[edom31]

You spend their first three years teaching them to walk and talk, the next fifteen telling them to sit down and shut up.

Next thing you know - grandchildren.

Haha - this made me chuckle... nervously.

[BigMackCam]

Last purchase for a while (at least, that's my intention - I make no guarantees)... a new bird table.

We've had the previous, very basic one for nearly five years, and I've repaired it three times when it's been blown over in stronger winds. There's nothing wrong with it, so I might clean it up and position it in another part of the garden.

This new one is much better quality... very solid and heavy, with a wide footprint - so it's good and steady. I doubt the light to moderate winds we typically experience here will be a problem. It's nicely finished, too, with a turned cap at the top and locally-sourced slate for the roof. And it's much bigger than the old one - about 7' (213cm) tall.

I think I'm done spending on the birds for now - except for all the different food stuffs that I buy them every couple of weeks

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

Compared to past years my frequency of lens purchases has gone down a bit. I don''t think it is because my LBA is cured. It is more, I think, because there are so many lenses that I wanted that I now already have. And of those remaining on my wish-list, most of them are really hard to find or very expensive. So by necessity, I buy less lenses, without being cured. This begun sometime after I passed 300 lenses. I heard this is the 2nd last stage of LBA.

Anyway, despite less than 10 new lenses so far this year, I landed two lenses this week that has been on my wish-list a long time:

1) In my ambition to get the full frame lenses I want for the K-1 there was now only two lenses I really miss, and one of them being a true 180 degree circular fish eye on full frame. And there are very few alternatives. If one wan't something modern with A-contacts and maybe even autofocus, there is in practise only one alternative. So I just landed a Sigma EX 8mm f4 fisheye 180 degree. I don't got any shots I want to post yet, but it makes a nice circle in the middle of the K-1 rectangle, sometimes with a bluish curve outside of the 180 degree circle. Now I just need to learn how to shoot with this very special lense. Scientifically, at work, I have some tasks for this lense, but privatley I'd like to play around with daytime skies, landscapes, nightime skies etc in the way I've seen some great photographers do.

2) The other long term lens hunt that finished this week was to get the A 645 35mm f3.5 (or the FA version) since the A645 45mm f2.8 I had was not wide enough in many cases. And the 35mm f3.5 have a great reputation, especially the A version. To my surprice, after failing to get it on ebay several times, it appeared on the local Swedish tradera (like e-bay, but just for Sweden), and i got it for about half the price one would expect on e-bay. Haven't got it on the post yet....but in a week it's time to take out the 645-system.

Still looking for the A/FA 200mm f4 macro, meanwhile I get around with the Sigma 180mm f3.5 macro...

[Marcus Rowland]

Re Pentax 110 lenses, if anyone in the UK wants one there's a 50/2.8 on the Oxfam web site for £14.99 plus P&P, a bit expensive probably but looks to be in good condition.

Today's job lot from eBay - a Praktica Super TL1000 with 50mm Tessar and 135mm 2.8 Pentacon Electric, a Minolta Dynax 300SI with an AF 35-70 that's unfortunately missing two of the three flange ridges, and a couple of compact digital cameras, one OK and one dead. Cost £25 including postage and should be profitable, especially if I can find the other 35-70 I think I have somewhere that's full of fungus but has a good mount and kludge them together.

Also picked up a Lomography instant camera with a wide-angle converter for a tenner in a charity shop. There's a film in it, I tried a photo with flash tonight but with the wide converter only a teeny part of the picture was properly lit. I'll try it in daylight tomorrow.

[WPRESTO]

Still looking for the A/FA 200mm f4 macro, meanwhile I get around with the Sigma 180mm f3.5 macro...

The only 200mm f4 SMCA ED macros I ever see are from Japan or more rarely Korea and typically go for $2000 USD or more. I cannot remember seeing the FA autofocus version for sale ever. It seems to be as rare as the 1200mm Pentax.

[fiveseven]

Both, KP and the lens.
Amazing camera and lens.



Currently own Sony A7S, 7 II, NEX-6, Fujifilm X-pro1, Olympus OMD Mark III and few older Pentax Bodies........ Just can't stay away from Pentax DSLR's even after leaving them for a few years for others.

[Aaron28]

and lens.

sweet! not familiar with the lens.....is it M42? .....

[fiveseven]

sweet! not familiar with the lens.....is it M42? .....

RO2-2M made by KMZ (USSR) in 1950's
Other similar versions were made by Lenkinap (RO60-1 and 2), both were phased out when it went to OKS (OKC) line.
Originally it was a cinema lens,..... Based on but vastly improved Biotar formula, it's sharper wide open and increased contrast vs Biotar (better coating).

This one was converted or placed in Helios focusing helicoid (M42).

[Aaron28]

This one was converted or placed in Helios focusing helicoid (M42).

nice! that's super cool

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

The only 200mm f4 SMCA ED macros I ever see are from Japan or more rarely Korea and typically go for $2000 USD or more. I cannot remember seeing the FA autofocus version for sale ever. It seems to be as rare as the 1200mm Pentax.

They come up regularly on ebay. There's three FA 200mm macro out right now on ebay, one in Japan, and two in Europe. But they ask for ~4000US$ for the later two. The one in Japan has been sitting there for a while...probably because of fungus on the last lense element.

[WPRESTO]

They come up regularly on ebay. There's three FA 200mm macro out right now on ebay, one in Japan, and two in Europe. But they ask for ~4000US$ for the later two. The one in Japan has been sitting there for a while...probably because of fungus on the last lense element.

No matter how good a lens may be, who is going to risk $4000 USD on one known to have encroaching fungus?

[Marcus Rowland]

Another OK car boot sale - Canon Eos 300V 35mm body (the one with a biggish digital display on the back) for £3.50, Vivitar 28/2.8 close focusing with early PK mount for £5, a Lomography Diana F+ 120 camera for £4, and a couple of Apple cables at £1 each.

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

No matter how good a lens may be, who is going to risk $4000 USD on one known to have encroaching fungus?

The copy in Japan? I think that's why it have been there without selling for several months. They need to cut the price in half. The two copies in Prague are fairly new. High prices, but in EU so I would not pay any tax on top of itm And they take bids. Tempting. But not for now. I have my new lenses to play with, those I actually posted about. So for this summer I keep on hunting the butterflies and dragon flies with my Sigma 180mm macro.

[Marcus Rowland]

Another OK day - got a 135/2.8 Unitor with case and a T-mount (even though it's an auto M42 lens and it isn't needed and doesn't fit properly) for £5, a Voigtlander Vitessa II in nice working order for £8, a hood for £1, and an Apple magic trackpad for a fiver, all clean and working well.

In less good news the payment for the 50/1.4 Nikkor I bought seems to have been put on hold - I suspect that the seller hasn't set up his PayPal account properly, since it's a newish seller and there certainly isn't a problem at my end. Just have to wait and see what happens.

[grhazelton]

I don't think I've posted about these items, if I have please forgive me on account of my advancing age!
I scored a chrome Nikon F body with the basic prism. There are minor scratches and a few minor dents, to be expected in a camera of that age. Somehow the shutter speed markings had been pretty much obliterated over the years, so I had a CLA done in addition to the replacement of the disk with the speed markings. I now have the F, an F2, and an F3 with the "basic" motor drive. and several lenses, from 28mm through 200mm, including the redoubtable 105mm f2.5. Also I have an enormous Tamron 300mm f2.8 plus its "extender" and mounts for both Nikon and the Pentax K mount. The Tamron weighs perhaps 4.5 pounds, takes a 112mm filter to protect that really large front element (fortunately also has a drop-in 42mm filter holder), and comes in its own "suitcase" for transport.
I fear that I'm becoming a collector.... Fortunately my lovely wife Flora is understanding. As Mike, one of my sources at Wings Camera in Atlanta notes, photography is an expensive hobby. But it is cheaper than car collecting, and far, far cheaper - and safer! - than having a mistress! Mike is a wise man!