what are the biggest bargains you have found?

thebbm · Joined: 11 Dec 2013 Posts: 295 Location: France montpellier

a little set of minolta rokkorfor 210euros !

- mc rokkor 58mm f1.2
- mc rokkor 28mm f2
- 135mm f2.8 & tele macro converter

WNG555 · Joined: 18 Dec 2014 Posts: 784 Location: Arrid-Zone-A, USA

Billou · Expire: 2015-05-19

I found a Nikkor 105/2.5 for free. I bought a Nikon body with a 35/2.8 Ais and the 105 for 150 euros, exactly what I got when I sold the camera with the 35mm attached Cool

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

Always a good deal when you can do that sort of thing. I love it when I can buy a kit for one item in the kit, then sell the kit individually for more than what I paid for it, keeping the one item I wanted. So, not only is the item free when you do this, but you make money on the deal.

WolverineX · Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:09 pm Post subject:

how does 20� for CZJ Flektogon DDR 35mm/2.8 in m42 mount sound?

Aanything · Expire: 2014-05-30

Pentacon six TL with biometar 80/2.8, sonnar 180/2.8 and flektogon 4/50 - all in well used but perfectly working condition - for 140 euros.

mo · Expire: 2016-07-30

Minolfan · Joined: 30 Dec 2008 Posts: 3437 Location: Netherlands

Sounds like a dream! Very Happy

WNG555 · Joined: 18 Dec 2014 Posts: 784 Location: Arrid-Zone-A, USA

I would like to try some German and Russian glass, and envious of the selection and availability and price you folks in Europe have.

So, meantime I must spend more of my money on Japanese glass.

Met a woman selling off her ex-spouse's camera gear. I assume he passed away recently.

She presented me a foamed aluminum case with 2 Pentax Spotmatic F bodies with leather cases, an old flash gun,
a Super Multi-Coated Takumar 28mm f/3.5
a Super Mulit-Coated Takumar 135mm f/3.5 w/hood
a SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4
an APS Auto Teleplus 3X
assorted filters.

I was there just to buy the 135mm for $15.
She was prepared to give most of it to me, but she was nice, in a walker due to knee issues, so I offered her $60.
Which she was happy about.

Now I need to find some foam block to reconfigure the case. I was wanting a hard case to store my lenses. What luck!

WolverineX · Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 9:08 am Post subject:

uddhava · Expire: 2021-06-21

Oldhand · Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 10:27 am Post subject:

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 7554 Location: Hong Kong

hasan · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 313

lately these were my purchases:

biotar 30�
tessar 50/2.8 exakta 7�
czj 135/3.5 zebra m42 8�
auto cosmogon 58/2 m42 21�
konica ar 50/1.4 30�
konica ar 50/1.7+vivitar 28/2.5 No. 37xxxxx + tokina 135/2.8 50�

mostly they were packed with lots of other stuff,
which I don't mention

the biotar, I had to reassemble/relube first. I couldn't reach to a lens element in rear section.
Think, there is some fungus on it but I am not able to loosen the rear retaining ring.
Too tight.
Other than that, it takes really nice pictures. Love its character

regards
hasan

regards

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

Has anyone here noticed that the manual focus Nikon 200mm macro is just about as rare as hens teeth these days? I look on eBay periodically and almost never find any, and when I do, their prices are way up there. From almost $400 to $700. So I've been checking out the Canon FD 200mm macro as well, which is probably every bit as good as the Nikon, but its prices are only slightly better, say $300 to $500.

Well, the other day, I found a Nikon 200mm macro on eBay where the seller was asking $225 or best offer for it. Besides having some scratches and wear, it's missing the tripod collar and there are a few spots of inert fungus under the front element. (He claimed the fungus spots were there when he bought it 10 years ago, and they haven't grown at all, thus they are inert -- or dead, in effect.)

Well, I decided to make an offer on it, even though his price was way lower than any other prices I'd seen on one. So I offered $180 and we settled for $195. Now, I don't know about you, but I think that's a great deal for a Nikon 200mm macro. It should arrived in a couple of days. I asked him about the tripod mount and he told me that he took it off because he felt that he didn't need it with his F4 (and subsequently lost it) and that it was a pretty light lens anyway at about 26 oz (728 grams). Still, I'll be using it mostly with my NEX 7 with its lightweight mount, so I think I'm gonna see if I can rig something up. Most, if not all, of those cheap Chinese tripod mounts I see on eBay are for too large of a diameter lens, but maybe I can rig some sort of thick shims that would close the gap.

sajualex1 · Joined: 11 Sep 2011 Posts: 40

A Yashica DSB 55mm f/2 in mint condition for USD:5+15 Shipping.

WNG555 · Joined: 18 Dec 2014 Posts: 784 Location: Arrid-Zone-A, USA

Following in the wake of cooltouch....

I plunked down $44 USD at EvilBay for a nice condition Sigma 600mm f/8 mirror lens kit for Olympus OM mount.
I liked my Tamron mirror so much, I couldn't pass up this larger F.L. model. I hear it's a good performer. Looking forward to it.

redguy22 · Joined: 23 Feb 2015 Posts: 33

Hmm I'm still relativly new to MF lenses, but so far I've managed to get my hands on a CZJ DDR Flektagon 35mm f2.4 (M42) in mint condition with the leather case for 10�. The lens seems practicly unused to me.

WNG555 · Joined: 18 Dec 2014 Posts: 784 Location: Arrid-Zone-A, USA

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

WNG555 · Joined: 18 Dec 2014 Posts: 784 Location: Arrid-Zone-A, USA

Thanks for the heads up, Michael. Your last post on your Sigma was that you had to remove some sticky black gook on it.

I hope it works out too. At that price, not much at stake. Just glad it didn't get bid up like it does on evilBay.

The other possibility is that you have a very good sample of the Tamron. I noticed my best attempts have fallen shy of your Moon results. Of course, I don't have your skill/experience level. Just a tick off in sharpness.
If this Sigma can match the Tamron, I will be thrilled.

I forgot that we're supposed to post pics taken with our bargain finds. Here are a few from the past week's Moon phases.

First the Tamron 55BB...Full Moon and Waxing.

DSC01039a_Tamron SP 500 f8 55BB by wNG555, on Flickr

...aND fAR. dESERT mOON tONIGHT by wNG555, on Flickr

And the Sigma XQ 400mm f/5.6 that costed $1.25 due to haze. Turned out to be very little haze. Not bad for a S(t)igma.

DSC01027b_Sigma XQ 400mm f5.6 by wNG555, on Flickr

DSC00906_Sigma XQ 400mm f5.6 by wNG555, on Flickr

Another Tamron shot, this time from the 60-300mm 23A. I'm glad I discovered this zoom. Never fails to impress me.
A 300mm capture from a month ago at Yosemite. Open the original size version and you'll see two guys standing on the left of Half Dome!

DSC07727 - Tamron SP 23A by wNG555, on Flickr

dabsond · Joined: 22 Jan 2015 Posts: 37

Had a friend give me a box of cameras for free. Inside was a Topcon RE Super with a 58/1.4 in pristine condition. Cleaned up the camera and ordered a battery for it. Put the battery in and the light meter came to life. Running some black and white film through it now. Hoping there are no light leaks. Can't wait to see the photos.

Billou · Expire: 2015-05-19

S-Planar 100mm f/4 and Bellows for Contax, with papers and packaging, in new condition.

234 euros. Best deal of the year yet. Cool

Himself · Expire: 2013-05-30

!Karen · Joined: 20 Jul 2013 Posts: 837 Location: Belgium Baby

I got a fabulous MD rokkor 50mm f1.4 attached to an XE-5 for 25�
Which is definately a bargain considering I bought it at a photography fair where prices are usually 2x higher than normal Very Happy