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 Replies: 528 / Views: 87,209 |
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Pillar of the Community
  United States
4038 Posts |
Talk about a super-duper El-Cheapo deal... Surplus Shed occasionally has good deals on interesting stuff. Right now (ending today...) they are offering a Computar LF 105-150mm zoom lens for $20. Quite a deal. Not sure how to mount it but should not be too hard. Here is the link: http://www.surplusshed.com/detail.cfm?ID=L10514I could not resist and bought one to test. They say they have a lot so may extend the sale but nominally it does end today. They charged me $6 shipping. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2784 Posts |
thank you ray got one of the surplus lens. that looks like a great deal
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Pillar of the Community
2087 Posts |
I just received an example of the Computar 105-150 mm lens. on first examination I am not impressed with it. It looks like it will suffer "zoom-creep" when mounted vertically... so its probably best to mount it in a horizontal rig( not good for coins). I know first impressions can be wrong but with gunge on the rear element I think this was my first and very last surplus shed purchase. I believe I can mount the lens fairly easily but I don't expect too much from it.
Edit: had one quick play with it mounted reversed( using a 67mm reversing ring). It is definitely going to be a challenge for any one with an APSc sensor. The big negative very obvious Magenta CA that was evident on all the high points of the coin I used as the test subject. with that in mind I would suggest its not a good buy with regards to coin photography. The zoom creep was diabolical..I had to extend the lens to the max so, on my rig and with the example I had, it is only usable at 150mm and for now reversed ( from a quick measure that's 1.5X magnification). given its design it might be feasible to drill and tap a hole in the outer barrel so you could use a small screw as a locking mechanism... but with the CA I observed it isn't worth the effort. Obviously that's a quick review based on one example and not a very good example at that! All that said the 67mm lens hood looks very useful for some of my other lenses(its an expensive way to get a lens hood lol)
Edit 2: I thought I might be being unfair to it based on the negative impression I gained on first opening the box. So I had a more serious try..... I tried to get some photos at 105mm as at that length the lens looks like it might be performing at 0.75 X. At that magnification the CA (Chromatic aberration) seems to be gone. Trying to get a sharp shot with the insidious lens creep was really frustrating. In the view finder there is a suggestion the lens can produce some almost sharp pictures...but getting the lens to stay put is like trying to herd cats.
On the weekend I will fit an M39 - Minolta Sr adapter to the rear of the lens( looks like the simplest means of adapting the lens I have available to me). All it will involve is drilling four screw holes in the M 39 adapter
Edited by austrokiwi
07/31/2015 10:53 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4038 Posts |
Seems the Computar is not suitable for vertical coin photography, and the quality is not so good. Oh well, as I said in another thread on the subject...you win some, you lose some!
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1314 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4038 Posts |
If you have not perused ebay recently, you may not know that prices there have deflated on many items of interest, including vintage lenses. I'm shocked at how prices have fallen over the last couple months, and especially the last few weeks. I highly recommend perusing the enlarging/duplication lenses for sale to see if you can pick up some serious bargains. Many lenses are selling in the EL-Cheapo range, and traditional EL-Cheapos are going for peanuts. It's a great time to buy. Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
rmpsrpms, I have started collecting again. PCGS Carson City Morgan dollars. What type and brand would you recommend for taking photos of these slabs (with coin) and also just the coin in the slab? I already have the microscope stand you sent me, and a bellows (Vivitar) mounted on the stand. Using a Cannon t1i. Thanks. Edited by Ham1947
08/27/2015 08:58 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4038 Posts |
Ham...to get pics of the full slab, I'd recommend a 105mm as they are easy to find, but very few will fit in the EL-Cheapo category. You will also need more height than the microscope stand can offer on its own. This can be accomplished by removing the round stage plate and setting the stand on supports on a table. It's just a matter of physics here...to take pics of bigger things you need longer working distance, and the longer the lens the longer the working distance. So plan on setting the stand on supports to get full slab shots.
There are several 105mm EL-Nikkors for sale out there, and pricing is good right now. I see several for sale at $75 BIN. There's even a $39 BIN, but has an outrageous $18.95 shipping charge. Still pretty cheap overall.
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
rmpsrpms, thanks for the information. If I want to just concentrate on the coin by itself without including all the lettering (PCGS grade and bar code info.), would the 105mm be the one of choice? And how much would the stand have to be elevated to get the whole slab in view? fount this lens, what do you think? Made an offer of $70, he countered with $75. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-El-Ni...OCOR:US:1123Edited by Ham1947
08/27/2015 8:07 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4038 Posts |
Ham...if you don't need the full slab then 105mm is longer than you need. Depending on what bellows you have, a 75mm lens might work. A safe choice would probably be 80mm. The best 80mm lens is the Rodagon f4, followed by the Rodagon f5.6 and Nikon f5.6. The f4 used to cost a couple hundred $ but these days they are selling for much less, sometimes under a hundred $. Tell us what bellows you're using and maybe 75mm will work with it. You have many more choices in 75mm.
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
Ray, I have a Vivitar bellows. At the present it is packed away, as we just moved to Arizona. Would you need the model #? I can retrieve it if needed.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4038 Posts |
Ham...that's OK. All Vivitar bellows have fairly short minimum extension. It comes down to the length of the adapters you use, but more than likely the total minimum extension is short enough to use a 75mm lens. I've set up several systems with Vivitar bellows and 75mm lenses and they all worked with Dollars. So, you can get a Nikon 75mm EL-Nikkor. It does pretty well with Dollars. Or you can go EL-Cheapo and find an EL-Omegar or similar.
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
Ray, I believe I already have a 75mm lens. Also packed away somewhere. I try and find all the parts. Thanks for your assistance.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1298 Posts |
Edited by Ham1947
08/30/2015 7:28 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4038 Posts |
You can't do much better than the Rodenstock 75mm Apo. If the price comes in below $200 it should be a good buy.
The Comparon is not worth $55.
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Replies: 528 / Views: 87,209 |
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Posted 07/18/2015 7:28 pm
