Hello from Brooklyn, NY

nomadman · 05-19-2009, 09:29 AM

Hi everyone. Excited to have joined right before the K7 gets released tomorrow.

Actually we are moving to Tarragona, Spain, in August. True to mid-life crisis, I will be pursuing a one year wine-making internship in the Priorat, one of the most beautiful mediterranean valleys my eyes have ever laid eyes on.

Which brings me to the quest for the elusive perfect camera system to take with me. Though I am a web developer, and have not touched a camera in a decade, I have an MFA in photography from RIT--I understand cameras and photography pretty well. Honestly I used to be a Nikon fan, and still think highly of their systems. However what I am looking for they do not have is D300 quality on a D90 size. It also has to be available before August.

Which brings me to the K-7. Very exciting. I may very well be all I am looking for in a camera.

I am joining this forums because I do have a concern that I am hoping this community will help demistify. Lenses. Specifically Pentax wide angle lenses. In Priorat I will need wide angles for the vast vistas of the valley and close shots in the vineyards with a sense of place in the background. However, all my research seems to indicate that Pentax APS-C lenses are a bit inferior in the wide angle department when compared to Nikon/Canon and even Olympus.

Is this true? Please prove me wrong! Make the K7 end my dslr quest!

Best to all of you.

Last edited by nomadman; 05-19-2009 at 01:30 PM.

**NaClH2O** · 05-19-2009, 10:18 AM

Hi nomadman, welcome from a bronx guy. And to the contrary, pentax has some very very good wide angle and ultra wide angle glass.
First of all there is the Pentax DA 12-24mm F4.0. Excellent lens, do a search for it here and you will see many excellent samples from this lens, amongst them <cough cough> mine.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-your-photos/19438-lba-pentax-da-12-24mm-f4-0-a.html

And this one has a few good samples too:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/31919-da-12-24-shots-anyone.html

If you don't want a zoom there are plenty of stellar choices to pick from both older and newer models. The newest is the DA 15mm F4.0
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/60355-new-da-1...ed-11-img.html

And there is a FA 20mm F2.8 and a DA 14mm F2.8 and a bunch of older manual focus lenses that fit your new pentax. I own the FA 20mm F2.8 and can attest to it's very high 9.7 ranking on our lens database (which check out, many great reviews there) :
Pentax Lens Review Database - Main Index

Welcome to the friendliest camera forum on the web!

NaCl(If I haven't convinced you that pentax has good WA glass, no one can)H2O

nomadman · 05-19-2009, 01:37 PM

I really appreciate your response. Those are some really nice shots you have posted! And they do look sharp. I do not mind zoom lenses and have been considering the 12-24mm as a possibility. The 15 f4 Limited seems to get a bad review everywhere as a soft lens (for instance here Pentax smc DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited Lens Review: 4. Conclusion & samples: Digital Photography Review ). Which is sad, because it seems to be such a beautifully crafted lens!

In any case, your confidence in the Pentax 12-24mm is certainly very helpful.

There is also a good chance new glass will be announced tomorrow as well!

Thanks!

**NaClH2O** · 05-20-2009, 04:47 AM

Hi nomadman, yeah I've heard of the DPR review of the new 15. Unfortunately DPR has a reputation for anti pentax bias, so I don't pay much attention to that site. But if other sites are saying the same thing, then I would guess that is reliable. But there still is the DA 14mm, and the FA 20mm. I can't vouch for the 14, I don't own it. But the 20mm is one of my favorite primes, excellent garden and landscape lens.
Pentax has excellent WA and "normal" glass, it's at the extreme long end (+300) that they are lacking.

NaCl(and don't forget all the old wonderful glass will fit your new camera too)H2O

**Rense** · 05-20-2009, 09:07 AM

Hi Nomadman, welcome to this forum! I think you will find a perfect wideangle for Pentax too. As NaClH2O said, albeit in a somewhat hidden sentence as usual

, there are also very good older lenses for your Pentax-to-come.....!

05-19-2009, 09:29 AM	#1
nomadman Inactive Account Join Date: May 2009 Location: Brooklyn, New York Posts: 8	Hello from Brooklyn, NY Hi everyone. Excited to have joined right before the K7 gets released tomorrow. Actually we are moving to Tarragona, Spain, in August. True to mid-life crisis, I will be pursuing a one year wine-making internship in the Priorat, one of the most beautiful mediterranean valleys my eyes have ever laid eyes on. Which brings me to the quest for the elusive perfect camera system to take with me. Though I am a web developer, and have not touched a camera in a decade, I have an MFA in photography from RIT--I understand cameras and photography pretty well. Honestly I used to be a Nikon fan, and still think highly of their systems. However what I am looking for they do not have is D300 quality on a D90 size. It also has to be available before August. Which brings me to the K-7. Very exciting. I may very well be all I am looking for in a camera. I am joining this forums because I do have a concern that I am hoping this community will help demistify. Lenses. Specifically Pentax wide angle lenses. In Priorat I will need wide angles for the vast vistas of the valley and close shots in the vineyards with a sense of place in the background. However, all my research seems to indicate that Pentax APS-C lenses are a bit inferior in the wide angle department when compared to Nikon/Canon and even Olympus. Is this true? Please prove me wrong! Make the K7 end my dslr quest! Best to all of you. Last edited by nomadman; 05-19-2009 at 01:30 PM.

05-19-2009, 01:37 PM	#3
nomadman Inactive Account Join Date: May 2009 Location: Brooklyn, New York Posts: 8 Original Poster	Thanks for your feedback NaClH2O I really appreciate your response. Those are some really nice shots you have posted! And they do look sharp. I do not mind zoom lenses and have been considering the 12-24mm as a possibility. The 15 f4 Limited seems to get a bad review everywhere as a soft lens (for instance here Pentax smc DA 15mm F4 ED AL Limited Lens Review: 4. Conclusion & samples: Digital Photography Review ). Which is sad, because it seems to be such a beautifully crafted lens! In any case, your confidence in the Pentax 12-24mm is certainly very helpful. There is also a good chance new glass will be announced tomorrow as well! Thanks!

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05-19-2009, 10:18 AM	#2
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	Hi nomadman, welcome from a bronx guy. And to the contrary, pentax has some very very good wide angle and ultra wide angle glass. First of all there is the Pentax DA 12-24mm F4.0. Excellent lens, do a search for it here and you will see many excellent samples from this lens, amongst them <cough cough> mine. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-your-photos/19438-lba-pentax-da-12-24mm-f4-0-a.html And this one has a few good samples too: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/31919-da-12-24-shots-anyone.html If you don't want a zoom there are plenty of stellar choices to pick from both older and newer models. The newest is the DA 15mm F4.0 https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/60355-new-da-1...ed-11-img.html And there is a FA 20mm F2.8 and a DA 14mm F2.8 and a bunch of older manual focus lenses that fit your new pentax. I own the FA 20mm F2.8 and can attest to it's very high 9.7 ranking on our lens database (which check out, many great reviews there) : Pentax Lens Review Database - Main Index Welcome to the friendliest camera forum on the web! NaCl(If I haven't convinced you that pentax has good WA glass, no one can)H2O

05-20-2009, 04:47 AM	#4
NaClH2O Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bronx NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,631	Hi nomadman, yeah I've heard of the DPR review of the new 15. Unfortunately DPR has a reputation for anti pentax bias, so I don't pay much attention to that site. But if other sites are saying the same thing, then I would guess that is reliable. But there still is the DA 14mm, and the FA 20mm. I can't vouch for the 14, I don't own it. But the 20mm is one of my favorite primes, excellent garden and landscape lens. Pentax has excellent WA and "normal" glass, it's at the extreme long end (+300) that they are lacking. NaCl(and don't forget all the old wonderful glass will fit your new camera too)H2O

05-20-2009, 09:07 AM	#5
Rense Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Zetten - The Netherlands Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,050	Hi Nomadman, welcome to this forum! I think you will find a perfect wideangle for Pentax too. As NaClH2O said, albeit in a somewhat hidden sentence as usual , there are also very good older lenses for your Pentax-to-come.....!