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Forum: General Talk
03-09-2024, 03:04 PM
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Forum: General Talk
11-08-2023, 10:05 PM
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Two years ago I broke the mounting plate on my Benro Carbon Fiber Tripod when it fell on plain old dirt during a shoot. Maybe there were some rocks under the dirt because the Alloy steel plate broke in half. The mounting plate is the part where the legs screw unto. I called Benro, but they didn't have a replacement part. They recomended some new Benro Tripods that i could puirchase, after all my tripod was about 10 years old anyway. With that said, I began to search eBay on and off, to see if I could find one of those "Just for Parts" Benro tripods for sale, but came up empty. The other day while searching for such a part, I ran into a Calumet CK8144 tripod for about 100 bucks.
Calumet was a well know manufacturer of camera gear back in the days. Their equipment was not exactly top-of-the-line, but it was good enough for semi-pros and professionals. They went bankrupt in 2015 and closed their main US office that was located in Chicago. The seller didn't list the specs for this tripod only that it was Used and in good shape. I had to Google it and came up with this dated catalog: summer 2012 Focus by Calumet Photographic - Issuu . The specs listed for this tripod were good enough for me, so I sprung for it !
Maximum height without center column = 54.6 inches
Folding length = 24.7 inches
weight = 3.7 lbs
maximum load = 24 lbs
original price = 199 Pounds
This tripod makes my Benro look like a toy. The legs are thick and being a 3 section instead of a 4 section, I don't have to worry about stability. I'm 5' 10 and this tripod without center column reaches just below my chin. That means if I add a camera on top, it would almost reach eye level. It even comes with a clip so you can attach a sling to it instead of carrying it in a tripod-bag that always seem to get lost. The spikes are inside the retractable feet instead of separate spikes that you have to screw in. Of course it comes with a spring loaded hook(that works) for sand bags. This tripod is very light for it's size and well built ! All in all for $100, I am very happy since my now defunct Benro CF tripod cost me about $300 ! :)
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Forum: General Talk
03-16-2023, 11:30 AM
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Pentax 70mm f2.4 Limited. I'm not really into pancake lenses, but after reading the reviews on this lens I said to myself "why not ?" I already own the 77mm f1.8, but I find the range on that lens a bit too long for every day walk-around purposes on my cropped camera. Its the older version with the green stripe. The HD version I heard is a tad better, but a used copy is selling for about $150+ more than the older version.
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Forum: General Talk
02-04-2023, 05:58 PM
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I purchased a used Vanguard SBH-100 Ball head after my Slik SBH-280 that I owned for 15+ years got stolen a few days back. In a way, I was looking for a replacement to the Slik, but could not find anything that would match it unti now. The Slik came with dual bubble levels for horizontal and vertical axis. You might say "so what" many ball heads come with this feature ? That may be true, but these days they come with these button bubble levels that are hard to see in dim lighting. Not only does the Vanguard come with dual LARGE bubble levels, it also comes with an independent Pan lock. Something that was missing in the Slik 280. This was one of its most aggravating features or non features and the main reason I wanted to replace it. I purchased the Vanguard for $40 on ebay. Now I need a replacement for the Slik Tripod that was also stolen that day...
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Forum: General Talk
06-28-2020, 10:29 AM
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Forum: General Talk
10-30-2019, 03:26 PM
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How are you going to develop it ?
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Forum: General Talk
04-11-2017, 07:47 PM
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Pentax FA 50mm f1.7. It's still in the mail but I hope it renders better than my flat and boring DA 50mm f1.8. I also have the more exiting Takumar 50mm f1.4 but I needed a 50mm with AF.
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Forum: General Talk
07-19-2015, 08:48 AM
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I recently purchased the infamous Takumar 50mm f1.4(8 element) lens. A few months earlier I had purchased the 50mm f1.4 (7 element), but I was still very curious about all the fuss that was being said about the 8 element version.
I waited for the finances to get a little better, then sprung for one once an 8 element became available on eBay. Unfortunately after a few weeks of trials, I have yet to see any difference between the 7 element and the 8 element version? As a matter of fact my 7 element is slightly sharper wide open and the focusing ring is smoother than on my 8 element, but this might have more to do with a defect/damage with my 8 element copy.
I also managed to find a Takumar 135mm f2.5(6 element) in practically mint condition at a very decent price. The 6 element is supposed to be the sharper of the series for this focal length and it does not disappoint. I don't think the seller knew what he had, because if he did, he would have sold it at a much higher price.
A few months earlier, I had purchased the 135mm f2.5(Bayonet mount) which was highly disappointing. In any case, I never thought I would be going back to Manual lenses, but these lenses and the Focus Confirmation light in my camera makes it a breeze.
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Forum: General Talk
02-01-2015, 07:59 AM
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I just purchased an Nikon MD-12 Battery grip for my Nikon FM2 and Fe2 film cameras. Yes I still shoot film one in a while, those 2 cameras are like my security blanket. The last 2 MD-12 battery packs I purchased came DOA so I was skeptical about purchasing another one. This one came with a 90 day Warranty so I hope it's a keeper.
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