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cooke 18 - 100 advice

Z

zacktown

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I am interested in getting this lens or something similar. My issue is that I am a noob and don't understand the world of lenses other than it is VERY expensive. I have spent HOURS searching the net and the reduser forums only to get more confused. I read of people buying lenses for 1/10 of what I am getting quoted. Most recently, I was quoted 51k for a Angenieux 28 - 76. Or 99k for a set of cooke red primes. Individual zeiss primes between 20k and 30k each. Then I will search the red forums and read about people buying the 18 -100 for under 5k? what gives? any ideas?

I did find a cooke 18 - 100 used for 17k, but after a lot of searching for what people have paid in the past, that seems high? Anyone care to weigh in? Please?

Yes, the dollar vs. euro was bad, but take a look now. It is back at pre 2007 levels. And, it will get better as the european banks start to do their rate cuts. So that explanation doesn't add up any more.

Thanks in advance to anyone who chimes in here!
 
zacktown said:
I am interested in getting this lens or something similar. My issue is that I am a noob and don't understand the world of lenses other than it is VERY expensive. I have spent HOURS searching the net and the reduser forums only to get more confused. I read of people buying lenses for 1/10 of what I am getting quoted. Most recently, I was quoted 51k for a Angenieux 28 - 76. Or 99k for a set of cooke red primes. Individual zeiss primes between 20k and 30k each. Then I will search the red forums and read about people buying the 18 -100 for under 5k? what gives? any ideas?

I did find a cooke 18 - 100 used for 17k, but after a lot of searching for what people have paid in the past, that seems high? Anyone care to weigh in? Please?

Yes, the dollar vs. euro was bad, but take a look now. It is back at pre 2007 levels. And, it will get better as the european banks start to do their rate cuts. So that explanation doesn't add up any more.

Thanks in advance to anyone who chimes in here!
Click to expand...

I doubt anyone has paid under $5k for an 18-100...I think you are confused with the 20-100 which goes for about $5k. The 18-100 is about 10-15k.

If I were you I would order the Red 18-85 for $9995
 
Do not confuse the prices of new lenses with used ones.
 
Mitch Gross said:
Do not confuse the prices of new lenses with used ones.
Click to expand...

Hi,

The oldest 20-100 lenses are now 37 years old, the fact that they still can be used today is a tribute to the QC and build quality at Cookes.

Stephen
 
thanks guys! All are very helpful.

Mitch, first let me say that you are awesome! I have gotten so much valuable information from you and your posts are so helpful. I am not confusing the prices of new lenses vs. used. I am just AMAZED that prices could fluctuate so wildlly. ANY salesperson or dealer that I talk to will tell me that lenses are a great investment because they will hold their value, however, your previous post would seem to indicate otherwise.

If I can spend 50k for a lens and next year it is only going to be worth 20k, then I would have to be a fool to ever buy new. I know there must be something that I am not getting here:unsure:
 
Used 18-100s in good condition are hard to come by. Most of them are in service and making money. Like cine primes, the prices on these lenses are a bit over-inflated right now due to demand, but $10K to $15K like Greg said is a good price range. With prices being over-inflated now, I have seen some dealers asking for nearly $20K for one and I've been offered about that for mine. Tempting, but no... I like the lens too much. I think the new RED 18-85 has curbed the demand for the Cooke 18-100 on the lower end or in the indie market. The RED 18-85 is a nice lens, even has a few advantages over the Cooke 18-100 (sharper image, better resolution in the corners, better field illumination). But I still prefer the Cooke as it produces a more dimensional image, some people like to say it gives images a more 3D appearance. My 18-100 is my most-used lens, it is a true work horse.

If you want a big lens that weighs over 10lbs and produces great images, the 18-100 is a great choice. Shop around for a good condition used one, they are out there. I wouldn't recommend buying a brand new one, especially if you're a noob to this sort of thing, maybe even rent one a time or two and see if it's a good fit for what you do. It is not ideal for hand-held and shoulder-mount work. I've run it shoulder-mount on several occasions, but it's definitely no fun after a couple hours.
 
zacktown said:
If I can spend 50k for a lens and next year it is only going to be worth 20k, then I would have to be a fool to ever buy new. :
Click to expand...

Hi,

Any Cooke or Zeiss lens that you bought new in the last 10 years would have held it's value well. Lenses like MK III superspeeds that Arri sold for half list (with a new 235 body) sell today for well over twice what the original buyers paid.

I don't know what a Cooke 20-100 cost new in 1971, but if one was worth $4-5000 today I expect the depreciation has been in the region of1 or 2% a year. Bear in mind lenses do require repair work & servicing.

Stephen
 
Cooke 18-100mm

Cooke 18-100mm

If you can get a Cooke 18-100mm between $10-15K your really getting a bargin thats NOT an over inflated price like some are suggesting. Cookes have always strived to make great lenses for cinematography they are not re-mounted stills lenses like the Red lenses and your investment will still be worth something even after 10 years something I doubt about any stills lens.
 
thanks to all you big shots for your help!

I was kinda suspecting that things were a little pricey at this point in time. I am cautious about stuff like this since I have been bitten before. Back in 90s I spent over 100k for an SGI computer system with uber expensive software and only 10 months later, the software had a 66 percent price reduction and SGI, well, most people don't even know what one is anymore. LOL

I know that lenses are a whole different story, fortunately. Thanks to you guys I am now down to deciding if I go for the used cooke or the red. Like you said Jeff, I think I really need to rent the cooke first and give it a try. I want to see how it fits with the MB-20

I don't mind the huge lens since 90 percent of what I will be using it for is studio stuff where it won't leave the tripod.
 
One final point

One final point

Mechanically the Cooke 18-100mm whilst sometimes having issues with the rollers is generally a very reliable lens and will not track badly when you zoom. Make sure you test what ever lens you want to purchase throughly and check things like distortion, colour fringing, any focus shift when you zoom one way then back again. Make sure the focus & the zoom are smooth throughout the entire travel. Check the rear & front elements for any nicks or coating marks and hold the lens up and check the internal blacking to make sure no bits are flaking. Check the mount and dont part with any money until your sure and get some kind of written guarentee even if only for three months.
 
Nova Invicta said:
If you can get a Cooke 18-100mm between $10-15K your really getting a bargin thats NOT an over inflated price like some are suggesting. Cookes have always strived to make great lenses for cinematography they are not re-mounted stills lenses like the Red lenses and your investment will still be worth something even after 10 years something I doubt about any stills lens.
Click to expand...

$10-$15K is about right for a used one. That's where the price has been hovering for a couple years. When I said over-inflated, I was referring to the current market where I've seen them approach $20K. OTOH, one that was purchased new just 2 or 3 years ago, if you can find one, is probably worth every bit of $20K. ...I have yet to see a used one for sale that's less than 10 years old. If newer ones do go up for sale, they are gone in a flash.
 
When purchasing a used lens a highly suggest predicating the sale on an inspection by a reliable professional camera rental facility. We do this but so do many others. There are tests that experienced technicians know how to perform and precision equipment such as lens projectors and collimators that are used to accurately measure various aspects of performance. It is well worth the few hundred dollars to find out everything worth knowing about a lens. It's just like paying a good mechanic to check out a used car.

Great optics hold their value very well. I was talking about confusing prices, not quality, which I see you understood. I just dealt with a company selling some used Cooke S4 lenses that were almost 10 years old and they were asking for almost 90% of their current retail pricing. I think that's a bit high but the glass certainly has retained much of its value. That's not to say all lenses are still worth a lot of cash. There's some really crappy ancient stuff that wasn't so hot even when new, but it was all that was available at the time. Someone recently discovered an old Angenieux 12-120 16mm zoom in a bin in our office. As a joke it was stuck on my desk with a note asking "Can you sell me for anything?" My reply was "No."
 
Wow, and in Eclair mount too...

$50 is about what I pegged it, but at that price it's not worth the effort to bother to sell it. Every now and then we get a request for a camera to be used as a prop. In fact we hollowed out an old Aaton LTR for use on "Anaconda." I think we'll hold onto this lens for such purposes.

Either that or it will make a great prank one day when I drop it on the Rental Checkout floor.
 
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