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Forum: Pentax K-01
12-04-2012, 10:58 AM
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I tried it outside this morning and I'm very satisfied by this combo. As you said, fast and accurate.
I took some pictures at 1/125s and they were sharp. I didn't have any problem with the grip or the balance of the combo, but I will need to use it more to evaluate how I like it.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
12-03-2012, 05:36 PM
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Hello,
I received today my K-01 bought last week from Adorama. I already have the K-5, but I'm not always happy with AF accuracy and I also want focus peaking for close-up and portrait with my Voigtlander 58mm.
Before I received my K-01, I was worried about reports of very very (very) slow AF speed of K-01 with the DA* 300mm (which I have). I saw a video on Youtube and wondering if the lens would be usable with the K-01. I tried to find some user reports about this after firmware update but I did not find anything (maybe I did not look carefully enough).
So here is my report after a quick test of DA* 300mm on K-01:
Before firmware update (with fw 1.00): As shown in a video available on youtube, AF is so slow that it is probably unusable.
After firmware update (with fw 1.01): AF is fast !! I will test it tomorrow outside, but the impovement is BIG !
Hope this help,
David
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-06-2012, 10:19 AM
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I successfully used the DA* 300/4 with the Pentax AF 1.7X teleconverter with both K10D and K-5. You have to manually make a "coarse" adjustment of the focus with the lens, then half-press the shutter button and the screwdrive AF system will move an element in the teleconverter to achieve fine adjustment of the AF. This works quickly and image quality is still very good.
I don't know about the current availability of the Pentax AF 1.7X TC, but if you can grab one, it is very good.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-17-2010, 02:08 PM
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Here are some flower pics taken last summer.
77 Ltd:
Nokton 58mm f/1.4:
Some of them were taken with extension tubes. Sometimes I prefer Nokton 58/1.4 + extension tubes rather than my "true" macro lens (Tamron 90/2.8)...
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-19-2010, 11:54 AM
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Hello Philip,
I agree with this. If your goal is to have autofocus with a long tele lens, adding a TC on a 400/5.6 is not a good idea as it most probably won't AF.
If you will buy a non-HSM 70-200/2.8 + 1.4X or 1.5X TC, also buying a 2X TC may be a good idea and give you the reach you need.
Another possibility is the Pentax DA* 300/4. Very good image quality, but because of SDM, some people are having trouble with AF when used with Tamron 1.4X/Kenko 1.5X. For me, it is ok with my Kenko 1.5X in very good light. However, when I need more reach than 300mm, I prefer using the DA* 300 with the Pentax-F AF 1.7X TC. AF works very well and IQ still good. Sure, contrast suffers from the addition of the TC, but pictures are still sharp.
Some people are also happy using the Sigma 100-300/4 +1.4X TC.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-18-2010, 02:56 PM
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Hello Dave,
I once thought I had a problem with the bokeh of a used Pentax lens that I just purchased. It was unusually harsh and strange compared to all my other lenses. I realized that the problem originates from the very cheap UV filter that was on the lens. I removed it and bokeh became normal.
See this thread on another forum. I had the same effect on my pictures.
So if you have a UV filter in front of your lens, it may be a good idea to test it without the filter !
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-14-2010, 02:34 PM
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Thanks ! I always shoot JPG+RAW. I use orginal JPG for quick browsing and previewing of the pictures but thereafter work with RAW files. Most of these pictures were converted with SilkyPix (I adjust white balance, exposure, ... I usually put saturation value at about 8-10 and sharpness to the normal (default) setting). Then, I used Photoshop Elements 6 for final tweaking (if necessary) and resizing. After resizing to a 1024 pixel width picture, I generally sharpen a bit using Focus Magic (my usual settings are "Blur width" set at 1, "Amount" set at 75%). If I need some noise reduction, I use Noiseware.
Alternatively, some of these pics may have opened in RAW directly with Photoshop Elements. Then I generally use a Saturation setting around 10.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-14-2010, 12:50 PM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-14-2010, 10:52 AM
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I think some people are calling this out-of-focus fringe "bokeh CA"... but maybe not everybody is agreeing on the definition of the word "bokeh" and its usage... !
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-14-2010, 09:03 AM
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Thank you !
Yes, my copy is working great. I like it, even if it is quite a big lens !
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-14-2010, 07:32 AM
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Some close-up pictures with the 28mm F1.8 EX DG ASPHERICAL MACRO:
f/1.8:
f/2:
f/2.4:
f/2.8:
f/3.5:
f/8:
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-11-2010, 08:59 PM
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Is it a focus limiter ?
I think I had a similar screw on my Tamron Adaptall 300/2.8 that I could use as a focus limiter.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-09-2010, 09:44 PM
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A lot is depending on your shooting style and what you are going to shoot... but from your description and requirements, it seems the DA* 16-50 would be your most important lens. I would also bring the FA 35 and FA 50 for low light shots, indoors and low DOF. This kit would be light and easy to carry.
I spent two months in Japan during summer 2008 and rarely used focal length higher than 77mm. You should think if you need a small telephoto prime... maybe a small Pentax M 135/3.5 could sometimes be useful.
If you would like to shop for some camera stuff, Japan is great place. I used to go to Bic Camera (and they are other similar stores). They would have almost every lens in every brand, including Zeiss and Voigtlander, and also camera accessories in stock (remote, M42 adapters, etc.).
Gambate kudasai !
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-09-2010, 03:07 PM
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Hi montman,
I think the FA 43 Ltd would be a good choice for you and it meets all your requirement:
- It is faster than f/2.8
- It does not duplicate a focal length you already have in your prime lenses
- It is an excellent portrait lens
- It is a little bit wider than the FA 50/1.4
You may also consider the Voigtlander Ultron 40mm f/2 if you like manual focus. It seems it is also a great lens.
If you would like to go wider, you may take a look at the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. It seems to get mixed reviews (some really like it, others hate it !) mainly because it is quite soft in the corner at large aperture (from what I've read). This may not be a problem for portrait shots.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-09-2010, 02:38 PM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-04-2009, 05:31 PM
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I really enjoy this thread. Pictures shown by everybody are beautiful !
I thought I could contribute with some pics taken with the Tamron 90/2.8:
And some with the FA 77/1.8 Ltd:
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-02-2009, 07:55 PM
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Some pics with the Nokton + K10D:
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-29-2009, 10:19 AM
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FourmiX, very nice pictures !
Here are some pics taken with the Helios 44-2 58mm at f/2:
On film (with Pentax P3n):
With Pentax K10D:
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
07-01-2009, 11:10 AM
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Hello,
I regularly use this combo without any problem. It may hunt a bit under low light conditions, but it has never been problematic to me and I also get good image quality. About the exif data, my picture files indicate "500 mm" for the wavelength (in fact, that's the wavelength I entered for the image stabilization system when I opened the camera).
David
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-09-2009, 09:00 PM
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It really depends on what I would want to do with the photo gear, but I'd like these lenses for general purpose (landscape, portraits, flowers, Bokeh !). Also, it would be relatively light.
DA 21
FA 31 Ltd
Voigtlander Nokton 58/1.4
FA 77 Ltd
Yes, I like primes !
For macrophotography, I would add the Voigtlander SL 125/2.5 APO Lanthar.
For birding/wildlife, I really like my DA* 300, but my dream lens would be the FA* 600/4 or FA* 250-600/5.6.
I'd also really like to have the DA* 50-135/2.8 !
David
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-04-2009, 12:22 PM
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Very nice pic of the moon ! I did not try yet to shoot the moon with my DA 300/4. I used to take my Tamron AD2 300/2.8 stacked with 2 teleconverters (works well with 1.4x-L and 2X-S together). I will try later this week with my DA 300/4... maybe with Kenko 1.5X + Pentax 1.7X ?
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Forum: Sold Items
02-03-2009, 12:19 PM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-01-2009, 04:40 PM
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I don't think I'm doing anything special... I think it is not so hard to get close to these bird species, especially in winter.
I usually do a little bit of noise reduction on the background with Noiseware and I apply some sharpening after resizing the picture (with Focus Magic set at a blur width of 1 and 75%).
David
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-01-2009, 04:18 PM
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Hello, I have the 1.4x-L TC and the DA* 300/4. This TC CANNOT be used with the DA* 300/4. The protroding front element is very long and the rear element of the lens is not enough recessed to accomodate the TC.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-26-2009, 09:30 AM
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In August, I had a hiking trip in the Japanese Kita Alps. I had the small National Geographic backpack and I brought my K10D+battery grip, DA 12-24mm (with polarizer), FA 43mm and FA77mm. They all fiited in the camera compartment. The DA 12-24mm is quite big, but it was so useful for dramatic perpective of landscapes. I enjoyed a lot using this lens.
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