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04-14-2007, 07:55 PM   #1
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New-Old Extension Tubes

I just received a set of extension tubes I won in a Yahoo Japan auction for around 20 bucks. They came in the original case, which is in remarkable condition considering its age. The tubes themselves show almost no signs of handling, let alone use. They also came with the original owner's manual, which is a serious blast from the past.

They are all marked as being for the S3 camera, with the tubes being identified as No. I, No. II, and No. III. I'm just going to have to memorize the sizes, since the only place they are indicated is in the owner's manual.

Yahoo!オークション - 接写リング

04-14-2007, 11:47 PM   #2
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I have the same set as that judging by he knurling on the barrel but probably not from the Japanese domestic market. Numbered 1, 2, 3 not roman numerals and marked with Asahi Pentax Japan on the base of the deepest tube. They were lying separated in the bottom of a pawn broker's cabinet marked at $12 each. I put them together and asked the guy for a price and he said $12 for the lot - couldn't believe my luck

They team well with the Super Takumar M50 1.4 although the group think says that the 1.7 has a flatter field of view bringing the depth of field wider across the lens plane.



Love the 1.4 combo though and look forward to seeing some of your Japanese micro fauna and flora.
04-15-2007, 04:33 AM   #3
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I did a little research and I'm guessing these that I bought were from the early 1960s. The shortest thing I currently have in an M42 mount is a 55/1.8, and it works well with the tubes.

I've never been much of a flora and fauna person. I'll probably be using it more for just plain old "stuff". I had my daughter hold out her ink pen for me while I took a photo of the pocket clip portion:

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The unclear and purplish portion is the main barrel of the pen.
04-15-2007, 05:14 AM   #4
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the problem with this set is it's not mechanically coupled to the aperture. for macros you need a small aperture and it gets really dim at f16. i've got a no name that is coupled and i relly like all of them on my M200 and flash.


04-15-2007, 06:01 AM   #5
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I can see your point, but at this point an M42 set made the most sense for me.
04-15-2007, 03:27 PM   #6
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I agree with you Mike that when you only have an M42 or A prime that the coupling with the body is not so much of an issue. With macro everything rapidly switches to manual process in any case.

I like the pen top, and the hat band on your site - I will be returning to look at your updates regularly.
04-16-2007, 05:06 AM   #7
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Thank you very much. The extension tubes have done more to broaden my photographic possibilities than any other single acquisition I have made so far. I kind of love making use of the old "obsolete" M42 lenses and accessories, and they certainly fit in with my po' boy budget. Were it not for them, I wouldn't have 1/5 the lenses I currently have. I've managed to fill my camera bag to overflowing for less than the price of one modern high quality autofocus zoom that would cover the same range. And I enjoy the extra "hands-on" involvement of manually focussing and setting the aperture. I even get a kick out of guesstimating settings on flash exposures and am inordinately pleased with myself when I get it right on the first try.

I've found the 55/1.8 is turning out to be a better lens when put to macro use than it is when used in its normal function. It has been a good utilitarian lens, though not outstanding. I wouldn't care to part with it at all now that I've seen what it can do for me in a macro role.

Just to clarify: The pen top was with the tubes, and the hatband was with a +3 macro filter.

Today I decided to see what they could do in combination. Here is a 100% crop of the IR mark on my Super Takumar 135/3.5.:



Next I'm going to experiment with adding my 2x teleconverter to the mix.

04-16-2007, 03:26 PM   #8
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another to utilize the 55 would be to make a reversing ring for it. what i did was take a twist in body car and drilled a hole in it and then glued an adapter ring to it. it works great. some of the spiders here were taken with it.
i also took a rear lens cap and did the same to attach accessories to the rear of the lens. total outlay was about 8usd
04-17-2007, 04:11 AM   #9
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I've thought about picking up one of those. There is a vendor here in Japan who sells them in various sizes for about $12.
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