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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-04-2013, 08:30 PM
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I agree with a lot of the points in the OP, but also disagree with a few. Inexpensive gear can certainly perform, and yes, at f/8 looking at center sharpness, at normal viewing size a kit lens can match a nice prime. BUT when you look to the corners, this is where primes stand out. I know the "focus" of the photograph is most often in the center, but for things like landscape shots you often look at the entire photo, and I'm sorry but I will NEVER choose the 18mm end of my kit lens over my 15mm Ltd. There's just no comparison (Even when viewing at standard size, not pixel-peeping). I know that at normal focal lengths, the issue becomes less of an issue because kit lenses are pretty decent in the 24-40mm range. This is why I still use mine for that range, along with the fact that I can't really afford anything worth upgrading to in that zoom range. :)
In most cases, an image shot with a quality prime will look better than one shot with a zoom (with the same exact settings). Unless it's a really cheap prime. But that's not really what this argument is about.
Really expensive primes serve the purpose of trying to squeeze out as much sharpness, color, bokeh, etc, as possible; at a certain focal length. Zooms are designed with equal quality across the range in mind. Maximum sharpness is not THE primary concern as manufacturers are trying to make the lens usable at ALL focal lengths. Naturally, you're going to compensate some image quality for more equal performance across the board, and that's the nature of zooms, so it shouldn't be a surprise that an expensive prime will always outperform a zoom.
As for the question of "is it worth it?" That's up to the user to decide. I'd have a hard time justifying the current price for an FA31 (the most pixie-dust-inducing lens on this forum) but I'm sure someone who isn't a university student could beg to differ, i.e. a professional photographer. Price is always relative to the consumer. To me, my 15mm Ltd was worth it as it basically opened up a new world of wide-angle shooting for me. (much wider than the 18mm kit lens, insane sharpness and incredible flare resistance) To someone who rarely shoots wide angle or just doesn't like the distorted perspective, obviously it's not going to be worth it.
And then there comes the "pixie dust" of all the famous Pentax primes. Technically some of these pixie-dust effects (greater microcontrast, richer colors, etc) can all be done in post-processing. But for some people, that's no fun. But some things can't be manipulated, like bokeh.
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