Originally posted by pepperberry farm that's a beaut, paul.... how do you like the 19mm? I am considering an ultra-wide prime... I have a Vivitar 24mm, but it is not a remarkable picture-taker....
in fact, I may be combining it with the Super Program camera I have for sale, just to move both of them...
Thanks! The Viv 19 is a pretty good lens, imo. Not as sharp, contrasty or as colorful as an SMC Pentax, but pretty decent. Mine is a Cosina-made version, with the A setting. My images with this lens always need a bit of extra PP to get them to look good. My copy tends to wash out/flare in bright light. I'm using a wide-angle metal hood, but I might try something a bit deeper to see if that helps. I use this lens a lot with my old *istD, and I usually dial in about -.7 EV to keep the skies from blowing out. The lens also has pretty prominent barrel distortion, which along with the other shortcomings, can be dealt with in post. It's a really useful focal length, so if you can find a good copy at a decent price, it's worth picking up. I paid about $50 for mine here on the marketplace.
Another shot, taken with the Vivitar 19 on an *ist D: