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What's the latest lens you added to your collection?
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PostPosted: Sun May 07, 2023 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
kiddo wrote:
pabeu wrote:
Bought two Topcors 58mm 1.4. Payed quite a hefty price for each and the two have problems. 😡😡😡😡
On one of the lenses the aperture is not properly working and the second one has very slight fog in inner lenses (not able to be seen on photos or straight looking).

Guess these are the risks of buying old lenses but would hope sellers on the bay be more honest with their descriptions.

Now looking for shops to have them serviced in Germany.


you could return it, i guess . But to be honest, most of the lenses that havent been cla´d recently would have some kind of issues (haze,dust and worse fungus,separation etc). Anyway, what´s the price they are going nowadays, as i don´t trust the price i see in ebay for items that one can see em there for months/years. Sellers standards of perfect is very untrusty in most of the cases, so i guess the only trusty way to buy it totally perfect shape would be from a trusted seller.
Whats wrong with the aperture? i thought these lenses would be some of the most reliable in mechanics-



Looks like the spring that pulls the aperture close is not moving freely to do it's job. Also something odd is that when the lens is focused to infinity you are not able to close the aperture from f8 up. Looks like something is touching inside.

I am suspecting that someone might have been inside the lens in the past.

Glass and the rest of the lens looks in a good shape. Also the lens came from France (I live in Germany) and shipping also is not cheap. There have not been many options to buy these, so I am more inclined in biting the bullet and having the lens fixed/CLAed by a professional.


PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2023 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Carl Zeiss Jena DDR electric MC Flektogon 20mm f/2.8 Lens M42 for 128 chf. Wink


PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2023 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
pabeu wrote:
kiddo wrote:
pabeu wrote:
Bought two Topcors 58mm 1.4. Payed quite a hefty price for each and the two have problems. 😡😡😡😡
On one of the lenses the aperture is not properly working and the second one has very slight fog in inner lenses (not able to be seen on photos or straight looking).

Guess these are the risks of buying old lenses but would hope sellers on the bay be more honest with their descriptions.

Now looking for shops to have them serviced in Germany.


you could return it, i guess . But to be honest, most of the lenses that havent been cla´d recently would have some kind of issues (haze,dust and worse fungus,separation etc). Anyway, what´s the price they are going nowadays, as i don´t trust the price i see in ebay for items that one can see em there for months/years. Sellers standards of perfect is very untrusty in most of the cases, so i guess the only trusty way to buy it totally perfect shape would be from a trusted seller.
Whats wrong with the aperture? i thought these lenses would be some of the most reliable in mechanics-



Looks like the spring that pulls the aperture close is not moving freely to do it's job. Also something odd is that when the lens is focused to infinity you are not able to close the aperture from f8 up. Looks like something is touching inside.

I am suspecting that someone might have been inside the lens in the past.

Glass and the rest of the lens looks in a good shape. Also the lens came from France (I live in Germany) and shipping also is not cheap. There have not been many options to buy these, so I am more inclined in biting the bullet and having the lens fixed/CLAed by a professional.


if lens has got real issues, i would ask a quotation and depending on the final price (cost plus repair) i would decide;
when returning an item through ebay, you would get all the money back, including shipping (except broken items that do specify no returns available)


PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2023 7:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I will purchase, one more time, an Hoya (Tokina) 70/150 zoom lens.
Why?
Well. In my travels I use a Sony a1 and a short tele sony GM 135/1,8, GM II 24-70 and GM 14/1,8
The Sony 135 mm is almost 1 kg.
The Hoya isn't so heavy, only 500 g. and is shorter too.
The IQ of the Sony is great.
The Hoya is ok, sharp with good colors and contrast.

Do you think that I'm wrong?


PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2023 7:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
papasito wrote:
I will purchase, one more time, an Hoya (Tokina) 70/150 zoom lens.
Why?
Well. In my travels I use a Sony a1 and a short tele sony GM 135/1,8, GM II 24-70 and GM 14/1,8
The Sony 135 mm is almost 1 kg.
The Hoya isn't so heavy, only 500 g. and is shorter too.
The IQ of the Sony is great.
The Hoya is ok, sharp with good colors and contrast.

Do you think that I'm wrong?


Not necessarily. I’d recommend the Minolta MD 75-150/4 though.


PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2023 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
caspert79 wrote:
papasito wrote:
I will purchase, one more time, an Hoya (Tokina) 70/150 zoom lens.
Why?
Well. In my travels I use a Sony a1 and a short tele sony GM 135/1,8, GM II 24-70 and GM 14/1,8
The Sony 135 mm is almost 1 kg.
The Hoya isn't so heavy, only 500 g. and is shorter too.
The IQ of the Sony is great.
The Hoya is ok, sharp with good colors and contrast.

Do you think that I'm wrong?


Not necessarily. I’d recommend the Minolta MD 75-150/4 though.


i would add mamiya sekkor 70-150mm 3.8, if you can gett it cheap, light lens and good one , it´s the only one i could find cheap


PostPosted: Tue May 09, 2023 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Caspert79 and Kiddo, thanks.
Both lenses are very difficult to get here, in Argentina.
Only the Hoya is cheap enought.


PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2023 4:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


Yesterday was a Grade 12 Parcel Convergence, resulting in a couple of Pentaxi fast-50s, a Pancolar 2/50 Star Wars in need of a little love, an M.O.G Orestegor 4/200, a box full of canned mold and haze, and this bullish little beauty from Oregon. Its circle doesn't quite fit on the sensor, with the corners blacked out, but wow do I love what it's shown me so far (which isn't much, and I've only viewed the playback on the camera's screen, but the DoF is quite nice). I kind of love everything about the Biotar, and this 1.4/25 specially adapted for m4/3 really ticks a lot of happy boxes.[/url]


PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2023 6:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
https://www.ebay.de/itm/354749305396

Well, if the person who won this was a member here, I would be glad to know (was outbid) - in the hope it will be scanned in at decent resolution (which was my original intention).

Some really valuable documentation -















PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2023 9:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I had a lucky strike this morning at my favorite Cash converter with a $ 20 Kiron 70-210 /4.
The lens is in exc+ condition with the usual amount of age and use related dust, but not too bad, and no haze, which I found surprising. Most of these zooms found nowadays are hazy and useless.
The front element is like new. I suspect the filter with which it came must have been there since new coz it took 2 guys to losen it... 💪
The mechanics are just about perfect as well as the aperture blades. And it even came with the original hood! 😀
But I'm not at home now, so I could not test it yet. It comes with an OM mount which is not ideal but it's ok for me.
My readings tell me it should be an excellent performer, so I'm going to compare it, time allowing, to my other challengers, the Viv S1 70-210 version 1 & 3, as well as the Zeiss CY 80-200 /4.
Ok. Let's try to post a bad cellphone picture.


PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2023 6:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Phalbert wrote:
I had a lucky strike this morning at my favorite Cash converter with a $ 20 Kiron 70-210 /4.][/url]


I think I have a copy of this at home too. I like the zoom and focus locks, very innovative. From memory, the performance of my copy gave nothing optically away to any of its contemporaries, and rivaled offerings from manufacturers like Nikon, probably at a far lower price. There are many good telephoto zoom lenses from the period, they don't really get the attention they deserve because so many were sold, and there are many good options for the modern mirrorless shooter to enjoy. IMO telephoto zooms had very good performance which didn't compare badly with the average telephoto prime lens of the era, except perhaps in maximum aperture for 100 and 135mm lenses.


PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2023 9:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Finally gave in to the desire to own a Nikon DSLR again after I too generously gave away my D7100 with the excellent 18-200 attached to it. Now it´s FF and the first meeting between the D610 the 135mm f2 AiS went really well. The 28-300 that came with it is not a bad lens either; that purchase was an opportunity too attractive to let it pass. But now I need a good manual 50mm Nikkor Rolling Eyes



PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2023 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The Russian Nikkor 50s are rather good with interesting character.


PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2023 11:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
The Russian Nikkor 50s are rather good with interesting character.


Hello Ian, can you point me in the right direction with a link, please?


PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2023 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
Finally gave in to the desire to own a Nikon DSLR again after I too generously gave away my D7100 with the excellent 18-200 attached to it. Now it´s FF and the first meeting between the D610 the 135mm f2 AiS went really well. The 28-300 that came with it is not a bad lens either; that purchase was an opportunity too attractive to let it pass. But now I need a good manual 50mm Nikkor Rolling Eyes


Good for you! And congrats on a "new to you" camera.

As to the 50, a good one should not be that difficult to find.

The "H" 50mm f2 is a fast focusing fun little lens, as long as one is willing to put up with it's slight distortion.
There seems to be a few in the pipeline around here, with reasonable samples going for around 50.00 or so.
The K based f2 50's are an optical improvement and really need no comment as their ability as a faithful work-horse is well known.
The big surprise for me was the 50 f1.4 A/I-s. Although it can get pretty glowy wide open in harsh light, it is stil a decent performer.
The MFD on it is a surprise, and it works quite well with a bit of 3-D pop. Bokeh can get a little weird at MFD, but I dearly love mine.

-D.S.


PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2023 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
The Russian Nikkor 50s are rather good with interesting character.


Hello Ian, can you point me in the right direction with a link, please?


The Helios-81N 50mm f/2 I picked up a month ago seems nice. Haven't had a chance to put it through its paces just yet, though. I'm not a Nikoner and don't speak the AIS/non-AIS language, so I'm not sure if it's compatible with your DSLR.


PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2023 8:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Doc Sharptail wrote:
ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
Finally gave in to the desire to own a Nikon DSLR again after I too generously gave away my D7100 with the excellent 18-200 attached to it. Now it´s FF and the first meeting between the D610 the 135mm f2 AiS went really well. The 28-300 that came with it is not a bad lens either; that purchase was an opportunity too attractive to let it pass. But now I need a good manual 50mm Nikkor Rolling Eyes


Good for you! And congrats on a "new to you" camera.

As to the 50, a good one should not be that difficult to find.

The "H" 50mm f2 is a fast focusing fun little lens, as long as one is willing to put up with it's slight distortion.
There seems to be a few in the pipeline around here, with reasonable samples going for around 50.00 or so.
The K based f2 50's are an optical improvement and really need no comment as their ability as a faithful work-horse is well known.
The big surprise for me was the 50 f1.4 A/I-s. Although it can get pretty glowy wide open in harsh light, it is stil a decent performer.
The MFD on it is a surprise, and it works quite well with a bit of 3-D pop. Bokeh can get a little weird at MFD, but I dearly love mine.

-D.S.


Thanks Doc, that´s what I was looking for. Depending on their age, "H" and "K" named lenses might need a Ai conversion kit, if not done already by the previous owner, right?

AberratedSoul wrote:
ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
The Russian Nikkor 50s are rather good with interesting character.


Hello Ian, can you point me in the right direction with a link, please?


The Helios-81N 50mm f/2 I picked up a month ago seems nice. Haven't had a chance to put it through its paces just yet, though. I'm not a Nikoner and don't speak the AIS/non-AIS language, so I'm not sure if it's compatible with your DSLR.


Now I understand what Ian meant. There are indeed Helios lenses with Nikon F Mount for sale in Ukraine and Belarus. Thanks!


PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2023 9:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ZuikosHexanonsandVivitars wrote:


Thanks Doc, that´s what I was looking for. Depending on their age, "H" and "K" named lenses might need a Ai conversion kit, if not done already by the previous owner, right?


The majority of he K-based 50 f2's are by and large, already factory A/I converted.
In all the nikkor 50's to pass through my hands, there was only one "K" that was pre-A/I ~ original to an F2 camera.
I think a search for 50mm f2 A/I would turn up mostly the basic "K" conversion.

The "H" and "H-C" usually require conversion- I did mine with a needle file.
The "S" and "S-C" series *may* need metal or plastic added to them for the conversion depending on which variant they are.

Hope this helps a bit, without adding more confusion Rolling Eyes

-D.S.


PostPosted: Fri May 12, 2023 9:39 pm    Post subject: Steinheil Munich Culminar VL 8,5cm 2.8 Reply with quote
Just bought it , but it came with front element completely scratched, so i´m thinkin of sending it back to seller.
It´s got a weird mount, but iris and focusing working
are these very rare? i´ve seen em only on M39 mount till now


PostPosted: Sun May 14, 2023 4:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Today worked out pretty well. Managed to get to the post office first Wink

Very excited about the Canon FL 58mm f/1.2, but the 17-bladed early Biotar has my mouth watering (I just wish it were M42 instead of Exakta...the delayed satisfaction developed by all those turns of the threads just heightens the thrill each time the lens goes on the adapter).

Have also read great things about the Fujinon and the preset Vivitar will feel right at home with its 135mm Televivitar siblings. Never seen so many blades in a wide angle lens before! The Rikenon probably takes top prize for best focus travel, though.


PostPosted: Thu May 18, 2023 1:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
AberratedSoul wrote:
Today worked out pretty well. Managed to get to the post office first Wink
...


Nice bunch of normal lenses! The Biotar in fact is an interesting lens - not only because of its perfomance (which was quite good back in its time), but also for its historical importance as an early fast normal lens fo SLRs.

Another interesting lens is the Fujinon, which - wide open - has a much more balanced performance over the entire FF image than other vintage f1.8 normal lenses (at f1.8 better borders / corners than all other vintage normal lenses I know).

Although I do own the Canon FL 1.2/58mm, I haven't used it much. I did a few side-by-side comparisons with e. g. the Minolta MC-II and MC-X 1.2/58, and decided that the Minolta was better. Same for the Nikkor 1.2/55mm, BTW.

S


PostPosted: Thu May 18, 2023 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
stevemark wrote:


Nice bunch of normal lenses! The Biotar in fact is an interesting lens - not only because of its perfomance (which was quite good back in its time), but also for its historical importance as an early fast normal lens fo SLRs.

Another interesting lens is the Fujinon, which - wide open - has a much more balanced performance over the entire FF image than other vintage f1.8 normal lenses (at f1.8 better borders / corners than all other vintage normal lenses I know).

Although I do own the Canon FL 1.2/58mm, I haven't used it much. I did a few side-by-side comparisons with e. g. the Minolta MC-II and MC-X 1.2/58, and decided that the Minolta was better. Same for the Nikkor 1.2/55mm, BTW.

S


Thanks for the insights! I've only had a chance to take the Canon 58 out for an evening stroll in the local creek and loved its flaring.

Looking forward to trying out that Fujinon. Its little brother, the f/2.2 just arrived as well, so a side-by-side should be interesting. Same goes for the wrinkly old Biotar when I compare it to my slightly newer preset version. Unfortunately didn't bid high enough in the recent auction for the black 17-blade Biotar a couple days ago...guess I didn't want it badly enough Wink

From the Canon f/1.2:


PostPosted: Fri May 19, 2023 12:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Alun Thomas wrote:


I've has this Isco Tele-Iscaron 180/2.8 for just over a month.......


I have an identical lens (which should be the last iteration of the ISCO 2.8/180mm).
I'm curious about your personal opinion.
Which digital camera did you use to try it?

Personally I expected more from this lens. When I decided to test some of my most interesting 180/200mm, the Tele-Iscaron was not among the best.
For example, surprisingly an older Steinheil 5.6/200mm did much better, with decent sharpness, good bokeh and practically no fringing.
I wonder if it's a problem with my example, or it's just an average lens.


PostPosted: Fri May 19, 2023 12:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


Tamron 85-210 macro f4.5 in the first adaptall mount.
Kind of rough shape, so some cleaning to do.
My first lens with an A/M switch.



Dented filter ring and name plate info.
Adaptall mount ring is old pre- A/I nikon F.
There are at least 3 different variants of this lens on the adaptall site.
I have to look around to find out which version it is.



Three piece Vivitar extension tube set with vivitar 2X teleconverter.
I actually bought it for the 12mm extension which seems a lot stronger than the modern plastic one I've been using. Primary purpose is to mount the PB-2 bellows unit properly on the D-810.

-D.S.

Last edited by Doc Sharptail on Fri May 19, 2023 7:54 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Fri May 19, 2023 3:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
cyberjunkie wrote:


I have an identical lens (which should be the last iteration of the ISCO 2.8/180mm).
I'm curious about your personal opinion.
Which digital camera did you use to try it?


I used a Panasonic S1, but haven't really had a good day with good light to test it properly.

It has only 3 optical groups so misalignment should be easily fixed. My copy had the rear element holder loose, it might be something to check.

I did take some flower images at MFD wide open, but they are heavily processed so not really indicative.


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