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Forum: General Talk
03-25-2024, 02:12 PM
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Added to my "a 50mm lens or near equivalent for every DSLR" goal with a Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f/1.7 for £18.50 including P&P, for my Sony A230. Despite being labelled Maxxum it's the same lens as most other Minolta A-mount 50mm f1.7 - I think they stopped using the Maxxum name when they started selling SLRs as Dynax etc. in other countries. Seems to be a nice clean lens and working well anyway. This actually completes the main goal, although not all of the others are AF and that's my stretch goal if anything comes along.
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Forum: General Talk
03-12-2024, 06:06 PM
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Bought myself a Yongnuo 50mm f1.8 for my Eos, which was pretty cheap from Cash Converters, as part of my long-term plan to have a 50mm or similar for all my bodies. So far I have two for the Nikon (a 50/1.4 AF Nikkor and a Sigma 50/2.8 AF macro lens) and two for Pentax (a 50/1.7 K-M which I will probably exchange for a K-A sooner or later and a PK mount Helios 58/2), and the Yongnuo for Canon. I'll probably keep the next one for Minolta A-mount that I see, the E-mount and Micro 4/3 bodies can settle for a Helios in an M42 adapter or a Jupiter 8 in a Leica adapter unless something good happens to come my way at a bargain price.
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Forum: General Talk
02-19-2024, 05:53 PM
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Every year I accumulate several hundred postal receipts, and always gripe about it when I eventually shred them. But it's stories like this that remind me why I continue to insist on getting the things, even if it makes sending things slightly less convenient or more expensive...
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Forum: General Talk
02-09-2024, 05:58 PM
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Not in the same position. This photo of the M42 version may make it clearer:
The narrow pin on the left at 9 o'clock in this picture is the stopdown pin that all auto-iris M42 lenses have, it's at the bottom of the mount when it's on the camera - pressing it in makes the lens stop down. The thicker pin that you can see recessed in a semicircular slot at about 2 o'clock is the one I'm talking about - on the M42 version this moves as the aperture is changed but doesn't actually seem to do anything. On the PK version it's right next to the stopdown coupling thingy and its position determines how much the aperture closes when stopped down - it looks like a bit of a kludge but works OK, and I'd imagine means that most of the guts of the lens are the same, it's only the mount itself and the position of the lens markings that's different.
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Forum: General Talk
02-08-2024, 06:35 AM
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Received today and it's in very nice condition and working well, unfortunately the weather is horrible so it will have to wait for a proper outing. Meanwhile here are some pics of the lens and some test shots from my back window:
       
Full sized pictures are here - Helios-44K-4 | Flickr
I'll hopefully take more when the weather is better. So far pictures look pretty much the same as the normal M42 version, but metering, focusing etc. is MUCH easier with this one because I don't have to worry about stopping down and focus confirmation works well with the lens wide open.
And I've finally solved the mystery of the pin you can see recessed in a slot on the back of the M42 version - It's linked to the stopdown lever on this version. You can see it in the third photo, which looks like the pin is next to the stopdown lever - it's actually further inside the lens, nearer the lens axis and recessed a few MM from the back of the mount, the camera angle just happened to be right to show it.
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Forum: General Talk
02-03-2024, 07:03 PM
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Hopefully a Helios-44K-4 58/2 (the PK mount version of the 44M-4) if it doesn't turn out to be full of fungus or something when it gets here. It's £35 including postage which is a bit more than I'd normally spend for a Helios, but I'm pretty sure it will earn its money back if I sell it on. But I'm hoping it'll be a good one to keep. I'd really love to get hold of the Nikon-compatible modified version too, if there's still someone making them, but they're like gold dust, rare and really expensive. Adapted ones aren't as useful since they don't have working auto stopdown and need an adapter with a corrective lens which reduces image quality.
Annoyingly I missed a Zenit-12XP with a Helios-44M-4 for a tenner plus postage this evening - I checked a charity site at five and there was nothing I wanted, got sidetracked and didn't check for any later additions until around nine, and in that time they'd put it on line and already sold it. Such is life...
Update next day - did some more research on this and it appears that the Nikon-compatible versions aren't auto stopdown at all, they're just the older preset ring version of this lens with the infinity stop moved to get the right flange focal distance when it's fitted into a minimal M42 to Nikon adapter. Pretty sure that I could do that myself, but I think it's pretty low on my priority list, it's going to be a kludge like the ones offered on eBay etc.
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Forum: General Talk
01-12-2024, 01:24 PM
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Got this today - VERY pleased, it works very well for my purposes.
Full magnification with ring light
approx 0.5x with camera flash
For full size images and eventually more pictures with this lens see
Sigma 50mm f2.8D EX Macro Lens | Flickr |
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Forum: General Talk
01-06-2024, 12:09 PM
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Found a second-hand Sigma EX 50/2.8 macro lens for my Nikon on a charity's web site earlier this evening. I've been dithering about buying macro lens for a couple of weeks, and a couple of days ago missed a Micro Nikkor 60mm at £90 that sold before I made my mind up to get it, so I leapt at it and got the lens for £36.94 including an extra £5 donation and postage. The Sigma has some very good reviews, so I'm very pleased. I think it's the same as this one
Sigma 50mm 1: 2.8D Macro EX Review | Happy
This seems to be the version designed primarily for 35mm bodies, but that's a plus if I ever go the full format route.
Assuming that everything's OK I'll try to post a review when the weather's a bit better.
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Forum: General Talk
12-20-2023, 05:52 PM
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I think those were used for 35mm cine projectors - I had a few five or six years ago from someone who was also selling pro projection gear and anamorphic converter lenses.
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Forum: General Talk
12-20-2023, 01:13 PM
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Sigma is working well, but weather is so bad I've only used it for a couple of test shots so far. On line here
Sigma APO 170-500mm f5-6.3 AF | Flickr
No sign of the sun so the filter will have to wait for better weather too.
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Forum: General Talk
12-19-2023, 06:30 PM
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Two items for my own use:
A Sigma APO AF 170-500mm f5-6.3 for Nikon, with case. Seems to be clean and working OK but it was raining all day and I haven't been able to test it properly yet. Cost me £130 which isn't too bad. Assuming all is OK I can make some of that back by selling off a couple of other lenses that don't see much use these days.
Also got an Orion 5.8" sun filter, intended for a telescope but ought to be OK on e.g. the Sigma in the unlikely event that either of the two solar eclipses visible from Britain in the next couple of years are not blocked by cloud. Again, I need much better weather to test it, the sun wasn't visible at all today. Cost £8.98 including postage which seems pretty good, it's a proper metal and glass filter that clamps on, not the sort of cheapo plastic and cardboard stuff that usually turns up on eBay,
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Forum: General Talk
12-13-2023, 02:04 PM
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Arrived today - seems to have an electronics fault, the camera won't autofocus or fire the shutter when it's on. Buyer has accepted a return and given me a refund, I'm sending it back tomorrow.
Oh well, it was a nice idea while it lasted... I'll have to look at alternatives.
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Forum: General Talk
12-09-2023, 03:32 PM
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What's so odd about 55mm? Falls into the gap between 52mm and 58mm but isn't exactly rare, I see quite a few especially on older wide angle lenses, wide-aperture 135mm lenses and short zooms.
Just treated myself to my xmas present, a shorter macro lens for my Nikon - a Sigma 50mm f2.8 DG Macro that does 1:1 macro on 35mm, so about 1.4x in terms of angular coverage on APS-C. It's a full-frame lens so if I ever con myself into getting an FX body it'll still be useful. Got it for tonight for £47.71 plus P&P on eBay, hoping it'll be with me by the end of next week. Allegedly very clean and looks it in the photos, we'll see...
Reviews of the Pentax version here - https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/sigma-50mm-f2-8-ex-dg-macro.html |
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Forum: General Talk
11-28-2023, 07:20 PM
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A good clean Kenco DCX 1.4X telephoto converter for Nikon AF and AF-S - got it in Cash Converters' Black Friday sale.
I don't use my 2x converter much because it loses 2 stops so there are often focus problems with AF lenses, while my longest manual lens is a 100-500 zoom and doesn't really need a converter. A 1.4 converter will hopefully be a good compromise - it only loses 1 stop and will push my longest AF lens out from 300mm max to 420mm, which is ample for most purposes. Arrived on Monday, seems to work OK indoors but the weather has been dreadful so I haven't had a chance to test it properly yet.
Also got a replacement 18-55 for my Eos 40D at a car boot sale on Saturday - the old one had a couple of small faults, the new one is in better condition and has stabilization, which should be useful. Cost £15 and it's working well so I'm reasonably pleased.
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Forum: General Talk
11-01-2023, 05:29 PM
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A Russian Fed 4 rangefinder camera, which will now be my test bed for L39 lenses because it works much better than the Zorki 4 I was previously using. The lens on it is my Jupiter 8 50mm f2, which I also use on my mirrorless cameras when I need a prime lens.
Got it with some other gear, I'd estimate about £15 of the order was the Fed body.
And tomorrow I've got a Whirlpool fridge-freezer coming - my old one broke down a couple of weeks ago after 18 years of use, it wasn't repairable so the insurance has paid for a replacement, the same deal as my washing machine earlier this year. The only other thing covered by that policy now is my dish-washer, I will be VERY annoyed if that decides to break down this year too.
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Forum: General Talk
10-04-2023, 05:59 PM
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Nice!
Here's an actual Pentax 110 with that lens next to my M4/3 camera - remember that it's a film type SLR with an actual pentaprism, and you'll realise how ridiculously small it is. The other lens is the Pentax 110 50mm telephoto.
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Forum: General Talk
10-01-2023, 08:43 PM
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You can also adapt 4/3 lenses (for the older Olympus DSLR standard) very easily, with the Olympus MMF-2 converter or equivalents - I think Panasonic made something similar. Most won't autofocus on Panasonic bodies because a different AF system was used, but aperture control, metering etc. should be OK. So far as I know they'll usually autofocus on Olympus M4/3, but I've never owned an Olympus M4/3 body so can't confirm this from personal experience. The disadvantage is that these lenses are bigger and heavier than their M4/3 equivalents - the advantage is that 4/3 lenses are usually pretty cheap.
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Forum: General Talk
09-29-2023, 06:17 PM
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If you really want to get ridiculously small, try shoving a Pentax 110 lens on it. 24mm lenses are tiny and fairly cheap, and the adapters aren't expensive. Manual focus and fixed F2.8 aperture, but you can get some very nice results.
Here's one on my DMC-G1, which was Panasonic's first stab at a bridge camera design for Micro 4/3. A lot bigger than the GM1, but still teeny compared to a full-sized DSLR.
and here's a picture I took with the 24mm lens - not my best since it was my first try at using these lenses on Micro 4/3, but it gives an idea what the lens is capable of.
My album of tests with various Pentax 110 lenses is here
Pentax 110 Lenses on Micro 4/3 | Flickr |
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Forum: General Talk
08-25-2023, 06:36 PM
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Something I was told about heat pumps a while ago - if you ever lose power unexpectedly, the current generation must be left for several hours to stabilize before they can be turned back on, otherwise there's a risk of damaging the pump. I don't think that this applies if you use the recommended shutdown procedure before switching off, but I don't know for sure. There's an explanation here:
What Happens if My Heat Pump Loses Power? |
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Forum: General Talk
08-18-2023, 11:40 AM
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Due to the flange taking a long time to arrive, other commitments and some crappy weather when I was not otherwise committed I only got around to taking it out for a walk yesterday. Took it on my usual stroll through Kensington Gardens, put an album of photos on flickr:
Canon EFs 10-18mm on Eos 40D | Flickr
It's very easy to use, and the autofocus and stabilization are pretty good, but I'm not sure I'm going to be keeping it. While there's nothing especially bad about it, I think I like my 8mm Samyang for Nikon better - it doesn't zoom, of course, but if I want 18mm I can use my kit lens. Although there's only a tiny difference in focal length, this one feels like it has been corrected so carefully for curvature that it loses a lot of the impact I get with the 8mm. It would be a much better lens for a lot of the things ultra-wide lenses are used for, such as taking photos of a building interior to maximize a feeling of spaciousness, but that's not really my interest.
Test photos from the 8mm Samyang here, if you want to compare:
Samyang 8mm T3.8 Test | Flickr |
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Forum: General Talk
07-25-2023, 11:57 AM
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A new Indesit washer-dryer - my old one went wrong at the beginning of last week, fortunately I have a "repair or replace" service contract. Previously it has been repairs that once dragged on for four weeks. This time the mechanic took a quick look, said he'd have to order a part (at which my heart sank) then a couple of hours later the service company sent me a text to say they would have to replace it with a new machine. Paid an extra £10 for a slightly better model that's allegedly more eco-friendly and has a bigger load capacity, which turned up today. So far seems to be working well, but I've only done a cleaning cycle to get it ready for use, should do a proper wash tomorrow. Very pleased anyway,
Re plaster walls, I live in a flat that's the top half of an 1850s house that had very poor foundations until some work was done in the 1970s, next to one of the busiest railways in London. The outer brick isn't too bad but I doubt that there's any internal wall that doesn't have a crack or two. I need to get serious about redecoration and repairs (my last real effort was in the 1990s), plus I'd like to get the place rewired, put in new pipes and carpets, and refit the kitchen and bathroom completely, but I don't really want to move out while it's being done, since I'd have to put a couple of tons of books and other possessions into storage. Given that I'm seventy I might just leave it for my heirs to worry about...
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Forum: General Talk
07-15-2023, 06:30 PM
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A Pentax K-M 100mm f4 macro lens. I want to have a play with it at a minimum, not sure yet if I'll be keeping it permanently. I got it from a dealer as a swap for half a dozen compact digital cameras that I never got around to selling, and hopefully we both feel we got a reasonable deal.
And last week I got a Canon 10-18mm zoom for £20 - the flanges were broken and I'm waiting for a replacement mount which is actually costing me more than the lens. This is another one I want to play with before I decide whether or not to sell it on.
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Forum: General Talk
06-03-2023, 01:40 PM
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Arthritic sloth, perhaps?
Finally got the scans back from my Kiev test shoot today. There are four or five with white marks where the shutter didn't work properly or leaked, and I've had to tweak a couple for e.g. straightness, brightness, etc., and a few that have come out reasonably good. I had them scanned at medium resolution when I got the film processed since it doesn't add much to the price, didn't go for high resolution because I thought I'd be scanning them with the late unlamented Plustek scanner, but I don't think I'll worry about getting better scans now.
Full album here
Kiev 4M and Jupiter 8 50/2 | Flickr
Conclusions? Sorry, film REALLY isn't worth the hassle and expense, at least for me! I hate to say it, but I really prefer the instant gratification of digital, and the ability to take a ton of shots without breaking the bank. If I want to go for the monochrome look there's always Photoshop...
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Forum: General Talk
06-02-2023, 07:32 PM
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After nearly a week I managed to find the disks and eventually installed Windows 7 as a separate partition on my hard disk, since my PC runs virtual windows like a snail with arthritis. I then got to install the software on Windows 7 - only to fail to work... find the current drivers and reinstall everything again... then discovered that the slide and negative holders that came with the scanner are the wrong size, too big to go through the slots in the scanner. When I checked proper Plustek holders look different and cost about £20 each, which is what I paid for the scanner. I really can't waste any more time on this so I've taken the thing back for a refund. If I get to the point where I can't manage without a slide scanner I'll buy something a bit more recent, hopefully with software that doesn't fall over if the OS is updated. At the moment I've got other problems that have to take priority.
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Forum: General Talk
05-27-2023, 01:46 PM
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Unfortunately it turns out that the reason it was a bargain is that the drivers don't support any version of Windows after 7. I am going to have to investigate running a virtual copy of Windows 7 to use it, which is a bit of a pain since I can't find an install disk, but I'm pretty sure I have one somewhere.
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