| Author: | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2008 Location: rhode island Posts: 7,522
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 29, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $210.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | relatively light, smooth action, very good photo quality | | Cons: | so far, none... | |
I can say that i was lucky enough to find this lens for sale at B+H photo in new york just about 1 month ago.... (what a great retailer!)....
I was very happy when the lens arrived, it was in pristine condition, no optical flaws, body in great condition... and it came in the same box as pictured here in the forum..
i 'slapped' this lens onto my k-x, enabled the body to employ catch in focus, and well, i was very surprised at the image quality this lens delivers !! The weight of this lens was quite manageable, as i have only used this lens 'hand held'....
It really is nice to own an affordable 'spyglass' lens, and this lens, while not obviously in the class of a da300 or sigma 100-300mm f4, you can not get more bang for the buck than with this lens.... my recommendation is that if you can find this model, in good condition, you won't be disappointed... plus, it'll save you some funds for other lenses to be put in your 'stable'...
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: August, 2007 Location: Bournemouth, England Posts: 36
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 16, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $240.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | lightweight, easy to use, good tripod collar, sharp enough | | Cons: | not as sturdy as some, fringing worse than expected | |
My copy has the A contacts and I think is newer than the previous review, and has a nice all black, slighty rubbery feeling. It feels nice, though I don't think the finish will hold up well.
It is lightweight, and easy to use, especially when I keep the tripod mounting in place when I am handholding. This enables me to focus easily, yet still give good support. The short focus throw, about 1/3 of a turn, is both good and bad so I am comtemplating getting a Katz screen.
I had the non APO version and this one is definately better, it is sharper, has better colours and more contrast, though it still has PF issues. Even stopping down it sometimes becomes a problem. It is not as sharp as my K300 but it is not too far off. As with all lenses of this length technique is vital to get good shots. On my tripod I have got some lovely images. Not had a chance to use it on a monopod.
There are quite a few of these around, as they had a long production run, so the cost to buy is not prohibitive. I am happy with mine, but would sell if a tele macro version appeared at a good price!
| | | | | Pentaxian
Moderator Emeritus Registered: May, 2007 Location: Edmonton Alberta, Canada Posts: 10,643
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 24, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Light weight, easy focus, good balance, sharp | | Cons: | Wish it was an A series. Some PF wide open | |
This is a very good lens. M series, so manual settings apply. But easy to get correct exposures on a K10D. I would really rate it at an 8.5 but that's not here so it's more a 9 than an 8.
It's an APO lens*
CA's are not an issue with the lens although in harsh contrast (tree branches against the cloudy, bright sky) when wide open, this lens shows some Purple Fringing (PF). But stop it down a notch or 2 and that is almost totally gone and even wide open it's correctable in PP as it's not too bad. The only place I've noticed it when closed down is a little off chrome in bright sun with a dark contrast to the metal.
This lens is a very good one to own. I also have the FA*300mm/4.5 and though the Sigma is not that quality, it does come close and makes a good mate to that lens. Colour is a little colder than the Pentax line but that is common with 3rd party lenses.
The tripod mount is in a good spot and balances the lens well. It's small and close to the barrel so it's still a comfortable lens to hand hold with the mount attached.
Solid metal body. Built like the old Takumar's. But it's not terribly heavy and easy to carry. Works well with a good quality TC. I have yet to use it with the Pentax AF 1.7 TC and will give that a try to see if it will AF. So I'll update the review then.
Update: The Sigma will work with a Pentax AF1.7TC. That really surprised me since Pentax says less than F4 won't work. This lens is f5.6 wide open. It's a testament to the good contrast (what Pentax AF systems need for AF) that this lens will produce. It will focus quite fast as well. With this you get a 680mm f9.5 lens. Fine for daytime shooting and plenty long. IQ does suffer a little more than FA*300mm + the TC, it's a bit softer.
Above are 3 shots from the lens all at f8 set on the aperture ring. First is at 400mm no TC. second is 400mm +TC 1.7. Third is 100% crop of 2. Gives some idea of the difference in magnification from 400mm to 680mm. The subject was 225 feet from my shooting spot.
Has a very nice finish as well, sort of a glossy brushed black. That's my lens in the Photo and considering this is a 20+ year old lens, you'd have a hard time not telling it from new and the finish hold up to use. On the rare occasion you will find one with the included original case. Like a small black leather suitcase. Protects the lens well and worth having if you can find it. I have one and I'll add a picture of that case later.
A good buy if you can find this somewhat rare lens.
*[/I]An Apochromat lens, which keeps color aberration to a minimum, using Special Low Dispersion glass is called an APO series lens at Sigma. As the refractive index of glass depends on the wavelength of the light, color aberration occurs when different colors form images at different points. This problem often occurs with telephoto lenses. In the case of normal optical glass it can only be corrected for two primary spectral colors by combination of low dispersion convex and high dispersion concave lenses. Sigma Apo lenses use SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass to offer superior sharpness, high contrast and color correction by minimizing the chromatic aberration.[/I]
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