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16mm Lenses kicking me in the pocket


T Sanders

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Hi there,

 

I've been wanting to shoot on film for some time and bought a few Canon Super 8mm cameras and decided it was time to go to 16mm for a new short film I'm working on for next year.

 

Last week, I saw a Bolex H16 Rex 5 at a price I couldn't refuse. I bought it without hesitation and I'm glad I did. With that having been said, it came with no lenses.

 

So I've been buying lenses for it but I'm just feeling some type of way about the lens prices. I've had a photographer friend of mine tell me before she spends serious money on the best lenses she can afford. I don't want to overspend. Some of the prices I've seen on this forum for different cameras and lenses seem lower than what I've been seeing online. Maybe it's just all about timing. :)

 

I do admit I paid for more for these lenses than the same lens listed by another seller on Ebay because the lenses I bought not only worked,had clear glass but also looked well taken care of (i.e. not all beat to crap).

 

I purchased:

Kern-Paillard SWITAR RX 16mm lens - $250

Kern-Paillard SWITAR RX 25mm lens - $305

Switar Kern-Paillard 50mm f/1.4 H16 RX Lens w/Caps, Hood - $551

Switar Kern-Paillard 100mm f/3.3 Yvar AR Lens - $594

 

Maybe if I hadn't purchased them all at once I wouldn't feel so disturbed about it. :)

 

Are these resonable prices for these type of lenses in near mint condition and in working order?

 

I saw many lenses for sale that were beaten up, oil on the blades, fungus, etc. for not much cheaper and of course ragedy lenses of the same type for more money than what I paid for these but I'm open to being called a fool for these prices too. :)

 

Thanks

 

Edited by T Sanders
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Those longer lenses are certainly somewhat rare so they are more expensive than the shorter focal length ones. I think the price you paid is quite reasonable. You got them in good condition so you saved about $100 per lens in CLA.

 

Now then, whether those prices are reasonable compared to some other lenses you can with good luck get for the same price is a different issue altogether, but Switars -- I really don't think you could get them in good condition any cheaper these days.

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Those longer lenses are certainly somewhat rare so they are more expensive than the shorter focal length ones. I think the price you paid is quite reasonable. You got them in good condition so you saved about $100 per lens in CLA.

 

Now then, whether those prices are reasonable compared to some other lenses you can with good luck get for the same price is a different issue altogether, but Switars -- I really don't think you could get them in good condition any cheaper these days.

 

Thanks for your input Heikki!

 

I've sort of launched into this a little sooner than I'd planned so I've been in hyper learning mode. I've been reading and reading and of course trying to filter many view points. I was feeling more frazzled about the 100mm because I've been searching for the longer lenses for a while and I'd only found 75mm Switar lenses that weren't zooms. Nothing against zoom lenses but I didn't want one right now. But the 100mm was just listed today and I had nothing to compare it to for pricing except the zooms.

 

I don't have a special place in my heart for Switar's they just seem the most common... and this guy used them to shoot this amazing footage. :)

 

But I also saw an interesting video on here of someone using Nikon lenses on the same camera I have with an adapter (I have one too). But thought I'd like to use lenses meant for the camera for a while.

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