The final lens left on my camera lens shopping list is the excellent Nikon 105mm macro F mount version. The issue is that these are not really available anymore since Nikon moved to the new Z mount.
So my options were limited: either pay through the nose for a hard-to-find new one or go second-hand and take the "no warranty" risk.
In 2025, I visited both Malaysia and Singapore, with the first being not good for the camera lens, although that could be just me not knowing where to look, so on arrival in Singapore, it was time to see what was available and at what price.
From previous visits, I was well aware that Singapore has a well-developed camera market, both for new and second-hand. For anything new, there is a cluster of stores on the second level of the Funan Centre.
One store in the Funan Centre I have bought from in the past is TK Foto who while not the cheapest, the staff are very knowledgeable, friendly and most importantly have never tried to upsell me on anything, they have made suggestions for alternative options, just never pushed anything.
However, in this case, the TK Foto staff told me that the lens I was looking for was no longer available, and recommended I try the second-hand market, even giving me a guesstimate on what I would pay.
It's not a good sign, but regardless, I tried the other stores on that floor to get the same thing from all, and yes, one did try to sell me a lens for the Z mount. Upselling is not the way to get me to buy anything.
Hmmmm, it looks like I will need to follow the advice from TK Foto and investigate the second-hand market, which, while not new for me, is not really my preferred source for anything camera-related. Still, in this case, as I can physically check before buying, the risk is lower.
Before moving on, a quick warning: I would avoid online auction sites for this sort of thing, as you have no way of knowing what you are getting, and in the case there are issues, it's not unheard of for some sellers to vanish or, at the very least, make you go through the return process. Far better is to buy from someplace where you can physically examine the lens and give it a full suite of tests. You have been warned.
This being Singapore, if you want second-hand camera gear, there is a cluster of dealers in and around the Peninsula Plaza shopping centre.
One interesting thing to note about these dealers is that most do not open on Sundays, not sure why, and yes, I found this the hard way by going to look for my new lens on a Sunday. Oh well.
Another thing to note is that some of these places do advertise their prices on the lens in the store window, just be aware that this is usually not a fixed price, with haggling being very possible, just do not lowball or you will get nowhere.
As part of my wanderings on Sunday, I did see several of the lenses I was looking for in the windows of various stores; the bad news was the prices, which were actually higher than I would pay for second-hand back home.
Yes, I know I can haggle, but getting prices reduced by up to 50% is doubtful, and me being me, I do not "lowball".
Now, on Monday morning, I headed out to see what I could find and prepared to haggle to get some good prices.
The issue was that the stores where I was looking did not open until 11 am, and not the expected 10 am, so it was an excellent excuse to go for some hydration.
Hydrated, I went back to the stores; the first one I went to in the Peninsula Plaza Centre did not have what I was looking for at a realistic price, nor did the others. One suggested I try some stores in the Peninsula Shopping Centre, which was just over the road.
Interesting, I was aware of several second-hand dealers in the Peninsula Plaza Centre and the The Adelphi, but the Peninsula Shopping Centre was a new one on me.
Crossing the street into the Peninsula shopping centre and wandering around, I did find a few stores of interest, with one looking more interesting than the others, owing to the sheer volume of stock they had.
Talking to the owner, and, shock horror, he had the lens I was looking for, and not the newer Z mount version, but the older F mount version I needed, which was quite a relief as I was expecting an interesting time given this is not the newer mount type.
Ok, after a physical examination, which showed it was as close to mint as it gets, it was now time to test it on my D850, which resulted in several questions, as I had never used this lens before.
With those questions answered and tested, we started to discuss the price. This is where things got interesting, as I was expecting to have to haggle big time after checking the prices in other stores. But nope, the first price the owner gave me was well under what I was expecting, so it was a first for me; there was no need to haggle.
The only downside was that there was no case available, not that this was a surprise or a real problem, as I can get these elsewhere. Regardless, the owner wrapped it in bubble wrap.
Talking to the owner, he tells me the F mount lens has no real value as everyone wants the newer Z mount. Interesting, as there have to be way more camera bodies out there using the older mount, as that's been around since the 1950s. Anyhow, read into that what you will.
Before I leave Singapore, I really must go back to this store and see what else they have that could tempt me. And yes, even based on this minimal experience, this is a store I will go back to when I need anything camera-related.
Heading back to the hotel, I decided to do something about the lack of a case, so I headed for TK Foto in the Funan Centre, as they seem to have just about everything. And yes, they had something at a good priceend of issue, and way better than bubble wrap.
With the addition of this lens, I am now covered all the way from 14mm through to 500mm, with everything to 200mm being fast f2.8. So this is likely to be the last I buy, short of a lotto win, which would be needed for a faster 200-500.
For those interested, I put a page up that details all the camera gear I use, you can read it here