[ducdao]

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And that's pretty awesome! The tilt adapter is on my get-it-eventually list. Gotta sell some stuff first. Or maybe I can build one.


No, you won't "get flammed here" but your artistic license may be revoked.

OK, so it's your turn to inflame our expensive LBA. Why are T*'s better than S-M-C Taks? Should I rob a minimart to raise the cash to buy some?

Why is it better?

1) Very fast at f1.4 for given FOV
2) Very sharp wide open and killer sharp when stop down. 3D effect
3) Micro contrast is top notch, probably due to T* coating

Don't just rob minimart, you need a bank

[RioRico]

Don't just rob minimart, you need a bank

Then I must wait till I return to Guatemala, where the national sports are baseball and bank robbery.

But I digress. I realize the Z's are newer than the T's, newer coatings, etc. But still... I'm reminded of a couple purchases earlier this year. I got a Sears-Tomioka 55/1.4 for TWO BUCKS!! (Well, US$2.25 actually, shipped.) And then I got a K50/1.2 for US$250 shipped. Both were good deals. BUT... is the K50 actually 111x better than the Tomioka? Is it worth 111x as much? Similarly, is a T* 20x (or whatever) better than a Tak?

[hoanpham]

Please let me know if you can build a tilt adapter. I used m42 lenses handheld to get the shot i need, not good, but the pentacon six lenses are about a kilo each.

[Sagitta]

Please let me know if you can build a tilt adapter. I used m42 lenses handheld to get the shot i need, not good, but the pentacon six lenses are about a kilo each.

I have a Canon lens that I bought on a whim (had no listing on it for the type of mount itself) and managed to drop before getting the chance to try to resell the thing or use it as a paperweight. I pulled the canon mount off of it, stuck a Pentax mount on it, and wound up with kinda sorta a tilt effect since i didn't put the new mount on evenly. The lens didn't focus to infinity, but it did have a slight tilt effect going for close items. I imagine making a tilt lens would simply be a matter of replacing a mount cockeyed in just the right position.

[ducdao]

Then I must wait till I return to Guatemala, where the national sports are baseball and bank robbery.

But I digress. I realize the Z's are newer than the T's, newer coatings, etc. But still... I'm reminded of a couple purchases earlier this year. I got a Sears-Tomioka 55/1.4 for TWO BUCKS!! (Well, US$2.25 actually, shipped.) And then I got a K50/1.2 for US$250 shipped. Both were good deals. BUT... is the K50 actually 111x better than the Tomioka? Is it worth 111x as much? Similarly, is a T* 20x (or whatever) better than a Tak?

I don't think you can compare that way. The correlation between price and improvement is not linear, it's more like exponential...

It's like buying a car, both Ford Focus and Ferrari can take your from point A to point B but is the Ferrari 20x better as it's that much more expensive? I don't think so. For any slight improvement there is a big premium to pay, it's really up to the buyer and the market to decide whether it's worth or not.

[RioRico]

Please let me know if you can build a tilt adapter. I used m42 lenses handheld to get the shot i need, not good, but the pentacon six lenses are about a kilo each.

For a tilt adapter, I'm thinking of a Lensbaby3(?)-type structure:

* A flexible rubber plumbing tube with male+female mount pieces, like from an ultra-cheap set of PK macro tubes
-- (for Pentacon 6 lenses, use a P6 female mount instead of PK);
* Square metal frames soldered or screwed onto the mounts, with small holes drilled into the frame corners;
* Long screws running through those holes between the front and rear mounts, with wingnuts on the screw ends.

Mount the lens on this adapter, and the adapter on the camera. Tighten selected wingnuts to provide the desired tilt. A little clumsy, but dirt cheap, and with total fixed control over the tilting. At least, that's the fantasy.

The correlation between price and improvement is not linear, it's more like exponential...

I know this. I just like to see justifications.

My common justification|rationalization is that while various lenses can produce interestingly different results, 'better' lenses can just do stuff that others can't. So the K50/1.2 and Tomioka 55/1.4 aren't just different; the K50 has greater abilities (and splendid rendering). But it's still hard to think of it as 111x or even 10x 'better'. Yeah, a 5% improvement may cost a 95% premium. Ratz.

[photocanadian]

Damn you ... I did not have to hear that (my way of saying thanks).

My way of keeping my perpetual LBA under control (LENS PORN WARNING):

vw michael can | eBay

Wow, I'm predicting a lot of lenspr0n here!

I had LBA... Or maybe it's still there waiting to raise it's head again. Only my most used lenses are in my signature. Besides my small collection of AF lenses (all in my signature) I've got and additional 18 russian lenses. For some reason, when a lens has "CCCP" or "DDR" on it, I suddenly NEED it. I like the look and feel of the Soviet equipment from that era.

Also, whenever I discover a new kind of adapter. A whole new world of lenses opens up to me, and LBA is back again. Recently I found out that I can place microscope lenses on my K5 with a m42 to RMS adapter. The lenses are tiny and not very expensive, so the LBA only gets worse! Like a drunk, discovering very cheap liquor...

Actually, I got into Pentax, because I was told that it could mount a huge amount of old lenses. But generally, it can only mount PK and M42/M39. Later, I found out that Canon could mount much more.

[RioRico]

Recently I found out that I can place microscope lenses on my K5 with a m42 to RMS adapter. The lenses are tiny and not very expensive, so the LBA only gets worse!

OK, I'll bite. I found M42-RMS adapters on eBay for under US$20 but a search for RMS LENS fails. Where do I find cheap RMS lenses? And what are their focus limitations? Closeup only? Vignetting? What do you shoot with them?

Actually, I got into Pentax, because I was told that it could mount a huge amount of old lenses. But generally, it can only mount PK and M42/M39. Later, I found out that Canon could mount much more.

Yes, Canon is more receptive -- m4/3 and NEX are MUCH more receptive. But with some slight mods, PK mount can receive Nikon, Exakta, OM, C/Y, and some Argus lenses. (I use all of these.) For maximum LBA, my next cam may be a NEX.

[photocanadian]

Well, compared to all previous posters I seem to have the most serious level of LBA adding to CBA (Camera Buying Addiction) and FBA (Flash Buying Addiction).

In short, I have a buying addiction, period.

LBA: 450+ lenses. I ceased counting them a while ago
CBA: 6 DSLR's on top of 40+ MF bodies
FBA: 20 old flashes (mainly old Vivitar and Nikon SB)

My ultimate goal is to sell and scale down my lenses collection to 250 by mid-2012.

You shall be known as the "L/C/F-BA Guru" from now onwards ...

Where the heck do you keep all that? A self-run museum?

[ducdao]

You shall be known as the "L/C/F-BA Guru" from now onwards ...



Where the heck do you keep all that? A self-run museum?

My friends call me nuts or someone with spending disorder

I store my most expensive ones in an electrical dry box, the remaining are in transparent plastic boxes with a wireless dehumidificator and hydrometer in each box. I try to use at least one new lens per week.

[abacus07]

My LBA is finished for about a year. I might add a onsey or a twosey like a Helios or something but it's time to save for CBA (K-5 next summerish). It's been an impressive run of LBA recently.

DA15 as a birthday gift - I feel too old for birthday gifts but if I don't pick something expensive I get checks in the mail. Do not want checks.
DA40 - a moment of weakness giving me an AF normal for street/portrait/landscape
K35/3.5 - found it relatively cheap before buying the DA40
M50/4Mac - I'm not sure I compose on a macro scale well but it was cheapish
supertak 105/2.8 - kind of excited about this one
SMC tak 55/1.8 - an alternative fast 50 - really cheap

others
M50/1.7 with a decent set of ext tubes - already have the A50/1.7 - not happy with this purchase but it wasn't expensive
promaster 70-210 zoom or something like this - came with the K35/3.5
M50/2 - real cheap but then I bought 2 more cheap and better 50's however I need more rear/front caps anyway
2 camera bodies
viv 2x teleconverter was included with something.

[Kerrowdown]

If there is a purpose, and it is a good purpose, based upon photographic needs

This sums me up quite nicely.

I've been lucky that my lenses (as per sig) have served me well over the time and I haven't had the need to purchase for quite a while now.

At my age now, a better pair of eyes would be good though, is there an EBA (eye buying addiction) club I could join.

[RioRico]

At my age now, a better pair of eyes would be good though, is their an EBA (eye buying addiction) club I could join.

My most-used lenses are Zeiss Hitecs -- they're in the frame in front of my eyes.
Rebuilding my delaminating eyeballs would be nice, but the nanobots ain't here yet.

[photocanadian]

My friends call me nuts or someone with spending disorder

I store my most expensive ones in an electrical dry box, the remaining are in transparent plastic boxes with a wireless dehumidificator and hydrometer in each box. I try to use at least one new lens per week.

That's pretty awesome. You and RioRico are my LBA heros ... haha.

BTW. So with 400 lenses, the complete weekly rotation takes 7.5 years!

[ducdao]

That's pretty awesome. You and RioRico are my LBA heros ... haha.

BTW. So with 400 lenses, the complete weekly rotation takes 7.5 years!

For me, my wife is my hero for letting me have all those lenses