Looks like my lens is screwed

The camera drop last week? It looks like the optical alignment of the lens is shot, so it may have suffered internal damage in the drop aside from the auto-focus. I was trying to finish printing a school assignment tonight, I had one print left to make and the frame that I wanted to use was on a roll that I shot the day after the drop. It was badly out of focus. The worst thing was that it was shot at f22, which is the smallest aperture (least amount of light) that creates the greatest depth of field (the area in front of and behind the subject that is in good focus).

So I'll have to shoot another roll tomorrow to see if I can get the print that I need to complete the *bleep* assignment. Grrrr....

I sent an email off to Vivitar to find out about estimated repairs, no reply yet. It's a sweet lens, 28-300mm, very fast with the auto-focus, I've quite liked the photos it's produced. But for now, it's going to have to go on the sidelines and I'll be back to my 35-105 for most of my shooting. It's a good lens, I've had it for upwards of 15 years, but it was really nice being able to crank that Vivitar out to 200 or 300mm.

I've got other lenses that will cover the focal range, but it's so convenient having them all in one.

Sigh.

Plus the other lenses don't work on my digital like the Vivitar did. Theoretically I can replace it for around $200 plus shipping, so that's not too bad, but it would rather suck considering how long I've had it for.


You know, it's kind of funny: I've only had two lenses damaged in drops or falls (once I fell, then last week the camera fell), and they were both Vivitars. Hmmmm....

RIP: Don Adams

I didn't notice this, apparently he passed away on September 26th.

From Wired.com:
Passage: Don Adams, 82
Adams, the wry-voiced comedian who starred as the fumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the 1960s television spoof of James Bond movies, Get Smart, died of a lung infection late Sunday. As the inept Agent 86 of the super-secret federal agency Control, Adams captured TV viewers with his antics in combatting the evil agents of Kaos. When his explanations failed to convince the villains or his boss, he tried another tack: "Would you believe ...?" It became a national catch phrase. Smart was also prone to spilling things on the desk or person of The Chief. Smart's apologetic "Sorry about that, Chief" also entered the American lexicon.
-- Associated Press