[Tsuken]

Beautiful Sunset from Brooklyn Bridge Park

Pentax K01 + Pentax 10-17

That is really gorgeous. Cracking photo!

[Mbaez]

Thank you! NYC sunsets are spectacular.

That is really gorgeous. Cracking photo!

[edri]

KP +10-17mm Fish-Eye

[Mbaez]

Fish-eye action at Grand Central

Pentax K01 + Pentax 10-17mm

[Canada_Rockies]

KP +10-17mm Fish-Eye

Lovely colours!

[ChristianRock]

HD DA 18-50mm f/4-5.6 on the K-S1

[paulh]

HD DA 18-50mm f/4-5.6 on the K-S1

Nice results with the 18-50! Is the SMC version of this lens that much worse than the HD? I see them for sale at decent prices.

[ChristianRock]

Nice results with the 18-50! Is the SMC version of this lens that much worse than the HD? I see them for sale at decent prices.

I did a lot of research and found the HD pictures to be noticeably better in contrast, color and even sharpness. The in-depth review in this forum confirms this, though they (for whatever reason I cannot comprehend...) did not focus on the HD version except to compare at 35mm with the SMC version and with the 18-55.
I'm still learning the lens - it's so contrasty and colorful wide open that sometimes you don't realize you're not focusing on the right spot. But the in-focus area is very nicely sharp. The colors are beautiful and while different from my DA*16-50 which I'm really amazed at still, but they compare well I think.
It's also prone to shutter shock with the K-S1 but I'm getting better results with the K-3 and especially with the K200D and K10D, where it's really shining.

Right now I'm editing a comparison on the 24MP K-3, between my 18-50, the DA*16-50 and the good ol' DA 16-45 which still packs a huge punch.
I might use this thread to post my results...

[RICHARD L.]

[ChristianRock]

So, I've been comparing my shots of the SMC DA*16-50, SMC DA 16-45 and HD DA 18-50... so here's some shots wide open of these lenses (f2.8 for the 16-50 and f4 for the other two), with the same subject.

First the DA*16-50... yes it's a great lens. I have no regrets at all about buying it for a great deal when I had the chance. Sometimes it's exactly what I need. The images have a bit of a "3D pop" even wide open. Colors are great - I don't think Sigma and Tamron similar lenses come anywhere near this lens. I can't imagine how good the new version will be... I would not be surprised if people will like it better than the DFA (Tamron) 24-70 f2.8.


The 16-45 gave me thousands of pictures with good results. It's a lens that I know well, very reliable, great contrast and colors, and very sharp.


But I'm finding the HD DA 18-50 to be a better lens throughout its range. Yes 16mm to 18mm is quite a difference but for casual shooting 18mm is ok - I was between this and a DA 21 so 18mm is already a bonus! The colors compare well even with the DA*16-50, while the rendering is different. I'd say it has a "delicate rendering" which can work really well for some kinds of scenes, especially when textures are involved.


These are non-scientific tests so I won't bother you with all the focal lengths that I experimented with... what I can say is that when I brought in the primes, things really started to get exciting. But I'm happy with these zooms for what they are...

[ChristianRock]

Another one from our Easter get together, with the HD DA 18-50...

[juristkostya]

Tamron 18-250 (DA 18-250 analog)

@ 42,5 mm





@ 50mm

[Rondec]

Alligator (DA 55-300mm)



(Shot at the North Carolina Zoo)

[Mbaez]

Osprey / Águila pescadora

Pentax KP + 1.4X AW + DA 55-300 PLM
420mm 1/2000 f/9.5 ISO 800

[ChristianRock]

Shooting inside the house... both shot JPEG in the K-50 with HD DA 18-50mm f/4-5.6 and then I applied a Kodachrome 64 preset in RawTherapee, otherwise unchanged.