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03-16-2019, 02:30 PM   #76
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This is a fascinating thread and it is heartening to see that several users shoot with relatively pedestrian kit. (Yay Matt with the Helios 44-4K!) If and when I buy a K-1, I will most certainly be shooting a mix of modern and vintage kit with emphasis on the latter. It is good to know I will be in good company.


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03-17-2019, 02:45 AM   #77
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ben-G Quote
I'm asking which is the rule of that HD FA*50mm f1.4 "between" 43&77mm ltds...

I've just seen yours lovely Venice Carnival pictures and others yours works: i've found
a subtle and delicate line across yours shot;
it's an extraordinary liminal ground between words and images, from free words ( that calls me back to Apollinaire "il pleut" such as some of Alighiero Boetti works) to the magician atmosphere of that little toy boat in the concentric water rings... : chapeau!

At the last but not least that your
"On photographic equipment" : is a 'little & great'
lectio vitae.

Holding you in high esteeme,

Ben-G[COLOR="Silver"]
Wow, thanks Ben!

As for the FA43 and D-FA*50 the FA43 is convenient as a walkaround lens, especially as I mostly use FA31 and FA77 for street type photography.

The D-FA*50 is a beast, but optically great, one of the best lenses I have had, so it is mostly for critical shots. I´m looking forward to the D-FA*85, as I loved the A*85 when I used film.

Dag

Last edited by DagT; 03-17-2019 at 04:11 AM.
03-17-2019, 07:21 AM   #78
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QuoteOriginally posted by DagT Quote
Wow, thanks Ben!

As for the FA43 and D-FA*50 the FA43 is convenient as a walkaround lens, especially as I mostly use FA31 and FA77 for street type photography.

The D-FA*50 is a beast, but optically great, one of the best lenses I have had, so it is mostly for critical shots. I´m looking forward to the D-FA*85, as I loved the A*85 when I used film.

Dag

Thanks (!) Dag for your explanation.

Best regards


Ben
03-22-2019, 07:30 AM - 1 Like   #79
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My favourite lens at the moment is the D FA* 50/1.4, which is one of the better lenses on the market. I'm a prime lens user and prefer standard lenses, so this lens fits my wheelhouse perfectly. I think most people tend to look at a scene and find the best focal length to photograph it, my tendency is to pick a lens and then make the scene fit into it. It's more of a challenge, but it's how I work.
Anyway, my most used lens on the K1 is the D FA* 50/1.4, which has accounted for 87.7% of my images shot since I bought it.
However, if I go back to before I got the new 50, then the D FA 100 Macro, 77mm, A*85/1.4, 43mm, FA50/1.4 (I did a pretty serious comparison of it and the new 50), F*300/4.5 and 31mm are all on my list of lenses according to Lightroom.
What this tells me is that I have about 4 dozen lenses that don't get out enough.

03-23-2019, 04:27 AM   #80
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QuoteOriginally posted by Wheatfield Quote
What this tells me is that I have about 4 dozen lenses that don't get out enough.
The very situation I'm trying to avoid. Since getting the K-1ii I've been trying to let go of as many lenses as I buy, and keep the collection manageable. Mostly selling off the older pre-A pieces that haven't had a lot of use since I mostly stopped shooting film.

I said earlier in this thread that the FA31 plus A*85 were a nearly complete kit for full frame digital, and that is still mostly true for me. But since then I've added a DA*200 and (just yesterday) FA43, and rediscovered an old Zenitar fisheye that is more capable than I had thought.

The holes in my FF lens lineup seem to be -

* no macro lens. Just not my thing, I guess.
* no good rectilinear ultra wide. I do have a manual focus Vivitar 19mm, but think the combo of Pentax Q7 camera and 08 zoom gives better results despite the much smaller sensor.
* no full-frame short zoom. Still mostly satisfied with the DA*16-50 in crop mode for the times I want that range.
03-23-2019, 07:35 AM   #81
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Great read, lots of interesting kits here. Been shooting with Pentax for 30+years, and have collected more lenses along the way than I know what to do with. :-)

I go wide more than long, which is what prompted me to switch to FF. My main hobby is travel photography, sprinkled in with a fair amount of long-exposure, abstracts and blur, and a bit of macro work. Mostly landscapes and cityscapes/architecture, plants and animals, and a bit of street work. Recently spent 3 weeks in Vietnam and SE Asia with this kit, which met most of my needs -- D-FA 28-105, Venus Laowa 12mm Zero-D, FA ltd. 31, FA ltd 77 and ... wait for it ... DA 55-300 WR (oh the horror!)

The D-FA 28-105 was my main walkaround lens. Compact, lightweight, and IQ that punches way above its weight. I am continually amazed by the images I get out of this.

The Venus 12 mm was the next most-used lens in the kit, wonderful image quality, tack sharp when you dial the focus in, and pretty true to its zero distortion billing when you consider its 12 mm ... 12! Love that lens.

The 31 Ltd was great for low light and night work, or just when I didn't feel like lugging the other lenses around. Love that lens too.

Did not use the 77 ltd all that much; just did not have as much call for that length, and the slow AF had me fighting with it in low light. That one will say home next time, replaced with either my FA 100 Macro or my SMC-A 135/2.8.

The 55-300 is a gem. Like the 28-105, it always impressed on the K-3 more than it should, and that carries over for the K-1. It's compact, light-weight and extended reach makes it a great addition to the travel kit. (I use it in crop factor mode on the K-1 to turn it into an 82.5-450). It's slow, for sure, but performs well stopped down to 6.3 or 7.1 at mid-high ISO (1600-8000). Sure, the 70-200 or 150-450 would perform way better, but I am just not interested in lugging beasts like those around anymore, given my penchant to go wide. Until Pentax comes out with an f/4 tele-zoom, I am more than happy to keep the 55-300 in my kit, and adding the SMC-A 135 will give me a longer faster option when I need it as well. (If it sounds like I am trying to justify the 55-300, lol I am)

Last edited by EstimatedEyes; 03-23-2019 at 08:44 AM.
03-25-2019, 03:21 PM - 1 Like   #82
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Fat Fifty.

The best lens to use for downsizing a lens park. I don't miss any of my other lenses any more. Finally found THE lens for me.

It is big and heavy, and that's the way it expresses its personality. It renders everything gorgeously, more pleasing than any other lens. Focus is silent, quick and smooth. It fits perfectly on the K-1 and in my hand.

I only change lenses if there is no other way to get the shot. I'd rather crop or stitch than zoom in or out with a different lens.


Last edited by sbh; 03-25-2019 at 03:27 PM.
03-25-2019, 03:27 PM - 1 Like   #83
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QuoteOriginally posted by sbh Quote
Fat Fifty.

The best lens to use for downsizing a lens park. I don't miss any of my other lenses any more. Finally found THE lens for me.

It is big and heavy, and that's the way it expresses its personality: Substantial. It renders everything gorgeously, more pleasing than any other lens. Focus is silent, quick and smooth. It fits perfectly in my hand.

I only change lenses if there is no other way to get the shot. I'd rather crop or stitch than zoom in or out with a different lens.
I like your thinking. Yes, I think I could possibly sell my 77 and 43 to afford the 50 (or at least make a sizeable dent into the price of it), it's an astounding piece of glass.
03-25-2019, 03:31 PM - 1 Like   #84
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I Sold the 43 ltd and the 20-35 f/4 to make it more reasonable. I decided to reduce my lens park and don't double-cover focal lengths without a good reason (e.g. like macro). Less but good stuff. That's why I like the OPs approach.
03-29-2019, 07:06 AM   #85
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Recently purchased a K-1II. My Pentax lens collection includes the following:
- D FA* 50mm f/1.4
- D FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro

The 50mm f/1.4 is really a remarkable lens. Depending on the user/situation, weight/size may be its only downside. Output-wise, it is one of the most impressive lenses in my collection (including my Nikon glass).

The 100mm f/2.8 replaced my Nikon 105mm f/2.8. The Pentax simply had better color rendition, contrast, and sharpness than the more expensive Nikkor glass. The only advantage the Nikkor had over the D FA Macro was the speed of which it 'quietly' obtained focus.

I'd like to expand more, but the K-1II is sort of bookended by my other cameras and their coverage:
- on the telephoto side, it's covered by my Nikon 300mm f/4 and 500mm f/5 glass
- on the 'wider' side, I have my Ricoh GRII (I've tried wider focal lengths, but keep going back to 28mm and 35mm)

Some lenses I am considering:
- D FA* 70-200mm f/2.8: Would be great to use for some larger mammals and some more scenic wildlife shots
- HD FA 35mm f/2: Lighter/Wider FF lens, but lacks WR (which I like having for peace of mind)
- D FA 24-70 f/2.8: Might be a nice companion for outdoors

Last edited by sutherland; 03-29-2019 at 08:41 AM.
03-29-2019, 08:47 AM   #86
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What are my most loved lenses on my Pentax K-1 ? Where do I begin?

In the last 3 years I've tested many lenses on my K-1 cameras. I've tried most of the Pentax lenses, and have adapted many expensive/prime/manual-focus lenses to K mount for testing on my K-1. While it's probably not fair to compare lenses of different focals, I'll try to briefly review my favorite lenses at each of my favorite focals on my K-1.

1. Wide - Zeiss ZF "Classic" 35mm f/1.4
2. Normal - Zeiss Milvus 50mm 1.4 at wide apertures, Leica Sumicron-R 50mm f/2 (latest version) at middle apertures (note, I've not yet tested the new Pentax DFA 50/1.4 lens, which I suspect would likely be included in this group)
3. Short tele - Yesterday I did an exhaustive comparison shoot-out comparing the following lenses: Zeiss ZK 85/1.4 , Zeiss 100/2, Zeiss Milvus 85/1.4, Nikkor 105/2 DC, and Leica Summilux-R 80/1.4. To my eye, the Milvus was clearly better than any of the others, and better than anything that Pentax has ever offered at this focal. I understand a new Pentax DFA 85/1.4 lens will be coming out in the future. It would be interesting to compare this new lens to the incredible Zeiss 85 Milvus.

NOTE: The Voigtlander Color-Heliar 75mm F/2.5 SL in Pentax K mount is a discontinued vintage lens. It has the best colors of any lens I've ever used on the K-1 (even better than the Leica's I've tested!). However, I've owned 3 copies of this lens, and every single one had lens separation. I've spoken with a few Japanese sellers of this lens, and not one of them was selling a lens that didn't have some degree of separation. I'm convinced that you can not find one of these lenses anywhere that does not have lens separation (unless it was recently repaired). I'll never again attempt to re-cement two lens elements, but if you care to give it a try (or you know someone who would do it for you) consider purchasing one of these outstanding Voigtlander lenses.

Last edited by Fenwoodian; 03-29-2019 at 03:02 PM.
03-30-2019, 05:57 AM   #87
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fenwoodian Quote
.
What are my most loved lenses on my Pentax K-1 ? Where do I begin?

In the last 3 years I've tested many lenses on my K-1 cameras. I've tried most of the Pentax lenses, and have adapted many expensive/prime/manual-focus lenses to K mount for testing on my K-1. While it's probably not fair to compare lenses of different focals, I'll try to briefly review my favorite lenses at each of my favorite focals on my K-1.

1. Wide - Zeiss ZF "Classic" 35mm f/1.4
2. Normal - Zeiss Milvus 50mm 1.4 at wide apertures, Leica Sumicron-R 50mm f/2 (latest version) at middle apertures (note, I've not yet tested the new Pentax DFA 50/1.4 lens, which I suspect would likely be included in this group)
3. Short tele - Yesterday I did an exhaustive comparison shoot-out comparing the following lenses: Zeiss ZK 85/1.4 , Zeiss 100/2, Zeiss Milvus 85/1.4, Nikkor 105/2 DC, and Leica Summilux-R 80/1.4. To my eye, the Milvus was clearly better than any of the others, and better than anything that Pentax has ever offered at this focal. I understand a new Pentax DFA 85/1.4 lens will be coming out in the future. It would be interesting to compare this new lens to the incredible Zeiss 85 Milvus.

NOTE: The Voigtlander Color-Heliar 75mm F/2.5 SL in Pentax K mount is a discontinued vintage lens. It has the best colors of any lens I've ever used on the K-1 (even better than the Leica's I've tested!). However, I've owned 3 copies of this lens, and every single one had lens separation. I've spoken with a few Japanese sellers of this lens, and not one of them was selling a lens that didn't have some degree of separation. I'm convinced that you can not find one of these lenses anywhere that does not have lens separation (unless it was recently repaired). I'll never again attempt to re-cement two lens elements, but if you care to give it a try (or you know someone who would do it for you) consider purchasing one of these outstanding Voigtlander lenses.
what can you say about Voigtlander Color-Heliar 75mm F/2.5 SL and Zeiss Milvus 85/1.4 compared to smc fa 77mm limited?
03-30-2019, 09:44 AM   #88
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I've owned 2 copies of the Pentax 77mm Limitied. Sold them both.....
03-30-2019, 11:03 AM   #89
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QuoteOriginally posted by Fenwoodian Quote
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I've owned 2 copies of the Pentax 77mm Limitied. Sold them both.....
Really! This reader would love to hear more....
03-30-2019, 10:29 PM   #90
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QuoteOriginally posted by texandrews Quote
Really! This reader would love to hear more....
.
The Zeiss ZF Milvus 85mm f/1.4 lens (with a $200) Leitax adapter on it costs about twice what a Pentax 77mm Limited lens does. You get what you pay for....
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