| Review of: Pentax-Q 07 Mount Shield Lens 11.5mm F9 by garywakeling on Sun March 31, 2024 | Rating: 7 | View more reviews | |
Views: 24366
Reviews: 4
|  07 shield lens by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
I used this lens for a month, taking at least 1 photo every day as part of the single in challenge on pentaxforums. This is one of the most difficult lens to come up with subjects that work with it. The limited zone of focus is only acceptable from 30cm to 3-4 metres and even then it is only a circular section in the middle which is sharp, the surrounding area is mostly just a blur. It doesn't sound encouraging really, however as the month went on, I started to find subjects that worked well with this lens. It also made me examine some of the other modes on the camera to help spice up the limited qualities of the lens itself. I suppose it is a little like the lensbaby or holga style. When mounted on the camera it really is just the same as having a body cap on the body and makes it easy to pop the camera in your pocket, ready to go. I suppose it follows on from the limited lenses where the overall character of the image is what they are aiming for, rather than ultimate sharpness. Here are some images that I think show the best of the lens
 sunflower blur by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 edelbrock red by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 Kenworth Close by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 red singer by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-DA L 50-200mm F4-5.6 ED by garywakeling on Sun January 1, 2023 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 110820
Reviews: 17
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I found the cheap little DA L 50-200mm kit lens a real pleasure to use . Originally I chose this lens and it's sister lens the DA L 18-55 as I was going away on a bike ride and didn't want to risk losing or damaging one of my more expensive lenses. Both proved to be very easy to use, lightweight, a nice focal range and fast enough to use with modern DSLR cameras. They both use the 52mm filter size which helps keep the size and weight down. The only small complaint I have is the Minimum focal distance, 110 cm is workable but 50cm would be nicer. For the small price I paid and the ease of use I think this lens is a real bargain
Some of my favourites from the month away. If you have the chance to pick up this lens, go for it.
 surfer colour by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 leaves golden by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 star post by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 into the wind by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-A 28mm F2.8 by garywakeling on Mon February 28, 2022 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 318740
Reviews: 63
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I have come to really appreciate the A series 28mm. The slightly wide field of view but not too excessive width makes it easy for most subjects. Not having to use the green button for metering is really a nice convenience. The extra bonus of how well the lens performs as a macro lens when reversed was a pleasant surprise. Easy to focus with a nice throw for the focus ring. I used the rectangular lens hood from the Takumar era, it fits nicely on the lens barrel but unless you are using a filter it can stop you easily achieving infinity focus. It seemed to help with the contrast when the hood was used. Another Pentax lens well worth having in your kit.
Some photos
 fishing by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 up sky by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 the cape by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 dimm close by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 28mm F2.8 Soft by garywakeling on Mon January 31, 2022 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 43748
Reviews: 3
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I have always liked the feel of soft lenses from my film days where I had a copy of the 85mm 2.2 , family time ate in to my hobby budget when the 28mm FA Soft lens was released and I missed out on buying one back then. Even nowadays, it is a rare lens to find for sale, I used to call it my unicorn lens as it was as common as a unicorn. The lens delivers that real 80's feel of dreamy images, normally used with the 85mm to deliver flattering portraits, the lens deliver sharp images when stopped down to f8-22,however below that there is a soft/sharp image delivered together. The lens gives a sharp image with a secondary diffuse/soft image superimposed over the sharp image to give a somewhat dreamy effect. Highlights can really diffuse themselves a long way to almost overwhelm surrounding areas of the image, it also demands plenty of images being taken as what you think you have in the viewfinder , sometimes is quite different to what appears on the computer screen. In the digital age this is not a real issue but back in the film film days it would have cost a lot of wasted film. In rating this lens, I have to give it a 10 for aberrations , not because of how few there are but for how different they are, the same with sharpness, even the softest setting still has an underlying sharp image with a diffuse softness over the top.
In use, even though it is an FA series lens it has no "A" setting, so it is green button metering just like an M or K series lens. However it then zips in to focus using the screw drive mechanism. A little Frankenstein feel to the lens with low and high tech merging together a little like the images it delivers.
Developing the images in Lightroom can deliver images that can have some real punch to the colours, yet still have a muted /soft feel to them. The lens also really works with flowers, it gives the right amount of softness to the rendering of them.
I used the older Takumar rectangular lens hood which fitted on nicely and increased the contrast of the lens.
I really enjoyed using the lens, it delivers images no other lens can, not for every day use, but it certainly is one to keep in the bag for it's unique rendering, this one is not going up for sale.
Some of my favourite images
 cow truck by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 misty set by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 heady by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 soft flowers by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
and to show 2 versions of the same image
 soft face by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 sharp face by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-M* 67 400mm F4 ED [IF] by garywakeling on Fri July 31, 2020 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 53752
Reviews: 8
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There hasn't been a review of this lens for 5 years so I thought I should give a review using the current Pentax digital camera. I couldn't be more impressed with the 67 M* 400mm f4 ED(IF). I have used it on the 67II and had excellent results on film, however I thought the K1 and digital sensor might be a little too challenging for this old workhorse. Nope , everything I threw at it turned out fine, the only limitation was me. I tried shooting into the sun, macro, teleconverters. Not a single time was I able to notice any issues with the image quality. Mounted on the K1 with the original Pentax 67 K adapter, it was easy to go from landscape to portrait orientation with the turn of a small locking screw, it is best to rotate it so that the grip is at the bottom rather than the top otherwise it is a little hard to loosen/tighten the screw on the converter. The lens has a slot for a polariser in the body of the lens and a little wheel lets you turn the polariser without taking it out of the lens, very handy. Not quite as handy was the weight of the combo, basically it was always used on either a sturdy Manfrotto monopod or tripod. The lens has a tripod foot that balances nicely on the monopod and the K1 with battery grip was easy to work with. Compared to the 150-450 you miss out on autofocus, however the image quality is better than the modern zoom at the long end. Paired with the AF 1.7x converter, it makes a pretty good wildlife combo for chasing little critters. Sometimes the bokeh seemed a little busy, not objectionable , but sometimes a little noticeable, mostly with harsh light on foliage behind, normally it just went to buttery smoothness. I used the lens with the 67 extension tubes and the quality stood up very well. Just as a stupid test I even added the 2 grey 67 converters a 1.4x and 2x to give an effective 1120mm f11 lens and the focus confirmation was usable with the K1 and the resulting photo of the lamb below was the result, no fiddling needed in post processing just straight out of the camera. Very happy with the lens I chose and here are my favourite shots from using the lens every day for the Single in challenge.
 port pano by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 old ties mono by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 lamb by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 pot by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 short bull by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
if interested the Flickr album for the lens is
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPamMTf | |
| Review of: HD Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW by garywakeling on Fri January 31, 2020 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 102792
Reviews: 36
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The DFA 50mm 1.4 is a fantastic lens, more than capable of making my most uninspiring shots even have some pixie dust. The photos with shallow depth of field have the most lovely bokeh. The resolving power means this lens can easily act as a telephoto just by cropping down as the quality is there. Yes, it is a heavy lump of glass but when using it on the K1 it never felt heavy, certainly when I picked up the camera bag I felt the weight , however it is well balanced in the hand. The odd filter size of 72mm means I will most likely just use the 77mm filters with a step down ring. The hood works well and reverses nicely for storage. Every time I took a photo and examined it with this lens, the result was better than I expected , there is something magical about it. The only other lens I have that does that is the F*300mm 4.5. Sometimes a lens just works right and this 50mm is one of those. Is it value for money? I think so and it is staying in the bag full time from now on.
 green dog by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 saw painter crop by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 sunset stitch by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 dahlia by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-FA J 18-35mm F4-5.6 by garywakeling on Tue December 31, 2019 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 110655
Reviews: 28
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I spent a month taking a photo a day with his lens for the single in challenge. I chose this lens as it has the honour or being the first Pentax lens designed for a digital SLR. Reviews are generally not very positive, I think perhaps some of the later FAJ kit zoom lenses may have lessened the perception of the FAJ lens designation. Coming as the kit lens with the horribly named *ist D camera. Whilst not being a DA lens as such it was optimised for the crop sensor of the APS-C sensor. Being an FA lens it does cover the full image sensor on the full frame K1 as well. Back when this lens was released super wide was considered 15mm and zoom lenses starting around 24-50mm were available, however not very common. The performance of the lens has surprised me in the ease of use and quality of the images. 18mm gives a nice wide view and most full frame film cameras used a 35mm lens as a standard traditionally in the point and shoot era. The sharpness falls off a little on the edges, however you have to go searching the image to find it.
There is slight vignetting that can occasionally show itself however it is easily eliminated in software. The minimum focal distance is close enough to get those close up wide angle shots. I think that for the price it is a bargain and more than adequate as a substitute for the 15-30mm 2.8.
Here are a few of my favourite images from the month
 old yella by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 selfie early by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 bows by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 old man tree close by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 20mm F2.8 by garywakeling on Mon September 30, 2019 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 188594
Reviews: 25
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A lens I have owned since new when I loved it on the Z1, the 20mm was an easy lens to to live with. During the digital APS-C era I let it sit in the cupboard while I played with the zoom lenses. Now with the full frame digital available it has come back into the camera bag. I was surprised with the shallowness of the depth of field, with such a wide lens I expected much more depth even at wide apertures, this made isolating the subject easy. It is a lens from the film era that I have become attached to again thanks to the field of view on the full frame K1, more proof that any holes in the current lens line up can be filled with some of the quality older glass. The contrast the lens shows , even when shot under harsh lighting conditions is impressive. Black and white conversions from the raw file really worked well, with clouds in the sky showing up nicely. I must confess to not using the dedicated lens hood often enough, this was due to my laziness at not wanting to screw in the saucer like hood for what seemed like mostly little effect, I did manage to get some image degradation in one shot and the rainbow apertures in the picture appealed to me. The small size of the lens even with a 67mm filter thread also made for easy handling, the manual focus ring has plenty of throw making is easy to obtain accurate focus when required, the AF was quick enough and until I started writing this I never really gave the AF speed or accuracy a second thought, always a good sign. I didn't feel the need to try it on the K3 as I was enjoying the wide shots too much, perhaps down the track I will try it again on APS-C. Any deficiency in the images were down to me and definitly not the lens, this one has moved up in my ratings now that the K1 makes it shine again.
 tied up by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 last seat view by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 those eyes by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 burra night by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 web day by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-FA* 85mm F1.4 [IF] by garywakeling on Sun June 30, 2019 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 193117
Reviews: 35
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I have enjoyed this lens, a large hunk of glass with a delicate silver painted finish. The SMC FA* 85mm 1:1.4 IF really delivers a wow factor in portrait photos, the transition from in focus to out of focus is lovely and smooth and the bokeh is buttery smooth. I calibrated the lens using a focusing tool and it does exhibit purple and green fringing on the edge of high contrast transitions in out of focus areas. After doing the test I assumed it was going to be a month of post processing to remove the fringing in all my photos. In real world use I didn't have to do any post processing, maybe it was just the subjects and lighting I used over the month, but I never noticed any until the last day when I saw the reflections of 100 led lights on my wife's glasses frame with some fringing in the out of focus areas. Not a normal lighting setup and only seen when pixel peeping. While the lens is screw drive I never noticed any hunting when mounted on the K1 and the focus was quick to lock on. One thing that all fast lenses have a need for is accurate focusing as when used wide open the area being in focus can be down to just 1cm. I found using the single point focus and repositioning gave me good accuracy for focusing where I wanted. The minimum focus is not close , but not unworkable at all, I tried it with extension tubes and it worked fine.I used the lens to produce several pleasing photos using lightroom to stitch several photos together, this helped me when a wider view was required in landscapes and also to try the brenizer effect which I enjoyed. This lens sat in my cupboard all through the APS C years as I just didn't feel it compared to the 35mm feel on film, with the K1 it feels just right again. Used for landscape, the slight telephoto helps isolate the details in the photo. I have found my love for this lens all over again.
 85 lenscal by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 arthur by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 loose nut by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 taxi55 by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 dry boat by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 security by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 hair today by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 those eyes bw by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
The favourite photo from the month came near the end of the month and I am aiming to have it enlarged and printed for my wall, thanks to this wonderful lens.
 early prom by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr[COLOR="Silver"]
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 35mm F2 AL by garywakeling on Fri May 31, 2019 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 329889
Reviews: 82
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Well I picked this lens up cheaply on eBay, mostly due to the fact that Pentax had released an updated version, why not try the original. Well the lens on the K1 was an easy to live with choice for the month, I almost felt like I was back in the film days with a high quality point and shoot. The angle of view was common in many cameras from that era. I found it performed nicely for landscapes and with a minimum focal distance around 30cm detail close ups were able to be taken easily. When reversed for super macro, the use of the manual aperture meant extra versatility compared to a lens with no way to close the aperture when reversed. Shooting into the light there seemed to be no obtrusive flare and the lens hood works well and reverses onto the lens for storage. The bokeh was pleasant and not intrusive and despite using the in body motor for focusing, it was not very noisy and focused accurately and quickly without hunting under normal conditions. If Pentax was happy to update the lens with a new lens coating and leave the optics alone, I guess they must have thought the quality was worth persevering with, I am happy to recommend this as a keeper.
Some examples of my month with this lens
 twin city by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 drop ismo by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 rainbow pier by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 star chasing 2 by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 moving on by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 morning church by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-D FA 50mm F2.8 Macro by garywakeling on Tue April 30, 2019 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 237896
Reviews: 39
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What a fun, easy lens to use, I felt that my mojo was a little down with many outside issues the last couple of months. This lens provided the spark I needed to really explore my macro vision, the focal length also doubles as a nice 50mm for regular shooting on the K1. I used it on the K3 as well and both cameras delivered images I liked. The hood works well and even when at minimum focus distance, it never gets in the way. Unlike the attachment tube for the AF160FC ring flash, it works well when the combo was on the K3, however it vignettes on the K1, a simple change to the 49mm adapter and all was back to full frame. The colours really pop with photos from this lens and the contrast available from mono conversions is very impressive. I did find a strange zoom effect when shifting the focal point during long exposures that I found fun to play with as well. Focusing can be a little noisy if the camera is being used at closer distances, however this seems to be common with the small dof available on most macro lens. I find switching to manual focus can make for an easier time when getting near 1:1 anyway. The addition of the focus lock switch on the lens is a nice touch as well. Diffraction at very small apertures did not seem too bad and the bonus of some nice starbursts when used as a regular lens was a nice bonus.
 dahlia by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 wet m 2 by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 star tree by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 pencils close by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
that odd zoom effect shifting focus on long exposures
 nervous sharpener focus by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-F* 300mm F4.5 ED [IF] by garywakeling on Thu February 28, 2019 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 161443
Reviews: 45
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I can say that the lens I have owned since the 90's on my trusty LX, has really stood the test of time. I have the battery grip on my K1 and when the smc PENTAX-F* 300mm F4.5 ED[IF] is mounted with it's foot on, the camera sits perfectly flat. The built in lens hood, works a treat with easy storage on the lens itself.
As for the quality of the glass, I feel humble and not up to showing it off to it's full potential. The sharpness and resolution are to my eye amazing. The 300mm focal length gives plenty of reach and while only f4.5, with the low light abilities of modern cameras, I was able to take many shots in what I thought were very challenging low light conditions. The screw drive focusing locks on quickly and I never found the noise loud, the ability to quickly move from autofocus to manual focus by pushing or pulling a ring on the lens works well. I have the original rectangular lens case which has a compartment to store the tripod foot if you don't with to have it on. The foot, when used with a monopod gives the ability to easily pan along with vehicles , The pivot point just "feels" right. Some reviews say that shooting into the light can be a problem with flare, I found no such issue. The transition from sharp focal point to out of focus is nice and smooth. The bokeh is likewise very nice
A special little lens well worth trying if you come across one.
Some of my favourite shots this lens helped me take over a month were
 portrait by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 channel markers by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 stare down by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 three is a crowd by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 marooned by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-F 17-28mm F3.5-4.5 Fish-Eye by garywakeling on Thu January 31, 2019 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 96586
Reviews: 16
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I had thought of this lens as a one trick pony with limited scope for a range of photos. Well how wrong I was, sure, there were days when nothing seemed to pop into the photos other than my feet and camera strap dangling into the shot, but when things worked out, interesting subjects or nice light, well this lens was fully up to capturing the shot. The wide end of the zoom was my most used, so that the fisheye effect was pronounced, however when zoomed in to the 28mm end the fisheye effect was almost hard to recognise. The only real issue with using the lens is the lack of close focusing ability, 45cm sounds close, but with a fisheye lens that is probably not close enough. I did notice that when zoomed out to 17mm there would sometimes be 2 dark corners in the frame on the K1. I presume that the sensor was moving down a little with gravity when the camera was in the portrait orientation. Easy to fix with a very small crop.
I tried using a No 1 extension tube with the lens and was able to obtain macro like photos with a super close focusing ability, I also tried it on the DA 1.4x teleconverter, amazingly there was full frame coverage on the K1 and no vignetting that I could perceive, there was also a de-fishing effect on the photos almost appearing to be a normal wide angle lens!
This is a lens that I would recommend to all as a keeper and great fun to move you out of the normal view of the world
These were some of my favourites from the month I used it in the Single in challenge
 umbrellas by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 load em up by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 up tree-2 by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 64 van by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
 lightning hill by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-FA* 28-70mm F2.8 AL by garywakeling on Tue January 1, 2019 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 146897
Reviews: 20
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I have had this lens since new back in the 90's, I used it with the LX and Z1 cameras back then and it was my normal walk around lens, once digital hit the focal length didn't fit with my shooting style and I forgot about this wonderful lens. Now with the K1 released it makes more sense once again. The wide aperture compared to the kit lenses is more useful and the lens has the ability to focus quickly, if a little on the noisy side due to using the screw drive mechanism.
Low light works well
 back alley by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
Dreamy bokeh can be easily obtained
 top fence by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
and sharpness is there too
 daisy bug 1 by Gary Wakeling, on Flickr
An old friend welcomed back into my photo world, if you come across one, don't hesitate, grab it and enjoy.
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM by garywakeling on Sun September 30, 2018 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 551093
Reviews: 154
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Well I used this lens for the September Single in challenge for the month of September 2018. I started off the month playing with this 50-135 2.8 hoping to finally see why people like it so much. After a month of shooting with it I have gained a respect for it. The photos taken at 2.8 seem to have a special quality about them, the way it handles areas of out of focus is very pleasing with a nice transition from in focus to smooth bokeh. The speed of autofocus and lack of hunting for focus worked well with my style of shooting. The size and balance with the K3 worked well and the lack of bulk made the combination easy to take with me each day. When I examined the photos closely I was unable to fault the sharpness of the lens other than due to using too slow a shutter speed leading to some softness from me rather than the lens. I can now see why it has such a great following. The silent lens focusing worked well for me and compared to the older screw drive mechanism, I found it very effective. The large zoom and focusing rings were easy to use and turn in the "correct" pentax way. Examples taken with this lens can be found in the following album
https://flic.kr/s/aHskDUwvhF
I highly recommend this classic lens
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