[Kozlok]

Sorry I missed out the last week or so, really no choice. Loads of work, most of it in places where photography isn't allowed. Since I don't like prison, I tend to comply!

I had fun with my super cheap 28mm. It is so much worse on landscapes than I thought! ElPoloDiablo's shots showed me that a genuine Pentax is way better, but this lens has that something special in the flare department. Definitely not a lens to carry with me all the time. I think I'll keep the Sigma 30 in the bag, and this one will stay on the shelf. My favorite shots of the month:

[Sandy Hancock]

Review time! My weapon of choice was the SMC Pentax-A 50mm 1:1.2, and what a weapon it is!

I bought it on the PF Marketplace from an Italian guy named Angelo, and it is a superb copy as far as I can tell. It is one solid lump of glass and metal: built like a tank and the aperture ring and focus ring are a joy to manipulate. The glass is immaculate. I bought two step up rings (52-55 and 55-58) as a makeshift compact "built in" hood. It provided excellent protection of the front element and also allowed the attachment of a 58mm collapsible rubber hood if I needed extra shade.

Wide open the lens is pretty sharp in the centre, and the edges take on a dreamy, glowy look which is quite appealing - nicer to my eyes than with the Helios I used a couple of months ago. From about f/1.6 this effect starts to disappear and it becomes a very well behaved, brutally sharp fast fifty. The bokeh is really very nice, not only wide open but at smaller apertures. The bright viewfinder image and paper-thin depth of field made critical focussing remarkably easy, although the very long focus throw of the lens made it a bit slow when Sammy was moving around. Having f/1.2 available opened up low light shooting opportunities which might have otherwise been very difficult, or lost altogether.

Downsides? The main one is the savage red fringing it can produce in bright light with harsh contrasts. Lightroom 4 was only slightly successful at taming it, and a few of my monochrome postings were made because of that. Otherwise, it is heavy, but anyone expecting a light f/1.2 lens needs a lesson in optics. The long focus throw is a two-edged sword - it allows precision, but also makes focussing slower; it is what it is.

I really enjoyed the month, and ended up with several memorable images, one of which became a brief hit on Explore. I only missed one day, which I think is a record!

And well done everyone else - from SI newbies to hoary old veterans like me. Seeing images coming in every day from Scandinavia, the UK, North and South America and as close to home as Goolwa has been a delight.

[mtux]

I bought two step up rings (49-52 and 52-55) as a makeshift compact "built in" hood.

I thought it's filter size is 52mm! even in it's review page stated so.

How do you compare it to DA*55!?

[repaap]

Hi all!

Here is my brief summary on my pentax A 400/5.6.

It is big lens, really good quality, sharp contrasty, great colors to begin with. Many of my shots needed only little PP if any to make it clear and good technically. It has some PF, but that is to be expected. I had to organize my cam bag to be able to carry this around. It is heavy, but I can manage to carry it around and shoot handheld quite easilly. Only gripe is that it is not AF, but that is not this lens fault it is mine. When I nail the focus it is sharp.

I really like 400 mm in wild life shots. Most situations it has enough reach, unlike my 55-300 for example. If I'd have money, my next purchase would be DA*300 and TC. But since I can't afford that, this 400 mm with pricetag around 350€ is enough.

Really, if anyone is looking cheap, sharp way to get in super tele world, give this lens a change. Takes time to get used to it, but it is worth it(you really need good eyesight thou).

All in all great lens, if I intend to take wildlife pictures, this lens will find it's place in my bag. For example my canoing trip I took this, 55-300, 20-35&14/2.8(this pair I'll replace with 16-50 soon). And I could manage all which I wanted to shoot. And that 55-300 just came out of bag now and then.

Alright, that must be it. Great lens for it's prize and age. Had a good time with it. And with you guys!

[Sandy Hancock]

I thought it's filter size is 52mm! even in it's review page stated so.

Quite right. My error. The step up rings are 52-55 and 55-58. Otherwise the 58mm hood wouldn't work. DOH!

How do you compare it to DA*55!?

The A50/1.2 is a bit faster, but its auto focus sucks

Seriously, the DA*55 is sharper at f/1.4, and it is a resolving monster at smaller apertures. The chromatic aberration is also much better controlled, and the hood is obviously much better. It is also weather resistant of course. It is definitely a better lens, but the bokeh can get a bit twitchy in certain situations

The A50/1.2 will stay in my collection for now, because of the character of its rendering wide open, and the aperture ring might prove useful for reversal or macro tubes if I get around to it.

[mtux]

Seriously, the DA*55 is sharper at f/1.4, and it is a resolving monster at smaller apertures. The chromatic aberration is also much better controlled, and the hood is obviously much better. It is also weather resistant of course. It is definitely a better lens, but the bokeh can get a bit twitchy in certain situations

Thanks.

[bigted]

Well if Explore really signifies great shots then I had a phenomenal month. Prior to July only 2 of my shots had been explored. July had 7 shots explored! Seriously though, I was very happy with this month, I missed a few days as I posted 26 shots instead of 31, but I thought I might miss a few days. The lens, a Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f2.5 52BB Macro, wasn't as hard to use as expected (until this lens I had used all autofocus lenses) so I am happy to have it in my lens collection. For the most part I was liked its results with one exception it is very soft at infinity and doesn't always get the shot you think you have. For now I am going to take a small break as I promised some folks I would build a website for them and it is taking up a lot more time than I imagined - but that's a good thing - or it will be once it is finished. My hope it once I am out at the lake on Sunday I will have more time for photography as my internet connection is less than reliable out in the boonies

Thanks for a great month!

Stevi

[Tsuken]

Well if Explore really signifies great shots then I had a phenomenal month. Prior to July only 2 of my shots had been explored. July had 7 shots explored! Seriously though, I was very happy with this month, I missed a few days as I posted 26 shots instead of 31, but I thought I might miss a few days. The lens, a Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f2.5 52BB Macro, wasn't as hard to use as expected (until this lens I had used all autofocus lenses) so I am happy to have it in my lens collection. For the most part I was liked its results with one exception it is very soft at infinity and doesn't always get the shot you think you have. For now I am going to take a small break as I promised some folks I would build a website for them and it is taking up a lot more time than I imagined - but that's a good thing - or it will be once it is finished. My hope it once I am out at the lake on Sunday I will have more time for photography as my internet connection is less than reliable out in the boonies

Thanks for a great month!

Stevi

Cool. Despite the oddness of Explore, it still is rather nice to get one (or many) well done. 8)

[jcdoss]

Well if Explore really signifies great shots then I had a phenomenal month. Prior to July only 2 of my shots had been explored. July had 7 shots explored! Seriously though, I was very happy with this month, I missed a few days as I posted 26 shots instead of 31, but I thought I might miss a few days. The lens, a Tamron Adaptall 2 90mm f2.5 52BB Macro, wasn't as hard to use as expected (until this lens I had used all autofocus lenses) so I am happy to have it in my lens collection. For the most part I was liked its results with one exception it is very soft at infinity and doesn't always get the shot you think you have. For now I am going to take a small break as I promised some folks I would build a website for them and it is taking up a lot more time than I imagined - but that's a good thing - or it will be once it is finished. My hope it once I am out at the lake on Sunday I will have more time for photography as my internet connection is less than reliable out in the boonies

Thanks for a great month!

Stevi

Excellent! How can you tell which shots were explored?

[bigted]

Scout is how you can find out which of your shots have been explored:

Scout: Find your photos in Flickr's Explore pages.