Latest Review Posted | SMC Pentax-FA 645 150-300mm F5.6 ED [IF] This is the most overpriced lens in the world. Build quality is "Made by Mattel". It feels like a plastic toy, literally. Yet, IF you can shoot it adequately stabilized, and IF you have time to allow the AF to find a focus AND hold that focus, then it can generate a great picture, very sharp indeed. But therein lies the rub.
I shoot with a Manfrotto 475B, a massive tripod weighing 11.5 pounds. I have a Really Right Stuff BH-55 (the largest) ballhead. I'm not sure you can get any more solid than that. I shoot mirror-lock-up and 2-second timer. And yet this setup still manages to produce far more vibration blur than you would expect. The reason? This lens is rather long and has no barrel support. This setup needs a barrel support mount to reduce vibration and reduce strain on the camera mount and body. The slightest breeze can create vibration in your shots. It is absolutely necessary to use the 2-second timer and mirror lockup to eliminate equipment vibration.
But here's the part that just angers me; I was using a polarizer on the lens, and did not have the right size, so I took an oversized polarizer and just hung it off the edge of the lens and it instantly went out of focus. I've done this on many Nikon and Canon lenses and images stay in focus. On the Pentax, not at all. After much analysis and trial-and-error, I discovered that putting a filter over the lens throws it out of focus. Move it off, and it comes back in focus. Are you kidding ... |