Y’all, I’ve been bitten badly by the collecting bug. My items of choice are film SLRs and old-school lenses. It all started out so innocently when I bought a DSLR last summer. After a year of becoming comfortable with the basics of photography, I decided it was time to start adding lenses to get more variety and creativity in my shots. But, the newer autofocus lenses are expensive, especially for someone on a fixed income. So, I did something that I think has kicked off a collecting hobby, or maybe… addiction?

I started stalking eBay and my local craigslist for old manual focus lenses from back in the days. I have a Pentax DSLR, so not only can I use lenses made especially for Pentax digital SLRs, I can also use any lens ever made for Pentax film cameras, regardless of manufacturer. Well, stalking paid off, because last Sunday I picked up two prime lenses AND a Pentax film camera (with a cable release!), all in really good condition, for $60!!

I know I just wrote about my new additions, but the fact that I can confidently say that I got over $100 worth of really good photography equipment for $60 is major. Everyone who knows me knows at least two things about me: I don’t like spending money I can’t justify, and I love finding good deals and bargains. I think what made me get more excited, and blog about this again, is that when I researched the Pentax ME Super film SLR I found out it was a highly liked and recommended film camera.

The icing on the cake was that I wanted to try to making star trail pictures, and the ME Super (with a cable release) was recommended as a good camera to used to do astrophotography without a telescope. That last part sounds complicated, but it’s really a simple process involving a tripod, film SLR camera (preferred, but DSLRs can do them, too), and a cable release, all of which I now have. Star trail photo credits: Peter Michaud (Gemini Observatory) and MSNBC.

The two new (to me) lenses are not the best, but they’re decent and can produce some great results in the right conditions. There are some 135mm and 50mm lenses that are more recommended than the ones I have, but right now I can’t find any in my price range on eBay, KEH.com, or any other used camera websites. Oh wait, I think I may have seen some on the National Camera Exchange website. Oops, I was wrong. I just checked (I have the site bookmarked), and they don’t.

What’s kind of weird to me is that on photography message boards, I see all these posts about people finding great lenses for $20 and $30 dollars on eBay, and I have to wonder if they’re talking about auctions or the Buy It Now option. I always use the latter, because I don’t have the patience to wait a week for an auction to end – or the nerves to stand a bidding war – and I have yet to see these great lenses for so low a price. Either my luck is bad or I’m really missing out by not bidding. So, I guess if bidding is how to get the really good stuff, then maybe I need to give it a try. At any rate…

I now own the following:

Pentax K10D & Pentax 18-55mm AL II Lens

Lens in photo is the 1st generation AL; I have the AL II.
Photo Credit: Flickr user Kornichon

Pentax ME Super film SLR & SMC Pentax-M 50mm Lens

Photo Credit: Whitemetal.com

Asahi Pentax Takumar Bayonet 135mm Lens

Photo Credit: Flickr user James_Gu

Note: The Pentax Takumar Bayonet lenses are NOT “real” Takumar lenses. Pentax resurrected the Takumar name for a budget line of zooms and primes that lacked the usual Pentax multi-coating aka SMC/S-M-C aka Super Multi Coated. Source: Wikipedia Takumar entry.