K versions. Considering how many of these might have been AI'd and accounting for the natural attrition over 40 years, the remaining survivors must number less than 3000 (pure and utter speculation on my part).
p.1 #12 · What's a fair price for a Nikkor 16/3.5 AI fisheye?
j.liam wrote:
I checked with Roland Vink's tally on lens production numbers and now see why they are still pricey and hard to come by. According to him, about 8000 were manufactured between 1973 and 1979, similar number to the NOCT, but with almost 2/3's in the F and K versions. Considering how many of these might have been AI'd and accounting for the natural attrition over 40 years, the remaining survivors must number less than 3000 (pure and utter speculation on my part).
From what you said on the Manual Focus Nikon Glass thread it appears you've bought one. YES, they are not easy to come by and a fair number of folks on that thread have followed John's lead into that territory. Funny to see how differently it performs on a DX camera where it looks simply like a very wide lens without much curvature. But it does its thing for sure when you mount it on DX.
Definitely share some images on that thread if/once one comes your way. Here's one of the recent posts with that lens on a DX camera, a shot taken by a pro working in Germany who loves to get creative, here with the sun burst.
p.1 #13 · What's a fair price for a Nikkor 16/3.5 AI fisheye?
Yes I did, just last night. Appreciate all of your guidance here; expecting it in 2 days. We shall see if it is in as good shape as was described to me.
p.1 #17 · What's a fair price for a Nikkor 16/3.5 AI fisheye?
I did a search on completed listings on fleabay before I bought mine. I was surprised how many went from 375 to $400 on buy it nows. If you're diligent checking the ads you might get lucky. They don't show up on FM very often.
p.1 #19 · What's a fair price for a Nikkor 16/3.5 AI fisheye?
jhinkey wrote:
Also, check KEH regularly - they get one or two 16/3.5's per year typically.
Thanks for the heads up. I will check them again.
As far as the defunct deal, I made an offer to someone on eBay with seemingly good eBay review numbers but he 'suddently' discovered it was non-AI when I pressed him on it. Now I have to labor to get the Paypal payment back. Drudgery.
p.1 #20 · What's a fair price for a Nikkor 16/3.5 AI fisheye?
I'm a great fan of buying pre-AI lenses that have been modified with the AI conversion kit Nikon once produced but it is possible to convert them simply by careful modification of the existing aperture ring. Perhaps you saw the recent photo taken by Jose in Brazil who filed down the ring. If not, here is a link...
Unfortunately, there are no kits remaining, the last picked up by Ray Steele on the Manual Focus Nikon Glass thread and used on a pre-AI lens he'd picked up. Without the kit, the only solution is to find a lens already converted, or to file down the existing aperture ring. The call is yours...
