Originally posted by br.davidson AF seems to demand a hefty premium, but maybe that won't be the case 30 years from now, who knows?
Samyang makes some nice MF lenses right now at good low prices, and the Horusbenno (?) 50 gets pretty good reviews, so MF still seems cheaper than AF. But in a few decades,
?quien sabe? Who know, indeed?
Quote: I like your examples. They show just how far the cost game can go. What you really have to ask yourself is if a coffee from starbucks is worth 2x what you paid for your 55/1.4 lens.
I don't do Star*ucks and I'm not allowed anything stronger than decaf (I start my day with Depresso, decaf espresso) but even an oganic eggplant wrap from Trader Joe's isn't worth 2x that Tomioka 55. BTW this leads to one of my lens-buying rules: If it costs less than a sandwich or burger, grab it! That's a great weight-control program too.
Quote: How is that Vivitar 28/2 by the way? Is it easy to find one for $18?
I got lucky one week last year. First a Vivitar-Kiron 28/2.5 for US$20; then a Tamron BBAR 28/2.5 for US$4 including Adaptal2-PKM adapter; and finally the Vivitar-Komine 28/2 CFWA for US$18. A trifecta! And all in straight-up auctions, with no misspellings, no blurry product shots, no mysterious batch-lots.
Both Vivs were in Nikon mount, which takes about 3 minutes of Dremel work to mod to PK. I don't know if they're hard to find 'cause I haven't had to look since then. I hear that the 28/2 CFWA goes for more in M42 or PK mount. But Nikon, Olympus OM, and Yashica C/Y lenses are easy to mod for PK, and OM and C/Y Vivitars don't demand high prices.
How is the 28/2 CFWA? It's my most-used prime. Besides my basic zooms kit and my ultralight minikit, I'm likely to carry the 28/2 CFWA and a modded Nikkor 85/2 most of the time. They're just indispensable for me.