I was fortunate to drop on a near mint Pentacon f4 300mm from the very last series made in the 1990s. You can try and use it hand held if you like but it puts a huge strain on the mount, especially as the lens is an M42 fitting, so it's best to put it on a tripod. Unfortunately, in this case, it screwed on 90 degrees further round than it ought to have done! The photos are simply to see what it might be capable of rather than for any artistic value.







Meyer Optik were renowned for their multi-bladed irises that produce a near circular aperture. Some end up with oily blades that can stick together when the lens is left unused for a long time. When you try to change the aperture, the offending blades cannot move and spring out of their guides. Only a complete rebuild will set this right so ignore vendors' comments that oil on the blades is of no consequence with a preset mechanism 'cos it just ain't true!
This one is pristine, as are all the coatings.




Some full frame images and heavy crops from them .....










Purple fringing can occur where there is high contrast but it isn't bad. Pixel peeping will show it round the white flowers. By the way, this common garden weed (hairy cress) is a good salad plant. Pull the entire plants up, cut off the roots and wash them. All gardens have them!









The same fuchsia bush that sheltered the hyacinth. It will need pruning shortly!



It's going to be a while before I get to grips with this thing but it certainly looks promising for a 30 year old film era lens.

I found a near mint Pentacon f4 300mm (with both caps). These are heavy and often knocked about as a result. This one is from the final series made in the 1990s just before Meyer Optik that was went bust. It's going to take a while to get to grips with!



The coatings and the superb 19 blade iris are unblemished.



Some initial shots with it are in a thread of its own to save clutter here.

'Orrible looking thing - and no flip screen? I was looking to replace my K5 but it's looking less likely the more I see.

That's really odd. I looked there first and it found nothing. Must have asked for the wrong thing I suppose since, as you say, there are now quite few! Thank you.

I dropped on a very good price for a near mint, final production series Pentacon (Meyer Optik) 300mm lens. Unusually, it has both original caps but it has no hood. Does anyone have any idea where I might find a 95mm (?) screw-in hood for it?

I think you might. K3iis gobble up batteries so quick it isn't true!

There is a hotel in Chollerford (near Hadrian's Wall) called The George who have a (real) selection of AA's winter snow scenes of the area on their walls. They are gobsmackingly incredible.

You may have seen a guy selling a hardly used K1 recently for £450? His reason? He's had his use of it for his web site and had changed platforms. It was quite telling that nobody showed any interest in it at all. Buying at such prices, even if they are real, opens you up instantly to "handling stolen goods" due to the fact that you know full well something is dodgy. Since buyers are more often the victims and also most certainly the people who make E Bay work, it isn't that surprising that they take the side of the buyer in any dispute. "Get what you ordered or your money back." Were it not so, far fewer would buy and Ebay profits would fall.

Dark, mysterious and rich please. You can always eat it if it threatens you.

Is it even possible to get Anselm Adams' IQ out of a modern camera? Those full plate jobs produce astonishing resolution and clarity.