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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-05-2018, 12:01 AM
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I guess there is no "endgame", and very likely there will never be, even if we limit our consideration to mature technologies.
Some CRT monitors, now abandoned, were the best of their breed, like certain Eizo models, and AFAIK are still the benchmark in the graphic business, but were released at the very end of the life span of the technology.
Endothermic engines are another example. They are not doomed (not yet at least) but they are a very mature technology, nevertheless fuel consumption and performance are getting better every year.
If you are looking for the very best, I'm afraid no solution will ever be definitive.
If you are concerned about absolute sharpness - I am not, thanks Chaos there is some variety in this world, but if I were in your shoes I would wait till you are perfectly fine buying an expensive item, pass on the DFA, and do the same thing I've done for different reasons/purposes: find a nice second-hand Sigma HSM 24-70.
It lacks WR, but it's in the same league as the DFA, IQ wise, and with the latest firmware works great with the AF of the K-1. I use it as a complement to the primes, in some circumstances, or when I want to go out with just one camera + one lens.
Regarding Sigma modern high end zooms, according to personal experience is better to thoroughly test them after the purchase, especially if second-hand.
The lens could look mint, and be seriously out of whack. A strong knock on the front of the objective is enough to bend the plastic focusing and/or the zoom sleeve inside the barrel, without leaving any external trace.
For a number of reasons, I often have a new purchase shipped elsewhere, and sometimes it takes months before I can actually check the item. It has always worked fine buying old MF lenses on Ebay, only a couple of times they were beyond (economically viable) repair, but I've been burned twice buying expensive, high-end AF zooms.
Pictures tell a lot about old manual lenses, but modern zooms can be defective even when esthetically impeccable.
I'm not an expert, but I am afraid that all high-end zooms are made more or less the same, no matter the brand.
The pictures on lensrentals.com confirm that, and the kind of damage they have to deal with is for the most part similar to what I personally found.
I guess we'll never see an all-metal AF zoom in the future, because of cost and weight issues. Better pet our zooms without getting too anal, and use a robust prime if we are afraid the lens could get a beating :)
Cheers
Paolo
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-22-2017, 10:33 PM
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I own the Sigma EX DG HSM 2.8/24-70mm. Should be the penultimate version, if I remember correctly.
I have been impressed by its performance.
Much better than expected, especially if stopped down a notch or two.
Got mine second hand, and found it pretty decent on APS-C.
When I purchased my K-1 I sent it to the official Sigma repair center for bayonet replacement, together with a 120-400mm.
I found that the bayonet has to be replaced only on the very latest model, but they found that the lens was out of whack.
After the replacement of two main parts, and the firmware upgrade, I got back a wonderful objective, the only zoom I'm actively using.
Maybe the new Pentax/Tamron would be a tad better, but I don't think the difference would be enough to justify the expense.
If I need fast lenses, very good corner to corner performance with little vignetting and/or distortion, or I just need a small, light objective, I go for a prime.
I don't mind using MF lenses, in particular wide angles, so if size/weight is not a problem I use a Samyang.
With the 24mm I just bought, and with the 14mm and 35mm I already have, the most used wides are covered.
Found the two more expensive ones second hand, and bought the 14mm new for a good price.
All together they were far less expensive than a Pentax/Tamron 15-30mm, perform more or less at the same level, and are way faster.
The trade-off is no WR, no AF, some more weight, and a lot more bulk.
If/when I need to travel light, 2 or 3 petite vintage primes are not bulkier than a modern zoom and work more than decently if used at their sweet spot.
There are many fully manual ones (I love the 28mm and 35mm options of the first SMC Pentax line), but there are good AF options too. The Pentax-FA 2/35mm, the Pentax-FA 2.8/28mm and the Sigma Ultra-Wide II AF 2.8/24mm are three good examples. The 28mm can be expensive, the Sigma Mini-Wide (AF or MF) is a cheaper alternative.
Wider than 24mm there are very few cheap and small vintage options. The Pentax-M 20mm is one, but prices have gone up a lot.
Unlike vintage "normal" FF/35mm lenses, and fast short teles, that I often find preferable to modern zooms, strong wides made 30 or 40 years ago don't have such a special rendition, are not faster, and need to be stopped down to medium diaphragms to play in the same league.
For these reasons I'm using a first-version Tokina 20-35mm, which is light, relatively small, and works well enough on the K-1 stopped down a little. Maybe my example is particularly good, maybe I'm not after extreme sharpness, but I'm satisfied. What annoys me the most is the bulky original hood, that can't be fitted reversed.
Three examples of the Sigma 2.8/24-70mm HSM, none at its sweet spot.
Third is at f/3.5 48mm.
First and second at 70mm and 24mm in full diffraction zone (f/32).
The leaves in the third pictures are good even at 100%. Stopping down to f/5.6 or f/8 the quality is as good as i need, even at the extremes of the range.
The photos aren't great, are just the latest i took with the zoom, but definitely this lens isn't a sloppy one :)
 K_1_3977 by spaulein, on Flickr
 K_1_3976 by spaulein, on Flickr
 K_1_3990 by spaulein, on Flickr
For pixel peepers.
Click on the photo to get to Flickr, and download it in original size.
100% jpg conversion with NO PP.
Shot at f/3.5
 K_1_3992 by spaulein, on Flickr
I don't have with me anything shot with the Tokina AT-X 20-35mm (first version) wide open.
Most are f/32 shots to blur the water... forgot my ND filters and also forgot the intervalometer option of the K-1, oopps :)
Cheers
Paolo
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