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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-23-2011, 04:56 AM
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These guys have some 2nd hand pentax gear:
radio foto janssen
And these guys used to have 2nd hand gear... don't know if they still do, however...
foto booms |
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-23-2011, 04:40 AM
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ps, the first viking shot is 80mm @ f/3.5
the second is 200mm @ f/4
the third is 200mm @ f/8
yeah, "a little soft" might be a bit of an understatement ;)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-23-2011, 04:37 AM
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The other day I stumbled upon this lens in some thrift store near where I live. A Sigma 80~200mm f/3.5 ~ f/4 "high speed" zoom, for Pentax. It looked pretty dented, didn't have any lens caps, the front element was dirty and I didn't have my camera with me... however, focus and zoom seemed smooth and the aperture blades seemed responsive enough... also, since it was only 12,50 euros, I couldn't really leave it :)
I thought it was a pretty interesting lens... it has one ring to rule them all which you slide forward and backward to zoom and turn to focus. Also, it has a build-in lens hood. It has the same solid feel I love about my Pentax M lenses, although the aperture ring feels just a tad flimsy.
Unfortunately, coming home I found not only the front element was dirty. As you can see in the picture below, there is what looks like dust on the inside as well. I'm not sure if this could be fungus as well? Anyway, it does seem a little soft, especially wide open, and not too contrasty.... Still, I think it's a pretty good bargain for such a fast zoom lens... and it has already proven its worth during a graduation ceremony with poor lighting where I wanted to do some close ups without getting too close myself.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-25-2010, 01:15 AM
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I noticed that my M50 f/1.7 on my K20d suffers from back focus. I am using a split focus screen, albeit one of the cheap ones. My theory is that the focus screen isn't perfectly aligned. The mount for the focus screen strikes me as a bit fiddly. I'm not sure but I'd think that even very slight variations in the distance between lens/mirror and focus screen cause variations in what appears to be in focus and what not. I've often wondered why the mount for the focus screen isn't more solid or offers better assurance the screen is correctly installed.
IMHO, focus confirmation is not accurate enough for f/1.7, let alone f/1.2.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd think AF adjustment has little to do with what you see in the VF and whether or not it seems to be in focus.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-26-2010, 05:38 AM
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I stand corrected. Though I still think the different textures of the camera body, buttons and the lens make them clash. But I suppose that's down to personal taste.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-06-2010, 05:19 AM
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Well I'll be damned... when I wrote the first few posts here I didn't have my camera on hand but now I do and I just tried and you're right! I was sure I tried this before but apparently I didn't...
I've also been taking MF shots of a ruler at an angle and it appears that what looks like in focus through the viewfinder is in fact just in focus, but the majority of the depth-of-field is behind it.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-05-2010, 09:06 AM
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If I understand you correctly, this is indeed how it works for me. Which means that when you select anything other than the widest aperture on a K20, you need to switch to DOF preview AND press the green button to meter for that aperture.
If any K20 owners here have other experiences with this, I'd be interested to know.
Sterretje: thanks for your suggestion & method to test the alignment of the focusing screen, I will indeed try that.
I popped in the 10-euro split prism focusing screen myself. I assumed that if it clicked, it would be properly aligned. I suppose that if it turns out not to be properly aligned, I will need to take it to a shop to have it fixed.
If I can somehow improve my focusing I think I will remain for a good while longer very happy with my M50.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-05-2010, 06:00 AM
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I'm not sure if this is normal but just pushing the green button doesn't work on my camera. I need to shift the on/off lever to 'live view' (which I have set in my preferences will not enable 'live view' but instead DOF-preview) and simultaneously either press the green button or turn the dial. An awkward combination as it needs two fingers at the top of the camera.
I've been wondering about the same.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-05-2010, 05:27 AM
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I have been thinking about the 43mm but it's hard to find in the Netherlands. I'll try a bit harder, though.
I do have a split prism focusing screen. It just seems that when the image through the split prisms align, the picture still turns out to be out-of-focus. Of course, this could also be due to re-framing, as accurate use of the split-prism requires I point it at something sharp and contrast-y.
Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-05-2010, 04:49 AM
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I've been pondering whether or not to buy new glass. Pondering even whether or not to post my dilemma up here, since in the end I know I have to make up my own mind. But who knows, writing it down and even getting some feedback might help. So here goes...
I have a K20 and since picking up an M 50mm F/1.7 for 35 euros or so this has by far been my favorite lens. I like the shallow depth of field and I like the build quality. However I do find that I'm almost always shooting wide open since I find metering at other apertures too much of a hassle. And, more importantly, shooting at F/1.7, over half of my shots are out of focus. Though I now take this in account and usually grab at least 6 shots of anything important, shifting focus through the range of what looks sharp, I still end up with shots that are great but just slightly (or heavily) out of focus.
So. What I'm pondering is whether or not to buy a fast automatic aperture / automatic focus prime. Something like the FA 50mm 1.4 or 1.7 would be an option but they look plasticky to me. I'm sure their build quality is better than the average kit lens but I don't think they'll feel as good as my M 50. Then I have been considering the 31mm ltd but 900 euros is a lot of money to spend and I'm not sure I myself would even notice the improved image quality, so I'd spend it on having autofocus and auto-aperture.
As far as focal length goes. I'm quite okay with 50mm. Granted, in some situations it's a bit too long, but I think it helps me focus on details and getting more interesting/unusual framings. I'm not sure the more standard (on APS) length of 31mm would suit me better.
And then, I have a cheap-cheap split focus screen. Will buying a better and more expensive focus screen help me increase my focusing accuracy; thus making a lens upgrade even less necessary?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-03-2010, 06:17 AM
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Do you really think so? I find the silver plastic clashes with the silver of the lens.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-14-2010, 09:11 AM
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But if the 'pancake design' is actually a superior design, then why aren't all lenses pancakes?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-14-2010, 09:06 AM
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Yes. Although a slight rattle can in some cases be normal... See this thread.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-14-2010, 08:57 AM
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I've been wondering about this as well. The advantage is obviously that they are small, but doesn't IQ suffer from this? I mean, I can't imagine Pentax stuffs all the expensive glass in the larger lenses just for fun. I'd think there is always a compromise... then again, I don't know much about optics.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-08-2010, 03:33 AM
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Waitaminute... I think I have that one mounted on my Ricoh KR-5 35mm. Never tried it on my K20, for some reason I didn't see the point since I'm quite happy with my M 50mm f1.7 :)
N00b question: what is the difference between the Pentax K and M series?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-29-2009, 12:09 PM
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Went to a shop today in Amsterdam and they were able to sell me a 31mm ltd in silver for 900 euros and one in black for 1000 euros... is this difference in price common? I'd prefer black (a little bit more inconspicuous) but I'm not sure it's worth 100 euros to me.
Anyway, gonna hunt a bit further for a better deal methinks.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-28-2009, 01:37 PM
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That's a good suggestion, though. Thanks.
Now I have to figure out whether I can actually afford this glass :P
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-28-2009, 10:16 AM
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I'm thinking about buying an FA31mm limited. I was wondering, though, how accurate is auto focus when used with this lens wide open? I have an M 50mm 1.7 which I often use fully open and I find that the focus confirmation is often not accurate enough. Actually, I find it quite hard to get the focus right with this lens wide open... I often go by trial and error... but when I do hit the focus right the results are often amazing. So how does the 31mm ltd fare? The body I use is a K20.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-01-2009, 05:19 AM
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Here are some shots I took with the DIY-spy-hole-fish-eye lens (and non-pentax point-n-shoot)
Pretty low-fi and it has gotten worse since the exposed plastic lens got scratched in my bag... Slightly better now that I polished it with toothpaste... :)
Anyway, messing around is half the fun, right?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-18-2009, 03:01 AM
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Spotted this guy who made a fish-eye lens from a broken Sigma 28-200mm lens:
Recycling Project - A Broken Glass To A Fisheye Lens | DIYPhotography.net
Unfortunately, it doesn't describe which element(s) he used. Does anybody have any ideas about this? Would a non-zoom lens also contain suitable elements to build a fish-eye lens?
btw: I've created a DIY fish-eye lense from the viewfinders of very cheap second hand point-and-shoot filmcameras, and one using a spy-hole lens... both for use with my (non-pentax) digital point-and-shoot cam. Although they're fun to experiment with, image quality is pretty bad.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
09-18-2009, 02:42 AM
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Actually, I thought the same thing and almost went out to buy one when I read that it wouldn't work as a tilt/shift lens, which stopped me from buying it. Application is a bit too limited, IMHO. But to be honest, I'm not sure I understand why it doesn't work as a tilt/shift lens...
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Forum: Photographic Technique
09-17-2009, 07:57 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-17-2009, 07:52 AM
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-29-2009, 06:02 AM
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Does the band appear in RAW images as well? -- it's a long shot but you never know.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
07-23-2009, 11:14 AM
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