Where Do We Draw The Line?

A*'s + A50 f/1.2 upwards and onwards. Anything beneath them or older vintage are basically lacking in optical ability. I would also argue that the F series should be discounted as they are just too lacking in tactility due to their build but that is me being a lens snob

The simple solution to all this would be for Pentax to release a 50 f/1.4 DA Limited. This would be DC, WR and HD and effectively render all the previous 50s to obsolete, vintage and in some cases only, collectable! It is the solution because it would set the standard that Pentax believes is possible with their best coatings and modern design improvements. It would also allow those who favour their Takumar's, K's, M's, A's, F's and FA's to compare, contrast and then list their 50's on Ebay before the great Pentax 50 price depreciation takes hold

Simple fact is that the newer designs are by in large better. I can see the FA Limiteds and DFA50 getting a refresh next year with newer coatings and the DFA getting a new body along the lines of its longer sibling. Once that is done, the FA line is consigned to the obsolete bin as well.

As much as we look back to the good old days or lens series in this instance with rose tinted glasses, progress and technology rarely stop. There will always be the exceptions of course

The ancient, manual lenses are best left to old farts stuck in the past who still like to use the focus ring on and don't see the need for dozens of aspherical computer designed nanocoated bits of glass mounted in an overpriced cheap plastic body and not even passably sharp in the corners when wide open.

Hmmm, how about my Samyang 14mm ? Brand new in 2012 !

The Dewey Decimal System seems the only way!

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If you're looking for some market research in order to better describe the stuff you sell on Ebay then why not just describe the older stuff as BOTH collectible and usable?

It's not an untruth as any lens is usable if it has a character which the user fins, errr, usable. Also any lens is collectable if the collector deems the genre worthy of being collectable. One person could get moist over collecting modern DA lens and another could get moist over collecting manual A lenses.


Basically there is no line to be drawn.

I'll go with £ s d

The answer to that is quite simple - two categories means two listing fees.

It was an interesting point that I was mulling over when posting stuff on eBay. The "lenses" section does actually include some catalogues entries for lenses as far back as the M series, albeit very badly put together. There are no catalogue entries in the "vintage lenses" section, for obvious reasons.

There's less doubt for, say, Voigtlander SLRS lenses, which are either modern or dating back to the early 1960s at latest, so the division is very clear.

With Olympus, Nikon and Pentax in particular it becomes a moot point. It was interesting to see what others thought about that dividing line. I'm not sure that can be extrapolated into selling more lenses at higher prices though. Pentax and Olympus sell well enough, the rest also can do well but it's less certain. It may reflect that long term usability.

In that case John, play fleabay at their own game. Non-AF lenses are vintage, cheaper to list. Any Pentax user worth their salt will know one lens from another and search accordingly.

Surely the listing fee is the same in each, it just cost more to use more than one.
I suspect many photographers would look under 'usable' but not 'vintage/collectable' whilst collectors would probably have searches to look in both.

Do people really actually search in categories that much? When I know what I want I look for it by name, stuff the category!

Totally agree, you hit the nail right on the head.
And while on the subject of FEEbay, has anyone tried Ebid? if not then it's about time you did and helped knock FEEbay off their high horse!

Have you?

John K