[rbefly]

Hello All,
Here's a thread devoted to one of the unsung heros of the short zoom set. Small, quick focusing, very sharp, light and useful, plus it's a bargain by any standards, about $50.00 USD on eBay.
Did I mention it takes 49mm filters?
Or that it has a handy "Macro" (really, "close up", but still...) feature at the 70mm end?
Oh, sure, 35-70mm equates to 52-105mm in digital terms, not a focal range to send anyone's heart racing.
All I can do is suggest you take a look here or invest the price of half a tank of gas (YMMV, LOL) and try it. The only bad thing about this lens is it sometimes won't come off the camera!
If you already have one of these little gems, you will be a fan for life. Post' em!
Ron

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[rbefly]

Here's a few more....
Ron

[Jean Poitiers]

Bonjour,

I just picked up a copy of this lens at a French pawn shop equivalent ... 14.99€, what a great lens for a great buy, too. Let me see if I can find a decent photo to contribute ...

Salut, J Frog

Edit : Here are some very early "test" shots in "macro" mode ...

[Jean Poitiers]

Some more close up's ...

[ihasa]

This is probably as close to my favourite lens as possible (it's so hard to pick a favourite isn't it?) A great intersection of low price, good IQ, and portable size! Ideal for street snapping and teaming with a wide prime for landscape.

[Jean Poitiers]

This is probably as close to my favourite lens as possible (it's so hard to pick a favourite isn't it?) A great intersection of low price, good IQ, and portable size! Ideal for street snapping and teaming with a wide prime for landscape.

Bonjour ihasa,

Oh oui, it's a lens that's really growing on me ... like you said great intersection of many qualities ... I am still discovering its potential. An unsung hero among many a Pentax lens IMHO. And yes, it's hard to pick a fav ...

A+, J Frog

[rbefly]

Thanks to Jean and Ihasa, we'll get some converts yet.
Jean, those macro shots are truly beautiful, I believe this lens has the combination of soft colors and sharp rendering that really make close-ups pop.
It also handles subtle color changes well.
Great job!
Ihasa, thanks for the "Street" photos and especially the landscapes. More beautiful colors and rendition; if I didn't know better, I'd think they were taken with a prime lens.
Regards,
Ron

[ihasa]

It 'feels' and looks like a prime lens in use as well - another reason I like it!

[Jean Poitiers]

Thanks to Jean and Ihasa, we'll get some converts yet.
Jean, those macro shots are truly beautiful, I believe this lens has the combination of soft colors and sharp rendering that really make close-ups pop.
It also handles subtle color changes well.
Great job!
Ihasa, thanks for the "Street" photos and especially the landscapes. More beautiful colors and rendition; if I didn't know better, I'd think they were taken with a prime lens.
Regards, Ron

Re-bonjour Ron (& ihasa),

Thanks your comments ... greatly appreciated and very encouraging, too. I've only shot about 40 or so snaps in the "macro" mode, and I'm quite pleased with the results thus far. It takes me awhile to figure out a lens ... what is does well, what it does not as well and what it does best.

The F 35-70 does a pretty darn good job in "close focus" situations, although it's not in same league as my D FA 100/2.8 Macro WR (yes, it's an unfair comparison, a prime vs. a zoom) ... but, then again, what is in its league? The F 35-70 holds its own very, very well for a small zoom, and like I said before, it's really growing on me.

Oh, and FYI, Rio Rico just wrote a day or three ago that the F 35-70 was one of his fav' walk-arounders, after his Pentax(Tamron) 18-250. Says a lot for me ...

I'm looking forward to "street" shooting with it ... ihasa's and your photos have inspired me (more) to go this route, and this lens looks more than capable for my initiation ... and does shoot kinda like a "stack of primes".

Merci encore ... and let's keep shooting guys (and galls).

Salut, John - my real name - le Frog

[Jean Poitiers]

Bonjour,

Still getting used to this lens and liking it a lot ...

Salut, John le Frog

[rbefly]

Hi John, thanks for posting those macros, they're really beautiful. The colors "pop" out with the 3-D effect we all look for. Fine work.
I went to a classic car show last weekend, here's a few photos. I used my DA 16-45 and F 35-70 all day, these were taken with the 35-70;
Ron

[Jean Poitiers]

Hi John, thanks for posting those macros, they're really beautiful. The colors "pop" out with the 3-D effect we all look for. Fine work.
I went to a classic car show last weekend, here's a few photos. I used my DA 16-45 and F 35-70 all day, these were taken with the 35-70;
Ron

Bonjour Ron,

Thanks for the 'rods shots. As a (former) gear-head, I really like photos like you took ... good work. I like the '56(?) Chevy in B&W, always wanted to have one, a '55/'56/'57 ... In the States, with my dad, we had a '68 Vette convertible (327/350hp), '67 Mustang Fastback (390), '70 Z-28 (LT-1), and GTO's to name a few ... it was a family cottage restoration industry!

Salut, John

[rbefly]

Hello john,
Yes, I'm a gearhead also. I go to the classic car shows and cruises all summer and the new-car show at the convention center in the winter.
The Golden Classic Car Cruise is held the first Saturday of each month during the warm weather. This show was the first of the season and literally thousands of cars and bikes were there. You can see from the background that it is very well-attended, rows of spectators line the streets all day and into the night. I took over 400 shots, here's a few more;
Your family restoration business sounds like a great way to enjoy these classics. Where in the States were you? Sounds like you had some of the best of the 1950's and '60's cars!
Regards,
Ron

[Jean Poitiers]

Re-bonjour Ron,

I was born and raised in Tulsa ... and have been in France for almost/over 17 years. I' m jealous, because this is one of the few things that I miss about the States ... classic & muscle cars. My dad and I started with his mom's '50 Ford which sat in the barn in Arkansas for over 20 years ... and things grewing from that experience. We even at one point we're in a new car and later a used car dealership(s).

Thanks again for the photos and some memoires, John

[purwoadi]

Have a second hand 35-70 from ebay since several months. Great IQ but poor build.
I like very much the photos of people from ihasa, they are stunning. Thanks for sharing
the pictures.