You can never have too many lenses to use, just too many to carry around.
Hexanon AR 40mm f1.8 - Another sharp lens. I prefer this to 35mm f2.8 and slower lenses. If I recall correctly, one of the photography magazines reviewed this lens and said it was the sharpest lens they ever tested. This 20 plus year old debate rages on so why not get one and give it a try.
Hexanon AR 50mm f1.7 - Great lens. Most of my old photos were taken with this and they are amazingly sharp. Some people say this is the sharpest Hexanon lens if not one of the sharpest lenses of all time. Another contender in the above mentioined prize fight for best lens ever.
Hexanon AR 52mm f1.8 - Came with an Autoreflex T that I bought. All metal with machined focusing ring. Great lens but not rated as high as the newer 50mm f1.7. In handheld photos you will never be able to tell the difference.
Hexanon AR Varifocal 35-100mm f2.8 - This thing is huge. Very heavy. Extremely well made. Do not drop camera and lens while attached to camera strap hung around neck as you might break your neck. May be considered a dangerous weapon in some jurisdictions. 82mm filters expensive. Lens hood is well made, quite effective and hard to find these days. Lens reputed to be of only average performance.
Hexar 28mm f3.5 - Sharp. Fantastic factory lens hood. Hexanon 28mm with 7 elements said to be better but may be tough to tell under normal shooting conditions.
Kiron 2X Teleconverter - New acquisition. Multicoated, 7 elements and well made. Plan on trying with 400mm for bird photos around Delaware Bay. Does give me an f5 270mm tele with Vivitar discussed below and I plan on trying out this combination photographing my kids playing sports.
Osawa 80-205mm f4.5 - First zoom I ever bought. Good performance. Durable and reliable. No complaints. Still not a prime lens.
All Konica lenses have very detailed reports and tests at Photography Blue Book
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Arsat H 50mm f2 - Came on Kiev 19M that I bought. Multicoated. Lens sparkles when you look at it. That's right, the multicoating looks like it is full of little metal flakes. Or maybe they are in the glass elements. Whatever they are, they do not come off with normal cleaning procedures. They do not seem to effect the lens' performance, which appears to be about average. I'll be scanning some negs to get a better idea. Don't rush to trade in your Nikkors for this.
Hanimex 28mm f2.8 AI (has prong) - These off-brand wide angles were mostly all of a good sharp design. Bought a number of older lenses with the prong so that they could couple with the meter on my F.
Kiron 30-80mm f3.5-4.5 Macro 1:4 AI (has prong) - This is a Varifocal lens and is a little slower to use since you must refocus after every change in focal length. I think that this is a good performing lens especially considering its age. Much better than some Sigma zooms I have used.
Kiron 80-200mm f4 Macro AI (has prong) - A little used ebay purchase. Just did a shoot to compare it to the Tokina. Seemed to be much more snappy when focusing. I think this will be a much better lens and see more use. I'll gladly trade zoom range for resolution. Kiron has an excellent reputation.
Nikon Series E 35mm f2.5 - Had fungus inside. Cleaned up and it works wonderfully. A good performing Series E lens.
Nikkor-S 50mm f1.4 (has prong)- Bought it with some fungus inside. Cleaned out the fungus and did the AI conversion myself. Nice lens.
Nikkor-Q 135mm f2.8 AI'ed (with prong) - eBay purchase. Barrel is worn, chipped and scratched. Looks ugly. But oh, oh, oh, the glass is like new. Really. Always had a filter in place to protect front element and a rear cap whenever it was off camera. Sharp. I like this lens.
Phoenix 100mm f3.5 AF Macro - Very sharp. Plastic construction not worthy of optics. 1:1 with matched diopeter lens; 1:2 without. Would prefer 1:1 focus without any additional diopeters or extension tubes.
Sakar 28-80mm f3.5-4.5 AI - Bid low and won it on ebay. Very susceptible to flare. Haven't used it since. I think I will give it another try under less harsh circumstances. I must say it looks well made. Has a 1:5 macro capability. Still searching for that usable and affordable everyday knock-about zoom lens.
Tokina 35-300 f4.5-6.7 AF - Love the range, like the construction, hate the vignetting.
Vivitar 19-35mm f3.5-4.5 AF - Seems to be a good performer for a lens of its type. Plastic body feels cheap. Front element rotates so a little annoying when using a polarizing filter and you want to change focus. I like this lens.
Vivitar 50mm f2.8 1:1 Macro AI (has prong) - Nice old lens. Very well constructed and very sharp. Goes to 1:1 without additional adapter.
Vivitar 200mm f3.5 AI - Great lens from the glory days of Vivitar. Well made, well finished and sharp.
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Vivitar 135mm f2.5 - Vivitar interchangeable T4 mount. I only have mount for Konica. Seems to be a good lens.
Spiratone 400mm f6.3 Plura-Coat - T-mount. Pop or Modern Photo (I can't remember which) always gave this an excellent rating. This one is about 25 years old. There is a plastic (I believe) lens element inside that is either outgassing or is being effected by something else outgassing and it leaves a heavy hazy deposit on this element. Before I use it (which is seldom) it must be disassembled and the lens element cleaned. Microfiber cloth is perfect for cleaning this lens element. This is an easy and quick job. Use a tripod or monopod with this lens.
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My final answer: Prime lenses, even many third party or off-brand ones, perform noticeably better that zooms.
Will I be buying more lenses? Probably, most likely to fill in some gaps with good prime lenses and may look for a prime telephoto or two. I will probably sell off some of the lenses that I am not that enamored with, especially some of my zooms. Hey, I just realized that I don't have any long mirror lenses. Or a PC lens. Or a fisheye. Or a .....
Most importantly, go snap some photos and have some fun! (Even if you only have one lens.)
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