[Arjay Bee]

A dark red plastic 'soft shutter' release for the MX. $3 with free postage - had to come via sea mail. Just a bit of bling!!! A little o ring sits under the button to provide the softness, but the plastic button's male thread isnt long enough to reach the female thread in the button when the o ring is in place. So still a hard shutter but blinged up. Makes me smile. Reminds me of the cameras people cover in diamanties and glitter a bit but I will stop here.

[WPRESTO]

I got a Godox TT350P Mini Thinklite TTL flash and two Vello shutter cable releases from B&H.


My original Vello cable failed about a month ago. Had it for six or seven years. At $7.99 US I do not expect a lot out of them but it worked longer than I thought it would. The Pentax one cost $50. Cheaper to have one of the inexpensive ones and a spare. The flash seems to work as advertised.

I've had trouble with non-Pentax electronic releases. They have the same three contacts on the pin, but will not fire my K3 or my K1. I have a several, as I purchased several at once to have spares, but they do not work. BTW: Brand name is Bower, but like as not they are sold under multiple other names. I have a much older Hanimex-branded cable release. It is just a hand unit, no wire, with a plug at one end that accepts a three-contact pin. It will accept wires with that pin at one end and various camera-specific plugs at the other end. It will work on both Pentax bodies, three MFT bodies and a Canon 7D when the appropriate wire is used (three-contact pin for Pentax, four-contact pin for Panasonic, micro USB-style connector for Olympus, and a multi-pin connector for the Canon)

[ChrisPlatt]

NOS Nikon DB-2 "Anti-Cold" remote battery pack
$25.00 shipped on eBay

Replaces the two 1.5V button cells normally installed in the camera body.
Attaches via a cable to a battery holder for two AA cells which can be kept in a pocket.
This fits my FE and F2 bodies as well as several other Nikon models.

Not surprisingly the price of these goes up in colder months.
I had something similar for the Pentax 645 I owned briefly.

Chris

[pepperberry farm]

the latest lens for the K-S1a project arrived yesterday: Nikkor-SC 55mm f1.2



(that's the Cosina 55mm f1.2 on the right for comparison purposes)

[ChrisPlatt]

35mm f/2.0 Nikkor lens

Multicoated late non-AI (with rubber grips)

Chris

[aslyfox]

just bought a SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.4 AL and a SMC Pentax-DA 50mm F1.8 from a forum member

[steamloco76]

I mentioned 'Good Deal Karma' in Recent De Acquisitions thread after selling my DA*16-50 for $270 shipped. Giving a good, square deal often seems to land one in your lap soon after.
For several months, I've been hunting for a 1957-1958 Takumar 58mm f/2.4 in good condition. I want to use it, and display it with one of my two AP bodies. The Takumar 58/2.4 generally lists on eBay for between $150 for a fungus riddled turd from Japan, to over $300 for a near perfect example.
Functional Asahi Pentax bodies are $225 (ugly) to nearly $500 (mint). An auction popped up during a broad 'Asahi Pentax 35mm camera' search. "Original 1957 Asahi Pentax with Takumar 58mm f2.4, case, Strap Caps." Starting bid $195. I took a shot with a $267.99 max bid. Shipping is $15. Only one other bidder hit it, a professional sniper tried $199.00 with five seconds left in the auction. I got it for $200, $15 shipping and the 6% PA sales tax! I'd say that was a good 'karma' trade of a lens for a lens and camera!

Received it yesterday. EXACTLY as described. The Takumar 58/2.4 is super clean, and in my quick testing today, really spectacular little lens. Superb color rendition and bokeh!

[Jome]

Hello dear Pentaxian,
Is 360 $ a good price for a SMC DA*200 2.8?
Thank you to let me know.
Kind regards.
J.

[WPRESTO]

Hello dear Pentaxian,
Is 360 $ a good price for a SMC DA*200 2.8?
Thank you to let me know.
Kind regards.
J.

According to the lens review thread here on PF, the lens has sold new for about $800 to $1000, so the price being asked is less than half the lowest price new. That's a good deal IF THE LENS IS IN THE CONDITION YOU WANT. Make sure it isn't something that was chased as it tumbled down the Spanish Steps.

[kevinWE]

the latest lens for the K-S1a project arrived yesterday: Nikkor-SC 55mm f1.2



(that's the Cosina 55mm f1.2 on the right for comparison purposes)

How sharp are those cookies?

[tim60]

How sharp are those cookies?

Not so sharp they would injure the gums like French bread crusts can.

[pepperberry farm]

How sharp are those cookies?

technically, not cookies but Standard Measuring Units (SMU) - when stacked and in use as a measuring device (see above photo), these SMU's would have no flavor, have degree of sharpness, only a measure of height....

away from the worktable, and away from any technical standards, these cookies are crisp (because they are refrigerated) and lovely-light on the tongue...


(:

[aslyfox]

technically, not cookies but Standard Measuring Units (SMU) . . . :

a few [ quite a few actually ] posts earlier in this thread, a member whose name shall not be mentioned by me ( but whose initials could be P F as in Pepperberry Farm )

posted a photo with two lenses and objects in the middle separating them

another member wanted, not the lenses, but the other objects

and the concept of the SMU was born

[ girl scout thin mints or a generic equivalent is usually used ]

[stevebrot]

There is a lesson somewhere here. Below are two recent acquisitions from eBay, both at the same price point, the one on the left at minimum bid and the one on the right as make offer. Both sellers claimed no knowledge of cameras and both descriptions were rather vague.


Note Shamu stealing nectarines in the background...

On the Right

• Ricoh Singlex TLS (v2), reasonably clean appearance in the listing, but working condition unknown (knew nothing of cameras), smoke-free house, no returns
• Seller communication poor, shipped promptly
• Packaging possibly the worst I have ever seen, sort of a ball of bubblewrap and "eBay" tape with an outer covering of "eBay" tape and cardboard
• Aside from top plate, all surfaces had a heavy varnish of tobacco residue and all controls are gummy and non-functional from unknown substance. I suspect I will find mud inside.
• No big problems since I purchased for parts, but I sort of expected better packaging for the shipping charge
• Strangely, the Copal shutter still works, but meter is toast. The no-name 28mm is of zero interest. Ditto for the "Pro" brand skylight filter.

I will be able to use the bottom plate and am hopeful that the resister strip for the shutter speed/ASA will be usable.


On the Left

• Ricoh XR-1 bundled with XR Rikenon 50/1.7, Vivitar Series 1 70-210/3.5, two Hoya skylight filters. Condition described as very good, though seller was not able to fully test due to lack of camera knowledge.
• Shipped promptly with tracking numbers and private message from seller informing me of same.
• Packaging was probably the most thorough I have seen. Amazing.
• Camera is in Ex+ condition and fully operational except for seals and mirror foam. The same is true of the XR Rikenon 50/1.7. The Series 1 zoom is the 2nd version (Tokina-made) and is cosmetically near perfect. I have not been able to evaluate it optically, but it appears to have internal haze consistent with age.

I intend to keep the XR-1 as a Ricoh equivalent of my KX and will probably find a new owner for the Series 1 zoom.

I can't imagine two more different experiences.


Steve

[ivanvernon]

I believe I have failed to report the earlier receipt of my Pentax-FA 645 400mm f 5.6 ED (IF). It is now among my very longest lenses (focally as well as physically), the longest being a monster Pentacon 6 500mm lens which is so large and heavy that I am afraid to take it out of its leather case! Any way, I very much like the new 400mm lens, and have attempted to assess its length in SMU terms. The length is too great for me to use the standard SMU stacking approach, so I have developed the concept of V-SMUs, or virtual SMUs. To explain, I am employing Benton Fudge Mint cookies, available from Aldi, covered in rich fudge, using real cocoa and having a minty chocolate flavor and verified as currently edible and flavorful. Lengthwise, these fudge mint cookies are sold in packaging containing 42 cookies in two lines of 21 cookies each, with each line measuring exactly (well approximately) 6 inches, or 3.5 cookies to the inch, with average cookie width being 0.28571429 inches, which I am taking the liberty of rounding off to 0.2857 inches. Thusly I have arrived at the concept of the V-SMU, being equal to 0.2857 inches. Using this new measurement concept, I am able to report the following for my new lens:

Length of lens with hood: 14 5/8 inches or 14.625. Dividing this length by the V-SMU of 0.2857 yields 51.19 V-SMUs.

Length without hood: Using a similar process for the unhooded lens at a measured length of 11 inches yields 38.50 V-SMUs.

I am highly cognizant of the various piddling and inconsequential objections that are sure to be raised to this advanced and more scientific measurement concept. However, I wish to request that any person offering criticism first make an effort physically to stack 51 mint cookies in order to replicate the feelings of frustration that I experienced in trying to do so prior to the flash of insight that led to the development of the V-SMU.

Thank you.