[minahasa]

Unless I find a cheaper F2.8 zoom, I'm leaning toward the DA 35/2.4 now, so for easy comparison, will this lens gives the same FoV as, say, DA 18-55 @35mm ?

[dgaies]

Unless I find a cheaper F2.8 zoom, I'm leaning toward the DA 35/2.4 now, so for easy comparison, will this lens gives the same FoV as, say, DA 18-55 @35mm ?

Yes, it will have the same FOV as the 18-55 @ 35mm.

[newarts]

Have you tried catch-in-focus with a fast manual focus lens? With a little practice it can be quick and accurate. Start out of focus - frame the photo - press the shutter button & turn the focus ring towards focus - it'll fire when focus is crossed. With a little practice it can be almost as fast as auto-focus. All you've done is to replace the focus drive motor with your wrist.

Semi-auto-focus!

[abacus07]

As for the primes, is the DA 35mm F2.4 AL will give me real 35mm on my K20D, or is it a 1.5 multiply? I also find Sigma 24mm f2.8 Super Wide II attractive, but the AF version is not easy to find.

the easier way to think about crop factor (unless you also use a film camera) is to forget about it. the DA35/2.4 will have the same FOV as your M35/2.8.

My advice is to just go ahead and buy the Da35/2.4. Find the extra $30 even if you have to sell your M35/2.8. You probably won't use it anyway once you have a good AF version.

Alternatively you can find a F/FA 50 1.4/1/7 for 225-275 used and they take outstanding portraits and are faster.

[minahasa]

Yes, it will have the same FOV as the 18-55 @ 35mm.

Now that I can live with. I thought that I'll be seeing @53mm of the DA 18-55

[mikeSF]

Have you tried catch-in-focus with a fast manual focus lens? With a little practice it can be quick and accurate. Start out of focus - frame the photo - press the shutter button & turn the focus ring towards focus - it'll fire when focus is crossed. With a little practice it can be almost as fast as auto-focus. All you've done is to replace the focus drive motor with your wrist.

Semi-auto-focus!

but dont you have to compose every photo with the point of focus in the center?? I use catch in focus for my long tele shots of birds with good results, but wider shots seem problematic since there is no way to select a focus point in MF...or is there?!

[RioRico]

Think of focal lengths in terms of the frame (film or sensor) and its diagonal dimension. The diagonal of a 645 frame is 70mm; of 135/FF it's 43mm; of APS-C (nominal) it's 30mm; of my K20D it's 28mm. Those diagonals are the 'normal' focal lengths of each format. Shorter is wide; longer is tele.

We can use a ~1.5x multiplier to compare the FOV and DOF of lenses on full-frame (135-FF) and half-frame (APS-C) cameras -- but the lens remains the same, no matter where it is. A 35mm lens does NOT become a 50mm lens when put on a half-frame camera -- it's just long-normal or short-tele. And that ~1.5x multiplier doesn't affect exposure. So a 35/2.4 lens on an APS-C camera will have roughly the same FOV and DOF as a 50/3.5 lens on a 135/FF camera, but it's still f/2.4 for exposures.

Instead of computing equivalences, think of how any focal length works on a given format -- what's its relationship to 'normal'? On 135/FF, 43mm is 'normal'; 85mm is ~2x normal and a good headshot length; 21mm is ~1/2x normal and a good wide length. My K20D has 28mm normal; 55mm as ~2x; 15mm as ~1/2x; etc. Those are the numbers I concentrate on, not the 'equivalence' to another format.
____________________________________________________________

ObTopic: I'll agree with much previous advice. Fast short zooms are good but expensive, and maybe not fast enough. The cheapest fastest new AF lens is the DA35/2.4, which also isn't really fast. Other contenders will be used and/or costlier and/or slower. Best shot: Save up for a used FA50/1.4.

but dont you have to compose every photo with the point of focus in the center?? I use catch in focus for my long tele shots of birds with good results, but wider shots seem problematic since there is no way to select a focus point in MF...or is there?!

Yes, center the subject. Yes, use CIF with wide lenses too. I do so all the time, with 16-21-24mm MFLs. When a centered subject achieves focus confirmation, CIF snaps the shutter. My 21/3.8 and 24/2.8 are M42, so I shoot in Av mode. My 16/2.8 and 24/2 are PKM, so I shoot in M mode using the Green button. Wide-open or stopped-down, doesn't matter. Just concentrate on the subject.

And that leads me to a basic rule: GET THE FOCUS RIGHT; EVERYTHING ELSE CAN BE FIXED IN PP. Color, composition, contrast, can all be tweaked. But that's another topic...

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Last edited by RioRico; 09-07-2011 at 09:38 AM.

[newarts]

but dont you have to compose every photo with the point of focus in the center?? I use catch in focus for my long tele shots of birds with good results, but wider shots seem problematic since there is no way to select a focus point in MF...or is there?!

Center must be focus point - that's a shortcoming.

[newarts]

RioRico

ObTopic: I'll agree with much previous advice. Fast short zooms are good but expensive, and maybe not fast enough. The cheapest fastest new AF lens is the DA35/2.4, which also isn't really fast. Other contenders will be used and/or costlier and/or slower. Best shot: Save up for a used FA50/1.4.

I agree but for a different reason: on a 1.5x crop camera I prefer 50mm to 35mm.

Not everybody's "normal" is the same. Look at what focal lengths you've used on your 18-55mm - that'll give you an idea of what focal length you want to get.

I find a 35mm lens pretty short for social shots.

[PentaxRev]

I have a Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8-4.0 that I bought for 100$. I gave it to my father-in-law who absolutely loves it. It's a fast AF lens.

I have this same lens and while it's not the greatest lens out there, I think it's one of the best pieces of glass for the F-stop and price. It makes a great outdoor walk-around lens.

You said you were wanting something to shoot with in a pub. I don't often use this lens indoors because with the 1.5 crop factor, the lens is a 42-157 equivalent. It just isn't wide enough for indoor use in a home setting. However, if you can live with it not being very wide angle, it's a superb lens for the price.

It was the first lens I bought when I decided to go with Pentax because I had enjoyed using it when I was shooting Canon. Unfortunately, it's not still being made, but there are still some of them out there.

[RioRico]

Center must be focus point - that's a shortcoming.

Or, it's a challenge, like using a prime instead of a zoom, or forcing myself to work within any limitations. CIF is a great tool, but a specialized tool, not a Swiss Army Knife. And as I mentioned, composition can always be tweaked in PP.

I agree but for a different reason: on a 1.5x crop camera I prefer 50mm to 35mm. ... I find a 35mm lens pretty short for social shots.

And I quite agree there. My 35s see much less use than my 28s and 50s on my K20D. I've been using a 35/2.8 as my lens-of-the-day but not for people shots. Inside with folks, it's the 24/2 or 28/2 or 50/1.4 or 58/2.

[newarts]

Center must be focus point - that's a shortcoming.

Or don't put the camera in CIF (ie. AF.S) mode - just half-press & focus using the beep/green hexagon - then recompose & press the shutter all the way.

[minahasa]

Sigma 28mm f/1.8 will be great, don't you think?

[cardinal43]

There's always the DA 35 f/2.4. Used it should go for just a touch above $150. They're new at $189 now I think.

+1. I have this lens and it is quite good for the price.

[dgaies]

Sigma 28mm f/1.8 will be great, don't you think?

There are two Sigma 28/1.8 AF lenses (that I am aware of). The newer one that is currently in production is a lot larger and the cost is subsgtantially higher than $150 (around $350-400 if I'm not mistaken). The older AF Sigma 28/1.8 is smaller and lighter, but is somewhat difficult to find. And again, short of getting a great deal, it will run somewhere in the $225-275 range.