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12-11-2011, 01:45 PM   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by Digitalis Quote
well as I recall the Grenfell street camera store has a pentax 60-250mm f/4, you could take a look at it and see if it suits also I recall they might have a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 in K mount.
Yes that's the one I've taken a few shots with several times. I have a shot at 60mm F/4 where the right hand side is very soft... I'd like to try it again to make sure it's not decentered but apart from that it seems pretty OK.

Thanks

12-11-2011, 01:54 PM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by RonHendriks1966 Quote
Well I'm not the biggest fan for that version, and why I never bought it. The new version is better. Only downside is that it is more expensive.

I would also buy Sigma 120-300mm/f2.8 EX DG OS HSM when it comes in K-mount. When there is a new version of DA*50-135mm with SDM-II then I would buy that lens again. The two together would make me sell my Sigma 70-200mm again.

I'm not attached to my geaqr as you can read (just sold my DA14mm to purchase DA15mm to have a small wide angle).
There's really not much wrong with the HSM II if you get a good copy. I've taken extensive side-by-side comparison shots with the 70-200 OS and a 60-250 and the Sigma was sharper up to about 170 but after that the Pentax killed it so with that in mind I can imagine using the 60-250 as a 200-300 replacement and keeping the 50-135. I have been taking 100's of shots of Rainbow Lorikeets these past few days so the 60-250 would have to be really good at 250 to make me ditch my 300. Apart from shooting tests shots at an actual store here, if you can find a lens to test, it's usually a case of buy-it-to-try-it. They soon get sick of you returning lenses as I've found out at one store.
12-11-2011, 04:16 PM   #18
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Lens chart for comparison.

Here is a lens resolution chart I did for the Tamron 70-200, DA 50-135, DA 60-250 and a few Tele's at their sharpest settings. Apart from the 50-135, which is at F5.6, the rest are a combo of F5.6 and F8.

The 60-250, according to this chart is sharper than the 200 F2.8 lens by quite a way (even on the frame edge)

KEY:
Crimson = DA* 50-135
Purple = DA* 60-250
Green = Tamron 70-200.

I haven't found similar MTF formatted figures for the Sigma lenses.
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Last edited by bossa; 12-11-2011 at 05:58 PM.
12-11-2011, 04:27 PM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by bossa Quote
The 60-250, according to this chart is sharper than the 200 F2.8 lens by quite a way (even on the frame edge)
But then again it wins at f2.8

I found that the 60-250 at the long end was the best at f7.1 but I don't do charts, just real pictures. There is a thread about it somewhere downhere from a few months ago.

12-11-2011, 04:30 PM   #20
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Yes I see the point.. 2.8 wins for sure.

The only reason I'm doing charts is to try and avoid wasting $1,000's that I really can't afford to spend. From my pictures I'd say that the DA* 50-135 is better easily than the Sigma 70-200 OS and the 60-250 is better at the long end. I guess I'm trying to work out if I can replace all three lenses and get some money back OR if I can just replace the 200 & 300 together.. OR just the 200 and be happy. It's bloody confusing because there's always a reason for one or the other...
12-11-2011, 04:43 PM   #21
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I used the DA*200mm for a weekend:





Just some portraits at the end of the volleybalgame, wich was kind of a trophy with 3 games.

Just to slow to use it for real sports.
12-11-2011, 04:43 PM   #22
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Lens Usage

I also did a statistical review of the way I use zoom lenses. Of the Sigma 70-200, 50-135 & Tamron 17-50 that I have used extensively the pattern is always the same. I tend to use the two extremes 1/3 of the time and the other 1/3 are scattered through the range. This is possibly a reason to just use Primes OR to learn to use the lenses in a different way.

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12-11-2011, 04:45 PM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by RonHendriks1966 Quote
I used the DA*200mm for a weekend:





Just some portraits at the end of the volleybalgame, wich was kind of a trophy with 3 games.

Just to slow to use it for real sports.
Thanks Ron. Nice relaxed shots there...
12-11-2011, 04:47 PM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by bossa Quote
I also did a statistical review of the way I use zoom lenses. Of the Sigma 70-200, 50-135 & Tamron 17-50 that I have used extensively the pattern is always the same. I tend to use the two extremes 1/3 of the time and the other 1/3 are scattered through the range. This is possible a reason to just use Primes OR to learn to use the lenses in a different way.
Well I think this is normal. I did that once to with the map of published pictures and it was primes mainly and my zooms at the the mostly on the extremes (50-135 at 135mm and 16-50mm at 16mm).

The fun out of 60-250 and 70-200 is that when at certain situations in for like sports you can zoom, but you take a long lens with you to use it at the long end.
12-11-2011, 04:52 PM   #25
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Yes. It's been a very long time (28 years) since I did any serious photography after selling all of my kit back in 1983. I've become pretty obsessed, I suppose, because I'm trying to make up for lost time and also get back into painting after a similar break. Finding a balance between weight and functionality can only be based on experience I suppose. Then there's trying to fast track sensibility.. almost impossible really.
12-11-2011, 06:18 PM   #26
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I had the 50-135mm and traded it for a 60-250mm this year. The bag has a lot pretty reasonable mid-range primes (A*85mm, Kiron 105mm, SMC 135mm 2.5, etc.) and I found I wasn't using the 50-135mm that much. While there are times I regret sending it out of town, I love the range of the longer lens and I don't shoot much indoors. Between the two, I'd still keep the 60-250mm with the K5's ability to handle higher ISO which (almost) negates the need for the extra stop in speed.
12-11-2011, 06:50 PM   #27
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Thanks for commenting.

I just shot a portrait of my mum at F2.8 with my DA* 200MM and there's PF on the rim highlights of her glasses. Otherwise the pic's are quite nice. The DOF at 2.8 can't be simulated with ISO levels though unfortunately. But I have noticed that there's virtually no PF with the 60-250 that I did try a few weeks ago. I noticed some almost-imperceptable blue-glow on a black collar of a suit though.. nothing worth mentioned.(don't know why I did).
I have some reasonable primes too and I find I don't use them enough. Ditching all zoom lenses would solve that I guess. There doesn't seem to be any universal lens that does everything..
12-11-2011, 07:46 PM   #28
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I haven't had my 50-135 long, and I don't have (and have never had) the 60-250, so I'm not the best person to be answering this probably, but you inspired me to plot both the FL's I use, and the apertures. From this I can probably conclude that the 60-250 would be a bad replacement for me. But most people probably stop down more. (And I suspect the statistics will go more towards that for me too, I've just been doing too much low light hand held stuff since I got it.)
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12-11-2011, 08:16 PM   #29
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I have the DA*60-250 and the DA*300. I sold my 50-135 to help fund the 60-250 and have never looked back. The 60-250 is so much more versatile for me with its additional range and I could not justify keeping both with the overlap. I use the 60-250 with the AFA 1.7x for travel when I might want extra reach. It works very nicely. I still have not sold the 300mm because I like the ability to have a lightweight 500mm+ package that is easy to carry. In my opinion, you could easily get rid of a few lenses without noticing a lot of need for the missing ones.
12-11-2011, 08:47 PM   #30
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Well, I hope the gap that Ricoh is going to plug is a DA*80-200/2.8
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