#13 Slumming on eBay for Cheap Lenses!

#12 Slumming on eBay for Cheap Lenses!

A recap of some lenses, bellows, extension tubes and more I've been buying cheap on eBay lately and experimenting with.

The shot above from left to right: Nikon Slide Duplicating adapter, Nikkor 50mm Auto-S 1.4, Nikon Micro Bellows. The Slide Duplicating device cost $60 so I thought I'd give it a try. Turns out after I got it I read the paperwork and discover you have to have either a 55mm Micro lens or the 60mm AF Micro lens......I used to own the 60mm and sold it to a friend so I borrowed it back and was able to duplicate some old slides with this set up. Oh, turned out you also needed the Nikon bellows attachment also! Well, a while back to get the 50mm Auto-S 1.4 lens on eBay part of the auction included a Nikkormat film camera, the lens, plus the bellows! It was all around $80. Funny thing was I was bidding on the lens alone in another auction and lost it when it got up to $100 and I wasn't going to pay that much. Then I end up getting the lens and the camera with the bellows for even less. Slides: 

The slides actually appeared a little bit sharper than what I was ending up with in the camera. I'm going to experiment with the 35-105 micro and see if I can rig up something better. 

A similar setup shown below is the Df with the bellows attached to the Nikkor 35-105 with it set to micro mode: 

Here are a few close ups I made with this setup: 

These shots are full frame images not enlarged or cropped in from a larger shot.

Here is a shot I made of my cheap lens collection (minus the 50mm Auto-S 1.4 which I showed in the shot above). Left to right: TC-200 2X Teleconverter, Nikkor 50mm 1.4, Nikkor 35-105 3.5-4.5 micro,  Nikkor 200mm F4, Zykkor 35-135 3.5, Nikkor AF 50mm 1.8, and 3 Micro Extension Rings. 

Shot above was with a Nikkor AF 60mm Micro 2.8 lens (that I used to own but have been borrowing.) One Alien Bee 800 strobe with beauty dish--covered with a diffuser camera left.

I've not experimented much with the 2X converter yet ($80 eBay). I was aiming to go shoot the horses and jockeys at Santa Anita recently but since I've had a bad cold for a week now I've missed 3 photoshoots I was planned to do.  The next one from the left, 50mm 1.4 I bought years ago for about $50 on eBay and only in the last month have been experimenting with it. I love the bokeh this lens produces. Since it's a manual focus lens it's been a real challenge to get eyes in focus. The Df isn't helping in this regard with the focus screen not a split screen etc...I will experiment with the Live View since I've read you can zoom way in with it and check focus. I love the retro look I get especially shooting ambient light subjects. Here are a few: 

 The next lens 3rd from the left is the Nikkor 35-105 3.5-4.5 ($100 eBay). It also has a micro setting. I took this out on a informal shoot to see some Christmas lights in Riverside where lots of people were around ice skating and checking out the lights. Here are a few shots with this lens: 

I was pleasantly surprised at how well this lens worked. It's a push pull zoom. Maybe not the best low light lens at only 3.5 but the Df camera made up for it with it's great low light capabilities.  Again, shooting with manual focus is a challenge especially with moving skaters, and in low light situations. I tend to focus, shoot, refocus, etc...to at least get one that is in focus before I move on to another scene. 

Next in the middle of the shot of lenses is the Nikkor 200mm F4 (I think it was $80 on eBay) which I have not tried out very much yet. I've heard good things about this lens so I'm pretty sure it'll be great once I get a chance to try it out. Wanted to try it with the TC-200 2X converter to make it a 400mm focal length!

Next is the Zykkor 35-135mm F3.5 Micro ($20 eBay). I've only taken a few shots with this one and they seem very uncontrasty, and not ver sharp. I'll keep experimenting with different f-stops and see it it's better stopped down. 

Next is the brilliant, small, lightweight AF 50mm 1.8. ($60 eBay). This little lens is a marvel! I've only used it a few days but I'm super impressed! Easy and fast to focus of course as it's AF! Here are a few shots: 

Last of the lenses and stuff on the far right is the extension tubes ($6 eBay). With all three of these screwed on at the same time with my 50 1.4 lens it can shoot super micro! Here's one: 

To get more of a depth of field I shoot with at f8 or f11....the shot of the penny was probably more of a wide open 2.8ish setting. That only gives a small sliver of focus.

More experimenting and buying cheap lenses on eBay and elsewhere.....ahead......