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08-17-2022, 05:06 AM - 2 Likes   #31
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QuoteOriginally posted by RICHARD L. Quote
Welcome to the "VIBRANT" club ... I set my 645Z to this color palette and everybody kept telling me my images were "oversaturated" and one (Wheatfield) even said they looked "garish". I think they have no taste for really beautiful and punchy imaging ... LOL ! As to the 645 FA* 300 mm f/4, my copy is really good but requires a solid tripod and between f/8 and f/16 to really shine :

Hahaha we are on the same page!!! My friend in Japan who runs an old Canon mirrorless is the same, he only takes pictures of his car though at different locations but again he cranks the saturation and vibrance up so high that it brings out the reflections of everything from his car or cars if he's shooting with someone he met.


For me, if lenses could render things like this by default then it would be fantastic!!



It's a -2,0,+2 EV HDR using Luminance HDR. I love the rendering, it's just so dang detailed!

08-17-2022, 05:32 AM - 1 Like   #32
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By the way, I am also using my 645 FA* 300 mm f/4 on my K-mount cameras too (K1 and K3 III) with the Pentax adapter. I have a copy of the FA* 300 mm f/4.5 in K-mount also : VERY SHARP @ f/8.


K1 + K FA* 300 mm f/4.5


K3 III + 645 FA* 300 mm f/4 + adapter

Last edited by RICHARD L.; 08-22-2022 at 07:11 AM.
08-17-2022, 05:49 AM - 1 Like   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by RICHARD L. Quote
By the way, I am also using my 645 FA* 300 mm f/4 on my K-mount cameras too (K1 and K3 III) with the Pentax adapter. I have a copy of the FA* 300 mm f/4.5 in K-mount also : VERY SHARP @ f/8.


K1 + K FA* 300 mm f/4.5


K3 III + 645 FA* 300 mm f/4 + adapter

Well let's see what the seller of the Tokina lenses comes up with. I need to go travelling desperately! I haven't been back to visit family for around 15 years now. Having a few uber ultra sharp zooms that cut through straight lines like a knife edge when viewed at 100% will be the key. Otherwise I'd have to take another case full of Samyang and Irix primes which isn't really that convenient when on the go, having to change lenses in the field continuously.

For that reason, I think the above suggestions to go with the DFA15-30 and another zoom to cover up to the 70mm mark was the right advice. The Tokina 28-70 should be the right answer depending on version but the f/2.6-2.8 variant discussed in the 'User Reviews' part of the forum seems like the best choice for my low light and tripod based endeavors.

@RichardL. so jealous of your location!! I wish I had easy access to areas like the Yukon or NWT eg. YellowKnife and NormanWells would be way better then living in the real version of Hobbiton meets modern day hahaha
08-17-2022, 12:21 PM - 1 Like   #34
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Here are some more sharpness/contrast tests as rained heavily today!

Before that though I just want to post some fun I had getting drenched haha. I need to buy a Pentax flash unit as it seems to be the only one on the market that is weather sealed. Unfortunately macro flashes aren't and they don't seem to support HSS either which makes insects in flight more difficult. Anyway here we are:



IRIX 150mm @ f/8, 1/500s and 6400 iso



FA*300 @ f/8, 1/500s and 9000 iso


Now for the comparisons... the DFA28-105mm and Nikkor 18-300mm are both useless in this context. Even manually trying to focus on the rain itself comes up with nothing

Starting with a futile excersize using the fa*300:



Subject too small in frame and heat haze or atmosphere causing total loss of detail and wavy lines. But it's a plane! I like planes lol


Now to more serious comparisons. It was raining heavily at this stage but you wouldn't know it from the rendering:

28mm




105mm





My beloved 24mm Samyang. I couldn't shoot outside as no weather sealing so I shot through the window instead


At 100% you can really start to realize this lenses overall power. Sharpness / contrast ?? whatever, it's all there at insane levels!!


150mm Irix. No problem! Wipes the floor with my test


Look at this 100%. I mean when I say sharp and good performer this is what am referring to. I have full control of focus too, meaning I can focus or defocus on the rain and it will still show.


DFA28-105mm. Rain was heavier now, tried to focus directly on the rain in MF mode....


@ 100% you can see a single streak. That's I think the ultimate sharpness / contrast of this lens which unfortunately is disappointing


Again for consistency, here's the 105mm attempt:






Another desperate attempt at 28mm, again using MF trying to get the focus on the drops themselves





The Sigma Macro and Nikon D500 @ 105mm









The Nikkor 18-300mm @450 on the D500 - like the DFA28-105 it's a poor performer and actually I would rate it last due to the design:






Finally the FA*300. This was a little unfair as the rate of rain become far less!!


From this angle it managed to nail it without any issues:





So overall having tested almost all my lenses with the exception of the Nikkor 50mm, the primes are all definitely the sharpest. It's hard to call it between them but at least they all render the rain. The DFA28-105 is better then the Nikkor 18-300 but both are pretty poor performance.

Why go through all this trouble... because it will translate to the final image. Especially in low-light conditions where there isn't much to work with so the lens needs to be as sharp and contrasty as possible. Smudgy images are not pleasing to look at for me, because I expect everything to be 100% perfect.


I'll end this reply with some more fun I had and this little guy. I think it's aggressive behavior he's displaying: by raising his front legs- Camera was the D500 with Sigma 105mm and Godox MF12 + ProX flash system:



08-18-2022, 11:24 AM   #35
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Hey guys, just found this link and thought it might be an interesting for some of you:

Zeiss Milvus Distagon T* 18mm f/2.8 Review - DustinAbbott.net

It compares the Zeiss 18mm with the Tamron 15-30mm. It kinda drew my attention as I think Pentax lenses are designed or built by Tamron?? I maybe way off but the reason I came to that conclusion was a post I found in the DPR forums which claimed the Pentax 24-70mm to basically be a rebadged Tamron with the stability VR motors disabled and different coating applied. Sure there's a lot of unproven information in that post and something that I won't get into here because I'm not really interested in the small details, what I am interested in is overall IQ under specific conditions.

From the Dustin Abbot link posted above, it looks like the Tamron 15-30 IQ is actually better then the Zeiss, meaning that if the DFA15-30 features the same or similar optical formula should be equally as good or better. I can tell directly from the images and user reviews though that the DFA15-30 is a pretty high performance beast!


Here, I also want to ask if anyone has had experience of buying lenses off Ebay?

Lot's of research into the seller that I contacted, showed that it was an American owned company but sourcing the parts from Japan, which seems to be common as there seem to also be lots of Australian owned stores like this too ("we send using Australia Post"). Another strange thing is that there are lots of unrelated items on the store like shades and Japanese toys etc... my guess is that it's not a specific camera shop but a used parts store of anything and everything.
For me the warning flags are flying!!

I did however, find a Tokina 12-28mm lens for Nikon F mount locally for cheaper plus less postage from an actual camera store. I contacted them to see if they could help with the other items on my list. Hopefully I'll get a response soon.

What's a little distressing currently causing lots of anxiety and headache for me is the Tokina 28-70mm f/2.8 for the Pentax K mount. It seems like an extremely rare lens and outside of these non-camera specific used stuff stores can't find any copies anywhere. It doesn't have to be this lens, it could be any other aggressively sharp lens of the same zoom capability but unfortunately, outside of the Pentax own 24-70mm there don't seem to be other things available


In fact I went as far as to even check out the Nikon F to K mount adapters to see if I could buy a Nikon version from Tamron or Sigma and use it on the K1 with mount converter. After reading a couple of posts from here and DPR, it looks like that only works with Nikon gen 1 lenses with no information given to the camera at all. It looks like even my 1977-82 based 50mm won't work in this context either because of the TTL ring.

Otherwise it could have been an option to use a converter with this guy: https://tokinalens.com/product/atx_i_17_35mm_f4_ff/#specifications
but no manual aperture ring would present another problem

Looks like there's also a Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 ART lens too, but again it would be locked to CaNikon.


This is a miserable situation to be in for me because it means that if I can't find a decent lens to cover my needs from 24/28mm+, then either am gona have to go with a whole bunch of primes loosing the versatility (and space saving) of the zoom or I would have to ditch the K1 above 30mm

I think I have made the decision to go for the 15-30mm from what I can see, so my only other option would be a 45mm Irix (which might be tricky as it's a little narrower), or use the D500 for focal lengths above 30mm which means that I loose sensor reproduction and IQ that the K1 has.

The Tokina 17-35mm would give me 26mm to 52mm on the D500. For landscape I wouldn't really need to go beyond 50mm I think as we start getting into walkabout travel, portrait and uncharted territory for me.

Maybe that's the best I can do for now??

Darn why does having to plan a simple trip have to be so complicated and stressful... but then again it isn't about the trip, it's about the camera and the equipment needed to get the images that I want. It's more of a photographic journey then trip in that context!
The things I will enjoy though will be driving long distances and stopping at rest/service stations in the middle of nowhere during the dark hours of night. I really love that kind of thing!!
08-18-2022, 12:25 PM - 1 Like   #36
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Well, I don't want Third-party (jobber) lenses and I absolutely buy only genuine Pentax-made lenses. I have a silver FA* 28-70 mm f/2.8 ED zoom lens that performs quite well on my K1. Certainly, purists will say this is an outmoded old lens with lots of optical defects but, in reality it always produces remarkable pictures starting @ f/4. It never disappointed in landscape picture-taking.











08-18-2022, 01:22 PM   #37
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QuoteOriginally posted by RICHARD L. Quote
Well, I don't want Third-party (jobber) lenses and I absolutely buy only genuine Pentax-made lenses. I have a silver FA* 28-70 mm f/2.8 ED zoom lens that performs quite well on my K1. Certainly, purists will say this is an outmoded old lens with lots of optical defects but, in reality it always produces remarkable pictures starting @ f/4. It never disappointed in landscape picture-taking.












Richard, this maybe an option for me provided I can find one. The shots are pretty cool! Though low light performance would be deciding factor for me. If not in ultra scenic locations like mountains etc... I normally prefer shooting at night in low or no light situations.


I'm not too bothered about Lens manufacturer. I'll go with whoever and whichever lens works best for my needs. It's probably because I'm so used to putting things of different types together that I enjoy the freedom of selecting the thing that fits the need exactly. In computing this is one of the powers of something called OpenSource software and having things like OpenAPI's even if from 'closed' vendors. It just means that communication between different products and devices is made so much easier and you don't need to spend $$$ to get a special license etc... etc.. etc...

By the way, where you referring to this one? SMC Pentax-FA* 28-70mm F2.8 AL Reviews - FA Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

Yep you are!! Just scrolled down hahaha Some guy called Richard L. posted some shots back in 2018

I like the car ferry shot! That's what I'm aiming to shoot too

This thing seems tack sharp under low light too....


This is one of the plans that I have. Not quite the Quebec City Ferry but more the Darica (Darija) to Yalova ferry crossing the Sea of Marmara:








I plan to image that location from both high and low vantage points as I want to get the port itself but I also want to get the background portion of Yalova across the sea too. Sparkling lights are the coolest!! Currently working out the focal lengths needed and seeing what different ranges will show.

It wouldn't be fun to be stuck with a prime that's too wide and the next one along too narrow, which would happen if I look at the Samyang 35mm and Irix 45mm.


I'm just worried that there's no weather sealing on the FA*28-70. Not sure how resilient it would be against particles ingress?? This is my biggest worry with the Samyang and one reason why I want to leave it at home.


Ps. Thatnks so much for the interraction. Yeah as you can probably tell, I'm totally lost in direction right now and your input as well as everyone elses is really helping and calming the anxiety which is through the roof unfortunately at this point. So much so that I'm even thinking about giving up and staying home....

08-18-2022, 01:38 PM - 1 Like   #38
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@kayasaman

You do understand that no one except Pentax makes and sells a 24-70/2.8 lens for K mount full frame anymore - right? The other lenses 28-75/2.8 or 24-70/2.8 Sigma or Tamron or Tokina are all used only and made for film originally not digital. The newer digital designs that you find a lot of info on are often mirrorless only these days but some may be from Nikon or Canon or even Sigma's own DSLR days.

The Pentax full frame lenses that are available today are all listed in the lens review section.

As for Tamron - they were involved in a few Pentax modern lenses - the glass is still coated in Pentax specific HD coatings and the VR/OSS type features are not present they are not just disabled. There are also lenses that Pentax has designed that were licensed by other companies in the near past. The D FA* and DA* lenses are always Pentax designed so far, but some DA and D FA lenses have been licensed designs with changes to suit Pentax.
08-18-2022, 01:53 PM   #39
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
@kayasaman

You do understand that no one except Pentax makes and sells a 24-70/2.8 lens for K mount full frame anymore - right? The other lenses 28-75/2.8 or 24-70/2.8 Sigma or Tamron or Tokina are all used only and made for film originally not digital. The newer digital designs that you find a lot of info on are often mirrorless only these days but some may be from Nikon or Canon or even Sigma's own DSLR days.

The Pentax full frame lenses that are available today are all listed in the lens review section.

As for Tamron - they were involved in a few Pentax modern lenses - the glass is still coated in Pentax specific HD coatings and the VR/OSS type features are not present they are not just disabled. There are also lenses that Pentax has designed that were licensed by other companies in the near past. The D FA* and DA* lenses are always Pentax designed so far, but some DA and D FA lenses have been licensed designs with changes to suit Pentax.
Heya Of course I do and that's why I was quoting Ebay and also why I am so lost in what to do.... though RichardL. may have just given me a new direction to look into.

In terms of the Tamron involvement, I can only say what I read and most of that was people ranting about the quality etc... and just plainly nitpicking. Other then those posting I don't know much else.


Regarding the thirdpary lenses and even brand original lenses, I have been looking at the Ricoh, Nikon, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina websites for offerings and more information. Having a Nikon body now opens up many more lens opportunities but I only bought the body for it's speed and specifically for wildlife and walkabout stuff.
I want to keep the Pentax as my imaging power house for landscape and night time stuff. It's just hard being limited in choice for lenses as like you mentioned, only Pentax makes zooms for K-mount.

That's the hard part when one is unsure of the direction to go in, especially when looking at specific properties of the lenses. "Let me see the capabilities of all offerings and choose the one that suites my needs best" kind of thing.
08-18-2022, 02:38 PM - 1 Like   #40
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Kaya,

Have a look at the pictures posted by fellow photographer Ken Lee from California. He shoots night pictures with a Pentax K1 + DFA 15-30 mm zoom. This is an expensive lens, weather sealed and made jointly by Pentax and Tamron. He seems to regard this lens highly and publishes stunning California desert night pictures (check the "Picture Sharing Forum", he started posting about one year ago).

Regards

Last edited by RICHARD L.; 08-18-2022 at 02:54 PM.
08-18-2022, 02:41 PM - 2 Likes   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
You do understand that no one except Pentax makes and sells a 24-70/2.8 lens for K mount full frame anymore - right? The other lenses 28-75/2.8 or 24-70/2.8 Sigma or Tamron or Tokina are all used only and made for film originally not digital.
There were some Sigma and at least one Tamron that were designed for digital. The Sigmas with "DG" in the name and the Tamrons with "Di" (DC and Di II are also digital, but mean APSC lenses). Several of the Sigmas may be of interest to OP. All still must be found used or NOS, of course.

Tamron SP 28-75mm F2.8 XR Di LD IF AF
Sigma 20-40mm F2.8 EX DG
Sigma 24-60mm F2.8 EX DG
Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro
Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 IF EX DG HSM
Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 EX DG

QuoteOriginally posted by kayasaman Quote
Here, I also want to ask if anyone has had experience of buying lenses off Ebay?

I have purchased several lenses and one camera off of ebay, generally from Japanese sellers that are camera stores in Japan. It has been an overwhelmingly positive experience: good descriptions with honest disclosure of any flaws, good photos, fast shipping (sometimes crazy fast) and no customs issues to speak of, and good prices. Note that this is to the US, I have no idea if it's the same to where you live. I have also bought a few lenses from ebay sellers in the US, and those have been okay as well, but not as amazing on the trustworthy descriptions front (more in line with buying from local classifieds/craigslist).

Last edited by wadge22; 08-18-2022 at 02:47 PM.
08-18-2022, 02:56 PM   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by RICHARD L. Quote
Kaya,

Have a look at the pictures posted by fellow photographer Ken Lee from California. He shoot night pictures with a Pentax K1 + DFA 15-30 mm zoom. This is an expensive lens, weather sealed and made jointly by Pentax and Tamron. He seems to regard this lens highly and publishes stunning California desert night pictures (check the "Picture Sharing Forum", he started posting about one year ago).

Regards

Thanks so much Richard! The DFA15-30mm was suggested above including a reference to Ken Lee and I even checked out the video for it. It's on my shopping list too.

Maybe by moving closer to the subject I can also get a narrower FoV? That would work where I can play with my distance to the subject for sure.

What put me into a big panic was that the night shots I did which I gave an example to above were all taken at 38mm, they are the blurry ones btw . Maybe I just need to accept that if I only bring a single lens for my K1, the FoV will be a little wider. That might work out.


But yes I have seen fantastic examples of what the 15-30 can do and I am really impressed by them!

---------- Post added 08-18-22 at 03:00 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by wadge22 Quote
There were some Sigma and at least one Tamron that were designed for digital. The Sigmas with "DG" in the name and the Tamrons with "Di" (DC and Di II are also digital, but mean APSC lenses). Several of the Sigmas may be of interest to OP. All still must be found used or NOS, of course.

Tamron SP 28-75mm F2.8 XR Di LD IF AF
Sigma 20-40mm F2.8 EX DG
Sigma 24-60mm F2.8 EX DG
Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG Macro
Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 IF EX DG HSM
Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 EX DG




I have purchased several lenses and one camera off of ebay, generally from Japanese sellers that are camera stores in Japan. It has been an overwhelmingly positive experience: good descriptions with honest disclosure of any flaws, good photos, fast shipping (sometimes crazy fast) and no customs issues to speak of, and good prices. Note that this is to the US, I have no idea if it's the same to where you live. I have also bought a few lenses from ebay sellers in the US, and those have been okay as well, but not as amazing on the trustworthy descriptions front (more in line with buying from local classifieds/craigslist).

Many thanks!


I think the stores I am finding are just used stuff stores as they sell used camera equipment plus other stuff. Will need to find a proper camera store and not just a "we have lenses" style store.


If you have any stores in specific that you have dealt with, would you be able to send me the names across so I can take a look? I would really appreciate that!

Kaya
08-18-2022, 03:02 PM - 1 Like   #43
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Glad I could be of help ! Best of luck in your final choice.

Receive my Best Regards
08-18-2022, 03:30 PM   #44
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Ok, am on the right track now.

I would like to thank everyone for the time and patience that you all have given!! I cannot tell you how much it is appreciated.


Now my task is to go and grab some great images to help pay you guys back some for the support and interaction.


The hardest part will be to get to my destination but if I can overcome that then things will be a breeze.


Right now I am just very happy, sincerely
08-18-2022, 05:31 PM - 1 Like   #45
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Ken Lee has sung the praises of the 28-105 as well as the 15-30.
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