I found $100,000 worth of cinema lenses at a thrift store.

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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Big thanks to Xiaoxing Han for all of her help on this video.
Her website: www.walkinginl...
And Instagram: @xiaoxinghan
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[@barrywonderdog]

"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.

[@nathanrspain]

Hahahaha🤣. So true!

[@MaltandMake]

A maker and a photographer... now this is exactly what I want to see on KZbin!

[@MaltandMake]

@@faggabumm thanks, I'll give it a look

[@jammaschan]

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

[@GxAce]

Thanks :). Glad you found it! Welcome aboard!

[@Lupo2punto0]

The quality of your content, the visuals, the sound, the script, it's astonishing. A true inspiration!

[@StevenArzberger]

I'm happy that you specifically got these lens, I hope you turn them into magic content that this world needs 🌎💚

[@YannickFilms]

Can't get over the fact how cinematic the first shot was...and every one after lol. Insane!🔥

[@RobbieMaynardCreates]

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.

[@JohnSmith-gs4zv]

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!!

[@GxAce]

Oh boy are you in luck ;). That is 100% coming.

[@JohnSmith-gs4zv]

@@GxAce Woah, I didn’t expect that but this is great! Looking forward to it. :)

[@stevewelsh__]

Every time I watch your videos i'm just completely transported and immersed into this world you've made.

[@frogcombat8887]

The sheer amount of production quality for a youtube channel is astonishing. Hats off to you my friend.

[@anotheriteration]

It's incredible how you are able to put out content of such high quality so frequently! Keep it up, these videos are awesome

[@dslrvideoshooter]

Man what a score!!! Rehousing a set of lenses is on my bucket list.

[@GxAce]

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.

[@andersdenkend]

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.

[@97nelsn]

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).

[@adnan_velic]

Wow the color rendition of that lens is mind blowing. The bokeh is unlike anything I have ever seen in my life!

[@derrenleepoole]

Score! I think everyone is due a score like this once in a while. Looking forward to the results.

[@mvonwalter6927]

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.

[@caleb.gray92]

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.

[@joelkang9550]

you presented and explained it's worth so well that it really helped me understand how awesome this was!

[@arnisbrown5848]

Those lenses found their way into the right hands.

[@Bernatchly]

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 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@prathamgill5182]

The grading in this video just is hitting different, need to know!! Amazing work as always.

[@photonthief]

Wow! What a find! So glad they found you!

[@Flazeee]

Your're literally my favorite KZbinr, the production Quality is above Hollywood, you're insane, keep up this work!!!

[@kevk9923]

I love the aesthetic of your videos

[@japancamerahunter]

Thanks for checking the site!

[@GxAce]

Thanks for making me realize I had something cool in my basement hahah.

[@brycedcn]

Unreal how you only have 65k subs. Your content and storytelling is unparalleled. Keep up the amazing work!

[@fiskemannen]

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.

[@keithnisbet]

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!

[@Justin.HeterodonHome]

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.

[@DobromirManchev]

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

[@nadirmachane9328]

I watch all yt videos in 1080p but when it comes to your videos i do 4k plus i change my gaming headset to some IEMS just to enjoy you art.

[@AshbalGabriel]

" it's GOLD JERRY ... GOLD ! " great video as usual ! 👌

[@camchristopher]

The Lighthouse is absolutely one of my favorite films of all time as well. Inspiring stuff! I love your content man

[@mediamfilm]

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 KZbin video.

[@rickbiessman6084]

Ok, so either GX is now rich, or a very happy owner of a set of really rare lenses. :D

[@etiennesurrette]

Dude the production quality and the sound design makes me feel like I'm in a theater.

[@motonewyork1100]

Most creative and cinematic Channel i've seen.

[@oliverdking]

I would LOVE to see some of the process behind your videos, your creativity is really inspirational.

[@patrickbrio2896]

This is possibly the greatest yt channel I have ever found on youtube. That lens looked incredible, great find!

[@ZettabyteGamer]

I can not sate enough how amazing your videos are. I don't know why, but sometimes I even feel emotional watching your videos, truly a master you are. I'm not even that interested in cameras and photography! I sometimes loose myself in your videos and really can suspend my present and get completely engrossed in the mindset that we're living in a cyberpunk future and I'm watching videos on crazy old and cool cameras. I love it. Keep up the great work!

[@trollbunny]

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

[@branzarobert-razvan7180]

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.

[@redbuIIracing33]

I am truly mesmerized by the production value, truly magical. You deserves wayy more views and subscriber

[@RAIMANA.]

Always makes my day seeing your work, thank you for another killer video!

[@GxAce]

Thanks so much Raimana! Glad you liked this one ;)

[@colorgradingcentral]

SO FUN! Thanks for sharing your journey :)

[@GxAce]

Glad you enjoyed it! It's great running into other actual colorists on youtube hahah. Cheers!

[@colorgradingcentral]

@@GxAce out of curiosity are you taking sponsorships or are you solely focused on Patreon? Thanks in advance!

[@DanielBasulto]

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!

[@theNTmob]

I thought I was lucky finding some vintage super 8 effects filters in a thrift!

[@LeBeautiful]

Alright brb, now going to the thirft store before anyone does. This channel is a *hidden beauty.*

[@kevinfickling6384]

Ok I knew it was good but holy crap that bokeh 😍😍!! WOW

[@hellozzh]

SUPER HAPPY TO SEE GOOD STUFF IN A GOOD USER'S HAND!!!!! USE THEM FOR YOUR FUTURE PROJECT !!!!!!!!!

[@tornado5783]

Why is your video production so f*cking amazing! Blown away! +1 new sub

[@feederbrian9457]

That Baltar clip is just gorgeous. 😮

[@FilmedbyFresh]

Watches video > Goes to thrift store

[@AsianWithHat]

These Cinema reviews are fantastic as always!

[@kazlepek6552]

Would you do a tutorial on how you do the sci-fi mask + vocoder portion of the video ?

[@GxAce]

I have an in-depth article over at patreon.com/gxace that shows how I built the mask!

[@chadhooey6092]

Great work as always! Can't wait for more of your content

[@toniozi666]

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

[@bananapie2198]

I'm blown away, as usual. You never fail to impress...

[@AddictofFilm]

Might be time to have a look around myself and see what's out there

[@NoxyCoxy]

Those videos are crazy, the style, the quality, wow...

[@wmccinema]

The totality of this video convinced me to subscribed.

[@pecaVFR]

Hi, something tells me, they are in the right hands now! They simply waited for YOU :-)

[@sternschnupper]

i think it's safe to say you won that junkyard find game 😄😄

[@zakcole2229]

Boah. Another epic vid. Your use of music is incredible.

[@philpritchard5173]

I'll be checking the thrift store tomorrow!

[@JonackFilm]

what a gemof a channel wow, i like this style of videos so much, it looks and sounds here like from a movie

[@depotmsa2362]

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

[@MarioCastillion]

What an amazing story!!!!

[@eliasalerno8942]

My luck: finding lenses worth 5.- priced 300.- in a thrift shop

[@coreyrobn]

Hoooooly crap that lens looks gorgeous!

[@ThomasSmartt]

Stumbled upon your channel, instant subscribe.... The production quality on your videos is absolutely mind blowing!

[@DCMPhoto]

What a find ! Can i ask what rack is that in the background ?

[@indio4055]

i think i just stumbled upon one of the coolest KZbin channels ever

[@haraldfuruholmen4654]

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.

[@matthalfremmbertohydrate1672]

Again dude, your content productions are just off the charts! Looove your work!

[@tylerwebb8446]

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!

[@Marc-WOA]

Goddamnit everything you release is nothing short of epic.

[@Kingjay814]

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.

[@bvaccaro2959]

Amazing find, congrats.

[@littleroguewolf]

AMAZING LUCK!!!! I just started going to second hand stores trying to see if I find anything, no luck yet but this gives me hope!

[@PresidentNiczen]

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

[@Soupcan13]

Just when I thought your stuff couldn’t get cooler. A fellow saber smith. Hells yeah

[@CiesAlbertvideo]

Are these scenes in between with the deep voice made with 3D software or is this actual filmed footage?

[@GxAce]

There is no CG in this video ;)

[@sembeex]

i was waiting for some test footage... and waiting... and waiting.... and then at 3:40 i literary yelled "holy shit" out loud. what an incredible image!

[@StringerBell]

Awesome video as ever! Btw on the 23 second mark , did you shoot that with a gimbal or with a slider ?

[@peepoodoodledoo]

This was wild! Thanks so much for sharing. Very fun watch.

[@sendmeplantpics]

Came for a quick x100v opinion because I'm desperately to get back into photography. Stayed for the incredibly cinematography and storytelling you've achieved with these videos. Absolutely hooked. Definitely will look into your Patreon soon. Great videos!

[@SimeonMihalkov]

What was the whole video shot on and what lenses were used, the quality is astonishing. The colors, composition overall vibe, amazing work man '

[@GxAce]

The shots using the Baltar lens were on the a7s3 and everything else was on the xt3 with the nikkor 55mm macro and the 7Artisans 25mm t1.05 Thanks!!

[@SimeonMihalkov]

@@GxAce In my opinion and that comes after i've watched your video about how the sony a7s3 is basically the best all purpose filmmaking camera still the xt3 footages looks superior to the one coming from the sony which brings me to mind that maybe buying Fuji X-h2s is actually the better purchase for me if I am looking for an upgrade.

[@MikeVanRose]

These videos are on a completely other level. I bow before you sire.

[@zaiddagamseh]

The music is always so stunning in your videos

[@CryoftheProphet]

This guy makes better youtube videos than most of the movies that have released lately..

[@PJPantelis]

Everything about this video is just wow..

[@josephchristoffel]

what the hell brooooo. Your shots are amazing, how did you do the first shot?

[@josephchristoffel]

I automatically sub you!

[@GxAce]

Thanks!! I actually have a behind the scenes post about that over at patreon.com/gxace :)

[@dalelasoul8359]

welcome to the Baltar club! :)

[@longlivingdude]

Just stumbled upon this video, what an amazing find and what an amazingly produced video. Loved your helmet dude, made me think of Wolverine/Weapon X.

[@smartduck904]

I found a lens that has only been produced 10 times if the crown of my collection it needs to be re-housed but it is a beauty an amazing amazing lens

[@Stiddo]

the intro alone made me subscribe

[@altamvm]

dude your content quality is unmatched

[@jefferymiller3588]

Had you heard about Robert Eggers use on THE LIGHTHOUSE? Could have been before this. Whoops just got to this part…haha

[@GxAce]

;D

[@jefferymiller3588]

@@GxAce btw LOVE this channel. Next level, dude.