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UltravioletPhotography

Grab a bargain: Soligor 35mm f3.5 on eBay


Timber

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http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251635930224

 

This is a good lens for UV Photography and for this price it's an absolute bargain! Read Enrico's review about these Soligors here: http://www.savazzi.n.../35soligor.html

 

My personal experience (which is just a few hours):

Very good UV performance

Okay in Center, sharpens up a bit stopped down.

Soft, smeared in the corners for close subjects gets a little better for far objects, could be okay for landscape.

I only tried a quick portrait in VIS and the softening towards the corners gives a little special feeling (almost Petzval like)...

Personally I would recommend this lens for anyone who is on a budget and wants a good performer for UV landscapes.

 

Hope someone here will be happy like I was when I got mine (just arrived today :D)

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eBay auctions can be treacherous when people don't understand how to bid prudently. Anyone entering these actions should decide beforehand how high a bid one will accept and when bidding goes through the roof, leave immediately. Bidding days ahead of the end point serves absolutely no sensible purpose and can only act to inflate the final price.

 

There are of course automated methods ('sniping') available to 'catch' the auction at the last possible time, but the concern about bid maximum still stands.

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You mean hammersnipe?

 

Alex I don't believe many people here will actually need that lens as they either have it or have better. I don't know how many beginners we have here who might looking for this lens, so I highly doubt it will go sky high...

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You mean hammersnipe?

[...]

I used JBidwatcher in the past. It did what it is supposed to do, and it's free. I agree with Bjørn, early bids are the wrong strategy (for a buyer). Sniping seems to be best for both winners and losers, because it leaves no time for other bidders to change their mind and try to overbid you, and in this way push up the price for everybody. Another advantage of sniping is that you set it up in advance with the maximum price you are willing to pay, and the rest is automatic. You just walk away, and avoid being tempted into overbidding in a bid war.

 

These Soligor remain a good alternative, when available at the right price. Remember that you can stop them down to f/22 in the UV without degrading image quality (as long as you have a powerful enough flash).

 

I haven't noticed any significant price inflation or scarcity of these lenses on eBay after publishing about them a couple of years ago, and one more mention on a bulletin board is not going to change that. There are at a minimum several dozens of these lenses available out there for each of us UV photographers. Once in a while, a seller gets the wrong idea and advertises something (anything, not only one of these lenses) at fantasy prices :) , but no one forces you to buy that.

 

One weakness of these lenses is the projecting rear element, which is easily damaged by putting down the lens on a table or in a bag without rear cap. The typical damage is a small "bald spot" at the center where the lens coatings have worn off. This is the first thing I check. This damage is often visible in pictures of the lens even if not described by the seller. On the other hand, the effect on image quality is only a modest reduction in contrast.

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I stopped using sniping myself for several reasons. Firstly, because an eBay auction is a quite uncertain method of getting what you really require; secondly, because your sniping software in some cases cannot prevent the base price level to rise anyway. Thus, you either end up paying near the maximum you set (if you win) or are outbid. To make it economical you have to set a low maximum which of course lowers your chances of winning significantly.

 

These days, I prefer to purchase directly from a dealer.

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One weakness of these lenses is the projecting rear element

For sure!!!! One definitely needs to make sure the lens comes with cap or if not, order one right away. Even in a "soft" lens case, there is a danger of wear on these kind of lenses.

 

These days, I prefer to purchase directly from a dealer.

Nice if you can find them!! Here I've little choice but to goto Ebay. Although I tend to purchase from Buy It Now sales rather than auction. Still, auctions can be fun. Sometimes you get cool stuff that way on the cheaps.

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