Ordering a fisheye from Russia

Larry H. - Atlanta, GA , Sep 06, 2010; 05:39 p.m.

My daughter would really like to have some sort of fisheye lens to use with her Minolta SRT 102. She uses one sometimes from school, but finding the right adapter has been a pain. I cannot afford a Minolta MC/MD Rokkor Fisheye. And everything I have read says that fisheye auxiliary lenses are no good (which she really does not care about, but I do). However, B&H has a fisheye auxiliary lens for $80 which looks better made than most of them--an Opteka 0.3x adapter that is multicoated and uses some sort of low dispersion glass supposedly. Does anyone know anything about it?

Well, I am also considering ordering a Zenitar 16mm/2.8 in M42 mount. That way it could be used on both the Minolta and on my Canon DSLR (albeit at a 1.6x crop factor). Years ago, I asked how a Zenitar would do for astrophotography and the response was do not expect too much. But I figure it is still much better than fisheye adapter at about $200 vs. $80.

My questions are 1) do you think a Zenitar is a good idea for my daughter to use and 2) Can anyone suggest a good vendor to order one from in Russia? (There used to be an outfit here in Atlanta called Kiev Camera, but they do not seem to still be in business.)

Thanks, Larry

Responses

Starvy Goodfellows , Sep 06, 2010; 05:48 p.m.

Not sure if this is cheap but they are an outlet many had used - http://www.rugift.com/
I could not answer your fisheye question though. I still shoot some film and find that using digital processing of the negative through photoshop allows me for a bit more control when using cheap and inferior lenses.

Michael R. Freeman , Sep 06, 2010; 05:54 p.m.

There are two USA based sellers offering new M42 16/2.8 Zenitars on eBay, and there is currently also a used copy available from a seller in CA (use the advanced search to limit the results to "Only show items: Located in United States"). I have no connection to the vendors, and have not purchased from any of them, so caveat emptor.

Dennis Hussey , Sep 06, 2010; 08:51 p.m.

Hi Larry,

You want to make sure that you get it to mount on the Minolta MD mount and not the Sony/Minolta AF mount. If you got it in M42, you will have to buy an adapter and make sure it focuses to infinity (some don't). There is a Minolta MD mount Zenitar 16mm lens on ebay - no adapter needed.

See item #160477279477

Dennis Hussey , Sep 06, 2010; 08:52 p.m.

Actually here is one even less expensive in Minolta MD mount:

item #260398450831

Sarah Fox , Sep 07, 2010; 12:38 p.m.

The Zenitar 16 is one of my favorite lenses. You can't beat the fun-to-cost ratio! Here's a review I wrote about the lens:

http://www.graphic-fusion.com/zenitar16.htm

By coincidence, a member of my extended family also owns this lens. He bought it back in the 70's! It's one of his favorite lenses too. ;-)

Larry H. - Atlanta, GA , Sep 08, 2010; 12:01 p.m.

Thanks everyone. I ordered an M42 version from a vendor in the US. That way, a return will be easier if necessary. I wanted an M42 version because I wanted to use it on both a Minolta MC camera and on my EOS.

Sarah, your review was very good, informative and thorough.

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