| Review of: Sigma EX DC HSM 30mm F1.4 by dlacouture on Thu September 1, 2011 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 94438
Reviews: 31
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I bought this lens on a whim (hard to resist a 200€ deal on this)...
Having long abandoned any hope of finding a good-fast-cheap normal lens for my APS-C DSLR, I stumbled upon this lens by chance in a second-hand shelf at the local retailer...
Well, for the price, I'm quite happy!
I was a huge fan of fast 50s on film cameras. I loved the warm, cozy feeling made by those ultra-fast normal lens, the dreamy focus it gave to the traditional My-Kid-Is-Playing shots, with backgrounds blown into bokeh-oblivion, and I was utterly nostalgic of such looks.
Without equaling the buttery effect of a 50/1.2 lens on 24x36, this lens produces a quite satisfying effect (nothing comes short anyway, if you don't count the Samyang 35/1.4).
If you are into spontaneous portraits, it's a nice lens to have in one's arsenal, IMO...
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| Review of: Sigma DC HSM 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 by dlacouture on Thu September 1, 2011 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 100526
Reviews: 31
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This lens is really great!
For architectural shots, it's a sheer pleasure to use. The 100+° horizontal field of view is simply amazing for interiors, meaning that from a corner you can shot a whole room from wall to wall!
Landscapes becomes real challenges in avoiding unwanted elements in the composition, and I often ended up with my feet somewhere in the pic! (Note for users : avoid placing a face near the borders!)
Also, something to note for landscapes: it feels like there is a CPL included! Skies are a deep blue, whereas similar exposures with the kit lens often resulted in washed-out skies... Quite strange...
Image quality is great, aberrations are minimal and distortions are quite negligible.
So, this lens is exceptional, but it is really a specialist lens...
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| Review of: Porst, Spiratone, Apollo ...et al (Mitake) Tele M 135mm F1.8 by dlacouture on Mon July 28, 2008 | Rating: 8 | View more reviews | |
Views: 59970
Reviews: 5
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Pros : Bokeh is pleasant, focus is smooth.
Cons : fairly strong axial CA wide open on a digital body : everything before the focus plan takes a reddish fringe, and greenish behind.
[IMGWIDE]http://dlacouture.smugmug.com/photos/316425402_Lugr3-L.jpg[/IMGWIDE]
Apart from this, it's quite sharp and distortion-free on a digital body:
[IMGWIDE]http://dlacouture.smugmug.com/photos/316411378_rNEbS-L.jpg[/IMGWIDE]
But beware: this is a beast of a lens! On a K10d, my arms were burning after a 15min use... Add a flash, and you'll be ready for the next Olympic games.
Some pics with 35mm films:
[IMGWIDE]http://dlacouture.smugmug.com/photos/322639030_tLPxP-L.jpg[/IMGWIDE]
[IMGWIDE]http://dlacouture.smugmug.com/photos/315431218_sncPd-L.jpg[/IMGWIDE]
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| Review of: Porst Color Reflex MC Auto 55mm F1.2 by dlacouture on Mon July 28, 2008 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 135517
Reviews: 19
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To make a long story short, I went after this lens for almost six months (and several near hits) before finally grabbing it...
This lens is a real pleasure : fast, smooth, sharp, and fast (yep, twice, but it's worth mentioning!)
Bokeh is really pleasant, and the lens is sharp corner to corner.
Only cons are:
1 - it's not a PK-A mount, so you have to stick to manual... (Not a big problem as I still use film cameras)
2 - its base is coated with a non-conductive paint, so you have to add a piece of metallic tape for AF confirmation.
Quality is, as far as I could tell, on par with the Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 (I own both).
Some pics @1.2 :
[IMGWIDE]http://dlacouture.smugmug.com/photos/340238710_twQAm-L.jpg[/IMGWIDE]
(I know, I missed the eyes on this one...)
[IMGWIDE]http://dlacouture.smugmug.com/photos/340239023_mTxCH-L.jpg[/IMGWIDE]
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| Review of: LZOS Jupiter-9 MC M42 85mm F2 by dlacouture on Mon July 28, 2008 | Rating: 7 | View more reviews | |
Views: 175518
Reviews: 22
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Excellent for portraits!
Mine (an uncoated version) has a slight hazy tendency, giving some pics a Hamilton feeling. I cannot vouch for stopped-down quality, as I always use it wide open...
Contrasty scenes can be troublesome, so avoid direct/harsh sunlight, and use a hood!
Quite cheap, you won't feel bad opening it to tweak it some... And as it's a fixed lens, the optical block cannot easily be goofed with (everything is tightly fixed together)...
I've done three things to mine:
1 - Clean and re-lub the tracks with teflon : now butter-smooth...
2 - shorten the near-focus stopping pin : the barrel allow for nearly 20° more spin, now focusing as low as 50cm!
3 - drill a little gouge to allow a PK blocking pin to engage and secure the lens against accidental removal while focusing :
[IMGWIDE]http://dlacouture.smugmug.com/photos/340203786_rHGKU-L-0.jpg[/IMGWIDE]
For the first two points, you just have to remove the focus barrel (3 screws), so it's quite safe (the lens stays in working order!).
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