Buying camera just because of the lens.

[retinax]

I'm keeping my Olympus 35 RD because of the amazing lens. The ergonomics of the thing don't work for me nearly as good as its little brother, the RC, so I keep eondering if I should sell it, but that lens...
I'm also keeping my Spotmatic for the 50/1.4 Super Takumar. Well, I'm telling myself that, but the real reason is that it's so nice to fondle.

 

[Chris101]

Have you ever purchased camera just because you have lens?
...

Yes, just a few weeks ago I did just that! I had a screw mount Voigtlander 15mm, the one without rangefinder coupling. So I bought a Bessa-L, the perfect match for it. Now the lens is much happier on the Bessa, and my M4P doesn't need the ugly and bulky external finder, and it's rangefinder doesn't feel neglected.

 

[Doug]

Years ago I was wandering around the annual "camera show" flea market and came across a nice used Tokina 500mm mirror lens in Olympus OM mount. I figured it had an interchangeable mount and I could use it on my Pentax SLR. Well, as I searched the show for a Pentax mount for it, I learned the mount was a fixed one.

So, as things were starting to shut down for the day I scurried around and bought an Olympus OM-G just to use that lens, compounding the error so to speak. Then, having the OM-G body I broadened its use by getting the 1.8/50mm lens, and then the 3.5/135mm as well. Ok, now I have an OM-G kit, all due to the error of getting that Tokina mirror... 🙂

 

[Rick Waldroup]

A few years ago, I purchased a Panasonic L1, mainly so I could get my hands on the excellent Pana/Leica 2.8 zoom that came with the camera.

 

[Chris101]

Years ago I was wandering around the annual "camera show" flea market and came across a nice used Tokina 500mm mirror lens in Olympus OM mount. I figured it had an interchangeable mount and I could use it on my Pentax SLR. Well, as I searched the show for a Pentax mount for it, I learned the mount was a fixed one.

So, as things were starting to shut down for the day I scurried around and bought an Olympus OM-G just to use that lens, compounding the error so to speak. Then, having the OM-G body I broadened its use by getting the 1.8/50mm lens, and then the 3.5/135mm as well. Ok, now I have an OM-G kit, all due to the error of getting that Tokina mirror... 🙂

OMG man! ;P

 

[skucera]

About 15 years ago my toddler daughter pulled my EOS 650 off of the dining room table by its strap. It smashed its lens and focusing screen. About a year ago I saw another old EOS Rebel in a ziplock bag with what looked like my original 650's kit lens in a thrift store. I bought it for the lens, just to get my old EOS 650 one step closer to being functional again. This summer I found another EOS 650 with its focusing screen intact but without a lens, so my old camera is fully functional again. I donated the Rebel body back to the same thrift store, and junked the now useless "new" EOS 650 that donated its focusing screen. (It was scuffed up anyway, and my old 650 was still very clean looking, despite its fall years ago.) It's like meeting an old friend, having that camera in my hands. I took a lot of pictures with that old camera years ago, back when the EOS concept was still new and "leading edge."

Scott

 

[Doug]

OMG man! ;P

Coincidental? 😀

 

[Axel]

Have you ever purchased camera just because you have lens?

...

And Helios-81H (H is for Nikon mount) lens...
It is small, it is all metal, it has shiny aperture blades 🙂, it is MC and glass is with Lanthanum. The way it renders indoors and wide open is impressive. IMO, impressive comparing to OM.Zuiko 50 1.8 ...

No I have not and - I guess - I wouldn´t do so.
The Helios-81 was produced in M42 mount also. Would rather look for this version and use that instead buying one way street nikon mount.

The pictures I´ve seen that have been taken with the Helios-81 are very similar to what my Helios 44 (2/58) produced.
Swirly "bokeh" and and a more cool-greenish colour rendering.
An individual footprint lens in any case I think.

 

[JoeLopez]

I recently bought a damaged FM2 for the 35mm f2 AI attached. I sold the FM2 and lens at a later date.

 

[jmilkins]

Yup. Konica Hexar AF because of the lens. And a Leica M5 in a auction for a good price considering the 35mm summilux it was sporting. Though I did by another M5 after that!

Oh and a Blad SWC, Rollei 35 Rf because of the 40mm 2.8, Ricoh GR1s Yashica T4, Minolta TC 1, GR Digital, and Olympus 35 SP. And the list continues...

Lens GAS is contagious...

 

[narsuitus]

Have you ever purchased camera just because you have lens?

Yes!

I owned the Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 long before I decided which micro 4/3 body to buy for it.


20mm f/1.7 by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[Arved]

I was looking on eBay for a Zorki-4K with a Jupiter 8 lens. Found one that included a Zorki-4 and Jupiter 12 (35/2.8). The '4 supposedly has a light leak. Test roll in the mail back to me, but the '4K and J-8 look and perform well.

The J-12 sealed the deal, though.

 

[Timmyjoe]

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

Its 100/3.5 Ektar will shine!

Just out of curiosity, who did you send your Kodak Medalist II to for service. I was not aware that anyone serviced them anymore.

Best,
-Tim

 

[sepiareverb]

The 0 serie has a truly stunning lens. I was very tempted to hack it to M mount.

 

[filmtwit]

A few years back I purchased a broken Konica Hexar AF and sent it off to Japan to extract the lens from it. Good lens and well worth the over all price. But it never meshed well with the Leica m240 and eventually sold it so fund a 35mm f2 cron asph.

 

[webOSUser]

Been wanting a F-mount 135mm lens. Friend at work gave me her not working Nikon EM with a Nikon E series 135mm f2.8 and pancake 50mm f1.8.

One could say I accepted the camera to get the lenses.

 

[capitalK]

I picked up a Canon VT with green corrosion all over it from a thrift store a few months ago just for the attached 50mm Nikkor f/2 H-C lens that was spotless (looks like the filter has been on it since the 1950s).

After a quick cleaning, the VT turned out to be a decent shooter and I have been using them ever since.

 

[zuiko85]

I bought a battery eating Olympus OM-2Sp for $100 because it had a pristine 40mm f2 Zuiko on it. Later sold the lens for about $400. I kept the 2Sp for a while and made a "L" grip for it that held 2 AAA batteries that powered the camera. That took care of the battery drain problem in the most basic way, bigger batteries.

Gone backwards too, bought a M42 mount, 55mm f2.8 Vivitar 1:1 macro in pawn shop for $20 but didn't have a M42 body, finally found a Fujica ST 605n for $25 that serves well enough.

 

[rogue_designer]

I've done that with modern cameras too. That's the reason I have a Fuji X100 - no other.

Just consider it a fancy rear lens cap. 😀

 

[Tom R]

I bought a Leica M 8.2 in order to have a digital body for my existing set of Leica M lenses. I still use that camera, although I prefer to work with film.

In retrospect, I'm glad that I read this and other on-line forums so that I didn't buy an M9 or a similar box as these seem to have recurring sensor problems.