robert_brady

I seemed that most of the responses were relating to Pentax lenses. It was nice to see more posts on some of the other brands.

I'm not complaining, actually I'm quite pleased at the response I've received. I appreciate the info offered from you and others who have contributed. I've learned a lot thus far!

Thanks to all!

It took a while but I knew that I'd get some input on lenses other than Pentax Takumars. I always thought that anything with the Zeiss name on it would probably be worth having and using but had no idea about the Russian lenses. Now that the cold war is over, were seeing stuff out there in the past 10-15 years or so that we never seen before. How well do the Russian cameras and lenses compare to the German and Japaneese brands that were all use to?

 

You gotta wonder if products that came out of a Socialist country had the same build quality. Don't mean to turn this into a political discussion but one has wonder if the people sitting on the assembly line put their hearts into their work.

 

In my experience, the best products seemed to come out of the Industrial "Super Powers" such as the US, Germany, Japan etc. I'd like to think that the Russian products are right up there bacause there's a good supply out there at reasonable prices.

 

Hope I didn't offend anyone with my comments, it's not my intention to do so. I'm just in search of information.

 

As far as cost is concerned, there are plenty of Pentax lenses out there at good prices but there are quite a lot of others with the M42 mount at even better prices. So, which ones give you the best bang for your buck?

Thanks Robert. It's really interesting to hear that Mamiya built lenses for Rollei. I own two of the C330 Mamiyas lenses and they are excellent. Now I don't feel so bad about not owning a Rollei.

 

 

Thanks for the input ED. I'll add the 100 f/2.8 to my list. That's a focal length that I use quite often for portraiture.

I agree. The build quality of the Pentax lens that I have seems to be superb. As for the Spiratone/Chinon that brings up a question I've had tumbling around in my mind for a while now. It seems that there are only a few lens manufacturers out there building lenses for companies like Pentax, Olympus and others. Is Chinon one of those lens manufacturers building lenses to different specs for the big guys and who else is doing the same?

Sorry for the slow response. I just went out to get the family Christmas Tree. Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll definetely check into it.

I've been trying to find info on changing a Synchro Compur shutter on my Kodak Retina Reflex. I picked up a brand new shutter on eBay for under $20.00 and was thinking of making the switch myself. Maybe I can find the instructions I need in the links you provided. Thanks!

 

Wow, we've covered some subjects in this thread. Thanks to all who contributed and feel free to post any other comments.

Thanks John. I've had lenses sent out for cleaning before and it can run a few bucks. It would be nice to have the tools and knowledge to do it myself. I imagine the older lenses are quite a bit easier to dis-assemble and are probably be worth the effort.

Good advice! I usually stick to the prime lenses with few exceptions.

I own two Olympus zooms (ie 35-70 f/3.6, 28-48 f/4) both excellent lenses, especially the 35-70 f/3.6. I'm working on getting the 35-105 f/3.5-4.5 which I believe to be right up there with the others I own.

The nice Zuikos are pretty spendy though. The 90 f/2 macro is still selling for up to $800 so it's very unlikely I'll ever own one.

 

Thanks for the input. My list is growing, no I just need to figure out where the cash is comming from (looks like more eBay auctions are in order!)

It's interesting how this turned into a discussion on Pentax. Maybe I should have posted in the Pentax forum. I'm getting the feeling that the Super Takumar lenses are the way to go. I have a high opinion of the Japanese lenses. I own quite a few now between my Mamiya C330 and my Olympus system. They really did put out some outstanding lenses.

I really thought people would be in favor of some of the German lenses, like the Zeiss Jena, but I sounds like the Pentax lenses are held in high regard.

 

Thanks for all the input so far, I'm encouraged.

I seem to recall reading about that. I'll be sure to watch out for lenses with that problem.

Gary Reese put together an excellent compilation of lens tests for the Olympus Zuiko lenses and some competing / third party lenses. It is the most useful resource when buying lenses for the OM system.

 

Does anyone know of a similar resource for the Pentax lens group?

Thanks Robert, sounds like I have a good one to start with!

Thanks for the input. I'll keep an eye out for the lenses you mentioned. The 85mm is probable the first I'll go for since I like to do portraits. It'll be interesting to see how it compairs to my Zuiko 85 f/2.

 

Any other opinions on the Carl Zeiss Jena and maybe some pics?

Interesting that you should mention Carl Zeiss Jena. Those are some of the big names I've seen go for very reasonable prices. Even some of their more recent Multi-coated Auto lenses show up and sell for under $100.

Thanks for your contribution!

Nice going Homer!

 

Nice Portrait of your cat, the lens seems to have nice bokeh.

 

I've heard that the Super Takumars are excellent. OK, so to start I'll add the 50mm f/1.4 to the list. Any others?

I recently picked up a mint condition Pentax SP 500 with a Super

Takumar 55mm f/2 lens and thought I might delve into the world of M42

screw mount lenses. There is a wealth of these type lenses available

on eBay for a relatively few bucks. I've seen some big name lenses

sell for $50 or less.

 

The question is "which lenses are worth buying?"

 

It would be nice to get some opinions (pros and cons) and maybe some

pics from members that use M42 lenses.

My thanks to all. I'll check out the site and maybe try the mod.

Cheers, Bob

I was wondering if anyone in this forum knows if the synchro compur

shutter on the Kodak Retina Reflex can be mounted on the Bessamatic.

I purchased a brand new Synchro Compur for my Retina Reflex and now

I'm wondering if it will work on the Bessamatic. If so, I can use my

arsenal of Kodak lenses on a camera body that I consider to be a

better design.

 

 

Also, how difficult would it be to just trade out the shutters? Does

anyone here have and experience in this area?