Rebecca Lane wrote:
[Lots of questions on the use of off-brand manual lenses on her ZX-50 with
Achiever 260AF flash....]
Hi Rebecca,
What a dilemma. Sorry to say, but I don't believe those lenses are likely
to fetch much on the resale market. Perhaps USD $20 or $30 each on eBay?
But you never know with eBay prices. I'd be tempted to cover them up and
put them away in storage (filter end facing down, with aperture ring set to
the smallest-diameter aperture), just in case the day comes when one of your
kids decides he/she might be interested in using some of Mom's old gear.
Maybe the best approach for new (or newly acquired) lenses is to decide what
focal length you tend to shoot at most of the time, then pick up one decent
lens and see if that meets your needs. Is 200mm or so a good working
distance most of the time, but you find you also need coverage in the
intermediate end sometimes? Perhaps an SMC-F 70-210/4.0-5.6 would fit the
bill quite nicely. I think you can get a used one in XLNT condition in the
neighborhood of $125 or less. I believe there's also a more recent SMC-F
zoom of 80-200mm focal length range and moderate aperture that's also rated
pretty well in terms of optics and build. If you don't mind focusing
manually, there are even more excellent options. If you want faster glass
but you don't want to spend a fortune, I think you might be better off with
a couple of fast primes (used, manual focus, SMC). Check Stan Halpin's site
(http://www.concentric.net/~smhalpin/) for lots of detailed comments, and
check out the links he lists for further information.
I don't know if I'd recommend getting another body right now, unless you
actually want to carry that body as a backup. I think the body you have
will probably meet your needs. Instead, I'd be more tempted to pick up
another flash. I've got an MZ-50 (non-US version of the ZX-50), and I have
no problems using it with manual lenses and external flash units. Something
doesn't sound right with that Achiever unit -- it really won't work at all
with your manual lenses? Hmmm.... I've got a Sunpak 433D (non-TTL) and a
Sunpak 444 (TTL) that both work just fine on my MZ-50 with manual lenses.
I've got an SMC-A 70-210/4 that I've used quite a bit for indoor sports --
skating, basketball, and the like. I also have an SMC-K 135/2.5 that I
really love for indoor shots. I mostly shoot it wide open, so the peculiar
limitation of non-A lenses on an MZ/ZX-50 isn't a problem. I haven't
verified this, but I think one could probably shoot at ANY aperture using a
non-A lens on an MZ/ZX-50, as long as one was using TTL flash. In such a
case, it doesn't matter what the ambient light level is (since you're
lighting the scene with flash), so it shouldn't matter that a stopped down
non-A lens isn't properly metering ambient light. (That is, just as long as
the TTL flash sensor is properly monitoring the flash intensity and properly
quenching the flash duration....)
Finally, you may want to get a decent monopod. For most of the inside
sports stuff I attempt, there's usually no room for a tripod. The monopod
really extends your ability to get longer exposures if you need them.
Hope all this rambling helps. Good luck!
Bill Peifer
Rochester, NY
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