[robiles]

I mostly collect takumars, russian lenses, and also have a few vivitars. i do not use them a lot, but have a few that really impress when i use them, like the tele takumar 200 f5.6, it renders like no other. that would be a lens that i would buy without hesitation as a da ltd (its also really small).I also just like to look ath them play with them now and then. it mght also be that i have hoarder tendencies that i try, and fail to control.

[robbiec]

My reckon a collection under 50 is healthy. I try to keep at or around 10 on the go at a time. My LBA reason was simple enough, I want to try out all the 'legends' or best of breed in the focal length. An example would be the 70 to 90 range, I've had the 85/1.9, 85/1.8, APO90/3.5 and 77/1.8 and probably in that order too. The 77 blew me away and the 85s while lovely and more than capable of a great shot were outclassed so discarded. The APO90 was a different type of lens but a couple of my best shots were taken with it. Anyways I'm probably 1/2 through my LBA journey, always another lens to get.

[monochrome]

What's wrong with collecting just for the sake of collecting?

Feel free to click the link in my sig to see the depths of my LBA (111 ATM).

Absolutely Nothing.

[tvdtvdtvd]

I find I buy lenses for two distinctly different reasons.

Reason #1; need. I needed a macro, so I bought a Vivitar Series 1 90mm, (it was available at a very good price). I needed a wide angle
so I bought a DA15. I needed a portrait lens, so I bought a FA77.

Reason #2; desire. Well made tools are a pleasure to use. There is an immense satisfaction in the use of a well built all metal manual
lens. Old MF lenses have a wonderful tactile quality that no AF lens can match. Optical performance is another matter entirely and modern
lenses are often better performers. But there is a disconnect with autofocus, and even when set to manual, modern lenses usually don't
have the same dampened feel of an older lens. To that end, my LBA targets primarily older lenses, not new. New lenses are purchased
for a need. Older lenses are purchases out of desire. And of course, older lenses can perform too. Quite often they are more enjoyable
performers because of their faults; that quality we often call 'character'. Exploring a lens' character is also one of the joys of acquiring a
new-old lens.

I certainly don't need any more manual 50mm's. I have over a dozen different nifty fifties. Strictly speaking, one should satisfy my need.
I've tried to pare down their number and find I still desire to keep at least 5 or 6. And yet there are still many, many 50mms that I have
never tried, so I'm sure LBA will land a few more in my collection.

[Ronald Oakes]

My LBA started when I finally went from Film to Digital. My initial lenses were simply to build a nice , supposedly inexpensive kit , to adorn my Pentax K-30.
Somehow it snowballed into M42 series , Smc-A , Smc-K , "F" series , and various 3rd party lens kits , such as Sears and Ricoh.
I was always after the overlooked and underrated lenses.
I spent over $5500 (attested to by detailed Buy/Sell records) total in 5 years , and at this present time have bought/sold over 170 lenses.
The problem was that I was spending all my funds on collecting , rather than getting out and shooting , and enjoying Photography.

I decided at some point I wanted to get out more and shoot , and Re-start my entire plan and direction.
Slowly my "KIT" shrank to 80 lenses …... then 62 …...slowly to 45 ......and now its only at 19 lenses and quite manageable in both direction and reason.
I kept what I felt I actually "needed" and still within a small series collection such as "A" , "K" , and Ricoh Rikenon series.
I also bought 3 very recent Pentax "Modern" lenses , to enhance my shooting experience and get with the times so to say.

The nice "After Effect" of selling off lenses was 2 funded trips this fall including a once in a lifetime trip to the Grand Canyon/Colorado River raft trip in October for 12 days !

What used to reside in a entire dresser FULL of cameras , lenses , Bodies , and gear …...now is neatly tucked away in 3 small photography bags ready at a moments notice !

I have 3 systems now...Full Frame , Aps-c , and Film covered nicely !

Over are the days of LBA and Collecting...... and the endless circle of confusion !

[kiwi_jono]

+1 for the fun angle of LBA.

I have enjoyed and learnt quite a bit from each of my purchases. I even enjoy my initial quality testing against fences walls etc (well sometimes it can be a little disappointing!). And then some of my best shots are while "trying out" a new lens - as I'm usually not fussy about what I'm shooting and often end up with something more creative.


The problem I have (a common one I sense from this thread!), is getting rid of lenses once I'm no longer using them! I always seem to trick myself by saying things like "I must take that out for some shots as its good at XXXX".
Another problem is I need to be honest with details when I actually do sell and this can affect the value of lenses as I always know exactly what condition the lens is in and its weaknesses!

[Wild Mark]

My reasons are a mix of many of the above and, from time to time, I do get a feeling of greed/ gluttony - healthy thoughts I guess.

Ultimately, I 'collect' to have a working set of lenses (the finest lenses) and a 'fun' set of lenses (a series). The latter is a true collection concept with a focus on the Takumars, K and F series (I care little for 'collecting' the M, FA and DA series and only pick out 'the finest' from these series to add to the 'working set of lenses').

I think this is how I tame the greed/ gluttony feelings. There is an end to the 'collector' series, and I do not need duplicates. The working set are what they are.

Right now I am ever so close to closing the books on further buying. So, perhaps, with a goal in mind, my LBA was always going to be a disease/ disorder that eventually went away. The next natural step is to get out there and use the working set of lenses as need be and have some fun with the 'collector' series. I intend to go full film when having 'fun' as this is the context for that part of my lens collection.

Besides all this, I have just found out that the Australian government is charging me 10% on purchase AND postage costs for any imported lenses. Hmm - this means I won't be buying much more at all.

[mikesbike]

I am pretty well saturated, since I buy for mainly fine quality in build and imaging, and/or practicality as in easier carrying, and/or WR construction, then lastly, a design that is uniquely well-crafted and beautiful. My arsenal now incorporates these values in a very large focal length range. My last was should or not get the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8, since I have the pretty fast, very finely-build yet compact and lightweight Pentax 20-40mm f/2.8-4 Limited with its fine image quality. The price was right, and I do low light work quite often, so I went for it nonetheless. It makes a good matchup with my Pentax DA* 50-135mm. Yet at the same time, I already also have the very compact DA-L 18-50mm, which is so compact and light for carrying on my small K-S2, and imaging is very good, this is its district purpose! At this point I see nothing else out there that fits a need my arsenal does not already have.

I have duplicating overlaps of focal length ranges in zoom lenses, but some are fast, excellent pro-style f/2.8, while others are much lighter and weight but satisfactory in imaging. I will take whatever is bast for what I will be facing.

[Jonathan Mac]

I find I buy lenses for two distinctly different reasons.

Reason #1; need.
Reason #2; desire.

I agree 100% with this. I obtain certain lenses as I need them in order to be able to do certain things - a fast tele zoom in order to capture action at a distance or isolate a subject at a distance, a good weather resistant lens for use in inclement weather. However, a large part of my LBA focuses on the old manual lenses, which I love using, and as I also shoot film they can be used there too. These fall much more readily into the "desire" category because they probably add nothing to my photography beyond the desire to get out and use them and to try new things. As a general rule zooms are always in the "need" category while primes are generally in the "desire" category. Interestingly though, "desire" almost always trumps "need" when it comes to spending what I've got on a new item. I took years to get a fast tele zoom and good WR zoom because there were always fast primes which cropped up first.

I enjoy every part of LBA - I like collecting, using and I enjoy bagging a bargain now and then, even if it's only so that I can sell it on at a profit, though that profit is inevitably fed back into the LBA fund.

I can foresee the day (like many here) where I'm forced (or even choose) to significantly scale back my collection, though if and when it happens it will allow me to get some things I haven't been able to until then. For example, I'd love to have the three FA limiteds but they're very expensive and I'd never be able to get my gear fund up to those levels unless I sold off a significant chunk of what I have now. That would be difficult to do but swapping ten (or more) old manual lenses for an FA 77mm would save a lot of space (which would keep my wife happy) and allow me to finally get some gear that's been unobtainable until that point.

However, I'm not there yet. I still have space for gear and there are plenty of old primes I'd still love to try, though they're largely quite expensive ones (fast 85mms for example). For now I'll enjoy the ride and hold onto the fact that what I buy now can be cashed in later for far fewer but higher-value items further down the road.

[Driftwood]

... There is an immense satisfaction in the use of a well built all metal manual lens.

Yep.... and I'd add that there are a lot of well built all metal manual lenses. Whatever your own individual reason for taking up photography, you should have whatever equipment that is necessary to best reach your goals. Sometimes, we have to experiment a bit to find out exactly what that equipment will be... and also, our reasons and goals might change over time and that means our choice of equipment might change as well. Best to focus on achieving your vision and worry about the cabinets full of cameras, lenses, bellows, filters, etc. later on. We only live once (most of us), so have fun!

[jcdoss]

...lve had to decide what I actually want and will use - the rest is sort of gluttony...

I'm interested in knowing where you draw the line.

I think everyone has their vices... I was talking to a guy last weekend who owns over 40 wristwatches. Brand new ones, not antiques. And he was quite proud to show me his latest acquisition, much as we do here at PF.

It's just part of the human experience. Nothing to justify or explain, really. As long as it doesn't become the latest Dutch Tulip Mania, we'll all be fine.

Which leads me to my next question, Monochrome... whatcha putting on the chopping block? 😁

[monochrome]

I'm interested in knowing where you draw the line.

I think everyone has their vices... I was talking to a guy last weekend who owns over 40 wristwatches. Brand new ones, not antiques. And he was quite proud to show me his latest acquisition, much as we do here at PF.

It's just part of the human experience. Nothing to justify or explain, really. As long as it doesn't become the latest Dutch Tulip Mania, we'll all be fine.

Which leads me to my next question, Monochrome... whatcha putting on the chopping block? ��

Jason: I’ll send you a list when I’m completely inventoried (again).

I’ve tried nearly every manual lens Pentax ever made in K-mount. I have almost all the K lenses and I’m not obsessed about the ones I don’t have. Most of what I’m selling isn’t meaningfui to me, so it can go.

I would like to have a deeper knowledge of and experience with a narrower collection of lenses. I should have each one CLA’ed if Eric hasn’t seen it already, as well as the camera bodies listed below. I just have too much to use and I could spend that money on new gear that actually supports Pentax, I have other sold off collection remnants like fly fishing gear and fly tying tools, reels, Salmon Flies. extensive high quality camping gear, 100 knives, 40 compasses, 8,000 hardback books and antique fountain pens I inherited. It’s all just too much. A lot of this stuff will go to dealers or other collectors locally. There isn’t a local market for Pentax gear except me. It still shows up on my doorstep,

Almost everything not on my Manual Focus Lenses list linked in my signature will be sold.

• All my DA lenses = 7 DA Limiteds (some dupes, mixed coatings) except SMC DA35/2.8 I’m keeping KP and will use FA and D FA lennses with it. Selling silver 20-40.
• A few duplicate FA Limiteds (replaced over the years by low serial copies)
• An A lens or two
• All my FA lenses except FA50/2.8 Macro and FA100/2.8 Macro. Selling DFA100/2.8 Macro
• All my M lenses except M150/3.5
• Most Takumars except 8-element ST 50/1.4 and S-M-C 50/1.4. Maybe keep a SMC 55/1.8.
• All K-mount camera bodies except KX | K2DMD | MX | LX | MZ-S | K-01 (I have at least a dozen duplicate bodies, plus SuperProgram, K-S1, K10D, etc., all boxed).
• Screw-mount bodies except AP, K, SV, SP-F and chrome ESII (that means all the S# bodies). I have a suitable contemporary Takumar lens for each camera.
• Probably Asahiflex - I can’t use the WLF due to vision issues
• Nice Contax Collection
• All Q and Q7 collection including NIB Q/02 kit

I imagine it will take a year to get this all sold,

[Cerebum]

Wow Monochrome, There are some gems among that lot. Any plans as to what they will do with the money? Cruise perhaps, or maybe your own Caribbean island lol I totally get the sales. Having a clear out can be quite refreshing


I have added to my collection this week with the steinheil munchen cassaron 50mm f2.8, an e Ludwig, the Schneider kreuzach 135 and am waiting to see if I get a silver metal Yashika Yashinon 55mm f1.9 LBA is fun Although, I did pass on another e Ludwig! I may be beyond redemption, but I am not so out of control that buy duplicates, unless they are better than mine, then are replacements.

[Mikesul]

I find I am happiest just leaving one lens on the camera and going out to shoot with just that. Yet my photography desk is overflowing, forcing me to change lenses from time to time. I am beginning to wonder if the joy of photography itself is a separate pleasure from whatever it is that drives me to pick up new lenses. clearly professionals or well focused amateurs will have a different view.

[jcdoss]

...I am beginning to wonder if the joy of photography itself is a separate pleasure from whatever it is that drives me to pick up new lenses...

Oh I definitely think those are separate things. The find and the acquisition is separate but just as enjoyable as "photography," which itself in my mind is two separate things... taking images and making images. The taking part is probably what I enjoy most of the three... carrying and using the camera for the tactile and artistic idea in my mind at that moment, whether executed successfully or not. When successful, it's even more pleasurable, but even when the result sucks, I still had fun trying.

Now, back to LBA...