psilandia

Tokina AF 19-35mm 1:3.5-4.5D / Japan

After thinking for a long time about this type of lenses (wide angle), i finally bite the bullet and bought this. I think this is second best lens I own. I really like the wide end, and 35mm isn't bad either. Some pictures can be seen here.
Some technical data

• Model AF 193 (beware of other version, it's made by Cosina, and is rumoured to have really bad quality problems. AF193 is designed by Tokina itself, former Nikon engineers)
• Focus: ∞ - 0.4m
• Mount: AF-D
• Filter: 77m
• Appertures: (wide f3.5, long 4.5) - (wide f22, long f32)
• Body is hard, metallish plastic.
• Mount is metal.
• Feels heavy -> metal + optics inside.
• IF, Front ring does not rotate on zooming or focusing, no need to adjust filter.

Zenit ET

Very metallic piece. Lack of longer exposure times (apart from B) was a bummer. I figured out how Selenium meter worked about week before I bought F801s, so didn't get lot's of good pictures.

How Zenit ET's selenium light meter works

See that 'sun panel' above lens? It's that selenium panel. In bright sunlight, try convering it and notice how a needle in a window (near film rewind lever) moves. Use a ring with numbers on it (near film rewind lever) to adjust a ring in that window to be about where that needle is. Now those value pairs tell you acceptable combinations of time/apperture.
Remember that selenium meter is incident meter, so it may be a way off. Some experimenting will definitely pay off.

How Zenit ET's film rewind works

Shutter release button is protruded from body, usually black piece. It has a dent, You're supposed to press inner 'shell' inside this dent with a finger. There will be a click, and you will be able to rewind the film with lever on the left side of the body (it's turned around and hidden in 'light-meter' -ring). Rewind film until it feels like it's off the winding lever, now you can pull the rewinding lever higher, it will open the film compartment.

(info).

Hoya HMC Yellow (K2)

This is for BW, it makes blue darker so clouds will be seen on sky.

Helios 58mm 1:2.8 M42

Apperture ring is fully analog, without 'click' stops. You can adjust used apperture by moving other ring and then closing apperture before taking picture.

Dayroll BFL (Bulk Film Loader)

A Bulk Film Loader I bought. It looks like a big black box. It has some film inside (loaded in total darkness). This model feeds film from between 'jaws', so it can scratch film if not clean. I took it apart and cleaned jaws with an edge of a used film (just scrape it).

Manfrotto 168 (US: Bogen 3055)

Heavy duty ballhead. Looks like an overkill for my equipment with 70-300 cheap zoom as heaviest & longest lens. Fast-lock plate extends way beyond botton of F-801s.
Lock levers are pretty stiff, and you should develop good techique releasing and locking them. I manage to not skew my composition when locking ballhead, so it's obviously a techique matter. (I don't hold camera, but rotating ballheadplate).
Weight: 0.72kg.

Manfrotto 190DB (US: Bogen 3001N)

Good, lightweight tripod. Pretty stable at that. Non-fastlock leg lockers are a 'problem', but if you're as peaceful as I am when shooting, then you'll have no problems. Center post can be reversed. I don't recommend extending center post up, as balance is lost there, and system starts vibrating easier.
Weight: 1.74kg.

DIY Remote shutter release

DIY Remote shutter release. A remote shutter release I assembled. Read link for more info. This works at least with for F-801s & F70, potentially others. It's Nikon counterpart is MC-12A.

Danubia UV 58mm

El cheapo. Apparently this was really bad one. Bottleglass. Nice soft filter though =)

Hoya Circular Polarizer 58mm

Nice, no problems. Use four fingers when removing. When I first put this on a lens, it seemed to stuck. After I while I figured that placing my fingers at about 1200, 0300, 0600, 0900 and applying same amount of force, it left off quite easily.

Nikon Speedlight SB-22

Nice, sturdy flash. Uses 4xAA batteries. GN 25m. Has built-in wideangle diffuser. Has 2 automatic, 2 manual and TTL modes.
( review, read also Ken Rockwell's review).

Sakar MC 2x N/AFs Teleconverter.

No-name, hasn't actually tested it with anything. Primarily working as 2-stop ND filter (stopping lenses even further down for XtraLong exposure times).

Sigma AF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6D APO Macro. (∞ - 1.5m, 0.95m in Macro).

Nice lens, does macro at 1:3.5 (focus at 1.4m) to 1:2 (focus at 0.95). For Macro mode, it needs to be zoomed to 300mm.

AF Nikkor 28-80mm 1:3.5-5.6D / Japan. (∞ - 0.4m)

A bit smaller then preceding, no other differences. Smaller MF ring makes it difficult to MF.

AF Nikkor 28-80mm 1:3.5-5.6D / Thailand. (∞ - 0.4m).

This is 'better' one of my 28-80's. Wider MF ring makes it easier to handle. Makes fine pictures. Some distortion at wide end, but nothing crucial. Very basic all-around zoom.
Rotating front element can break your nerves.