[Pentaxoid]

Today, bhphotovideo was listing a used FA 35mm f/2 rated 9+, not for $400, not even $300, but only $269! It's now gone.

So guys adjust your prices accordingly. That's the real price of the lens, not the completely stupid prices we see here and there for a piece of glass and plastic.

Following the pentax price increase on the marketplace is only going to kill the brand.

Best regards,

[matiki]

Today, bhphotovideo was listing a used FA 35mm f/2 rated 9+, not for $400, not even $300, but only $269! It's now gone.

So guys adjust your prices accordingly. That's the real price of the lens, not the completely stupid prices we see here and there for a piece of glass and plastic.

Following the pentax price increase on the marketplace is only going to kill the brand.

Best regards,

No offense, but that's not a logical argument.

If it was worth $269 it wouldn't have sold in a day. You want to point out the one that sits for days without sale as an example. Clearly, they sold it for too little and left some money on the table.

[Blue]

No offense, but that's not a logical argument.

If it was worth $269 it wouldn't have sold in a day. You want to point out the one that sits for days without sale as an example. Clearly, they sold it for too little and left some money on the table.

I understand what he is saying. There are people, especially shops trying to sell New FA 28mm lenses for $400 or $500 dollars due to some illusions of grandeur. I sometimes regret not getting one when the were retailing for $299. There's no way in hades I'm going to pay more than that for it and there are a lot of people that feel the same way. While the optics are great, its not in a LTD packaging or even a DA* packaging.

[Pentaxoid]

@matiki: you invented the fact that the lens was sold within one day! From my original post you cannot make that statement (the lens could have been listed a week ago, I just saw it today), thus invalidating your counter-point.

No offense, but I guess that bhphotovideo has more experience in selling photo equipment than you And they probably feel stupid selling a second hand item more than what it used to be new, or maybe it's a simple accountant regulation problem that states so?

At the actual prices, I don't see any good reason for people to buy Pentax. Bodies are good and cheap, but then you get slaughtered on the lenses. And it's the lens that matters right?

[Alfisti]

Yeah the lens is over priced severely right now, I agree with that. However, it's really worth what people will pay and for some reason people are paying $325+.

[matiki]

@matiki: you invented the fact that the lens was sold within one day! From my original post you cannot make that statement (the lens could have been listed a week ago, I just saw it today), thus invalidating your counter-point.

No offense, but I guess that bhphotovideo has more experience in selling photo equipment than you And they probably feel stupid selling a second hand item more than what it used to be new, or maybe it's a simple accountant regulation problem that states so?

At the actual prices, I don't see any good reason for people to buy Pentax. Bodies are good and cheap, but then you get slaughtered on the lenses. And it's the lens that matters right?

I suspect my point has been completely missed. I am not disagreeing with your position, but rather how you attempt to support it (in fact, I want a 35/f2 but won't buy one at the current prices).

Just because one person sells an item for $1 does not mean the market will not tolerate a higher price. If buyers stop paying $400+ for 35/f2 lenses then the prices will go down.

If I sell my car for $5,000 less than market value, it will not make all cars like mine worth $5,000 less. It simply doesn't work that way.

[JasonA]

You should be talking to the buyers, not the sellers. If people list the lens in the marketplace and it doesn't sell, prices go down. As long as they sell for that price, the sellers would be foolish to list for lower.

[Nesster]

....you should a seen the other guy ... I mean how much did BH pay or give as trade in for that lens, to sell it for $269.

In general, I check BH, Adorama and especially KEH pricing to get a sense of what makes sense in the market. Sometimes each of them has a low price anomaly, but mostly they set the high side of the market, speaking in general. Sometimes too, the going ebay rates are higher than KEH is charging, which is a clear arbitrage opportunity A recent example are the P645 extension tubes - ebay is higher than KEH.

[Alfisti]

I also find lenses get 'fashionable' between here and DPR. Right now the 35/2 and 43ltd are hot.

The Bigma used price has dropped a solid $150+ from when it was hot a year or so ago.

[SylBer]

Economics teaches that price is determined by demand and supply. In a free market, the equilibrium price of a good is set at the point where demand and supply meet. All else being equal, if the demand for a lens goes up (or down), price goes up (or down). On the other hand, if the supply for a lens goes up (or down), prices go down (or up). Also, remember that price is not determined exclusively by the production cost of a good. In fact, price (thanks to marketing) reflects what people are willing to pay for a good.

Back to our FA 35. Since the introduction of APS-C, 35mm has become the standard lens. This, I suspect, had a positive impact on demand. On the other hand, supply is low for this lens. Thus, it is just rational for prices to go up. It doesn't matter if the production cost of this lens is 50$ or 200$, what matters is demand and supply.

Finally, when economists speak of demand and supply, the refer to "aggregated" demand and supply. Thus, one sale is not a good indicator of the point of equilibrium. The point of equilibrium is much more likely to be an average of all the prices paid in the market. The fat that one person paid 269$ for a lens does not mean it is the right price for this item. It just mean that the seller and the buyer agreed to conclude a transaction for that price.

[jsherman999]

@matiki: you invented the fact that the lens was sold within one day! From my original post you cannot make that statement (the lens could have been listed a week ago, I just saw it today), thus invalidating your counter-point.

No offense, but I guess that bhphotovideo has more experience in selling photo equipment than you And they probably feel stupid selling a second hand item more than what it used to be new, or maybe it's a simple accountant regulation problem that states so?

At the actual prices, I don't see any good reason for people to buy Pentax. Bodies are good and cheap, but then you get slaughtered on the lenses. And it's the lens that matters right?

Just so you know, Adorama once listed an M 50 f/2.8 macro for $99 in excellent condition. I knew there was no M 50 2.8 macro, so I bought it, and lo & behold, it was an A 50 2.8 macro, which usually sells for $200+ in the forum here and $250+ in places like Adorama/KEH/B&H.

So, moral of the story is - yes, these places do occasionally price used lenses wrong, especially Pentax used lenses.

The local camera stores can be even worse - often way over or under priced. The astute (and frequent) shopper can often find some steals


.

[Pentaxor]

well, IMO, most of the people that are selling the FA35/2 in the marketplace are just pricing the FA35/2 just right. a used copy from $270-$350, maybe pushed to $380. a brand new copy sells for about $450-$500 nowadays I think which is fair. and was selling for $750 or $800 last year which is/was really insane. I dunno but I think some are selling it brand new at $750 again or Pentax seems to be planning on jacking up the price at that level this year.

Pentaxoid, I understand your sentiments and for someone who doesn't have a copy and wants one badly, it seems to be quite unfairly overpriced. mind you that other factors are also involved why such lens are sold for such amount of money. factors such as the law of suppy and demand. how often do we see such a lens being sold at the marketplace? and how many people are willing to buy such a lens for as much as 400+? also, how many people are willing to let go of their copy for a lesser price? as far as I know, there are only a few willing to give it up and they usually sell them for what they think is the lens' worth. for $400+, there are quite a few willing to pull the trigger on them.

besides, this is not just an ordinary F2 lens. it is a massively sharp F2 fast autofocus lens with an ideal 35mm focal length. and for some people, those lens characteristics are worth the lens' value. as far as the lens' supposed 2d rendering or harsh bokeh, I believe there is some way of solving that and making the lens' rendering much more flexible.

[Pentaxor]

Just so you know, Adorama once listed an M 50 f/2.8 macro for $99 in excellent condition. I knew there was no M 50 2.8 macro, so I bought it, and lo & behold, it was an A 50 2.8 macro, which usually sells for $200+ in the forum here and $250+ in places like Adorama/KEH/B&H.

So, moral of the story is - yes, these places do occasionally price used lenses wrong, especially Pentax used lenses.

The local camera stores can be even worse - often way over or under priced. The astute (and frequent) shopper can often find some steals


.

moral of the story, buy at ADORAMA.

[Blue]

about 3 years ago I got a Vivitar Series 1 105mm macro at Adorama for $99. I essentially traded it for a brand new Sigma 105mm when the Viv started having problems with the diaphragm. Now Helen is going to report back to the used department and they are going to stick it to us!

[RBellavance]

as far as the lens' supposed 2d rendering or harsh bokeh, I believe there is some way of solving that and making the lens' rendering much more flexible.

I have never really been bothered by the FA35's supposedly harsh bokeh, but I'm curious to know how the rendering could be changed ?

On topic: I bought mine brand new in the spring of 2007 (https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/6542-lens-buyi...mm-f-2-al.html) for 419 CDN$ + taxes. Had to wait 9 weeks after ordering, while it made its way from Japan to Pentax Canada to my local shop. It was worth every cent I paid and every second I waited for it