The price to performance of used cameras is absurd. My view is that digital photography tech hit maturity in 2008 with the release of the Canon 5D Mark II and Nikon D700.
There is an overwhelming amount of professional gear out there at rock bottom prices. Consumer gear can be a blast when it’s cheap enough. The right camera for a style of shooting is going to be better than whatever the newest camera happens to be. (Unless you’re doing sports/action/wildlife. AF tech is getting absurd.)
I have had batteries fall apart, fail within months, and with a capacity far below what’s on the label. It’s difficult to find good quality third party batteries.
There is an easy way ANYONE can inexpensively capacity test camera batteries. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to capacity test camera batteries. It is a simple DIY project that only requires, ~$30, a screwdriver, and pair of wire strippers.
All lenses aren’t equal, especially when it comes to vintage and early digital camera lenses. Modern lenses will give you images that are razor sharp corner to corner. Vintage lenses can set themselves apart by how they render, the color you can get with them, interesting bokeh, or other characteristics not valued by current photographers.
On the other hand, many vintage lenses are not good. Their performance may not be good enough to set them apart from other lenses. Worse, as time has gone on some lenses have defects such as haze, fungus, balsam separation, or degraded grease, that will render them worthless because of the difficulty in repair.
I’m somewhat indiscriminate in my purchasing of gear, so I get a mix of good, bad, and average. The lens reviews will help you find a lens worth owning. These are popular film cameras that recieve frequent lens questions.
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The Nikon AF Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Macro lens need a camera body with a focus motor for the AF to work.
Image quality is on par with other vintage macro lenses. The price tends to be higher than comparable third party options. It doesn’t off the best price to performance.
Manually controlling the aperture ring isn’t good because it sticks. Plus, the reliance on an in-camera body motor for autofocus means manually focusing feels terrible.
The Nikon Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 PC is the 5th of the 7 versions of the lens. There are two notable changes in this version.
First, the lens has a improved coating, designated by the “C.” Second, the aperture ring was changed to a scalloped style that makes it easier to grip.
An issue to look out for is grease drying out or becoming oily. Almost all of the vintage macro lenses I have come across have tighter focusing rings than they should.
Nikon BR accessories are designed to be used on a Nikon F-mount bellows or for macro photography. They can be used to reverse a lens, control aperture diaphragms, and attach filters to reversed lenses. They are:
Camera bellows that will work well with the BR accessories are the Nikon PB-4 and Nikon PB-6.
WARNING: The BR-2 and BR-4 will cause damage to camera mounts and lens CPU contacts. The BR-2A and BR-6 do not cause damage.
The Minolta MD 50mm f3.5 macro was the last of the 7 versions Minolta made. Production of the lenses started in 1981, after the SR mount had been in use for more than 2 decades.
Copies are easy to find and affordable. Without the 25mm extension tube, the lens can only go to 1:2 magnification. However, that makes it smaller and more suitable for use as a standard lens.
The f3.5 maximum aperture is fine for closeup photography. The lens will be stopped down to maximize depth-of-field. It is lighter than the 50mm f1.8 or f1.8 alternatives.
Panagor was a brand name used by Jaca Corporation in the UK, Europe, and Asia. Jaca distributed re-branded photography gear manufactured by other companies. The Panagor 55mm f/3 macro lens was made by Komine.
If you’re in the US, don’t bother looking for a Panagor version. The Panagor brand was marketed throughout Europe. The Vivitar version can actually be found.
The Canon FD 100mm f/4 macro lens is front heavy and only goes to 1:2 magnification. Despite that, the lens is sharp when stopped down to f/8.
A 50mm extension tube is needed to get to 1:1 magnification. Adapting the lens to a mirrorless camera body adds even more extension. For the lens to be usable on a mirrorless camera, a tripod collar will be needed. The amount of weight from the lens will damage a camera mount.