Letting go... ?

As noted in the recent past, it's time to call the buy/sell struggle a draw.  I have several great lenses, and messing further with the lineup will bring change but not improvement.  Several of the second-tier lenses are really cool and fun to use but let's face it: old coatings will not perform like the new stuff and autofocus with quick-shift override beats manual efforts on most of my shots.  The Rikenon 28mm is going nowhere (for now) but several 'old favorites' must become someone else's favorites now.

A fine example is the Rikenon XR 70-150.  I've really liked this lens since I first won the bid, and it has several features I really like such as internal zoom, fixed f/4, 52mm filters and the built-in hood.  Honestly though, the DA55-300 beats it everywhere that matters, with much more range less weight and modern coatings.  While not as compact as the SMC-M 135/3.5 and 200/4, they really are duplicates that I won't use enough to justify their coolness.

Another that I hate to see go is the excellent Sigma 50/2.8 macro.  The 100mm Promaster can do 1:1 with its adapter and for the few times I want more range I can just pack the 55-300 and be done.

We'll see how the deals go down - but it's time to move on!

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

And yet, on the very next day, I ordered an SMC-A 24mm lens. 
This was in the KEH 'ugly' bin so the price was nice, and I've yet to learn of anyone dissatisfied with an UG -grade lens from them.  Since folks (including me!) can send it back and no harm done how can one be unhappy?  If this lens is typical optically I won't worry about Ugly -but the well-liked Rikenon 28 will be at risk and fully-manual shooting will become entirely optional.  But let's wait and see - I remember reading once that "it's time to move on!".  The Sigma 50 has sold already; so it begins.

Update  - I still have the two Rikenons (28 and 70-150) but most other sale items have sold - so the clutter has lessened.  The SMC-A24 is a real gem.  The next post explains why the Lumix GF2 has also sold!

uncle!

OK I've dated myself - even post-dated perhaps? 
"Uncle" was a term that meant "I've had enough, stop now" in bygone days.  Ah well...

Time to pull the plug on lens changes ASAP.  I let the 18-135 go, as the recent hike made it clear that in good weather I'd prefer primes.  I picked up yet another 18-55WR for foul-weather shooting; this not only good enough for me but nicer on the lens fund and much more compatible with my 52mm filter set!

I also bit the bullet and picked up a used DA70 Limited to keep the DA40 company.  So much for that lens fund, and hence the cry of "uncle"!  This pair squeezes out the 50mm Sigma macro and puts the 100mm Promaster in charge of extreme closeups, and light tele duties too for that matter.  Two of Pentax' famous Limited pancake primes, a fully-manual but very talented 28mm and a flyweight 'plastic fantastic' 100mm macro, with a fisheye for just the right moments and two venerable SMC-M small telephotos when the DA55-300 seems inappropriate.  Hmmm, well that could happen I suppose... ?

A few others can go now too, though for the price of postage it might not be worth the effort - but we'll see.  A couple of other 50mm lenses should go besides the macro - though perhaps the 50mm/1.7 'A' or f/2 'M' lens should stick around for times when f/2.8 won't do.  Given the hi-ISO talents of the K-5 though, those times are impressively rare!

So today's roster, sorted by filter size:
49mm* - DA40, SMC-A 50/1.7, DA70, SMC-M 135mm
52mm* - Rikenon 28mm + 70-150, SMC-M 200mm (all fully manual), DA18-55WR
58mm - DA55-300
nosuch - Sigma 15mm fisheye

* I have a 49-52mm step ring so I can pretend these are equivalent.  Somewhere I have a 52-58 step as well, if I really feel like leaving filters at home!

a month's trials and a fine hike

I took a pretty walk early in October, trying out several lenses in turn.  The bag carried the DA18-135 for simplicity, plus a Sigma 15 fisheye, Rikenon 28 and the DA40.  The Sigma 50 stayed in the car, victimized yet again by the DA40.  Sadly the Promaster 100 macro stayed at home; it would have been a fine complement to the other primes.  Also sadly, the 49-52mm step ring did not come, so the DA40 had no polarizer like the 28 and 18-135.  While I'm filled with regrets, the Rikenon 70-150 f/4 really should have been there too!

At first the 18-135 got all the shots and I found it satisfactory - especially since it was my only 'telephoto' option! - but weather conditions were perfect at the time, so its weather sealing was of no value here.  No need for silent focus either, as I was essentially alone and 6500 feet up!  So after taking a shot at  around 40mm I popped on the Limited prime and enjoyed it for a while.  The smaller camera/lens combo was most pleasant!  It alternated with the all-manual Rikenon at times, which with the cPL filter took several powerful images.  I must say that overall I preferred the primes as my way to shoot.  Having fairly large FL gaps is not big to me, and 15-28-40 felt just fine; I would like to add the DA70 some day to fill the space to the 100, but I also have a Rikenon 70-150 zoom that would have served very well - sadly it also stayed home. 

At the turnaround point on my hike I broke out the 15mm fisheye, and it was great fun.  Starpoints made the sun into an artistic light source, and the larch and huckleberry shrubs were great color features.  I'm always impressed that the sun can be in an image yet exposure doesn't overcompensate with a black foreground!  Soon the 15mm went back in the pack, and the DA40 was back on.  The 40 and 28 got plenty of use on the way back.

So what did I learn?  (And will it stick?)
I think the 18-55WR is enough WR range for my purposes, and the $300 saved can go back in the fund for a DA70.  I will need to try that 70-150 f/4 with the other two primes first however - as the Rikenon 28 makes the DA21 less vital to my plans, the 70-150 may restrain my 'need' for the DA70.  I'm still on the fence for a macro, with two fine choices: the Sigma 50/2.8 EX DG has been sidelined by the DA40 and the Promaster 100/3.5 lost its chance to shine this trip.  So a few more tests to winnow the set are needed.

More shots from this trip on Picasa!