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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-09-2020, 01:55 PM
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I guess when I say lens snob, what I mean is you are not someone who replies to people's images, "Wow, that would have been really nice if you used a decent piece of glass."
Not all images that appear on the Pentax Forum have equal quality. If I don't think much of them, I don't honestly know if the issue is the skill of the photographer or the glass used or some mixture, but it doesn't really matter. I choose not to say anything and if in the future their are images I like of the same photographer, I will comment then. Even in the critique section, I seldom will comment on the quality of the gear, but more focus on ways to use it more effectively.
I do think I can see the difference between more expensive lenses and less expensive ones and that's why I own the ones I do. But if I couldn't afford the gear I have, I would still shoot with whatever I could afford.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-09-2020, 02:46 AM
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I really don't see many (if any) lens snobs on the Forum. I think most of us here understand that it isn't about the lens and the camera as much as it is about the light, subject, and composition. I have gradually accumulated a lot of lenses over the years -- mostly because my wife shoots wedding photography. I do own the DFA *70-200 and the (original) DA 55-300 and I can definitely tell the difference in the images. Obviously this doesn't mean that I can't take nice photos with the 55-300, I can, but if I am shooting portraits, I would prefer the out of focus rendering of the 70-200 to the 55-300 quite a bit.
To me, the difference between the more expensive and cheaper lenses is not sharpness (particularly not if you shoot stopped down), but how well they handle in focus to out of focus transition areas and how well they render out of focus areas. This is where a lens like the FA 77 shines. The other thing is contrast and micro contrast. Those can be added in post, but lenses that offer more contrast out of the box just pop more. Those are the sort of thing I look at more if and when I am evaluating whether to buy a new lens.
Am I making great art? Nope. But I will keep shooting with the gear I have and share the images I get with it, understanding the whole time that it isn't about the gear.
(I still shoot a fair amount with my K-01)...
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-28-2020, 03:57 AM
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I think the point is for people who want the ability to shoot f4 and 210 mm, have fast auto focus, and don't want a lens as heavy as the DFA *70-200. I seriously doubt that most people are going to use it with the 1.4x TC. Maybe they will, I just think it unlikely.
But you are certainly right that it isn't a great wildlife lens.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-21-2020, 07:48 AM
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Personally, I think all of this sounds terrible. Who really wants to get a lens and then shoot test shots with the lens at four or five different focal lengths with close, middle and infinity focus shots for each one. I guess I'm old school but I want the lens to work right out of the box and I don't want to be the beta tester to fix Tamron or Sigma or Pentax's issues. I'm willing to do a single test and dial in the lens correction to the camera, but this sort of thing is something I would rather leave to technicians who are way better at it than I am (and are being paid to do it as well).
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-21-2020, 06:50 AM
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My experience with Pentax lenses is that they have not needed tweaking for multiple different focal lengths in order to function perfectly. It has not been so good with Sigma. The reason for the adjustment dock is to attempt to take care of errors that they have with their reverse engineering other brand's auto focus protocols.
If you have an issue with focus that is minor, of course you can adjust it with the body adjustment, but if necessary, you can certainly send the lens and body to Pentax and they will adjust it to specifications. That is not true with a Tamron or Sigma lens.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-21-2020, 04:05 AM
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We'll see. I'm not convinced that the lens design is much different and that Pentax isn't just naming Tamron's pre-existing elements something different.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-21-2020, 03:56 AM
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I think the big difference will be the coatings. Whether these are worth the price difference is hard to say. It seems pretty certain though that with the current price of the Tamron, the Pentax will end up having a street price of maybe 800 dollars, which feels pretty reasonable.
As Kunzite says, the issue with buying third party lenses is often a new camera doesn't play well with them in terms of auto focus. With Pentax being involved in the production, that will not be an issue with this lens.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-20-2020, 04:28 AM
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The odd thing is that over time, even back to the DA * days, the "partnership" with Tokina was almost entirely Tokina licensing Pentax lens designs and not the reverse. This has been true for the FE 10-17, DA *16-50, 50-135, 100 macro, and 35 macro and now more recently the DFA *50. The only situation where the licensing went the other direction was with the DA 12-24 which was a Tokina lens design. And still the rumors fly about Pentax using Tokina designs on their lenses.
I suppose it isn't odd, but it does feel like an effort to discredit the few lenses that Pentax does release. "Oh, well, the only reason that lens came out was because they borrowed Tokina's design..."
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-20-2020, 03:44 AM
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I haven't heard that this is a Tokina design (in fact that seems unlikely since it would have been released quite awhile ago if that was the case)...
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-19-2020, 02:24 PM
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Nice to know Pentax has sold one copy of the lens already! This should really turn their ship around...
(I'm still sure they're doomed).
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-05-2020, 03:44 AM
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My limited experience shooting my kids doing sports says that faster aperture is more important than long focal length, particularly with indoor sports. On a soccer field or football field in good light, 300 mm and f5.6 might be usable, but I don't think I could effectively hand hold 300mm and f5.6 in most of the gyms I have been in and the athletes would be a blurry mess due to motion blur -- even with the good high iso performance of the KP and K-1 II.
The biggest negative of many of the older, faster aperture lenses, like the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 and the Pentax DA *60-250, is that their auto focus isn't the best. The SDM on the 60-250 is slow enough that I don't know that it can do sports very easily.
But I'm not sure what we are arguing about. Is it whether people will buy a 70-200 f4 lens (I think plenty will if it is priced right and sharp at f4)? Or is it whether a 55-300 variable aperture zoom is better than it and renders it unnecessary (it doesn't)?
As far as "ignoring costs" goes, I think wealthy amateurs are way quicker to buy unneeded lenses they want than professionals, who are trying to make a living a what they are doing. My experience is that most pros shoot with older gear and don't replace it nearly as often as hobby photographers.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
12-21-2019, 02:41 PM
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With modern high iso performance, I think it would be reasonable to shoot a wedding with a 24-70 f4 and 70-200 f4, assuming decent wide open performance. Those lenses don't currently exist for Pentaxians, although one may be coming soon.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
12-21-2019, 09:24 AM
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My wife shoots weddings and she typically has two bodies (both full frame), one with a DFA 24-70 f2.8 and the other with the DFA *70-200. For couples shots she will often use primes, but seldom for anything else.
Zooms give flexibility and having f2.8 zooms obviously give one the leeway to open the aperture in dark settings. The point is not so much with regard to focusing as it is image quality, which may be suboptimal shooting at f5.6 in a dark church or reception area.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-28-2019, 03:31 AM
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Certainly for the time being I have found the FA lenses -- primes and zooms (not FA-J lenses) to be adequate to fill in gaps where there are not current Pentax lenses to cover things. They aren't perfect, but then again, they aren't as expensive as what new DFA * primes or even the coming DFA 70-200 f4 will be either.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-27-2019, 04:05 AM
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The 28-105 is probably the only lens that fits your description currently.
Honestly, till Pentax fills out the full frame lens line up a little better, they feel as though they have the sealed, cheaper line up well covered in APS-C land and that's where they expect you to go. You can get a K70 and 18-135 for 800 dollars new and there are a lot more cheap-ish sealed lenses for APS-C.
For the time being, none of the coming lenses -- 20-ish mm/35 f1.4/85mm f1.4/70-200 f4 -- look cheap. Are they "pro" level? Depends on the person shooting them, I suppose, but except for the wide angle, I expect all of them to be in the 1000 dollar range.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-21-2019, 06:59 AM
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SDM is a name. Obviously the SDM in the DFA 15-30/24-70 is completely different as these lenses are rebadged Tamron lenses. The DFA *50 actually has a ring motor which is very different from the SDMs of the past.
But even within the SDM line up the speed varied. The DA *55 had by far the slowest focusing motor (and you could actually hear it power up when you zoomed). The DA *16-50 seemed a little faster than the 50-135. Anyway, just saying that the bigger question is what motor they are actually using combined with the length of the focus throw (shorter obviously makes for faster AF).
My guess for this lens would be a DC motor though. They could still call it SDM and have it be a similar motor to what is on a lens like the DFA *70-200.
Everyone seems to think the PLM system is awesome, but I'm not totally sold on focus by wire systems where they are unusable, even as manual focus lenses on older cameras. But maybe it is the way of the future...
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-20-2019, 01:42 PM
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But if we assume that it will be 60 percent of the cost of the DFA *70-200 then street price after a few months will be around 1000 dollars. Maybe a hair more. That seems right to me assuming good optics, small size (relatively speaking) and fast auto focus.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-19-2019, 03:24 AM
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-18-2019, 02:54 AM
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For whatever reason I find the aerobright 3 hints pretty interesting. It's just that their current coatings are so good I'm not sure how much better they can get. It still feels like they have some of the best coatings in the industry and they are still working on things, which is great.
I hope you don't have a terminal illness, but if you do, maybe Make a Wish Foundation could get you an advanced copy. Otherwise I suppose you are like the rest of us and will have to wait on any delays. It isn't unusual for Pentax lenses to be delayed several months or even a year, but my experience is that they are worth it when they arrive.
But here's hoping your health holds up awhile longer. :)
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-12-2019, 03:30 AM
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Well, clearly you are a lens designer and have a better feel for the whole process. I wouldn't have thought it was as simple as taking out SDM and screw driven parts and dropping in a DC motor. Sounds like a day's work for a lens designer, maybe a bit less, not? Spray on some HD coatings and call it a day!
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-12-2019, 03:01 AM
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I have to think it is a bit more complicated when you have lenses (like the 16-50, 50-135, and 60-250) with dual focus mechanisms. Surely if you update those lenses you would take away their ability to be screw driven auto focus? Seems as though that's a little more of a change.
Anyway, regardless of how easy it would be, Pentax is in the mood to sell new lenses to Pentaxians and they have decided they will sell more by making a new 70-200 f4 than by replacing the baffle and focus motor on the 60-250.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-10-2019, 03:09 AM
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I think Pentax has decided that a re-do of the 60-250 would be as expensive as making a new 70-200 f4 and wouldn't sell as many lenses as the new project. Most people interested in the 60-250 have already purchased one and if they are using it on full frame, they either crop a bit of have done their own surgery.
It's always a tougher sell when you re-do a lens. The 16-50 and 50-135 are obvious choices as they are focal lengths that are really desired for APS-C (and the 16-50 really isn't great optically, not to mention the SDM motor).
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-09-2019, 02:38 AM
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I don't think this lens will be particularly appealing to you since you are primarily an APS-C shooter. This lens will have better full frame coverage without the surgery the 60-250 needs. In addition, it will be smaller than both the 70-200 f2.8 and 60-250 f4. My guess would be in the 750 gram range, although Canon is doing some amazing things with the RF 70-200 f2.8 and not sure if Pentax could do something similar to keep size down.
Auto focus here is going to be the key though. I you need fast auto focus for tracking shots or anything like that, I would expect this lens to be a lot better than the 60-250. And I suppose more reliable, as the SDM does fail on the 60-250 and I don't think it can be converted to screw driven lens.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-07-2019, 02:41 AM
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I'm not sure I follow you. Olympus doesn't seem to do this (you can tell by mounting one of their lenses on a Panasonic camera). Sony seems to be the big culprit and they are generally given a free pass for it by review sites, I guess because it is undefeatable and automatically applied to the RAW image.
It isn't to say Sony doesn't have some excellent lenses, they do, they just have figured out how to make their lenses look better than they are.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-06-2019, 05:04 AM
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Profiles are fine. They really shouldn't applied to RAW and it is understood they have penalty -- correct 2 stops of vignetting in the corners at iso 800 and you are bound to start seeing noise there. That's a choice the photographer should make, not the camera maker.
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