[mattt]

I'll take a break now as I want to get on with another photo project - photographing my parents' old black and white photo albums and recording what the photos were about while I can still ask them. Need to get a wriggle on ...dad was 91 this week!

Brilliant project. Good luck!

[iheiramo]

Overall a strong contender for being one of the best of the M series.

I second this notion. Up there with M50/1.7, M120 & M*300.

[iheiramo]

So I'm done for the month and it's time for few words about the lens. This month I've been shooting with DFA*85/1.4 and how could I put it so that I do justice for the lens... It's perfect. There. That's all one really needs to know. Yeah, it's huge for a prime, it weights a ton and costs two, but those are just excuses. What you get for little invest and effort is serious piece of glass that had kept me wondering thru the month. I've been looking my shots at 400% just because I can. There's interesting detail hidden in the shots that can be seen when you zoom deep enough and files look clean no matter how deep you go. I'm used lenses that are mostly sharp or sharp enough. This one goes way beyond my scale.

There is some vignetting on wider apertures, but it's easy to clean in post if you don't want it in the shot. Wide open you can get some purple and green if you really push it. Like shooting branches against the sun wide open the way I noticed it the first time. I don't think I noticed any during the month when stopped down to f2 or smaller.

This lens is it's most outstanding when shooting wider apertures. Bokeh, transition and sharpness are so good either wide open or stopped down. Actually stopping down feels almost criminal, thought at times it makes portraits better as it gives more DOF. It just that by doing it you give other lenses a chance to compare. Anyway there's no point going above f8 unless you absolutely need to get the desired dof. Landscapes at f8 looked better than at f11.

DFA*85/1.4 is absolutely fabulous. I don't really need a portrait lens of this level, but I wanted it, I could affort it and I love it. I haven't regretted the price I paid for a single moment.

My personal performance this month doesn't get the superlatives I give to the lens. The weather didn't encourage me to go out to shoot and I was getting really tired of snowcapes. Summer can't come soon enough. Also my commenting has been more than lacking. At some period I gave up completely. I really didn't shine there this month. Thanks for all who kept commenting my shots despite my behavior. I was tempted to continue with 85, but chose to save it for later when there is more detail in nature.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention about weight, but remembered when I saw an title for an other thread about K1 weight. With K1ii the balance is good and feels nice to handle. With K3 terribly nose heavy, unbalanced and therefore uncomfortable to handle and carry. So K1ii is perfect companion for the lens. For certain I wouldn't want to use this with some small MILC with poor ergonomics.

Wide open:




f2:


f2.8:


f4.5:


f5.6:


f8:


f11:

[Riggomatic]

My month with the Tamron 17-35..at 17mm


I was a little concerned with shooting such a wide angle lens starting out, but it did grow on me. I particularly liked it for the various "studio" shots, where the point of view looked like it was from my eye level.
For instance with these shots:






It gave sufficient detail when close focused, but it did seem a little soft across the frame when trying to use the lens to capture a wide view of a sunset. But that could just be my skills.

I never warmed up to this lens on my K-5, and now using it on the K-1, I think it can go back in it's box for now.

[Cerebum]

So, I bought a 15mm limited. I thought 15mm .... F4 ...... Its not going to be stellar, ..is it? ... Yes it is. Right from the start I could see the front to back sharpness, the amazing sunbursts, the total lack of flare, OK, not total but I had to work really hard, manageable distortion and beautiful colour rendition. It shone on both the KP and K3. In fact it is everything people who like the lens have said. It is a lens I will never sell, much like all of the limiteds. Its that good, I need to shoot with the 35mm to see if it keeps top spot. So, to all those who encouraged me to buy it, thank you!

337 images later

[garywakeling]

So, I bought a 15mm limited. I thought 15mm .... F4 ...... Its not going to be stellar, ..is it? ... Yes it is. Right from the start I could see the front to back sharpness, the amazing sunbursts, the total lack of flare, OK, not total but I had to work really hard, manageable distortion and beautiful colour rendition. It shone on both the KP and K3. In fact it is everything people who like the lens have said. It is a lens I will never sell, much like all of the limiteds. Its that good, I need to shoot with the 35mm to see if it keeps top spot. So, to all those who encouraged me to buy it, thank you!

337 images later

Yes that DA 15mm is a keeper

This month I was just going through the motions, I didn't really gibe the DA 70mm the time and effort it deserves, light, sharp and easy to use, it covered up my lack of effort very well. It is a lens I will have another month with down the track. No review this month it deserves more.

[mattt]

Hey all, thanks for sticking out the month of February. You had many great images. Truly a single lens per month is a limiting criteria to unleash your creativity by.

I deployed all tools, from reversing mounts, reversing rings, and extension tubes, to extend the versatiilty of this venerable prime lens - I think it cold be as old as I am. I exercised it near and far. I love the colour, and it can be sharp when focussed right.




One day I'll try to limit my kit, and this could be one that I'll let go. But for now, I have room and I still shoot the occasional roll of film, so it stays.

Hoping on over to ""Daily In" for a bit more flexibility in the month of March.

[Cerebum]

Yes that DA 15mm is a keeper

This month I was just going through the motions, I didn't really gibe the DA 70mm the time and effort it deserves, light, sharp and easy to use, it covered up my lack of effort very well. It is a lens I will have another month with down the track. No review this month it deserves more.

I am having a month out for two reasons, 1) nothing is going to beat the 15 & 2) I have all sorts of photo nonsense I want to catch up with. The plan is to sic all five limiteds. I need to know if the 35mm is still top dog

[Tsuken]

So, I bought a 15mm limited. I thought 15mm .... F4 ...... Its not going to be stellar, ..is it? ... Yes it is. Right from the start I could see the front to back sharpness, the amazing sunbursts, the total lack of flare, OK, not total but I had to work really hard, manageable distortion and beautiful colour rendition. It shone on both the KP and K3. In fact it is everything people who like the lens have said. It is a lens I will never sell, much like all of the limiteds. Its that good, I need to shoot with the 35mm to see if it keeps top spot. So, to all those who encouraged me to buy it, thank you!



337 images later

Utterly stellar month, Peter. You and the 15 hit it off immediately, and kept it up all month. Great stuff.

As for me - my uploading performance was poor, and posting was even worse. I’ll not spam up the threads since the 18th (believe it or not) but here’s the whole album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tsumabiken/sets/72157718116767731

Photographically...


Fortress by -Occasionally Focused-


Alley Trolley by -Occasionally Focused-


Paired by -Occasionally Focused-


Sconce by -Occasionally Focused-

The lens...

Still LOVING it!

This says something to me about the character it brings to even something simple and silly:


O HAI by -Occasionally Focused-

And the sconce above shows another of its many qualities.

On to March.

[Cerebum]

Utterly stellar month, Peter. You and the 15 hit it off immediately, and kept it up all month. Great stuff.

As for me - my uploading performance was poor, and posting was even worse. I’ll not spam up the threads since the 18th (believe it or not) but here’s the whole album: Single in February 2021 - HD Pentax-DA 21mm f3.2 ED AL Limited | Flickr

Photographically...


Fortress by -Occasionally Focused-


Alley Trolley by -Occasionally Focused-


Paired by -Occasionally Focused-


Sconce by -Occasionally Focused-

The lens...

Still LOVING it!

This says something to me about the character it brings to even something simple and silly:


O HAI by -Occasionally Focused-

And the sconce above shows another of its many qualities.

On to March.

The 21mm is epic. Limiteds as a whole are. I bought a 50mm f1.8 plastic fantastic which is a good lens but you can see it is missing something compared to a limited. Limited lenses on their own are enough of a reason not to jump ship and swim to Fuji. The KP is another

[Tsuken]

The 21mm is epic. Limiteds as a whole are. I bought a 50mm f1.8 plastic fantastic which is a good lens but you can see it is missing something compared to a limited. Limited lenses on their own are enough of a reason not to jump ship and swim to Fuji. The KP is another

“Epic” ... yes, I’ll go with that. 8)