The GAS confessional - all who suffer are welcome. :)

A spur of the moment purchase last week, a m42 Fuji Photo EBC Fujinon SW 24mm f2.8. I only picked it up because I had never seen one come up for sale before and it was going cheap as a spares and repair. The repair was very straight forward and easy, just waiting on an adapter to try out what is possibly the rarest lens I have ever come across.

Seriously I can't find another anywhere for a comparison, it might just be rare because its crap who knows...
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Why do I keep buying Dallmeyer lenses . . . . . .

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Age wise they span early 100 years. Middle is an 1864 2B 8¼" (210mm) f3 Quick Acting Portrait Petzval, I paid £30 for it, they sell for over £1,000 in this condition (I also have the lens hood). Top right is a 9" f6 2D, with soft focus adjustment roughly 1910. Below is a No 5 9" Stigmatic, I have photographs of Alec Strachan, who actually made this lens in 1901. He worked for Dallmeyer from its founding in 1860, and was still there in 1910. It's a triple convertible lens, you can use the front & rear cells combined or just the front or rear cells giving a range of focal lengths.

The three on the left are the newest, a 1930s 6" f3,5 Dallmeyer Press lens, at the top, used on a Quarter Plate Dallmeyer SLR, a rebadged Ensign Reflex. The lens was also sold as a Dalmac.

The small lenses bottom left are post WWII coated d Dallmeyer f6.5 wide angle lenses, the smallest a 4¼ (108mm) came with a Half Plate Kodak Specialist 2 camera, the other is 5¼" (133mm), so cover whole plate. These lenses are f6.5 for focussing but f11 is the widest & first marking for taking, they are not unique in this respect.

Why GAS, I already have enough lenses of similar focal lengths, but it's fun using "real" vintage lenses.

Ian
 
RyanB said:
A spur of the moment purchase last week, a m42 Fuji Photo EBC Fujinon SW 24mm f2.8. I only picked it up because I had never seen one come up for sale before and it was going cheap as a spares and repair. The repair was very straight forward and easy, just waiting on an adapter to try out what is possibly the rarest lens I have ever come across.

Seriously I can't find another anywhere for a comparison, it might just be rare because its crap who knows...
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Fuji, in their wisdom seemed to make lenses specific to a particular camera body. I have a few Fuji lenses in the M42 mount, and they don't always work well on other cameras. I've still got one stuck on a Pentax body I'm unable to detach. Be aware.
 
Plain Nev said:
Fuji, in their wisdom seemed to make lenses specific to a particular camera body. I have a few Fuji lenses in the M42 mount, and they don't always work well on other cameras. I've still got one stuck on a Pentax body I'm unable to detach. Be aware.
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Thanks for the warning, I am aware of certain Fuji lenses misbehaving with other makes. That's the reason I am waiting for a specific m42-Emount adapter which will accommodate the stupid little indexing tab on the back of the aperture ring that stops it from being able to hit infinity on normal adapters. Many people just grind/ file it off but with a rarity I want to keep it all original.
According to tracking it should come tomorrow all things being well.
 
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1000001584.jpgMentioned (on the phone to a togger mate) in earshot of a workmate that I was looking for a new battery carrying solution. Result the morning after was this on my desk.
 
I'm very close to buying a DJI Mini 5 drone, which I don't need, and would probably barely use, but, it appeals to me. :LOL:

Whilst I was away on holiday at the end of March, I saw two people flying drones not far from me, but I didn't hear them. I was at a beach, but the water wasn't loud. A drone at that location could have got some really nice pictures. The noise was one of the things that irritated me about drones, but if they were not as loud as I remember, that would be one of the obstacles to purchase gone. Then I looked into it, and saw that the Mini 5 had a much upgraded 1" sensor compared to the previous Mini DJI drones and not was not that old.

I'm not really into video atm, so one of the main uses of a drone, may be wasted on me. :LOL: I imagine taking pics from positions I can't get to, from unusual angles, including doing panoramas. I also want to play with it. :ROFLMAO:

I was about to buy a couple of weeks ago, and then stock disappeared almost everywhere. :eek: I took that as maybe a sign. :thinking: But then I have watched more YT vids since then. :LOL:
 
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A few weeks a go, I was congratulating myself on no camera related purchases in 2026.

Since then i've bought some more into the M43 ecosystem - an Olympus e-PM1 (with working IBIS), a e-M10 Mark III, plus some lenses including 14-42 (ez and non-ez) a 40-150 f/4.0-5.6 and an Olympus macro converter. I wasn't planning on these, so i'm not sure how I will end up using them!
 
redhed17 said:
Whilst I was away on holiday at the end of March, I saw two people flying drones not far from me, but I didn't hear them. I was at a beach, but the water wasn't loud. A drone at that location could have got some really nice pictures. The noise was one of the things that irritated me about drones, but if they were not as loud as I remember, that would be one of the obstacles to purchase gone. Then I looked into it, and saw that the Mini 5 had a much upgraded 1" sensor compared to the previous Mini DJI drones and not was not that old.
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The newer DJI drones have much better and quieter propellers, I've got the Mini 4, and compared to a friend's Mini 3 which has the high pitched sound like a hundred hornets, mine you can hardly hear.
 
Nikon photographer said:
The newer DJI drones have much better and quieter propellers, I've got the Mini 4, and compared to a friend's Mini 3 which has the high pitched sound like a hundred hornets, mine you can hardly hear.
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I ended up getting the DJI Mini 5 Pro. :D So far I have been able to get out to the local park twice to get used to flying it. I was right about the sound of it thankfully. :)

It is an amazing piece of technology. Even though I had watched a load of videos, I was not prepared for the size and weight of the thing. It is tiny :jawdrop: The image quality is great.

People have been saying they were unhappy with the 120m height limit! That is plenty for me. It goes higher than some local blocks of flats, and will go higher than both Cathedrals in Liverpool. :)
 
benington said:
A few weeks a go, I was congratulating myself on no camera related purchases in 2026.

Since then i've bought some more into the M43 ecosystem - an Olympus e-PM1 (with working IBIS), a e-M10 Mark III, plus some lenses including 14-42 (ez and non-ez) a 40-150 f/4.0-5.6 and an Olympus macro converter. I wasn't planning on these, so i'm not sure how I will end up using them!
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One thing that came with the M10 was this camera/lens case. Would these kind of cases be bought or given as promotional gifts?

PXL_20260525_184029965.jpgPXL_20260525_183811468.jpgPXL_20260525_183839463.jpg
 
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Nikon photographer said:
These cases go back to the film OM1/OM2, and would have been purchased, I've got a catalogue somewhere that lists them, Nikon did some cases that were very similarView attachment 483249View attachment 483251
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That's great, thank you! So, it is from the 70s, that does make sense given the aesthetic of it.

I especially like the leaflet that comes with it, showing how it is meant to be used and when it was printed.
 
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I bought a Tokina 50mm 1.4. I was really after one for F mount but the EF version came up (with a slight scratch I can just about see). I stuck it on the 1DSiii and the camera and lens weigh 5lb 6oz.
 
It has been a few months since my last confession.
Work took me to Shetland for a couple of days. This thing followed me home. I'm convinced it's a Panzerfaust.
 

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Well, I was in recovery mode but tonight I relented and not only that, I relented in the worst possible way..... I purchased on Ebay and it's coming from China, confession later.

So... I'm waiting on the TTArtisan 75mm f2 for L Mount and hopefully it goes well. Brand new.

To attach to the Panasonic S5D. Hail Mary..... Mmmmmmm.

We will see.

£139 for them willing to go to confession after. Delivery inclusive.

Goodnight

Ice
 
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Since converting my first dslr to infra red years ago I have been thinking about a dedicated monochrome camera, and tested the leica option. Today I decided to go with the Ricoh GR IV monochrome. Purely for fun personal projects. It's quite incredible to have such a quality APS-C camera, the same size as my ancient TZ30.
 
Having not seen one come up for auction before, it being so cheap, and despite me not really 'needing' it I just got a Canon EF 50-200mm f3.5-4.5 L. £75 with 2 fluorite elements and a noisy slow arc drive focus motor.

Glass is pristine and its fully functional after all these years, a bit slow in aperture and focus but very sharp.
 
Got fed up with Insurance companies clauses about kit in the car NOT being covered unless there was evidence of physical break in !

My car has keyless entry which criminals can access with right 'gear' ...

So I now have this beast bolted into my boot .....

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Every few months I take everything out of the cabinet, clean all the glass and shelves and make sure it's dust free.

Although I've sold a few lenses in the last 6 months (Canon RF 100-300 2.8L, RF 85mm 1.2L, RF 50mm 1.2L and RF 15-35mm 2.8L) my GAS is still looking pretty bad :ROFLMAO:
The Lumix GH7 is the new arrival, great for video and I can use any of my Micro Four Thirds lenses with it so won't need to buy any more.

2026-08-01 17.07.23.jpg
 
Hanley said:
Every few months I take everything out of the cabinet, clean all the glass and shelves and make sure it's dust free.

Although I've sold a few lenses in the last 6 months (Canon RF 100-300 2.8L, RF 85mm 1.2L, RF 50mm 1.2L and RF 15-35mm 2.8L) my GAS is still looking pretty bad :ROFLMAO:
The Lumix GH7 is the new arrival, great for video and I can use any of my Micro Four Thirds lenses with it so won't need to buy any more.

View attachment 489155
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Hanley said:
Every few months I take everything out of the cabinet, clean all the glass and shelves and make sure it's dust free.

Although I've sold a few lenses in the last 6 months (Canon RF 100-300 2.8L, RF 85mm 1.2L, RF 50mm 1.2L and RF 15-35mm 2.8L) my GAS is still looking pretty bad :ROFLMAO:
The Lumix GH7 is the new arrival, great for video and I can use any of my Micro Four Thirds lenses with it so won't need to buy any more.

View attachment 489155
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Have you considered therapy?
 
I decided it'd be nice to have an f2.8 lens for an upcoming trip and....despite this not even being in my consciousness 24 hours ago....have inadvertently bought a Canon RF70-200 f2.8 from Camerasdori....
 
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benington said:
> I think I have a problem...

Yes, your collection is too small, the cabinet has a few gaps that can still be filled!
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Like buying shoes when you're a kid It's always smart to leave a little room for growth ;)
I still have a few on the workbench under repair plus these are just the 'good' ones.
 
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Added the mini 5 pro this week and the Fuji 3d cam last week so can do land, air, sea, 360 and 3D now. Only thing I’m missing is 360 in the air so might need an avata 360 now.
 
Really been enjoying primes recently, so decided to part with all but one of my Fuji zoom lenses, in their place, I have picked up the Fuji 23mm f2.8 and Viltrox 85mm f1.8 from MPB, really looking forward to giving these a go over the weekend.

That said, I didn't appreciate how big and heavy the 85mm would be until I unboxed it, it's a bit of a beast...

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I caved today and ordered on eBay a Helios 44-2 58mm with adapter to Nikon Z. It was just a short 30s scene from a YouTube video about something else that set off the GAS as I just loved the effect. Found out they're cheap lenses - £35 for the lens and about £12 for an adapter. Had to be done.

And then I've been after a small 40mm native Z mount lens after James Popsys mentioned the focal length in one of his videos. I've been trying it with my zooms and really enjoying it. I find it's a lot more usable than 50mm for the kind of everyday photos I tend to take. Found a Viltrox used on eBay for £90. As well as the focal length, the size really appeals.
 
Hanley said:
Every few months I take everything out of the cabinet, clean all the glass and shelves and make sure it's dust free.

Although I've sold a few lenses in the last 6 months (Canon RF 100-300 2.8L, RF 85mm 1.2L, RF 50mm 1.2L and RF 15-35mm 2.8L) my GAS is still looking pretty bad :ROFLMAO:
The Lumix GH7 is the new arrival, great for video and I can use any of my Micro Four Thirds lenses with it so won't need to buy any more.

View attachment 489155
Click to expand...
That’s an impressive collection. I can’t make out what camera is to the right of the GH7? This collection makes me feel like I don’t need to consider selling my full frame gear I recently picked up. I own an OM-3, a decent collection of small primes, the 12-40 f2.8 ii, the cheap 45-150mm, the 25mm f1.2 and an IR converted E-M5. However, I recently picked up a lumix S5 with a 20-60mm and 50mm f1.8. I’ve currently got my Olympus 25mm f1.2 up for sale to claw back some money from that purchase. However, looking at the price of the lenses I’d really want for the S5, I’m considering re-selling and just sticking with mft. There’s obvious differences in sensor size and advantages of each system which I don’t really want to go into. But, the main thing is price of lenses as I’m not made of money and I don’t make money from my photography. Although, I did pick up the S5, two lenses and a mini tripod with shutter release cable built-in at a bargain price.
So, I’m really struggling with this decision at the moment. But, I often buy and sell gear. Usually mft stuff though. This is my first foray into full frame.
 
jonoooo125 said:
View attachment 491758

Added the mini 5 pro this week and the Fuji 3d cam last week so can do land, air, sea, 360 and 3D now. Only thing I’m missing is 360 in the air so might need an avata 360 now.
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The Mini 5 Pro can do a 360 degree image in the air, unless you mean 360 video, and cropping afterwards. :thinking:
 
Petey said:
That’s an impressive collection. I can’t make out what camera is to the right of the GH7? This collection makes me feel like I don’t need to consider selling my full frame gear I recently picked up. I own an OM-3, a decent collection of small primes, the 12-40 f2.8 ii, the cheap 45-150mm, the 25mm f1.2 and an IR converted E-M5. However, I recently picked up a lumix S5 with a 20-60mm and 50mm f1.8. I’ve currently got my Olympus 25mm f1.2 up for sale to claw back some money from that purchase. However, looking at the price of the lenses I’d really want for the S5, I’m considering re-selling and just sticking with mft. There’s obvious differences in sensor size and advantages of each system which I don’t really want to go into. But, the main thing is price of lenses as I’m not made of money and I don’t make money from my photography. Although, I did pick up the S5, two lenses and a mini tripod with shutter release cable built-in at a bargain price.
So, I’m really struggling with this decision at the moment. But, I often buy and sell gear. Usually mft stuff though. This is my first foray into full frame.
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It's the Fuji GFX 100RF :)

I don't make money from photography, I just spend a bit too much on gear :ROFLMAO:
 
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