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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

[SOLD] FOR SALE LOMO SMALL SET OF ANAMORPHIC SQUAREDFRONT LENSES F = 35 50 80

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Sean Keen

Sean Keen

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FOR SALE SMALL SET OF ANAMORPHIC SQUAREFRONT LENSES F = 35 50 80

ALL LENSES ARE IN USED COND, NO SCRACHES NO OIL, LENSES ARE CLEAN AND IN GREAT WORKING COND

SERIALS AND PHOTOS WILL BE SOON

NEW !!! PL MOUNT AND ARRI GEAR

ASKING USD 15000 OR BEST OFFER
 
Even if these were being sold within the US or UK I'd say $12,000. From Russia it will be less, maybe $10,000. That's from someone who has a fair amount of Lomo squares.
 
Last year a whole set used to be $5k, the year before that a set of superspeeds were about $25k. The whole PL market of old lenses has created a demand and there are not many square fronts or super speeds around.

I find it interesting as i own a set of both that lenses like these are increasing in value as all of my other gear decreases in value each year.
 
it really comes down to what years they are and condition. If they are all late models, and perfect, that's a fair price. if they are from the '60s, not so much.

Nick
 
There has been a spike in Lomo Anamorphic prices over the last 6 months.

However, things do seem to be settling back to a more normal rate. Some Roundfronts (50mm and 75mm in Oct-19) recently went on Ebay for $3500 each, Pretty much the price they went for before the big spike.

The interesting thing is the auction's didn't catch fire as they normally do... a 50mm and 75mm went with only one bid on them (at $3500 each) - and a second 75mm only had 2 bidders (again only reaching $3500).

In one sense, I like inflated prices as my lenses have more value - but on the other side it just skews the market too much & people end up getting desperate or allowing themselves to pay way over the odds.

The 35mm Squarefront is the one that should demand the highest price :)
 
I think people should also know that Lomo's are made with a very poor tolerance and even if the glass is clean with out fungus and the coatings are fine, that they still can be soft. It took me over 3 years of buying and selling lenses to find and make a set from other lenses that i was happy with.

I bought an 85mm that looked brand new and it was soft from F8 down. I eventually made 1 from 2 lenses after purchasing 5 of these bloody lenses and all of my lenses are pin sharp wide open.

Especially when buying square fronts, get the seller to send some images taken from the lenses when the iris is wide open, and when the iris is at F8 and then you can make a proper decision.
 
I could be wrong as I'm no expert on optics but I'm not sure the softness is an issue of tolerances - at least with the glass elements. I always thought this was an inherent character of Lomos. But someone here could educate me. Does softness come from variation of say, center thickness of a glass element?
 
Andy,

What do you think a nice set of Super Speeds MK III are worth. 5 or 6 set.

Andy White said:
There has been a spike in Lomo Anamorphic prices over the last 6 months.

However, things do seem to be settling back to a more normal rate. Some Roundfronts (50mm and 75mm in Oct-19) recently went on Ebay for $3500 each, Pretty much the price they went for before the big spike.

The interesting thing is the auction's didn't catch fire as they normally do... a 50mm and 75mm went with only one bid on them (at $3500 each) - and a second 75mm only had 2 bidders (again only reaching $3500).

In one sense, I like inflated prices as my lenses have more value - but on the other side it just skews the market too much & people end up getting desperate or allowing themselves to pay way over the odds.

The 35mm Squarefront is the one that should demand the highest price :)
Click to expand...
 
I recently witnessed a set of MkIII superspeeds sell for $65K for 5 set which i thought was absolutely ridiculous. There is no way they are worth that but people are willing to pay that for them. I paid $35K for an optically mint condition set about 2 years ago and i thought I had paid too much then!

For that price you could almost get a set of ultra primes!
 
Will, Adam's correct - as with other lenses at the moment, the willingness of buyers to pay is driving the market.

X5 MKIII's seem to go between $35K to $50K at the moment. A X6 set went for $56K recently.
 
Nick Gardner said:
it really comes down to what years they are and condition. If they are all late models, and perfect, that's a fair price. if they are from the '60s, not so much.

Nick
Click to expand...

I would agree with Nick...there's also a value in getting the whole set at once...My set took 4 years to build.... and that's when no one wanted them...finding the correct serial numbers etc and then having them all rebuilt ...my 50mm's focus is as smooth as my Cooke....

Good Luck Sean.
 
Lomos (square fronts) are very sharp. As sharp as Super Speeds. They have many image adjustments. We successfully adjusted many really soft lenses back to life.
I don't think that the tolerances are to blame as much as the workmanship. Add to that years of "maintenance" and "service" by lower grade shops (since these lenses weren't of much value the owners saved on servicing as well) and you have recipe for a "soft lens" disaster.
We can help you with that...
 
After I received my lenses back from OpiTek, where they were overhauled, I did a side by side comparison with Arri Ultra Primes and at T3 they were almost identical. I was amazed with the sharpness.

YOu just need to factor in the cost of an overhaul and regular maintenance when pricing a Sq Front Lens Kit
 
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