Imagine getting 43 pounds of vintage lenses shipped all the way from Japan—without knowing exactly what’s inside. It’s a bit like treasure hunting, except this time the treasure comes wrapped in bubble wrap and mystery.
Coming to you from James Warner of snappiness, this entertaining video follows Warner as he dives into his giant mystery box of lenses. Right off the bat, you can see Warner’s excitement as he starts pulling out one lens after another. There’s a Takumar 105mm f/2.8, some old Sigma zooms, and even a Minolta mirror lens. Some lenses are gems, while others... well, they’ve seen better days. But that’s half the fun. Warner doesn’t just pull these lenses out and move on—he breaks down what makes each one special, or not, in a way that’s super engaging and easy to follow.
The best part? Warner’s honest assessments of the gear. Some lenses look pretty great, with clean glass and smooth focus rings. Others, not so much. He finds more than a few with fungus, sticky aperture blades, and other signs that they’ve been sitting in someone’s basement for a while. But Warner doesn’t just write them off. He gives you a quick lesson in how some of these issues can be fixed. For example, he explains how to clean a front lens element if it’s got fungus on it—something you’d probably never think about but might want to try if you find yourself with a neglected vintage lens.
One of the standout moments is when Warner pulls out a 500mm f/8 Minolta mirror lens. This thing is compact, quirky, and, as Warner points out, has a distinctive donut-shaped bokeh effect. It’s the kind of lens you might not even know existed, and here it is, packed away in the bottom of this mystery box. Alongside it, he finds some other Minolta lenses, including a 50mm macro that looks like it was barely used. If you love learning about oddball lenses that still have a lot of potential, this video is packed with them.
Warner doesn’t just geek out over the lenses themselves—he’s also calculating whether he’ll make his money back. After all, the whole idea behind buying a mystery box is to see if you can flip some gear for a profit. With each lens, he gives a rough estimate of what it might sell for on eBay. Some, like the Minolta mirror lens, could fetch $150 to $200. Others, like a beat-up Sigma zoom, might barely cover shipping costs. But that’s part of the gamble, and Warner takes it in stride. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Warner.
In my opinion, the value of that box is maybe half what he ultimately valued it at. I can't imagine anyone will want to buy any of those lenses with fungus on them (especially since none of them are special lenses, anyway). And any of those items that are worth $10-$20 might be more trouble to actually try and sell than they're worth.