Looking for vintage Nikon / Vivitar / M42 lens trade pals..

conepaper · Joined: 08 Oct 2015 Posts: 1

Hello everybody, I am new to this forum; though a longtime, experienced online seller. I grew up around manual cameras — though I seldom got to use any until recently. When, I got back into photography with a Nikon crop sensor (D5300)….my camera never got to see an auto or kit lens! My first use of a manual 135mm, and live view … and I was hooked. Now, all of my online, still life work gets shot with an Android tablet controlled, Nikon crop censor. (Straight to JPG, sorry I know Raw is better, haha).

I slowly developed a passion for vintage glass, and have been suffering LAS for some time. Anyway, after my 3rd or forth lens, I discovered Vivitar Series 1 glass — now my favorite workhorse tools for daily listings (24-48, the 70-210, 28-90 and 35-85 are all great for work).

I also like primes (sharpest), but it’s tough to find wide angles that can compete with my favorite zoom, the Series 1 24 - 48 3.5 (yes a tad slow, but in the studio it’s as sharp as a prime at 5.6, with zoomer conveinece, I can’t beat it!)

Long story short …. I got an M42 adapter, which allows me to try all manual glass, understanably without focus to infinity….

I am looking to make trade buddies domestically and internationally, with preference to anything F mount of course. I would love to make friends with folks in the Ukraine or Ru, and may want to try other Helios and Jupiter. Also interested in the use of Enlarger lenses.

In my travels, I have bought many Series 1 lenses…really I love them all — never had anything I would call a bad copy…ever! Just mechanical oddities, normal for a lens of any age. Here are a few lenses I’d like to eventually sell or trade off — they are all good, I know as I have been using them all from time to time (I take photos daily for work)

Be forewarned, I am a bit picky about trades, but will consider everything for Nikon, and these are for sale, so feel free to make an offer on these (I am really great at packing and shipping, and will ship internationally — just know that I overpack, so postage can be pricey):

— I have a 1984 Series 1 Cosina 28-90 2.8, with a slow start (at #2 Cool

then smooth throughout the range Varifocal pull. Great for pro photos, reasonable priced.

— A Nikon F mount 28mm 2.8 Macro prime by Sekor XL (70s/80s). Good above wide open, focuses to about 9" , kind of a cult lens as Macro primes are hard to find ... I have $50 or so in it. These are seldom seen, focuses to 9” as I recall,

— A spare AI Series 1 24-48 f3.5 (these are rare) Works great, starts smooth gets stiff right at 35mm, then goes easy to 48. I use it everyday (I do ebay for a living, and these lenses are perfect for studio work, color and sharpness are terrific). I have about $100 in it . (I paid $250 for a perfect mint one on ebay, and the mint premium was not worth it in retrospect)

— A Vivitar 28mm Wide angle, M42 — it’s an early one, before the mfr numbers that folks can decode. Has the funky auto aperature switch that interferes with some adapters — very nice quality.

— a very, very early 1960s Nikkor S 50mm, 1.4 prime. Has some dust, and a few cleaning marks — but it’s the real McCoy — every bit as sharp as the best lenses — with some vintage tenor to boot. F mount works great on anything Nikon.

— lastly, some odd lens I found somewhere… a “aetna” 28mm 2.8 prime — I think this is for a Minolta or Konica, but it’s definately not Nikon.

I am looking to thin out my duplicate lens shelf, so trades are likely best. Also looking for cool Pentax K mount for my wife.