Vintage Lenses

How much would you expect to pay for a Nikon series E 70-210 F4? Just curious how over priced the sellers here are going, it looks in good nick but there are some scratches on the rear element
 
AgentOrange76 said:
i saw lenses on ebay being sold as suitable for parts as not working so guess setting up a search and saving it so that you get alerts would be the best bet.
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Thanks for this. I’ve tried this previously but as the Petri seems to be as rare as rocking horse ....., I am realistic enough to know there is close to zero chance of me ever bringing it back. I even went so far as to try to identify if it was one of those lenses made by more than one factory and/or under a different brand name in the hope it would increase my chances of getting hold of a spare front element, but no joy.
 
Plain Nev said:
Well, I picked up a 50mm 2.8 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar for peanuts the other day. Mind you, you get what you pay for, I suppose. The focus ring was slack with a tight spot and was really tight towards infinity. Now it seems to not work at all. The ring turns freely, but there is no focus. Is it repairable, do you think?
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It can be a real crap shoot but it's great when you manage to get a mint sample for peanuts, which rarely happens to me..
 
Cagey75 said:
How much would you expect to pay for a Nikon series E 70-210 F4? Just curious how over priced the sellers here are going, it looks in good nick but there are some scratches on the rear element
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Anywhere from £40 for a decent example to £100 in box. One with a marked rear element would more likely be £20ish judging from eBay.
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
Anywhere from £40 for a decent example to £100 in box. One with a marked rear element would more likely be £20ish judging from eBay.
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This one is boxed with all the manuals/paperwork intact, looks in fine condition bar those scratches [how do you even get rear elements scratched??] but he's looking for €119 lol ... in english punts that's about £102, that'll be a big nope on that one then
 
Cagey75 said:
This one is boxed with all the manuals/paperwork intact, looks in fine condition bar those scratches [how do you even get rear elements scratched??] but he's looking for €119 lol ... in english punts that's about £102, that'll be a big nope on that one then
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I wouldn't. You're going to be paying another 25% on top of that with shipping and tax from Germany.
 
Cagey75 said:
This one is boxed with all the manuals/paperwork intact, looks in fine condition bar those scratches [how do you even get rear elements scratched??] but he's looking for €119 lol ... in english punts that's about £102, that'll be a big nope on that one then
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www.ebay.co.uk

(excellent - near mint) Nikon LENS SERIES E Zoom 70~210mm 1:4 constant aperture! | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for (excellent - near mint) Nikon LENS SERIES E Zoom 70~210mm 1:4 constant aperture! at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
I wouldn't. You're going to be paying another 25% on top of that with shipping and tax from Germany.
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It's an Irish local seller, a buy and sell place I've used for years - but still, don't think it would be worth it even if I could haggle him down a bit for the scratches. There's a pristine [considering the age] Minolta MD 70-210 on the same site for less, just don't have an adapter for it yet.
 
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Cagey75 said:
It's an Irish local seller, a buy and sell place I've used for years - but still, don't think it would be worth it even if I could haggle him down a bit for the scratches. There's a pristine [considering the age] Minolta MD 20-210 on the same site for less, just don't have an adapter for it yet.
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Check the one I posted above. Looks pristine!
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
Check the one I posted above. Looks pristine!
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Yeah it does look very nice indeed, but I'd have to pay £30 or so VAT + customs, maybe more as I got stung recently for courier extra charges from the UK on top. £40 package, they charged me €23 on top! this was UPS, will avoid them like the plague in future
 
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Cagey75 said:
Yeah it does look very nice indeed, but I'd have to pay £30 or so VAT + customs, maybe more as I got stung recently for courier extra charges from the UK on top. £40 package, they charged me €23 on top! this was UPS, will avoid them like the plague in future
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Gotya. Was forgetting where you were.
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
Gotya. Was forgetting where you were.
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Yeah it's a PITA, often bought stuff from the UK, it's now a closed door until things get settled - as in the couriers stop riding us for extra. Sometimes it might still be an option as prices here are well above the UK average, tis a bit of a gamble though and not worth right now.
 
Cagey75 said:
Yeah it's a PITA, often bought stuff from the UK, it's now a closed door until things get settled - as in the couriers stop riding us for extra. Sometimes it might still be an option as prices here are well above the UK average, tis a bit of a gamble though and not worth right now.
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Yep, it is. Same here. I used to buy a lot from Europe and vice versa I sold a lot to Europe. Nothing now.
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
Just purchased this from Japan today: Nippon Kogaku NIKKOR-S Auto 50m F/1.4 (image credit - eBay seller kyotokawaiijapan)
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I took mine out on my Sony A7 yesterday. The light was dead and flat and I didn't get anything too special but I did make a point of taking a few pictures at f1.4. The bokeh can be a little wild at f1.4 with a complex background especially with close subjects and there's vignetting which can be fine in some shots but need correcting in others and there's veiling but there's also good detail which responds well to sharpening. When taking pictures of Mrs WW I selectively sharpened just her face in f1.4 shots. Stopped down the lens is good anywhere in the frame you'd put a main subject.

I'm sure you'll enjoy yours when it arrives.
 
woof woof said:
I took mine out on my Sony A7 yesterday. The light was dead and flat and I didn't get anything too special but I did make a point of taking a few pictures at f1.4. The bokeh can be a little wild at f1.4 with a complex background especially with close subjects and there's vignetting which can be fine in some shots but need correcting in others and there's veiling but there's also good detail which responds well to sharpening. When taking pictures of Mrs WW I selectively sharpened just her face in f1.4 shots. Stopped down the lens is good anywhere in the frame you'd put a main subject.

I'm sure you'll enjoy yours when it arrives.
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Cheers WW. I'm really looking forward to getting this one. It's coming via Fedex from Japan so should be here Monday.
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
One of the most underrated Nikon lenses is the 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D AF. It's tack sharp, lightweight, fairly cheap and makes a great general carry lens and product photography lens. It's become one of my go to lenses for the latter.
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It's a very useful lens, excellent for the generation and in my experience acceptably sharp when stopped down. Certainly better than the 28-85 and streets ahead of the dreadful 28-200 Nikon sold. I still have a copy.
 
ancient_mariner said:
It's a very useful lens, excellent for the generation and in my experience acceptably sharp when stopped down. Certainly better than the 28-85 and streets ahead of the dreadful 28-200 Nikon sold. I still have a copy.
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Absolutely and for product photography its rare that you don't stop down anyways as you generally want everything in focus. It also has the macro function allowing you to get in pretty close to the subject. About 20cms if I remember right.
 
Cagey75 said:
I've been on the lookout for a macro lens in that range too. Vivitar have one, and there's a Canon FD, but both only do 1:2 without the extra macro extension which can be harder to find. Tamron did a bunch or 90-100mm macro and some of them are also 1:2, but they did have some 1:1, just be wary of this when searching.

Just had a quick search, the Tamron 52b 90mm 2.5 is the 1:2 variant, some say it's better quality than the later 90mm 72b 2.8, which does 1:1 without the need for an adapter.
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I'm told the Vivitar 90mm 2.8 macro is very good. I've just bought back my old Nikon mount Vivitar 55mm 2.8 Komine Macro, which is one of the sharpest macro lenses ever produced. Can't wait to get my paws on it again!
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
Cheers WW. I'm really looking forward to getting this one. It's coming via Fedex from Japan so should be here Monday.
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Interested to know if you get stung for tax/duty etc for used stuff from Japan.
 
Stephen L said:
Interested to know if you get stung for tax/duty etc for used stuff from Japan.
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Always do via Fedex, Stephen. Occasionally might slip through via Royal Mail but not Fedex. And to rub salt in the wounds there was a delay in Japan so it will not be here until Wednesday now. :mad:
 
Plain Nev said:
Well, I picked up a 50mm 2.8 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar for peanuts the other day. Mind you, you get what you pay for, I suppose. The focus ring was slack with a tight spot and was really tight towards infinity. Now it seems to not work at all. The ring turns freely, but there is no focus. Is it repairable, do you think?
Click to expand...
I have the zebra version of yours and the aperture blades don't work. Picked up a MITSUKI 24mm for my Fujifilm XT10 and ... aperture stuck on wide open. Love to have them mended but ... is it worth it and where?
 
I just received the Minolta 70-210 f4 and have to say I'm very relieved! I was concerned as I took a chance on it. The pics in the ad were not great and the pic of the front lens was ambiguous. What there some shadowing, possibly mildew or was it a reflection from the light used to illuminate the lens whilst photographing. I took a punt and the lens arrived yesterday in close to mint condition. Front and rear glass was impeccable! That allowed me to order an adapter and filter for it.
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
I just received the Minolta 70-210 f4 and have to say I'm very relieved! I was concerned as I took a chance on it. The pics in the ad were not great and the pic of the front lens was ambiguous. What there some shadowing, possibly mildew or was it a reflection from the light used to illuminate the lens whilst photographing. I took a punt and the lens arrived yesterday in close to mint condition. Front and rear glass was impeccable! That allowed me to order an adapter and filter for it.
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If it’s anything like my copy, I’m sure you’ll be delighted by what it can do.
The only issue with all of these zooms on mirrorless (assuming IBIS) is knowing what focal length to set for the stabiliser.
But that is a topic for a whole thread on it’s own!!!!
 
goinggreynow said:
If it’s anything like my copy, I’m sure you’ll be delighted by what it can do.
The only issue with all of these zooms on mirrorless (assuming IBIS) is knowing what focal length to set for the stabiliser.
But that is a topic for a whole thread on it’s own!!!!
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At the risk of preventing the start of another thread (!) I too have pondered this, though I currently don’t possess any zoom lenses. I would have thought that the best strategy would be to set it to the longest focal length. But as usual I could be wrong.
 
goinggreynow said:
If it’s anything like my copy, I’m sure you’ll be delighted by what it can do.
The only issue with all of these zooms on mirrorless (assuming IBIS) is knowing what focal length to set for the stabiliser.
But that is a topic for a whole thread on it’s own!!!!
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Not an issue for me. I'm on a Nikon DSLR.
 
Stephen L said:
At the risk of preventing the start of another thread (!) I too have pondered this, though I currently don’t possess any zoom lenses. I would have thought that the best strategy would be to set it to the longest focal length. But as usual I could be wrong.
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Funnily enough, I do the exact opposite - not that there is a right or wrong and I have absolutely no evidence to back up what I do.
So, on my Minolta 70-210 for example, I would normally set the IBIS at 70mm, accepting that if I zoom to say 150mm, that the IBIS (in theory) won’t be working hard enough to prevent blur/compensate if the shutter speed isn’t fast enough.
On the other hand, I have sometimes used the 70-210 as a “prime”, especially when motor racing and taking a series of shots from a static position and photographing the same section of track. Setting IBIS for this is easy.
The problem (not sure really if it is a problem!), then comes when you move location and start using the zoom feature, forgetting that you previously set the IBIS to 150mm!!! How many times have I done that!
 
This is a serious legacy lens with a serious legacy price.. 35k Euros.. :oops: :$ 1000mmf6.3 Reflex Nippon Kogaku Nikkor

www.ebay.de

NIKON 6,3/1000 1000 1000mm F6,3 6,3 F Reflex Nippon Kogaku Nikkor top complete | eBay

Entdecken Sie NIKON 6,3/1000 1000 1000mm F6,3 6,3 F Reflex Nippon Kogaku Nikkor top complete in der großen Auswahl bei eBay. Kostenlose Lieferung für viele Artikel!
www.ebay.de

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s-l1600.jpg
 
THIRTYFIVEMILL said:
This is a serious legacy lens with a serious legacy price.. 35k Euros.. :oops: :$ 1000mmf6.3 Reflex Nippon Kogaku Nikkor

www.ebay.de

NIKON 6,3/1000 1000 1000mm F6,3 6,3 F Reflex Nippon Kogaku Nikkor top complete | eBay

Entdecken Sie NIKON 6,3/1000 1000 1000mm F6,3 6,3 F Reflex Nippon Kogaku Nikkor top complete in der großen Auswahl bei eBay. Kostenlose Lieferung für viele Artikel!
www.ebay.de
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WOW!
I'm sure you could get a SCT telescope with equivalent optics for less than 1/10th that cost, but you might need to add a helicod/bellows to match the MFD.
Even that would be too steep for me my 1000mm f/8 scope (a Newtonian design) only set me back £25. but I freely admit it has inferior optics being a Helios (& in need of adjustment)...
 
mossienet said:
I have the zebra version of yours and the aperture blades don't work. Picked up a MITSUKI 24mm for my Fujifilm XT10 and ... aperture stuck on wide open. Love to have them mended but ... is it worth it and where?
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Very good questions. I have tracked down someone who cleans and repairs vintage lenses. But they are few and far between these days. As to whether or not it's worth it remains to be seen. The lenses I have in mind are pretty basic, so hopefully it might be relatively straight forward and easy to do.
 
mossienet said:
I have the zebra version of yours and the aperture blades don't work. Picked up a MITSUKI 24mm for my Fujifilm XT10 and ... aperture stuck on wide open. Love to have them mended but ... is it worth it and where?
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I would just return anything that doesn't work if you can (isn't that Mitsuki a recent purchase?). Otherwise, I suspect it won't be cost-effective to fix most common lenses that don't fetch three figures. Repairers have to eat, and they often have as much work as they can manage, so any non-trivial repair may cost more than another lens would.
 
Retune said:
I would just return anything that doesn't work if you can (isn't that Mitsuki a recent purchase?). Otherwise, I suspect it won't be cost-effective to fix most common lenses that don't fetch three figures. Repairers have to eat, and they often have as much work as they can manage, so any non-trivial repair may cost more than another lens would.
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Well, there is that. I'll be interested to find out.
 
Has anyone any recommendations for a compact non-zoom tele lens circa 200mm, to go on my Sony A7C? For reference, it will act as a big brother to my all-time favourite, the Olympus Zuiko 100mm silvernose.
 
If its of interest to anyone I have a couple of lenses on ebay at the moment having finally cleared out my cupboards of stuff I never use. I put a price on but have no idea if it is reasonable or not.

The lenses are Tamron 400mm f7.5 lens AND Prinzflex 70-162 macro zoom lens plus cases - the listing is https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/294040080773

Can anyone advise if I am way out on price or is this reasonable - thanks
 
Stephen L said:
Has anyone any recommendations for a compact non-zoom tele lens circa 200mm, to go on my Sony A7C? For reference, it will act as a big brother to my all-time favourite, the Olympus Zuiko 100mm silvernose.
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Oops! Just seen an Exc++ 200mm f4 Zuiko at Ffordes for £69, so I bought it. Please tell me I’ve did the right thing? :rolleyes:
 
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