eBay Prices

It seems that all types of Pentax lenses and cameras are getting very good prices at the moment on eBay.

I could not believe that, earlier on tonight, I saw a Spotmatic II in black going at £205. That is an incredible price. I would have expected no more than maybe £60.

Lenses are also doing well, but not only the A series and later that are so useful with the DSLRs. There seems to be quite a demand for K and M series as well.

A good time to sell, but I'm not so sure that it's a good time to buy!

I suspect that the surge in prices for used Pentax gear seen over the last 12 months is due to people (like me) who bought into Pentax for the first time on the basis of the K10D being an excellent DSLR - we then needed some glass to round out our kits.

Now that the K10D and K100D Super can be had at such astonishingly low prices (for what they offer when compared to other brands) it seems the Pentax ranks are swelling at a phenomenal rate, made up mainly of people who are new to DSLR's and/or photography in general. I suspect a significant minority of these new people may also wish to try out some of their newly purchased lenses on film cameras - I know I do - and so the cost of all used Pentax equipment (bodies, bellows, angle finders, you name it) is dragged upwards.

With the imminent release of some (reportedly groundbreaking) new bodies in the very near future I can only see this situation accelerating. For those who have been with Pentax for some time this is great news as the value of their equipment is almost certainly much higher than it was a couple of years ago; for those new to the system though it may be time to dispel the myth that Pentax offers an advantage over other systems due to the cheapness and general availability of old compatible lenses - it simply doesn't hold true any more.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy for Pentax to be doing so well and I personally haven't regretted for a moment buying into the ranks of K-mount users, however, anyone looking for second hand bargains would probably be better served with Sony at this time (old Minolta glass can currently be had at rock bottom prices). All I need now is for someone to make an exceptional, popular and cheap DSLR with a Practika B mount and I'll be minted!

A few observations

Large number of Pentax DSLR's sold over Christmas fueling a demand for K mount lenses.

Professional sellers are paying more for 'kits' and raising their reserve/starting prices when they split the kits and sell on.

UK Ebay prices for Pentax items are generally lower than other parts of Europe. I have seen quite a few auctions won by overseas buyers.


I did read a rumour that Pentax were considering 'decrippling' the KAF mount on the new DSLR's, this would restore more functionality to earlier series lens and thus increase their value.
I wonder how much restoring such a feature would actually cost, as it would be body only. There would be no need to do the same on DA lenses.

Steve

Restoring the full KAF mount capability would be something that would persuade me to upgrade immediately. It could be a very good move for Pentax as I'm sure a lot of us would feel the same.

I do believe this is wishful thinking. However, since Pentax still seems unable to keep up with demand for lenses, it is possible they might do it just to keep owners happy.

Another point is that whilst K and M primes were very good in their day, many of the new zooms are just as sharp. I suspect that the vast majority of new owners will want to fit AF zooms rather than MF primes.

G

You are probably right, George.

I don't think personally I'd be wanting to use many older zooms (too big and heavy even if they are good) but the idea of using primes, especially macro lenses, could be very appealing.

I know there will be some who think well, we can do that now, but the extra convenience of using the lenses without restriction would be very nice!

Does this suggest that a very modest kit that I have to sell (Program A and Pentax A 28-80 (the non-SMC one)) would fetch more sold together than separately?

Possibly, this time last year you almost had to include a lens to sell a Program A, I know because I sold one.

I see there are 3 body only auctions on Ebay at the moment.

I'd guess that most of the people that get one of the dSLRS get a kit lens with it. Added to which, a 28-80 is not the useful range it used to be.

So if the increase in lens prices is being driven by the uptake of dSLRs, maybe it's now the other way round, and I'll have to include the body to get rid of the lens.

If it were me, I would sell separately. Even with the extra fees I think you would realise more.

Steve

I too have noticed the increase in recent prices on eBay.
When I bought my K100D Super in early Nov I got all my old manual lenses serviced and cleaned, and also started looking on eBay for some lenses. I actually some real bargains and bought some lenses I didn't really want, which I have sold for about 50% more since the new year.
So now I have stopped buying, as bargains are harder to find.
Considering I am on a very tight budjet, I have inreased my useful inventory at a profit!

I too have had some success with this approach, although a couple of recent experiences have caused a rethink. Both lenses were in good cosmetic condition and the glass looked clear, however close examination has revealed that what was described as dust specs is in fact Fungus, very small and dormant and probably not having much effect on IQ. but Fungus nonetheless.

Makes me wonder how common this is.

It has also caused me to reassess my approach to lenses. I have always considered them to have a certain permanance and value. Now I am starting to think limited life, depreciation and replacement planning.

Aplogies for wandering off topic

Hi guys

Just to pick up on the original thread, I think that there are still a few bargains to be had they're just harder to find.

For example last week I was able to pick up a Sigma (apologies!) 105mm AF macro lens from ebay for £118 including postage. Really pleased with that considering the Pentax only manual K mount ones seem to go for a similar value.

With regards to fungus, if the ad does not clearly state the condition of the glass and mechanical condition of the lens I ask the buyer to state the condition. If a satisfactory answer comes back then I will bid. You can always demand a refund if not happy. I haven't come unstuck yet.

Same here, full K mount compatibility would move the K20D right to the top of my wish list faster than any other feature they could invent.