[dadipentak]

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P.S. How is it that an insect always sneeks into my flower pictures?

'cause bugs love them some flowers ;~) A well-placed bug like just adds to the shot, imho.

[pacerr]

I just acquired a an Adaptall lens adapter for the Q-mount bodies from eBay for less than $20 USD:

lengril on eBay

Seems well made and fits tight. A DIY 'pod mount may be in the future plans.

No special advantage here since any of the AD2-PK adapters will work with the Q-PK adapter but this seemed efficient and I planned to leave it permanently mounted on one of the Adaptall lens after a little selective testing -- everything's going to be all manual anyway.

After a first quick look the AD2 SP 35-80 (01A) looks like a sure winner as a one-lens solution on either of the Q-sensors with potential from very close-up shots to near 400mm equivalent tele situations. Another interesting use for the excellent 01A lens. It's a very compact, although somewhat heavy, package for that range of coverage too.

I'm also thinkin' the 24/2.5 might fill the traditional 120-135mm lens role and the mirror 500/8 may be a contender too.

[dadipentak]

A couple with the 180/2.5 63B:

[pacerr]

Nice. The 63B is a lens that made me smile every time I picked it up - it's never disappointed me.

A 270mm f/2.5! lens on APS-C, it's close-up/macro capable, and it plays very well with the Tammy 1.4x TCs.

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Last edited by pacerr; 06-07-2015 at 12:36 PM.

[Jean Poitiers]

Nice. The 63B is a lens that made me smile every time I picked it up - it's never disappointed me.

Agreed, quite nice.

Would love a chance to shoot this one ... J

[dadipentak]

Would love a chance to shoot this one ... J

I have to believe one will turn up at one of your swap-meets.

[marcusBMG]

It was a bit dull this morning but I grabbed the 28A on a whim. Not tried it on my Samsung NX20 up to now. 28mm macro mode:



100% crop


~100mm also using the macro extension mode to get a better MFD


The more I use this lens the more impressed I am with it (upgraded the ratings on my review). For my money this is one of the best zooms in the line up.

[pacerr]

For my money this is one of the best zooms in the line up.

It's all relative, but . . .

We're better' n this one-a-month stuff; an' it's shootin' weather now. How about someone propose a Pentax+Adaptall Day . . . or better yet, a Pentax+Adaptall Week? . . . and let's see what's really out there for this fine ol' lens family today. Surely, we can beat the AF crowd with some planned images that satisfy the 'good ol' daz' way of doin' things.

[Jean Poitiers]

... For my money this is one of the best zooms in the line up.

Dang ... another one to acquire.

No really, thanks for the "heads up" ... J

---------- Post added 06-15-15 at 20:34 ----------

I have to believe one will turn up at one of your swap-meets.

I will be ready for that one ... ha!

[pacerr]

. . . of the Adaptall 20-something to 135.

Any one of these, 28A, 22A or 40A, are excellent lenses of their time -- what I consider the Golden Age for Twenty-something - to- 135mm Adaptalls. That FL range was the Golden Egg-laying Goose of the mid-'80's for what is today known as 'kit lenses'.

I've owned or shot with each of these and other than the obvious FL difference between 28 and 35 I saw no practical difference in utility or IQ at the time. All were excellent lenses. I still have a 40A and its cohort, the 44A today.

Consider: the early '80's were a revolution in both computer-driven optical formulas and manufacturing improvements for all brands. Tamron was trying to gain market share by producing a pro-quality, brand-neutral lens that appealed to both photographers and marketers with the Adaptall concept.

Consider the overlap relative to marketing and cost:

SP 28A 28-135 '83 - 88
AD-2 22A 35-135 '82 - 85
Ad-2 40A 35-135 '85 - 96



Tamron was a viable player until OEMs chose to do unique takes on the then new auto focus marketing opportunity and AF and AE adapters simply couldn't be produced to beat the rash of new patents involved. I think that was unfortunate because Tamron was a viable contender in optical quality at that time and developing competitive optical formulas for cross-brand bodies was certainly a competitive scheme.

The AD-2/SP differentiation was mostly speed -- F/2.8 vs. 3.8 -- and the perceived "value" of metal vs. 'plastic' construction. The AD-2 lenses often sold side-by-side with the SP's differentiated only by marketing venue and and cost in terms of practical IQ (IME).

You should revel in the fact that you can pick up a 40A or 44A Adaptall-2 lenses today for less than the cost of shipping because they're both excellent values.

I've still got both of 'em despite having their modern SP AF siblings and at the end of the day I can't really tell the difference between 'em after a little practical PP other than the occasional convenience of AF.

[OftheManor]

Perhaps not the best use of this great lens but I find something compelling about the observer being observed. Taken near Kentucky Lake, BC.

[pacerr]

Sweet. Any day you choose to use the 63B is a good day!

If you can zoom in far enough, you'll see that she's sayin' "Hey, guys, look at this. There's a Pentax shooter with a really great Adaptall SP lens with us here today."

[Uponnothing]

Hi, my review website is now up-and-running, although much work is left to get the reviews done of all the lenses I own.

Take a look here: The Manual Photographer - Manual focus lenses on modern digital cameras.The Manual Photographer

Posted on this thread because if you look under 'Lens reviews' you'll see an awful lot of Adaptall lenses listed.

Here is a shot taken with my latest acquisition, the Tamron 24mm f2.5 (01B), nice little lens:



---------- Post added 06-28-15 at 02:31 PM ----------

Also been using my Tamron SP 90mm f2.8 Macro (72B) recently, it's very good indeed.




As well as getting quite close to a Nuthatch with the Tamron SP 180mm f2.5 LD IF (63B):



And not needing to get quite so close with the Tamron SP 400mm f4 LD IF (65B) @ f4:

[marcusBMG]

I was checking out an 02B on my NX20 today. f8



100% crop. Impressive detail. No fringing (NX 20MPx sensor shows a bit of noise even at 100asa).


And a close focus shot at f5.6 if I remember correctly (also cropped its not a big flower).

[Richard & Sheila]

Out in the garden where things are not going well for the hover fly.