[egordon99]

I did the whole eBay thing last winter and got some good deals, although at the time I didn't realize how good they were!
50mm A f/1.7 - ~$35
28mm A f/2.8 - ~$50
Sears 135mm f/2.8 (with the 'A' setting) $12 (yep, 12 bucks!)
Vivitar 28-210mm f/4.5-6.7 Autofocus ~$15 (great walkaround lens, but SLOW at long end) I think B&H at the time had this lens for $179! Mine came from some pawn shop type operation and listed 'As-is' so it was a bit of a risk, but it came in perfect condition (except for the hood) AND with a Polarizer filter
Pentax F 100-300mm ~$45
Sigma DL Macro 70-300mm ~$25

[Alvin]

Grr...Am I the only one who consistently fails to get 50s beyond F2? haha.

After the XR 50/2, I got an M 50/2 off an ME auction. Then an A50/2 off a P3n auction.

LOL - because of all the sniping, I decided to just bite the bullet, called around the Henry's stores and picked up my M50/1.7 Got it for $60 CDN at Oakville.

[Piotr]

Here is my last month ebay monitoring:
A20/2.8 - 520 USD
FA* 24/2 - 715 USD
FA* 85/1.4 - 1250 USD
A* 135/1.8 - 1270 USD
FA* 200/2.8 - 1400 USD
FA* 300/4.5 - 1250 USD
A* 300/2.8 - 2070 USD

I's interesting what will be the price for new DA* 200/2.8 and 300/4.5 ?

[Jun Park]

(The sad thing, Jun, is that even if you combine our collections I'll bet we're not even half way to Mr. King!

LOL! Isn't that the truth! I think I'd have to resort to "other means of employment" to get anywhere near Jim King!

BTW, the "other means of employment" would involve a ski mask and a handgun... Just kidding!!!

[Donald]

I have read that prices have increased. On the other hand, last few times I looked there were about 3X more lenses for sale than when I was tracking.

My point is that if you are in the ebay racket, it pays to research: I recommend track lens auctions for about a 1 month period before actually bidding.

28mm f2.8 A $72

auction won high = $147 / auction won low = $46 ---> it pays to research!

I noticed knowledgeable sellers as well as sellers who didn't have a clue. Several who bought camera-lens sets then relisted the lens in a new auction, and it worked, selling the lens for more than the set. Deals pop up in strange ways: an auction won for $244 included a 28, 35, 50-1.4A and 105-2.8 all Pentax set from a "retiring amateur". What a set of lenses for a fantastic price!

[DAP]

Talk about lucky finds. An uninformed seller recently sold both a K85/1.8 and a K18/3.5 on ebay for BINs of $125 and $185 respectively!!!! I had a pit in my stomach after I saw the completed auctions.

The sickening thing about it is the bargains didn't even go to an enthusiast - some "reseller" snapped them up and sold them a couple of days later on flea-bag for $$$$$$$$$

Personally, I used to do the Ebay thing, but now I tend to go though shops or private sales - it's getting ugly on the bay

[roentarre]

I's interesting what will be the price for new DA* 200/2.8 and 300/4.5 ?

I guess both lenses costing less than 1000 US dollars each.

And the new Da*300 will be f4

Whatever it is, I doubt them to be more expensive than canon 300mm f4L IS ... (To prove that pentax has a better glass with cheaper price tag)

[SupremeMoFo]

+ clever Pentax put SR in the bodies rather than rorting people on lenses

[FotoPete]

Thats a good sign. Too bad the lenses are black and not silver. I liked the ol' FA* telephoto days. Those lenses looked great!

[amateur6]

How bad has the eBay Pentax insanity gotten? Hmmm, let's see:

SMC-F 50mm f1.4

Winning bid: US $268.50 (!!!!!)

Granted -- it's the only SMC-F (not FA) 1.4 I've seen since I started looking, but... well, it's enough to break my heart! And THAT still hurts since I checked out FotoConnection's reviews AFTER placing my order for a K10D...

*sigh*

Great forum, BTW. Happy I found you folks.

[JeffP30t]

How bad has the eBay Pentax insanity gotten? Hmmm, let's see:

SMC-F 50mm f1.4

Winning bid: US $268.50 (!!!!!)

Granted -- it's the only SMC-F (not FA) 1.4 I've seen since I started looking, but... well, it's enough to break my heart! And THAT still hurts since I checked out FotoConnection's reviews AFTER placing my order for a K10D...

*sigh*

How insane is that bid? If you're patient, B&H still gets brand-new FA 50/1.4's from time to time at $219.95 (and there's still a rebate on it!). That F 50/1.4 is at least 16 years old - the FA replaced it in 1991.

If you want one, you have to know when they get them, and be quick to order when they do. The easiest way to do this is to set up a wish list at their website, and check it frequently (it shows in-stock status). It's faster than drilling down through menus every time, and more reliable than their e-mail notification (if they sell out quickly, they don't send out a message). I was able to snag an FA 35/2 last week with that method.

Great forum, BTW. Happy I found you folks.

Welcome aboard! Just started here myself. Did you post at "Welcomes and Introductions" yet?

[amateur6]

Welcome aboard! Just started here myself. Did you post at "Welcomes and Introductions" yet?

Nope, not yet. Still getting my feet wet.

[Alvin]

Nope, not yet. Still getting my feet wet.

Do I wait until you post in there? No! WELCOME!

[jamesk8752]

Here's a list of my 50mm primes:
- (3) M 50/1.4
- M 50/1.7
- FA 50/1.4
- F 50/1.7

Yep, that's 6 50mm primes. I'D like to give Jim King a run for his money but I ain't got THAT much money!

You've got a way to go to catch me, Jun. ;<)

Here's my current listing of Pentax 50-55mm normals (38):

A50/1.2 x2
A50/1.4 x2
A50/1.7 x3
A50/2.0 x3
A50/2.8 Macro
DFA50/2 Macro
F50/1.4
F50/1.7
F50/2.8 Macro
FA50/1.4
FA50/1.7
FA50/2.8 Macro
K50/1.2
K50/1.4 x2
K50/4 Macro
K55/1.8
K55/2.0
M50/1.4
M50/1.7
M50/2.0 x2
M50/4.0 Macro
ST50/1.4 x2
ST55/1.8
SMCT50/1.4 x4
SMCT55/1.8
SMCT55/2.0

Note that many of these (and all of the duplicates ) serve as body caps for the many Pentax K-mount and screw-mount bodies in my collection.

Regards, Jim

[carpents]

Jim, that's amazing.

Even more amazing, my 13 + Jun's 6 = 19 lenses, which is exactly half of your collection!