LBA - Darn Pawn Shops!

O.k. guys, I'm on a spending craze and have no idea if what I am buying is worth the money, so help me

out. Today, I spent $100.00. This is what I came home with (no photos yet, but they all appear to work

fine).

 

1. Pentax ZX-M camera. About $30.00 (was $50.00 with lens #2)

2. Pentax-A 50mm/f 1:2.0 (include with #1)

3. Tou/Five Star MC Auto 28mm f/1:28 ($20.00)

4. Sears 80-200mm MC Auto Zoom f/1:4 (says Macro on it, but how it works hell if I know) ($30.00).

 

So, two questions:

 

A. Good buys?

B. Which should I keep and which should I sell? I plan on using them with the PZ-1p, PZ-20 and possibly

the K10D.

 

Your thoughts?

I love the 50/2 with my K10D. I also have the 50/1.7 and 55/1.8 but the 2 is fun to use with excellent color/contrast. No experience with the others and if you're not going to use the ZX-M, sell the rest as a lot and you could end up with a "free" 50mm/2.

Jemal, I happen to have that 28mm f/2.8 (manufactured by Toyo optics). It's the one I used for my shots in L.A., which you've seen in my thread here and in my Flickr page. Clearly, it's not a lens that's worth $20, but a lot more, so use it if you like that focal length. If the pics come out crap, you know it's your fault, not the lens's :-)

 

I also have an SMC 50mm f/2. I haven't used it much (got it as collateral from eBay), but when I tested it briefly I was surprised and impressed at how sharp it was wide open, but more so I was impressed with the colour rendition. I was initially thinking of selling it, but I might reconsider and leave it on an old camera loaded with some fast B&W film (damn that Javier!).

 

No idea about the Sears zoom, but it might turn out to be quite decent. You never know until you try it with these lenses. The macro will work at either 80mm or 200mm, depending on the design; and sometimes you just get to it by turning the focus ring, while others you have to click the ring back/forward to Enter the Macro Zone (which could be the title of a Bruce Lee movie if he had decided to apply his fighting abilities to photography). If you post some pics we might be able to guide you

Oh, and $100 for a camera and 3 lenses is hardly a "spending craze". I'm sure Javier can one-up you with his pinky finger :-)

Wow..I'm scared to use the 28mm, now that I know where you've set the bar. I don't mind

shooting the Sears glass. When I get the k10d I'll use it to shoot the lenses and post it for all

to see. I'll probably sell the camera and my kit 28-80 lense. Either that or give it away to my

niece or son.

I used to have the Sears zoom lens with my film Pentax SLR. It is actually very good lens with constant aperture. I do not know if there are any sites that done any tests though.