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05-09-2008, 04:14 PM   #1
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What Do You Don't Like About Your Pentax Lenses?

As much as we often laud about the positive qualities of our beloved Pentax lenses, there are often irritations and pet peeves about some of them that we have to live with.

Please I'm not talking about about FF/BF focusing issues or sharpness here.

OK today I found out what I didn't like about my FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited. Yes that lens that gives such lovely and dreamy bokeh and beautiful portraits also exhibits another personality as a purple fringing monster.

Original resized image taken with K10D (exif intact)


100% centre crop (aargh, my eyes, my eyes )


05-09-2008, 04:45 PM   #2
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Plastic feel of many FA and DA (and some A) lenses.
05-09-2008, 04:57 PM   #3
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I actually find that my 77LTD doesn't do quite well with highlight bokeh at wide open, stop it down a little would help. And wow, those are really some ugly PF. I always thought that the FA LTD line can keep these things at reasonable level. I guess what I should complain right now is the lack of SDM prime. And I don't understand why Pentax didn't do the focus clutch with the FA LTD line. It gives such a nice manual feel.
05-09-2008, 05:02 PM   #4
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I just don't like that the selection of new Pentax lenses is so slim compared to its competitors. It's nice that all K Mount lenses are usable on my K10D, but I would love it if there were more to choose from new from pentax.

05-09-2008, 05:08 PM   #5
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It is an obvious problem with pentax lenses in general, Fringe Prone!

And this is one of the area that I love to shoot RAW. The photoshop has CA adjustment function which is just far too weak to correct the fringe coming out of many pentax lenses. Desaturation of cyan and blue are almost necessary in which the blue ocean or sky colour would be compromised.

But CA is the signature of pentax lenses. It can't be just too perfect
05-09-2008, 05:24 PM   #6
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I do like my Pentax lenses, but my biggest beef is the purple fringing from my DA18-250. Superbly versatile lens, but tight crops on images against a bright sky are a disaster.
05-09-2008, 05:48 PM   #7
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I dislike the lack of SDM / HSM / USM / __M in the lenses.

Sometimes having a screw whirring draws unneccesary attention to yourself.

05-09-2008, 05:54 PM   #8
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My gripe--outside of NYC, there aren't enough camera stores that carry them in stock so that I can go actually play with them. The same thing can also be said for the third-party lenses in the Pentax mount. :sigh:

Heather

Last edited by heatherslightbox; 05-09-2008 at 06:39 PM.
05-09-2008, 06:02 PM   #9
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I don't have any paticular gripe about my pentax lenses, the biggest gripe is the lack of new ones
05-09-2008, 06:28 PM   #10
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Pentax + Sigma = great body + IQ
05-09-2008, 07:05 PM   #11
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purple fringing. Instead of hitting the blue channel, hit the purple and magenta...these are non-natural colors and hadn't had any issues with it efecting other colors.

the cheap feel of the FA lenses. The lack of SDM lenses.
05-09-2008, 07:05 PM   #12
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Here is another Pentax favorite with a dark side or should I say a purple side, the FA 43mm f/1.9 Limited.

Original resized image taken with K10D (exif intact)


100% centre crop (uh-oh)
05-09-2008, 07:49 PM   #13
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^no real comment except to say I have this same watch; never seen anyone else with this model
05-09-2008, 07:57 PM   #14
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I don't really have any complaints. The prices on the fine old glass is still reasonable, I haven't had any PF problems with the lenses I own, ...

I suppose I could complain that I don't have money for the LBA I've developed.

Man, for the price of those lenses, I'd be mad as hell about PF. Tell Pentax about it.
05-09-2008, 08:21 PM   #15
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All the three FA Limited lenses are prone to CA (or PF, or whatever you call it) at wide aperture, and some DA lenses aren't any better in this regard Some users claimed that the DFA100 macro lens has exactly the same optical design as the FA100 macro, but the FA100 produces much less CA/PF at wide aperture.

Funny thing is, some old manual lenses don't suffer this problem, or at least are not as serious as the later FA/DA lenses. Even my old A15/3.5 has much less CA/PF problem than the new DA14.

I don't know what happened w/ Pentax current lens design, not to say the QC issues even w/DA* or DA Limited lenses Here is the DA70 lens my friend just passed to me a week ago (sorry about the lousy IQ, I only had an old FA28-80PZ lens w/ me to take these photos before I sent it to our local agent for repair):





The lens just fell apart when the friend was taking photos w/ it (pointing downwards), the front part just came out of the lens w/o any reason I've heard exactly the same thing happened to a DA21 and DA40 too. These are LIMITED lenses, this just can't be happening!

To be honest, I don't have much confidence w/ the qualities of current DA lenses, including DA* or DA pancake limiteds, although I still have some (including the two DA* zooms). We know all current DA lenses are made or assembled in Vietnam. But think about this, some employees there even take the lens out of the factory and sell them on the second hand market! (please don't ask me how I know, but yes, I know it's true). How do we expect good QC if there are employees like this

Pentax, please bring back the old Takumars (and put AF/SDM in them) ...
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