[richard0170]

My excuse was - one for the SLR and another for the dSLR (I am so easily convinced...)

Call that an excuse?! I call it perfectly valid reasoning born out of necessity.

---------- Post added 09-17-21 at 09:24 AM ----------

it is what I call a 'revelation lens' for me - why doesn't everyone have one of these in their bag, right?

It definitely is. It makes me think of my other revelation lenses - K 28mm f3.5, A 35mm f2.0, K 50mm f4 Macro and K 135mm f2.5. And for Fuji X the TTartisans 50mm f1.2.

[edom31]

K 50mm f4 Macro

I second this one and I will add the Sigma EX 105/2.8 Macro

K 135mm f2.5

Either I have the duddest copy of this lens or It just does not click with me.

I compared it on the field with the Super-Takumar 135/2.5 (5-element early version) and other than the starbursts, I enjoyed the Tak better. More character... Super-Tak 135/2.5 5-Element vs SMC 135/2.5 | Flickr

[Marcus Rowland]

Two nice items I got on line earlier this week arrived today
A Pentacon 135/2.8, for £12.99 including postage. It's the original "Bokeh Monster" that could be used on M42 or Exakta with the appropriate rear mount (I've also seen one with a custom-made mount for Nikon), and has a preset-ring 15-blade iris. It's the all-black version here:

Pentacon / Meyer Optik Gorlitz Orestogor 135mm F2.8 Preset Lens Reviews - Miscellaneous Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

It's boxed and looks virtually unused, though the box is very battered. The best part is that it came with an M42 converter and cap for Fujica S-mount, which is in full working order - it even does auto stopdown on a Fujica body, if the lens has a rear pin, which is pretty rare for M42 adapters. Those are being sold at £15 and up without the cap on eBay, so I ought to come out well ahead. Gloating a bit about this one...

Took the Bokeh Monster out for a walk in the park with my Eos 400D yesterday, go some good results






Full sized pictures and more here - Pentacon 135/2.8 "Bokeh Monster" | Flickr

Also received a couple of lenses - a very nice Tamron AF 70-300 f4-5.6, unfortunately for Minolta / Sony A, for £23 including postage - won't make a huge profit since for some reason this lens mount doesn't sell well, but I ought to come out ahead. And an SMC Pentax-M 50/1.7 which a friend wanted to give to a good home; as it happens I could use a goodish PK 50mm for testing camera bodies and converters, and I was going to donate some money to charity for it, but it turns out to be full of fungus and not as good as the battered old lens I've been using - I've suggested that I sell it for spares/repairs on eBay with the money going to charity, waiting to see what she thinks of the idea.

[bogwalker]

I just picked up an Emdeko Super 8mm film camera at Goodwill for $10. No film or battery, but otherwise complete and looks in good shape. I'm not familiar with Super 8's but it certainly looks vintage. Has a zoom feature as well. The focus doesn't seem to be working.

---

Last edited by bogwalker; 09-17-2021 at 06:46 PM. Reason: cuz grammar

[Sagitta]

I'm not at the level of GAS yet where I have two copies of a lens... I can only use one at a time anyway

I have considered getting a 2nd copy of my HD DA 18-50mm f/4-5.6 DC RE only because it's plastic and I can see it breaking easily if I ever drop the camera or something hits it. And I love that little thing.

Wait until you discover that buying used bodies and body kits can sometimes snag you the good lenses, but almost always have those same standard zooms and 50's included that then take up random residency in your home because you're too lazy to eBay them forward but don't want to waste a perfectly good lens by tossing it.

[BigMackCam]

Wait until you discover that buying used bodies and body kits can sometimes snag you the good lenses, but almost always have those same standard zooms and 50's included that then take up random residency in your home because you're too lazy to eBay them forward but don't want to waste a perfectly good lens by tossing it.

A good number of my Soviet lenses - different models, or different versions of the same model - were bought this way. I have more Zenit cameras than I care to mention, and a few FEDs too

[kadajawi]

Not sure when I posted the last time, but there were a couple of things I got in recent times.

Focal Kanta N1 speakers + matching stands. They look great, and sound even better. Musicians are precisely positioned between, behind, in front and besides the speakers. Details appear that, with my old speakers, were hidden. And the best thing of all is, despite all this, they don't become annoying. Even with less than stellar recordings. I do need a better amp though...

Bowers & Wilkins DB4S subwoofer. I'm quite impressed how powerful it is, given that it's a 10" in a closed enclosure. Sounds good for music, too. Lots of smart features included. And I also like the way it looks.







NVIDIA Shield TV (2019). Much better than the Fire TV 4K Stick I was previously using. It's more capable, it's faster and it plays things where the Fire TV was struggling.

For review I got these items:
Cisco Business 250 switch with 24 ports. It's a managed business switch. If you run a business, great. If not, probably overkill.

Cisco Business 240AC access point. It's interesting what these more professional things can do, but then again, it's only Wi-Fi 5, and it didn't work as reliable as my affordable Xiaomi Wi-Fi 6 router...

Harman Kardon Fly ANC. Good sounding over-ear headphones, meh noise cancelling (the thing they put in the name...). Not great as a headset either. But the price came down significantly, to the point where it's a steal (IMHO it sounds better than the 3x as expensive Sony WH-1000XM4 everything raves about). However it appears as if whoever designed these things at Harman Kardon/JBL didn't get the brief. If it says over-ear, well, it should fit over the ear. These don't, with normal-ish ears, where all the competitors do with ease and room to spare. They aren't on ear either, though. Maybe they were designed for children? I have no idea, but the net result is: They just aren't comfortable for more than 30 minutes. It's a shame...

Harman Kardon Fly TWS. True wireless in-ears... sound is fine, they work, they look decent, the price is reasonable (cheaper than premium headphones despite feeling every bit as premium, if not more so). I can't complain.

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 13. If you're looking for a laptop that is you will bring around and that a photographer will like, this is it. The screen works rather well outside (better than average anti-reflective coating, by far better than these glass topped screens used by Apple and most other premium models), and it's just stunning... as it's an OLED panel. FHD is a bit of a let down, but juuust good enough for this size. I wish it was 16:10 or 3:2 though. Performance is just like all the other Intel based premium ultrathin laptops, so good enough for editing photos on the go. Battery life is good. Port selection is excellent given the size, and it includes a microSD card reader and a full sized USB port. Just shoot on microSD and it's all you need. The charger is tiny. The laptop itself is tiny too... super thin. And it weighs 870 gram, which is like 2/3 of most competitors. It makes a huge difference having a laptop that is this light without feeling flimsy. The keyboard is up there with the best, with little flex (though I have the black version... a white one I've tried in a shop was much more flexible). There are issues with the touchpad staying or getting clicked if you apply pressure from below, which is a bummer. But it's pretty much the only flaw this machine has. I really like this laptop and will be very sad to see it go...

[cdd29]

Not sure when I posted the last time, but there were a couple of things I got in recent times.

Focal Kanta N1 speakers + matching stands. They look great, and sound even better. Musicians are precisely positioned between, behind, in front and besides the speakers. Details appear that, with my old speakers, were hidden. And the best thing of all is, despite all this, they don't become annoying. Even with less than stellar recordings. I do need a better amp though...

What are you driving them with? I'm in the market for new speakers and am considering some B&W 603's (they're floor standers, not bookshelves like the Focals.) Going to make a trip this afternoon to check out a few sets and I think one of the shops I'm going to sells Focal.

[kadajawi]

What are you driving them with? I'm in the market for new speakers and am considering some B&W 603's (they're floor standers, not bookshelves like the Focals.) Going to make a trip this afternoon to check out a few sets and I think one of the shops I'm going to sells Focal.

Right now a Harman Kardon AVR 5500, which is fed digitally by a Raspberry Pi 4 (to use Tidal Connect), but I know I have to up the ante. I want to try the Bluesound Powernode, though I am worried that the speakers want (deserve) more. It would be a very convenient option though, as long as I want to stick with stereo. I can connect the subwoofer, the sound is supposed to be quite pleasing and it has BluOS, which appears to be really good (and there is Tidal Connect support).

A friend is using the Kanta N2 with a Denon X4700H as pre-amp and a NAD C298 as power amp. I wouldn't have gone with the Denon though, as their app is thrash. The Onkyo RZ50 seems to be a better option... perhaps for me too, as I am interested in surround as well. Just not sure that the RZ50 and its integrated amp is _that_ good... I've heard good things, but yeah. The price is very appealing and it's a nice, rather complete package. Otherwise I'd probably go with an affordable second hand AVR that has HDMI (mine doesn't, and it really matches my old speakers, so I want to sell them as a package). From there I'll use the pre-out for the front to go into an integrated amp that has an HT input. Then for music it will do everything, for surround it will act as power amp for the AVR. As for integrated amp, options are Musical Fidelity M2si or M5si, Hegel H95, Audiolab A8300, ... will have to see and try out, I suppose. If I could find an AVR that can be an excellent pre-amp without costing an arm and a leg, that would be great. It would open a whole world of options. The amp itself doesn't matter much, nor does the latest HDMI version.

The 603... I've heard the floorstanders a couple of years ago (think it was the 603) and wasn't impressed. Pretty, but in that price range I've heard better. I felt like the B&W rep doing the demo felt so too, so he was talking for minutes, then playing music 10, 20 seconds, then he was talking again, ...

Do try Focal... the Kantas are in a different price league, though second hand you might get a bit closer. If you can increase your budget, I think they are a great choice. The bookshelves make little sense, as the price difference to the Kanta N2, once you factor in the ridiculously overpriced stands (1.000 Euro...) isn't big anymore. Both can be enough without subwoofer, especially the N2. I knew I was going to get a subwoofer though (movies etc.), so there wasn't as much of a reason to spend more on the bigger N2.

If budget is a concern, perhaps the Aria could be to your liking. Other than that... Canton Vento might be an option, depending on where you and what your priorities are. And in the end it all depends on taste. Have you heard the B&W?

[Marcus Rowland]

After a disappointing Friday, today was quite good - got three lenses for £9. None of them perfect so not hugely valuable, but I ought to make a reasonable profit.

A Minolta 35-80 4-5.6 Power Zoom for Minolta and Sony A - a tiny bit of fungus in the rear element but working well. With UV filter, no caps
A Tokina AF 100-300 5.6-6.7, also for A-mount, also with slight fungus, with caps, UV filter, and hood.
and a Praotor 400mm f6.3 T-mount lens in poor condition - some damage to the cement of the front element, and needs a clean generally, but ought to be salvageable.

[ChrisPlatt]

55/2.8 Micro-Nikkor lens

Like new condition
$101 plus postage on eBay

I own the 55/3.5 Micro Nikkor which renders very nicely.
Like my wife's SMC Pentax-A 50/2.8 macro lens I hope this slightly faster version is a bit easier to focus.

Chris

[cdd29]

Right now a Harman Kardon AVR 5500, which is fed digitally by a Raspberry Pi 4 (to use Tidal Connect), but I know I have to up the ante. I want to try the Bluesound Powernode, though I am worried that the speakers want (deserve) more. It would be a very convenient option though, as long as I want to stick with stereo. I can connect the subwoofer, the sound is supposed to be quite pleasing and it has BluOS, which appears to be really good (and there is Tidal Connect support).

A friend is using the Kanta N2 with a Denon X4700H as pre-amp and a NAD C298 as power amp. I wouldn't have gone with the Denon though, as their app is thrash. The Onkyo RZ50 seems to be a better option... perhaps for me too, as I am interested in surround as well. Just not sure that the RZ50 and its integrated amp is _that_ good... I've heard good things, but yeah. The price is very appealing and it's a nice, rather complete package. Otherwise I'd probably go with an affordable second hand AVR that has HDMI (mine doesn't, and it really matches my old speakers, so I want to sell them as a package). From there I'll use the pre-out for the front to go into an integrated amp that has an HT input. Then for music it will do everything, for surround it will act as power amp for the AVR. As for integrated amp, options are Musical Fidelity M2si or M5si, Hegel H95, Audiolab A8300, ... will have to see and try out, I suppose. If I could find an AVR that can be an excellent pre-amp without costing an arm and a leg, that would be great. It would open a whole world of options. The amp itself doesn't matter much, nor does the latest HDMI version.

The 603... I've heard the floorstanders a couple of years ago (think it was the 603) and wasn't impressed. Pretty, but in that price range I've heard better. I felt like the B&W rep doing the demo felt so too, so he was talking for minutes, then playing music 10, 20 seconds, then he was talking again, ...

Do try Focal... the Kantas are in a different price league, though second hand you might get a bit closer. If you can increase your budget, I think they are a great choice. The bookshelves make little sense, as the price difference to the Kanta N2, once you factor in the ridiculously overpriced stands (1.000 Euro...) isn't big anymore. Both can be enough without subwoofer, especially the N2. I knew I was going to get a subwoofer though (movies etc.), so there wasn't as much of a reason to spend more on the bigger N2.

If budget is a concern, perhaps the Aria could be to your liking. Other than that... Canton Vento might be an option, depending on where you and what your priorities are. And in the end it all depends on taste. Have you heard the B&W?

I spent a couple hours auditioning speakers. Really liked the B&W''s. Also found some Martin Logan electrostats I liked (had ML's before). One wasn't really better than the other, just a different sound. The B&W's were borderline on what I was willing to spend. The Logans were a little over but I was considering it. I decided to hold off and see what else I could find and went to another store in town. Ended up walking away with some Magnepans that had just been traded in for about half of what I would have spent on the others. They're a little larger than what I think my wife will tolerate but not too offensive. We'll see...

[ZombieArmy]

Just won the auction of a "special" lens. Any guesses?

By the way any recommendations for black markers?

[pepperberry farm]

Just won the auction of a "special" lens. Any guesses?

By the way any recommendations for black markers?

have you tested it to see if it affects anything?

[ZombieArmy]

have you tested it to see if it affects anything?

Haven't received it yet but the example shots from the seller seem to suggest no. Or at least very minimally.


Plus the price was very very good for this particular lens.