Author: | | Site Supporter Registered: July, 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 11,590 3 users found this helpful | Review Date: October 18, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $7,000.00
| Rating: 10 |
Pros: | long, fast and sharp. Sweet rendering, | Cons: | pricey. Somewhat harder to handle than a 35mm | | This was a "yeah, you only live once--I'm doin' it." purchase (I don't think there's any other way to go in to it) and--in spite of the required belt tightening it necessitated--I've got no regrets.
Yes, it's long and heavy (it's a 600/4 for Pete's sake ;~) so not something I take out wandering. So far, I've only used it to shoot from the porch where it's excelled. I do plan to take it out in the field--but only to sites where the game is set-up & wait. I've been using it on the K-3, often with the Tamron AF-Pz MC 1.4x, with which it matches very well. I generally shoot TAV 1/800-1/1000, f 6.3 - f8. Although it doesn't have the ED like the FA*, aberrations have not been an issue but maybe I'm not looking hard enough.
With the TC: | | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2008 Posts: 177 1 user found this helpful | Review Date: April 21, 2010 | Recommended
| Rating: 10 |
Pros: | range, optical quality, very sharp | Cons: | large and heavy, purple fridge | | i do have the F* 300 allready so i was quite lucky to find a F* 600
the 600 is by fare the most heaviest pentax-lens and it is larger than any other 600 f4.0
it needs much more training and some special gear to get good results
but i think that's quite normal for any supertele
once you can handle this big lens you get a very impressive imagequality, very nice colours and very sharp
it does produce purple fridge at high contrast and autofocus is not that fast
you will not need the buildin filter on a digital camera as it is said in the manual
i do use it with the K20D
| | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2008 Location: UK - Somerset Posts: 175 3 users found this helpful | Review Date: May 13, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $7,000.00
| Rating: 10 |
Pros: | Reach, Colours, Built in Hood and Tripod Mount | Cons: | Cost, Weight | | (Non working link deleted) http://www.tripodhead.com/products/wimberley-main.cfm
I would rate this lens as a 10, when used with the wimberley head Mk2 and Kinetic carrying system.
The Wimberly, not cheap, but if I have spent a hefty amount on a lens well another $400 for the head and a mounting plate etc are worth it.
On the issue of weight, after much searching I found the Kinetic Gear sight. What a revelation. Very helpful communications, fast delivery and excellent quality. So now I am able to carry the lens + K10D body fitted, in complete safety.
Visit the Kinetic site, well worth the look, not just for a suitable carry system for you Valuable lens but tons of other useful stuff... | | | | New Member Registered: December, 2007 Location: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Posts: 18 1 user found this helpful | Review Date: March 4, 2008 | Recommended
| Rating: 9 |
Pros: | Magnification, build quality, results I get | Cons: | Weight (about 7 kg - per Pentax) | | Mr. Ron Boggs offered a great review of the same lens under FA name. I think the difference is only in color. He is absolutely 100% on target with everything. I can't better his review.
Why do I offer a 9 rating? You need strength and stamina. I can walk with this lens for a few hours, but it kills my shoulder (ask any 600 owner).
Because of the magnification factor (18x with digital bodies) you need a perfect technique to get the results. If there is something wrong with the images, it is the yours truly who is at fault.
Yes, it is soft at 4.0, but very usable. I have some shots of spoonbills taken at bad light and the images after some USM are just great.
Personally, I prefer to use it at f8.0. This way, because of shallow depth of field, my images are sharp. Also, I like to use ISO 400 so I can get a good shutter speed. K10D performs very well at 400. To improve the quality, I can run the image through the Noise Ninja (love it) and I get a super sharp picture with no grain. But on many occasions I can get absolutely sharp images of non-moving objects at 1/160 sec only without using a remote. Seems that SR is not a factor here at all. I hardly ever use it. It took me time to learn, a long time, to finally be satisfied with the results. The learning curve because if the weight, magnification and sensitivity to any movement is steep. It is not a lens for everybody. For example, even your breathing can be sensed by the lens through your fingers. I put some samples of the images from the lens here on the forum, one is at f 4.0 without any USM.
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