I love Pentax even more because of ebay

[detritus]

every once in awhile, ebay reminds me of how wonderful it is to be a pentaxian :lovegrin: the hundreds of legacy lenses floating around for an extremely affordable price is simply mind-boggling.

the most recent reminder came via the speedpost courier 2 hrs ago - a mint copy of the sigma 50mm f2.8 macro.

this is the old MF version and it is capable of 1:1 magnification. Min focusing distance very close at 1:1, which is a problem for all short macro lenses. but i was looking for a short, MF macro lens with a decent focus throw so i decided to give this one a try. anyway, i collect macro lenses so when a mint copy came along at what i felt to be a very decent price, i put in a good max bid and won the auction.

this is a PK-A lens, with the A setting on the aperture ring, so its possible to control the aperture from the camera body.

i believe a fellow forum member had posted a review of it some time ago and has a copy himself

the condition is what i feel to be VERY mint... hardly any user marks at all.

came with original front and rear lens cap.

 

[detritus]

fully extended - focusing ring is a bit smoother than i expected... which might be a problem as i prefer slightly more friction. but it still gives sufficient control.

glass is very clean

anyone else has used this lens before? please share your experiences with it

 

[fengwei]

Congrats!

I know Denis had one, probably still has it, and he loved it.

 

[detritus]

Congrats!

I know Denis had one, probably still has it, and he loved it.

yes. i read his review... although there are some who say that there are variations between copies and some are quite :thumbsd: i thot for that price, i can afford to take a chance and play with it for a bit

 

[fengwei]

There is no bad macro lens. If someone says a macro lens is a lousy one, he/she doesn't really know what's a macro lens for I guess

 

[oceanpriest]

Congratz! What a mint copy u have there :thumbsup:

 

[detritus]

There is no bad macro lens. If someone says a macro lens is a lousy one, he/she doesn't really know what's a macro lens for I guess

agree with u... they're mostly all sharp.

but as i learnt from Marcus, the difference is the bokeh however, that's a really subjective criteria so its really impossible to say "good" or "bad" on that basis alone.

 

[detritus]

Congratz! What a mint copy u have there :thumbsup:

one more to play with for the next macro outing :bsmilie:

 

[gummy73]

Congrats Bro

 

[otc]

Good for taking weaver ants. The closer you get, the more active the ants will be.

Post some pictures as well.

marcus

 

[detritus]

Congrats Bro

thanks my collection is growing :lovegrin:

Good for taking weaver ants. The closer you get, the more active the ants will be.

Post some pictures as well.

marcus

soon soon no time to test tonight... will take it out for a shoot tomorrow night to see how it fares.

and i think i'll pass on weaver ants... :sweat: had a bad experience with them once...

 

[creampuff]

Congrats Donald on your Sigma 50mm macro. I do use it a lot for product shooting and I actually think it is slightly better than the A 50mm f/2.8 Macro. This lens is really a jewel but with this thread, the value and availability will be affected because everyone will be on the lookout for one.

 

[detritus]

Congrats Donald on your Sigma 50mm macro. I do use it a lot for product shooting and I actually think it is slightly better than the A 50mm f/2.8 Macro. This lens is really a jewel but with this thread, the value and availability will be affected because everyone will be on the lookout for one.

the good news is that its not a particularly rare or expensive lens so prospective buyers should be well informed about the historical transaction value.

its not like the vivitar 105, voigtlander 125 or the pentax a200f4, which are really in a class of their own and getting really pricey

 

[ricsal]

Wah Donald. Another Gem. Congrats.

 

[genecor]

Congrats... that Lens really looks to be in tip-top condition!!

 

[felixcat8888]

Congrats Donald it's a wonderful copy :thumbsup:

 

[pentriot]

There is no bad macro lens. If someone says a macro lens is a lousy one, he/she doesn't really know what's a macro lens for I guess

Agreed. I need sturdy arms for macro shoot.
Thought I had a bad copy A100/2.8 macro until my buddy took some shots with it and convinced me.

 

[snapnut]

The lens looks great. I've look at your blog... impressive set of macro lenses

I like old lenses as well... recently aquired a Tamron adaptall 2 90mm 52b... but no time to try it out yet

 

[detritus]

Wah Donald. Another Gem. Congrats.

thanks. will bring and play next time we go shoot

Congrats... that Lens really looks to be in tip-top condition!!

Congrats Donald it's a wonderful copy :thumbsup:

thanks all its a good find. i was afraid that the rubber focusing ring might be messed up... that is the most obvious exterior flaw for this type of designs.

 

[detritus]

Agreed. I need sturdy arms for macro shoot.
Thought I had a bad copy A100/2.8 macro until my buddy took some shots with it and convinced me.

if its a bad copy, i don't mind helping u to get rid of it :bsmilie: i'll make room for an A100F2.8.

The lens looks great. I've look at your blog... impressive set of macro lenses

I like old lenses as well... recently aquired a Tamron adaptall 2 90mm 52b... but no time to try it out yet

i just updated cos i sold one recently i had the DA35-Ltd but it was WAY underutilised. its too short for insect macro and i prefer the FA50 as a general walkabout lens cos of the bigger aperture.

and if u think my collection is impressive, u really ain't seen nothing yet... there are some hidden dragons in the forum