[HoBykoYan]

Hi All,

One good thing about this website is this very interactive forum where anybody can get a lot of suggestions and all other things... thanks guys.

Here's another one from me....
Most of the time i bring with me my K5 so that i will not miss anything on my way to work. Problem is the 16-45 is to heavy while walking, my 50/55 and 70 are too long for street photog... I planned to get the dal 35 2.4 but can't afford it (not like those cheap m42 50-58's)...

Now i have seen one F35-70 for sale and i think it can cover the street photog well, my only question is... can it deliver the goods?
How is it compared to other cheap zooms?
How is it compared to the dal 35?

Again thanks in advance...

[Pablom]

F35-70 is a very compact zoom with, imo, above average IQ, though not like any of your primes, I love the colors I used to get from it. and it focuses very fast.

can it deliver the goods?

can you deliver the goods?

[hoanpham]

I think the F35-70 suits street photography very well.
It's tiny, above average IQ, AF, plastic but light weight.

Any lens can be used for street photography.
You may need other skills than just snap shots.

Street photography with pentax M 20/4:

[Chuckie]

I have one of these as well and so far it has been one of my more used walk-around lenses. I have however been using it mostly on film (almost permanently on the MZ-S). Focus is a lot faster than expected for an "F" lens and the macro feature is very useful if you suddenly need it. 35mm is sometimes not quite short enough depending on the setting, but that's what feet are for. I recently got the FA24-90 and I think there might be a battle looming for which one gets grabbed first.

[Roob-N-Boots]

Great lens. Small, sharp, great colors and fast AF. I love using it for outdoor family get-togethers when I want to travel light and don't need WR, and for indoor parties with my AF540.

Focus is a lot faster than expected for an "F" lens

In my opinion the F series lenses are some of the fastest AF lenses in the Pentax lineup (I own 2 zooms and 5 primes from the F series) just a little noisy. So if you see one for under $65 jump on one. You are better off trying to find a 35mm SF1 or SF1N with one attached, as they tend to go for a lower price than the lens by itself.

[Unsinkable II]

It's what sits on my K-x the majority of the time since I got the K-30.

Great compact and lightweight combo.

I would imagine it being marvelous on a future mythical mirrorless FF.

[msatlas]

It should be fine as long as you don't think you'll need a wide angle. Because 35mm is already a slightly-long normal FL. The FA 20-35 could suit your needs as it's only 10 g heavier than the F 35-70.

Flickriver: Photos taken with Pentax smc P-FA 20-35mm F4.0 AL lens

---

Last edited by msatlas; 09-20-2012 at 07:21 PM.

[HoBykoYan]

Thanks guys for your posts...

@Pablom: i'm still new to street and yes Hoanpham is right, skills are needed here.
When i shoot street am still learning the said skills as this area of photography presents lots of angles/perspectives to shoot from...

@Hoanpham & msatlas: wider than 35 is already too wide for me on streets. I don't know but it seems i'm already shooting city landscapes haha...
35-70 is perfect but if i can get 24-90/28-70 at cheaper price and light for walking around then better for me...

Sometime i don't understand also how people rate lenses here in our database. Price might as well be a factor in relation with the over-all quality of a given lens... hence the ratings (not sure though)

[hoanpham]

Rating here is highly personal. Very few had testing their lenses to the edges.
For me, i need to map the sweet spots, weak spots, comprimize, cases to use, in different light condition, distances, and more. Bokeh is a very personal taste.
Sometime, i reuse tests made by others and do my tests with missing cases. It is fun for me but might not for others. I like to bring out the character of a lens, because if you use at f8, it is the same as any average lenses.

Rating here still can be used as a guideline. Read every post and judge for your cases.

Street photography is not only cityscape. I am still learning. Communication skills is useful, and a lot of confident.
Sure, the wider and longer zoom is fine, but prime lenses as good.

[reeftool]

It's a small, compact lens and very sharp. Mine broke on me. Something came apart inside and it no longer focuses except in the macro range. I like a little wider for street shooting but the 35-70 will do the job. I'll probably buy another one rather than fix the old one. They are pretty common and prices aren't very high. A worthwhile addition to any camera bag in my opinion.

[xjjohnno]

There's many approaches to street photography, candid portraits, group interaction etc. The F35-70 should do the trick nicely for quite a few approaches. The lens provides absolutely yummy colours.

[nparsons13]

I'm glad to hear such good things about the F 35-70. I just won the bidding for one this evening after reading the user reviews for it here. As a bonus, it comes attached to an SF10, which isn't a bad film body. I'll be using it on my K-01 mostly, though.

[xjjohnno]

Enjoy it. I sold mine as part of collection pruning and was delighted to sell it for over 3x what I'd paid for it. I can't say I miss the lens, not due to any misbehaving on its part, more due to the fact I have too many other delightful lenses to play with.

[subidoc]

Recently snagged a 35-70... Colors are amazing. Best $35 I spent on a lens

[rbefly]

Hello HoByKoYan,
Yes, the F 35-70 is a fine street and general-use lens, and quite possibly the best in its price range.
Here's several examples;
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/lens-sample-photo-archive/184051-f-35-70m...ur-photos.html
Good Luck!
Ron