[wolfiegirl]

That'd be creepy, I don't have my own and I'm not going to walk around shooting pics of someone elses' crotchfruit.

I have never heard that term before "crotchfuit" bwahahahaha..

In my defence I was referring to your own family and kids. Not just kids in the street. That'd be creepy..

I was reading another thread a few days back about someone with a Jup with the same problem. All pics turned out soft and blurry. Turned out when he went to look inside one of the elements was put in back to front. After he fixed it the pics turned out great! Course it depends on whether or not you're willing to do the surgery. I'm still bucking up the courage to open some of mine to clean out the fungus.. :ugh:

[wolfiegirl]

It happens to everybody sooner or later, especially with the super bargain lenses and or lots. I had a very good score recently (vivitar 90mm 2.5 in perfect condition for 45$), followed by a string of ebay purchases with issues (in some cases I don't care though). I got a lot of 5 cameras and one lens. Each camera was wrapped in a single layer of tissue paper. I only want them for the mounts (experimenting with custom adapters), but had I any intention of repairing and or using any of these cameras, I would have been pretty mad. I got a vivitar that had spots of lubricant, fungus and or whatever throughout the entire lens (en nearly every element). This wan't hidden fungus that needed a flashlight to see. There were obvious spots inside from either end. I didn't want to deal with another fungus lens and asked for return with them paying return shipping. They gave me some crap about it being against ebay rules for the seller to pay return shipping but offered partial refund of 2/3 the money making the cost about 6$. Fine with me as I can use the mount, but it turns out the lens may have hope. I cleaned the worst element and there was no permanent damage! I'm glad they didn't want to pat return shipping. Its going to be a pain though as every element has at leas a few spots. I also bought a ricoh with a 35-70mm 2.8 and a 70-200. The 35-70mm was fine but the 70-200mm was a 75-200 canon lens. They said they would refund about 1/3 but it takes 3-4 days to get a response (seems sincere when he responds, was apologetic and gave an explanation about the mix up). The 35-70 is all I wanted anyway so I got it a little cheaper though I think he is planning on mailing a check for the refund??? Way back I got a 500mm (the big long type) shipped in a padded envelop with no additional padding. Luckily it was fine. Its not the only time I have gotten a lens shipped in an envelop.

It may sound like I have had nothing but bad experiences but I have had many good ones to balance it out. Several of the ones with issues turned out fine in the end too. Only a small number have ended on a bad note or with a a dispute/bad feedback or anything like that.

I must say after my last few scares with some ebay lots I'm a bit more leery now before bidding... Just the energy involved in contacting the seller/documenting the evidence/reassuring the seller I'm really not off my nut and my case is valid/going to the post office, etc etc is just too much. My last score was in such good nick I'm scared to tempt fate.

That and knowing how much money I've spent in the last month, with no more income coming in... I really should sell off all my doubles. But that means I have to get off my butt and do something about it... easier to just sit here and whinge...

[riff]

(yes, I check the forum while __reading__ breakfast..)

That's a pretty serious diet, no wonder your dreams are what they are.

[wolfiegirl]

That's a pretty serious diet, no wonder your dreams are what they are.

it was first thing in the morning. i was typing with one hand while eating with the other. i'm not awake enough to make any coherent sentences.....

[ripit]

I must say after my last few scares with some ebay lots I'm a bit more leery now before bidding... Just the energy involved in contacting the seller/documenting the evidence/reassuring the seller I'm really not off my nut and my case is valid/going to the post office, etc etc is just too much. My last score was in such good nick I'm scared to tempt fate.

That and knowing how much money I've spent in the last month, with no more income coming in... I really should sell off all my doubles. But that means I have to get off my butt and do something about it... easier to just sit here and whinge...

I'm pretty much done for now too. I need to catch up on the bills and do some more Christmas shopping for the kids (I won't have much money for Christmas so I started buying a couple of months early here and there). Of course I still have 91 active auctions in my watch list so who knows what will pop up to tempt me. I have so many lenses to try and projects to work on, I don't really need anything new anyway. Anything I do want is something I haven't got yet because its expensive so I know I couldn't get it now anyway.

As far as lots, I get the impression that people don't put high value stuff in good condition in lots often. If they do they can go high dollar and its not worth the risk to me. I don't expect much and I'm not willing to pay much. My last lot were fujica, minolta, canon and nikon bodies, and olympus film camera ad a fujica lens for 5.24 + 12.50 shipping (my max bid was only 7.39). The lens was a mystery lens (turned out to be a 50mm 1.6). You get people that are selling their own old film camera with lenses, bag and accessories, and sometimes you can score big there, but you still get lots that have been in storage forever and have issues so I still won't bid very high.

[wolfiegirl]

yeah. i just found a listing for a lens that was recommended to me but it's got slight fungus. it's on my watch list for now. interesting that for once the seller didn't post my question up on the listing

just trawling through my 23 search strings atm. where are all my bargains??? i tell you, there's not much out there for under $20. not once you start including shippping...

[ChopperCharles]

Well, this lens has no reviews - not even an entry for it in the list. There is no way the rear element could be physically in there backwards, it just won't fit any other way, and the lens looks like it's never been tampered with. I mean wide open it's about as soft as my Sigma 28-105 f4-5.6 UC-II, but with more of a glowy feel. By f8 it's sharper than that POS sigma will ever be. It's a Tokina 28-70 f2.8-4.5, very similar to the Tokina 35-70 f3.5-4.6 I reviewed a few months ago here: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/110736-tokina-...3-5-4-6-a.html

I was hoping the 28-70 would be as sharp as the 35-70, but no dice.

Here are some sample photos:

50mm f4 scaled:


50mm f8 scaled:


100% crop of the f4 photo:


100% crop of the f8 photo:


The f4 photo is actually reasonably sharp if you look at the ends of the stalk, but it's all... glowy.

What do you all think?

Charles.

[wolfiegirl]

*whistles*

that's glowy!!!

bokeh seems nice though?

[Philoslothical]

That looks like a fun lens for portraiture. I wonder if it's just your copy, or characteristic of that lens.

[ChopperCharles]

I wouldn't be so concerned if I hadn't paid $100 for the thing. I was hoping for something more... usable. Instead it's a specialty lens at best.

Charles.

[wolfiegirl]

*whistles some more*

wow.... $100. yeah I can understand you feeling bummed. But hey, who's to say someone else won't pay that price for that EXACT effect?

[wolfiegirl]

*sigh*

speaking of infested lenses, my latest folly just arrived.

Vivitar Series 1, K mount 70-210 1:3.5

It's a whopper. It's like a brickbat!

The seller had said there were visible marks on the lens. And I still stupidly bid. $50 down the drain.. *sigh*

4 round spots on the front abt 2mm wide, back is clear but the inner glass in front of the aperture also has fungus. light spots dotted throughout.

Better put this baby on the camera and see what goes.

Helios also arrived today. But it's a 39mm mount so need to wait for the 39-42 adapter to arrive. *glares at 42-39 rings sitting around taking up space*

....

hang on a sec. this baby's not mounting! WTF..

[Philoslothical]

Don't force it. You're likely looking at an oversized flag beside the aperture lever, right? Compare it to any of your other lenses. Some older Vivitar ones have this, and it's an easy fix. Get out a micro screwdriver and remove the two screws holding the ring with that guard on it. Remove the ring, and put it and the screws in a plastic bag or something, in case you want to sell the lens intact later. Use the lens without that ring, just be a little careful when storing it that you don't damage the aperture lever (no reason you should, but that flag is there to protect it).

[wolfiegirl]

Yeah, it's the big flange. i'm just looking up fixes now. dang it. i was hoping he'd listed it wrong and i could complain and get my $50 back...

*sigh* looks like I'm going to have to do some lens surgery after all.... and after all my bravado talk... *grumbles*

Will there be tricky balls of grease and such I need to watch out for? I'm trying to look for a picture tutorial atm to reassure me that it really is an easy fix. Although if I'm going to open it, technically I could go all the way and just clear out all the fungus at the same time? Or am I going too far?

The fungus elements are at the front and in the element past the aperture blades...

[wizofoz]

speaking of infested lenses, my latest folly just arrived.

Better put this baby on the camera and see what goes.

Wolfie, be very wary about mounting infected lenses on your cam bodies. That is how infections get spread.

Try leaving the infected lenses on a windowsill in full sunlight for a while. UV rays kill fungus. Sunlight has lots of UV. Just don't go putting any SPF16 on the lenses, ok?