Where to buy lenses online?

Stephen Devine

Stephen Devine

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I need to pick up some Canon FD lenses and also a lens for my Hasselblad 553elx. Where is the most reputable place online that will ship to England/Ireland?
 
Well in case you (or others) didn't know there are two types of Canon lenses:- the FD which is the breechlock and the FDn which is quick bayonet but both will fit a non AF Canon camera.
Among the lens enthusiasts it is known that due to manufacturing tolerances and use of the lens over years, some same lenses are better than others...and guys call them a "good copy" or "poor copy" and the saying goes "all the good lenses are kept and the poor ones go to the bay etc" Of course this can't be true for every lens , but there is a lot of truth in the saying.
So if you find a lens going for peanuts it doesn't really matter, but if paying a lot of dosh for a lens IMO it would be a good idea choosing someone that offers, for a short period, money back if not satisfied, and in that time check the lens out.
But after saying all above, any lens would have to very bad for you not enjoy taking shots and you'll only know if your shots could be sharper etc if you compare with other guys with the same lens.
 
I've bought (via the internet mail order) Canon FD lenses and an AutoTeleplus macro teleconverter (which was new old-stock) from Ffordes without any problems, I also bought a 50mm f/1.4 from a branch (can't remember which one - possibly Colchester) of London Camera Exchange and that was exactly as described.

If you can find a good Canon FD 35 - 70 F/4 zoom (the metal body type, not the plastic f/3.5 to f/4.5 version), then it's worth thinking about, they're usually relatively cheap and should give good, sharp results through the range (check out Ken Rockwell's review of this lens, which I'd pretty much agree with). However, they're prone to wear in the zoom mechanism, which can't be repaired because (as far as I'm aware) the parts are unobtainable, so find a good one without play and/or notchy action. Hope this is useful.
 
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Stephen, you can have a Tokina 60-300 f4-5.6mm zoom lens, FD mount, breechlock mount, for the price of the postage, if you wish. It's very clean. The diaphragm control is a little bit loose but the zoom doesn't drift when the lens is zooming vertically down. With front and rear caps. £3 seems the right price for the postage, second class.
 
Last year, I bought a lens from Japan and persuaded the guy to drop the price below £135 so it would be duty-free. Of course, I had to wait an extra week after the lens arrived in the UK (2 days after purchase), pay VAT plus the £12 ransom fee to ParcelFraud... It's a great lens and I'm not complaining.

At the moment, there is apparently a Free Trade Agreement between Japan and the EU. I don't know if it covers Lenses (I suspect it does), but if so, for a few weeks you might be able to buy even more expensive lenses duty free. That said, the duty is under 6% IIRC, so it's not a huge disincentive, unlike VAT...
 
PeterSpencer said:
Stephen, you can have a Tokina 60-300 f4-5.6mm zoom lens, FD mount, breechlock mount, for the price of the postage, if you wish. It's very clean. The diaphragm control is a little bit loose but the zoom doesn't drift when the lens is zooming vertically down. With front and rear caps. £3 seems the right price for the postage, second class.
Click to expand...

That is so so generous. TBH I'm in the market for a wide angle lens and I think I would be doing you a disservice to take you up on the offer to then not use the lens. Again thank you so much I really do appreciate it.
 
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