Lenses: Cheap, Used and Third Party (Page 5): OK I made a mistake when I included Tamron on my list of cheap lenses. There are so many out there. But now maybe I have another quest....

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Lenses: Cheap, Used and Third Party

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Jan 13, 2015 13:32:14 #

graybeard

show1971 wrote:

If you can get a 500mm Tamron for $100 it's stolen!

LOL

OK I made a mistake when I included Tamron on my list of cheap lenses. There are so many out there. But now maybe I have another quest.... find a good lens cheap ! Kind of like looking for the holy grail.

Jan 13, 2015 13:33:40 #

graybeard

jfn007 wrote:

What type camera are you looking to buy lenses for? I have about six excess Nikon DSLR lenses I am thinking of selling.

Sorry, I wouldn't buy a Nikon lens. I am afraid it might contaminate my equipment with snobbery.

Jan 13, 2015 13:35:32 #

graybeard

show1971 wrote:

Amazon has the Opteka High Definition 500mm f/8 Preset Telephoto Lens for Nikon Digital & Film SLR Cameras for $89.95. whether its good or not, I don't know.
http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-Definition-Telephoto-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0007SVHNY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1421148394&sr=8-5&keywords=opteka+lens " rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-Definition-Telephoto-Digital-Cameras/dp/B0007SVHNY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1421148394&sr=8-5&keywords=opteka+lens

And I presume it may even be new. Thanks for the tip.

Jan 13, 2015 13:37:06 #

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

graybeard wrote:

Wow ! There is actually somebody out there who understands and supports my goal ! I'll bet you don't own a Nikon !

I think you may have missed some posts. I support this also, even though I own tens of thousands of dollars of Nikon equipment. One of my treasures is my 70's Pentax Spotmatic with 50mm Super Tackmar (sp?). Meter is off about 10 stops, but the film advance, my finger, still works. AS I said, this sounds like a very fun project, I for one, would like to hear more about as it develops.

Jan 13, 2015 13:39:09 #

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

jim quist wrote:

it is doubtful you will get anything other than a mirror lens. I have one. It is either right on or out of focus. I call it a "fair weather" lens because the only time I can use it is on a bright sunny day. My eyes don't do manual focus very well, perhaps you will have better luck with one.

KEH, E-Bay, Craigslist.

Jan 13, 2015 13:48:24 #

graybeard

wteffey wrote:

I have both a 400mm and a 500mm preset lens. Both... (show quote)

That shot of the eagle is terrific. 99 cents ? That should be my new goal. Best lens for 99 cents or less. Thanks for all of your procedural info.

Jan 13, 2015 14:04:56 #

graybeard

cjc2 wrote:

In the interest of fairness, I realize some Nikon owners, perhaps even as high as 1%, are nice people who do not look down at the rest of the world. Thanks for your support.

Jan 13, 2015 14:19:48 #

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

graybeard wrote:

In the interest of fairness, I realize some Nikon owners, perhaps even as high as 1%, are nice people who do not look down at the rest of the world. Thanks for your support.

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Jan 13, 2015 14:39:47 #

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

graybeard wrote:

In the interest of fairness, I realize some Nikon owners, perhaps even as high as 1%, are nice people who do not look down at the rest of the world. Thanks for your support.

:thumbup:

Jan 13, 2015 14:42:40 #

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

rook2c4 wrote:

If a manual focus lens is acceptable, you can get ... (show quote)

you are correct. the 400mm f6.3 manual focus lenses were first brought to the United States by Fred Spira (i miss him!) and marketed under the Spiratone label as the (gods and especially goddesses forgive me) "girl watcher lens". also marketed under the vivitar, soligor, asanuma and other labels.
so, our old friends at Modern Photography grab a sample and run their usual lens test. turns out from f8 through f11 the results were "very good". this, from a lens composed of 4 glass elements. i still have one in the closet. they came with adapters for the particular camera you owned, or would screw directly into a pentax thread mount slr (h1, h3, spotmatic, etc...).
they never had mounts which integrated with your light meter. they were stop down, manual lenses. but then, why would anyone want an af 400mm lens!
so, for the $ amount, and unless you are going to use it every day, 5 hours a day, these lenses cannot be beat.
and again, heartfelt thanks to Fred Spira for getting a 400mm everyone could afford ($79.00 with camera adapter and case!).

Jan 13, 2015 14:46:19 #

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

graybeard wrote:

That shot of the eagle is terrific. 99 cents ? That should be my new goal. Best lens for 99 cents or less. Thanks for all of your procedural info.

Perhaps you need to think about the workflow and the balance of how you spend your time and money. Are you looking for one good shot in a few hundred, or one great shot out of 10 or 20? How much post processing are you willing to engage with?

I'm not unhappy with the shot below ( Canon T3i, Canon FDn 500mm reflex, ED Mika adapter), but it was the only good one of many, and didn't come easy. I now have a much better and more expensive tripod....

Have fun!