Last night my desktop machine started to play jazz music. Nothing but PU was running in Google Chrome. I hit the close box quick and checked everything. Nothing else was running. I reloaded Chrome and visited a few sites on my favourites list. No bother. I reloaded PU and after about a minute - jazz music. I clicked a fresh tab - silence. reverted to the PU tab - jazz music. Nothing so far tonight and no problems in general (touch wood).

They do indeed make for a splendid project - my wife thought I'd gone potty in Paris. These are very nice examples

I think the most over-abused word of recent years can be validly used to describe these places - Awesome, as in striking awe into you and not "Oh it's so cute".
Kelham Island in Sheffield is similarly jaw dropping................. These are wonderful photos

If you want a good set of "tubes" that transmit data and action to an 'A' lens, get a Pentax 'A', f 1.7 50mm from that highly disparaged EBay place (dunno why people curse it so). Take all the glass out of it by carefully unscrewing each element. Get a reverse 49mm adapter (also from the never to be sufficiently damned place). While you're at it, get an old silver plastic fantastic Pentax AF 35 - 80 zoom.

Put the glassless 50mm on the camera. Screw the adapter on to the filter ring. Mount the AF backwards onto the adapter using its filter ring.
You now have a stunning (manual) variable focus macro lens with full aperture control that will go to about 5:1 - cost - about £20 - £30max.




On the other hand, you could always buy something very expensive?

Good point - (note to self: read it properly in future)
The preset will probably operate similarly to the Russian Helios 44, which isn't too difficult. Certainly, the Macro Takumar 50mm preset mechanism was easy. The apperture ring was falling off when I got it so I had little choice but to wade in.

Not a place that most of us will ever experience - thank you for sharing it

Put the terms " disassemble takumar 135 " into a search engine and you will find that lots of people have done it and recorded the process for the benefit of others.
You will find lots of other lenses have undergone the same process too. I'm about to start on a poorly Meyer Optik 200mm whose iris has sprung a leaf or two.

The one I posted recently of a very bright red crocosmia was taken with 2.3 negative EV and even that almost failed to avoid blow out.

The first one for me - well worth their £75 - I just go back and keep looking at it
Congratulations on both of them

Thanks Algernon - I had a really good chuckle at that one !