To buy or not to buy?
Posted 17/06/2004 - 04:49
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my opinion is that macro lense you are eyeballing on ebay does NOT look in good shape at all to purchase. i would say let someone else snag the lense. (it would cost you more money to repair your purchase) i just purchased a 50mm macro lense for my Pentax KX camera and picked that up on ebay.com for around $100, which was retailed for just over $200. i hope my feedback helped.
-adrienne.beahm
Posted 17/06/2004 - 09:46
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The SMC-FA 50mm/f2.8 macro is still mighty expensive second hand. The SMC-FA 100mm/f2.8 comes up occassionally and are always around £300 (second hand), the new price being nearly £600.
I managed to get the SMC-F 100mm/f2.8 macro for £200 (with a crack in the plastic window) - optics are unbelievable. Yes, I know you can get a macro lens for not much (I already have a Sigma 70-300mm macro), but believe me, the Pentax glass is in a completely different league. It's my all time fav lens
Ffordes have a Pentax 50mm/f2.8 "as seen", ie no warranty, for £299 - which is probably a bit over the top.
Best bet is to call Asahi Photo and ask how much to rebuild. You may still get it rebuild and repaired for under £100, so it might be worth it....
Matt
I managed to get the SMC-F 100mm/f2.8 macro for £200 (with a crack in the plastic window) - optics are unbelievable. Yes, I know you can get a macro lens for not much (I already have a Sigma 70-300mm macro), but believe me, the Pentax glass is in a completely different league. It's my all time fav lens
Ffordes have a Pentax 50mm/f2.8 "as seen", ie no warranty, for £299 - which is probably a bit over the top.
Best bet is to call Asahi Photo and ask how much to rebuild. You may still get it rebuild and repaired for under £100, so it might be worth it....
Matt
http://www.mattmatic.co.uk
(For gallery, tips and links)
(For gallery, tips and links)
Posted 17/06/2004 - 16:27
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Thanks for the comments, I would have thought that the owner would have paid for the repair had it been viable and obviously he couldn't do it himself.
I couldn't resist posting the link though, especially at the current price and I'll keep an eye on it just in case I fancy a last minute bid.
Incidentally, a few years ago I dropped my SFX c/w 35-135F lens (Malaga departure lounge - fortunately at the end of a holiday!) and the lens inner barrel became loose.
Despite being housed in a padded holster case and only falling a few inches, the entire inner barrel could be completely unscrewed (as if focussing) and removed.
I could replace it myself and the lens would function perfectly although it felt loose and there was a risk of it falling out when extended so I sent it to Pentax for repair.
The cost was about £75 and I'm very pleased to say that it's still as good as new.
From my personal experience, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Pentax UK for repairs although I have heard of other people having problems.
I couldn't resist posting the link though, especially at the current price and I'll keep an eye on it just in case I fancy a last minute bid.
Incidentally, a few years ago I dropped my SFX c/w 35-135F lens (Malaga departure lounge - fortunately at the end of a holiday!) and the lens inner barrel became loose.
Despite being housed in a padded holster case and only falling a few inches, the entire inner barrel could be completely unscrewed (as if focussing) and removed.
I could replace it myself and the lens would function perfectly although it felt loose and there was a risk of it falling out when extended so I sent it to Pentax for repair.
The cost was about £75 and I'm very pleased to say that it's still as good as new.
From my personal experience, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Pentax UK for repairs although I have heard of other people having problems.
Die my dear doctor, that's the last thing I shall do!
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599 posts
22 years
Coventry UK
hmm.................maybe not!