| Review of: HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED WR by FarmerJim on Mon August 28, 2017 | Rating: 6 | View more reviews | |
Views: 199311
Reviews: 40
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I hate to write this review. I had decent hopes for this lens, and it failed to deliver. I was not expecting performance on par with my DA* 50-135, but I was expecting decent performance.
Under 90mm, it was a good lens. Anything over 90 was not very good, with anything over 150mm being basically useless. I could not get a decent photo with different aperture settings, even when focusing manually.
Physically, the lens looked good and handled well. Optically, my copy, needed a lot of work. :(
This is the first lens that I returned to the retailer. I hope I was simply saddled with a poor copy of the lens. I suspect a misalignment issue.
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 ED AL [IF] DC WR by FarmerJim on Sat August 26, 2017 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 622815
Reviews: 140
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I held off writing this for a while, not sure of what I was going to say. For what this lens is, it is a great lens. A great single lens, or walk-around lens, or travel lens. Is it the best lens out there? No. I do feel however, that it is a fantastic lens well suited to its purpose.
The 18-135 (27-203 equivalent) range is very handy. The lens is perfect for what would have been a “just a little closer” or “just a little wider” shots. A 18-55 doesn’t get close enough, and a 50-200/55-300 doesn’t get wide enough. A great range for an all purpose type lens.
This is actually my first lens that can be called a “Kit Lens”. I picked it up as the sole lens to take on a “carry-on bag only” week long trip to the island of Kauai in Hawaii. It survived sandy wind storms at the Waimea Canyon, tropical downpours on the north shore, salt water on a catamaran trip to the Na Pali coast, and more. Today it lives a less exciting life, but keeps on going.
I have noticed that when using a standard UV style filter on the lens for protection, a second filter cannot be stacked on it. I tried to just screw in a circular polarizer over the UV style filter for a few shots, and had significant vignetting at wide angles. Of course it all goes away if a single filter is used.
Chromatic aberrations are a pet peeve of mine. I hate it when I see it, and will sometimes drop a photo because of them. I know it can be normally be taken care of in post, but thinking like my old film photographer self, I’d rather it not be there in the first place. Happily this lens produces very little CA.
If you want a great multi-purpose lens that can handle almost anything you throw at it, then this is a wise purchase.
Sample Pic:
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 50mm F1.7 by FarmerJim on Thu July 27, 2017 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 269326
Reviews: 42
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This is my second copy of the lens. The first was sold after getting the 70mm Limited lens. I regretted that decision and finally picked up another one of these gems.
Fantastic lens, great performance with its sharpness, contrast, bokeh, fast screwdrive AF (on a K-5), great colors, lightweight and non-intimidating to a subject, etc. Just a great lens.
Notes:
Front element does not rotate when focusing, but the focus ring itself does rotate during AF. Fortunately, it is easy to avoid contact. No quick shift adjustment after autofocus
This lens actually has a usable depth of field scale for hyper focusing and maximizing DOF.
I picked up the 49mm screw-in Asahi Takumar lens hood designed for the 135/150/200mm lenses. It is deep and dark, eliminating lights from getting in from the sides and affecting the image. Even though the hood seems long, on a APSC sensor there is no vignetting from the hood. Find them online (here?) for less than USD $15 in great condition.
If this lens had WR sealing, additional (rounded) aperture blades, and a quiet DC style motor, it would be a nearly perfect lens. As is, it is still a great lens, and an incredible value.
If you see this lens, pick it up. You will not be sorry.
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Pics with the Asahi Takumar lens hood attached
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR by FarmerJim on Tue July 25, 2017 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 460403
Reviews: 106
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Is this lens a limited? I have had two limiteds, the 35 and the 70, a this would be right at home with a Limited badge on it.
The metal barrel construction is great, focusing manually is a dream, perfect size (it isn’t so big you don’t want to carry it - there is alway room for this), beautiful bokeh, etc. A first rate lens on any platform, and a great lens for Pentax.
I could go on, the positives are countless.
Negatives? Screw drive autofocus and the focusing noise. AF in general with the lens hunting from end to end for what seems like eternity due to the lack of a focus limiter.
So if you can handle a few autofocusing issues, or focus manually, then you have a great lens that will product top quality images on APS-C or FF cameras. It is well worth the purchase price.
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM by FarmerJim on Wed October 31, 2012 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 551123
Reviews: 154
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This is the favorite of all of the lenses I have owned. It took a while to eclipse my old Canon 70-210, but it did. This lens is fast, sharp, quick to focus, and was worth every penny.
The (large) hood works great in keeping stray light out, the weather sealing holds up in downpours, and f2.8 across the full range is great.
I have an early model, ordering it from B+H on a pre-order before the release date. I have had no issues with the lens or the SDM system.
Samples:
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