Buy & Sell regulars might recall that I posted a Canon EF 1200mm 5.6L in December 2005 that ended up not working out. (Since that time I have also become somewhat known for my eBay sales. My FM & eBay IDs are the same should you wish to look at my eBay feedback.)

Well, I have another super-lens, but this one is much more concrete. This time it is a Nikkor 1200-1700mm f5.6 - 8.0 P IF ED. I have seen the lens, it is in good condition with some cosmetic marks but no optical problems. Mechanically the lens also has no troubles, focusing and zooming are smooth.

Included with the lens are all original items -- trunk, hood, straps, filter holders, f/r caps, manual, warranty card. It is a one-owner lens.

Tomorrow I have an appointment to inspect the lens in much more detail, and I will take a few photos of it at that time. I should have the lens in my possession within about 10 days.

When new these were special-order only and apparently sold in the US$75,000 range. Nikon discontinued this lens in 1999.

The asking price is US$40,000 plus shipping. Serious offers will also be considered. (Personal pick-up here in Osaka would be welcome as well.)

If interested please contact me via PM.

--------------------
Added 2007-Mar-18: Today I inspected the lens in much more detail than the first time I saw it, and have also taken some photos of the lens and case. The photos are available here: http://hobday.net/fm/n1200-1700/sn200015/ Please do not repost this link in other locations as it will rapidly kill my bandwidth allocation!

Some comments on the lens and photos:

1) The owner of this lens has decided to sell it as he rarely uses the lens. He also owns the Canon EF 1200mm f5.6!

2) Overall the lens is in very good cosmetic condition, but there are some marks in the barrel paint as can be seen in the photos. I have tried to show all areas that have any cosmetic marks.

3) The lens hood took a bit of a bump at one point in the past (it was dropped), and this can be seen in the lower right of the front element image. The mark is cosmetic, it does not affect the performance of the hood.

4) There are no problems with the optics or mechanics of the lens. I checked everything extremely closely today. The mount is also in excellent condition, this lens has not been used all that much.

5) All accessories are included with the lens. I took a photo of the lens manual, and in that photo you can see a list of all items included with the lens. Nothing is missing.

I think that covers everything. If anyone has questions please reply in the thread or contact me via PM.

Edited by ian.hobday on Mar 18, 2007 at 06:10 PM GMT

So you don't own or have even seen this lens yet?

I have seen the lens and all of the accessories, and tomorrow I will get some photos of it and check it again.

I will have the lens at my office within 10 days, but it could be as early 3 or 4 days from now. After I have the lens at my office I will take more photos, as well as photos of all of the included items.

I also plan to take the lens to Nikon Japan to get their evaluation.

Would this lens even work on a crop senor?

Have you heard of a Nikon lens NOT work on a nikon camera before? **not talking about Pre-AI lenses**

Josef Isayo wrote:
Would this lens even work on a crop senor?
Yes, this lens will work on all Nikon cameras that any modern lens will work with. It is a "P" lens, so although it is manual focus, it has a CPU in it and allows matrix metering, the same as the 500mm 4.0 P lens.

Earlier today I updated the original post in this thread with some new information and a link to photos of the lens.

If anyone has questions please reply in the thread or contact me via PM.

guys, can we stop the nonsense? this is the buy and sell forum, if you want to talk practical purposes of the lens, move the conversation to the gear forum, please.

Are you allowed to post in the buy and sell for something you don't even have yet?

I have a friend which is a Nikon nut and have most Nikon lenses ever produced. I will e-mail him this link.

How much does this thing weigh? Sorry, just had to ask. Is this a pick-up only item?

Thanks for the replies everyone.

hyperion: I ran this by one of the mods before posting as it definitely isn't a typical Buy & Sell sort of post.

Yakim: Much appreciated! I will be taking many more photos of the lens once I have it in hand. Mid to end of next week seems likely.

sboerup: The lens is 16kg (35lbs). The case etc adds about another 10kg. Considering the cost of the lens I expect that local pickup is a distinct possibility even though the lens is in Osaka, quite far from where most people live! I can also arrange for appropriate crating and shipping of the lens (with insurance) to most locations.