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D FA 100mm WR Macro $350
Posted By: mx23, 12-22-2015, 03:30 PM

Is this a good deal from B&H??

Pentax smc Pentax-D FA 100mm f/2.8 WR Macro Lens 21910 B&H Photo



Last edited by mx23; 01-10-2016 at 03:01 PM.
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01-10-2016, 08:29 PM   #31
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@350 I am thinking I should hoard on to another copy.

01-11-2016, 03:45 AM   #32
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QuoteOriginally posted by AgentDisco Quote
I started with the 2 kit lenses (18-55mm and 50-200mm) after I got my K-50. I wanted a nice walk-around prime so I immediately got a DA 40mm Ltd and have been using that most of the time. This Christmas, I received a brand new DA 15mm Ltd to cover my wide angle needs and appreciate the challenge of using it effectively. I've been very tempted by the Pentax 18-135mm as a higher quality replacement for the 18-55mm lately (it's also been relatively inexpensive at $270) but now I also see this as an opportunity for this to add a macro lens to my collection. However, it's another prime and I'm not sure if that's the way to go. As I experiment more and grow as a photographer, will I like the flexibility of the zoom or the quality of a macro lens at a nicely spaced focal length from my other primes?
It's hard to beat the 18-135 in flexibility, plus the IQ is pretty damn good.

You have to put into consideration that this FL isn't the easiest to use, despite it being nice.

Last edited by ZombieArmy; 01-11-2016 at 03:52 AM.
01-11-2016, 07:22 AM - 1 Like   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by AgentDisco Quote
As I experiment more and grow as a photographer, will I like the flexibility of the zoom or the quality of a macro lens at a nicely spaced focal length from my other primes?
This macro adds the flexibility of having native 1:1 magnification available to you. While it's also excellent as a 'normal distance' lens, I wouldn't consider it unless macro/close-up photography is something you think you'll enjoy. If it is, this lens will give you years of enjoyment - the only thing I regret about my dfa100 (the non-WR version) was not buying it sooner. I also know several photographers who liked the idea of a macro, but ended up not getting along with macro photography and now have an expensive lens permanently in a drawer. So it's hard to say what you'd prefer
01-11-2016, 09:27 AM   #34
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Just bought one $350 and free shipping, should be here Thursday.

01-11-2016, 10:26 AM   #35
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This is an INSANE price for such a great lens. I bought one for $500 a year ago, and thought I got a great deal. One of my favorite lenses.
01-11-2016, 10:35 AM   #36
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If I could only have 3 lenses, this would be one of them.
01-11-2016, 10:44 AM   #37
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QuoteOriginally posted by Blue Quote
If I could only have 3 lenses
Is that possible?

01-11-2016, 10:52 AM   #38
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QuoteOriginally posted by bertwert Quote
Is that possible?
Probably not, but just a theoretical what if.
01-13-2016, 04:27 PM   #39
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Just got mine and the filter was hard to screw in, was afraid to force it. Plastic shell there. Same B+W 49mm would be fine on 15/21mm. Had to use force after all once perfectly even, squeaked and went through. Wonder if it's a known issue.
01-13-2016, 09:43 PM   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by braver Quote
Just got mine and the filter was hard to screw in, was afraid to force it. Plastic shell there. Same B+W 49mm would be fine on 15/21mm. Had to use force after all once perfectly even, squeaked and went through. Wonder if it's a known issue.
No biggie. Enjoy the results. As a matter of fact you dont even need a filter since the front element is recessed enough to not come in contact with. And if you diligently use the hood you will just be fine even without the filter. I remove the filter when I am taking macro shots any way. I dont want that extra micro lux of light loss.

---------- Post added 01-13-16 at 11:44 PM ----------

$350 is an ugly price for people like us who bought it for $500+ thinking that was a great deal.
01-13-2016, 09:48 PM   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by BrianR Quote
This macro adds the flexibility of having native 1:1 magnification available to you. While it's also excellent as a 'normal distance' lens, I wouldn't consider it unless macro/close-up photography is something you think you'll enjoy. If it is, this lens will give you years of enjoyment - the only thing I regret about my dfa100 (the non-WR version) was not buying it sooner. I also know several photographers who liked the idea of a macro, but ended up not getting along with macro photography and now have an expensive lens permanently in a drawer. So it's hard to say what you'd prefer
I like your photostream on flickr with this lens. I currently have a wonderful Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro and I have a difficult time trying to sell it to fund the DFA 100mm f/2.8 WR purhcase. Is it a worthy upgrade from the Tamron macro? It is difficult to tell and I have used the Tamron for both close up and portrait, it is excellent and rewarding experience.

What is missing on the DFA is the focus limiter and the absence of the aperture ring. I am more concerned on the focus limiter as I find it a good feature to have in dual usage on both macro and a tele-lens for non-macro use. Is the AF good enough on this native lens? And how is manual focusing on this wonderful lens. I need help to justify my upgrade decision. The current price is the lowest that I have not seen for this lens. Though the tempting price and unique opportunity of ownership, I stick to the rule NOT to upgrade until someone help me in purchasing my mint copy of Tamron macro in marketplace.

Thanks for any sanity inputs in my upgrade plan. I am a casual shooter with occasional use on macro shots.

Cheers,
Hin

Last edited by hinman; 01-13-2016 at 09:54 PM.
01-14-2016, 07:06 AM - 1 Like   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by hinman Quote
I like your photostream on flickr with this lens.
Thank you

QuoteOriginally posted by hinman Quote
I currently have a wonderful Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro and I have a difficult time trying to sell it to fund the DFA 100mm f/2.8 WR purhcase. Is it a worthy upgrade from the Tamron macro? It is difficult to tell and I have used the Tamron for both close up and portrait, it is excellent and rewarding experience.

What is missing on the DFA is the focus limiter and the absence of the aperture ring. I am more concerned on the focus limiter as I find it a good feature to have in dual usage on both macro and a tele-lens for non-macro use. Is the AF good enough on this native lens? And how is manual focusing on this wonderful lens. I need help to justify my upgrade decision. The current price is the lowest that I have not seen for this lens. Though the tempting price and unique opportunity of ownership, I stick to the rule NOT to upgrade until someone help me in purchasing my mint copy of Tamron macro in marketplace.

Thanks for any sanity inputs in my upgrade plan. I am a casual shooter with occasional use on macro shots.

Cheers,
Hin
Mine is the older non-WR version of the DFA100mm, but I think most of this will still apply.

I found the AF was dependent on the body. It was close to useless on my k100d - it would go off hunting and with the long focus throw it's an extended trip. With my k5iis, hunting is pretty rare and the AF is great at normal distances and somewhat useful at closeup distances, though I still prefer manual focus when close-up. It does have quick shift to let you override the AF. The focusing ring is great, large and the action is smooth (the cosmetic design on the WR is a little different from mine though).

Before I purchased my macro I spent hours (ok days, maybe weeks) looking at samples from the dfa100mm, the Tamron 90mm, and the sigma 105mm.. My conclusion was that optically there's not much to choose from between them and I could be happy with any of them and not look back.

Otherwise, the dfa100mm is a little smaller than the tamron (and takes 49mm filters), WR, and cosmetically quite beautiful (imo). If you can do without the aperture ring and the focus limiter, I'd be tempted to upgrade, but frankly I don't think there's a big rush as you've already got an excellent lens. Even calling it an 'upgrade' feels a little wrong when your tamron is pretty awesome.

For me personally, I make use of the aperture ring on my non-WR dfa100mm, have found it pretty capable of handling light rain and assorted swamp goo. My main motivation to upgrade to the new version would be the more solid build, but this is minor and I expect to continue being thrilled with what I have for many years.

Hope this is some help and good luck with your sale if that's the way you try to go
01-14-2016, 07:32 AM - 1 Like   #43
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One thing to be aware of regarding the lack of aperture ring is an unfortunate bug in the K-3 firmware that can be very annoying. If you shoot using manual flash and liveview, the K-3 attempts to "preview" the exposure you'll get on the LCD display. When you're shooting manual flash, the body can't know the flash's power, so it ignores the flash and (mistakenly) thinks the shot will be underexposed. It "previews" this by artificially dimming the display by up to -2 eV. This inappropriate exposure "preview" is exceedingly annoying: in marginal light, it's already quite hard to focus macro shots without the camera making it worse by dimming the LCD even more! The only way to disable this behavior is to use the aperture ring instead of setting aperture from the camera body. For this reason, even though I'd like to have a WR macro myself, I just won't buy a macro lens without an aperture ring unless and until this FW bug is fixed. (Note that the K-01 and K-5 II(s) don't behave this way, not sure about other models.)
01-18-2016, 09:24 AM   #44
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Just picked mine up from B&H for 342.00

JJ
01-18-2016, 11:56 AM   #45
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QuoteOriginally posted by jerryleejr Quote
Just picked mine up from B&H for 342.00

JJ
No, it's already a giveaway!
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