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03-10-2019, 04:18 PM - 4 Likes   #1
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Feedback on my first manual focusing Lens

A Rough little Diamond ! (my first manual focus lens on digital )


Yesterday I found a "jewel"on a french offers internet web site, while from a few weeks, I had been searching for a 24mm cheap manual lens (to make a 35 mm APSC). There was a sale of old pentax gear, from an old P30 to manual zooms ... And there was a : "Sigma 24 ...".


It was located in the middle of french Brittany, can you imagine in a little town far into a wild territory (it's not pejorative, I love Brittany and above all its wild lands). See the photos below, the lens was sold with a knitted woolen cover, it smelled like I would make a good deal.


The lens was one hour and a half from home by car, and I sent a message to the seller : "I come, keep it warm".
After the road, I arrived on a hypermarket car parking where the deal had to be done.
I met an old gentleman, who was a photographer of argentic age ... (I love argentic too).


He pulled from his shoulderbag a wonderful "like new" Sigma 24 mm f2.8 Multi-Coated Super Wide II Macro (0,18 m to infinity range), with cap and hood !!!

It had been used 2 or three times







I tested it with my K5 and at first I thought it was a bad copy, in fact I needed to practice the lens (semi automatic aperture settings and very precise manual focusing).


We agreed a 50 € (56$) price, which is not so cheap, but seeing the condition of the lens I could not try to lower it.






Since yesterday, the more I shoot, the more addicted I am, with the lens and probably with manual focus lenses (At first, I was glancing at Takumar, Pentax, Tokina,Vivitar, ... 24 mm).


Whereas there are a few little cons, like a light whiteout rendering (PP Contrast and it'sOk), or a little blue color feeling, the rest is perfect from 2.8 (already sharp) to F9 (the best for landscapes as for me), the lens is sharp, bright, very versatile (it's almost a Macro), and 24 mm is a must have in APSC mode.


It's pretty looking, smooth to handle, WOW ! 10/10 on every aspect.


I had seen there could be mounting problems on this lens, I mounted it either on K5 and on the K70 (on which it is simply Amazing), with no problem.


I stop here, nothing more to say, it was a good week-end, I share some samples taken with it on both K5 and K70 (sorry no artistic research)


Good evening to all














Last edited by Scout; 03-10-2019 at 04:24 PM. Reason: spaces problems in the text
03-10-2019, 04:30 PM   #2
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Very nice ... and even better if you ever move to FF.
03-10-2019, 04:31 PM   #3
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Congratulations!
I have one of these and I think it's a treasure. My most used prime. Advise: get yourself a hood for this lens. A generic metal one is fine--they're only a few dollars on eBay.
cheers
03-10-2019, 04:35 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by johnyates Quote
Congratulations!
Advise: get yourself a hood for this lens. A generic metal one is fine--they're only a few dollars on eBay.
cheers
There already appears to be a genuine Sigma hood in the first picture.

03-10-2019, 04:38 PM   #5
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Yes I made this kind of a studio shoot this afternoon
03-10-2019, 05:13 PM   #6
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Congratulations on your first manual focus lens, hopefully it's not your last. Some of those old Sigma lenses are hidden gems, as are many manual Pentax lenses.
03-10-2019, 05:15 PM   #7
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sweet.....fine product shot.....reminds me I should use my cosina 24/f2.8 macro

03-11-2019, 08:23 AM   #8
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Lovely story telling; enjoy your new gem
03-11-2019, 09:14 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by johnyates Quote
Congratulations!
I have one of these and I think it's a treasure. My most used prime. Advise: get yourself a hood for this lens. A generic metal one is fine--they're only a few dollars on eBay.
cheers
Agreed. I have the later AF version and it can flare pretty badly if you're not careful. That flare can be used creatively, it has a nice look to it--that pastel portra flare--but when you're not wanting flare it can be pretty distracting. Otherwise they're pretty nice and compact lenses.
03-11-2019, 09:54 AM   #10
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The hood that came with the lens is for full frame cameras. A longer hood, like a generic circular one, would provide more shade and not vignette on your APS-C cameras. The Sigma caps are kind of cool in that they're bigger and cover more of the mount, but real Pentax k-mount caps aren't so picky as to how they mount on the lens. Try one from a real Pentax camera to see what I mean.

This is exactly the kind of lens that I think Pentax should have on the market right now (just with autofocus) in my mind but that isn't the situation. Hope you enjoy your time with this lens.
03-11-2019, 11:25 AM   #11
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Great acquisition! From the photos you posted I can tell that lens is a keeper.
03-11-2019, 02:06 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Paul the Sunman Quote
Very nice ... and even better if you ever move to FF.
Thank you so much Paul, Yes FF would be a gap and has exponential IQ standards but APS-C is not dead , better than micro 4/3 and not so far from FF. I will think about it ... when Pentax will produce a little mirrorless FF one day ?

I like light weight and strong little cameras for the moment ...



QuoteOriginally posted by johnyates Quote
Congratulations!
I have one of these and I think it's a treasure. My most used prime. Advise: get yourself a hood for this lens. A generic metal one is fine--they're only a few dollars on eBay.
cheers
Thank you John, good advice, I have got a 5 € rubber hood for my 52 mm diameter Pentax DA 50 mm F1.8, it seems to perform better indeed


QuoteOriginally posted by onlineflyer Quote
Congratulations on your first manual focus lens, hopefully it's not your last. Some of those old Sigma lenses are hidden gems, as are many manual Pentax lenses.
Thank you, I didn't expect manual lenses could be so fit to digital cameras, I am having a different look to them and now understand they can become a passion


QuoteOriginally posted by Aaron28 Quote
sweet.....fine product shot.....reminds me I should use my cosina 24/f2.8 macro
Thank you Aaron, Cosina seems to be a Gem too, as far as forum tests are concerned. I had watched the market and could get one for 25 €, but the condition was very different (bumps ...), would it be redundant ...


QuoteOriginally posted by MSL Quote
Lovely story telling; enjoy your new gem
Thank you MSL, it's not so embellished, I lived it almost like in a dream (driving a good car in a beautiful backcountry with good music to finally get and discover a magic lens ... what else ?)


QuoteOriginally posted by abruzzi Quote
Otherwise they're pretty nice and compact lenses.
Yes behind my computer screen, I thought these lenses where bigger, certainly because they are often photographed by proxy way, it would be interesting to compare vintage lenses sizes

QuoteOriginally posted by pres589 Quote
The hood that came with the lens is for full frame cameras. A longer hood, like a generic circular one, would provide more shade and not vignette on your APS-C cameras. The Sigma caps are kind of cool in that they're bigger and cover more of the mount, but real Pentax k-mount caps aren't so picky as to how they mount on the lens. Try one from a real Pentax camera to see what I mean.

This is exactly the kind of lens that I think Pentax should have on the market right now (just with autofocus) in my mind but that isn't the situation. Hope you enjoy your time with this lens.
Thanks for the hood advice pres589, do you mean Pentax caps are easier to mount on lens ? I fully agree with you when you say Pentax "should have this kind of lens on the market right now", I would have easily seen a 24 mm plastic wonder or something affordable to complete DA 35 and 50 mm great lenses ...


QuoteOriginally posted by Turbotak Quote
Great acquisition! From the photos you posted I can tell that lens is a keeper.
Thank you Turbotak !
03-11-2019, 03:04 PM   #13
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Congratulations on this nice find in what is indeed a very nice part of France. Thanks for the lovely and lovingly told story!
03-11-2019, 06:54 PM   #14
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I mean that the cap that goes on the k-mount, the rear of the lens, is almost always better when it's from Asahi/Pentax and not Sigma or Tamron even though those other brands cover more the lens mount itself. Sigma and Tamron's both are indexed to a single position somehow instead of having three possible positions like the 'real' Pentax caps.

Also, yes, I've long held that there should have been a DA 24 or 25 or so plastic lens, like a DA 25. f2.4 like the DA 35 f2.4 and DA 50 1.8. A metal mount would be nice but otherwise I don't care. It should still cover full frame.
03-13-2019, 12:48 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by HoutHans Quote
Congratulations on this nice find in what is indeed a very nice part of France. Thanks for the lovely and lovingly told story!
Thank you HoutHans, I am more and more addicted to this find, I couldn't believe quality is approaching DA lenses, with a special atmosphere added. 24 mm is a very good format even on crop sensor and a must have complement to 35 and 50 mm. And quite a cheap choice if we compare to 21 limited (500 €)
Also thanks for the "very nice part of France" you seem to know, bye

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