View single post by Robert

Posted: Wed Dec 28th, 2016 09:51

Joined:	Mon Apr 2nd, 2012
Location:	South Lakeland, UK
Posts:	4066
Status:	Offline

Sounds like we are both in the same boat! My pension is pretty tight. I have bought most of my lens gear on the cheap, choosing stuff that most people would ignore, mainly non zoom, manual focus lenses but they are all full frame and generally pretty fast, like my Nikkor 105mm f2.5 pre IA, which I converted myself. I have a 105mm EL f5.6 enlarger lens for my bellows/extension tubes which I use for UV photography of flowers.

Some of the old lenses are gems, others are crap, you have to know which are which! If you get lucky you can snap up a bargain if the seller hasn't realised what they have and don't describe it right. Rummage in boxes at jumble sales, sometimes you get lucky.

However, photography uses expensive gear, on a budget everything is a compromise. With imagination you can get wonderful results on a shoestring, even a pinhole lens can make a nice image with patience.

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Robert.