[Sagitta]

I'm doing a single in challenge using about as 'budget' of a lens as you can get, the Sears Auto Zoom 70-210m f/4 macro. I paid about $5 for it off of eBay if I remember right along with another cheap Sears zoom. It was more of a "I'm collecting Sears lenses' than "I plan to actually USE these things' kind of situation.

Regardless, as a result of a few things, I realized that messing with something in the 70-200mm range may be fun, as I could find myself shopping for such a lens in the future should we get a Pentax full frame. That, and the lens was there on my shelf, Ricoh pin nicely excised out of the thing, so why not use it?

The first thing I noticed is it blooms much like the Sears 135mm macro does. Actually, it blooms more. Given ones taste this could be a good or a bad thing.

This, son, is bloom.



At any rate, the lens IS sharp stopped down and not set to macro mode, which means its perfectly usable for out and about, so out and about I went today. Theres been a thread lately about the '3D effect' some lenses have, so i gave myself a mini-challenge to try to pull it off with this strange beast of a lens today.

I wound up shooting a LOT of cars. I don't think I managed much '3D', but I did get some interesting bokeh and a general idea of the lens' capabilities stopped down.

I liked the effect of the bokeh-concrete barriers in the background. Go figure.



Then I went on the interstate. i would of pulled it off with this shot if I hadn't been shooting through the windshield and if the lens didn't have this habit of metering on the bright side. (I find it tends to go almost a full stop overboard).



Again,close but no cigar with these two - that 3D effect really does need to include all of a subject rather than just bits of it.





Finally, I dropped my wife off at work and went to the park with my sons. The baby just slept, but my 2 year old ran around while Daddy tried to figure out his lens.

Yes! 3Dish, at least somewhat! Hah!



Again! Sort of! The background was way, way too busy for it to work well though.



"Daddy, did you forget you have that crazy bloom-happy macro mode on that thing?"



"Oh, yea. Let me look around and twist this little ring and AH HA. There. Bloom City."



"Now let me stop back down and start pestering you with the camera some more son. Oh yea, and I'll forget to un-macro the lens, so that blooms gonna carry over."



Wait. What?









Yep.

I can carry that bloom over to an extent for portraiture with this thing. Its simply a matter of half-cocking the macro function between off and all he way somewhere.

This cheap old lens is most certainly going into my 'keeper' pile now because SERIOUSLY.

Also, FWIW, all shots save the pine needles up top are straight OOC jpegs. No PP involved for any of 'em.

[carrrlangas]

Jaja, very easy to read and on the eyes. You got a laugh out of me. Thanks!

Also, very interisting 3D-kind-of pictures. I certainly envy your manual focus abbility.

[VisualDarkness]

Looks like one of those way overpriced old soft focus lenses that are around, but at only $5 and more versatile!

[lytrytyr]

Then I went on the interstate. i would of pulled it off with this shot if I hadn't been shooting through the windshield

Please tell me you weren't driving!

There aren't that many Pentax users
that we can afford to lose any.

[Sagitta]

Please tell me you weren't driving!

There aren't that many Pentax users
that we can afford to lose any.

Shooting while driving is reserved strictly for point and shoots, cell phones, and the Q.

[Kerrowdown]

I just had one of 'those days' where a lens surprised the hell out of me...

That doesn't happen often my friend, so savour the moment, thanks for posting and make me smile too.