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Item for Sale
Sears 135mm 2.8 with Macro Zone - Has

Asking Price
45.00 USD

Item Location
Lancaster, PA (United States)

Item Description
Sears 135mm 2.8 with Macro Zone - $45: I'm selling off my manual gear. I can no longer rely on my eyesight to properly judge focus with the stock screen in my K-5ii and I can't afford a Katzeye right now.

The lens is in overall very good condition. Barrel and treads are clean with very few signs of handling. I can't say it's mint or like-new only for the reason there are two or three flecks of paint missing from the barrel finish. Glass is clean and clear - no scratches, fungus, or haze. There are a few specks of dust inside which don't affect image quality in any way. NIcely dampened focus ring moves smoothly and evenly. This lens features "A" contacts, so you can control the aperture from your DSLR e-dials. I have removed the Ricoh pin, so there's no fear of getting the lens stuck on your AF body. You can see where the pin was originally installed at the eleven-o'clock position on the lens mount.


The "Macro Zone" feature on this lens is applied using a secondary ring which is revealed once the focus ring is rotated to the minimum focusing distance. The macro zone ring allows the user to select from three magnification settings of 1:7, 1:6, and 1:5 with the last giving you the closest minimum working distance. As people have described in the user reviews, the macro zone feature exhibits a soft-focus glow. This can be minimized/eliminated by stopping down the lens in a similar fashion to Pentax's F 85mm 2.8 Soft. A dpreview member made this same comparison and suggested the lens be used for soft-focus portraits. I did not use the lens for portraits and I suspect even the "furthest" macro zone, 1:7, might be too close even for head shots. That being said, I'm sure someone can make creative use of this unique feature.

In "normal" mode the lens works great - reasonably sharp wide open and gets better as you stop down. Has a long focus throw which some people really like. Flares a bit shooting into direct sunlight, so a hood is a good idea (although I never bothered, I kind of liked the look).

Shot at maximum aperture, f/2.8 - Only exposure and contrast settings were changed for the sample, sharpness was left at the default ACR settings. The "string of pearls" highlights in the sample's bokeh are the result of thorns catching the sunlight.

Just like the Vivitar 50mm 1.7 MC I am also selling, my K-5ii focus confirmation seems to work best with the AF micro-adjustment set to -5 for this lens. I've found most of my manual gear has required this. You may find you don't need to make any adjustment at all.

The lens comes with a generic front cap and its original rear cap. I'm asking $7.50 to cover USPS shipping and PayPal fees. I will happily ship using FedEx upon request, although I would need to get back to you with an adjusted price.

Are you the original owner of the item being sold?
No

Are you selling or trading this item?
Selling

Item Condition (Key)
Used
Excellent

Shipping Destinations
Continental U.S. Only

Shipping Charge
7.50

Shipping Services
USPS

Accepted Payment Types
PayPal

Return Policy & Additional Details
Items must be returned in same condition as originally sent (i.e. as they appear in the original sale photos). Buyer must return items within 7 days of original receipt. Buyer pays return shipping, and shipping must include the appropriate insurance coverage for the value of the item. Please contact me before returning items.

Please send me a private message if interested in the item!

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Sold pending payment