Ultra-wide angle - are there little known gems?

Flickeroo · 07-06-2010, 07:35 PM

Originally posted by Banjo

Check this link:

Takumar 17mm f4 (1967) lens review - dyxum.com

Very interesting quote from the link you gave me:

"the ability to focus through our viewfinders (if you do not have a split screen) can be difficult, but just set the aperture of the lens at f8 and focus to infinity and that it is, you got a P&S camera. Just point and everything will be in focus."

This would be great for discreet street photography or just leaving the camera with the video running on a tripod.

Marc Sabatella · 07-07-2010, 11:06 AM

That's not unique to this lens - Google the term "hyperfocal". Also see the discussion the General Photography forum on this site for more on hyperfocal focusing. Any wide angle lens stopped down a bit will do this to some extent, because DOF is large on wide angles and small aperture. But while everything might be "in focus" as far as some DOF calculator is concerned - which might be assuming small prints or ordinary web viewing - it's not like everything is *really* equally sharp if you're pixel peeping.

**interested_observer** · 07-07-2010, 06:25 PM

Over on the Pentax Video area here on the Forum, bymy141 posted a short video using the 10-17 that is wonderful. You need to take a look.... its the cathedral in St Petersburg, Russia.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-video-forum/106618-da-10-17mm-my-k-7-a.html

Sirfishalot · 07-07-2010, 06:41 PM

Originally posted by interested_observer

Over on the Pentax Video area here on the Forum, bymy141 posted a short video using the 10-17 that is wonderful. You need to take a look.... its the cathedral in St Petersburg, Russia.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-video-forum/106618-da-10-17mm-my-k-7-a.html

While this lens is great in most regards, do note though that it does suffer from purple fringing in high contrast scenes. That was the nly reason I ruled it out. The rectalinear distortions shape up nicely though when using the profiles in post-processing.

JayT

**tranq78** · 07-07-2010, 09:56 PM

The early version of the wide angle zoom Tokina 20-35mm is a great undiscovered gem. Cheap because people don't know how good it is. It's also autofocus, an added bonus. This same lens also comes labelled as a Vivitar.

The later versions are more plasticky and also good, but not as good as the first generation.

Flickeroo · 07-08-2010, 04:23 AM

Originally posted by tranq78

The early version of the wide angle zoom Tokina 20-35mm is a great undiscovered gem. Cheap because people don't know how good it is. It's also autofocus, an added bonus. This same lens also comes labelled as a Vivitar.

The later versions are more plasticky and also good, but not as good as the first generation.

I've found a few great reviews on it. It was fairly expensive when it came out, but seems to have been forgotten. Maybe because it still hasn't been uploaded for review in the third-party lens database at PF?

DanielT74 · 02-02-2011, 02:17 AM

Samyang (Rokinon/Bower) 14/2.8 is pretty impressive. I just got mine and haven't looked at the pics closely yet but from the reviews it is pretty much the class leader in sharpness, the UMC version is pretty good with flare, the weakness being the moustache distortion but where it matters it is fixable in PTLens

kacansas03 · 02-02-2011, 01:43 PM

I managed to capture a Vivitar 19 mm f3.8 A (AE lens) off Ebay a while back and have been pleasantly surprised at the photo quality. It is a bit slow at f3.8( which ends up being f4 on the body) so I have been getting better results on our new K-x than I did on the K100D. I am also surprised at the angle of view which should be less than the 18-55 II lens but in actual use the 19 exceeds the view of the zoom. Another difference in use is the Vivitar going to infinity right after 5 feet. So it is great to put on the camera and leave on infinity and take snapshots of family indoors mounted on the K-x. I also feel the shots are of better resolution than what the 18-55 can turn out. But this is all my 2 cents from my experience with this lens. I have read that it may be related to Tokina's famous 17 but my serial number lies in the Cosina range from that reference provided by CameraQuest.

Alan W.

Jewelltrail · 02-02-2011, 10:17 PM

Originally posted by kacansas03

I managed to capture a Vivitar 19 mm f3.8 A (AE lens) off Ebay a while back and have been pleasantly surprised at the photo quality. It is a bit slow at f3.8( which ends up being f4 on the body) so I have been getting better results on our new K-x than I did on the K100D. I am also surprised at the angle of view which should be less than the 18-55 II lens but in actual use the 19 exceeds the view of the zoom. Another difference in use is the Vivitar going to infinity right after 5 feet. So it is great to put on the camera and leave on infinity and take snapshots of family indoors mounted on the K-x. I also feel the shots are of better resolution than what the 18-55 can turn out. But this is all my 2 cents from my experience with this lens. I have read that it may be related to Tokina's famous 17 but my serial number lies in the Cosina range from that reference provided by CameraQuest.

Alan W.

Hi Alan:

That really sounds like a great pickup--I have been wondering about that lens myself, for a while now. Have you poset any shots @ our forum yet? I would love to see them if you can direct me to them.

**jeffshaddix** · 02-02-2011, 11:20 PM

At your budget, perhaps either a Tokina 17 3.5 or a Vivitar 19 3.8 would fit nicely.

kacansas03 · 02-04-2011, 01:11 PM

Originally posted by Jewelltrail

Hi Alan:

That really sounds like a great pickup--I have been wondering about that lens myself, for a while now. Have you poset any shots @ our forum yet? I would love to see them if you can direct me to them.

I have images that it would nice to remove from the camera. So I have to get busy and upload from the new K-x into the computer to size them for the forum. I have been having too, too much fun with the high ISO speeds. Plus I finally obtained a gimbal and just yesterday received the "magic arm" that can support the camera body behind my long (32") 800 mm which will finally make photos with that long lens quite easy without having to use high shutter or high ISO or both. So I have been busy playing with new equipment here in the house. I have given up on the glaciers receding outdoors and there are No birds, small animals and few deer so my photo subjects are buildings, darn. I will post some 19 mm photos soon.
Alan W.

07-07-2010, 06:25 PM	#33
interested_observer Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tumbleweed, Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,707	Over on the Pentax Video area here on the Forum, bymy141 posted a short video using the 10-17 that is wonderful. You need to take a look.... its the cathedral in St Petersburg, Russia. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-video-forum/106618-da-10-17mm-my-k-7-a.html

07-07-2010, 06:41 PM	#34
Sirfishalot Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Seattle, Washington Photos: Gallery Posts: 200	Originally posted by interested_observer Over on the Pentax Video area here on the Forum, bymy141 posted a short video using the 10-17 that is wonderful. You need to take a look.... its the cathedral in St Petersburg, Russia. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-video-forum/106618-da-10-17mm-my-k-7-a.html While this lens is great in most regards, do note though that it does suffer from purple fringing in high contrast scenes. That was the nly reason I ruled it out. The rectalinear distortions shape up nicely though when using the profiles in post-processing. JayT

02-02-2011, 01:43 PM	#38
kacansas03 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota Photos: Albums Posts: 650	Vivitar 19mm I managed to capture a Vivitar 19 mm f3.8 A (AE lens) off Ebay a while back and have been pleasantly surprised at the photo quality. It is a bit slow at f3.8( which ends up being f4 on the body) so I have been getting better results on our new K-x than I did on the K100D. I am also surprised at the angle of view which should be less than the 18-55 II lens but in actual use the 19 exceeds the view of the zoom. Another difference in use is the Vivitar going to infinity right after 5 feet. So it is great to put on the camera and leave on infinity and take snapshots of family indoors mounted on the K-x. I also feel the shots are of better resolution than what the 18-55 can turn out. But this is all my 2 cents from my experience with this lens. I have read that it may be related to Tokina's famous 17 but my serial number lies in the Cosina range from that reference provided by CameraQuest. Alan W.

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07-06-2010, 07:35 PM	#31
Flickeroo 1,000,000th Poster! Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Montreal, QC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 172 Original Poster	Originally posted by Banjo Check this link: Takumar 17mm f4 (1967) lens review - dyxum.com Very interesting quote from the link you gave me: "the ability to focus through our viewfinders (if you do not have a split screen) can be difficult, but just set the aperture of the lens at f8 and focus to infinity and that it is, you got a P&S camera. Just point and everything will be in focus." This would be great for discreet street photography or just leaving the camera with the video running on a tripod.

07-07-2010, 11:06 AM	#32
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	That's not unique to this lens - Google the term "hyperfocal". Also see the discussion the General Photography forum on this site for more on hyperfocal focusing. Any wide angle lens stopped down a bit will do this to some extent, because DOF is large on wide angles and small aperture. But while everything might be "in focus" as far as some DOF calculator is concerned - which might be assuming small prints or ordinary web viewing - it's not like everything is really equally sharp if you're pixel peeping.

07-07-2010, 09:56 PM	#35
tranq78 Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,005	The early version of the wide angle zoom Tokina 20-35mm is a great undiscovered gem. Cheap because people don't know how good it is. It's also autofocus, an added bonus. This same lens also comes labelled as a Vivitar. The later versions are more plasticky and also good, but not as good as the first generation.

07-08-2010, 04:23 AM	#36
Flickeroo 1,000,000th Poster! Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Montreal, QC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 172 Original Poster	Originally posted by tranq78 The early version of the wide angle zoom Tokina 20-35mm is a great undiscovered gem. Cheap because people don't know how good it is. It's also autofocus, an added bonus. This same lens also comes labelled as a Vivitar. The later versions are more plasticky and also good, but not as good as the first generation. I've found a few great reviews on it. It was fairly expensive when it came out, but seems to have been forgotten. Maybe because it still hasn't been uploaded for review in the third-party lens database at PF?

02-02-2011, 02:17 AM	#37
DanielT74 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 1,377	Samyang (Rokinon/Bower) 14/2.8 is pretty impressive. I just got mine and haven't looked at the pics closely yet but from the reviews it is pretty much the class leader in sharpness, the UMC version is pretty good with flare, the weakness being the moustache distortion but where it matters it is fixable in PTLens

02-02-2011, 10:17 PM	#39
Jewelltrail Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rhode Island Photos: Albums Posts: 4,180	Originally posted by kacansas03 I managed to capture a Vivitar 19 mm f3.8 A (AE lens) off Ebay a while back and have been pleasantly surprised at the photo quality. It is a bit slow at f3.8( which ends up being f4 on the body) so I have been getting better results on our new K-x than I did on the K100D. I am also surprised at the angle of view which should be less than the 18-55 II lens but in actual use the 19 exceeds the view of the zoom. Another difference in use is the Vivitar going to infinity right after 5 feet. So it is great to put on the camera and leave on infinity and take snapshots of family indoors mounted on the K-x. I also feel the shots are of better resolution than what the 18-55 can turn out. But this is all my 2 cents from my experience with this lens. I have read that it may be related to Tokina's famous 17 but my serial number lies in the Cosina range from that reference provided by CameraQuest. Alan W. Hi Alan: That really sounds like a great pickup--I have been wondering about that lens myself, for a while now. Have you poset any shots @ our forum yet? I would love to see them if you can direct me to them.

02-02-2011, 11:20 PM	#40
jeffshaddix Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,473	At your budget, perhaps either a Tokina 17 3.5 or a Vivitar 19 3.8 would fit nicely.

02-04-2011, 01:11 PM	#41
kacansas03 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota Photos: Albums Posts: 650	Originally posted by Jewelltrail Hi Alan: That really sounds like a great pickup--I have been wondering about that lens myself, for a while now. Have you poset any shots @ our forum yet? I would love to see them if you can direct me to them. I have images that it would nice to remove from the camera. So I have to get busy and upload from the new K-x into the computer to size them for the forum. I have been having too, too much fun with the high ISO speeds. Plus I finally obtained a gimbal and just yesterday received the "magic arm" that can support the camera body behind my long (32") 800 mm which will finally make photos with that long lens quite easy without having to use high shutter or high ISO or both. So I have been busy playing with new equipment here in the house. I have given up on the glaciers receding outdoors and there are No birds, small animals and few deer so my photo subjects are buildings, darn. I will post some 19 mm photos soon. Alan W.