CEWren
you need to keep at it.
I have put together, mostly for the fun of it, a relitively complete M42 set over the last 2 years.
this includes the following
24mm F2.5 Tamron adaptall2
28mm F2.5 Vivitar
35mm F2 SMC Tak
50mm F1.4 Super Tak (8 element version 1 - the sharpest 50mm in the world at the time)
50mm F4 Macro SMC Tak
58mm F2 helios
85mm F1.9 Super tak
105 mm F2.8 Vernon Edonar Preset (14 blade aperture)
135mm F2.8 Tele Lentar Preset (15 blade aperture)
135mm F3.5 SMC Tak
200mm F3.5 Takumar Preset (18 blade aperture)
Plus, 2x Tamron MC teleconverter, ASAHI focusing Helix, ASAHI extension tube set. along with filters and hoods for most of the lenses.
Total investment to date is about $850 for 11 lenses. The least I paid was $8.99 for the vivitar 28, and the most was $200 for the 85mm Tak (this was the only lens over $100).
All the lenses are a) excellent quality optically and b)
FAST
WHile I have to admit prices have gone up, I also know that when I got each of the lenses above, I did pay less than market value. You just need to keep looking, not only on E-Bay (I only got one lens there) but also the forum market place (got another one there) local thrift shops, (got 2 plus the teleconverter and extension tubes there) and local camera stores, that carry used lenses, GGot 6 there) and garage sales.
Unfortunately there have been closures of 2 really good sources in toronto for used lenses in the past year due to retirement of the owners. Now all that is left is henry's and downtow camera, who put most used lenses on E-Bay to sell overseas where prices for pentax are even higher.
The bottom line is you need to keep looking... But also consider that no where else can you get 11 primes for this kind of money. one or two - purchased new perhaps, but not 11
Last edited by Lowell Goudge; 09-02-2010 at 04:48 AM.