Pentax gear

[EL34]

I wanted to go Digital SLR with my recent camera purchase, but didn't want to spend the extra $500

I love Canon camera's, but in the olden 35mm days I was a Pentax man

Still have an aluminum haliburton type case with my Pentax Camera, lenses, filters, motor drive, etc, etc, etc

[simonallaway]

I wanted to go Digital SLR with my recent camera purchase, but didn't want to spend the extra $500

I love Canon camera's, but in the olden 35mm days I was a Pentax man

I was lucky, my Dad bought a Nikon D700 last year so I "inherited" his 'old' D100 and all his DX lenses.

But he and I were also Pentax men back in the 70s-80s. I still have my K1000 with an f2 50mm. He had an LX and an ME Super, but they all got stolen. I don't yearn for the 'analog' film processing aspects though...or "wet fingered stuff" as my Dad would say. Printing was fun, but using stuff like Aperture and Photoshop beats it hands down.

[EL34]

I worked at a Camera store in the 70's and was able to purchase all the Pentax stuff directly from Pentax at employee rates.

And so I went hog wild

here's a shot of all of it
Someday it may be worth more as antique camera gear

[Bassmanster]

K mount to EOS.

http://www.amazon.com/RainbowImaging-Confirm-Pentax-Canon-adapter/dp/B002QNBTN6/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1280338371&sr=1-5

[EL34]

cool, too late now
My Canon does not have removeable lenses

now that I dug out all this old 35mm gear, it may be time to throw it up on Flea-bay
no sense in just letting it rot in a closet

[simonallaway]

Remember to use the word "vintage" in the description. And perhaps "very rare" too. 

[EL34]

I just looked on fleabay, there are lots of them for sale

None of them have all of the genuine Pentax lenses, motor drives, eyepiece, extra fresnel lenses, on and on
This is quite a massive gathering of genuine Pentax parts

Not sure what it is all worth
not hoping to fetch a mint, but it should go to a good home

[tubesornothing]

Half my photography work is studio work.  I use a Pentax K7 DSLR (would have preferred Canon, but I already had the lens investment).  Studio work or still work is where old lenses shine.  I run them full manual, so no need for AF or aperature control. 

However, I am having a tough time trying to find a nice, fast prime 50mm - for a good price...

...so Doug, if you want to get rid of some of that "junk", give me a call...

[EL34]

I split off this topic cause we were hogging bassmansters topic

Anywho, are you saying that the Pentax lenses I have work with your gear?

[tubesornothing]

If its a pentax bayonet mount, it will fit the new cameras.  I just talked to the camera store.  Beside not being AF or auto aperature, he said I might miss out because of some of the new coatsings.  However, if you have a nice 50mm prime in there (hope for a 1.2!), I would be interested.

[EL34]

My 50mm is a 1.7

I think I will have to sell the 50mm with the body or it will not have a standard lens

I also have a 28mm 2.8 and a 100mm Macro f4
The 100mm macro looks like it need to be cleaned inside.
I used to do alot of close up macro stuff

I had a set of Pentax bellows that I sold but I still have the pentax auto extension tube set that has 3 sections

[PRR]

I used to collect some film gear.

I feel very lucky that I got out at break-even prices in the 1995-2005 period.

Now days, very good film gear is selling for bottom dollar, and even the high-end near-perfect goods go for prices to make you cry. Everybody who MAKES MONEY in photography has gone digital. Many of us who puttered in film have done enough. So there's way too many good film cameras for the very few people still interested.

If you have an absolutely MINT item of a very significant model, the Japanese collectors still pay silly-high prices... but not as high as they were going in 1990.

[EL34]

Check this out, I forget about half the stuff I owned
Still sorting through boxes of film gear here.

This is a German made Rollei 35
Possibly the smallest 35mm film came made?

I used this camera a bunch when I did not feel like lugging around a SLR

I remember it took great pictures for what it was.

[simonallaway]

When it comes down to it:

Good film + That Zeiss lens + Good metering = All you need

[Bassmanster]

Dang I wanted one of those Rollei 35s for a while.  Scale focusing, right?  Great contrasty lens.

Too bad no one makes a digital back for it (that humans can afford).

From my thread, yeah, the old OM lens I use is manual focus, and stops down the aperture all the time on my digital body (not just when the mirror flips).  I had just wanted to avoid buying a lens at first, but then I saw there is kind of a movement on flickr to use old lenses like that.  I also have a 200 I can use.

Lack of modern coatings is a plus to me, but I'm a throwback type.

[rafe]

PRR is correct digital has squashed the value of most stuff ....The hard core collectable is still OK
I sold off most of my collection and did very well on e-bay but it was all pretty good and collectable and I had very little in it. I am keeping a nice mamiya C330 with a lot of do da's ....and I have a bunch of graflex stuff that I'll sell when the time is right.....I also have a sweet lens that I'll part with at the right price it's a  Steinheil Munchen tele-quinar 1:4.5 f=200mm like brand new ......yes ....the radioactive one....
that's up there with the Carl Zeiss lenses. I still have lot's of filters and some other lenses. I sold a rare Exakta to a collector in I think it was Belgium, I usually don't ship overseas but he was the head of the European ExaKta (exacta) Collectors Club and had a great website so I felt comfortable with it. He also paid a good price.......

[Ritchie200]

You talk about tears....  I've got a Pentax 6x7 with 4 lenses, one a leaf shutter (Takumar best glass in the biz in my humble opinion) - when I think about what I paid for all that....  ANY medium format stuff is way less than pennies on the dollar.  I've got several 110/120 view cameras, press cameras, and a Hasselblad in my collection.  Can not afford the digital back for the 'Blad and there are no digital conversions for the older 6x7.  It's a dying breed.  Medium format processing sucks these days, all the good labs are gone.  

Now I carry a Leica V-lux1 for the good stuff and a pocket Nikon for portability.  Heck, all the darn Leica's are just souped up Panasonics! I've also got a collection of 2, 3, and 4 lens 3d cameras that I use for lenticular prints.  The only place that does good 3d processing and printing is in Canada.  I have loads of fun with the 3d, its my last connection to film....

Good luck Doug, you have some really nice items there!
Jim

[EL34]

I used to drool over the old Leica's that came into the camera shop
I was always on the lookout to grab them if I could.

People would just not let go of them.
They were considered very highly back then.

Is there a more modern Leica?
I am talking about the really old simple ones..

I used to get to use the studio Hasselblad we had, and that was always a treat.

[Ritchie200]

I used to drool over the old Leica's that came into the camera shop
Is there a more modern Leica?
I am talking about the really old simple ones..

I used to get to use the studio Hasselblad we had, and that was always a treat.

The new Leica digitals are all made by Panasonic, but they use Leica glass which is awesome.

I thought the Pentax was better than the Blad.  It is much bulkier, but I liked the 6x7 format to the 6x6.  Although I do have a few 6x6 TLR's that do a fantastic job, my Yashica takes pics that rival the Pentax.  There is a lot of mojo - real or imagined - with the Hasselblad name.  I was not that impressed.  It did go to the moon, so what do I know!  There is a 28 megapixel back for the Blad.  I think it was around $15K, the last time I looked, yeah right......

Jim

[PRR]

> a rare Exakta

A beat and brassy Exacta isn't worth listing for sale.

That JR is quite an odd piece, and I'm glad you found it a lover.

What will stay collectable in 2060? The Graflexes are mostly crude and ugly; so are the Graphics except maybe the tarty Anniversary model. When we die our kids will ask around and probably put this stuff in the trash.

> It did go to the moon

So did my Accutron watch. With few exceptions, watch prices are pathetic now.

[Ritchie200]

> It did go to the moon

So did my Accutron watch. With few exceptions, watch prices are pathetic now.

With Swatch buying ETA and choking supplies of mechanical movements (and also quartz), you would think the old watches would increase in value.  Now we are seeing some very well made "fashion" watches with movements and assembly from China.  THEY are moving, the price is right, and the old ones are not.  But as you say, the old very high end names will always hold value.  Nothing like the mechanical wonder of an automatic watch with an exhibition back!

Jim

[Ritchie200]

Speaking of China....Seagull cameras made by China Camera make some nice large format (8x10, 11x14) and medium format (TLR) cameras that have very good reviews.  However, I would go to Fleabay and pick up a Omega or Calumet and Yashica or Rollei or Mamiya - one of the classics, before Chine got any of my dough.

Jim

[rafe]

> a rare Exakta
It was the lens ...he kept insinuating that I was misreading the number.....f7.3 he thought surely I meant f7.5
any way that conversation was actually on the auction and I posted a picture of f7.3 lens and there was a good bit of bidding. I conversed through e-mail with him after the sale and he said he had never seen or heard of that lens and felt it may have been a one-off .......so we both did well...... the graflex are pretty ugly and I do like some of the graphics....I sold quit a few backs and accessories and did well......I love the shutter system in the graflex though, very archaic, but very cool. I have a 2 1/4 x3 1/4 I may keep but i'll be putting the 4x5 on e-bay at some point I have quite a few film holders that I'll do a Chinese auction on, they fetch a good bit at the right time. I have an early(unused) disposable cardboard camera about as big .....well three in a row would be a cigarette carton. it calls for a 6 cent stamp. 50's to early 60's ? I've found what claims to be the first disposable online but I believe this one predates it

[Bassmanster]

Leica still makes cameras I can't afford.  http://us.leica-camera.com/photography/m_system/

I have a Yashica Mat I don't use anymore if someone wants to take it off my hands (not for free).

I think old Hamilton watches could be cheaper, though I found a nice one for my wife for 60 bucks.

[rafe]

Is there a more modern Leica?
I am talking about the really old simple ones..

It looks like the leica mp is what you need (as per Bandmasters link)

[EL34]

Not me, I don't shoot film any more

I was wanting a Leica in the 70's

[P Batty]

I've had the Pentax K20D for a while now, all the old Pentax K mount lenses work on it. With the possible exception of your macro, the newer lenses are better- especially in terms of contrast.  That said, I still end up using my pocket point and shoot more often, for every day stuff it is much more versatile and until you really start to blow  it up or crop it a lot the results are nearly as good- if the compact has a larger sensor and is no bigger than 10 megapixels. If you need out of focus backgrounds (or long telephoto or action shots) you must go with a full-frame dslr and expensive, fast glass.

I had the Pentax 6x7 system as well, I still miss that 45mm F4.

My day job is working with all kinds of photo images- digital, negs and slides, old prints and whatever, making prints as big as 40" x 96",  I can make almost any image look good with Photoshop. Software is where imaging is headed.

[EL34]

I put that little Rollei of mine on Ebay, (see post #12 above),

It has 25 watchers right now, so there may be some fireworks on that auction

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150473525970&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

[rafe]

With 6 bids already it will probably go up, there are a few like yours on there with high expectations, that helps you, from what I've seen . But you never know on E-bay...good luck

[EL34]

yeah, now I have 7 bids and 28 watchers

Usually all the action is right before the auction ends so this is encouraging.

22 hours left on the auction

There's several other German made Rollei's listed at over $200+ buy it now

[EL34]

Dang, that Rollei auction finished up at $154.50

Better start going through the closets to see what other treasures I have been stashing.