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11-09-2011, 02:10 PM   #1
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From canon to k-5

Hi everybody,
i just purchased the Pentax K5 and waiting the delivery next friday.
i switched from Canon, my 50 D is getting old and need a replacement soon, basically because i don't like the 60D and the image quality of 7D is not my taste, too much noise.
i do product photography, so i will need a macro, 35 or 100 mm. in the next couple of weeks, if i will decide to keep this camera.

any suggestions ?

11-09-2011, 02:25 PM   #2
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DFA 100mm Macro WR is a brilliant lens on the K5. Worthy of a full consideration.

Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR Reviews - D FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database
11-09-2011, 02:49 PM   #3
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There is no bad macro lens. All of them are good - DA35 limited, DFA50/2,8, Sigma 70mm, Tamron 90mm, the mentioned DFA100, then Sigma 180 as the extremely long one.
For product photography in particular I'd recommend Pentax DFA50, Sigma 70/2.8 and Voigtländer 90mm apo lanthar as the best suited.
11-09-2011, 02:57 PM   #4
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x2 on the Pentax 100 WR. Awesome lens that really benefits from the rounded aperture blades which is an improvement over the non- wr pentax macro 100's. Small, weather resistant, light and all around sweet. Focus ring is very smooth, awesome construction and provides great colors.

sigma 70 2.8 - also a formidable lens - really really sharp with great bokeh. my primary macro though is now the pentax 100wr since it's weather sealed, is smaller and the hood is a quarter turn version that will go on backwards for storage. The Sigma is a screw on variety that will not mount backwards for storage.

tamron 90 2.8 - also a very good lens that is quite sharp. I had this for around a year before deciding to stick with the sigma. the colors did not seem to be as good as the sigma or pentax, but I'm sure this is a personal thing.

pentax m50 f4 - very sharp lens that can be had for very little since it's used and probably qualifies as being an antique. it is manual focus and you have to change the aperture on the lens. The green button will do the metering and make sure you set your camera up to use these older lenses. I've read that the new pentax 50 macro is also very good, but I don't have it so I can't speak about it.

Pentax DA35 f2.8 ltd - awesome lens. if you will be shooting 1:1, your lens will almost be touching the subject so that might make lighting a challenge. but if you're back a ways, you'll be fine. lens cap comes off too easily so I bought a cheap lens cap to replace it so I don't lose the original.

Even though I've had a lot of macros I don't do a ton of macro shooting, so take the above with a little grain of salt. I'm sure there are other people with more macro experience than I that can give you their input...

Good luck!

11-09-2011, 04:09 PM   #5
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Thank you a lot of lenses

any suggestion about the camera set up in particular ?
11-09-2011, 04:53 PM   #6
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some recommended settings are listed in the review pentaxforums published. I recommend staying on ISO80 and shooting DNG RAW, exposing to the right. And of course reading whole 400 pages of user manual often prevents many problems. You can download it and start right away :-)
11-09-2011, 07:31 PM   #7
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where can i download the manual ?

11-09-2011, 08:26 PM   #8
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Here:
http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/support/manual/1319589156_k5%20manual.pdf

... and look at the DFA 100mm WR - it is a stunning lens.
11-09-2011, 08:37 PM   #9
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Thank you.

the K-5 will be here next friday, with the 18-55 WR as well.

i will play with them a lot i suppose.
11-09-2011, 10:41 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by elho_cid Quote
There is no bad macro lens. All of them are good - DA35 limited, DFA50/2,8, Sigma 70mm, Tamron 90mm, the mentioned DFA100, then Sigma 180 as the extremely long one.
For product photography in particular I'd recommend Pentax DFA50, Sigma 70/2.8 and Voigtländer 90mm apo lanthar as the best suited.
I didn't think the Sigma 180 is available in Pentax mount any more ? The Voigtlander 90 actually isn't a macro lens but has a close-up lens attachment to give you 1.8:1 so still not a 'true' macro lens in that it doesn't reach 1:1. The legendary Voigtlander 125mm app lanthar is considered possibly the best normal macro lens out there (excluding the Canon MPE-65 which can not be used as a normal lens) but the VL 125 will cost you around US$2,000 ! Agree that for product photography the OP will need somewhere in the 35-70 range of which Sigma and Pentax make some great lenses. The latest Pentax 100 WR macro is (shock, horror) missing an aperture ring, an important feature for most dedicated macro-shooters,
11-10-2011, 03:08 AM   #11
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Anyway 180mm is quite uncomfortbly long for product shots. I listed it, because I used it once for this purpose and quite succesfully.
Voigtlander 90 is very well APO treated, which may be more important than magnification, especially for shiny objects.

But I agree that Pentax DFA50 and Sigma 70 may actally be the best options.
11-10-2011, 04:45 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by STURIO Quote
Thank you a lot of lenses

any suggestion about the camera set up in particular ?
Yep, there is a very useful mode than i use for macro, exclusive to Pentax : TAV mode. You set up aperture and time and the camera will automatically adust ISOs. And, you can choose the min-max ISO value than the camera will use.
It brings a lot of comfort for marco shoting. (no need to check and adjust values for every shot)

Best regards,
Arno
11-10-2011, 10:23 AM   #13
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Some questions come to mind for considering closeup|macro lenses.

* Going 1:1 on APS-C implies shots of very small products. What are you shooting? How much magnification do you need?
* What is your range of working distances, i.e. how much elbow room do you have in your studio?
* Do your shoots require edge-to-edge flatfield sharpness, i.e. do the frame edges matter?
* Does autofocus matter or will manual focus suffice? Do you need TTL or PTTL flash capability?
* And of course, how much do you want to spend? We'll be happy to help you exceed your budget!
11-10-2011, 02:15 PM   #14
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Congrats! The 50D is definetely nice camera, solid and well built as well as giving great image quality, but you can't go wrong with K-5 either

Last edited by kent; 11-10-2011 at 02:22 PM.
11-10-2011, 03:38 PM   #15
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Aren't TS lenses the best for product photography? I don't think Pentax has any.
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