[Weevil]

Just got this lens last weekend... to upgrade the Sigma 70-200 OS version.
Brought it with me for a bird outing, and did not saw the bird that we were looking at, so I took this opportunity to use "The Beast"...

Here are the preliminary results with the K-1.
Note that some photos were edited with Nik Software tools (details in Flickr!)


Scènes du Boisé Sainte-Dorothée, Laval, Qc by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr


Scènes du Boisé Sainte-Dorothée, Laval, Qc by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr


Scènes du Boisé Sainte-Dorothée, Laval, Qc by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr


Scènes du Boisé Sainte-Dorothée, Laval, Qc by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr

9 vertical images merged into pano in Lr6


Scènes du Boisé Sainte-Dorothée, Laval, Qc by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr


Scènes du Boisé Sainte-Dorothée, Laval, Qc by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr

---

Last edited by Weevil; 01-09-2017 at 10:49 PM.

[Weevil]

This one was taken with the K-1 + the HD TC 1.4x... I thought it would cause vignetting, but no... I am surprized!


À la recherche de la Chouette / Searching for the Owl by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr

[Weevil]

Taken with the K-1 + DFA70-200 @ f2.8
heavy crop (1:2) so you see the details...


Bruant hudsonien / American Tree Sparrow [Spizella arborea] by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr

[Weevil]

Same gear and exif here, except it's a 1:4 crop


Pic chevelu / Hairy Woodpecker [Picoides villosus] by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr

[Weevil]

Pentax K-1 + HD TC 1.4x + D-FA*70-200mm (@280mm)

Bruant hudsonien / American Tree Sparrow [Spizella arborea? | Flickr


Bruant hudsonien / American Tree Sparrow [Spizella arborea] by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr

[DimC]

Hey guys,

I've bought a SpyderLens AF test tool and I've been running all my lenses thru the same testing procedure.

The Pentax 70-200mm needed a +5 Fine tuning for AF @200mm, more like +6 @70mm so I decided to keep the +5 for now.

I'd like to get some input on the Pentax 70-200mm sharpness.
As you will see in the following pictures, it's really sharp @f/2,8 from 70mm up to 135mm (even 170mm is really good), but I find it rather soft all of a sudden @200mm. If you stop to f/3,2 or f/3,5 then its sharp again.
I was expecting this lens to be sharper @f/2,8 on the long range, but I might have high expectations due to Lens retail price.

Did you notice this with your lens ?
In the field I've been rarely using f/2,8 @200mm, I prefer the bokeh of f/3,2 or f/3,5 anyway, but for concert photography I've been using f/2,8 and ISO between 3200 and 6400 pretty much all the time so I didnt really notice the softness.
Im curious to get some feedback.

1- Pentax 70-200mm f/2,8 @ 70mm
2- Pentax 70-200mm f/2,8 @ 130mm
3-Pentax 70-200mm f/2,8 @ 200mm
4-Pentax 70-200mm f/3,2 @ 200mm
5-Pentax 70-200mm f/3,5 @ 200mm

[ffking]

I'm something of a fan of moderate telephoto landscapes, so this lens stays on the camera an awful lot of the time at this time of year when the patterns in the landscape are often quite clearly defined - one day I might even use it for portraits or sports or wildlife Here's a recent minimalist landscape at 200mm (with the K-1)

[Weevil]

Recently got this lens, but didn't had much opportunities to shoot with it, so after my Dr. Apt., I went out and shoot from the bridge that ice formation on the river that looked like broken glass


Accumulation de glace / Ice Damming by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr

[rawr]

I'd like to get some input on the Pentax 70-200mm sharpness.

I'd suggest increasing the shutter speed for those longer focal lengths. 1/100 or so is too slow for critically testing a 200mm, even on a tripod. Plus boost the light level. Or simply use flash for your lens tests.

[DimC]

I'd suggest increasing the shutter speed for those longer focal lengths. 1/100 or so is too slow for critically testing a 200mm, even on a tripod. Plus boost the light level. Or simply use flash for your lens tests.

Thanks for your input RAWR, you're right because I've done more testing and noticed a couple things.

I've been using a flash + continuous lighting and I've increased the distance between lens and target to about 6m.

1- Yep shutter speed is important @200mm even on a tripod, I set to 1/200s and 1/250s
2- Distance between target and lens is also important, previously I was at about 3m and there is a increase in sharpness from 3 to 6m, I tried about 8m and 11m but there was no significant changes comparing to 6m.

I dont have this test picture but it is way better than the images I posted earlier. This lens is truly sharp @/f2,8 from my testing.

[rawr]

there is a increase in sharpness from 3 to 6m, I tried about 8m and 11m but there was no significant changes comparing to 6m.

That's interesting. There is probably some logical/mathematical/optical? reason why that may be so with this lens.

[DimC]

That's interesting. There is probably some logical/mathematical/optical? reason why that may be so with this lens.

Well the minimum focusing distance is written for 1.2m, but I see the sharpness @200mm improves if you move a little farther from your subject, I tried moving from 3m to 6m and there is a difference @/f2,8.

EDIT : The difference is if you do some heavy cropping of course.

[Rondec]

Sunrise (DFA 70-200)

[Weevil]

A couple of joggers at blue hour
quite high crop to get better composition (1:3.5)


Jogging à l'heure bleue / Blue hour jogging by Sylvain Cote, sur Flickr

[Rondec]

One with the DFA *70-200