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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-12-2008, 02:19 AM
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Hi there,
Can't help with the Hassy lenses, but we'd love to see some examples once you've got them to work on camera.
There's been lots of entries on the Katzeye screen, I don't know if this link is going to work (if not, type Katzeye under 'search':
Go Back PentaxForums.com > Pentax Photography > Pentax DSLR Discussion
Reload this Page which new focusing screen?
Good luck, most of the comments on the katzeye screen relate to metering (and the effect of the light/dark parts of the split focus circle)
Am considering getting one myself because I use a lot of older lenses (and prefer manual focussing anyway)
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Forum: Photographic Technique
03-12-2008, 02:06 AM
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Hi Dustin,
I'm new to digital photography, having had a K10 for only about 5 months.
I read with interest about the problems with alignment of images, but I've had no such experiences.
I hope someone can be of more help, but here goes:
1. I don't think the kit lens likes being manually adjusted when the camera is set to autofocus.
The few pentax lenses I know that allow this are the 'limiteds' - 31mm, 43mm and 77mm.
2. My kit lens doesn't have a focus scale - I only use older lenses, so I don't know if this is the norm for digital lenses. Welcome to digital photography - just zoom into the screen after you've taken the shot and confirm the focus is as you want it to be!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-06-2008, 10:32 PM
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Those are nice shots![/QUOTE]
you can say that again ....fantastic use of DOF, and the in-focus areas are still sharp
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-06-2008, 02:36 AM
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I nearly nabbed a 1.2 on fleabay once, and was kicking myself over being outbid at the last moment by a couple of dollars. (Doesn't matter really, since I must have about half a dozen old lenses in the 50-55mm range)
What's your strike rate with focussing at 1.2?! I'm guessing you've invested in a katzeye - its something I've been considering for use with an 85mm f1.9 - man, I'm afraid to go anywhere near F1.9 with that thing - the DOF is ridiculously thin. Even at f2.8, my strike rate would probably be 50%
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-05-2008, 11:14 PM
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I always read about the FA50's reputed poor performance wide open, but I must admit to using
1.4 aperture quite a lot. I find its reasonably sharp in the centre, and can prodce really good results where the composition allows.
i'd like to know how often you guys use 1.4 or 1.2 - is it only as a last resort in low light, or do you use it for effect?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-15-2008, 12:22 AM
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This website might be of interest.
Medium Format Cameras - Testing Lenses
the pentax 105mm achieves max 76 lines/mm at f5.6.
I know its wanky to fuss over lines/mm while ignoring all the other characterstics of the lens, but I'd imagine that 60-80 lines/mm seems to indicate a reasonably sharp lens.
BUT check out the mamiya 7 rangefinder 80mm. Awesome figures.
Also the Rolleiflx 2.8 Schneider....I've got one of these but dammit the lens has got BAD cleaning marks and fungus...such a shame.https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/images/smilies/eek.gif
:eek:
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-13-2008, 11:05 PM
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I have never used MF lenses on cameras with APS sized sensor (although if someone figured out a way to use mamiya lenses on a K10 then I'm all ears...) although I have been told that the resolving power/performance of medium format lenses is generally lower than equivalent lenses for 35mm/APS. I guess this is because of the advantage in size of the 67 neg compared to 35mm neg. - the 35mm lenses need to work harder to achieve good resolutions.
I'd take this with a grain of salt because someone out there could probably point to the fact that Zeiss MF glass is probably some of the best ever made, and Pentax 67 glass may also compare well with its FF/APS brethren. I recall lenses for the Mamiya 7 rangefinders topped 100 lines per mm.
Lens resolution test on the net may yield some interesting results, but better still some real-world tests would be interesting to see! I think Pentax 67 to K mount adaptors are freely available on fleabay (again, I've never used them but make sure they allow lens focus to infinity).
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-01-2008, 02:39 AM
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best thing to do is to check how close you can focus on a subject with your existing non-macro lenses. Most likely if you're using, say, a 50mm non-macro lens, you'll need to be at least half a meter away from your subject for it to be in focus. It simply can't focus on anything closer.
You might be able to get closer with a wide angle lens (say to within 20cm when you're using a 28mm lens) but on the other hand, you'll need to be even further away with a longer lens.
For example, I need about 1.2meters before anything will be in focus with my 135mm lens.
The dedicated macro lens will let you get really close to your subject.
I'm sure there's been a thread on this forum in the past comparing 50mm MACRO to a 100mm MACRO lenses - can anyone help? Also worth investigating how these babies compare to 'macro' zoom lenses.....
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
01-27-2008, 11:52 PM
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I really liked using the pentax M 50 f1.4 on a samsung GX-10 body.
Used it to great effect for a few years on a K1000, and loved the quality of its images, but never really appreciated its resolution until I put in on a digital camera. Going from 1mb photolab scans to 10mp camera was a revelation.
BUT, some of my night shots revealed a problem with internal reflections which I didn't get with film. I can only guess that it was caused by light bouncing off the sensor and back onto the lens???. Was happy with all of its other characterisitics, though (CA was controlled above f2, out of focus rendering, corner resolution was good etc)
I've been reasonably happy with the M 28mm f3,5
Really easy to use with its DOF, resolution is good.
My favourite though, would have to be the m42 85mm f1.9
This is an amazing lens for portraits. The extra distance away from the subject that's needed when mounted on a digital camera helps DOF issues, though focussing is still triky wide open
But the resolution, especially over f4 is really impressive.
Its subjective, but I love the bokeh and colour rendering, and I think that there's something about the transition from the out-of-focus to in-focus areas. Hard to define, but it gives a bit of a dreamy look to portraits.
I think that its performance as a portrait lens comes at the expense of sacrificing its usefulness as a general purpose lens though - there's nothing special about this lens when focussed at infinity, and its depth of field is savage for middle distance shots.
Still, its my first choice for people shots and lets not forget the other big consideration, its a joy to use such beautifully crafted gear. Its smaller than a kit zoom, but cant believe how much the thing weighs.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-27-2008, 06:01 PM
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I had a 55mm f2 (which I gave away due to scratch on front of lens which created a 'mark ' on images taken with it) - its not a bad lens, good for portraits.
One thing to pay attention to is its colour rendition - colours looked a bit saturated? Maybe mine was suffering from the yellowing these lens coatings are renowned for.
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