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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-22-2014, 02:45 AM
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Your results might be affected by many factors such as optical flaws of each lens, sample variation, errors in focusing, extreme lighting conditions, shake blur, subject blur ( wind ?), and so on.. the effort is noble , but results are meaningless really.. Even the choice of subject doesn't really help in determining the crucial factor - sharpness in corners and on edges, and the curvature of focal place - both exceedingly important for wide angle lenses - especially when measured against at f8.0 - which supposed to deliver top uniform sharpness , not only in the very center. Add to that the fact that instead of close focused distance - much more interesting would be to see how both lenses are resolving details at infinity distances.. Even bokeh is so hard to judge on these for simple reason that background is heavily blown out and uninteresting.
Nothing to worry about though, I've been there and done that :P - we all did those tests I believe...
The fact is : Until we know the *EXACT* condition of these two lenses, and their relative performance in comparison to others of the same kind - to rule out the sample variations factor - these results are telling me nothing more than one of YOUR lenses is better in some respects than the other in case of shooting heavily backlit subject. That's it - there is nothing more to it really ;-)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-17-2015, 01:27 AM
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Answering that we would need to quote probably half of the lenses from the review's database. However there are some lenses that really stands out quality-wise :
SMC Pentax-M 20mm F4.0 - BEST super angle 20mm lens I ever had. It is sharper than the earlier SMC-K version, on top of that its lighter and much smaller.
Super Multi Coated / Super Takumar 24mm F3.5 or SMC Pentax-K 24mm f2.8 -all are superb lenses, very sharp and great colours.
Super Multi Coated 35mm f3.5 - cheap and fantastic lens
Zeiss Flektogon 35mm F2.4 - classic, great rendering, super close focusing
Auto Takumar 35mm F2.3 - amazing bokeh and unique rendering - not focusing as close
Super Takumar 50m F1.4 8 element (1st version) - top 50mm lens in M42 mount period. Sharp from wide open to all else. Great bokeh
Zeiss Pancolar 50mm f1.8 - another great lens, lovely bokeh and rendering. I like my zebra style older version with 8 aperture blades the most.
SMC Pentax-A 50mm F2.8 - best macro lens with 1:2 magnification on the market. period - it is a really stunner and an eye opener to what a good lens can do!
SMC Pentax-K 85mm F1.8 - classic best portrait , hard to get cheaply
SMC Pentax-M 85mm f2.0 - still great, sharp but less expensive . Advantage is the size and weight, almost like a fast 50 !
Super Multi coated 105mm f2,8 portrait - very sharp and great rendering and bokeh
SMC Pentax-A 100mm F2,8 even better than the S-M-C, sharper and better
S-M-C/Takumar/ SMC Pentax-M 135mm f3.5 , small and sharp telephoto - rather inexpensive but punches way above its weight
Zeiss Sonnar 135mm F3.5 - stunner of a lens, best 135 f3.5 ever made. Period. Very sharp, best is black MC version
SMC Pentax-K 135mm F2.5 - probably best 135mm F2.5 ever made, really sharp, harder to get but the images I saw from this are worth the hunt
SMC Pentax 200mm f4 - any version is really a stunner
SMC Pentax 300mm F4 - superb sharp lens, hand holdable, some CA's might be problematic in some scenarios, still one of the best manual options out there.
... ok , that will do for now ;)
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
10-10-2015, 09:06 AM
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I trust your judgement on this one :)
Rebellion well done indeed! I share your love for BW work, although I just shot for now.. pp time will come on my retirement (12000 shots to PP and counting ;P)
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
01-22-2016, 10:11 AM
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
06-20-2016, 02:06 AM
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No wonder why.. they always give more detailed and usually ore interesting shots ! TFS !
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
05-03-2016, 12:57 AM
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I think this is a part of her make-up you know these fancy decorations they sometime do next to the eye ? And yes! .. I also think it was unnecessary , especially for such a beautiful girl we don't need no gimmicks , do we ? :P
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
03-02-2016, 02:03 AM
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Some surprisingly bold statements from some of the guys.. I wonder how many of those claiming this 'evident' inferiority of older vintage lenses have actually *used* them (as oppose to 'testing') ??
Lenses as anything else in life takes time to master - and having used mine vintage Pentax K/ Takumar glass for the last 8 years on digital pentaxes and now for a nearly year using them on my Sony A7R - I am anything but concerned about their performance on a 'modern digital sensor'.. in fact I am astounded by the quality of our lovely lenses, and no wonder why people from from all over the 'digital photography map' come and get them!
I assure anybody bold enough to claim that the vintage lenses are so bad, that I can take a better shot with any vintage lens that they would with their shiny new ones.
Fortunately I don't have to be concerned :D as all really good photographers would never said that - they know how great older lenses can be and what they are capable of in able hands...
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
02-19-2016, 04:35 AM
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Who is Ken Rockwell to make his opinion matter at all...
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-19-2016, 01:44 AM
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great results ! and I agree with previous comment on the presentation of your film strips in that way you did - exellent idea ! BTW how do you find that zeiss flektogon 35mm f2.8 ? I have the 2.4 version but for collectors purposes sometime eyeing in the direction of the older one, but the one I had handled once was having pretty rough focusing.. Anyway great shots there which proves the quality of these older German lens ...
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-06-2016, 01:27 AM
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Amazing ! It reminds me a fine stipple art... in fact it looks almost like a drawing, especially her face.
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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
07-19-2015, 06:59 AM
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I don't think you should settle on anything mediocre with film ! Film is a large part of my photography, and although I mainly went for BW now, a high quality film , well exposed and scanned will give you impressive detail with very well controlled noise. Here is one sample of Ektar 100, scanned at 5400 dpi ( it gives around 50 MP - yes, fifty mega pixels) - and when scaled down to 20 it will astound you with image quality, maybe even exceeding what some current digital sensors can produce. But there is much more to film than just resolution. It is mainly colour / tonal range that attracts people to it. Also longevity of medium, no to mention the excitement of delayed gratification or uniqueness of rendering / field of view .. I suggest you get a GOOD film ( Ektar 100 or Portra 160, or 400 are one of best) and try that :)
Below an example of full shot NOTE, there is NO NOISE REMOVING applied to these scans ! Note this was shoot probably at f2.8 so wide open, not even close to an optimum f5.6 ! And also the lens, the DA XS 40mm f2.8, which in theory shouldn't even work this good on film :)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-24-2015, 02:23 AM
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A real thing of beauty there - both the model and the photos :D
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
12-13-2015, 04:54 AM
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Wow just wow I am speechless !
And that hummingbird is just amazing remembering how fast they move and how little they are !
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-28-2015, 11:08 AM
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I wouldn't do it if I were you :D - You can buy a MZ-M for just few dollars and the screen from there will be a perfect fit for your Z1p. I know because I am using one. Shimming was not even required .
AF is matching the MF perfectly since then and I know that from extensive testing. If exposure differs I am yet to notice than in real life photos.
I hope I was quick enough to save you this high $$ spent on just a focusing screen ;)
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Forum: Sold Items
11-23-2015, 03:52 AM
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A terrific camera seems to be going on and on forever, always faultless. I enjoy my two copies and holding onto them :) - wishing you luck with the sale though !
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-22-2015, 02:54 PM
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Nice ideas you got there - I am subscribing and will be looking forward to what others have to say :)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
11-22-2015, 02:08 AM
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nop, that is precisely one of the advantages - this so called 'delayed gratification' offers just that - the pleasure coming from seeing the end result after some time. Besides not having to see a shot just after it was taken frees the mind and allows one to focus on the process of taking photographs rather than studying the shot how it came. It also teaches you to be much more disciplined , have the ability to promote certain qualities in ones personality. Not to mention the fact that while you reviewing your shot on your digital camera, you ARE missing on some opportunities or rare moments that would result in another, perhaps unique shot.
These are just few factors worth consideration but there is much more to it and film for sure will continue to live on supported by many people who see the advantages of this analogue medium. Finally the fact of not having this 100% certainty that shot came out well forces you to perfect your skill and to know your gear and all techniques needed. if you watch some interviews with famous film photographers you will see that many emphasize this ability to be sure that shot was good. They often just say 'I am sure I got that shot' - when they are being asked why or how they could possible know for sure - the answer is usually the same : "I just know I got that shot"
so try to learn some of these principles and appreciate the skill that goes into being sure that shot is there without actually looking at it. It pays off and helps even with digital Just makes you overall a better and more confident photographer.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-10-2015, 09:15 AM
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First one has this magical 3d pop we all strive for .. well done :)
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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
10-07-2015, 02:52 PM
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Pakon F135 that I have works with both C41 color and BW films AND all normal BW films (non C-41). Scans are great and really there is no alternative for this scanner if it comes to convenience. Works well on Win7 in a VMvare box with WinXP. Only issue is that sometime ever odd roll it can stop scanning and drop an error. Also software sometime might freeze - but generally all just work ...
Here is one from pakon (SMC-F 100 macro wide open. ilford film pushed to ISO 640) - only drawback is in BW mode the ICE is not working.
 Ilford pushed ISO640, SMC Pentax-F MACRO 100mm f2.8 wide open |
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
09-28-2015, 03:41 PM
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I got inspired and went out , but instead of the usual 300mm or 400mm lenses, I took my SMC-A 50 1.2 :) - here is the shot I snapped just before thick layer of clouds covered the sky up.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
09-08-2015, 12:29 AM
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Your photos looks much more natural now and much more appealing to my eyes... good job and nice series of fast paced action !
well done!
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
07-28-2015, 02:01 PM
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one from Ektar and DA XS 40mm f2.8 wide open if I recall... unprocessed , just scanned
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
08-28-2015, 10:53 AM
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I got two of those. one use with AF lenses and one with manual lenses. Terrific camera, especially great with super rare grip :)
1/8000th :)
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
08-21-2015, 01:54 PM
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Best would probably be to contact the seller and have it repaired or returned. It looks like your lens has got the infinity focusing not calibrated properly - unless it focuses past infinity , in which case you would need to apply caution to not over-focus past that sweet point. If it was me I would probably just return it and got another from reputable seller. These lenses are fairly popular - although I agree if your copy is particularly good optically, you might want to have it repaired instead returned (the sample variation among these lenses is very wide from rubbish to excellent).
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-20-2015, 11:44 PM
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During my LBA I bought the Super Takumar version and also wanted to upgrade one day. The lens was great performer and I didn't notice much problem with flare , and the sharpness was excellent so I didn't want to sell the lens before getting the replacement. Finally after some hunting I bought the S-M-C version on eBay, but once it came It turned to have some mechanical problems with tight infinity focusing - it was increasingly hard to focus. Nevertheless I tested it against my Super Takumar version and honestly there was no difference really. Also with astonishment I recognized that the rear glass elements in both lenses were multi-coated ! Yes - both Super Takumar 24mm f3.5 and S-M-C Takumar 24mm f3.5 had the same kind of green/blueish reflections off the glass in rear optical group!
So I finally decided to return the faulty S-M-C version (it was pristine optically, only mechanically problematic ) and keep my Super Takumar version.. For me , there was absolutely no reason to upgrade after I tested them side by side..
So check if your Super Takumar copy has the same kind of coating in rear optical group - I read somewhere that Asahi quietly introduced S-M-C coating into late editions of Super Takumar 24mm f3.5 lenses and so there might not be as much of a difference between the two of them if your one is similar to mine.
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