Buying camera just because of the lens.

[lynnb]

I bought a Topcon RE Super for its Topcor 58mm f/1.4 lens. It's a large camera and the shutter is not exactly subtle but the lens is great!

Topcon-RE-Super_1 by lynnb's snaps, on Flickr

twilight #774 by lynnb's snaps, on Flickr

 

[Dogman]

I just bought a used Olympus OMD EM1 body so I could use my old Olympus 4/3 lenses (with adapters) on a Micro 4/3 body. I guess that qualifies as buying a camera just because of the lens.

I love those lenses but my old Olympus 4/3 bodies are no longer fun to use.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Have you ever purchased camera just because you have lens?

If you started with a lens cap, and work back from I'd think you were a bit crazy (don't laugh I know people who have!) but starting with a lens and getting a body to put it on... sure, why not. I've never done it but I could see myself doing it for a lens that interested me.

 

[mich rassena]

I own the Kiev 19 camera.

The native lenses are good optically but just like the Kiev 60 lenses, the auto aperture gets gummed up over time because of oil in the lens migrating to the diaphragm blades and making them stick open.

Very good to know. Quite a few of those lenses are available for auction, and it's hard to know the good from the bad. If I buy one, maybe I'll just plan on having to open it up.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Another case for me: Hearing about the quality of the Yashica Electro lens, I bought this fixed lens camera purely for the lens. The body is good but nothing about the body particularly interested me. Bought and used just for the lens. In fact, I bought a couple of these gems.

Here's one (red lettering is non-standard):

 

[Peter_S]

An M9 (now "affordable") to fully use the potential of the VM Ultron 21mm, which has become my favourite lens for digital

 

[Godfrey]

Essentially, I bought the Hasselblad SWC specifically because I wanted that Zeiss Biogon 38mm f/4.5 T* lens. 🙂

G

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I bought the Konica Hexar AF because of the lens. Wish I never sold it.
A long time ago i bought a Spotmatic 500 just for the Super-Multi-Coated 50mm f/1.4 that was stuck to it.
I invested into a whole Mamiya 6 kit just for the 50mm lens and it was probably the best photographic decision I ever made. Bought a second body just to mate the 50mm to exclusively.
Just the other day I thought about buying a Fed-5 just for the J-8 lens on it.

Phil Forrest

 

[Calzone]

I bought the Konica Hexar AF because of the lens. Wish I never sold it.
A long time ago i bought a Spotmatic 500 just for the Super-Multi-Coated 50mm f/1.4 that was stuck to it.
I invested into a whole Mamiya 6 kit just for the 50mm lens and it was probably the best photographic decision I ever made. Bought a second body just to mate the 50mm to exclusively.
Just the other day I thought about buying a Fed-5 just for the J-8 lens on it.

Phil Forrest

Phil,

I owned a Mamiya 6 and my only lens was the 50mm.

I ended up loosing the Mamiya rig in a trade with an art dealer for some vintage Bruce Davidson prints from the Welsh Miners series.

That 50 on a Mamiya 6 was a great walk around camera.

Cal

 

[Ko.Fe.]

UPD: I tested camera with Keiv lens. It was great.

I have Nikkor 50 E (one of the latest ones) lens now.

 

[ForestCap]

I bought my Pentax MX for the 40mm f/2.8 on it.

And ME for the SMC Pentax K 55mm f/1.8. It's one of a few lenses that justify the heft of it.

 

[Calzone]

Bought a 1958 2x3 Linof Tech IV with a Zeiss 100/2.8 Planar.

The camera body is a shelf queen, and the camera came with mucho extras: cable release; grip; masks; hood; film holders; instruction manuals. The body and extras alone were worth the $750.00 I paid.

The 100/2.8 Planar has lens separation on the rear element, so the gamble here is whether or not John at Focal Point can repair this lens. I feel lucky...

Pretty much this camera is as old as me and if I can get the Planar repaired I have a killer deal for no money.

Cal

UPDATE: Sent the Linhof Select Zeiss 100/2.8 Planar to John at Focal Point to have the lens separation repaired. Cost was $250.00.

The risk here was that separating the elements to be able to recement them involves heat, compounded by use of different materials that have different rates of coefficient of expansion that could cause shattering of a lens element. The risk was on me, and if the lens was unrepairable I would still have to foot the bill. In other words all the risk was mine.

I should be getting my successfully repaired 100 Planar delivered tomorrow. I'm a lucky guy. I feel like I just won a lottery.

BTW the entire camera is mucho clean like a time machine going back to 1958.

Cal

 

[css9450]

I suspect most of the inexpensive Nicca and Tower camera bodies available on Ebay are there because someone scooped them up for their Nikkor lenses, then flipped the bodies.

 

[iamzip]

I foolishly bought the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2 in Canon EOS mount, even though I really couldn't justify it. I had a digital rebel XT and a 35mm rebel K2 at the time, but neither of those is really suited to manual focusing. So, I found a Canon EF-M, the only manual focus 35mm camera canon made in EOS mount. It is a decontented model built for low price export only, but it has a very nice focusing screen.

http://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/film149.html

 

[lxmike]

Yes a Rollei 35 for the Tessar and a Nikon EM for the E series 100mm 2.8

 

[Huss]

I bought an M10 for the 50mm Apo that came with it.

 

[Rayt]

I bought a Retina for the 47mm Ektar. I had in mind to have the Ektar converted to M mount but the folding Retina body is so compact I am going to try to shoot with it.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I recently bought a Nikon FG for the Micro Nikkor 55 2.8 that was on it.

 

[Archlich]

A Kodak Medalist II arrived last month. Went to the technician last week, came back fully functional.

Its 100/3.5 Ektar will shine!

 

[p.giannakis]

Have you ever purchased camera just because you have lens?

Plenty of times - most notably a Zorki 4 for the J-8 to be used with my Leica and more recently an Olympus 35DC with sticky shutter just for the wonderful Zuiko 40 f/1.7.

Top example for me - I bought dead cheap a non functional Voigtlander Focusing Brillant. I don't shoot much MF and i am not a great fun of TLR's either but this example came with the legendary 75 f/3.5 Heliar.

Still waiting to be seen by the camera doctor in order to be fully appreciated...