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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-18-2016, 03:38 PM
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Ha ha :D You're a very rational economist. I was married for 23 years to an economist (by education) who never had an issue with irrational ownership for pure enjoyment (by no means a criticism, I might add) :lol:
It will happen, I'm sure... I've owned cars, rifles, watches, ham radio equipment that I certainly didn't need... but I enjoyed all of them. One thing I will say is that, in retrospect, I bought most of those "toys" to offset an imbalance between quality "me" time and my professional commitments. I was a slave to the City for most of my working life until a couple of years ago, and I unconsciously compensated for my quality of life with material things. It worked, to some extent, but in hindsight I'd probably have been happier with a more balanced professional and personal life, with far fewer toys :)
See above :lol:
Envy might be a better word than jealousy. And let me say this, I envy your early entry into photography. I didn't get into it until my late thirties, but have loved every moment of it. You've picked it up early on. Good for you, and good luck with your studies :)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-18-2016, 03:07 PM
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Good rant! :lol:
I get what you're saying, and agree with it mostly, despite the fact that I'm a repeat offender myself of buying equipment I don't *need* :D
Many (most?) of the guys here spending money on equipment are doing it for the fun of owning that equipment - and it *is* fun if you can afford to do it. In that sense, it's by no means worthless, and I'd never begrudge anyone their enjoyment of new toys. That said, you absolutely don't need expensive gear to get fantastic results, and there's a huge amount of satisfaction to be gained from working with low-cost equipment. My favourite Pentax AF lens is the DA35 f/2.4 "plastic fantastic"... I don't care that it looks and feels a little cheap, because it *was* cheap :lol: The IQ is phenomenal - in tests it does well, but in real use it's just very, very good indeed. That's one example of the low cost kit winning out, and there are countless others...
I don't *need* any of my equipment. It's all a hobby, I'm not a pro (as anyone who sees my output would realise!!! :lol:). Beyond that, I don't need anything more than my "old" K-5 and a couple of my cheaper, older primes to practice my craft as an amateur photographer and get great results. From there, the rest of the kit is just for fun - really, it is :D
Again, nice one on the M50 1.7 - it's a classic :)
Hah!... a man's gotta live, right? :lol:
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-18-2016, 02:29 PM
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Congrats :) I have two copies of the M50 1.7... they are *great* lenses, no doubt about that. So long as you're happy with the stop-down metering, you can't beat 'em for the price :)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-12-2016, 04:51 PM
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I couldn't agree more. A cheap lens hood (I have a nice screw-in metal one for my 50mm lenses - I think it cost less than £5 on eBay) is a really worthwhile investment. Depending on the lighting situation, it can make a big difference regarding flare and increasing subsequent contrast.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-12-2016, 04:43 PM
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Right, well you've found a very-well-priced A50 f/1.7 at £30. I paid almost the same (I'm in the UK too and paid just a *tiny* bit less, but I was really lucky). I can't speak for the benefits of the f/1.4 over the f/1.7 other than the obvious gain in shallow depth-of-field and possibly the aperture at which the maximum sharpness is reached, but we're not talking a *huge* difference here. You'll pay quite a bit more for the f/1.4, for sure. Personally, the A50 f/1.7 is plenty fast enough for me, very usable wide open and really excellent when stopped down just a little. At that price, I'd be jumping on it (assuming it's in good condition), whatever the other options might offer. Given your preference for manual focus, you'll love it :)
EDIT: I have the A50 f/2 also... you can pick these up *very* cheaply when they appear, but I do think the f/1.7 is the better buy and, as you've seen, it can be well within your budget and leave you money to spare :)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-12-2016, 01:27 PM
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Actually, those are good ideas. I have the Helios 44M and it's a lovely lens... as you say, not necessarily *better* in terms of technical IQ, but lots of character. I do find the lower contrast typical of Soviet lenses of the era, but that can either be dealt with easily in post-processing or used as part of the creative "look".
The Horus Bennu isn't a bad call either... I have a Chinon 50mm f/1.7 (I think) which produces lovely images and is probably the same lens. I find it a little harder to achieve critical focus than I do with my A50 f/1.7 and M50 f/1.7, for some reason, but the IQ is great... Now, that Chinon lens was cheap! Mine is like new and I think I picked it up for £15 or so here in the UK.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-12-2016, 01:08 PM
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With AF in mind, I'd agree with Adam - the DA50 f/1.8 is pretty hard to beat at current prices.
If you're happy with manual focus, I'd also suggest looking at the A50 f/1.7 *if* you can find a good one for considerably less than the DA50 (I picked mine up for a lot less). The focusing ring is very smooth (at least, it is on my copy), and if you prefer to manual focus it's a more enjoyable experience than with the DA50 :) It doesn't feel quite as nicely made as the M50 f/1.7, but the auto-aperture capability makes it the better buy, IMHO.
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