What have you just BOUGHT?

Airline ticket, car rental, and hotels to visit the majestic redwood groves in Northern California. No costs photographically; those will come as I put together a portfolio of platinum palladium prints.
 
At a camera show last weekend I picked up a nice (ish) Carl Zeiss Jena Triotar 135mm f4 for $20. Quite a nice bargain I thought, even though it was in rough condition cosmetically and mechanically and also is in Exakta mount which is admittedly less desirable than the M42 or M39 version - which affects price. Optically though it is beautiful. And its a lens I have heard a lot about for its sharpness and bokeh.

When I got it home I decided I could start cleaning the exterior with little risk and carefully went to it with metal polish to get rid of the built up oxides on the body which was looking very shabby. An hour or two of work had it looking exceedingly nice and clean with a satin finish. I have an Exakta to M4/3 adapter and tried the lens out and confirmed that these things produce exceedingly nice images - sharp, low contrast with pleasant bokeh. Who would have thought that this image quality is possible with only 3 elements.

The next day I researched the process for disassembly, cleaning and relubing which it needed badly, being almost but not quite unmovable. Having ascertained the process from some internet posts, I decided to try it. This type of lens is after all perhaps amongst the simplest of all lenses to CLA. But having said this, I am only too aware after previous disasters that while getting any lens apart may be easy, getting it back together again with parts in the correct relationship is another thing entirely. The problem being if you are not experienced you are not necessarily certain which relationships are critical. And written instructions on the internet only get you so far. All I can say is measure and mark first (especially the inner and outer helical relationship), make notes and take photos at each stage. I did the first but not the latter and of course, I paid a price when reassembly time came. The hardest thing is that without experience it is difficult to know (a) what disassembly sequence to follow (b) what function is performed by specific screws etc and hence what to do with them (some do not need removal) (c) which relationships between parts are crucial to proper function.

Still, I summoned my courage such as it is I gave it a go aided by the internet. The first step required me to fabricate a kind of "key" to open an internal retaining ring that holds the optical block to the focusing unit and which cannot be reached by normal spanner wrenches as it is deep inside the body. That done I set to. I can say I am now certainly experienced...... :(. After cleaning a ton of black gunk (degraded grease mixed with dirt and metal particles) from the helical threads and relubing of them with lithium grease it took at least 7-8 attempts at reassembly before I eventually worked out the correct relationships and got everything back together and working as it should with the lens focusing properly, both close up and at infinity. I cannot wait to try it out properly as it is now smooth as silk to focus.

And I think I now have enough courage and knowledge to strip my m39 Jupiter 9 to CLA its helicals - amor ecomplex strip down I believe.

The image below is not my lens but its of the same type (this lens came in a skinny and fat version - mine being the fat one). Quite an impressive piece of equipment for something made in East Germany after the war. And boy is it optically good. Go figure..........

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Nikkormat FT body, $15. It's in good shape and complements the Nikkormat FS and lenses someone recently gave me.
 
Panasonic 12-60 the basic one as a walkabout zoom and an Olympus 45mm 1.8 for gigs so I can sell off the Nex6 and 55mm and rationalise/lighten my stuff.
 
Sony A7 II and a Metabones EF to E adapter.

I considered the IIR and the A7 III, but price won out. I only plan on using it with adapted glass (Pentax, Nikkor, QBM Zeiss, etc).

Most of my lenses already have adapters to EOS, so I bought one good adapter, which will also autofocus all of my Canon glass.
 
Also picked up a Bay III hood and red filter for my Rolleiflex. Found both at two different booths at an outdoor antique market.

A pro pack of Portra 800 and another of Fuji Pro 400H, both in 120 format.
 
5 more pro packs of Acros 120. I should have enough Acros to last me a good 7 years or more. I've never hoarded a film the way I have with Acros.
 
Totally unexciting, but I picked up a Sears KSX-P Dual2 Program 35mm SLR today, complete with Sears Auto MC 50mm 1:1.7 49mm filter K-mount lens. I found it at a thrift shop for $11.99.

I really just wanted the lens, but the camera appears to be functional as well. Still had a VERY old roll of mostly-exposed C-41 film in it. In the old days, I'd have had that developed just to see what was on it. With the death of one-hour inexpensive developing, I will probably just pitch it.

The lens is working quite nicely on my Pentax K-x, I might test it out this weekend. I doubt I'll use the body, but maybe someday.
 
I bought yet another Weston Ranger 9 meter...it didn't work but was in like new condition along with a case that was in the same shape...I wasn't planning on getting it fixed but did anyway...I needed to return one because it died under warranty..so now I have three in great working condition...I might send one to my cousin who's wanting to learn more about manual metering...
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Tamron 100-400mm. I was looking at a Summicron 90mm or Canon LTM 135mm but came to the view that rangefinders aren't meant for those focal lengths. My DSLR setup is now limited to the Tamron plus a macro lens.
 
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