| Review of: HD Pentax-DA 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR by leopold on Sat April 25, 2015 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 294427
Reviews: 43
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I bought that lens because of it's range and WR, there wasn't much user opinions or review but I decided to go ahead and buy one. No regret, it's a great lens with very good sharpness even at close range and in the corners. Nice Bokeh as a bonus of the rounded aperture blades, no CA up to now. I like to use it for "intimate view" .... small part of the landscape or close-up shots.
I did some comparison with my Tamron 90mm Macro (model 72E) and at f/5.6 the Tamron have a slight edge on sharpness but at f/8 there is no real advantage and in the field it would be irrelevant (this was for center sharpness since I didn't care about the corners, I want to use it for photographing frogs and corners are not important).
Here is a gallery of photos taken with it, I will load photos as I gain more shooting images from the field, not a place to look at sharpness but more for rendering and Bokeh:
http://smarcoux.zenfolio.com/p1060481141
A really useful lens for my Nature photography quest for sure and also useful for family photo and vacation.
My review on my Blog: http://steevemarcoux2.com/2015/03/20/pentax-da-16-85mm-wr-early-review/ | |
| Review of: HD Pentax-DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 Limited DC WR by leopold on Thu January 16, 2014 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 282271
Reviews: 65
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I rated it a 10 for me because it does exactely what i wanted from it, that's why i bought it. Sharpness is very good at any focal length and apertures, except at 20mm at f/2.8 in the corners but i don't care. At 40mm there is still some vignetting even at f/13 but it's easily corrected in LR.
I really like it's small size, Limited build quality but with the addition of WR, just perfect !
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 645 300mm F5.6 ED [IF] by leopold on Sat December 8, 2012 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 32910
Reviews: 3
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I bought that lens to use it on my K20D and K-01 when i don't want to carry my Pentax-67 M*400m/4.
It's a very good lens, build quality is very good as usual with Pentax long lenses. The focusing ring is large and smooth.
I would like a tripod collar but it's easy to use anyway since it's small and lightweight.
Sharpness is good at f/5.6 but gets better from f/6.3 and is still very good up to f/11. At f/16 it's still good on an APS-C sensor but after that it's getting too soft and unusable. Since i bought it for occasional wildlife and will use it for frog photography next spring i don't mind the softness after f/16 since i will use it mainly between f/6.3 to f/11.
You can take a look at my Blog where i writed a review of that lens with some photos:
http://steevemarcoux2.com/2012/11/24/pentax-645-fa-300mm5-6-review/ | |
| Review of: 6x7 Rear Converter 2x by leopold on Sun May 1, 2011 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 27120
Reviews: 4
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I bought this TC to use it with my Pentax-67 M*400mm/4, sure it's big and heavy (757 gr. with my K-mount adapter, so it's about 730 gr alone.). But i don't mind it's weight since it goes so well with the M*400mm.
Now, how it performs ?
For a TC-2x i was surprised, sure when you start with a great lens it helps a lot.
I find the photos to be sharp from f/5.6 to f/11 at f/4 it's a tad soft to my taste.
I even tried it with 64mm of Extension tubes to take frog shots and the sharpness is very good, you need a good tripod and head with MLU and a cable release with that set-up.
I also tried it with my SMC Takumar (6x7) 200mm/4, the sharpness is not as good as with my M*400mm/4 for sure because the lens is not as sharp to start with, but very usable if needed.
All in all a very surprysing performance for a TC-2X :)
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| Review of: Takumar/Tele-Takumar 200mm F5.6 by leopold on Sat March 26, 2011 | Rating: 8 | View more reviews | |
Views: 77439
Reviews: 16
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Like all Takumar lenses this one is built like a tank !
What i love about that lens is that it's a Preset lens, i used it with extension tubes to take some frogs photos and it worked very well.
IQ is pretty good for such an old lens but it's not as good as my super takumar 105mm/2.8... so that's why a gave it an 8, but good enough for most applications.
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| Review of: SMC/Super-/Auto-Takumar 55mm F2 by leopold on Sun February 13, 2011 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 244111
Reviews: 37
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I bought this lens because i wanted a cheap and small "fast" 50mm lens. Since is the same lens as the f/1.8 version and in practice f/2.0 on a DSLR will not be a big difference anyway. I have the Super-Takumar newer version.
I was surprised how good it is, sharp even at f/2.0 and still very good at f/16 when i use it on my K20D.Certainly an underrated lens.
I recommend that lens and it looks to work very well with extension tubes, will try it for taking some close-up of frogs next summer :D
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| Review of: Tele-Takumar 300mm F6.3 by leopold on Sun February 6, 2011 | Rating: 6 | View more reviews | |
Views: 60100
Reviews: 11
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First the built quality is very good like all Takumar lenses.
I tried mine with a K20D and i found the IQ not good enough compare to other long lenses i've used, not bad but just good. Some CA can be seen.
Minimum focusing distance is too long to be useful for wildlife. Also the tripod collar is not well designed, not smooth and the knob to release the tension is on the wrong side !
Sadly the only Takumar lens i own that i can't recommend :o
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| Review of: S-M-C Takumar 6x7 / Super Takumar 6x7 200mm F4 by leopold on Sun November 7, 2010 | Rating: 8 | View more reviews | |
Views: 46417
Reviews: 8
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Hi,
this review is based on the use on my K20D, it's a sharp lens , not spectacular but sharp enough for most use from f/5.6. The problem is that there is some green CA in OOF background, if you use it for landscape it shouldn't be a problem since you will stop it down for DOF. The thing that bugs me is sensor flare, especially in long distance shots on an overcast day when stopped down.
Because of those 2 things i gave it an 8. Still a good lens.
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR by leopold on Thu January 7, 2010 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 460159
Reviews: 106
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This is my first impressions after 1 week of owning that lens.I think that all comments done for the older DFA100 Macro version will apply for IQ.The only thing that should be better will be the Bokeh,i did some shots of my decoration in my christmas tree and Bokeh looks very good,will see in the field how it end up.
The construction looks very good also,like DA Ltd almost!I already tested the WR in snowy condition a couple of times and it's up to the job in winter,will have to see how it perform in the rain next spring.
The focusing ring designand action is very good also , like my DA35Ltd.
Some will find that lens price too high but for me the metal construction and WR are worth it.It should stand many years in the field of Macro shooting in every condition.
Here is a link to a gallery of photos taken with that lens:
http://smarcoux.zenfolio.com/p306835876 | |
| Review of: SMC Pentax-DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM by leopold on Sat August 29, 2009 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 550854
Reviews: 154
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Nothing bad to say here...what a lens,i love it:D
I tried it for landscape and some animals shots in a zoo and the shots are very sharp,thank you again Pentax.It will be great for shooting in the rain and snow here in Canada!
Buy one,you will have no regret.
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-M* 67 400mm F4 ED [IF] by leopold on Wed August 12, 2009 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 53659
Reviews: 8
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This is an update of my previous review because now it's been around 8 months that i'm using that lens on my K20D.I will add some comments but what i said in my previous review is still true.
I said "Heavy" in both the Pros and Cons because it's an heavy lens to lug around in the forest :( but it's weight is beneficial when using it with an appropriate tripod to reduce vibration. I use it now with a Gitzo GT 2330 and with my old Manfrotto 469RC Proball head.
It is now my favorite lens for shooting frog in water or water's edge with Ext. tubes.
I did try to handhold it but due to it's weight it's hard to do it for a long time to get sharp images ...even with the SR of the K20D.
That lens is fully capable of holding on for sharpness with the 14.6 MP of the K20D,very sharp...i even tried it down to f/16 for bird shots and it came out very good!
I had sensor flare on a couple of occasion now but it's not that frequent so i can live with it.
Still a great lens to own for the price:D
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| Review of: SMC Pentax 67 / S-M-C Takumar 6x7 / Super Takumar 75mm F4.5 by leopold on Tue June 9, 2009 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 95754
Reviews: 12
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I have the SMC Takumar 75mm/4.5 version,i bought it after buying and using a Pentax-67 M*400mm/4 EDIF.I decided to bought another 6x7 lens,they are great lens and both work very well on my K20D.
That Takumar is very sharp from f/5.6 to f/16 (i didn't really tried it W/O),i have no fear of using it at any f-stop.Good contrast and colors even on a DSLR.I use it frequently for smaller subject with extension tubes and it's still very sharp!
Will always find a place in my bag for that lens:p
Robust and a good focusing ring feeling also.
What more do you want from a lens?!?!
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 135mm F2.8 [IF] by leopold on Sun April 5, 2009 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 133309
Reviews: 35
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I gave this lens a 9 because of the focusing ring and some CA.Other than that it's a great lens,it was my favorite when shooting with my 35mmSLR.I use it with ext. tubes because it already close focus to 0.70 Meter ,it makes an excellent macro lens!I use it to shoot frogs and close-up of flowers also.
Buy one if you can.
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-FA 20mm F2.8 by leopold on Sun April 5, 2009 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 188472
Reviews: 25
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I bought this lens many years ago when i was shooting slide film with my Z1-p.
It was graet on film and still great on a DSLR.Sharp,good contrast and color.I have a Sigma 10-20mm and the FA20 is so much better at 20mm compared to the Sigma,the Sigma photos look soft,low contrast and dull colors!
Should use my FA20 more,i'm not a big WA user,but i recommend this one:)
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-M* 67 400mm F4 ED [IF] by leopold on Fri December 26, 2008 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 53659
Reviews: 8
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I bought that lensabout a month ago,i was looking for a lens longer than 300mm and found that lens used.All i have to say is that's a great lens.It is sharp at f/4.0 and very sharp at f/5.6.In some extreme contrast scene,like a dard bird on snow,the OOF contour of the bird show some green CA at f/4,but that's an extreme situation.Never happened in other situation and at f/5.6 either.The tripod collar is very sturdy ,which was something i was missing on my FA*300mm/4.5.
Thank you to the focusing ring that do a complete 360° from Minimum focus distance to infinity,so you can achieve very precise focus,it's a charm compared to AF lenses.It's certainly an heavier lens than if i would have bought a 400mm/4 made for 35mm SLR,but it's worth it.I use it on my Manfrotto 055 tripod (old aluminium version) and Manfrotto 469RC Proball head,steady enough for sharp photos.I tried it with my Pentax TC 1.4 X-S and Tamron TC AF 1.4X converters and both renders sharp photos but the images are sharper when stopped down to f/5.6.
Combineed with my K20D it balances well on the tripod collar , so it's why the combination is easy to use on my tripod.
Will update the review when i will have more experience with it.
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| Review of: S-M-C/Super Takumar 150mm F4 by leopold on Mon November 17, 2008 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 95301
Reviews: 17
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I don't use it much (i should) because i have lenses in the same range.It's a very good lens like all my Takumar,i have the Super Takumar version.It's quite sharp and the focusing is sublime like old lenses should be.The only thing is the minimum focusing distance that is a bit long.You can't go wrong with this one.Didn't have any problem with PF or CA up to now.
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| Review of: Super-Multi-Coated Takumar/Super-Takumar/Takumar 105mm F2.8 by leopold on Wed July 30, 2008 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 266810
Reviews: 39
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I have a Super-Takumar version that looks to be Multi-coated also.Very nice like all my Takumars,smooth focusing.Works very well with my Ext. tubes and Bellows.
Sharp lens when stopped down,love the color rendition of that lens for intimate landscape!
Good buy.
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-A 50mm F2 by leopold on Tue July 29, 2008 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 250391
Reviews: 73
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I don't know why people don't likethat lens,i bought it several years ago when i had a K1000 and still use it on my DS2.It's a very sharp lens at f-stop that i use (from f/8 to f/16),sure it's soft at f/2.0 so not as sharp as the 1.4 and 1.7 version stopped at f/2.0...that's maybe why it don't gets some good reviews!
It have a warm color cast (it was present on my slides also),but that's ok.
Cheap $ sharp ,small good buy even if it's not THE best :rolleyes:
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-DA 35mm F2.8 Limited Macro by leopold on Sun July 27, 2008 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 492343
Reviews: 123
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I simply love that lens,sharp at any f/stop...even f/22!
Well built,small and with a lens hood built-in,what do you want more from a lens...and the price is good also.
It reminds me of my Takumars.
Bring more lenses like that please:rolleyes:
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| Review of: SMC Pentax-M 75-150mm F4 by leopold on Sat July 26, 2008 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 199074
Reviews: 58
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At first i didn't like it because i didn't find it sharp enough.But after some testing i found that i was wrong,it's very sharp at any F-Stop and focal length.I'm now using it with Ext. tubes and Pentax TC 1.4X-S with very good results on my DS2.
Certainly a very good zoom to add to a collection!
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