Game Single in August 2016

severalsnakes · 08-31-2016, 04:23 PM

Alright, so I totally failed at participating for the month, but it has been a really enjoyable month. I used my August lens almost every day (except for today and yesterday).

The lens for me this month was my new (gray market) Tamron 28-75/2.8 XR Di.

I have bought very few lenses new (just the Rokinon 8/3.5 and the 18-50 kit lens that came on the K-S2), so the purchase was pretty special and I wanted it to be a good one. I bought the lens with the intention to use it at a wedding I've unfortunately promised to shoot on October 1. (I'm counting down the days until my doom.)

Physically, the lens is pretty large. The diameter is significant, although it's not the lengthiest lens I own. It is reasonably light weight, as far as I'm concerned, but I do have a lot of experience carrying around old vintage zooms that are metal and glass, so "light" to me may not be defined the same way to others. It feels well-balanced on the K-S2 and never seemed to be an awkward match. The lens is plastic, but it feels solid and not cheap. I appreciate that this is a lens with a physical aperture ring... 'cause it's better to have it and not need it than not have it at all. I'm kind of a "doomsday prepper" for aperture rings. My lenses that don't have them are really the red-headed step-children of my lens collection. Anyway! Full marks, there. The focus throw is short but surprisingly, satisfyingly workable as a manual focus operation, probably owing to the bright f/2.8 aperture - subjects snap into focus without much guesswork. Infinity is reliable as marked. The lens is advertised as "macro" and MFD is about 5-6 inches from the front element, which is pretty satisfying, but I did find myself using one or the other of the Raynox snap-ons to get truly CLOSE. The lens is a twist-to-zoom, and I gotta admit, it feels chintzy. It's not particularly smooth or well-dampened. Instead of feeling like rolling on ball-bearings (like some of my glorious old manual zooms), you can really feel (and hear) the plastic dragging across plastic. It's probably my second least favorite thing about the lens.

My FIRST least favorite thing about the lens is the awful, awful ghosting and total lack of pretty flare. I have never had a lens create such horrid, vivid ghosts in my whole (short) camera-owning life. I found no way to control it or turn it into anything more attractive (like a controlled, directional flare), and it made me very sad, especially because I spent a lot of nights shooting at the Missouri State Fair this month and bright, in-your-face lights were part of the game. As much as I could, I cloned out the ghosts, but a lot of images got binned because it was just completely trashed by big stupid ghosts.

This is the best I was able to do with it:

And here you can see a very mild example, growing off the top of the lights at the top of the slide:

It may seem like I'm totally overreacting with those examples, but trust me. You're not seeing the ones that were really really really bad. Really bad.

MOVING ON, all other performance by the lens was pretty delightful. Colors were great, any CA isn't worth mentioning, it seems quite sharp at all apertures and the rounded blades made every bokeh beautiful. Not being an auto-focus person by habit, I was very, very pleased with the speed and accuracy of the auto focus (I used back-button focusing) when using the viewfinder, but I'm still kind of shocked at how slow and terrible it is when using liveview. But, I don't really use liveview all that much, so I was barely effected. Even on APS-C, the zoom range seemed excellent to me, walking around at the fair for 11 days in a row. I'll bet its even more delightful on full-frame. Obviously, I loved having the constant aperture.

Some of my faves from the month:

All in all, yeah, it was an excellent buy. It's a great all around lens, fast aperture, very good zoom range for my typical application, and it's not overly large, in my opinion. This is definitely a walk-around zoom for me for when I don't know what I'll encounter, and I think it's going to be perfect for the wedding... I just need to remember to be mindful of my light and to bring a lens that flares pretty. :-)

photolady95 · 08-31-2016, 05:13 PM

I got nothing for today. It rained most of today, those tropical storms outside in the gulf drove the rain to us. Though I'm happy we are finally getting some rain after weeks of nothing, it sure can mess up a day of shooting.

I'll give a review in a few days on this lens.

**pepperberry farm** · 08-31-2016, 06:47 PM - **3 Likes**

I'll post my review of the 02B on Friday when I have a bit more time, but I wanted to share this from my FB page

Quote:

a small milestone today:

a year ago, on September 1st, 2015, I joined a bunch of photographers from around the world who shoot every day - and for the last twelve months, that is exactly what I've done - shoot every day...

I haven't missed a day - period... and I'm flabbergasted that I was able to keep up the shooting and the commitment...

every month, it's with a different lens: it's been 14 lenses over the last year (this month, in August, I had a lens fail and replaced - and I did a comparison month a while back)...

I have learned so much from this simple idea: shoot every day, even if it's the simplest thing, but do it.... I have grown comfortable with each and every lens I've used, and more so the camera bodies themselves (there have been two different cameras used)...

some of the lenses have been astonishing, while others have been mediocre at best and been subsequently sold on...

if you think you want a challenge in photography, may I suggest a year's commitment to shooting every day... it's been worth it!

I just want to thank each and every one of you people that have passed through or stuck around for the SIC - this has been an amazing trip for me and I have learned so very much...

wolfiegirl · 08-31-2016, 09:00 PM

Ozunon 35-75

Hmmm. I was given this lens off freecycle when I first started LBA. I used it at my local flower festival and was pretty happy with it. 4 years later I'm using it and thinking... hrmm..

At 3.5 it can be a touch soft. But by f5.6 to f8 it's pretty sharp. But I think that's usually the standard/expectancy of these zooms? Or was I told the wrong information?

Handling is fine.

Flare seemed pretty good - the few times I consciously shot into the sun.

My particular copy has fungus on it, which I'm wondering is what contributes to the corner softness. Or if perhaps it is a quirk of the lens.

The main issue for me was the missed shots. And that's all on me.

My manual focus mojo seems to have completely flown the coop. And i'm struggling to get the right amount of speed vs focus when taking shots of wolfiepup and the wolfies.

That said, I've still managed to get a few keepers.

But with post processing always a must. Contrast boost, blacks boost.

In low light and in certain instances the minute I crop the images start to fall apart a little. Which is always a Fail with me.

If I could sell it, I would. But as it was a freecycle donation, the best I can do is donate it to someone starting out - if I ever find a fellow pentaxian. Otherwise I think this lens is going to be relegated in the No pile. In spite of its close MFD - which is always a plus for me. It's not as close as some, but it's definitely a lot closer than others.

**robgski** · 09-01-2016, 01:42 AM

The DA 21mm is everything you've read about, and needs to be experienced firsthand. Light, compact, sharp, fast AF, pretty wide even on APS-C, it's a good walk-around lens. having rented it in the past, I am fully satisfied with my purchase. I wish I had not been so busy this month, I really did not get to put it through its paces, but I did get to use it indoors and outdoors, for landscapes and close ups, even for a few shots of people, and everytime I was satisfied with the lens. Since it takes up very little space, I can easily see this lens as being a constant companion in my camera bag.

pathdoc · 09-01-2016, 02:32 AM - **1 Like**

I didn't shoot much in August - real life was hammering me hard, and photo opportunities were continually taking second place to work and home - but the SMC-A 50mm f/2.0 was an interesting lens to use. I inherited it as part of my late father in law's Pentax kit, which included a P3, 80-200 Vivitar close-focus zoom and 28mm K/M-type f/2.8 lens (both pre-A), and as I was already using a DA50/1.8 lens on my K-5, it hasn't got much use on digital. However, that P3 has set me on the slippery slope into film shooting, and as I have acquired older bodies which need an aperture ring, it has found new purpose.

As a kit lens for the last of the manual-focus, manual-drive bodies (mostly P series and those K1000's still coming out new) it doesn't exactly hold pride of place in the Pentax pantheon, and in reputation is outshone by its f/1.7 stablemate. However it seemed to be capable of quite decent results, even if (as is my wont) I promptly put an A-contact extension tube behind it and started shoving it up the nose of whatever target presented itself.

Actually, it got to the point where it could almost be said that I singled with the lens and tube as a combination. It has, however, recently seen some use on an MX as part of my deepening foray into film, and there the extension tube has stayed off for the most part. There were times on my evening walks when I felt the need for an extra whole stop at the wide end as things got dark.

Unlike said f/1.7 stablemate, the aperture ring on this one seems to be well constructed with no issues thus far (I have handled a 50A/1.7 with the aperture ring problem so I know exactly how it feels). I consider the fact that some of my single-in pictures got faved as evidence that this lens is capable of good things in good hands (or my hands on a good day

), and worthy of retention in my collection (plus my wife would kill me if I traded her dad's lens off, so there's that too).

If you're looking for a cheap fast fifty to slap on a bargain body-only or kit-lens DSLR for a beginner, this is by no means to be sneezed at. It's not hard to focus manually, gives a bright picture, and talks to everything from K1000 to K-1, and even if it's not super fast it's still three whole stops faster than any 18-50-ish DSLR kit lens I've ever seen... and that can make a big difference on earlier bodies that don't quite have today's low-light high-ISO rendering (or even capability). For those who shoot both film and digital, it's a handy crossover to have in the bag - and even if it's not quite as small as the SMC-M 40/2.8 (but then, what pre-DA lens K mount lens is?), it's a stop faster than that little pancake and not exactly huge and heavy.

Tsuken · 09-01-2016, 03:09 AM

Takumar Bayonet ("Takette" 28/2.8) for me for August. I used to be totally enamoured of this lens; then I got the Plastic Fantastic DA35, and haven't looked back - until this month's Single In. I'm glad of the "downward spiral" suggestion, which is the reason I grabbed this, my only twenty-something mm lens. I had an enjoyable month with it. I think it's plenty sharp enough (though in terms of overall clarity it did suffer in comparison to my DA16-45 grabbing a similar shot under our pergola), and has lovely colours and overall rendering. It handles nicely, feels and looks good. I don't think it cost me much ($40-ish perhaps on EvilBay?).

I'm particularly happy with some of the skies I got:

And I was also pleasantly surprised by the bokeh (more painterly and nice than I recall(:

Lorikeets make a good test of sharpness:

And kids of character in rendering:

Definitely still happy I have it

**babywriter** · 09-01-2016, 05:48 PM - **2 Likes**

I spent the month with a Pentax-A 35-105 f/3.5 (The Stack Of Primes, or TSOP). It was a lens that I picked up in July at a local camera shop for $60 USD - in retrospect, a very good price, although I was a little skittish (I've been burned by LBA before). As I did more research, I realized that I had one of the legendary Pentax manual lenses - and when I discovered this picture-a-day group, I knew which lens to pick.

The lens is big, by modern standards, for its fairly modest zoom range - six inches or so. And it's relatively heavy, since it's glass and metal. I shoot mostly vintage lenses anyway, though, so it felt about normal to me. The macro function takes some getting used to, because you have to dial to the end of the focus range, then click it in - and the macro focus goes the opposite way. That was awkward for me.

But the lens definitely lived up to its reputation as "the stack of primes." I literally could not get it to fail, CA-wise - and I tried. It took every shooting situation I threw at it and gave me usable, and sometimes spectacular, frames. Sharpness is pretty much consistent across the entire zoom range - generally I wouldn't have even needed to sharpen in Lightroom, although I did because I like things really tack-sharp, and I like to pixel-peep.

I took it to Yosemite on my K-S2 mid-month. Some of those shots are now on my wall in my office, and I've received a number of compliments. I did get it to ghost, shooting directly into the sunrise, but I was still able to pull a decent B/W out of it.

Having trust in a lens is a great thing. I knew that I could just shoot, and not worry about fringing, color temperature, or flare. I took a well-regarded Tamron Adaptall 28-200 with me to Yosemite as well (which was fortunate, because I bounced that lens against a rock climbing up to the lower falls - if that had been the TSOP, I would have been upset!) When I look at my Yosemite shots in Lightroom, I can pick out the Tamron shots at a glance - the color temperature is different, and there's blue/purple fringing in a fair share of the frames. They just don't look as good.

Color-wise, the lens is faithful - and that's a very good thing. I shoot neutral in the camera, and then punch up a bit in Lightroom if I need to. The TSOP delivered accurate RAW images with lots of detail. I had plenty of room to play.

This lens will remain in my "first-string" group of lenses for a good long time. I'm kind of sad to have to put it aside for September, but I expect it will stay in the bag as a secondary lens, for when I need some zoom range and rock solid reliability.

Highly recommended. If you can find one, grab it.

wolfiegirl · 09-01-2016, 06:15 PM

Originally posted by babywriter

I spent the month with a Pentax-A 35-105 f/3.5 (The Stack Of Primes, or TSOP). It was a lens that I picked up in July at a local camera shop for $60 USD - in retrospect, a very good price, although I was a little skittish (I've been burned by LBA before). As I did more research, I realized that I had one of the legendary Pentax manual lenses - and when I discovered this picture-a-day group, I knew which lens to pick.

The lens is big, by modern standards, for its fairly modest zoom range - six inches or so. And it's relatively heavy, since it's glass and metal. I shoot mostly vintage lenses anyway, though, so it felt about normal to me. The macro function takes some getting used to, because you have to dial to the end of the focus range, then click it in - and the macro focus goes the opposite way. That was awkward for me.

But the lens definitely lived up to its reputation as "the stack of primes." I literally could not get it to fail, CA-wise - and I tried. It took every shooting situation I threw at it and gave me usable, and sometimes spectacular, frames. Sharpness is pretty much consistent across the entire zoom range - generally I wouldn't have even needed to sharpen in Lightroom, although I did because I like things really tack-sharp, and I like to pixel-peep.

I took it to Yosemite on my K-S2 mid-month. Some of those shots are now on my wall in my office, and I've received a number of compliments. I did get it to ghost, shooting directly into the sunrise, but I was still able to pull a decent B/W out of it.

Having trust in a lens is a great thing. I knew that I could just shoot, and not worry about fringing, color temperature, or flare. I took a well-regarded Tamron Adaptall 28-200 with me to Yosemite as well (which was fortunate, because I bounced that lens against a rock climbing up to the lower falls - if that had been the TSOP, I would have been upset!) When I look at my Yosemite shots in Lightroom, I can pick out the Tamron shots at a glance - the color temperature is different, and there's blue/purple fringing in a fair share of the frames. They just don't look as good.

Color-wise, the lens is faithful - and that's a very good thing. I shoot neutral in the camera, and then punch up a bit in Lightroom if I need to. The TSOP delivered accurate RAW images with lots of detail. I had plenty of room to play.

This lens will remain in my "first-string" group of lenses for a good long time. I'm kind of sad to have to put it aside for September, but I expect it will stay in the bag as a secondary lens, for when I need some zoom range and rock solid reliability.

Highly recommended. If you can find one, grab it.

you're making it sound super tempting. what's the mfd on this lens?

**pepperberry farm** · 09-01-2016, 06:29 PM

Originally posted by wolfiegirl

you're making it sound super tempting. what's the mfd on this lens?

ruh-roh....

wolfiegirl · 09-01-2016, 06:41 PM

Originally posted by pepperberry farm

ruh-roh....

*glares*

**pepperberry farm** · 09-01-2016, 06:42 PM

I said nuthin'......

but:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-A-35-105mm-F3.5-Zoom-Lens.html

**babywriter** · 09-01-2016, 08:38 PM

Originally posted by wolfiegirl

you're making it sound super tempting. what's the mfd on this lens?

Looks like 150cm, according to the PentaxForums lens review - but that doesn't include the macro shift, which allows you to get much closer:

SMC Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 Reviews - A Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

Also, there's actually a pretty comprehensive review of the lens on PF, in addition to that. It can be found here:

Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 Review - Review | PentaxForums.com Reviews

Edit: oops, didn't see the previous post before I submitted this one. Sorry, pepperberry farm!

wolfiegirl · 09-01-2016, 08:56 PM

Originally posted by babywriter

Looks like 150cm, according to the PentaxForums lens review - but that doesn't include the macro shift, which allows you to get much closer:

SMC Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 Reviews - A Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

Also, there's actually a pretty comprehensive review of the lens on PF, in addition to that. It can be found here:

Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 Review - Review | PentaxForums.com Reviews

Edit: oops, didn't see the previous post before I submitted this one. Sorry, pepperberry farm!

hrmm... 150cm is a tad long for my tastes. thank goodness for that. otherwise i'd have to go scavenging...

repaap · 09-02-2016, 12:02 AM

Originally posted by wolfiegirl

hrmm... 150cm is a tad long for my tastes. thank goodness for that. otherwise i'd have to go scavenging...

I had that lens and sold it while a go. Great lens, but that MDF was something that I was not happy. Rest of it was great! I did want modern zoom so I did not have to dial FL every time I zoomed in or out or went to macro mode. In that case it is also TSOP...but if one can live with that, then it is a great lens.

09-01-2016, 06:42 PM	#357
pepperberry farm amateur dirt farmer Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 41,678	I said nuthin'...... but: https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-A-35-105mm-F3.5-Zoom-Lens.html Last edited by pepperberry farm; 09-01-2016 at 07:00 PM.

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08-31-2016, 04:23 PM	#346
severalsnakes Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Kansas City, KS Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,612	Alright, so I totally failed at participating for the month, but it has been a really enjoyable month. I used my August lens almost every day (except for today and yesterday). The lens for me this month was my new (gray market) Tamron 28-75/2.8 XR Di. I have bought very few lenses new (just the Rokinon 8/3.5 and the 18-50 kit lens that came on the K-S2), so the purchase was pretty special and I wanted it to be a good one. I bought the lens with the intention to use it at a wedding I've unfortunately promised to shoot on October 1. (I'm counting down the days until my doom.) Physically, the lens is pretty large. The diameter is significant, although it's not the lengthiest lens I own. It is reasonably light weight, as far as I'm concerned, but I do have a lot of experience carrying around old vintage zooms that are metal and glass, so "light" to me may not be defined the same way to others. It feels well-balanced on the K-S2 and never seemed to be an awkward match. The lens is plastic, but it feels solid and not cheap. I appreciate that this is a lens with a physical aperture ring... 'cause it's better to have it and not need it than not have it at all. I'm kind of a "doomsday prepper" for aperture rings. My lenses that don't have them are really the red-headed step-children of my lens collection. Anyway! Full marks, there. The focus throw is short but surprisingly, satisfyingly workable as a manual focus operation, probably owing to the bright f/2.8 aperture - subjects snap into focus without much guesswork. Infinity is reliable as marked. The lens is advertised as "macro" and MFD is about 5-6 inches from the front element, which is pretty satisfying, but I did find myself using one or the other of the Raynox snap-ons to get truly CLOSE. The lens is a twist-to-zoom, and I gotta admit, it feels chintzy. It's not particularly smooth or well-dampened. Instead of feeling like rolling on ball-bearings (like some of my glorious old manual zooms), you can really feel (and hear) the plastic dragging across plastic. It's probably my second least favorite thing about the lens. My FIRST least favorite thing about the lens is the awful, awful ghosting and total lack of pretty flare. I have never had a lens create such horrid, vivid ghosts in my whole (short) camera-owning life. I found no way to control it or turn it into anything more attractive (like a controlled, directional flare), and it made me very sad, especially because I spent a lot of nights shooting at the Missouri State Fair this month and bright, in-your-face lights were part of the game. As much as I could, I cloned out the ghosts, but a lot of images got binned because it was just completely trashed by big stupid ghosts. This is the best I was able to do with it: And here you can see a very mild example, growing off the top of the lights at the top of the slide: It may seem like I'm totally overreacting with those examples, but trust me. You're not seeing the ones that were really really really bad. Really bad. MOVING ON, all other performance by the lens was pretty delightful. Colors were great, any CA isn't worth mentioning, it seems quite sharp at all apertures and the rounded blades made every bokeh beautiful. Not being an auto-focus person by habit, I was very, very pleased with the speed and accuracy of the auto focus (I used back-button focusing) when using the viewfinder, but I'm still kind of shocked at how slow and terrible it is when using liveview. But, I don't really use liveview all that much, so I was barely effected. Even on APS-C, the zoom range seemed excellent to me, walking around at the fair for 11 days in a row. I'll bet its even more delightful on full-frame. Obviously, I loved having the constant aperture. Some of my faves from the month: All in all, yeah, it was an excellent buy. It's a great all around lens, fast aperture, very good zoom range for my typical application, and it's not overly large, in my opinion. This is definitely a walk-around zoom for me for when I don't know what I'll encounter, and I think it's going to be perfect for the wedding... I just need to remember to be mindful of my light and to bring a lens that flares pretty. :-)

08-31-2016, 05:13 PM	#347
photolady95 Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Cruising the forum watching his back Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,712	I got nothing for today. It rained most of today, those tropical storms outside in the gulf drove the rain to us. Though I'm happy we are finally getting some rain after weeks of nothing, it sure can mess up a day of shooting. I'll give a review in a few days on this lens.

08-31-2016, 06:47 PM - 3 Likes	#348
pepperberry farm amateur dirt farmer Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 41,678	I'll post my review of the 02B on Friday when I have a bit more time, but I wanted to share this from my FB page Quote: a small milestone today: a year ago, on September 1st, 2015, I joined a bunch of photographers from around the world who shoot every day - and for the last twelve months, that is exactly what I've done - shoot every day... I haven't missed a day - period... and I'm flabbergasted that I was able to keep up the shooting and the commitment... every month, it's with a different lens: it's been 14 lenses over the last year (this month, in August, I had a lens fail and replaced - and I did a comparison month a while back)... I have learned so much from this simple idea: shoot every day, even if it's the simplest thing, but do it.... I have grown comfortable with each and every lens I've used, and more so the camera bodies themselves (there have been two different cameras used)... some of the lenses have been astonishing, while others have been mediocre at best and been subsequently sold on... if you think you want a challenge in photography, may I suggest a year's commitment to shooting every day... it's been worth it! I just want to thank each and every one of you people that have passed through or stuck around for the SIC - this has been an amazing trip for me and I have learned so very much...

08-31-2016, 09:00 PM	#349
wolfiegirl Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mystery Bay, NSW Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,111	Ozunon 35-75 Hmmm. I was given this lens off freecycle when I first started LBA. I used it at my local flower festival and was pretty happy with it. 4 years later I'm using it and thinking... hrmm.. At 3.5 it can be a touch soft. But by f5.6 to f8 it's pretty sharp. But I think that's usually the standard/expectancy of these zooms? Or was I told the wrong information? Handling is fine. Flare seemed pretty good - the few times I consciously shot into the sun. My particular copy has fungus on it, which I'm wondering is what contributes to the corner softness. Or if perhaps it is a quirk of the lens. The main issue for me was the missed shots. And that's all on me. My manual focus mojo seems to have completely flown the coop. And i'm struggling to get the right amount of speed vs focus when taking shots of wolfiepup and the wolfies. That said, I've still managed to get a few keepers. But with post processing always a must. Contrast boost, blacks boost. In low light and in certain instances the minute I crop the images start to fall apart a little. Which is always a Fail with me. If I could sell it, I would. But as it was a freecycle donation, the best I can do is donate it to someone starting out - if I ever find a fellow pentaxian. Otherwise I think this lens is going to be relegated in the No pile. In spite of its close MFD - which is always a plus for me. It's not as close as some, but it's definitely a lot closer than others.

09-01-2016, 01:42 AM	#350
robgski Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Shenandoah Valley, Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8,798	The DA 21mm is everything you've read about, and needs to be experienced firsthand. Light, compact, sharp, fast AF, pretty wide even on APS-C, it's a good walk-around lens. having rented it in the past, I am fully satisfied with my purchase. I wish I had not been so busy this month, I really did not get to put it through its paces, but I did get to use it indoors and outdoors, for landscapes and close ups, even for a few shots of people, and everytime I was satisfied with the lens. Since it takes up very little space, I can easily see this lens as being a constant companion in my camera bag.

09-01-2016, 02:32 AM - 1 Like	#351
pathdoc Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2015 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,381	I didn't shoot much in August - real life was hammering me hard, and photo opportunities were continually taking second place to work and home - but the SMC-A 50mm f/2.0 was an interesting lens to use. I inherited it as part of my late father in law's Pentax kit, which included a P3, 80-200 Vivitar close-focus zoom and 28mm K/M-type f/2.8 lens (both pre-A), and as I was already using a DA50/1.8 lens on my K-5, it hasn't got much use on digital. However, that P3 has set me on the slippery slope into film shooting, and as I have acquired older bodies which need an aperture ring, it has found new purpose. As a kit lens for the last of the manual-focus, manual-drive bodies (mostly P series and those K1000's still coming out new) it doesn't exactly hold pride of place in the Pentax pantheon, and in reputation is outshone by its f/1.7 stablemate. However it seemed to be capable of quite decent results, even if (as is my wont) I promptly put an A-contact extension tube behind it and started shoving it up the nose of whatever target presented itself. Actually, it got to the point where it could almost be said that I singled with the lens and tube as a combination. It has, however, recently seen some use on an MX as part of my deepening foray into film, and there the extension tube has stayed off for the most part. There were times on my evening walks when I felt the need for an extra whole stop at the wide end as things got dark. Unlike said f/1.7 stablemate, the aperture ring on this one seems to be well constructed with no issues thus far (I have handled a 50A/1.7 with the aperture ring problem so I know exactly how it feels). I consider the fact that some of my single-in pictures got faved as evidence that this lens is capable of good things in good hands (or my hands on a good day ), and worthy of retention in my collection (plus my wife would kill me if I traded her dad's lens off, so there's that too). If you're looking for a cheap fast fifty to slap on a bargain body-only or kit-lens DSLR for a beginner, this is by no means to be sneezed at. It's not hard to focus manually, gives a bright picture, and talks to everything from K1000 to K-1, and even if it's not super fast it's still three whole stops faster than any 18-50-ish DSLR kit lens I've ever seen... and that can make a big difference on earlier bodies that don't quite have today's low-light high-ISO rendering (or even capability). For those who shoot both film and digital, it's a handy crossover to have in the bag - and even if it's not quite as small as the SMC-M 40/2.8 (but then, what pre-DA lens K mount lens is?), it's a stop faster than that little pancake and not exactly huge and heavy.

09-01-2016, 03:09 AM	#352
Tsuken Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,420 Original Poster	Takumar Bayonet ("Takette" 28/2.8) for me for August. I used to be totally enamoured of this lens; then I got the Plastic Fantastic DA35, and haven't looked back - until this month's Single In. I'm glad of the "downward spiral" suggestion, which is the reason I grabbed this, my only twenty-something mm lens. I had an enjoyable month with it. I think it's plenty sharp enough (though in terms of overall clarity it did suffer in comparison to my DA16-45 grabbing a similar shot under our pergola), and has lovely colours and overall rendering. It handles nicely, feels and looks good. I don't think it cost me much ($40-ish perhaps on EvilBay?). I'm particularly happy with some of the skies I got: And I was also pleasantly surprised by the bokeh (more painterly and nice than I recall(: Lorikeets make a good test of sharpness: And kids of character in rendering: Definitely still happy I have it

09-01-2016, 05:48 PM - 2 Likes	#353
babywriter Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: central Iowa Photos: Gallery Posts: 969	I spent the month with a Pentax-A 35-105 f/3.5 (The Stack Of Primes, or TSOP). It was a lens that I picked up in July at a local camera shop for $60 USD - in retrospect, a very good price, although I was a little skittish (I've been burned by LBA before). As I did more research, I realized that I had one of the legendary Pentax manual lenses - and when I discovered this picture-a-day group, I knew which lens to pick. The lens is big, by modern standards, for its fairly modest zoom range - six inches or so. And it's relatively heavy, since it's glass and metal. I shoot mostly vintage lenses anyway, though, so it felt about normal to me. The macro function takes some getting used to, because you have to dial to the end of the focus range, then click it in - and the macro focus goes the opposite way. That was awkward for me. But the lens definitely lived up to its reputation as "the stack of primes." I literally could not get it to fail, CA-wise - and I tried. It took every shooting situation I threw at it and gave me usable, and sometimes spectacular, frames. Sharpness is pretty much consistent across the entire zoom range - generally I wouldn't have even needed to sharpen in Lightroom, although I did because I like things really tack-sharp, and I like to pixel-peep. I took it to Yosemite on my K-S2 mid-month. Some of those shots are now on my wall in my office, and I've received a number of compliments. I did get it to ghost, shooting directly into the sunrise, but I was still able to pull a decent B/W out of it. Having trust in a lens is a great thing. I knew that I could just shoot, and not worry about fringing, color temperature, or flare. I took a well-regarded Tamron Adaptall 28-200 with me to Yosemite as well (which was fortunate, because I bounced that lens against a rock climbing up to the lower falls - if that had been the TSOP, I would have been upset!) When I look at my Yosemite shots in Lightroom, I can pick out the Tamron shots at a glance - the color temperature is different, and there's blue/purple fringing in a fair share of the frames. They just don't look as good. Color-wise, the lens is faithful - and that's a very good thing. I shoot neutral in the camera, and then punch up a bit in Lightroom if I need to. The TSOP delivered accurate RAW images with lots of detail. I had plenty of room to play. This lens will remain in my "first-string" group of lenses for a good long time. I'm kind of sad to have to put it aside for September, but I expect it will stay in the bag as a secondary lens, for when I need some zoom range and rock solid reliability. Highly recommended. If you can find one, grab it.

09-01-2016, 06:15 PM	#354
wolfiegirl Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mystery Bay, NSW Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,111	Originally posted by babywriter I spent the month with a Pentax-A 35-105 f/3.5 (The Stack Of Primes, or TSOP). It was a lens that I picked up in July at a local camera shop for $60 USD - in retrospect, a very good price, although I was a little skittish (I've been burned by LBA before). As I did more research, I realized that I had one of the legendary Pentax manual lenses - and when I discovered this picture-a-day group, I knew which lens to pick. The lens is big, by modern standards, for its fairly modest zoom range - six inches or so. And it's relatively heavy, since it's glass and metal. I shoot mostly vintage lenses anyway, though, so it felt about normal to me. The macro function takes some getting used to, because you have to dial to the end of the focus range, then click it in - and the macro focus goes the opposite way. That was awkward for me. But the lens definitely lived up to its reputation as "the stack of primes." I literally could not get it to fail, CA-wise - and I tried. It took every shooting situation I threw at it and gave me usable, and sometimes spectacular, frames. Sharpness is pretty much consistent across the entire zoom range - generally I wouldn't have even needed to sharpen in Lightroom, although I did because I like things really tack-sharp, and I like to pixel-peep. I took it to Yosemite on my K-S2 mid-month. Some of those shots are now on my wall in my office, and I've received a number of compliments. I did get it to ghost, shooting directly into the sunrise, but I was still able to pull a decent B/W out of it. Having trust in a lens is a great thing. I knew that I could just shoot, and not worry about fringing, color temperature, or flare. I took a well-regarded Tamron Adaptall 28-200 with me to Yosemite as well (which was fortunate, because I bounced that lens against a rock climbing up to the lower falls - if that had been the TSOP, I would have been upset!) When I look at my Yosemite shots in Lightroom, I can pick out the Tamron shots at a glance - the color temperature is different, and there's blue/purple fringing in a fair share of the frames. They just don't look as good. Color-wise, the lens is faithful - and that's a very good thing. I shoot neutral in the camera, and then punch up a bit in Lightroom if I need to. The TSOP delivered accurate RAW images with lots of detail. I had plenty of room to play. This lens will remain in my "first-string" group of lenses for a good long time. I'm kind of sad to have to put it aside for September, but I expect it will stay in the bag as a secondary lens, for when I need some zoom range and rock solid reliability. Highly recommended. If you can find one, grab it. you're making it sound super tempting. what's the mfd on this lens?

09-01-2016, 06:29 PM	#355
pepperberry farm amateur dirt farmer Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 41,678	Originally posted by wolfiegirl you're making it sound super tempting. what's the mfd on this lens? ruh-roh....

09-01-2016, 06:41 PM	#356
wolfiegirl Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mystery Bay, NSW Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,111	Originally posted by pepperberry farm ruh-roh.... glares

09-01-2016, 08:38 PM	#358
babywriter Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: central Iowa Photos: Gallery Posts: 969	Originally posted by wolfiegirl you're making it sound super tempting. what's the mfd on this lens? Looks like 150cm, according to the PentaxForums lens review - but that doesn't include the macro shift, which allows you to get much closer: SMC Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 Reviews - A Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database Also, there's actually a pretty comprehensive review of the lens on PF, in addition to that. It can be found here: Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 Review - Review \| PentaxForums.com Reviews Edit: oops, didn't see the previous post before I submitted this one. Sorry, pepperberry farm!

09-01-2016, 08:56 PM	#359
wolfiegirl Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mystery Bay, NSW Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,111	Originally posted by babywriter Looks like 150cm, according to the PentaxForums lens review - but that doesn't include the macro shift, which allows you to get much closer: SMC Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 Reviews - A Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database Also, there's actually a pretty comprehensive review of the lens on PF, in addition to that. It can be found here: Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 Review - Review \| PentaxForums.com Reviews Edit: oops, didn't see the previous post before I submitted this one. Sorry, pepperberry farm! hrmm... 150cm is a tad long for my tastes. thank goodness for that. otherwise i'd have to go scavenging...

09-02-2016, 12:02 AM	#360
repaap Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,242	Originally posted by wolfiegirl hrmm... 150cm is a tad long for my tastes. thank goodness for that. otherwise i'd have to go scavenging... I had that lens and sold it while a go. Great lens, but that MDF was something that I was not happy. Rest of it was great! I did want modern zoom so I did not have to dial FL every time I zoomed in or out or went to macro mode. In that case it is also TSOP...but if one can live with that, then it is a great lens.