Further experiments with dirt-cheap lenses on my K-1. I took advantage of the very windy and showery conditions today to get some long exposure streaks in the sky. Only stayed out a few minutes as it was so cold / wet, but this was probably the best shot. The only thing I don't like is the branches in the top right, but I tried cloning them out and it made the sky look odd, so I've left them there. 25 second exposure at f/18 with the Cosina 19-35mm set at 19mm.

Which do you prefer the BW or the colour version?







Comments welcomed.

Regards
David

Thanks John.

Regards
David

Hi David, we are based in Kassiopi, on the North-East Coast, we have an apartment that we live in, plus a further three for holiday rentals. We bought the property in 2019 and spent last year renovating the entire place. We're just in the final stages, having a swimming pool installed and new patio areas throughout, see link below for details of our apartments.

link

Regards
David

Hi All

I have an interesting and rare / collectible item for sale, which I've previously offered on ebay and although it attracted a lot of bids, it did not reach the reserve price. I'm offering it on here as I need to sell before myself and my wife go back to Corfu on 2nd April, we are resident there but have been stuck in England over the Winter due to the Covid outbreak. The item is a Pentax ME F in beautiful and fully working condition, with a rare Pentax Digital Data M back, the dedicated and hard to find 35-70mm f/2.8 AF zoom lens (this lens was made for the ME F and the camera will only work in autofocus mode with this lens attached) and a working ME Winder II attached. Also included is the original ME F instruction manual.

Pentax buffs will know that the ME F was Pentax's first autofocus SLR camera, so has a unique place in Pentax history. This model in itself is not a rare camera, but to find one with its dedicated lens is very unusual. The lens is optically superb. Condition-wise the items are excellent and all are fully working. Points to note relate to the lens only, this has suffered some laquer loss on the lens barrel (could be re-painted but I haven't touched it) and also the rubber lens grip has lifted a little near one of the buttons. This could easily be re-glued down, but again I haven't touched it. The mirror bumper has been renewed and the rear door seals will be renewed if / when someone buys the camera. For rear seals I use 100% wool yarn, bedded in with silicone adhesive, this is a much better option than foam seals, it is more light-tight and should last a lifetime.

I'm looking for serious offers only, I won't sell it for a song, especially as the lens is worth a fair sum. If anyone is interested, please make me an offer of something approaching £200, I will be prepared to negotiate but not for a silly price. See images below, please pm me if you are interested.
















Regards
David

Great shot Neil, I presume this is in your back garden?

Regards
David

Hi Geoff

The lens looks to be very sharp, but to my eyes the colours look a bit 'flat' and don't seem to pop? Just wondering what your thoughts are?

Regards
David

Hi Geoff

Under normal circumstances I too would be happy to send you my lenses for review, but unfortunately we are going to Corfu in early April (we are resident there) and all my kit is going with me as I will be running photography tuition and trips out there. BTW, I have subscribed to your channel and will watch your videos with interest.

Regards
David

Hi Geoff

This would be right up my street, I have a bucketload of lenses I could suggest for content on your channel. This theme is perfect for where I'm at with my K-1, having recently acquired it and not being able to afford the 'go to' lenses that are in the current Pentax line-up.

I have bought many full frame lenses recently to pair with the K-1, some I have kept and others have been sold. Some examples which I think would fit your theme, along with the prices I paid are:

- Cosina 19-35mm f/3.5 £33
- Sigma 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Macro £8 (this lens has a fantastic 1:2 macro mode)
- Sigma DL 100-300mm f/4.5-6.7 £8
- Vivitar 28mm f/2.0 free, got it with a camera and a job lot of other lenses
- Pentax-FA 80-320 f/4.5-5.6 £20 approx, got it with another lens, total paid £36
- Tamron LD Di 70-300mm £36
- Pentax-M 28mm f/3.5 free, got it with a camera and other lenses
- SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 £unspecified as it came attached to a Spotmatic, which I paid £53 for, so I suppose the lens would be £20 approx

You can see images taken with some of these lenses on this Forum and in my portfolio on the Gallery.

Hope this is helpful!

Regards
David

Hi Steve, I would expect that your film *ist would be quite sought-after as there are very few of them around. Having said that, it's a fickle market. I have a mint Pentax ME F (this is the ME with autofocus capability, the first autofocus SLR that Pentax made). I also have the dedicated 35-70 f/2.8 autofocus lens that will only work with this camera, plus a ME Winder II, the whole lot in near mint condition. As a collector's item which is rare, you would think people would snap it up, but 3 attempts to sell on ebay did not reach reserve. I will hang onto it because it will only appreciate in value.

More run of the mill stuff is even quite difficult to value, one week I can sell a MX with 50mm f/1.7 for £135, the next week the same item only fetches £60! As I mentioned in my previous comment, I've sold nearly 300 cameras and / or lenses on ebay since Jan 1st this year, so I'm pretty well versed with the market and what sells, but I'm often amazed by the variation in prices.

Regards
David

Hi Gareth

I've sold nearly 300 cameras and lenses since 1st January, most of these being film cameras and older lenses. I have a pretty good idea of what prices gear is fetching on ebay, don't pay too much attention to what people are asking, it's all about what they finally sell for. At the moment, average prices for good condition kit are about as follows:

- ME Super with 50mm f/1.7 lens £65-£85
- MX with 50mm f/1.7 lens £85-£110
- K1000 with 50mm f/2 lens £90-£130
- KX with 55mm f/1.8 lens £125-£145

All of the cameras I sell have new mirror bumpers, hinge seals and rear door seals, all are fully tested and extensively cleaned, which is not typical for ebay sellers, it is rare that cameras I buy have even been cleaned just a little. My gear doesn't stick around for long on ebay, it sells very fast, which does indicate a bouyant market. However, there is gear on there which has been there since December last year (not mine, other sellers), which is because they are asking too much for it. That ME Super at Ffordes is far too expensive, no-one will buy at that price unless they are daft, maybe they will have to reduce it to sell?

Regards
David