[disord3r]

Commence blog post, apropos of nothing...

My K-50 was my first foray into digital photography. I had used friends cameras for a couple days here, a couple days there, but when it came time to buy my own I ended up with a modest K-50. At the time Adorama was running some insane deals, and I also managed to add the DA50 and DA35 for I think $103. I then added a 18-55 WR and 50-200 WR from KEH and I was a shooting machine. I was all in for a total of about $650 and I'm still totally pleased with how much kit I've got for so little and how well it's done.

But after getting the 100 WR macro and recently adding a couple of A lenses and feeling solid metal builds for the first time, I have to say that I'm not quite as enamored with the DA50 and DA35. They still shoot great pictures, but it's amazing the difference. The DAs definitely have a cheep and cheerful quality to them, but I kinda frown a bit when I pull them out of the bag. I was so starry-eyed over how much fun I was having I just never really noticed the scrapey sounds of plastic on plastic during manual zooming and how slight they feel in the hand. Even the WR zooms as starting to feel kinda toy-like.

Obviously they're as good as they ever were, but the quality feel of metal bodies has changed me. I think it's time to move onto bigger and better things.

[bertwert]

I think it's time to move onto bigger and better things.

LIMITEDS

Have fun shooting, I'm currently saving up for the 100 Macro, can't wait till I get it

[GlennG]

I think it's time to move onto bigger and better things.

Congrats on some good purchases; you do have some good pieces there that will serve well. Pentax is well known for delivering great value, and I believe that means that some pieces, while optically good/great, may be lighter and more plastic feeling. The tactile feel of more metal items provide to many here a feeling of joy and reassurance that is definitely desirable. You may find, as I have, that lens purchasing and use is a personal journey of sorts that never really ends. Lens availability, your experience, and wants and needs all change over time, leading one to want to change his lens lineup also. Reading the reviews definitely helps, but I have found that I just need to have and use a lens for myself before I truly know whether I'll like it. Good luck with your emerging LBA!

[pathdoc]

a modest K-50. At the time Adorama was running some insane deals, and I also managed to add the DA50 and DA35 for I think $103. I then added a 18-55 WR and 50-200 WR from KEH and I was a shooting machine. I was all in for a total of about $650

You did outstandingly well - that's one hell of a good package.

100 WR macro and recently adding a couple of A lenses

Which A lenses did you get?

Obviously they're as good as they ever were, but the quality feel of metal bodies has changed me. I think it's time to move onto bigger and better things.

Don't be in too much of a hurry. What matters at the end of the day is the quality of the pictures you take, so don't rush out to duplicate parts of your setup just to get that "solid metal build" feel. Replace what wears out, by all means, but don't unnecessarily duplicate.

LIMITEDS

In principle I agree, but IMHO the OP needs to plan this very carefully around the lenses they already have.

[disord3r]

LIMITEDS

I'm with you. I'm was trying to do this on the cheap as I learn, but as some point I'm going to have to bite the bullet and just start laying out for the good stuff. I think now is that time.

I have no regrets about the money spent on the macro.

---------- Post added 01-13-16 at 12:03 PM ----------

Which A lenses did you get?

I ended up with a 28 2.8 and a 50 1.4.

Which A lenses did you get?
Don't be in too much of a hurry. What matters at the end of the day is the quality of the pictures you take, so don't rush out to duplicate parts of your setup just to get that "solid metal build" feel. Replace what wears out, by all means, but don't unnecessarily duplicate.

I hear you. As soon as the shots don't impress me I may replace them, but for now I continue to use them. The 50 may be a duplication, but it was an indulgence and a relatively cheap one. Actually, the 28mm may be duplication as well. I have a Tamron 24mm 2.5, but I just wanted to see if Pentax did it better.

Textbook LBA.

[luftfluss]

Don't be in too much of a hurry. What matters at the end of the day is the quality of the pictures you take, so don't rush out to duplicate parts of your setup just to get that "solid metal build" feel. Replace what wears out, by all means, but don't unnecessarily duplicate.

I agree. For a couple of years, I wanted the DA 35 Macro Ltd. Then I found a really good deal on the DA 35/2.4 and was so satisfied that the Macro got seriously back-burnered. I was shooting with the DA 21 & 70 Ltds along with metal-barreled older lenses and the plastic of the 35/2.4 didn't bother me in the slightest... I only wished it had close-focus capability. When, this Christmas, my brother completely surprised me with the gift of a SMC DA 35 Macro, I flipped the plastic 35/2.4 for... a plastic F 50/1.7!

[chmance]

But after getting the 100 WR macro and recently adding a couple of A lenses and feeling solid metal builds for the first time, I have to say that I'm not quite as enamored with the DA50 and DA35 ... Even the WR zooms as starting to feel kinda toy-like.

Obviously they're as good as they ever were, but the quality feel of metal bodies has changed me. I think it's time to move onto bigger and better things.

I used to play golf a lot and I know from experience that the finish, feel, and acoustic properties of golf clubs do affect the way people play. I can say that my best scores were achieved with my best clubs. I do not know if the same holds true for the use of photographic equipment. I can tell you, nevertheless, that the heft and precision of my purely metal-and-glass SMC/Super Takumars, K, M, and DA Limited lens DO inspire me to take better pictures. There is nothing wrong with my other DAs and A series lenses (the first to incorporate plastic parts) but somehow their toy-like feel, wobble (for DAs), and sound take away the "X Factor" that my other lenses have. And not surprisingly ... the best photos I've taken were with my legacy and Limited glasses. Coincidence?

[pathdoc]

I ended up with a 28 2.8 and a 50 1.4.

Congratulations. You are now ready for your first MF K-mount film body... (Unless of course you already have one lying around, in which case put those lenses on, slap some film in and enjoy.)

More seriously, the extra half stop of f/1.4 is sometimes worthwhile, either in thin DOF terms or for the slightly brighter viewfinder (occasionally if you just HAVE to have that extra half stop of speed but don't want to or cannot compromise on ISO). And if at any stage you want to play the game of "macro with extension tubes" (or with bellows or a reversing adapter), having a lens with an aperture ring is an inestimable advantage.

Some prime junkies will tell you there's a significant difference in FOV between 24mm and 28mm, and this is something you can now try out for yourself. Whether there's any measurable difference between f/2.5 and f/2.8 is IMO for the hair-splitters.

I have no regrets about the money spent on the macro.

Nor should you. It's a damn fine lens.

[kjphilippona]

I discovered the same, as soon as i saw the pictures taken with my K5II and FA77 Limited

[boriscleto]

I ended up with a 28 2.8 and a 50 1.4.
.

Very nice lenses. Though I have replaced my 28/2.8 with a Sigma 24/2.8.

[Zephos]

Commence blog post, apropos of nothing...

My K-50 was my first foray into digital photography. I had used friends cameras for a couple days here, a couple days there, but when it came time to buy my own I ended up with a modest K-50. At the time Adorama was running some insane deals, and I also managed to add the DA50 and DA35 for I think $103. I then added a 18-55 WR and 50-200 WR from KEH and I was a shooting machine. I was all in for a total of about $650 and I'm still totally pleased with how much kit I've got for so little and how well it's done.

But after getting the 100 WR macro and recently adding a couple of A lenses and feeling solid metal builds for the first time, I have to say that I'm not quite as enamored with the DA50 and DA35. They still shoot great pictures, but it's amazing the difference. The DAs definitely have a cheep and cheerful quality to them, but I kinda frown a bit when I pull them out of the bag. I was so starry-eyed over how much fun I was having I just never really noticed the scrapey sounds of plastic on plastic during manual zooming and how slight they feel in the hand. Even the WR zooms as starting to feel kinda toy-like.

Obviously they're as good as they ever were, but the quality feel of metal bodies has changed me. I think it's time to move onto bigger and better things.

Haha you remind me of myself. I have a K-50 and the 2 kit lenses plus the DA50. I drool over the 100 Macro but can't get it yet because I'm a starving student. I struggle because I feel like my photography is limited by my lack of gear... maybe someone can convince me otherwise. My lack of time doesn't help either.

[disord3r]

Haha you remind me of myself. I have a K-50 and the 2 kit lenses plus the DA50. I drool over the 100 Macro but can't get it yet because I'm a starving student. I struggle because I feel like my photography is limited by my lack of gear... maybe someone can convince me otherwise. My lack of time doesn't help either.

There really isn't anything wrong with the images coming out of those lenses, but it's weird when you don't know any different. Out of the box, I enjoyed that the DAs didn't look like regular lenses. They sorta lack that industrial design lenses have had throughout the ages. They're more of a modern and fashionable look, and I like that. There's something trendy about that look that I really really liked, and still do really, and how different it is to the FAs and sigma or nikon or any other lens. It's non-traditional. But I never gave much thought to how they felt until handling the Pentax-A lenses.

It doesn't change how I shoot with them. It's just weird when your perception of a thing changes so much so quickly. Even if I hadn't snapped a single pic with the macro lens or the pair of A lenses. Just holding them side by side for a couple minutes would have been enough to flip some kind of switch in my head.

[clackers]

You only want to drink the good stuff?

The Limiteds are calling your name. ☺

[Des]

But after getting the 100 WR macro and recently adding a couple of A lenses and feeling solid metal builds for the first time, I have to say that I'm not quite as enamored with the DA50 and DA35. They still shoot great pictures, but it's amazing the difference. The DAs definitely have a cheep and cheerful quality to them, but I kinda frown a bit when I pull them out of the bag.

aha you remind me of myself. I have a K-50 and the 2 kit lenses plus the DA50. I drool over the 100 Macro but can't get it yet because I'm a starving student. I struggle because I feel like my photography is limited by my lack of gear... maybe someone can convince me otherwise. My lack of time doesn't help either.

I might not be the right one to preach this lesson, since I now have a number of premium lenses and a flagship camera body. And I just love using them. (It's hard to take a bad photo with a 77 Ltd.) And I am a frequent reader of, and participant in, discussions about gear.

But ... I need to remind myself from time to time that photography is not primarily about gear but about skills and imagination. In 1954 an amateur photographer won a Pulitzer Prize for an image taken with a Box Brownie. More recently, many prize-winning shots have been taken with phone cameras. If you look at the photo contests here, you will see many fine photos taken with entry-level cameras and kit lenses, and Craigs List bargain acquisitions.

When I had a film SLR, I lent it to someone who had never used a camera before. Straight away he took amazing shots - ones I would never have thought of, with fresh subjects and perspectives. The lesson I took was to try to see things differently. That matters more than anything.

As it happens, @Zephos, you have a camera with many features you might not have explored yet. In the DA 50 f1.8, you have a modern lens that is the culmination of 40+ years of development, and that can produce outstanding images. It is fast and sharp, the colours are great, the bokeh is very pleasant, and the modern coatings produce excellent resistance to flare and CA. I had one of its ancestors, the A-50 f1.7, and while the build quality and feel of the A are much better, images from the DA 50 are just as good if not better. It's been called the "poor person's limited" lens.



If you crave a macro lens, before shelling out for a specialist macro lens try using the DA 50 with cheap diopters or with an auto-aperture extension tube. People have got excellent result with these things. See this thread about macro with conventional lenses: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/143202-macro-any-means-necessary-club.html

Sure, we'd all like a bag full of Limiteds, but until you win the lottery just enjoy what you've got and try to get the most out of it. There is a lot of inspiration available on this and other sites. Even if you don't have a lot of time, try something different whenever you shoot: different perspective, aperture, shutter speed. Get down on the ground and shoot up, or get up on a ladder and shoot down. Try compositions using textures or lines, or unusual combinations, or unexpected positioning of the subject. Try taking details of things (e.g. the eye and ear of a cat instead of the whole cat). Try household subjects. Use the short DOF to effect (e.g. a portrait where the hands are in focus and the head is bokeh). Experiment with the flash (the onboard flash with white material as a diffuser will do). Shoot RAW and play around with images in post (the free Pentax Digital Camera Utility 5 can do a lot of things.) The great thing about digital photography is that it costs nothing to experiment.

Have I convinced you?

[Zephos]

I might not be the right one to preach this lesson, since I now have a number of premium lenses and a flagship camera body. And I just love using them. (It's hard to take a bad photo with a 77 Ltd.) And I am a frequent reader of, and participant in, discussions about gear.

But ... I need to remind myself from time to time that photography is not primarily about gear but about skills and imagination. In 1954 an amateur photographer won a Pulitzer Prize for an image taken with a Box Brownie. More recently, many prize-winning shots have been taken with phone cameras. If you look at the photo contests here, you will see many fine photos taken with entry-level cameras and kit lenses, and Craigs List bargain acquisitions.

When I had a film SLR, I lent it to someone who had never used a camera before. Straight away he took amazing shots - ones I would never have thought of, with fresh subjects and perspectives. The lesson I took was to try to see things differently. That matters more than anything.

As it happens, @Zephos, you have a camera with many features you might not have explored yet. In the DA 50 f1.8, you have a modern lens that is the culmination of 40+ years of development, and that can produce outstanding images. It is fast and sharp, the colours are great, the bokeh is very pleasant, and the modern coatings produce excellent resistance to flare and CA. I had one of its ancestors, the A-50 f1.7, and while the build quality and feel of the A are much better, images from the DA 50 are just as good if not better. It's been called the "poor person's limited" lens.



If you crave a macro lens, before shelling out for a specialist macro lens try using the DA 50 with cheap diopters or with an auto-aperture extension tube. People have got excellent result with these things. See this thread about macro with conventional lenses: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/143202-macro-any-means-necessary-club.html

Sure, we'd all like a bag full of Limiteds, but until you win the lottery just enjoy what you've got and try to get the most out of it. There is a lot of inspiration available on this and other sites. Even if you don't have a lot of time, try something different whenever you shoot: different perspective, aperture, shutter speed. Get down on the ground and shoot up, or get up on a ladder and shoot down. Try compositions using textures or lines, or unusual combinations, or unexpected positioning of the subject. Try taking details of things (e.g. the eye and ear of a cat instead of the whole cat). Try household subjects. Use the short DOF to effect (e.g. a portrait where the hands are in focus and the head is bokeh). Experiment with the flash (the onboard flash with white material as a diffuser will do). Shoot RAW and play around with images in post (the free Pentax Digital Camera Utility 5 can do a lot of things.) The great thing about digital photography is that it costs nothing to experiment.

Have I convinced you?

Yes, you have convinced me. In truth, I know better than to complain about my gear. I suppose I just need more grit, and I need to go out and find images that I have been overlooking. Thanks for the pep talk!