[24thNomad]

In the future, I will be looking for a street photography lens with a little more reach than some of my other primes. For example, I have the 40mm XS and love it's diminutive size but there have been plenty of times where I wanted a prime with more reach and higher IQ. So I have been looking at the 100mm WR. The primary uses I would consider it for are (in order of most likely to least):

1. Outdoor street photography where reach is needed.

2. Indoor event photography.

3. Portraiture (if the subject wants more space; I have wider primes; I just figure options don't hurt since this isn't the primary reason for wanting this lens).

It's worth noting that this would be used on crop sensor but I eventually want a full frame. Do you think this lens would be a good fit for my needs? Also, if you have any photos taken in similar situations, I would love to see. I have been curious about this lens for a while. Thanks for any insight!

[Adam]

I would probably say "no" mainly because of the long focus throw. The 100mm's image quality is certainly great and suitable for all 3 purposes, but I feel that the AF would increase your chances of missing a shot, especially in low light or when you need to time things right. A lens such as the 77mm would be a better fit.

[24thNomad]

I would probably say "no" mainly because of the long focus throw. The 100mm's image quality is certainly great and suitable for all 3 purposes, but I feel that the AF would increase your chances of missing a shot, especially in low light or when you need to time things right. A lens such as the 77mm would be a better fit.

That makes sense and I didn't really consider that. Would the longer throw be more of a boon for Manual Focus, since you have more control in finding the sweet spot? I don't mind having to use MF but then again, especially for reason #2, I can see that being inconsistent without really knowing the lens.

I will look into the 77 as quite a few people suggested it. Something of note, I do outdoor work in the winter/spring and our weather is pretty all over the place. The WR was a reason I was considering the lens in the the first place.

[aslyfox]

I wonder if the OP has looked at the " in depth review " of the SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR ?

Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 WR Macro Review - Introduction | PentaxForums.com Reviews

if money is a issue, and when isn't it consider this:

" The optical design is the tried-and-proven formula of the previous generation D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro lens, which in turn had inherited the optical design from the well-respected FA 100mm F2.8 and F 100mm F2.8 macro lenses introduced in 1991 and 1987, respectively. None of these earlier lenses had rounded aperture blades. "

Read more at: Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 WR Macro Review - Specifications | PentaxForums.com Reviews

I do like my SMC Pentax- D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro

_______________

samples

Smc PENTAX-D FA Macro 100mm F2.8 WR | Sample Photos for Pentax Cameras & Lenses - PentaxForums.com

[24thNomad]

I wonder if the OP has looked at the " in depth review " of the SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR ?
_______________

samples

Smc PENTAX-D FA Macro 100mm F2.8 WR | Sample Photos for Pentax Cameras & Lenses - PentaxForums.com

I did. I always do before I post on a particular piece of equipment. Still helps to read, real time, testimonies today. The admins and veterans always give me food for thought that may not have been covered in the review. Though I didn't look at the sample photos on this site so that is useful. Thank you.

[BigMackCam]

Further to Adam's comment re focus throw (and there's good sense in that), you can work around this quite easily with a little manual intervention...

If you're photographing distant subjects - more than a few meters away, for instance - then you can manually set the focus to infinity before auto-focusing. Similarly, if you're photographing subjects for macro work close up, you can manually set the focus at minimum before auto-focusing. In both instances, the camera and lens will then focus quite quickly without racking back and forth throughout the entire range.

It might sound like a clunky approach, but it becomes second nature after a short time, only takes a split second, and it works a treat. I do the same thing with my HD DA55-300 non-PLM lens, which has similar tendencies, and it works reliably for that too

[aslyfox]

I did. I always do before I post on a particular piece of equipment. Still helps to read, real time, testimonies today. The admins and veterans always give me food for thought that may not have been covered in the review. Though I didn't look at the sample photos on this site so that is useful. Thank you.

it is always hard to tell what has been considered by an OP

so I don't make assumptions

other areas to look for samples of D FA 100mm Macros [ buried among other lenses ]

prime, prime, everywhere a prime... - PentaxForums.com

*Macro* lens club - PentaxForums.com

but not necessarily as a portrait lens

[Adam]

That makes sense and I didn't really consider that. Would the longer throw be more of a boon for Manual Focus, since you have more control in finding the sweet spot? I don't mind having to use MF but then again, especially for reason #2, I can see that being inconsistent without really knowing the lens.

I will look into the 77 as quite a few people suggested it. Something of note, I do outdoor work in the winter/spring and our weather is pretty all over the place. The WR was a reason I was considering the lens in the the first place.

A little bit but not really. Non-screwdrive Pentax lenses, manual focus lenses, and Sigma macros do MF a lot better IMO.

While not as compact, the upcoming D FA* 85mm might be worth considering if you want to be FF-ready and want the weather sealing.

[Dericali]

I would say no also. When this camera is hunting for focus it is slow and noisy. In a portrait setting it's going to be off-putting. When you want speed it will slow you down.

It's a great lens but not an all-rounder, unless you want to often manual focus.

[24thNomad]

Sounds like there are better fits for this particular set of needs. I'm gonna look further into the alternatives listed. Thanks!

Also thanks, to BigMackCam for the focus trick. Never thought about that.

[troika]

I've just picked one up and am only getting to know it but, what seems to work for me is that I manually focus it on the subject and then touch the shutter and AF dials it in quickly and surely. The issue with the focus through is when you're on the wrong end of it between macro and infinity.

I'm thinking that Quick Shift might negate this as a negative...but again, I don't have enough experience with it yet to say for sure.

[BigMackCam]

The issue with the focus through is when you're on the wrong end of it between macro and infinity.

That's why the method I've described works well. If you're shooting a distant (more than a few metres away) subject, manually setting the focus to infinity in advance ensures limited focus travel during AF. Similarly, for very short distances, manually setting focus to minimum also ensures minimum travel during AF. And if the subject is sort of in the middle of the throw, even if you judged it incorrectly and the lens racks back and forth, it's only going to be over a very short range

[JensE]

With a bit of practice, you can make it work for your purposes. But the AF usability definitely depends on the camera: while I was able to get the shot in Sports photography - single images - Page 18 - PentaxForums.com on a K-5, it could easily go hunting and then you have to quickly get off the trigger (or AF button) and down again in order to reverse direction. As I noted, it is much easier to use on my K-1, because it rarely misses focus. For portrait use, see also Why not fill as many slots as possible in one's kit with macros? - Page 2 - PentaxForums.com for comments and an example.

[BrianR]

That makes sense and I didn't really consider that. Would the longer throw be more of a boon for Manual Focus, since you have more control in finding the sweet spot?

Up close is where the focus throw is really long, and here it's excellent for fine control. At 'normal' distances, it's a fairly short throw, I estimate turning the ring about 1/8 of the way around (45 degrees) will take you from infinity to about 3ft away. That gets tough to manually focus (for me anyway!). On the plus, the autofocus is very fast at normal working distance, unless it misses and decides to go hunting down to the minimum focusing distance, then it takes ages to get back. As camera bodies AF has improved, this is becoming less of an issue since missing is less common (also follow BigMackCam's advice above). Using back button focus with this quick shift lens can make recovering from an AF miss pretty fast.

It will most definitely work for your intended usage. I use mine (the non-WR older version) for candid portraits and also as a general compact mid-tele walk around lens. However, I primarily own it for its macro capabilities, aiming it at people is a secondary use for me and there are probably better options for a dedicated portrait/event/people lens.

[aaacb]

I use the dfa 100 macro for concert photography, and I've used it even for sports. It's nice for portraits too, but far too long for street photos for my use. Back button focus is important to simplify manual adjustments if it misses focus, but with my k3ii it's not an issue if you keep the focus points on target.