[UncleVanya]

Having used and sold a fair few 135mm on K3, for me the DA200 on FF is an obvious choice. For some reason I haven't bought one. I can't fathom why really. I mostly use primes. Maybe because it is a little large for me and there's the reported PF. Plus I do have 135 mm on K3. But I constantly come back to considering buying the 200mm. Maybe someday soon as this FL is great for isolating subjects & minimalist shots.

The PF is pretty minor. It is noticed only in very high contrast and seems pretty easy to treat in post. It is mainly noticed because the other DA* lenses are so good at not showing any. The DA* 50-135 and 60-250 are better at high contrast than it is.

[noelpolar]

An el'cheap'o 200 shot..... K SMC 200/4 with el'cheap'o 1.4tc



If there is one thing the "single in challenge" taught me it is that you can "get a result" with any lens.... especially if there is some sort of interest and good light.... even sharpness is down on the list most of the time.

[UncleVanya]

An el'cheap'o 200 shot..... K SMC 200/4 with el'cheap'o 1.4tc



If there is one thing the "single in challenge" taught me it is that you can do most things with any lens.... especially if it has some sort of interest and good light.... even sharpness is down on the list most of the time.

And TALENT...
don't sell yourself short!

[noelpolar]

Thankyou!

[Focusrite]

Thank you everyone for your replies!

The issue you run into is environmental. If you're after conventional landscape perspectives the length is too long. You end up with an image that whilst technically able to be sharp, isn't because your landscape details are affected by atmospheric haze, etc because you're further away.

Thank you for bringing this up; I think this is something that I need to consider more when it comes to how I would intend to use the lens. If I were to shoot panoramas it would likely be from a vantage point where depth of field were a moot point, however haze from distance would start to become a major problem.

The only reason for me to shoot telephoto landscape panoramas is smaller DOF and blur effect in foreground and background.

99 stitched frames

Very nice picture! That frame count is pretty intense! On many of my panoramas I'm struggling to retain depth of field as the focal length increases, but I'll have to give that technique a shot sometime when I find a suitable subject.

One of our (Australia's ) great landscape photographers, Peter Dombrovskis, moved towards landscape details later in his career. Check out his work. If you like it, I think you will like shooting with the K1/ DA*200mm combo.

I'll have to have a deeper look into his work. I had a quick browse, but will look further with into it.

I think at this point I'm thinking I might sit on my pennies and wait for a bit, or look at something with a bit of a shorter focal length; maybe even a 100mm macro, as suggested. I might have to play around with the Sigma 70-200 a bit more, or challenge myself to use it exclusively to see if I can train my eye a little better to see how I can use it. And maybe the DA*200 seller will drop their price a bit more too!

[Wasp]

Using a 200mm for landscapes? Interesting idea, one that I should look at myself.

If you can get a DA* 200mm dor a good price, go for it.


On the other hand, if you can do without the autofocus and wide aperture, consider an M or A 200mm f/4. They are lighter and cheaper, and decently sharp at f/8 or f/11.

[kislotiq]

I've been shooting landscapes with DA*200 on K-3 for years, and when I switched to K-1 it blew my mind.
I don't use it anymore because the AF broke (!!!) and I find the newly-bought DA 60-250 is much more versatile.
The DA*200 on FF produces gorgeous picture across the frame, no doubt, but you need to print larger than 13x19 to distinguish it from cheaper lens.

200mm first try on FF - PentaxForums.com

[UncleVanya]

I've been shooting landscapes with DA*200 on K-3 for years, and when I switched to K-1 it blew my mind.
I don't use it anymore because the AF broke (!!!) and I find the newly-bought DA 60-250 is much more versatile.
The DA*200 on FF produces gorgeous picture across the frame, no doubt, but you need to print larger than 13x19 to distinguish it from cheaper lens.

200mm first try on FF - PentaxForums.com

Not to solicit too much but that DA* 200 can be converted to screw drive. I offer a service to do it or there are a number of threads that help spell out how to do it. The K-1 and the K-3 and their variants can't perform the conversion likely the same is true of the K70 and KP. Many older cameras can do it.