28-45 zoom or 25 prime?

Victor Wolansky · 11-07-2014, 10:01 AM

Hi! Does anyone here can facilitate some RAW photos taken with the 28-45 full open? I want to check on it, I purchased the 25 a few days ago, and the quality is awesome, but I hate that I have to come up with tricks to use filters, I'm still on the windows I can return it and get the zoom. But I do not want to regret doing it finding out later than the quality of the zoom is not as good as the 25. I print pretty big, so that is an important factor to me.

if you have some RAW files you can send me, please PM me and I will provide my Hightail uplink address... thanks a lot, same if you want some RAW of the 25, I can provide too.

rcdurston · 11-07-2014, 01:57 PM

Just to let you know, the 25mm has been put on hold.
The manufacturer who makes one of the prime elements in the lens is no more.
All thats left in stock right now, is all that will available for the fore seeable future.

Victor Wolansky · 11-07-2014, 02:24 PM

Originally posted by rcdurston

Just to let you know, the 25mm has been put on hold.
The manufacturer who makes one of the prime elements in the lens is no more.
All thats left in stock right now, is all that will available for the fore seeable future.

but isn't a relatively new lens? I presume they will look for a replacement manufacturer for the piece. Where did you learned of this?

2351HD · 11-07-2014, 03:05 PM

Originally posted by Victor Wolansky

Hi! Does anyone here can facilitate some RAW photos taken with the 28-45 full open? I want to check on it, I purchased the 25 a few days ago, and the quality is awesome, but I hate that I have to come up with tricks to use filters, I'm still on the windows I can return it and get the zoom. But I do not want to regret doing it finding out later than the quality of the zoom is not as good as the 25. I print pretty big, so that is an important factor to me.

if you have some RAW files you can send me, please PM me and I will provide my Hightail uplink address... thanks a lot, same if you want some RAW of the 25, I can provide too.

Full open sample of what? You must have a specific need for using a wide angle lens wide open. Astro? Street?

rcdurston · 11-07-2014, 03:20 PM

Originally posted by Victor Wolansky

but isn't a relatively new lens? I presume they will look for a replacement manufacturer for the piece. Where did you learned of this?

The manufacturer has gone bankrupt. Pentax is looking for a new supplier but as of yet, hasn't found one.
So any 25mm lenses out there are all that's left in the world at the moment.
If you want one, probably best get it soon.

Rob

desertscape · 11-07-2014, 04:25 PM

I can understand Pentax subcontracting the glass blanks from Hoya but I would be surprised if they had subcontracted the actual grinding of lens elements for their flagship camera/lenses.

Victor Wolansky · 11-07-2014, 07:36 PM

Originally posted by 2351HD

Full open sample of what? You must have a specific need for using a wide angle lens wide open. Astro? Street?

Astro mostly. Street low light. But it will also interesting to compare it at a mid aperture too.

---------- Post added 11-07-14 at 07:38 PM ----------

Originally posted by rcdurston

The manufacturer has gone bankrupt. Pentax is looking for a new supplier but as of yet, hasn't found one.
So any 25mm lenses out there are all that's left in the world at the moment.
If you want one, probably best get it soon.

Rob

I do have one actually.... so may be just keep it :-) it might go up in value :-)

Thomasbrowphoto · 11-09-2014, 07:18 PM

Im also interested to see the 28-45 in a wide open situation like astro. I have the DA 25mm and is pretty good for astro, However I always seem to get slight start trails what ever the exposure duration from 10sec to 30sec. I have a very solid tripod so that illiminates camera movement. So far I'm very impressed with my 25mm and that extra few mm is important for me to have.

**Ed Hurst** · 11-09-2014, 09:12 PM

Hi Thomas - I think the presence of star trails is simply because the camera is so high resolution that you can look very closely and see it. With lower resolution, you just cannot go in so close to the file. Trailing would occur whenever the stars occupy more than one pixel during exposure - more likely to happen if the pixels are smaller in relation to the angle of view.

At a normal viewing distance, the trails should not be any more visible - it's just that it lets you look closer.

Victor Wolansky · 11-09-2014, 09:27 PM

I have found some full resolution JPGs of the 28-45, but not RAW yet, and they looks incredibly crisp, inclusive at the corners, and on the 25 the corners do not look as crisp as on the zoom, I'm going to repeat some shots with the 25 on a tripod this time just to be sure the lack of crispness I see are not product of a shaky camera.

---------- Post added 11-09-14 at 09:30 PM ----------

Originally posted by Thomasbrowphoto

Im also interested to see the 28-45 in a wide open situation like astro. I have the DA 25mm and is pretty good for astro, However I always seem to get slight start trails what ever the exposure duration from 10sec to 30sec. I have a very solid tripod so that illiminates camera movement. So far I'm very impressed with my 25mm and that extra few mm is important for me to have.

If you want to eliminate trailing, get something like a Merlin arm, so the camera follow the stars, although then you will have blur on anything on Earth :-).

Thomasbrowphoto · 11-10-2014, 02:22 PM

Originally posted by Ed Hurst

Hi Thomas - I think the presence of star trails is simply because the camera is so high resolution that you can look very closely and see it. With lower resolution, you just cannot go in so close to the file. Trailing would occur whenever the stars occupy more than one pixel during exposure - more likely to happen if the pixels are smaller in relation to the angle of view.

At a normal viewing distance, the trails should not be any more visible - it's just that it lets you look closer.

Cheers Ed, Your bang on the money. I think this has been a discussion before. Thanks Tom

Victor Wolansky · 11-11-2014, 08:03 AM

So I will be getting the zoom and comparing them side by side next week, and then probably returning one. Does anyone see a reason to keep both? Would you? This is what I was thinking, if the zoom is as good as the prime, and I need a wider photo, of what is a landscape, I can always stitch 2 photos together, and keep the money with the hopes that Pentax will release in the future a much wider lens that then make sense to own both...

GarethC7 · 11-11-2014, 02:32 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Victor Wolansky

So I will be getting the zoom and comparing them side by side next week, and then probably returning one. Does anyone see a reason to keep both? Would you? This is what I was thinking, if the zoom is as good as the prime, and I need a wider photo, of what is a landscape, I can always stitch 2 photos together, and keep the money with the hopes that Pentax will release in the future a much wider lens that then make sense to own both...

Victor, I think I should send you some money because I am also torn between the two, I like the wider fov of the 25 but I like the 82mm front filter thread of the 28-45, not sure if I care about the zoom but given that I currently own a 35 I probably do

I'd be very interested to see and hear about your experiences as much as your results.

Thomasbrowphoto · 11-11-2014, 02:35 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Victor Wolansky

So I will be getting the zoom and comparing them side by side next week, and then probably returning one. Does anyone see a reason to keep both? Would you? This is what I was thinking, if the zoom is as good as the prime, and I need a wider photo, of what is a landscape, I can always stitch 2 photos together, and keep the money with the hopes that Pentax will release in the future a much wider lens that then make sense to own both...

I would not bother owning both lenses purely for the cost and the similarity in range. As far as I know the 25mm will be the widest lens for the system. Either way they are both incredible pieces of glass. I went for the 25mm purely because every mm counts on the wide end to me and having the widest lens in the line up does not leave me wanting more... say if I had the 28mm zoom, I would potentially yearn for those extra mm on the Wide end... But I shoot in caves and very tight positions sometimes where they really count. :-)

Victor Wolansky · 11-11-2014, 10:04 PM

Originally posted by GarethC7

Victor, I think I should send you some money because I am also torn between the two, I like the wider fov of the 25 but I like the 82mm front filter thread of the 28-45, not sure if I care about the zoom but given that I currently own a 35 I probably do

I'd be very interested to see and hear about your experiences as much as your results.

I will have both lenses for a few days so I will take photos of the same subjects with both lenses and will upload the results to my blog.

11-07-2014, 10:01 AM	#1
Victor Wolansky Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 91	28-45 zoom or 25 prime? Hi! Does anyone here can facilitate some RAW photos taken with the 28-45 full open? I want to check on it, I purchased the 25 a few days ago, and the quality is awesome, but I hate that I have to come up with tricks to use filters, I'm still on the windows I can return it and get the zoom. But I do not want to regret doing it finding out later than the quality of the zoom is not as good as the 25. I print pretty big, so that is an important factor to me. if you have some RAW files you can send me, please PM me and I will provide my Hightail uplink address... thanks a lot, same if you want some RAW of the 25, I can provide too.

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11-07-2014, 01:57 PM	#2
rcdurston Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 51	Just to let you know, the 25mm has been put on hold. The manufacturer who makes one of the prime elements in the lens is no more. All thats left in stock right now, is all that will available for the fore seeable future.

11-07-2014, 02:24 PM	#3
Victor Wolansky Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 91 Original Poster	Originally posted by rcdurston Just to let you know, the 25mm has been put on hold. The manufacturer who makes one of the prime elements in the lens is no more. All thats left in stock right now, is all that will available for the fore seeable future. but isn't a relatively new lens? I presume they will look for a replacement manufacturer for the piece. Where did you learned of this?

11-07-2014, 03:05 PM	#4
2351HD Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Albums Posts: 750	Originally posted by Victor Wolansky Hi! Does anyone here can facilitate some RAW photos taken with the 28-45 full open? I want to check on it, I purchased the 25 a few days ago, and the quality is awesome, but I hate that I have to come up with tricks to use filters, I'm still on the windows I can return it and get the zoom. But I do not want to regret doing it finding out later than the quality of the zoom is not as good as the 25. I print pretty big, so that is an important factor to me. if you have some RAW files you can send me, please PM me and I will provide my Hightail uplink address... thanks a lot, same if you want some RAW of the 25, I can provide too. Full open sample of what? You must have a specific need for using a wide angle lens wide open. Astro? Street?

11-07-2014, 03:20 PM	#5
rcdurston Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 51	Originally posted by Victor Wolansky but isn't a relatively new lens? I presume they will look for a replacement manufacturer for the piece. Where did you learned of this? The manufacturer has gone bankrupt. Pentax is looking for a new supplier but as of yet, hasn't found one. So any 25mm lenses out there are all that's left in the world at the moment. If you want one, probably best get it soon. Rob

11-07-2014, 04:25 PM	#6
desertscape Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,272	I can understand Pentax subcontracting the glass blanks from Hoya but I would be surprised if they had subcontracted the actual grinding of lens elements for their flagship camera/lenses.

11-07-2014, 07:36 PM	#7
Victor Wolansky Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 91 Original Poster	Originally posted by 2351HD Full open sample of what? You must have a specific need for using a wide angle lens wide open. Astro? Street? Astro mostly. Street low light. But it will also interesting to compare it at a mid aperture too. ---------- Post added 11-07-14 at 07:38 PM ---------- Originally posted by rcdurston The manufacturer has gone bankrupt. Pentax is looking for a new supplier but as of yet, hasn't found one. So any 25mm lenses out there are all that's left in the world at the moment. If you want one, probably best get it soon. Rob I do have one actually.... so may be just keep it :-) it might go up in value :-)

11-09-2014, 07:18 PM	#8
Thomasbrowphoto Veteran Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: NSW, Australia Posts: 335	Im also interested to see the 28-45 in a wide open situation like astro. I have the DA 25mm and is pretty good for astro, However I always seem to get slight start trails what ever the exposure duration from 10sec to 30sec. I have a very solid tripod so that illiminates camera movement. So far I'm very impressed with my 25mm and that extra few mm is important for me to have.

11-09-2014, 09:12 PM	#9
Ed Hurst Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,657	Hi Thomas - I think the presence of star trails is simply because the camera is so high resolution that you can look very closely and see it. With lower resolution, you just cannot go in so close to the file. Trailing would occur whenever the stars occupy more than one pixel during exposure - more likely to happen if the pixels are smaller in relation to the angle of view. At a normal viewing distance, the trails should not be any more visible - it's just that it lets you look closer.

11-09-2014, 09:27 PM	#10
Victor Wolansky Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 91 Original Poster	I have found some full resolution JPGs of the 28-45, but not RAW yet, and they looks incredibly crisp, inclusive at the corners, and on the 25 the corners do not look as crisp as on the zoom, I'm going to repeat some shots with the 25 on a tripod this time just to be sure the lack of crispness I see are not product of a shaky camera. ---------- Post added 11-09-14 at 09:30 PM ---------- Originally posted by Thomasbrowphoto Im also interested to see the 28-45 in a wide open situation like astro. I have the DA 25mm and is pretty good for astro, However I always seem to get slight start trails what ever the exposure duration from 10sec to 30sec. I have a very solid tripod so that illiminates camera movement. So far I'm very impressed with my 25mm and that extra few mm is important for me to have. If you want to eliminate trailing, get something like a Merlin arm, so the camera follow the stars, although then you will have blur on anything on Earth :-).

11-10-2014, 02:22 PM	#11
Thomasbrowphoto Veteran Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: NSW, Australia Posts: 335	Originally posted by Ed Hurst Hi Thomas - I think the presence of star trails is simply because the camera is so high resolution that you can look very closely and see it. With lower resolution, you just cannot go in so close to the file. Trailing would occur whenever the stars occupy more than one pixel during exposure - more likely to happen if the pixels are smaller in relation to the angle of view. At a normal viewing distance, the trails should not be any more visible - it's just that it lets you look closer. Cheers Ed, Your bang on the money. I think this has been a discussion before. Thanks Tom

11-11-2014, 08:03 AM	#12
Victor Wolansky Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 91 Original Poster	So I will be getting the zoom and comparing them side by side next week, and then probably returning one. Does anyone see a reason to keep both? Would you? This is what I was thinking, if the zoom is as good as the prime, and I need a wider photo, of what is a landscape, I can always stitch 2 photos together, and keep the money with the hopes that Pentax will release in the future a much wider lens that then make sense to own both...

11-11-2014, 02:32 PM - 1 Like	#13
GarethC7 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 139	Originally posted by Victor Wolansky So I will be getting the zoom and comparing them side by side next week, and then probably returning one. Does anyone see a reason to keep both? Would you? This is what I was thinking, if the zoom is as good as the prime, and I need a wider photo, of what is a landscape, I can always stitch 2 photos together, and keep the money with the hopes that Pentax will release in the future a much wider lens that then make sense to own both... Victor, I think I should send you some money because I am also torn between the two, I like the wider fov of the 25 but I like the 82mm front filter thread of the 28-45, not sure if I care about the zoom but given that I currently own a 35 I probably do I'd be very interested to see and hear about your experiences as much as your results.

11-11-2014, 02:35 PM - 1 Like	#14
Thomasbrowphoto Veteran Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: NSW, Australia Posts: 335	Originally posted by Victor Wolansky So I will be getting the zoom and comparing them side by side next week, and then probably returning one. Does anyone see a reason to keep both? Would you? This is what I was thinking, if the zoom is as good as the prime, and I need a wider photo, of what is a landscape, I can always stitch 2 photos together, and keep the money with the hopes that Pentax will release in the future a much wider lens that then make sense to own both... I would not bother owning both lenses purely for the cost and the similarity in range. As far as I know the 25mm will be the widest lens for the system. Either way they are both incredible pieces of glass. I went for the 25mm purely because every mm counts on the wide end to me and having the widest lens in the line up does not leave me wanting more... say if I had the 28mm zoom, I would potentially yearn for those extra mm on the Wide end... But I shoot in caves and very tight positions sometimes where they really count. :-)

11-11-2014, 10:04 PM	#15
Victor Wolansky Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 91 Original Poster	Originally posted by GarethC7 Victor, I think I should send you some money because I am also torn between the two, I like the wider fov of the 25 but I like the 82mm front filter thread of the 28-45, not sure if I care about the zoom but given that I currently own a 35 I probably do I'd be very interested to see and hear about your experiences as much as your results. I will have both lenses for a few days so I will take photos of the same subjects with both lenses and will upload the results to my blog.