kevistopheles
TalkEmount Hall of Famer
"Gear Liquidation Syndrome" was coined by one of my friends on mu-43 and I suppose it is pretty accurate. I have this tendency to sell off gear I am not using (with a vengeance). I have never liked having stuff lying around unused. I buy stuff that I see on sale and for good prices and sell it when it becomes clear I'm not going to use it. My general rule of thumb is that if it has a coat of dust on it deep enough to be easily noticed then it's time to think about "the sale table". Since I got my NEX I have been collecting MF lenses and I find myself with a number of them. They are all good but it's really feeling like a few of these need to go. I am not particularly sentimental about gear. If i am not using them I would just as soon convert them to cash and get something else. I tend to be a bit obsessive about it.
I have a brace of Konicas...24/2.8, 50/1.7, 50/1.4 and 40/1.8 as well as Super Takuamar 28/3.5 (SMC) and 50/1.4, a Helios 44M a newly acquired Pen-F 38/1.8. The ones that I definitely will be keeping are the Konica 24/2.8, and Pen-F 38/1.8. I am on the fence about the Super Takumars. I love the way they feel in the hand (the best build quality of any of my lenses) and the 50 in particular render images beautifully but I'm not feeling wowed by them. The lenses on the bubble are:
Konica 40/1.8
it is a spectacularly sharp lens stopped down to f2.8 or more. The Pen-F 38/1.8 however is sharper wide open, smaller and has a bit nicer feel in the hand.
Super Takumar 28/3.5
it's beautiful small and compact but it can't touch the Konica 24/2.8
Konica 50/1.7, 50/1.4 and Super Takumar 50/1.4
I think I'll only keep one of them. The Konica 50/1.7 is ridiculously sharp, The Konica 50/1.4 is also very sharp and has lovely boken and the Super Takumar has just a wonderful image quality although a tiny bit softer than the Konicas. I'm not an absolute sharpness freak and am leaning toward the Super Takumar but it's close.
Helios 44M 58/2
This is a puzzler. I don't use it that much, it's biggish and heavy and on the NEX gives me the equivalent of an 87/2 telephoto. It is a pretty great length for portraits and the rendering of the Helios is out of this world.
FWIW the only lenses I have ever regretting selling are an OM50/1.4 with an over 1.1 million SN, a Pen-F 40/1.4 and a Konica 24/2.8. Luckily I got a better Konica 24/2.8 when I finally found another one for sale and the Pen-F 38 is a actually a bit sharper than the 40/1.4. I still miss that OM50/1.4 though. So...what would you sell off?
I have a brace of Konicas...24/2.8, 50/1.7, 50/1.4 and 40/1.8 as well as Super Takuamar 28/3.5 (SMC) and 50/1.4, a Helios 44M a newly acquired Pen-F 38/1.8. The ones that I definitely will be keeping are the Konica 24/2.8, and Pen-F 38/1.8. I am on the fence about the Super Takumars. I love the way they feel in the hand (the best build quality of any of my lenses) and the 50 in particular render images beautifully but I'm not feeling wowed by them. The lenses on the bubble are:
Konica 40/1.8
it is a spectacularly sharp lens stopped down to f2.8 or more. The Pen-F 38/1.8 however is sharper wide open, smaller and has a bit nicer feel in the hand.
Super Takumar 28/3.5
it's beautiful small and compact but it can't touch the Konica 24/2.8
Konica 50/1.7, 50/1.4 and Super Takumar 50/1.4
I think I'll only keep one of them. The Konica 50/1.7 is ridiculously sharp, The Konica 50/1.4 is also very sharp and has lovely boken and the Super Takumar has just a wonderful image quality although a tiny bit softer than the Konicas. I'm not an absolute sharpness freak and am leaning toward the Super Takumar but it's close.
Helios 44M 58/2
This is a puzzler. I don't use it that much, it's biggish and heavy and on the NEX gives me the equivalent of an 87/2 telephoto. It is a pretty great length for portraits and the rendering of the Helios is out of this world.
FWIW the only lenses I have ever regretting selling are an OM50/1.4 with an over 1.1 million SN, a Pen-F 40/1.4 and a Konica 24/2.8. Luckily I got a better Konica 24/2.8 when I finally found another one for sale and the Pen-F 38 is a actually a bit sharper than the 40/1.4. I still miss that OM50/1.4 though. So...what would you sell off?
