[w2ck]

Hi,

Peas don't stop making these!

Sorry. Couldn't resist that one.

Stan

[RICHARD L.]

"Give peas a chance" (a John Lennon song) ... lol !

Regards

[kaseki]

"Give peas a chance" (a John Lennon song) ... lol !

Regards

Mods: Is there a way to give a negative like?

[RICHARD L.]

[w2ck]

Hi,

Taken using the Punny 16 rule, no doubt!

Stan

[RICHARD L.]

Sunlight helps brighten the colors and add contrast. Never forget it's the LIGHT that is sharp, not so much the lens.

---------- Post added 08-13-20 at 08:17 AM ----------

ORANGE DAY.

1/15 sec @ f/22, 200 ISO

[w2ck]

Hi,

Have you tried that BlackBerry on Orange?

You Tube

You Tube

Stan

[RICHARD L.]

Morning exercise : set up the heavy tripod, mount the 645Z + A 120 mm Macro on it, choose the vegetable or fruit of the day, set-up the photo shoot and process the images. My day is done !

NOTE : f/11 is really the aperture where you can achieve the utmost level of sharpness with this macro lens; resolution performance begins to go down from there on (upper @ f/11, lower @ f/22).

[barondla]

Morning exercise : set up the heavy tripod, mount the 645Z + A 120 mm Macro on it, choose the vegetable or fruit of the day, set-up the photo shoot and process the images. My day is done !

Note : f/11 is really the aperture where you can achieve the utmost level of sharpness with this macro lens; resolution performance begins to go down from there on.

Great photo routine. Have you ever participated in the Singles In photo shoots here at the forums? If you aren't familiar with it, photographer shoots with same lens everyday for a month, and posts an image taken that day. Did it with the Z and the 645 DFA 55 lens that arrived 2 days earlier. I learned a lot about that lens in a month.

Keep on shooting,
barondla

[RICHARD L.]

Great photo routine. Have you ever participated in the Singles In photo shoots here at the forums? If you aren't familiar with it, photographer shoots with same lens everyday for a month, and posts an image taken that day. Did it with the Z and the 645 DFA 55 lens that arrived 2 days earlier. I learned a lot about that lens in a month.

Keep on shooting,
barondla

Thank you for your kind attention. I like to keep my photography a little unpredictable. I never participated in this "Singles" photo shoots as such, but the lens I've been continually using for a couple of months has been the 645 FA 33-55 mm f/4.5, exactly because I was very apprehensive about its pictural abilities. I didn't trust its performance and so I kept taking series after series of pictures at various focal lengths and various apertures until my anxieties began to abade and my confidence level grew. This is the best way to learn how a particular instrument works and to familiarize oneself with it. It is a little nerve-wracking but in the end, you gain confidence in your tools. OTOH, I've been using recently the Macro 120 mm like a little kid who discovers a new toy : this lens was bought 10 years ago for my 645N but was never used, it sat idle in a drawer, it's proved to be the "STAR" of the summer.

Regards

[w2ck]

Hi,

Ok. I got the 67 to 645 adapter, an actual Pentax made one. I had the 67 135 macro sitting here. The 67 Soft Focus came today as well. So, all set to play some this afternoon.

I quickly figured out that something wasn't quite right with the adapter. The thing was a bit 'stiff' going on. Then, I noticed the lever on the 645 side for the aperture ring setting that communicates with the 645 body was moving as I rotated the adapter onto the 67 135 lens. And, it seemed like it didn't want to move properly once it had dragged like that.That can't be right, right? It wasn't.

It took me about 10 seconds to figure out that the tab (well, I will call it a tab) on the inner diameter of the adapter on the 67 side was what was dragging. It was bent slightly away from the edge of the adapter rim. So, it was sitting too far inboard toward the 67 lens bayonets. I gently moved it back into what was obvious (to me, anyway) the position it ought to be in. Just a millimeter or so worth of correction. Ah! Now the adapter doesn't drag like it did going onto the 67 lens and the lever on the 645 side no longer moved as I was rotating the adapter on.

Plus, the lever on the 645 side moves as it ought to when I rotate the 67 lens aperture ring. Also, it works as I'd expect when it comes to showing me the shutter speed in Av mode as I move the 67 aperture ring. Finally, a series of test shots shows decent exposure with the 67 lens in either Auto or Manual aperture mode.

I hope all that makes some sort of sense to someone other than myself!

Anyway, in case it doesn't, I fixed the thing and now it works.

Now, the Soft Focus lens is a different animal. It is always in manual aperture mode. But, it works just fine. The f3.5 softness seems a bit much, actually. But smaller apertures look pretty good. Exactly what I am going to use this lens for beats me. But, now that I have it, I will think on that and I am sure some things will suggest themselves. Maybe a soft focus shot of the gourd arch? Dreamy gourd plants. I might could use that on the gourd website. Those folks spend a lot of time dreaming about gourds.

What I am really unsure of is if I will ever use the 67 135 macro lens on the 645D because I have the 645 A 120 macro. Maybe sometimes as a regular 135mm prime. But, I always figure it is better to have something and not use it, than to not have something and need it.

Stan

[RICHARD L.]

Stan,

Comparing the results between the 67 135 mm f/4 macro with those of the 645 A 120 mm f/4 macro would be fun. Try to use a tripod, use the best apertures (f/11 probably) on a similarly-sized object and post these so we can see the difference. I'm ready to bet on the 120 mm though ...

Regards

[barondla]

Hi,

Ok. I got the 67 to 645 adapter, an actual Pentax made one. I had the 67 135 macro sitting here. The 67 Soft Focus came today as well. So, all set to play some this afternoon.

I quickly figured out that something wasn't quite right with the adapter. The thing was a bit 'stiff' going on. Then, I noticed the lever on the 645 side for the aperture ring setting that communicates with the 645 body was moving as I rotated the adapter onto the 67 135 lens. And, it seemed like it didn't want to move properly once it had dragged like that.That can't be right, right? It wasn't.

It took me about 10 seconds to figure out that the tab (well, I will call it a tab) on the inner diameter of the adapter on the 67 side was what was dragging. It was bent slightly away from the edge of the adapter rim. So, it was sitting too far inboard toward the 67 lens bayonets. I gently moved it back into what was obvious (to me, anyway) the position it ought to be in. Just a millimeter or so worth of correction. Ah! Now the adapter doesn't drag like it did going onto the 67 lens and the lever on the 645 side no longer moved as I was rotating the adapter on.

Plus, the lever on the 645 side moves as it ought to when I rotate the 67 lens aperture ring. Also, it works as I'd expect when it comes to showing me the shutter speed in Av mode as I move the 67 aperture ring. Finally, a series of test shots shows decent exposure with the 67 lens in either Auto or Manual aperture mode.

I hope all that makes some sort of sense to someone other than myself!

Anyway, in case it doesn't, I fixed the thing and now it works.

Now, the Soft Focus lens is a different animal. It is always in manual aperture mode. But, it works just fine. The f3.5 softness seems a bit much, actually. But smaller apertures look pretty good. Exactly what I am going to use this lens for beats me. But, now that I have it, I will think on that and I am sure some things will suggest themselves. Maybe a soft focus shot of the gourd arch? Dreamy gourd plants. I might could use that on the gourd website. Those folks spend a lot of time dreaming about gourds.

What I am really unsure of is if I will ever use the 67 135 macro lens on the 645D because I have the 645 A 120 macro. Maybe sometimes as a regular 135mm prime. But, I always figure it is better to have something and not use it, than to not have something and need it.

Stan

Glad you got the adapter working. The soft focus lens takes some getting used to. The 135 macro could be interesting.

---------- Post added 08-17-20 at 07:23 PM ----------

Stan,

Comparing the results between the 67 135 mm f/4 macro with those of the 645 A 120 mm f/4 macro would be fun. Try to use a tripod, use the best apertures (f/11 probably) on a similarly-sized object and post these so we can see the difference. I'm ready to bet on the 120 mm though ...

Regards

Excellent idea to compare the 120 and 135! I'd like to see the results. Isn't the 135 more a close up lens than a true macro?

Thanks,
barondla

[ivanvernon]

Hi,

Ok. I got the 67 to 645 adapter, an actual Pentax made one. I had the 67 135 macro sitting here. The 67 Soft Focus came today as well. So, all set to play some this afternoon.

I quickly figured out that something wasn't quite right with the adapter. The thing was a bit 'stiff' going on. Then, I noticed the lever on the 645 side for the aperture ring setting that communicates with the 645 body was moving as I rotated the adapter onto the 67 135 lens. And, it seemed like it didn't want to move properly once it had dragged like that.That can't be right, right? It wasn't.

It took me about 10 seconds to figure out that the tab (well, I will call it a tab) on the inner diameter of the adapter on the 67 side was what was dragging. It was bent slightly away from the edge of the adapter rim. So, it was sitting too far inboard toward the 67 lens bayonets. I gently moved it back into what was obvious (to me, anyway) the position it ought to be in. Just a millimeter or so worth of correction. Ah! Now the adapter doesn't drag like it did going onto the 67 lens and the lever on the 645 side no longer moved as I was rotating the adapter on.

Plus, the lever on the 645 side moves as it ought to when I rotate the 67 lens aperture ring. Also, it works as I'd expect when it comes to showing me the shutter speed in Av mode as I move the 67 aperture ring. Finally, a series of test shots shows decent exposure with the 67 lens in either Auto or Manual aperture mode.

I hope all that makes some sort of sense to someone other than myself!

Anyway, in case it doesn't, I fixed the thing and now it works.

Now, the Soft Focus lens is a different animal. It is always in manual aperture mode. But, it works just fine. The f3.5 softness seems a bit much, actually. But smaller apertures look pretty good. Exactly what I am going to use this lens for beats me. But, now that I have it, I will think on that and I am sure some things will suggest themselves. Maybe a soft focus shot of the gourd arch? Dreamy gourd plants. I might could use that on the gourd website. Those folks spend a lot of time dreaming about gourds.

What I am really unsure of is if I will ever use the 67 135 macro lens on the 645D because I have the 645 A 120 macro. Maybe sometimes as a regular 135mm prime. But, I always figure it is better to have something and not use it, than to not have something and need it.

Stan

You are right. The P645 120mm macro AND the P67 100mm macro are both so good as to obsolete the P67 135mm macro as a macro. However, I still use the P67 135mm on occasion for my flower photography because its MFD is just right to fill the frame with most flower blossoms, and using it that way is even more convenient than using one of the other medium format macros. The soft focus lenses are sort of one-trick ponies, so that they are probably not often used by most people who own them. I think they get the most use for flowers and ladies' faces, and clearly they can have some application for wedding and flower photography. I pull mine out maybe a half-dozen times during a single flower season. There is a soft focus club here on the Forum for any one i interested in viewing what some of us are doing with these lenses.

[RICHARD L.]

The 645 120 mm gets to 1:1 magnification (life-size) unaided while the 67 135 mm goes only to 1:3.2 magnification. But a same-size object could be photographed with both to compare sharpness (like at 1:3.2 for both). Would be fun !

Regards