A Simple Trick to Turn This $5 Lens into a $100 Lens
Feb 10, 2026
David Prochnow
Our resident “how-to” project editor, David Prochnow, lives on the Gulf Coast of the United States in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He brings his expertise at making our photography projects accessible to everyone, from a lengthy stint acting as the Contributing How-To Editor with Popular Science magazine. While you don’t have to actually build each of his projects, reading about these adventures will contribute to your continued overall appreciation of do-it-yourself photography. A collection of David’s best Popular Science projects can be found in the book, “The Big Book of Hacks,” Edited by Doug Cantor.
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Sometimes, a used equipment seller’s inexperience can reward the savvy, seasoned photographer with a genuine gem. Case in point, a used M42 lens, a Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5 Macro lens, was described as “inoperable” by the seller. During its heyday in the 1970s, this lens was a highly sought after, legendary optic.
Tributes like “the classic of classics for third-party lenses” and “the Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm is built like a tank” easily justify the photographer’s interest in obtaining this lens. In fact, some of the diehard supporters for this vintage Vivitar claim if “you find an affordable copy, go for it“!
Went for It and WON!
Now back to that “inoperable” M42 variant of the Vivitar Series 1 lens, the asking price was $5. One look at the lens and you could tell that the Macro collar was locked and the lens would not “focus” properly.
After purchase, the easy solution for making this “inoperable” lens return to its valued prominence was to zoom the lens to its 210mm position and then smoothly rotate the Macro collar. This action transformed this cast-off $5 lens into a worthwhile $100 lens. YAY!
Alas, the poor seller could have easily fixed this lens by reading the manual from Mike Butkus‘ site. Looking on page 9 of the manual, this little instruction, “move the zoom to the 210mm focal length… rotate the focus control to the Macro position,” could have returned a profit rather than a salvage price. Luckily, having this lens knowledge translated “buyer beware” into “buyer satisfaction” with the simple twist of the wrist.
Enjoy.
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David Prochnow
Our resident “how-to” project editor, David Prochnow, lives on the Gulf Coast of the United States in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He brings his expertise at making our photography projects accessible to everyone, from a lengthy stint acting as the Contributing How-To Editor with Popular Science magazine. While you don’t have to actually build each of his projects, reading about these adventures will contribute to your continued overall appreciation of do-it-yourself photography. A collection of David’s best Popular Science projects can be found in the book, “The Big Book of Hacks,” Edited by Doug Cantor.
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One response to “A Simple Trick to Turn This $5 Lens into a $100 Lens”
How did you turn it into a $100 lens? They are only about $20 on eBay.