Weekly Challenge #613, Good Photo, Bad Lens

Thanks to Gump for hosting Challenge # 612. I really had no expectation of winning and while I liked my shot - there were many others of good quality to choose from. Judging these contests is always a challenge. We plumbed the past, now let's push in another direction: Pick a GOOD photo made with a "bad" lens. This can be a truly bad lens or just your "Worst" lens. You can certainly dig in the archives or make a new shot with an old not so loved friend.

This challenge will end on May 12, midnight US eastern daylight time.

Rules:
1. Post ONE photo.
2. The photo must portray an interpretation of the theme.
3. Post your single picture in this thread and explain what motivated you to take the picture and/or how you feel it represents the weekly theme (especially if it's not obvious).
4. The challenge is interactive. Any response is welcome.
5. The judge will pick the WINNERS and choose one of them to be the judge for the next week.
6. This challenge runs for 7 days plus an additional day for the judge to choose the winners.
7. Any Pentax or Ricoh camera can be used.
8. Pictures can be from any time frame, not just within the week of the current theme.
9. In case the winner of a challenge is unable to become the judge for the next challenge, they will PM the #2 winner for that person to be the judge.

I'm afraid I don't have any example shots to post right now. Flickr is behaving badly but if I had to find one it would be one made with my FA 70-200 f4-5.6 power zoom. Or maybe one with the old 28-200 I used to own. I'll search my archives when Flickr is delivering images again.

As always - have fun!

[UncleVanya]

Crickets…

[Vaskebjorn]

Well I think this needs time, at least for me, as I always tried to get good glass with my bodies. The only “bad” lens that I have is actually the one I used to take the photo with in the previous challenge. Obviously I will not be posting that one in this challenge, so I will have to do some digging.
Other then that lens I would not know what qualifies as a bad lens as I have the DA* 50-135, DA* 300, Irix 150mm macro, A* 200mm macro, DFA 15-30, Laowa 100mm macro and the Meyer Optik Trioplan 100mm and in my opinion these are all really good.

[atupdate]

ist DS with my 18-55 kit lens.



Tim

[UncleVanya]

Well I think this needs time, at least for me, as I always tried to get good glass with my bodies. The only “bad” lens that I have is actually the one I used to take the photo with in the previous challenge. Obviously I will not be posting that one in this challenge, so I will have to do some digging.
Other then that lens I would not know what qualifies as a bad lens as I have the DA* 50-135, DA* 300, Irix 150mm macro, A* 200mm macro, DFA 15-30, Laowa 100mm macro and the Meyer Optik Trioplan 100mm and in my opinion these are all really good.

That’s fair… but I caveated this with your worst lens, so feel free to use a lens that you like the least of your very nice collection.

The idea was to challenge the notion that only a good lens makes a good image. My dad still remembers the young man he met while selling cameras who brought in film to be developed shot with a Brownie Hawkeye of brownstone houses that were some of the best he ever saw due to the composition.

[Kerrowdown]

A* 200mm macro

I might be interested in that bad lens... if your looking to get rid of it.

[Kerrowdown]

I think I may have to sit this one out...

Not fancying the backlash mutiny of the harem "Ladies"... especially once they worked out, who is my least favourite.

[gump]

Although I was going to use the 18-55 as did atupdate, I dug out my only "on the shelf" lens a Tamron 28-105 that was used at 35 bucks. I know I used it in the past but rather than hunt I just took a walk. Shot 14 images, gleaned it down to 5. This is probably the best sharpness. The color was OK. I have adjusted it.

[Vaskebjorn]

I might be interested in that bad lens... if your looking to get rid of it.

That one is not for sale . I might comsider the 15-30 as I never use it but the A* 200mm macro is my walk around lens basically.

---------- Post added 05-07-23 at 01:29 PM ----------

That’s fair… but I caveated this with your worst lens, so feel free to use a lens that you like the least of your very nice collection.

The idea was to challenge the notion that only a good lens makes a good image. My dad still remembers the young man he met while selling cameras who brought in film to be developed shot with a Brownie Hawkeye of brownstone houses that were some of the best he ever saw due to the composition.

Also fair enough, I always was (and am) of the opinion of glass before body and I think that pays of in the long run as glass does not have to be updated as often. Composition and content of the photo obviously beat all that but the combo is the best. Nevertheless i will have a look in the dark archives.

---------- Post added 05-07-23 at 02:11 PM ----------

And I found one. A cormorant taken with a MTO 500mm mirrorlens as you can very clearly see in the bokeh. One of the “famous” russion doorstoppers. Not the best lens in any way and it could only be used on the K3 with an extender as the flash potrudes to far for the size of the lens which makes it even less good. That thing eats light like a black hole so is only useable on good sunny weather days. i never use it anymore these days and almost forgot about it although I still have it.

[jcdoss]

Like Kerrowdown, I'm pretty fond of my entire collection and hate to designate one as a "worst" lens. So I picked the cheapest one, and shot it wide open today.



Pentax K-1 mII Limited Silver and Pentax-M 50mm f1.7 at f1.7, 1/250s, and ISO 200

[RGlasel]

The kit lens with my K-30 was a DA L 18-55. The camera and lens were an early birthday/fathers day gift in June 2012 and my only other lenses at the time were a couple of manual focus lenses I had been using with my Super Program; at least until April 2013 when I purchased a DA 18-135. During that time frame, my kit lens went on a balloon trip and ground level trips to British Columbia, Arizona, Jamaica and Panama. I had a polarizing filter for the 18-55 (and not for the 18-135 for several years), so I put the 18-55 in my camera bag for another four months after getting the 18-135, but after that, the 18-55 went into a cupboard and hasn't come out since.

[turbo_bird]

This was taken with the old 16-45 that I bought with my K10D when both were new. Not the worst lens in the world, but not a great one either. It's the first plastic lens I ever bought, and has been used so much that there's a fair amount of play in the sections. I think this shot is the one that made me realize that the play effects image quality, about 1/4 of the frame on top isn't quite sharply focused. It's bad enough that the reflection of the mountain top is sharper than the actual top of the mountain. I replaced it with the much better and more versatile DA 16-85 not long after this was taken.

Kristian

[noelcmn]

K-30 with the Rikenon f2.2 50mm - from my days in the Singles in Challenge.

[Yaki]

And from me one old experiment with light and the kit lence -DA L 18-55mmF3.5-5.6AL

[ramseybuckeye]

I know this is late, but anyway . . This was made with the K20D and the smc PENTAX-FA 28-105mm F4-5.6 Power Zoom lens. This lens was heavy and just an all around poor performer, I later has another 28-105 lens with the same designation but (IF) and it was excellent, I only got rid of it when I got the DA18-135 because it was a WR lens.