Hmm... sounds more like some linkage or gearing had broken or loosen. This is not caused by oily aperture blades. Why? Because oily blades will initially cause the aperture blades to move sluggishly. But since this is an M42 lens, I would suspect you do not have automatic control of the aperture (meaning you need to manually close down the aperture if you want a lower f-stop), so you will not notice this in your normal use of the lens. Heck, in fact, it probably wouldn't even matter!

But from your description of your problem, it sounds very much like a mechanical failure rather than an oily aperture blade problem. I would suggest sending it in for repair. If it is too expensive to repair due to unavailability of spare parts, then hunt for a fungus infected (but still mechanically functional) unit on eBay for cheap, and savage the parts for repair. Either way, there is nothing you can do to revive it for now. Start surfing eBay!

Secure your bounce card onto the flash with a rubberband. Don't slip it into the flash.

You can try InvestLine that is opposite Centrepoint (next to the ESSO station). Bring your flash along and test their available sizes until you find one that fits the F42. My suspicion is that the Stofen for the Canon 430EX flash may fit your F42.

COngrats raist86 for your new purchase! But like everyone said, do be cautious of the gear stripping problem. It had just happened to me, during my trip to freezing cold China. So yes... this is a very real probability that it can happen. And you are lucky you have a 2 years warranty that should see you through at least the first 2 years of your usage. So, apa lagi, hantam lah! T-E-M-B-A-K !!!!!

Sadly, I confirm 100% that my Sigma's gear stripping problem occurred while the focus clutch was disengaged (meaning I was in AF mode on BOTH the lens & camera). I'm very careful with this because I suspected this was the reason as well. Much to my surprise (and disappointment), it happened anyway!

Hello fella orangers in LYN! Sunday SPAM from my trip to china!

If someone tells you that you are not producing good images simply because you are using a Sony Alpha, then I would say that person is a nut and knows nothing about producing good quality pictures... It is not all about camera, camera, camera...... The camera is only one part of the equation lah....

OK, on a different note:

Here is another photo from my trip to China. It was a very foggy day when we went for the boat trip on this lake. I can't get a single decent clear shot, so instead, I took foggy scenery shots! Hope you guys like it.

Scenery @ Xi Wu (West Lake) in Hangzhou, China. Shot with A700 & Sigma 70-200.

nickilala, yes, that peaceful feeling....

You mean like giving it a yellow / reddish saturated feel? Hmm... good idea. Thanks for the idea. But I'm more of a purist where I like to keep the mood of the original shot (unless I shoot the photo WITH the intention of changing the mood - like shoot in color with the intention of changing it to B&W). A bit of a too narrow thinking, I know. Maybe I should seriously consider broadening my way of thinking. *hehehe*

Thanks for the headsup! Highly appreciated!

Ya ya ya... get the A700 or even better, get the A900! *poison hokc77!*

Woi, spare my good friend Ryzan lah. He loves his Sony Alpha! Besides, what's wrong with asking hokc77 to consider getting the A700? It is a wonderful camera at a very fantastic price right now!

What is LSD?

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Added on February 10, 2009, 2:26 pmHmm... I'm still using my Panasonic charger for the MAHA Imedion batteries I have. Still going strong up to today (bought the batteries last November). Not sure how bad is it to use different charger for different batteries.... I ain't no battery expert....

This post has been edited by kysham: Feb 10 2009, 02:26 PM

See.... being a former car nut that I am, I always thought LSD stands for Limited Slip Differential.

Glad you liked this lens. Although I think your experience of slower AF speed is most probably caused by the body instead of the lens. I experienced no such slow AF speed on the A700 (so it is now time for you to upgrade to A700 *kysham LARI...... RACUN! * ). But yes you are right, it is one fine, sharp lens.....

uncle IANHO!!!!! Welcome back! Good that you had finally discovered the end of your dark tunnel. The orange legionaire misses you a lot!

Why not you consider the Sony 18-250? It is a versatile and sharp lens. Ask shootkk, he got one.

What's the price difference? I think both Sony & MAHA are well-established brands. I can't say which battery have better technology because I don't know. But in cases like this, I would go with the cheaper ones....

No need to use the battery grip lah. Don't have also still can take photos. Better buy a good battery grip rather than kelam-kabut buy a cheap battery grip.

Ryzan, try to rearrange your product to make it more appealing in the photo. Look at some magazines to see how they arrange their products for a product photo.

One shot for photo SPAM! Another photo from my China trip:


This was shot in a silk factory in Suzhou, China. The little blob in the middle is a silk worm cocoon. The machine was used to extract the silk from the cocoon. This factory makes a lot of silk products.