Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
03-19-2018, 01:46 AM   #31
Otis Memorial Pentaxian
Otis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis Fan
Loyal Site Supporter
clackers's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Melbourne
Photos: Albums
Posts: 16,394
QuoteOriginally posted by Valantar Quote

Also, isn't >=1:1 more or less the textboox defintion of macro, as in "subject is same size or larger on the film/sensor"? I'd completely agree on calling anything below that 'close focusing'. Otherwise the term would become meaningless pretty quickly.
Of course, I agree.





03-19-2018, 05:14 AM - 1 Like   #32
Pentaxian
bdery's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Quebec city, Canada
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 9,352
QuoteOriginally posted by Valantar Quote
infinitesimally wider wide-angle
It's much more visible than what you believe.

QuoteOriginally posted by Valantar Quote
a bit more telephoto range - this seems expensive.
Less significant than at the wide angle, but again, clearly visible.

QuoteOriginally posted by Valantar Quote
17-70 and 16-85 are quite comparable in terms of image quality, while the 18-135 is quite a bit behind, while also being slow to focus
I believe you are correct that the 17-70 and 16-85 compare well optically. The 18-135 certainly isn't far behind, but lags a bit in the corners.

QuoteOriginally posted by Valantar Quote
the 18-135 has a killer combination of price and range.
That's certainly true. It's also smaller.

QuoteOriginally posted by Valantar Quote
Then again, 16mm v. 17mm (v. 18mm?) shouldn't really be noticeable, right?
Each mm at the wide end is immensely noticeable.

If you dig wide angle, fast AF and WR, the choice is obvious, get the 16-85. If money is an object, get the 18-135. If aperture is important, get the Sigma.

For the record, I tested the 18-135 and didn't buy it. I owned an earlier version of the Sigma and sold it to get the 16-85. Now I own a K-1 but still use the 16-85 as my main walkaround lens.
03-19-2018, 05:54 AM   #33
Veteran Member




Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Montréal QC
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 2,351
If you get the Sigma - which is the one I own and is a fine lens - just make sure it has the latest firmware.
03-19-2018, 10:53 AM - 1 Like   #34
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
seventysixersfan's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 2,049
Among the lenses you are contemplating or own, I have owned or handled the DA 18-135mm, DA 16-85, sigma 17-70 contemporary, and Tamron 10-24mm . I also struggled to get sharp shots out of my Tamron 10-24 though if I had enough light and shot at f/8, it seemed good enough, plus I loved the wide angle zoom range from 10mm-24mm. As for the other zooms, I have the DA 18-135mm which I think is an outstanding travel lens, very compact and fast focusing, nice "pentax" color rendition, and WR is nice to have too. And if you can get it as a discount in a bundle with your new K-70, it would be an excellent value. Though I like my 18-135mm, I do wish the image quality were a bit better, which is why I thought about adding either the Sigma 17-70 contemporary or DA 16-85 to complement my kit (I would not be getting rid of my 18-135, it really is that good for travel). So actually I was able to acquire both lenses to do some testing and comparison. I really liked the 16-85 and the image quality was noticeably better than my DA 18-135 without pixel peeping , plus 16mm is a lot wider and you might find that you would no longer need your 10-24mm for many situations. But I know that 16-85 is expensive. In addition, I thought the 16-85 was built well, but it's definitely larger than the 18-135mm so may not fit as well in your travel bag. I really liked the Sigma 17-70 contemporary for its handling, sharp images, compact and sturdy build, and close focusing. I also really appreciated the f/2,.8 on the wide end for taking indoor pictures, though of course the aperture narrows down quickly as you zoom out. Still, f/4 at 70mm is pretty decent and lets in more light at that point than the 18-135 does. The only drawback to the Sigma was the lack of WR. Also 17mm is a bit wider than 18mm though not terribly different-- in comparison, I could immediately tell the difference between 16 and 18mm on the wide end in terms of field of view.

In an ideal world, you should save up and try to get the 16-85 but I understand completely about the budget issue. If you think you would appreciate the faster aperture and closer focusing of the Sigma over the WR of the DA 18-135, then you should try out the Sigma.

Good luck!

03-19-2018, 01:45 PM - 1 Like   #35
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter
UncleVanya's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2014
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 28,182
This may be helpful - bearing in mind that the DA 16-85 has been said to rival the DA 16-50 at the wide end. You can also read the \in depth review of the 16-85 where some comparisons to the DA 18-135 are made.

DA* 16-50mm vs. Sigma and Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 Comparison Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

https://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/hd-pentax-da-16-85mm-f35-56/introduction.html?src=lrdb
https://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/da-18-135mm-f35-56-ed-al-if-dc-wr/intro....html?src=lrdb


EDIT: After rereading some of these I really think this first impressions article gives the best info if you are comparing the 16-85 and 18-135...

https://www.pentaxforums.com/articles/hands-on-reviews/hd-pentax-da-16-85mm-...ns-review.html
03-20-2018, 08:47 AM - 1 Like   #36
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
seventysixersfan's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Alexandria, VA
Posts: 2,049
and this page on the DA 18-135 in-depth review directly compares the sharpness of the 18-135 with that of the sigma 17-70 contemporary:
Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 Review - Sharpness | PentaxForums.com Reviews

which concludes: " Apart from faster maximum aperture and marginally-wider field of view, so far the corner and edge resolution looks like the sole measurable advantage one would gain by skipping the Pentax 18-135mm in lieu of the Sigma 17-70mm."
03-20-2018, 01:51 PM - 3 Likes   #37
Forum Member




Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 50
Original Poster
Thanks for all the feedback folks I went ahead and ordered the kit including the 18-135. In the end, what won me over was realizing - as the previous post underscores - that the Sigma C doesn't seem to be significantly better (to me, with my priorities and sensibilities, that is), while I would lose out on weather sealing. While I've done okay without weather sealing until now (though I'm not sure what killed my old zoom, I kind of doubt moisture was the culprit), going to Cambodia and Vietnam in the rainy season with a brand-new, somewhat expensive, non-sealed lens seems ... risky. Not getting something wider than 18mm is still a bit of a bummer, but one that I can live with considering that I have the 10-24 for when I want more. I also got a spare battery (duh) and the O-ME53 magnifying eyepiece - not sure if I'll end up keeping that, but I'm thinking it might come in handy for checking focus with the 10-24. Might be redundant with the actually useful live view and (tilting, non-tiny, non-awful) LCD on the K-70, but that's not a luxury I'm used to, so I suppose we'll see. No doubt everything will be a massive improvement from my K-x, no matter what.

Now I'll just have to wait for the camera to arrive. It'll probably be a while - I'm expecting a week and a half or more - as no stores actually had it in stock (consequences of buying a niche brand like Pentax in a tiny country like Norway, I suppose). Still, it'll be exciting once I have it all in hand! Definitely looking forward to trying out the new lens too, of course

03-20-2018, 03:04 PM - 1 Like   #38
Pentaxian
timb64's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: /Situation : Doing my best to avoid idiots!
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 9,506
Congratulations on your purchases,bet you can't wait to get your hands on them.Be sure to post some pictures!
SE Asia is a great destination to try them out.
03-21-2018, 02:49 AM - 1 Like   #39
Forum Member




Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 50
Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by timb64 Quote
Congratulations on your purchases,bet you can't wait to get your hands on them.Be sure to post some pictures!
SE Asia is a great destination to try them out.
Thanks! Honestly, placing the order was a bit of an anticlimax, given the combination of having to wait a while to get the camera in my hands and the severe lack of photo opportunities in "springtime" Norwegian cities. Thick, polluted snow, gray-brown slush everywhere there isn't snow, and heavy, dark cloud cover doesn't make for the best photo opportunities :P Of course, living next to a major thoroughfare doesn't exactly make for encouraging views any time of year. Hopefully the current warm weather will stick around and melt off a bit of snow and dry out the slush by the time I get the camera. I might even find the motivation to get out of the city and find something worth taking pictures of
03-29-2018, 01:19 PM   #40
Pentaxian
Theov39's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Sydney
Posts: 594
I think you made the right choice with the 18-135. It is such a versatile lens. Will I mainly use primes now, when I do just want a general walk around lens that is the one I use.

What is the second hand market like for Pentax lenses in Norway? I have bought most of my lenses second hand in Australia, including the 18-135, and made substantial savings. Lenses don't really wear out unless they have been abused or stored badly.
03-29-2018, 02:49 PM - 1 Like   #41
Forum Member




Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 50
Original Poster
QuoteOriginally posted by Theov39 Quote
I think you made the right choice with the 18-135. It is such a versatile lens. Will I mainly use primes now, when I do just want a general walk around lens that is the one I use.

What is the second hand market like for Pentax lenses in Norway? I have bought most of my lenses second hand in Australia, including the 18-135, and made substantial savings. Lenses don't really wear out unless they have been abused or stored badly.
In short, the used market is more or less nonexistent, and importing sadly entails paying VAT even on used products. Buying used requires a crazy amount of patience, which I sadly don't have at this time. I'm considering getting some older glass off Ebay at some point (the Pentax M 100mm macro is interesting, and cheap!), but it'd have to be a good deal or find to be worth it. Besides, buying new in Norway with our amazing consumer protection laws has its positive sides (the law grants 2 years of warranty-ish coverage, while gear "meant to last" (the law's wording) longer than 2 years extends that to 5 years).
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
17-50mm, 18-135mm, bit, da, k-70, k-mount, k-x, kit, lens, nok, pentax, pentax lens, price, range, rebate, sigma, slr lens, weather, wide-angle, wr
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Anyone replace a DA 17-70 with DA 16-85 or DA 18-135? jddwoods Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 15 08-21-2018 05:52 AM
Sigma 17-70 Contemporary Vs Sigma 17-50 sharpness.. in which review to believe? Exhale Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 10 03-22-2018 08:06 PM
Choosing a lens: Pentax 17-70, 16-85 or sigma 17-70 C Frispel Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 38 09-14-2016 07:59 PM
Sigma 17-70 Contemporary vs Sigma 17-50 2.8 bass3587 Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 21 01-24-2015 10:31 AM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 02:27 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top