Site Supporter Registered: February, 2018 Posts: 1,065 | | Review Date: May 2, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | macro, sharpness, cheapness, build | | Cons: | It's a big lens | |
I picked this lens up for next to nothing and after screwing the back plate firmly into place used it for Single in April 2019.
It is a big solid lens, built like the proverbial tank. After a few goes I had no problem getting it to go in and out of macro mode, luckily mine came with the instruction booklet which told me how to do this. Go to 42mm push the button up and then go towards 25mm. A little yellow arrow appears next to the scale showing you are in macro mode. To focus in macro you move the zoom ring, the focus ring doesn't do anything. To get out of macro mode move back to 42mm and it will pop out. You can now zoom as normal and focus with the focus ring.
It's a bit like having two lenses in one. The minimum focus distance is really close when in macro and it produces excellent sharp shots. The 25-42 range is pretty good for walk around and landscapes on my K3. I liked the colours it produced but found i had to dial in a bit of negative EV when not in macro.
Bokeh was interesting ranging from a bit odd to perfect circles. I liked it but it's a matter of taste really.
No real issues with aberrations or CA.
As a walk around lens I liked it a lot, being able to take a mix of wideish shots and close macros suits my style well. It's just a shame it's such a big beast of a lens.
Worth a go if you see one.
In normal use:
 Church by Mini Monster, on Flickr
 Park Life by Mini Monster, on Flickr
 View from Curbar Gap by Mini Monster, on Flickr
In macro mode:
 Drops by Mini Monster, on Flickr
 Ladybird by Mini Monster, on Flickr
 Rain by Mini Monster, on Flickr
 Leaves by Mini Monster, on Flickr
And the full album: https://flic.kr/s/aHskTs8xmG | |
Site Supporter Registered: December, 2014 Location: Colorado Posts: 497 | | Review Date: September 20, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Build quality, nearly uniform sharpness (closed down) | | Cons: | Size and weight, borders / edges not sharp (fully open), limited zoom range, tricky macro switch, no A/M switch (M42) | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: A7
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I did not expect much as I picked up this lens. However, after I tested it on A7 I was pleasantly surprised. Comparing this to lenses that are ten times more expensive, I do not feel that it is at any significant optical disadvantage.
1. Build quality - This lens is built like a tank. A bit front heavy when mounted on A7.
2. Optical quality - The characteristics of this lens is very consistent throughout its zoom range. When wide open, the lens is very sharp in the center however halfway from center the resolution drops noticeably with vignetting. Close down to F8, this lens becomes very sharp nearly across the entire frame (FF). Loss of resolution is only noted very close to the edges and in the corners. Close down further to F11, edges and corners improve more but diffraction begins to limit the overall resolution. If you do not mind a little softness in the far corners, this is a great lens. On APS-C, close down to f8 the resolution of this lens is wonderful from corner to corner.
Mine is M42 mount.
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