I found $100,000 worth of cinema lenses at a thrift store.
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- I stumbled upon the find of a lifetime, seven ultra-rare cinema lenses from the 1930's in an old dusty box at a thrift store. The Bausch and Lomb Baltar lenses were the go-to for Hollywood from the 30's to the late 40's, and I can't believe I found them in a random box.
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"I happened to be purchasing a large volume of old camera lenses that I was repurposing for lightsaber parts." That's one hell of a throwaway introduction. Disney has built entire franchise movies on a weaker elevator pitch than that.
Hahahaha🤣. So true!
A maker and a photographer... now this is exactly what I want to see on RUclips!
@@faggabumm thanks, I'll give it a look
man your cinematography and video editing is absolutely top tier. This kind of quality is usually only found in Netflix level / Hollywood budget films. Not to take away from the magic, but the community would benefit greatly from a behind the scenes shoot one day. Drop some luts, color and vfx tuts. Your work is an inspiration.
He is actually selling his luts, bruh
@@casualcoffeeshooter Ah yeah but they are for lightroom unfortunately. I want some for using in Premier
@@MFmyk3 you can converts lightroom presets into .cube files (for premiere, davinci and so on)
@@lyre582 wow rlly?! I did not know that. Have a bunch of great LR presets I would want to do that to then. I’ll need to figure out how
No, actually it is on par with some of those non-hollywood but directed by great hollywood darling director/cinematographers art-housy films.
I'm happy that you specifically got these lens, I hope you turn them into magic content that this world needs 🌎💚
The quality of your content, the visuals, the sound, the script, it's astonishing. A true inspiration!
I love this.
It seems that nowadays it’s so rare to find anything sleeping in a thrift shop, with shared knowledge online and all.
To say you got lucky is a clear understatement, especially in a time where everyone can just look up prices online. I'm very happy for you!
I found your channel just this morning and I really wanna ask who the hell is this dude who shoots and grades these amazing videos and builds lightsabers, lens housings and 3d prints his own prop helmet along with lights and does vfx? This is so damn cool
Thanks :). Glad you found it! Welcome aboard!
First, before I even watch further past the 1 minute mark. I have to say, your honesty about not knowing what these were and how you stumbled on their value from an article by the great JCH is something from a beforetime. I appreciate that.
I love that dropping 3K on the junk find is still an incredible deal. The bokeh is indeed delicious, and this whole video production made me smile.
The sheer amount of production quality for a youtube channel is astonishing. Hats off to you my friend.
Every time I watch your videos i'm just completely transported and immersed into this world you've made.
I have to admit, I don't pay too much attention to what the title of your videos are because I know the cinematography, editing and storytelling will be sublime, so I know to just dive straight in. How you only have sub 70k subscribers is beyond me.
Best thrift store find of my life was a government issue tape player that I paid a buck 25 for and sold it a week later for 150 dollars. I can't imagine finding something worth thousands.
You're a machinist?! Boy, I'd love to see some videos of you at the lathe in a workshop, but filmed in a cinematic cyberpunk atmosphere!!
Oh boy are you in luck ;). That is 100% coming.
@@GxAce Woah, I didn’t expect that but this is great! Looking forward to it. :)
The production value on your content is second to none. You should be the DP for the next big Netflix cerebral sci-fi mindfuck!
My luck: finding lenses worth 5.- priced 300.- in a thrift shop
Can't get over the fact how cinematic the first shot was...and every one after lol. Insane!🔥
Love these videos so much
Thanks so much Gawx! You may have inspired me to pick up a new motorized slider haha. That's how I got this first shot ; )
@@GxAce haha that’s crazy! Looks sick. You made me get the sirui 35mm and I luv it! Have to stop watching your vids if I don’t wanna go broke 😭😭
Hahah. That’s awesome dude. My apologies to your wallet. Have you made any video with that lens yet? I’d love to see your footage.
@@GxAce haha no worries at all! Just filmed part of a video with it and should be out this weekend, I’ll let you know!
Nice! Excited to see it in action. Did you mod the aperture on it? Highly recommended! I can send you a 3D printed aperture oval if you want.
The best thrift store finds for me are finding a fully working Sony Alpha Mirrorless camera with kit lens and battery for $12 and a Canon FD 85mm f/1.2 L for under $300 (came with a broken AE-1 which I sold).
It's incredible how you are able to put out content of such high quality so frequently! Keep it up, these videos are awesome
Hey man, just wanted to say that, as a director, before watching your videos I didn't really care that much about lenses... Now I've been looking at lenses non-stop every day for the past two months and found a deeper understanding of my likes, dislikes and style. Thank you.
I also stumbled upon the find of a lifetime today. Your channel! Man the production on these video's is mindblowing.
As jealous as one can be about someone else making a find like this, at least you absolutely and very much deserve it. Great work.
Man what a score!!! Rehousing a set of lenses is on my bucket list.
Thanks Caleb! I definitely recommend it! My plan was to sell this lens and now I can’t stop myself from using it because it’s just so nice to use.
The Lighthouse is absolutely one of my favorite films of all time as well. Inspiring stuff! I love your content man
I am truly mesmerized by the production value, truly magical. You deserves wayy more views and subscriber
Most expensive junk I "found" was in a room at my former work place 8 year ago. If you're not familiar with Sony Trinitron Broadcast monitors you might not understand how hard my heart was pounding when I opened that door and saw what essentially amounted to $50,000 in old CRTs (back then, now the amount is closer to $250,000). Some of them were used but others were in pristine condition and marked as "backup" which probably meant they had never even been turned on before which essentially raises their value by 2 times what they would normally go for.
My job, and why I was in that room, was to palatize them to be disposed of by an e-waste company. I did my job but asked my boss if I could get cleared to take them home if they were just going to be disposed of anyways. He said he would talk to his boss about it. Unfortunately, he went on vacation 2 days later and I never heard back.
They sat on a wooden pallet, in our shipment receiving area for two weeks. During that time I finally went and talked to the company manager and asked if I could have them. She told me that the e-waste company wasn't coming to pick them up since they didn't dispose of CRTs for free anymore and that I could have them if she could clear it with the company first (they do things by the book). I was so friggin elated! I had wanted one of these things since I learned about them in 2012 but they were always to expensive and out of reach.
I had the next two days off, my boss came back from vacation while I was gone, learned that the e-waste company wasn't coming and that the pallet of PVM and BVMs was still there taking up "his" receiving space, and he threw all 14 of them in the industrial trash compactor.
I started work again the day this happened and apparently missed the event by about an hour. When I saw that the pallet was missing I thought they had just moved it somewhere else out of the way but when I went to throw some trash out I recognized the shattered glass and metal housings of the extremely expensive CRTs... God I was so depressed. I asked him what happened and after he told me "he" threw them out and why, I was super pissed off for the rest of the day. I didn't say anything to him about it, I just did my job and then left 8 hours later.
I'm still angry about it to this day. A piece of history was thrown away to make room for cheap nick knacks.
The grading in this video just is hitting different, need to know!! Amazing work as always.
Wow, that pan with the lens flare at 3:26 was stunning. Perfect way to guide the eyes to the subject.
This is possibly the greatest yt channel I have ever found on youtube. That lens looked incredible, great find!
Wow, this is a very interesting piece. It proves true that one man's garbage is another's treasure. You knew what to look for and how to capitalize on the find. Congratulations!
gxace : the boquet is one of the best i've ever seen, the contrast is excellent as well
me watching that video with night light on : mmmmmh yes
Forget the lenses, these videos you make a truly cinematic.
Your're literally my favorite RUclipsr, the production Quality is above Hollywood, you're insane, keep up this work!!!
what a gemof a channel wow, i like this style of videos so much, it looks and sounds here like from a movie
What is this channel all about?
The editing and sound design are on an amazing level, content seems to be photography related, yet i've never ever heard of it... I even stayed through the insane Patreon plug, feeling like i am watching White Rose from Mr Robot Oo
I love the aesthetic of your videos
you presented and explained it's worth so well that it really helped me understand how awesome this was!
Goosebumps! The shot at 3:48 looks amazing.
Score! I think everyone is due a score like this once in a while. Looking forward to the results.
Most creative and cinematic Channel i've seen.
This is the first video I've seen of yours. The moment the voice effects and headset popped up, I immediately sent this to my filmmaking buddy. Unreal man. Been a while since I was inspired by a RUclips video.
I just go to this channel and click "Play All" whenever I work and want to achieve 100% focus.
Quite ironic how the audio of this photography-centered content doesn't lose much substance.
Thank you.
This has to be the coolest story and the coolest find!, jusut found youur channel and have already burned through almost all your vids haha. MORE!
Dude the production quality and the sound design makes me feel like I'm in a theater.
Wow the color rendition of that lens is mind blowing. The bokeh is unlike anything I have ever seen in my life!
recognized Tony Anderson's Retour in the background. such an amazing artist, one of my favorite composers of all time. also, amazing video by you as always!
Ok, so either GX is now rich, or a very happy owner of a set of really rare lenses. :D
Hands down the most artistic photography youtube channel.
What an amazing find! Don't have much knowledge of cinema lenses at all and never knew the whole "re-housing" process. Very cool stuff. I thought I struck it big when I found an Olympus miju ii for 7 bucks ha.
Well... you kinda dud. No cinema lenses are gonna give you a combination of quality, spontaneity and fun as you've got in that camera. The cinema lenses would be coo, but an Oly miju for 7 bucks. I'm certainly envious...
Thanks for checking the site!
Thanks for making me realize I had something cool in my basement hahah.
Your videos are true cinematic experiences every time. They're not just videos that get lost among the countless, samey other content out there. Love it.
Alright brb, now going to the thirft store before anyone does. This channel is a *hidden beauty.*
Dude, you are one of the most talented person i ever saw on RUclips.
Again dude, your content productions are just off the charts! Looove your work!
Saw one of your videos! And just fell in love with your own style of work. Now um binging. Hats off mate!
Unreal how you only have 65k subs. Your content and storytelling is unparalleled. Keep up the amazing work!
Forget the lens, what the hell are you. This video is top notch creativity.
Brah, the cinematography is out of this world 🙌
This guy is fucking dope making coolest videos ever and casually machining lens housing in a shop, the video ascetic is amazing you deserve 10x the views
The best thrift find I ever found were a pair of Yamaha NS10 in a 9/10 condition with matching serial numbers. Great video man!
Those lenses found their way into the right hands.
So lovingly made, this video, it oozes attention to detail and a unique taste and craft. I love the visuals. I think that 35mm thrift lens found the right owner in the end.
Your videos man… so damn wonderful, and this is coming from someone who works in film/TV and sees amazing looking stuff on the regular. Bravo 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Stumbled upon your channel, instant subscribe.... The production quality on your videos is absolutely mind blowing!
the intro alone made me subscribe
" it's GOLD JERRY ... GOLD ! "
great video as usual ! 👌
are these really F2.3 and not T2.3? because cinema lenses usually have T stops rather than F stops
F2.3. T stop is closer to T2.9 or so.
I would LOVE to see some of the process behind your videos, your creativity is really inspirational.
The way your shot this was incredible
SO FUN! Thanks for sharing your journey :)
Glad you enjoyed it! It's great running into other actual colorists on youtube hahah. Cheers!
@@GxAce out of curiosity are you taking sponsorships or are you solely focused on Patreon? Thanks in advance!
The music is always so stunning in your videos
love this score
this is the most creative stylized review series.
Wow! What a find! So glad they found you!
Whew, this lens is insane. Congrats to hitting the camera lottery 😎
congrats man ! I found a nikon f3 at a thrift store for 80 bucks a few months i went the next week and found a contax ii no name range finder body for 10 dollars and the same day also found meyer optik gorlitz lenses 5 of them in a bad for 3 dollars , thrift ! everyday youll find gems every now and then
I need a GxAce video about the Helios 44 2 lens😍! Your video's are the best man🙌 respect❤️
So jelly 😂! That's very awesome! It's so inspiring I love your work!
i think i just stumbled upon one of the coolest RUclips channels ever
Great work as always! Can't wait for more of your content
I didn’t have such an amazing haul but I recently picked up an old Minolta film camera at a garage sale for $20. Turned out the lens that was attached to it is a seemingly rare 58mm 1.2 that’s worth around $400-$500.
Just stumbled on your account. Incredible video. Great production, I literally said “wow” when I first saw that bladerunner esc helmet shot. Keep it up!
I've always wondered how much those Zero Optik rehoused lenses cost. It's not half bad when you consider how much an incredibly beat up S35 cine lenses is going for these days.
Oh man, can you make a tutorial on how you light those scenes? This is so spectacular!
This guy makes better youtube videos than most of the movies that have released lately..
Out of all the people that could have found them, it was you; perfect..
What a beautiful lens! Im happy it fell into your hands
The totality of this video convinced me to subscribed.
That bokeh is incredible. Great find Casey. Definitely worth shelling out the money to house them.
What a find ! Can i ask what rack is that in the background ?
SUPER HAPPY TO SEE GOOD STUFF IN A GOOD USER'S HAND!!!!! USE THEM FOR YOUR FUTURE PROJECT !!!!!!!!!
Watches video > Goes to thrift store
Amazing quality. Love your unique style. Where did you find the music for this video?
I’ve been watching your channel since I found your Fuji 35mm lens video. And dude you are going to blow up more and more. You will beat Armando, PotatoJet, and Peter. Excited to see more and more. Do not stop. When my stories start blowing up I would love to collab🔥🔥
Excited for the next one
I expressed an interest in photography to my family..within a week I ended up with a Canon Rebel, 2 Minolta X700s, and Olympus OM-10, a Canon zoom lens, 2 Minolta 50mm lenses, a 28mm Minolta lens, 2 Minolta macro lenses, a tele-converter for the Olympus with a 50mm Olympus lens..
First of all, congrats for your great videos!
I have a question: at 3:00 you say that Zero Optik "uses a focusing cam instead of a focusing helical". I've found some informations about the focusing helical but barely nothing about the focusing cam, and nothing about one being the best option over the other. And most of what I can read is a little bit cryptic anyway.
It would be great if you have links of articles or books to advise me.
dude your content quality is unmatched
Always makes my day seeing your work, thank you for another killer video!
Thanks so much Raimana! Glad you liked this one ;)