[Douglas_of_Sweden]

I don’t feel so bad about my lens list now

.:

I've heard that one before. Another version: "I'm going to show your list to my wife. Thanks for the help!"

[emalvick]

If I look at my whole lens collection, the answer might be no, but I generally would be as I have the 31, 43, a 50/1.7, 77, and 135/2.8.

The problem is on the zoom side of things and wider angle. All my zooms and wide angle primes are DA only. But, I rarely shoot wider than 21 mm with my K3, so I think the 31 mm will cover that FOV, and it would satisfy my craving for a faster lens around 20-24mm. The bigger problem would probably be on the telephoto end of the spectrum. I do shoot the 60-250 zoom quite a bit at 250. That 250 will feel really short on FF.

Given all that, I am really happy with my K3 (and even still my K5), and I probably won't try a K-1 unless it is certain there will not be another flagship APS-C.

[Kevin B123]

That 250 will feel really short on FF.

The focal length won't change, you just get more in the viewfinder for your money. Just think of it as having greater cropping ability

Which reminds me, would focal breathing of that lens change in any whay with FF?

[jddwoods]

Given all that, I am really happy with my K3 (and even still my K5), and I probably won't try a K-1 unless it is certain there will not be another flagship APS-C.

My K-5 is still in like new condition and still takes beautiful pictures. I can't seem to justify dumping it for FF, at least not now. As for my primary camera I am also not ready to give up my K-3 either. I would love to get a K-1 but I am not sure what I would gain with it using the same FF compatible lenses as I use on my K-5 & K-3




---------- Post added 06-21-18 at 02:15 PM ----------

My macro and wildlife primes are full-frame (FF in bold):
DFA 100 f2.8 Macro WR
FA*300 f4.5 (and Kenko PZ-AF 1.5x Teleplus SHQ TC)
Sigma 400mm f5.6 Tele Macro
Plus the DA-L 55-300 f4-5.8 and DA 55-300 f4.5-6.3 PLM seem to be OK at the long end.

At the wide-normal end, it's a mixed bag:
DA 12-24 - OK at the longer end?
DA 18-135
DA 20-40 Ltd - OK from the mid-20s?
DA 35 f2.4
FA 43 Ltd
FA 50 f2.8 macro
FA 77 Ltd

I guess if I got a wide-normal zoom like the DFA 28-105 I'd be reasonably well covered, with a fairly lightweight kit.

But in all honesty, I'm pretty content with APS-C. I like the portability of the K-3 and K-S2. The K-3 is pretty good for macro and wildlife (which is a lot of what I shoot), the K-S2 is good for grab-and-go. If the next APS-C flagship has better AF and significantly better high ISO than on the K-3, that would be my preferred next move.

Hi Des, I see from our posts in the yard birds thread we have very similar interests and a similar lens collection. Do you have a K-1? I saw most of your pictures are with your K-3 which is also my primary camera. What I am wondering is; would I get better results on birds & wildlife with the same lenses on a K-1 than my current K-3? Specifically with my DA*200 and DA*300 which are FF compatible. I already know that the 1.5 X conversion on APS C is a definite advantage of sticking with APS C for birds and wildlife. Portability is also important to me.
@Normhead; If you see this, I would appreciate your thoughts on this since you have K-1 & K-3 and post some beautiful bird shots.

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Last edited by jddwoods; 06-21-2018 at 11:19 AM.

[Des]

Hi Des, I see from our posts in the yard birds thread we have very similar interests and a similar lens collection. Do you have a K-1? I saw most of your pictures are with your K-3 which is also my primary camera. What I am wondering is; would I get better results on birds & wildlife with the same lenses on a K-1 than my current K-3? Specifically with my DA*200 and DA*300 which are FF compatible. I already know that the 1.5 X conversion on APS C is a definite advantage of sticking with APS C for birds and wildlife. Portability is also important to me.

Yes John we are in much the same boat. I decided not to get a K-1, even when it was available at the tantalising price of $A1800 last year (about $US1350 at current rates). Given that we already have FF compatible lenses, there would be gains for wildlife in much better high-ISO performance than with the K-3. But since I am almost always cropping wildlife images anyway, overall a crop sensor camera seems to make more sense. I'm banking on the next APS-C flagship offering all the gains made in the K-P and the K-1, while keeping the strengths of the K-3 (robust construction, excellent ergonomics, fast frame rate, quiet shutter, top LCD screen, dual card slots, etc etc). I've been helped by Norm's account of his experience with the K-1.

At the other end, I expect a K-1 would be a big plus for landscapes, flowers, pets, people shots and so on. But often as not, when I'm taking those kinds of shots, I'm out and about, on a beach or bush walk, or going into town, or out on the property, or whatever. I tend to find the K-S2 with a smallish lens (e.g. 18-135, 20-40, 43, 77, 100) the preferred choice for this (with a telephoto lens on the K-3 if required). Using the K-1 instead of the K-S2 would be at some cost of weight and bulk - I suspect that half the time I wouldn't take it. A FF sensor in a K-S2/K-70 type body would be ideal - but I guess that's a Sony A7iii or something like it rather than a DSLR. (I'm not going there.)

[pakinjapan]

FF is not an expletive
Some people wanting to "upgrade" (sidegrade is probably a better word for it?) to FF made me think about all the things that such a move entails.

This thread is about your lens collection. Is it ready? are you ready? if you already did it, what was ready and what not?

I want to go FF but I only want, not that I need. I used to buy only FF lenses in preparation to move on to FF body. but things have changed, I am not really sure if I want a FF or stay with crop body right now. Therefore I have been reducing my lens collection to only what I really need for my shooting style.

For a crop body, I have no problem with future Pentax K3 / KP alike. I am very happy with my K3 right now. I think Pentax is making THE best crop body for my need. And I am sure their next crop body update will be even better.

If I move on to a FF body, it is going to be a mirrorless body because I don’t want to carry anything bigger / heavier than a K3 size. However, I want to wait for FF mirrorless market to be a bit more mature. I want more competition in the market. I wish Pentax will join in by then, (If Pentax can find a way to stick a FF sensor into KP / K3 size body, it will be fantastic.) but I don't hold my breath. I don’t have a brand royalty for anything I use. I only pay my hard earn money for what I want not for the sake of a brand. If Pentax joins in, it will be very good because I really like the lenses I have right now. if they don’t, I will just move on. I only have 4 primes left and I have no real plan to get a new lens until I can make up my mind.

[Scorpio71GR]

FF ready? I was ready when I bought my K10D. By the time I got my K3 I was pretty content with ASP-C. I did not even consider a K-1 when it came out. Then I came across a factory refurbished one for $1500 US Dollars and they through in a grip. So I figured I could sell it if I did not want to keep it. That ended the first day I used it. The first lens I put on the K-1 was my FA 50 macro. Boy did that bring back memories of my K1000 and my K50 f2. I am one of those who just seems to prefer the 24X36mm format. The images from the K-1 just have different felt to them then with the K3. The only time I really used the K3 was for wildlife, where I am always trying to squeak out every millimeter I can. Now I am using the K3 again for the smaller size and lighter weight.

As for lenses I will forgo all of the Takumars and old manual lenses. I just do not use them anymore.
FF lenses:
Sigma 12-24 , absolutely wonderful on ASP-C, however on the K-1 the corners are definitely not the best. I find it perfectly usable but I'm not trying to sell any photos either. From 20-24 it is quite good.
Tokina 20-35, another great lens on ASP-C since I have the 72mm version it is not too large. On the K-1 it is still quite good and I like due to its size.
FA 17-28 fisheye, never used much until the K-1 came along due the DA10-17. Actually quite good on the K-1 and quite fun to use.
Sigma 24-60 f2.8, not used much due to the DA*16-50. Now used often on the K-1 when I want a low light lens. Old film days hold over, not the sharpest lens especially wide open. I typically shoot it stopped down. Decent size due to the 60mm end it has 77mm filter rather than 82mm on the 24-70 lenses.
DFA 28-105, I came across this on an Amazon deal for 350 dollars. I figured I could sell it for what I paid for it if I did not want to keep it. Boy that was not going to happen. This lens made my K50 become a very highly used camera. I kept the DA*16-50 on the K3. The 28-105 is one of those lenses that just blew me away. I think this lens alone is too blame for me getting the K-1. Yup it really is that good.
Sigma 28mm f1.8 Macro, hey finally a prime. Another lens thst blew me away on the K-1. On the K3 it is still good, but on the K-1 it is just wonderful.
FA 50 macro, one of the sharpest lenses I own. Big, bulky, ugly as sin and just a fantastic lens. I use it more on the K-1 than all my ASP-C cameras combined.
DFA 100 Macro WR, what can say about this lens? If you don't have one you should. Just get one if you have the K-1. The only thing I wish this lens had is a focus limiter.
Tamron 90mm Macro, one of my most used lenses before getting the DFA 100. Honestly I can not tell the difference between the images taken with the
Tamron and the DFA 100. Wide open I think the Tamron is actually sharper. The Tamron has the advantage of a focus limiter and an apeture ring. The only
downside to the Tamron is the focus clutch. The only reason I got the DFA was for weather sealing.
Rokinon 85 1.4, I got this lens used for a very good price. Used mainly for portraits and low light work. Not used a ton but when I do need it I am glad to have it.
DA*55, an ASP-C lens but used almost exclusively on the K-1 now. I really liked this lens on ASP-C. I love this lens on the K-1. Not the sharpest wide open.
Sharpness kicks around f2-f2.2. Peaks around f6.3. FF has made this a favourite lens.
Sigma 180 Macro f3.5, I came across a used version for about half of what this lens usually sells for. It was tax return time and my LBA was twitching like a kid hopped up on cotton candy. I always lusted for the FA*200 Macro, this is the poor man's version. For some reason I prefer this lens on the K-1 over the K3. I really can not think of any kind of downside to this lens. It is too bad they never made the newer versions in K mount.
Tamron 70-200 f2.8, purchased mainly for event photography. Just a great lens, IF YOU GET A GOOD COPY. It took 3 copies for me to get a good one. I don't really shoot sports anymore but when I did this was my goto lens. Not used as much since it was usurped by the next lens.
DA*60-250, my only regret was not buying this lens sooner. I had the Tamron and was content with that. Then a used copy in mint condition popped up for half of new. If I could pick a perfect lens this is as close as you can get for me. This lens does suffer from focus breathing and is a bit awkward when zoomed out to the long lens. However it is just a fantastic lens and I get the most keepers with this lens. It is one of those lens you do not even worry about stopping down. I use this more on the K-1 than my K3.
Tokina 400mm f5.6, I have two copies of this one. One manual focus from my film days used on my Super Program, and an autofocus version I got back when I got the K10D. This lens biggest weakness is that sharpness does not peak till f11. On my K10D I was always trying to balance shutter speed and ISO. On the K3 I just set it at f11 and let the camera set the ISO. The K3 brought out the best in this lens. I have only used it a few times on the K-1. With good light this is a surprisingly good lens. With the K-1's high ISO performance this is a fun lens to use.Compact, lightweight and easy to pack in a bag.
Sigma 50-500, my compromise lens to get back into wildlife photography. The Bigma is a lens full of comprises. Needs to be shot at f8-f11. Does not hold up to cropping well. Big, heavy, and well just big. This lens let me take wildlife photos I would not have been able to take otherwise. Never mounted on the K-1. Still needs the Sigma mount upgrade. Due to declining health, this lens sees almost no use now.

ASP-C lenses:
DA10-17, my first DA lens. Just a fun lens to use. Fringes like no tomorrow. Needs to be stopped down. F8-F11 is optimal. Compact, easy to pack into the bag and can easily fill in as a pseudo macro. Due to having the 17-28 never mounted it on the K-1.
Sigma 8-16, I prefer this lens on the K3 to the Sigma 12-24 on the K-1. Nothing else like this for ASP-C. Usable on the K-1 at 16mm.
DA*16-50, despite all the bad publicity this was my most used lens. I had a Sigma 17-50 but preferred the colour rendering of the Pentax. The Sigma was sold.Unfortunately this lens took a tumble and is now decentered. Not a fault of the lens.
DA 18-135, the only all in one lens I own. When I can only take one lens it is the K3 and DA 18-135. Nothing in this focal length and IQ exists for the K-1. My 18-135 is not very sharp from 18-24. However from 24-80 it is very good. At the long end you need to stop down.
DA 16-85, this replaced my 16-50 since I really do not need f2.8 all that much. I really like this lens and suits my needs more than the 18-135. This lens is quite large with a 72mm filter thread. However it covers a range on the K3 that I find useful. This has become my walkaround lens on the K3.
DA15 and DA 21 limited, I will put these together since they are so close in focal length. The DA 15 is just a special lens. It produces photos I simply can jot get with any other camera lens combo. The borders are not the sharpest but sometimes the photo is not about the borders. The DA21 is sharper than the DA15, or at least mine is. On ASP-C I find this to be a very useful focal lenght. This lens stays primarily on the K-01.
DA 35 Macro Limited, probably the sharpest of the DA Limiteds. I have nothing but praise for this little gem. This lens makes me still use the K3.
DA 35 2.4, bought back for the K10D. The plastic fantastic lives up to its name. Sharp and with decent contrast, this lens always seemed to lack something on ASP-C. On the K-1 this seems like a different lens. Perfectly usable at all F Stops.
DA 50 1.8, came with my K3. Not really used much due to the DA*55 and FA 50 Macro. Perfectly usable on the K-1.
DA*50-135, got this as a lighter alternative to the Tamron 70-200. Biggest downside is the autofocus. It is like the elements are moving through molasses. However the images are just stunning. This lens produces some of the sharpest photos with beautiful colour rendering. The 60-250 really put this fantastic lens on the sidelines. Now it is primarily only used for portraits and that indeed is a shame. If you are shooting ASP-C this is a lens to own. Used ones go so cheap. Just buy one and convert it to screwdrive. It really is that good. I would even use it with manual focus only.
DA55-300, only lens I ever purchased from the Richoh webstore. Replaced an aging Tamron 70-300 from the film days. Extremely underrated lens. This and the 16-85 make a great WR kit. Yes it needs to be stopped down to F8 but so do most lenses in this class. Due to the 60-250 I have never used this on the K-1.

Did I need to get the K-1? No I did not. There are not many photos I take with the K-1 that I could not take with the K3. Do I regret getting the K-1. I regret not getting it sooner. I have thought of selling my ASP-C gear but, all that work of trying to list items and deal with answering emails, no thanks. I did sell my K50 and some lenses to a coworker when I got the K-1. I sold a few more lenses locally. If my health improves I will definitely look more into going mainly full frame. However the DFA 15-30, DFA 24-70, and DFA*70-200 are too heavy for me to use currently. I really am interested to see what the K3 replacement will be. Right now I feel like I have the best of both worlds with the K-1 and K3.

[savoche]

What I am wondering is; would I get better results on birds & wildlife with the same lenses on a K-1 than my current K-3?

I would say no. Unless you can get closer, of course... The K-1 has less noise but if you have to crop more to compensate then I don't think you will see much improvement on the noise in practice, and the resolution will be lower.

When I choose the K-1 over the K-3 for wildlife it's mainly because I bring only one DSLR when travelling, and the K-1 is better for "everything else". Besides, now that I have a K-1 I can't well leave it at home, can I Seriously, though, had I been sensible I would have stuck with the K-3. But this is just a hobby for me, and acquiring new gear is part of my enjoying this hobby

[emalvick]

The focal length won't change, you just get more in the viewfinder for your money. Just think of it as having greater cropping ability

Which reminds me, would focal breathing of that lens change in any whay with FF?

That's why I said "feel"... I do not like cropping much on my images; I usually crop a bit and shoot slightly wider than I want to give me room for a slight bit of rotation and adjustment, but I am not a fan of shooting at say 250 mm and cropping it so the field of view looks like a 400 mm lens. I realize the results can be fine, but I would rather have the 400 mm to begin with. Just personal preference.

I do realize that you can crop on the FF, but it isn't like shooting at 250 mm and then cropping to APS/C gets you to the same shot as I'd get with a K3. At least by estimates I made a while back, you'd have fewer pixels in the K1 image cropped to APS/C as you'd get with a K3 directly. Now I could be wrong on that, and it probably wouldn't even matter much.

There are still factors like camera size that would (have) influenced my decision to stick with APS/C. I won't say never, and if Pentax never upgrades the K3 line again, that might trigger the purchase of a K1 or FF.

[Kevin B123]

FF ready?

Massive posting .
I appreciate the time taken and insight it affords to me or anyone considering these lenses or looking for options. Thanks