[Tomm]

Hi fellow Pentaxians,

I'm really struggling with some thoughts and I thought maybe you guys can help me think straight.

The thing is: I'm planning to buy new Siggy 35mm F1.4 glass. From the pictures I have seen I really really start to like that lens. BUT, I like the photo's made on a FF body more as for the shallower depth of field. Now I'm fine investing in gear supplementing my K-5, but this kind of glass really presses on my wallet. It's fine though if such a lens is really a life time thing. But as I said, I like the shallower depth of field on a Full Frame camera. So before I am going to invest in such an expensive piece of glass I want to make sure that I can use it on my future FF. If I'm interpreting the FF rumors correctly however I'm not really sure Pentax will deliver a FF anytime soon. Every rumor about a certain date seems a joke. What do you guys think?

If it's not all that certain that Pentax will make a FF anytime soon, is it wiser to switch systems? For example to the Nikon D600?

Maybe it's worth mentioning my current gear:

- Pentax K5
- Pentax 40mm f2.8 ltd
- Tamron 17-50
- Pentax 18-135
- SMC-A 50mm f1.7

Looking forward to your thoughts!

[JohnX]

I also prefer the shallower dof on FF.

But hang on, isn't the 645D even better for dof? Then, what about...

Enjoy what you've got. Give the money you save by not changing systems to a deserving charity

[kenafein]

You don't have a lot of stuff keeping you with Pentax. If you really want to get a D600, then go for it. You can pick up the body for $1600(Cameta) and that Sigma lens for 900 more. You can get a Tamron 28-75/2.8 cheap for a standard zoom off eBay.

[RobA_Oz]

Unfortunately, extremely shallow DoF has turned into a bit of an artistic cliche lately, as others have pointed out. This is not to say that subject isolation through focus should be avoided, just that it is somewhat overdone now. I wouldn't jump to any expensive conclusions about switching systems until you've had time to work with the new lens. You have only one fast lens in your lineup so far, and that's in the "normal" to short telephoto range on APS-C. The Sigma 35 is in the "normal" to wide angle range, which favours slightly different subjects and compositions. If money is no object, then go ahead and experiment, but either way you should be sure of what you want to get out of the experiment, and that your methodology is sound, before you start.

[Na Horuk]

Buy a film Pentax while you wait for FF DSLR. But I'm yet to see a photo and think "if only its DoF was 1,5x shallower, then it would have been a good photo." Especially because the difference is usually only a couple centimeters (though, not necessarily, of course)

[Adam]

Hi fellow Pentaxians,

I'm really struggling with some thoughts and I thought maybe you guys can help me think straight.

The thing is: I'm planning to buy new Siggy 35mm F1.4 glass. From the pictures I have seen I really really start to like that lens. BUT, I like the photo's made on a FF body more as for the shallower depth of field. Now I'm fine investing in gear supplementing my K-5, but this kind of glass really presses on my wallet. It's fine though if such a lens is really a life time thing. But as I said, I like the shallower depth of field on a Full Frame camera. So before I am going to invest in such an expensive piece of glass I want to make sure that I can use it on my future FF. If I'm interpreting the FF rumors correctly however I'm not really sure Pentax will deliver a FF anytime soon. Every rumor about a certain date seems a joke. What do you guys think?

If it's not all that certain that Pentax will make a FF anytime soon, is it wiser to switch systems? For example to the Nikon D600?

Maybe it's worth mentioning my current gear:

- Pentax K5
- Pentax 40mm f2.8 ltd
- Tamron 17-50
- Pentax 18-135
- SMC-A 50mm f1.7

Looking forward to your thoughts!

The D600 paired with the Sigma 35mm would be a killer combo. With that said, if you get the lens for your K-5, then it will also work on any future FF that Pentax might release, so it's not that much of a gamble IMO.

I'm not concerned as much with the DOF as with the field of view. On FF, a 35mm is a wide-angle lens, while on APS-C, it's just a normal lens (with more distortions than a 50mm on FF). I wonder if that's going to take away the appeal of this lens, as on FF, 35mm is just plain awesome (24mm eqv on aps-c).

[Bob from Aus]

Not sure what everyone is talking about. My limited understanding of optics says that the DOF is exactly the same for a specific lens no mater what the format.

I would think your needs would be surpassed by by a second hand soft focus lens. Otherwise put some petroleum jelly around the outside of your UV filter

[calsan]

Yes, Bob, that's right. There's also nothing stopping photographers just moving closer to their subject to reduce DOF.
I think of less DOF meaning a higher percentage of shots with missed focus, more need to carry a tripod, difficult wide angle and macro shooting and more need for higher ISOs to use a smaller aperture. So it's all equivalent.

[beholder3]

[deleted]

[Digitalis]

extremely shallow DoF has turned into a bit of an artistic cliche lately

As a photography instructor I can confirm that - I see hundreds of "selective focus" images from students and one does tire of it rather quickly.

[Tomm]

Thanks for the plenty replies everyone! Really appreciating it.

Maybe Adam has a point here. It could be that I just like the pictures of the 35mm (equivalent to like 24mm on Crop) more, as they are a bit more interesting. I'm planning for street photography as well so a wider FOV forces you to get more into the scene. But in that case I need a fast 24mm lens, but does it exist? I really need the F1.4/F1.8 for more than just Bokeh. I do a lot of indoor (dimmed light) shots as well.

However, if I'm right, there really is a difference in DOF Bob, in a certain perspective at least. As 35mm is just a wider you have to move closer to the subject (for the same frame) and thus the DOF will be smaller and thus there will be more Bokeh. Moreover, it's not that I want to isolate an object completely in a way the background is completely blurred. It's just really nice to have that slight "blurrines" through a picture shot with a wider FOV. It really let that picture live.

So I could get an 24mm F1.4 (doubt it exist?). But if I'm right the DOF will be bigger than with a 35mm F1.4. This picture is making it pretty clear: LINK

@ adam: I could of course get the lens for my K5 and use it later on a future Pentax FF. But is it already sure they will make a FF anytime soon, if ever?

[beholder3]

[deleted]

[Tomm]

The Samyang 24/1.4 is excellent. Samyang 24mm F1.4 Lens Reviews - Samyang Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database

more sample pictures here:
Objektiv Samyang 24mm F1.4 ED AS IF UMC - DSLR-Forum

Ah there really is one!

Only drawback is its Manual focus only. Unlike most older users who used the Pentax MX etc. I am not used to manual focusing and at F1.4 that can be a pain without a good prism. Besides its quite expensive as well. In The Netherlands it is selling for 660 Euro. Just 200 Euros cheaper than the Sigma 35mm. Me personally really value AF so in that regard the Samyang is just not worth it. Thanks though, would otherwise be a perfect solution

[zapp]

Hi fellow Pentaxians,

I'm really struggling with some thoughts and I thought maybe you guys can help me think straight.

The thing is: I'm planning to buy new Siggy 35mm F1.4 glass. From the pictures I have seen I really really start to like that lens. BUT, I like the photo's made on a FF body more as for the shallower depth of field. Now I'm fine investing in gear supplementing my K-5, but this kind of glass really presses on my wallet. It's fine though if such a lens is really a life time thing. But as I said, I like the shallower depth of field on a Full Frame camera. So before I am going to invest in such an expensive piece of glass I want to make sure that I can use it on my future FF. If I'm interpreting the FF rumors correctly however I'm not really sure Pentax will deliver a FF anytime soon. Every rumor about a certain date seems a joke. What do you guys think?

If it's not all that certain that Pentax will make a FF anytime soon, is it wiser to switch systems? For example to the Nikon D600?

Maybe it's worth mentioning my current gear:

- Pentax K5
- Pentax 40mm f2.8 ltd
- Tamron 17-50
- Pentax 18-135
- SMC-A 50mm f1.7

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Come on guys, he is quite right: Pentax has no large aperture wide angle to offer for their APS-C cameras. We all know that there is no FF camera. The Nikon D600 is fairly compact and quite capable. Wait 1-2 years for a Pentax solution or go Nikon right now. There is no reason to buy Pentax if you want full frame.

[Tomm]

Thanks Zapp

I am leaning more toward the Nikon D600 right now. It's still pretty expensive though. When I sell all my lenses and K5 body I still have to add an additional 150EUR to get a new D600 body.

Maybe I start out with a Nikon 50mm f1.8G its just 170EUR and still offers keen results on FF, amazing price/performance.

Still is it worth to trade all my gear for a Nikon D600 body?