Pentax Q & the Cosmicar-Pentax 8-48mm f/1.0 (img samples!)

stephography · 03-25-2012, 07:36 AM - **1 Like**

Just wanted to share with you guys some photos I took with the Cosmicar/Pentax 8-48mm f1.0 over the weekend. I put the wide aperture zoom through its paces, shooting in everything from a car to dimly lit rooms. This is my first time working with the Pentax Q, and I was lucky enough to pick it up for $450 off of Craigslist pretty much brand new

.

I gotta say, when I initially received the lens, I thought I was going to turn it around and sell it because it was HUGE. The lens weighs more than the camera itself, but I decided not to let it go because it looks beautiful on the Q. The photos yielded from the set up were decent enough to work with and what I was looking for-- something with a vintage feel to it (like a super fast, light eating lomo, ahah). The photos below aren't edited, but they have been shrunk down to 1400px (if you want, I can post up larger resolution images). Most of the photos I took were in f1.0 and the farthest I've stopped down was f2.8 (which I've indicated below).

Hopefully this will help you decide whether or not you want to pick up this lens! I bought it off of eBay for $130, and the lens is in immaculate condition (complete with box and cap). Best regards!

By the way, DON'T LET THE IMAGES FOOL YOU! The conditions were absolutely far from ideal for photography and a sensor this small. The lens REALLY brightens up the room and is one of the strong points of having such a fast lens (and in this regard, the cosmicar/pentax doesn't disappoint). While sharpness definitely suffers, it's something you gotta expect from a non-megapixel c-mount lens .

f/1.0

f/2.0

f/1.0 vs f/2.8

Last edited by stephography; 03-25-2012 at 07:44 AM.

**yucatanPentax** · 03-25-2012, 07:41 AM

Wow, quite a range of photos. Very interesting. The lens seems to lack contrast. Did you use a lens hood? Do you think stopping down improves the contrast?

stephography · 03-25-2012, 07:49 AM

Stopping down improves the contrast a bit, but not by much. It's nothing a little lightroom can't fix, but it definitely has a bit of trouble with it. I didn't use a lens hood, but I'm not sure how much it would help in the conditions I shot at. Overall I'm happy with the results and it was more than I could ask for given the circumstances of putting such a lens on the Q. I will say though, it has a steep learning curve and it's a pain to shoot handheld because of its weight (which 90% of the shots are in this thread, lol).

Are you thinking of picking one up?

snostorm · 03-25-2012, 11:02 AM

Hi Stephan,

I'd say that the performance is better than I had expected. Wide open, I'd consider it a super fast soft focus normal to long tele portrait lens, and stopped down a little it looks easily competent.

I'd easily consider getting one of these.

Thanks for showing what this lens can do.

Scott

stephography · 03-25-2012, 04:02 PM

Originally posted by snostorm

Hi Stephan,

I'd say that the performance is better than I had expected. Wide open, I'd consider it a super fast soft focus normal to long tele portrait lens, and stopped down a little it looks easily competent.

I'd easily consider getting one of these.

Thanks for showing what this lens can do.

Scott

Hey Scott,

The lens is truly fun to use! I took a few more shots today during my engagement shoot during break time and the performance is even better stopped down to about 5.6. I haven't run into any problems with diffraction, but then again I'm reviewing it on the small screen. We'll see what I came up with when I upload it and post it here!

Glad you were able to make use of the shots!

03-25-2012, 07:36 AM - 1 Like	#1
stephography New Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: California Posts: 15	Pentax Q & the Cosmicar-Pentax 8-48mm f/1.0 (img samples!) Just wanted to share with you guys some photos I took with the Cosmicar/Pentax 8-48mm f1.0 over the weekend. I put the wide aperture zoom through its paces, shooting in everything from a car to dimly lit rooms. This is my first time working with the Pentax Q, and I was lucky enough to pick it up for $450 off of Craigslist pretty much brand new . I gotta say, when I initially received the lens, I thought I was going to turn it around and sell it because it was HUGE. The lens weighs more than the camera itself, but I decided not to let it go because it looks beautiful on the Q. The photos yielded from the set up were decent enough to work with and what I was looking for-- something with a vintage feel to it (like a super fast, light eating lomo, ahah). The photos below aren't edited, but they have been shrunk down to 1400px (if you want, I can post up larger resolution images). Most of the photos I took were in f1.0 and the farthest I've stopped down was f2.8 (which I've indicated below). Hopefully this will help you decide whether or not you want to pick up this lens! I bought it off of eBay for $130, and the lens is in immaculate condition (complete with box and cap). Best regards! By the way, DON'T LET THE IMAGES FOOL YOU! The conditions were absolutely far from ideal for photography and a sensor this small. The lens REALLY brightens up the room and is one of the strong points of having such a fast lens (and in this regard, the cosmicar/pentax doesn't disappoint). While sharpness definitely suffers, it's something you gotta expect from a non-megapixel c-mount lens . f/1.0 f/2.0 f/1.0 vs f/2.8 Last edited by stephography; 03-25-2012 at 07:44 AM.

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03-25-2012, 07:41 AM	#2
yucatanPentax Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Dallas / Yucatan Posts: 1,840	Wow, quite a range of photos. Very interesting. The lens seems to lack contrast. Did you use a lens hood? Do you think stopping down improves the contrast?

03-25-2012, 07:49 AM	#3
stephography New Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: California Posts: 15 Original Poster	Stopping down improves the contrast a bit, but not by much. It's nothing a little lightroom can't fix, but it definitely has a bit of trouble with it. I didn't use a lens hood, but I'm not sure how much it would help in the conditions I shot at. Overall I'm happy with the results and it was more than I could ask for given the circumstances of putting such a lens on the Q. I will say though, it has a steep learning curve and it's a pain to shoot handheld because of its weight (which 90% of the shots are in this thread, lol). Are you thinking of picking one up?

03-25-2012, 11:02 AM	#4
snostorm Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chicago suburb, IL, USA Posts: 1,535	Hi Stephan, I'd say that the performance is better than I had expected. Wide open, I'd consider it a super fast soft focus normal to long tele portrait lens, and stopped down a little it looks easily competent. I'd easily consider getting one of these. Thanks for showing what this lens can do. Scott

03-25-2012, 04:02 PM	#5
stephography New Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: California Posts: 15 Original Poster	Originally posted by snostorm Hi Stephan, I'd say that the performance is better than I had expected. Wide open, I'd consider it a super fast soft focus normal to long tele portrait lens, and stopped down a little it looks easily competent. I'd easily consider getting one of these. Thanks for showing what this lens can do. Scott Hey Scott, The lens is truly fun to use! I took a few more shots today during my engagement shoot during break time and the performance is even better stopped down to about 5.6. I haven't run into any problems with diffraction, but then again I'm reviewing it on the small screen. We'll see what I came up with when I upload it and post it here! Glad you were able to make use of the shots!