Archive 2016 · Lens economics - depreciation

igmolinav
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Lens economics - depreciation

Hi,

I got interested in a lens. The price was one third
or one fourth of its original value. It is a lens made
by this brand that makes very good lenses. I saw
that my budget was a bit limited and I didn't bid for
the lens. I did a short search for the lens and
according to its serial number the lens was twenty
years old. The asking price of the lens was $1,900 USD.
If the lens was originally priced at some $4,500 USD,
some twenty years ago, how can I know if the price
given to the lens is a good price? In this case, the
lens looked fairly good, but of course, use had been
given to it along twenty years. How can I understand
depreciation in (high quality) lenses?

Thank you, kind regards,

igmolinav : ) !!!

Dec 03, 2016 at 12:06 PM

2ndviolinman
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Lens economics - depreciation

FM member jcolwell keeps an invaluable database on used lens prices, culled from many sources, which gives a fairly up to date view of sell prices of a huge number of used used lenses. It is the best source that I know of, outside of doing similar research one'sself, for seeing what a particular lens has been selling for in the recent past. Here is a link:

http://tinyurl.com/jcolwell-lensdb

I should add that so many factors, from brand, to update, to obsolescence, to cult following, or even to a recent thread praising or denouncing the merits of a lens can influence the sell price of a lens. Applying a formula just will not work.

Dec 03, 2016 at 01:12 PM

jcolwell
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Lens economics - depreciation

Thanks for the plug, Number Two.

I agree. There is no formula. The best you can do, is to follow current and recent prices. There is high correlation between original price and used prices, in general, but there's no reliable method to accurately predict used price for a particular lens from original price and age (and condition), unless you have supporting price data. If you do have supporting price data, then you don't need a predictive method, as you already have the answer.

Dec 03, 2016 at 02:07 PM

igmolinav
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Lens economics - depreciation

Hi,

Thank you for your messages : ) !!!

The database is very good!

Yes, It just seemeed a bit weird to me that
leica M lenses don't loose much value.
I was looking at a wide angle and
the price was relatively high for a
twenty year old lens. Perhaps that is
normal?

Kind regards,

igmolinav : ) !!!

Dec 04, 2016 at 04:19 PM

Paul Mo
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Lens economics - depreciation

Another factor is how much you want or need a lens - how much are you willing to pay, and how long are you willing to wait for one at a rock bottom price?

Dec 04, 2016 at 07:01 PM

peter_n
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Lens economics - depreciation

igmolinav wrote:
Yes, It just seemeed a bit weird to me that leica M lenses don't loose much value. I was looking at a wide angle and the price was relatively high for a twenty year old lens. Perhaps that is normal?

Pretty much normal, yes. Most Leica M lenses hold their value, they're expensive but if you sell the cost of ownership is negligible, and in some cases (like some Mandler lenses for example) they can be quite an investment.

Dec 05, 2016 at 08:36 AM

rscheffler
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Lens economics - depreciation

Leica M lens pricing is kind of tricky in part because Leica's retail pricing has apparently gone up considerably over the past ~10 years. Some of this would coincide with inflation, but my guess is a lot of it is just selling for what they think they can get for it. This can affect older lenses because they're priced somewhat relative to current retail and what the market will bear. Used Leica M lens pricing skyrocketed around 6-7 years ago when the M9 was in high demand and Leica couldn't supply enough lenses. Lenses were selling on the resale market higher than regular retail. Also consider that some older lenses are relatively difficult to find, at least in good condition. For example, I've wanted to get a copy of the original 35/1.4, but would prefer to pay less than $1000 for one... Unfortunately for me, this is one of those Leica lenses that is appreciating. I used to see many in the $1500 range, but now they seem to often be over $2000. I guess with it being out of production and therefore a finite quantity, as more people become interested in these kinds of lenses for their mirrorless cameras, video cameras, etc., supply on the used market becomes tighter and favors sellers. This is not so much the case with current Leica production lenses, many of which you can buy second hand at considerable savings.

Dec 06, 2016 at 10:18 PM


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