The Off-Brand Club!!

[Quicksand]

Okay, here's an "off brand" for ya . . . Nikkor. Anyone ever hear of them?

Non-AI Micro-Nikkor-P.C 55mm f/3.5 with M2 extension tube.



Taken with my K20D at ISO1600, f/8, 1/8s in ambient light, handheld (well, propped up on a box).

[mabelsound]

I recently picked up an MC-Cosmicar 35-70mm macro zoom. It seems to basically be a Pentax A, with some kind of coating. Fifty bucks, rock solid, takes pretty good pictures, though there is some distortion at 35. I don't have any snaps uploaded but this is the lens...

[Peter Zack]

Cosmicar is an industrial brand of Pentac mostly CCTV gear but for awhile they produced Pentax lenses with a different multi coating (not SMC) otherwise the models they made/sold were the same.

[stevebrot]

Originally Posted by Quicksand

Okay, here's an "off brand" for ya . . . Nikkor. Anyone ever hear of them?

Non-AI Micro-Nikkor-P.C 55mm f/3.5 with M2 extension tube.

Taken with my K20D at ISO1600, f/8, 1/8s in ambient light, handheld (well, propped up on a box).

Yup, Nikkor is definitely an off-brand. No respect on this forum, thats for sure!

So, did you mount this directly on your extension tube or has the lens mount on the Nikkor been modified?

Steve

[luis alegria]

"M42 28mm F2.8 Derek Gardner Automatic Lens, and how does it perform? The filter size (62mm) is awfully big for a 28 mm /f.28"

"Just used my new to me M42 Vivitar 28mm f2.8 today, which has a 62mm filter thread. Perhaps it is the brother or cousin of the Derek Gardner lens you mention above. Yes it is big - my equivalent Tokina m42 is 52mm filter size. The Vivitar has a kind of universal mount adaptor on it. Sound familiar? Labelled 'Wide Angle'. No auto/manual aperture switch but a wheel to manually stop down while metering and taking the shot. A bit awkward."

Both are Tokinas, of the first generation of Tokina automatic lenses, @1969-1975 or so.

The "Derek Gardner" is a fixed mount version.

The Vivitar has a T4 interchangable M42 (Pentax screw) mount. The M42 T4 mount has that %$(&% wheel thing. I disabled that wheel on mine, so I have an M42 T4 that is now manual only. Much better on DSLR.

I have the Soligor fixed M42 and T4 versions (both Soligor and Vivitar sold the same Tokinas), and a Sears M42. There are versions with 62mm and 58mm filters.

[Quicksand]

Originally Posted by stevebrot

Yup, Nikkor is definitely an off-brand. No respect on this forum, thats for sure!

So, did you mount this directly on your extension tube or has the lens mount on the Nikkor been modified?

Steve

Neither, exactly. It's a Nikkor extension tube that goes with that specific lens (allowing it to get to 1:1), and either the tube or the lens will attach directly to the camera.

Some, if not all, old (Pre-AI) Nikkor lenses attach to the K mount, albeit upside-down (i.e., the markings on the aperture ring are on the bottom).

See Using Nikon F Lenses On Pentax K Bodies (LBA Post): Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

I haven't tried infinity-focus yet (without the tube, obviously), since I just got this lens yesterday. Shouldn't be a problem, though, as the Nikon register distance is longer than the K-mount distance, so the lens is actually 1mm closer in than usual.

I guess I'll be losing a little on the close-up end, but infinity should be fine.

[Nesster]

I was wondering when someone would poist a Nikkor. I would have but my only one is a 43-something or other very strange (but at the time cheap and popular) zoom.

[Arjay Bee]

Luis: Thank you for the info on the Vivitar m42. How did you modify that wheel ? - I haven't opened up the lens yet but would appreciate and use the lens more if it were fully manual.

[Mike Cash]

Pentax K20D
Cosina AF 19-35/3.5-4.5

[Tyler]

Picked up a JCPenny 135 2.8 for 5 dollars at the flea market. Mint except for a small filter ring dent.

All wide open except 3 and 5. 3 was at f5.6 and 5 at f4.


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[stevebrot]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Picked up a JCPenny 135 2.8 for 5 dollars at the flea market. Mint except for a small filter ring dent.

All wide open except 3 and 5. 3 was at f5.6 and 5 at f4.

Wow!

I think Mr. Penny had his head on straight when he contracted for that lens! Do you know anything about its origins? Is it M-42 or K-mount?

Steve

[Tyler]

I'm not really sure who made them for JCpenny, and I couldn't really find much about it on google, either.

It is K mount though. Joy to use, although the focus throw is pretty long.

[stevebrot]

Has anyone noticed the increased number of reviews for off-brand lenses in the database? Pretty cool, I'd say!

Fixed Focal Length

Zooms

Teleconverters

[Nesster]

Found this bee, she'd spent the night inside the flower (they close at night) and is covered in pollen. Drunk.

Spotmatic, Pentacon Electric 50mm 1.8 + extension tube, ancient Vivitar flash, PRO400H + b&w conversion.

Click on the image to view it in a larger size

[Nesster]

Auto Rikenon 135mm f/2.8 M42 lens, $10. So far I like this lens, sharp enough and really nice bokeh. Shooting with extreme back light brings out the haze, but otherwise it works nicely. There's a built in hood which extends maybe 1/2 inch or so... but it came with a collapsible rubber hood so I use that.

Click on the image to view it in a larger size

Click on the image to view it in a larger size

Click on the image to view it in a larger size