50mm f1.0L - At what price would you buy?

[Eldar]

There´s one of these rather rare lenses on sale here, for about $3.000. It is clearly not a lens I need, but since that is the case with most of my lenses, I was wondering at what price I should be tempted.

At what price would you be tempted?

 

[dolina]

null dev

 

[Random Orbits]

Depends on how much I could sell it for. If it's at or above that price, then it'd be more attractive.

Unfortunately, there are several other pieces that I'd be more likely to get first: 100-400L II, 11-24 f/4 and another 600ex-rt. I have the 50 f/1.2, so this will be more about novelty than filling an unfilled niche.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I have the 50mm f/0.7 IS and it was free, but needed 10,000 posts

Seriously, there was a mint lens, still in its box being sold by the original owner for $5K a few years back. The market is much softer now, so it all depends on condition, and that box can add $1K to the value.

I looked on ebay at completed auctions. They started at $2600, $3200, $3500 ... all the way up to $4500. It all depends on the condition and the seller's reputation.

Its unlikely that you could flip it for a big profit, since the cost of selling it is high, but its a reasonable price if you plan to keep it.

 

[EOBeav]

And even if you didn't make a profit at all, if you bought it, used it for a year, and then sold it for market value, your cost of 'renting' that lens during that time would be nil.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

And even if you didn't make a profit at all, if you bought it, used it for a year, and then sold it for market value, your cost of 'renting' that lens during that time would be nil.

Unless it needed parts, in which case you might have a door stop. The risk of needing repairs is part of the acquisition cost, I don't know how to factor it in, but for a lens like this, it might be $1500 over 5 years.

 

[Machaon]

The risk of needing repairs is part of the acquisition cost, I don't know how to factor it in, but for a lens like this, it might be $1500 over 5 years.

I agree with the premise of including maintenance in whole-of-life costing. But do you really think an old Canon L lens in good condition would have a 30-50% probability of hardware failure over 5 years?

My experience with L glass is that it just keeps working, unless you drive a car over it... and sometimes even then.

It comes back to ensuring the good condition of the item you're buying so you don't buy up a lemon. That's impossible to do on eBay, where I've be bitten before with apparently perfect Zeiss gear. That's where used gear retailers like Keh add value.

Sometimes picking something up cheap is not really cheap at all...

 

[danski0224]

There´s one of these rather rare lenses on sale here, for about $3.000. It is clearly not a lens I need, but since that is the case with most of my lenses, I was wondering at what price I should be tempted.

At what price would you be tempted?

I would be tempted at that price, but I really can't justify it. That focal length just doesn't do it for me.

If it was complete excluding the box, I may think about it to try it out for a year or so... but the risk of breakage and not being repairable is always there.

I think I would like the new 11-24 better for that price point.

 

[meywd]

I would save more to get the Otus, but since you have the Otus, maybe wait for more Otus to come? ;D

 

[jdramirez]

To have as my own lens... not for resale... and with a reasonable market value considering how rare it is... I'd say maybe $1800... only because I know the price should be more than the current 50L... and I'd have to sell my 85L mkii... so I would say that... but what is going to happen is that I won't like it and then I'd have to go back to my 85L... So... it was be a net sum of zero.

So to put it simply... I wouldn't. @ $500... just to have another option... sure... at $850... I have the cash... so sure... but at higher than that, I start getting into the area where I can have a different lens that I want... like an 8-15 fisheye... or a 100-400 mkii (maybe)... so I'd have to say my max that I would be willing to pay (without the consideration of resale) is probably $850... so I'm not a good person to ask...

 

[candc]

seems like a good price. it wont be as sharp as your otus but its a whole stop faster! you have to admit that's pretty cool?

 

[Perio]

I wouldn't pay anything more than $1500

 

[Canon Rumors]

I own the lens and use it on occasion. $3000 is a great price and the lens is worth more than that from a collectors point of view. If you plan to give the lens heavy use, buy a few 50 f/1.2L's instead.

 

[chromophore]

It bears reminding that this lens, like the EF 85/1.2L design, is focus-by-wire. There is no mechanical coupling between the focusing ring and the focusing helicoid, and the only way to focus the lens is if it receives power from the camera body.

If the circuit board or some other electronic component that affects focusing operations fails in this lens, it becomes completely inoperable. Replacement parts are not available from Canon and they are unable to service this lens. Used parts are obviously scarce as this was never a high-volume production design.

The glass itself is robust. It's the electronics that I worry about, and that's one of the reasons (the other being the sheer price) why I never seriously considered purchasing one.

I really, really wish Canon would update this design. If they could produce an EF 11-24/4L to the tune of $3000 while employing the single largest diameter aspherical element used in 35mm photography, they could update the 50/1.0L. The availability of technological options has only improved with time; choice in various glasses has also become better, although for environmental concerns, lead was phased out. Nevertheless, there do exist alternative glass compositions that facilitate high refractive index.

 

[jdramirez]

Don't they not fix the 50mm f/1? I thought I heard somewhere that canon no longer services them... which may also mean that they dont' have new parts being made... or am I just making that up?

 

[jdramirez]

If the circuit board or some other electronic component that affects focusing operations fails in this lens, it becomes completely inoperable. Replacement parts are not available from Canon and they are unable to service this lens. Used parts are obviously scarce as this was never a high-volume production design.

or I could have just read the next post...

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

The risk of needing repairs is part of the acquisition cost, I don't know how to factor it in, but for a lens like this, it might be $1500 over 5 years.

I agree with the premise of including maintenance in whole-of-life costing. But do you really think an old Canon L lens in good condition would have a 30-50% probability of hardware failure over 5 years?

My experience with L glass is that it just keeps working, unless you drive a car over it... and sometimes even then.

It comes back to ensuring the good condition of the item you're buying so you don't buy up a lemon. That's impossible to do on eBay, where I've be bitten before with apparently perfect Zeiss gear. That's where used gear retailers like Keh add value.

Sometimes picking something up cheap is not really cheap at all...

Things happen, dropping the lens and breaking a internal part, or a AF motor fails. Its a risk, and some value has to be added, my figure was just a number off the top of my head, but one I'd go with.

I'd have to see the lens, try it, and talk to the owner to get a better feel.

 

[Zeidora]

I would save more to get the Otus, but since you have the Otus, maybe wait for more Otus to come? ;D

+1 -- I bet the Otus wide open has better image quality than the f/1 at f/1.4, and wide open the f/1 is certainly worse. So what's the point? Also wondering about the next Otus.

 

[GMCPhotographics]

I would save more to get the Otus, but since you have the Otus, maybe wait for more Otus to come? ;D

I didn't realize the Otus was an F1.0 design....oh...it's not....so it's in a different classification of lenses then.
This is one of the few lenses ever to enter the f1.0 club.
Just thought of a great gag to use with this lens:
This lens is brighter than the human eye...unfortunately it's also brighter than some human's brains...

 

[Eldar]

I believe anyone buying this lens will have an element of Collectors item in their arguments, given how rare and unique this lens is. From a performance perspective, it can be compared to anything vintage. A mint condition Jaguar E-type is a beautiful car and some people pay small fortunes for them. But compared to even the most modest of modern sport cars it's a horrible driving experience (but a fun driving experience).

I may just have to go for this one ... :