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11-21-2014, 01:33 PM   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by Watson Quote
I love Pentax cameras. They are so well built and just "feel" right to me. Despite this I switched from my K511s to a Nikon D800. The only reason I did this was because I never felt comfortable with any crop sensor camera. I used 35mm film cameras for decades before digital came out and I only use prime lenses, so my brain is now hardwired to the focal lengths of full frame lenses. Full frame may or may not be actually any better in terms of IQ but I don't care, full frame just feels right to me. The D800 was great except it never really felt as good as my Pentax. The "fun" factor was gone even though it was full frame. I finally figured out why I felt this way a few weeks ago. The damn thing is too big and heavy. Attach even a prime lens like the Sigma 50mm 1.4 (Art) to it with the battery grip attached (which I added just make the grip feel right) and this camera is a heavy monster. Hauling it around is a chore. Recently, at a camera store I tried the Sony A7R with the native Zeiss 55 mm 1.8 lens. I was instantly in love with this camera. It has faults but these are of no consequence to me compared to the pleasure of having a light, small, high resolution camera again. I bought it and no I don't plan on buying any adapters to use any of my huge Nikon lenses because to me this would defeat the purpose of going small again. On the other hand I might do so with some Pentax lenses. I don't think I have any that are full frame but if anyone has any suggestions on buying older pentax lenses that are small and full frame I am open to suggestions.
Well done on making the switch!!. The a7r is a joy to use and the sensor unbelievable.
The Pentax legacy lenses look and feel great on the camera and you will almost feel nostalgic using them.
I have submitted lens reviews on this forum regarding their comparability with the a7r.
In summary:
The k28 f3.5 is absolutely stunning with this camera and my favourite lens.
The k35 f3.5 is equally good and matches the Sony Zeiss fe35 f2.8 in terms of spatial resolution but renders the colours with much greater vibrance and depth.
The k50 f1.2 is plagued with flare and I have to use a telephoto lens hood in certain conditions to minimise the flare and with resultant compromise of the edges.
The m50 f1.7 is a super lens. No issues with flare or CA and so sharp. Ridiculously cheap!!
The m100 f4 macro is superb both as a telephoto\portrait lens and macro lens. Razor sharp. No aberrations.
The m135 f3.5 also produces very pleasing images and is very compact with built in lens hood. No CA issues.
The m300 f4 is a beast of a lens for this camera. The camera feels too small for the lens. I have had to rig up a homemade tripod collar for it. Having said that, the Iq is great.
Avoid the m24-35 as it is plagued with CA and purple fringing.
If you are into wildlife\bird photography, I would recommend the tamron SP 500 f8 mirror lens. Razor sharp images. A very light and compact lens that feels great on the camera.

I have ordered a k55 f1.8 from eBay and will post a review once I have tried it.

So get out there and enjoy the wonderful combination of gorgeous Pentax legacy glass and a superb sensor. I can guarantee a big smile on your face!!

11-21-2014, 01:41 PM   #17
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QuoteOriginally posted by ACG Quote
I have had to rig up a homemade tripod collar for [the M+300].
Not meaning to hijack the thread, but I'd love to see how you did this. I don't use large heavy lenses on my NEX-6 very often, but I've got both the M300 and K200/2.5. I'd probably use them both more if they didn't feel so unwieldy.
11-21-2014, 03:20 PM   #18
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I wandered around the sony store at my local mall a few weeks and i was pretty intriuged by the sony cameras. My d600 does just feel "right" in my hands.. well because i have such huge hands but the idea of having 36 megapixels in such a tiny package sounds pretty neat.t the only thing that kind of bothers me, is that my metz af 52 probably weighs as much as the a7r and it might feel a bit awkward. I mean, it's looks cool, but it looks like it's mostly aimed at hobbyists unlike the upper end of nikon's lineup that is targeted, decidedly, towards pros. I really love having the focus lock button, on the top of the d600 just where my finger naturally rests. Its pretty amazing Plus, the battary life on these things cant really hold a candle to canon/nikon. They get around 300 shots whereas nikon/canon get upwards of 900 per battery.
11-21-2014, 03:55 PM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by jcdoss Quote
I'd love to see how you did this
I had a similar issue with my K300 f4. eBay came to the rescue with a $20 tripod collar, marked as suitable for the Canon 100mm f2.8, but it fit the K300 just fine.

11-22-2014, 10:13 AM   #20
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Hi,

The credit for the manufacture of the collar goes to the ebayer who made it and kindly gave it to me with the purchase of the lens. My input was merely the application of insulating tape to the aperture ring and stem of the fork!!!
It works very well. The only disadvantage is that you need to pick your aperture prior to fitting the rig. Otherwise, if you change aperture, the camera body will rotate, but this is easily correctable in post processing.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6njczvfsq5g95zu/AAA64U0ymiKOaiBm1HwSg1o-a?dl=0
11-22-2014, 11:05 AM   #21
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Macros with aperture rings make a nice addition to my Nex 6. Most folks seem to manually focus them anyway to get just the right area in focus, so one doesn't miss the AF.

A. DA35 f2.8 macro with fotodiox adapter, not sure if its a full frame or not.

B. Vivitar 55 f2.8 macro

C. Pentax M 100 f4

I carry 2 fotodiox adapters along and switch them around to whichever lens needs one. The tilting screen is very handy for interesting perspectives.

In addition to the macros, i have carried these longer lenses:
M 135 f2.8 abt 2 1/2 inches long
A 135 f2.8
M 100 f2.8

I think the advantage of carrying the above relatively small long lenses - any one of them would be a lot easier to load into a small bag and would not look large on a A7 compared to the 70-200. If you find a nice background for street shooting, one can prefocus them using focus peaking, and then its ready to go when the right scene develops.

Last edited by philbaum; 11-22-2014 at 11:16 AM.
11-22-2014, 03:22 PM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by ACG Quote
The credit for the manufacture of the collar goes to the ebayer who made it
Interesting. That collar seems somewhat over-engineered. This is what I use on my K300:



It's not perfect - the bump of the white dot on the K300 lens barrel interferes with the flocking on the interior of the collar a little, and so adjusting the collar to ensure it sits perfectly square on the lens requires some fiddling - but it does the job of supporting the lens on a tripod adequately, and does not interfere with the aperture ring either.

11-22-2014, 10:26 PM   #23
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this thread comes at the perfect time. I'm incredibly tempted to jump on a black friday deal for a camera I do not need. I'm torn between the A7, XT1, and the EM1 depending on the deals, the rumor I'm hearing is the A7 w/kitlens is going to be having a very aggressive price point to the point I just may not be able to resist...

So lets talk about some specific A7 handling concerns I have that I haven't been able to answer in store..

AF point selection... how easy is it? are we talking pentax easy where you just start dabbing at the pad and it moves instantly. Or we talking push up on the pad to enable AF selection and then dab around. Because thats very annoying in my opinion and will frustrate me. It already did on the XT1 and was a reason why I returned it... but I loved the way it handled otherwise.

Is there an "back button AF" capability? Ie; hold down the AF-L button to keep your AF constantly fixed over your AF point, thus also disabling the half-press shutter AF.

How about AF in video, can you set it up to track your subject and have it just keep focusing without button presses? with button presses thats not the shutter?



or I just may buy a plane ticket for the family and head to Montreal for the weekend.
11-23-2014, 11:33 AM   #24
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Hi,
Reviewers don't rate the Sony 28-70 kit lens. I doubt that it would maximise the advantages of the 24 mp ff sensor.
Similarly, the Sony Zeiss fe24-70 isn't great at 24 and 70 and is still around £900. The AF is fast enough and reliable.
Manual focusing is a joy with the mag button and focus peaking and makes the legacy lenses easy to use.
If AF is your big concern, buy the omd em1 body and pick up a lumix 20 f1.7 and an oly 45 f1.8. There cheap and have superb IQ.
11-23-2014, 12:45 PM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by ACG Quote
Hi,
Reviewers don't rate the Sony 28-70 kit lens. I doubt that it would maximise the advantages of the 24 mp ff sensor.
Similarly, the Sony Zeiss fe24-70 isn't great at 24 and 70 and is still around £900. The AF is fast enough and reliable.
Manual focusing is a joy with the mag button and focus peaking and makes the legacy lenses easy to use.
If AF is your big concern, buy the omd em1 body and pick up a lumix 20 f1.7 and an oly 45 f1.8. There cheap and have superb IQ.
I wonder if the introduction of IBIS in the new Sony FF indicates that they realize and accept that the best use of their cameras is with adapted lenses? Lack of IBIS was almost the only weakness I found in the A6000.
11-23-2014, 01:11 PM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mikesul Quote
I wonder if the introduction of IBIS in the new Sony FF indicates that they realize and accept that the best use of their cameras is with adapted lenses? Lack of IBIS was almost the only weakness I found in the A6000.
Hi,
I agree with you. I think that a significant number of a7 series users never had any intention of buying the very expensive Sony lenses. Interesting that the a7 mark 2 is a bigger camera. I wonder will they be able to introduce the ibis into the a7r?? That would definitely increase their market share. Could tempt m4\3 users away from the omd line
11-23-2014, 01:22 PM   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by ACG Quote
Hi,
I agree with you. I think that a significant number of a7 series users never had any intention of buying the very expensive Sony lenses. Interesting that the a7 mark 2 is a bigger camera. I wonder will they be able to introduce the ibis into the a7r?? That would definitely increase their market share. Could tempt m4\3 users away from the omd line
Yes. If Pentax doesn't deliver FF and the Price of an IBIS equipped A7r successor is good it will be a real temptation. Of course the AF on the A7r should also be improved to at least the level of the A6000.
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