DA50-135 + DA300 + Tamron 1.4 TC

DA*50-135 + DA*300 + Tamron 1.4 TC · 07:43 PM

So in the past week or so I've picked up a brand new Tamron 1.4 MC4 teleconverter and the DA*50-135. Finally got time off work today to test them out. I didn't use the DA*50-135 as much as I would've liked (I'll test it out some more this weekend), but I was loving the DA*300 and Tamron 1.4 combo.

DA*50-135

DA*300 + Tamron 1.4 MC Teleconverter

The DA*50-135 is a great lens. It exhibits the same sharpness, color, and contrast as the DA*300, all in a versatile mid-range zoom. The DA*300 + Tamron 1.4 was beyond my expectation. It's hard to notice any drop in quality and it performed without a hitch. I also did a DA* 50-135 + Tamron 1.4 combo as well but I forgot which photos were used with that combo

Now, I have to save up for a DA* 16-50

knumbnutz · 01-28-2009, 08:18 PM

Hi Toshi,
Great nature series. Sharp and contrasty.

The 50-135 is probably the best of pentax range at the moment, its hard to get a bad image out of it. Contrast, bokeh, colour rendition, resolution, everything is good and if everything they made were as good as this lens, we would all be happy.
I have the 16-50 and it is a very good lens but not as good. The PF lets it down.

Only photo no.5 lets down the 300+TC, the bokeh is not pleasant, more confused almost like a mirror lens. But you cant tell on any of the other images, so it obviously works well except with that type of background.

Cheers Neil

Toshi · 01-28-2009, 08:34 PM

Originally posted by knumbnutz

Hi Toshi,
Great nature series. Sharp and contrasty.

The 50-135 is probably the best of pentax range at the moment, its hard to get a bad image out of it. Contrast, bokeh, colour rendition, resolution, everything is good and if everything they made were as good as this lens, we would all be happy.
I have the 16-50 and it is a very good lens but not as good. The PF lets it down.

Only photo no.5 lets down the 300+TC, the bokeh is not pleasant, more confused almost like a mirror lens. But you cant tell on any of the other images, so it obviously works well except with that type of background.

Cheers Neil

Thanks Neil! I'm eager to go back out and test the 50-135 some more.

I had a couple more photos that had bad boke with the 300+TC; like a mirror lens. The busier the background, the uglier it was

Overall, I'm happy with it and for now it's a small price to pay for that little extra reach.

knumbnutz · 01-28-2009, 08:41 PM

Yep, i think thats really the key, if the background bokeh is no good then theres not much you can do about that.
Everything else going to good.
Would be interesting to see the difference in that shot without the TC to see how much of a part it plays in the bokeh?
Love to see that posted if you get the opportunity.
Cheers Neil

Toshi · 01-28-2009, 08:51 PM

Originally posted by knumbnutz

Yep, i think thats really the key, if the background bokeh is no good then theres not much you can do about that.
Everything else going to good.
Would be interesting to see the difference in that shot without the TC to see how much of a part it plays in the bokeh?
Love to see that posted if you get the opportunity.
Cheers Neil

I'll set up a shot using the 300 with and without the TC (with a busy background) when I go shooting this weekend and post it in here. I'm kind of curious as well

knumbnutz · 01-29-2009, 02:25 AM

Originally posted by Toshi

I'll set up a shot using the 300 with and without the TC (with a busy background) when I go shooting this weekend and post it in here. I'm kind of curious as well

Thats the stuff. No point taking shots of brick walls or newpaper with stuff like this, it exists purely in the real world. Bokeh is more important then sharpness here.
Cheers Neil

Syb · 01-29-2009, 02:30 AM

I like the last shot - the seagull portrait - ! It shows great sharpnes and the white doesn't burn out of the shot. Lighting was well done. I forgot to look what camera the pics were shot with. Or maybe it was not mentioned.

dsport · 01-29-2009, 03:40 AM

Good lens and good shots!
Congulations for having such a good combination.
Most important of all, you could fully utilize them!

Toshi · 01-29-2009, 04:25 AM

Originally posted by Syb

I like the last shot - the seagull portrait - ! It shows great sharpnes and the white doesn't burn out of the shot. Lighting was well done. I forgot to look what camera the pics were shot with. Or maybe it was not mentioned.

Thanks Syb. Since the DA*300 is easy to shoot hand-held, it's nice to have the option of a hand-holdable "420mm" that produces some great photos

The camera used was a DS.

Originally posted by dsport

Good lens and good shots!
Congulations for having such a good combination.
Most important of all, you could fully utilize them!

Thank you dsport. I'm very happy that the combo produces photos that are of this quality

Toshi · 01-30-2009, 10:03 PM

Originally posted by knumbnutz

Yep, i think thats really the key, if the background bokeh is no good then theres not much you can do about that.
Everything else going to good.
Would be interesting to see the difference in that shot without the TC to see how much of a part it plays in the bokeh?
Love to see that posted if you get the opportunity.
Cheers Neil

Neil,

Here are just a couple shots I took today when I went out shooting.

DA*300 without TC

DA*300 with TC

There were a lot of branches behind this shot, but I guess they were a bit too far to really 'see' the boke. However, you can still see that with the TC, the boke seems to "thicken" up and isn't as smooth.

Here's one more I was able to try out.

DA*300 without TC

DA*300 with TC

This one had the grass closer so the boke is a bit easier to see. Again, with the TC it doesn't seem to be as smooth and it seems to emphasize it a bit more, but I don't think it's too bad.

Obviously, what the background is and how far it is from the subject in focus will determine how bad the boke can look with the TC. In real world shooting, I don't really have a problem with the boke looking like a mirror lens. I would usually use my other lenses when I wanted to have a nice boke effect

knumbnutz · 01-31-2009, 12:42 AM

Hi Toshi,
Thanks for posting these.
On the assumption these were taken wide open? it is interesting to see the behaviour of the DA*300 and effect TC has on it.
I think with 'busy backgrounds' only, it becomes unpleasant with the TC. When i say unpleasant, i dont mean hidious or anything, more that it is unfortunate, I would say the highlights have sharper edges.
A good real world comparison and i hope i didnt detract from the lovely images you posted by sidetracking.
I would be very happy to have that combo and it is always great to see someone putting them to good use.
Cheers Neil

Toshi · 01-31-2009, 02:58 AM

Originally posted by knumbnutz

Hi Toshi,
Thanks for posting these.
On the assumption these were taken wide open? it is interesting to see the behaviour of the DA*300 and effect TC has on it.
I think with 'busy backgrounds' only, it becomes unpleasant with the TC. When i say unpleasant, i dont mean hidious or anything, more that it is unfortunate, I would say the highlights have sharper edges.
A good real world comparison and i hope i didnt detract from the lovely images you posted by sidetracking.
I would be very happy to have that combo and it is always great to see someone putting them to good use.
Cheers Neil

Hi Neil,

All shots were indeed wide open at f/4 (or 5.6 w/ TC) to maximize boke. I agree that the busier background is not very pleasant with the TC. No harm done to see the differences with and without a TC

Techiechick · 01-31-2009, 06:43 AM

Great shots. Looks like you have a good combination there.

gawan · 01-31-2009, 09:26 AM

So Tamron TC's are still around occasionally, great! Love the photos!

Toshi · 01-31-2009, 05:00 PM

Originally posted by gawan

So Tamron TC's are still around occasionally, great! Love the photos!

There were actually a few new (old stock) Tamron TC's when I searched for mine on eBay. Most of them were in the $100+ price range though.

Toshi
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01-28-2009, 08:18 PM	#2
knumbnutz Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 394	Hi Toshi, Great nature series. Sharp and contrasty. The 50-135 is probably the best of pentax range at the moment, its hard to get a bad image out of it. Contrast, bokeh, colour rendition, resolution, everything is good and if everything they made were as good as this lens, we would all be happy. I have the 16-50 and it is a very good lens but not as good. The PF lets it down. Only photo no.5 lets down the 300+TC, the bokeh is not pleasant, more confused almost like a mirror lens. But you cant tell on any of the other images, so it obviously works well except with that type of background. Cheers Neil

01-28-2009, 08:34 PM	#3
Toshi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 431 Original Poster	Originally posted by knumbnutz Hi Toshi, Great nature series. Sharp and contrasty. The 50-135 is probably the best of pentax range at the moment, its hard to get a bad image out of it. Contrast, bokeh, colour rendition, resolution, everything is good and if everything they made were as good as this lens, we would all be happy. I have the 16-50 and it is a very good lens but not as good. The PF lets it down. Only photo no.5 lets down the 300+TC, the bokeh is not pleasant, more confused almost like a mirror lens. But you cant tell on any of the other images, so it obviously works well except with that type of background. Cheers Neil Thanks Neil! I'm eager to go back out and test the 50-135 some more. I had a couple more photos that had bad boke with the 300+TC; like a mirror lens. The busier the background, the uglier it was Overall, I'm happy with it and for now it's a small price to pay for that little extra reach.

01-28-2009, 08:41 PM	#4
knumbnutz Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 394	Yep, i think thats really the key, if the background bokeh is no good then theres not much you can do about that. Everything else going to good. Would be interesting to see the difference in that shot without the TC to see how much of a part it plays in the bokeh? Love to see that posted if you get the opportunity. Cheers Neil

01-28-2009, 08:51 PM	#5
Toshi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 431 Original Poster	Originally posted by knumbnutz Yep, i think thats really the key, if the background bokeh is no good then theres not much you can do about that. Everything else going to good. Would be interesting to see the difference in that shot without the TC to see how much of a part it plays in the bokeh? Love to see that posted if you get the opportunity. Cheers Neil I'll set up a shot using the 300 with and without the TC (with a busy background) when I go shooting this weekend and post it in here. I'm kind of curious as well

01-29-2009, 02:25 AM	#6
knumbnutz Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 394	Originally posted by Toshi I'll set up a shot using the 300 with and without the TC (with a busy background) when I go shooting this weekend and post it in here. I'm kind of curious as well Thats the stuff. No point taking shots of brick walls or newpaper with stuff like this, it exists purely in the real world. Bokeh is more important then sharpness here. Cheers Neil

01-29-2009, 02:30 AM	#7
Syb Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Near Utrecht, Netherlands Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,221	I like the last shot - the seagull portrait - ! It shows great sharpnes and the white doesn't burn out of the shot. Lighting was well done. I forgot to look what camera the pics were shot with. Or maybe it was not mentioned.

01-29-2009, 03:40 AM	#8
dsport Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hong Kong Photos: Gallery Posts: 431	Good lens and good shots! Congulations for having such a good combination. Most important of all, you could fully utilize them!

01-29-2009, 04:25 AM	#9
Toshi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 431 Original Poster	Originally posted by Syb I like the last shot - the seagull portrait - ! It shows great sharpnes and the white doesn't burn out of the shot. Lighting was well done. I forgot to look what camera the pics were shot with. Or maybe it was not mentioned. Thanks Syb. Since the DA*300 is easy to shoot hand-held, it's nice to have the option of a hand-holdable "420mm" that produces some great photos The camera used was a DS. Originally posted by dsport Good lens and good shots! Congulations for having such a good combination. Most important of all, you could fully utilize them! Thank you dsport. I'm very happy that the combo produces photos that are of this quality

01-30-2009, 10:03 PM	#10
Toshi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 431 Original Poster	Originally posted by knumbnutz Yep, i think thats really the key, if the background bokeh is no good then theres not much you can do about that. Everything else going to good. Would be interesting to see the difference in that shot without the TC to see how much of a part it plays in the bokeh? Love to see that posted if you get the opportunity. Cheers Neil Neil, Here are just a couple shots I took today when I went out shooting. DA300 without* TC DA300 with* TC There were a lot of branches behind this shot, but I guess they were a bit too far to really 'see' the boke. However, you can still see that with the TC, the boke seems to "thicken" up and isn't as smooth. Here's one more I was able to try out. DA300 without* TC DA300 with* TC This one had the grass closer so the boke is a bit easier to see. Again, with the TC it doesn't seem to be as smooth and it seems to emphasize it a bit more, but I don't think it's too bad. Obviously, what the background is and how far it is from the subject in focus will determine how bad the boke can look with the TC. In real world shooting, I don't really have a problem with the boke looking like a mirror lens. I would usually use my other lenses when I wanted to have a nice boke effect

01-31-2009, 12:42 AM	#11
knumbnutz Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 394	Hi Toshi, Thanks for posting these. On the assumption these were taken wide open? it is interesting to see the behaviour of the DA*300 and effect TC has on it. I think with 'busy backgrounds' only, it becomes unpleasant with the TC. When i say unpleasant, i dont mean hidious or anything, more that it is unfortunate, I would say the highlights have sharper edges. A good real world comparison and i hope i didnt detract from the lovely images you posted by sidetracking. I would be very happy to have that combo and it is always great to see someone putting them to good use. Cheers Neil

01-31-2009, 02:58 AM	#12
Toshi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 431 Original Poster	Originally posted by knumbnutz Hi Toshi, Thanks for posting these. On the assumption these were taken wide open? it is interesting to see the behaviour of the DA*300 and effect TC has on it. I think with 'busy backgrounds' only, it becomes unpleasant with the TC. When i say unpleasant, i dont mean hidious or anything, more that it is unfortunate, I would say the highlights have sharper edges. A good real world comparison and i hope i didnt detract from the lovely images you posted by sidetracking. I would be very happy to have that combo and it is always great to see someone putting them to good use. Cheers Neil Hi Neil, All shots were indeed wide open at f/4 (or 5.6 w/ TC) to maximize boke. I agree that the busier background is not very pleasant with the TC. No harm done to see the differences with and without a TC

01-31-2009, 06:43 AM	#13
Techiechick Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: High Springs, FL Photos: Gallery Posts: 571	Great shots. Looks like you have a good combination there.

01-31-2009, 09:26 AM	#14
gawan Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Helsinki Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,400	So Tamron TC's are still around occasionally, great! Love the photos!

01-31-2009, 05:00 PM	#15
Toshi Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 431 Original Poster	Originally posted by gawan So Tamron TC's are still around occasionally, great! Love the photos! There were actually a few new (old stock) Tamron TC's when I searched for mine on eBay. Most of them were in the $100+ price range though.

DA*50-135 + DA*300 + Tamron 1.4 TC

DA50-135 + DA300 + Tamron 1.4 TC