[stevebrot]

Corollaries being:

Oh...and one more

• Never buy from a seller that has many photos, but none from the bottom, rear, or whatever view is critical for usability or value

Steve

(...thinking of an occassional Marketplace seller who never shows the rear element or mount face of offered lenses...)

[jlstrawman]

Remember, in Japan EXC++++ means it may or may not have been found under a haystack in a farmyard.

+!. Japanese sellers don't seem to correlate fungus with condition. Buyer beware!

[photoptimist]

I even found one that said "Near Mint" and had fungus.....lol

Ah, but the seller was just being truthful. "Near Mint" means the lens was stored near mint, the fragrant garden plant, outside, in the rain, hence the fungus.

[tvdtvdtvd]

And never, never buy from a seller whose approval rating is less than 96%, according to one source I read.

I would suggest first reading the comments that gave negative feedback. There are people who will throw out negative feedback for trivial things.

[Ronald Oakes]

Ah, but the seller was just being truthful. "Near Mint" means the lens was stored near mint, the fragrant garden plant, outside, in the rain, hence the fungus.

OK...Too Funny ! You managed to get 3 of us laughing over dinner....lol

[kevinWE]

This thread is similar to the one I posted asking if Japan Was The Fungus Capitol Of The World.

EX +++++, the pluses stand for "Plus Fungus".

[Ronald Oakes]

This thread is similar to the one I posted asking if Japan Was The Fungus Capitol Of The World.

EX +++++, the pluses stand for "Plus Fungus".

Oh My !

[luftfluss]

Since the OP mentioned the K 500/4.5, I figured I'd post a shot from today...



f/8, monopod, the little guys were 200+ feet away, I cropped away 75% of the frame and resized for posting

[Ronald Oakes]

Since the OP mentioned the K 500/4.5, I figured I'd post a shot from today...



f/8, monopod, the little guys were 200+ feet away, I cropped away 75% of the frame and resized for posting

Yuup ! That did it for me.....lm Drooling !
Now I need to go look at all Your pics....Very Nice ! Thanks.
PS....is this actually from a SMC-K 500mm lens ? Or from that Monstrous Zoom lens ?

[luftfluss]

Yuup ! That did it for me.....lm Drooling !
Now I need to go look at all Your pics....Very Nice ! Thanks.
PS....is this actually from a SMC-K 500mm lens ? Or from that Monstrous Zoom lens ?

Yep, it's the K 500/4.5. It's sharper than the old behemoth 135-600, although that lens has its own charms.

Keep in mind that the K 500/4.5 has a 30+ foot minimum focus distance... that's a bummer. Also the focus ring can seemingly bind a bit while focusing - another user has mentioned this, so it's not unique to my copy.

Lens samples thread: SMC Pentax 500 f4.5 - PentaxForums.com

[Ronald Oakes]

Yep, it's the K 500/4.5. It's sharper than the old behemoth 135-600, although that lens has its own charms.

Keep in mind that the K 500/4.5 has a 30+ foot minimum focus distance... that's a bummer. Also the focus ring can seemingly bind a bit while focusing - another user has mentioned this, so it's not unique to my copy.

Lens samples thread: SMC Pentax 500 f4.5 - PentaxForums.com

Yes....I know about the long minimum focusing distance , but I do have my Extension tubes !
I want the 500mm as the 400 just isn't quite enough for some things.
I also want a platform in my window rest that allows easy storage inside the car that can handle a 500mm lens with the window UP. I know it sounds Crazy , but one of my uses is to get some images of Desert Iguanas. Those little Boogers don't even start moving around until its about 100+ degrees !
Too HOT for me......but inside a car with the A/C on while staying cool.....No problem.
That's why I need quick deployment with the window …..lol.
BTW.....Your images have pushed me over the edge in my Quest for a nice SMC-K 500mm lens.....The Hunt has begun !

[lytrytyr]

As for the "decently priced waist level"; save your money. I stupidly bought one for my F2 many years ago, thinking it would be a cool addition to my F2 accessory kit. It takes only a minute to figure out how useless a waist level is on a 35mm. The image is teeny tiny, at a waist level distance, and using the magnifier is essential all the time. And while a waist level is a fine way to use a 6x6 Hasselblad, on a rectangular format 35mm turning the camera sideways for a vertical shot is almost impossible with the waist level (held up to eye level, and looking at the image upside down, no fun).

Based on my experience with the waist finder on an LX back in the day, I must disagree.

There was no live view on a film camera,
so if you wanted to shoot round a corner or over the heads of a crowd,
the waist finder was the only way to go.

I would use hyperfocal, or guesstimate with the distance scale,
so the magnifier was not needed in those situations.

Of course, just the same as with a Hasselblad or Rolleiflex,
you had to rotate the camera in the "wrong" direction to compose.

The first 35mm SLRs only had a waist-level finder:

[luftfluss]

Yes....I know about the long minimum focusing distance , but I do have my Extension tubes !
I want the 500mm as the 400 just isn't quite enough for some things.
I also want a platform in my window rest that allows easy storage inside the car that can handle a 500mm lens with the window UP. I know it sounds Crazy , but one of my uses is to get some images of Desert Iguanas. Those little Boogers don't even start moving around until its about 100+ degrees !
Too HOT for me......but inside a car with the A/C on while staying cool.....No problem.
That's why I need quick deployment with the window …..lol.
BTW.....Your images have pushed me over the edge in my Quest for a nice SMC-K 500mm lens.....The Hunt has begun !

I feel your pain about the heat. Here in NJ it doesn't get as hot as by you, but the darn humidity... 90° + 90% = Sweat City.

As a reference, I paid $400/shipped for my copy from Japan. Overall condition is pretty good except for the aforementioned coating damage from the fungus "cleaning". Here's a pic that the seller posted:

[ChrisPlatt]

Non metered prisms have been in high demand for the last 20 years, as the number of Photomic prisms with failing meters grows. Everyone with a dead Photomic tells themself "I'll just get a non metered prism and use my trusty Minolta meter" - except that everyone else is saying the same thing, and they're all on the hunt for the plain prisms. Supply and demand.

As for the "decently priced waist level"; save your money. I stupidly bought one for my F2 many years ago, thinking it would be a cool addition to my F2 accessory kit. It takes only a minute to figure out how useless a waist level is on a 35mm. The image is teeny tiny, at a waist level distance, and using the magnifier is essential all the time. And while a waist level is a fine way to use a 6x6 Hasselblad, on a rectangular format 35mm turning the camera sideways for a vertical shot is almost impossible with the waist level (held up to eye level, and looking at the image upside down, no fun).

Nikon Photomic "heads" show the set shutter speed (F) or shutter speed and aperture (F2) in the viewfinder,
so even if the exposure meter is non-functional IMO they're a better option than a plain prism - which shows neither.
True they are larger and not as cool looking, but they're available at a fraction of the cost.

I agree completely regarding the usefulness of a 35mm waist-level finder.
I once made the mistake of buying the elusive FF-1 for my Pentax LX.
What a letdown!

OTOH a sports or action-type finder is a useful addition to any brand 35mm body capable of using one...

Chris

[Ronald Oakes]

I feel your pain about the heat. Here in NJ it doesn't get as hot as by you, but the darn humidity... 90° + 90% = Sweat City.

As a reference, I paid $400/shipped for my copy from Japan. Overall condition is pretty good except for the aforementioned coating damage from the fungus "cleaning". Here's a pic that the seller posted:

I noticed Good ones seem to run in spurts on Ebay. Looking at a couple that are in need of cleaning/service right here in the USA.
I have looked at 6 from Japan and although rated as EXC+ or better , every one was NOT EXC + in my book.
Luckily these are quite easy to work on and clean, but I want nothing to do with Fungus unless its less than $200 shipped and that's still a BIG maybe.
EXC + (with dents)...EXC+ (with Fungus)...EXC+ (With Broken Internals)…….lol.
Maybe Japan sells us the Leftovers ?
Im inclined to make an offer on this one , but the last image looks like possible fungus on the lower right side ? I cant really tell ? Reflection ? Im very tempted anyway.