shooting in the dark!

First tests with the II show its SAFOX-X AF system is quite impressive.  I took shots of inside my closet where only some large print could be read visually, and focus locked on and the super-16 sensor pulled out the details.  Another shot of a stack of moving-boxes in a dark corner also turned out eerily great, considering just how dim it looked from behind the camera.  This is quite a set, and given the II's talent I can imagine just how the K-3 is impressing early adopters!

The SMC-DA21 Limited is also very nice and will serve fine as my wide option instead of the 18-55 zoom.  Owners have spoken of how well it performs after a service call, so maybe once finances are in order it will keep the K-5 classic company on its trip for the shutter/stumble issue.

Others are now receiving the HD DA20-40mm Limited zoom and are cautiously evaluating, mostly seeing very good results.  That's for later I expect, but not for a while.

what a difference...

a few days (and early holiday sales!) makes.

Last week at this time the primary kit =  κ-01, DA16-45/70, and Sigma 50-150, no backup.
Once the packages arrive it will become κ-5ii, DA21/50/70, and Sigma 105 macro, κ-01 backup!  No doubt a step up, though the wide zoom is now a white DAL 18-55!

Strange days indeed.

The DA50 has arrived; it's quite a nice lens and feels better than most when focusing manually. I had heard that, now I know it! It also focuses rather close relative to other AF primes I have tried.   I'm not certain this can find a place so close to the DA70, but for now it's a nice addition; perhaps the DA35 will turn out to match better with the 21 and 70, or a DA40xs might make a timely appearance.  To look at it another way: with 1/2 stop more light and very good images, will the DA50 allow the 70mm enough room to shine?  

Whatever wins out, for the next few months it will not be allowed to bother me.

DA21 and the II are now here.  First camera tests are promising, I took a photo in deep shade and focus locked nicely with the 50/1.8.  So far so good!  The DA21 has a bit of a reputation as a less-than-razor-sharp lens that does best at closer focus, and this copy seems to be the same.  I shall try some AF adjustments to see how it goes, but razor sharpness does not make an ordinary image into a great one (and software can assist) - so I do not expect this to go badly.  The 21 looks enough like 18mm to be acceptable as the widest lens other than my fisheye 8mm, so the 18-55 can pretty much stay locked to the K-01.

turnovers!

What an interesting few days.  The 50-150 is sold and the funds mutate into the DAs 21/3.2 Limited and Sigma 105/2.8 macro, and the DA16-45 is converted to a DA50 f/1.8!  It's clear from the number of 18-55 and 16-45 lenses in my history that I find these two interchangeable, especially with a good sensor whose ISO talents can compensate for the slower 18-55.

Deals have been too complicated to tell if a net $ gain or loss occurred on all the above, but more gear will depart in the next few months, once the K-5 comes home from the service trip I have planned for it.  The SMC-A 24mm is definitely out of work now that the DA21 is coming to town.


So here is the latest scoreboard:

• primes: 8 fisheye, 21, 50, 70, 105 macro, 400 (8 & 400mm both manual focus)
• zooms: 18-55 + 50-200 WR, 28-90 1:2 macro, 100-300 f/4.5-6.7 (latter two full-frame)
• bodies: κ-5ii, K-01 (white with white 18-55 DAL), K-5 (injured reserve)

the kit reborn?

So the 50-150 f/2.8 is moving on soon*, and the DA40 Limited is gone.  Never thought the 40 would go, but at 770 grams the 50-150 was a risk I chose to take.  A 450-gram Sigma 105 macro is not a lightweight, but 70+105 fast lenses combined will do well with the DA16-45.  Heck, the 70+105+DA50-200WR weighs a bit more but gives me more range, some weather seals and 1:1 macro!  Yes I'm stretching to justify my actions, but it works for me!

Why am I doing this?  The K-5 II is the new goal.  With the K-5 awaiting repairs & the wet season upon us, a II (or praps a IIs) makes sense... if the price becomes right in the next few months.  I could pick up a classic K-5 but the SAFOX X has a few important upgrades I would like to have:

• better AF predictions in continuous-AF mode
• much less light needed for autofocus (-3EV)
• f/2.8 precision (center point) and 
• more decisive focusing in nearly all cases

The gapless-screen update will be quite nice as well.

The K-3 has still more updates, but the 24Mpix sensor does not beat the sweet-16 for low-light imaging so more pixels hold less appeal.  Many of the other features (variable AA simulation, better/easier video, USB3) are good but not wildly relevant to me -- well OK a few shifted buttons would be nice.  A larger screen and faster electronic pipeline sounds like battery-life sacrificed as much as anything else.  And even with sale prices, the K-3 will be at twice the price of the basic II.  But hey, the shopping season approaches: if discounts are in the right places and the house is getting a lot of buying attention, who knows where this will end?

Once my K-5 is fixed it may go on the market... or should the K-01 depart?  Keeping the K-5 makes more sense for identical controls, the K-01 has the interesting video and interval-movie setting - but those are also available on the Q!  Acquiring a brand-new II with three years of warranty feels like a good decision - though a better one would be to swear off all imaging 'upgrades' for six months!
Ha ha very funny... and oh yeah just picked up a white 18-55 for the white K-01 :^p

Today's pile of imaging gear:

• primes: 8 fisheye, 24, 50, 70Ltd, 105 macro, 400 (all manual focus except 70 + 105)
• zooms: DAs 16-45, 18-55, 50-200wr (28-90 & 100-300 for full frame/film)
• bodies: K-01, K-5 (needs repairs), Q with 02 zoom and PK adapter

* first sale fell through, try try again..

Update - the 50-150 went through the 2nd time, and is being replaced by a DA21.  Yes this was not needed thanks to the 16-45.  More shuffling in the works; what a surprise.

Farewell to the Forty.. and ??

I had not intended to let any Limited lenses get away... but that was before the DA16-45 began crowding them out.  I had unsuccessfully marketed the DA70 a couple of times - keeping the 70mm makes much more sense than the DA40 given the 16-45, and the 70mm is slightly faster and nearly as small.  This injection of camera funds helps alleviate my financial remorse over the Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 as well.  I had felt that the 70-150's arrival made the 70mm expendable, but the huge size/weight difference really doesn't make for a fair comparison of the two on 70mm images alone.

So yet again, the kit has shifted.  Maybe at some point a 100-135mm prime will go along with the 16-45 / 70 / ?? for hiking trips (the 50-200WR is great except at the edges, where the 50-150 bests it handily).  I have diopter attachment lenses for decent closeups, but of course a 100mm or 105mm macro would be even better - but after the K-5 has been serviced.  Perhaps I can find a manual lens to fill in for now.

Rumors swirl around a Pentax 20-40mm Limited zoom, which may be WR and/or have DA motor; that would be fun to own, but it definitely will not be a cheap lens!

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

And hello 105...
The 50-150 tests are in, and results are clear on several levels - and the truth hurts.  Without doubt it's an amazing lens, sharp right to the edges below f/4, silent focus, plenty of good.  At the same time, that 750+ grams could be used to carry several other items.  One that has stood out as an ideal match is a 100mm± macro lens.  Yes, guilty as charged: I recently sold off a Cosina-made 100/3.5 but it had no focus limiter and focus was loud & crazy.  In this case a Sigma 105mm EX.DG finally came up at a good price, and here it comes now to complement my 16-45 and 70 Limited as a top-notch hiking trio.

This means the 50-150's purpose has lessened, as the less-edgy but far lighter DA50-200WR can reclaim its position as both good telephoto and foul-weather choice.  Yet that makes less sense when attached to a K-01, and my K-5 sits in the moving van awaiting both unpacking and servicing for a few age-related issues.

The easy answer is to trade the 50-150 for an updated K-5 so I'm ready for the wet season.  I'm more convinced now that the II-series has features I would really like, notably the improved AF and crisper screen.  So the Sigma is on the block for cash or a K-5II trade; if I am cashed out I shall await a good post-Thanksgiving fire sale.  As to the II versus IIs debate, I am satisfied that the IIs may be sharper overall but the color moiré is a risk (though a slight one) and my skills are more in play than the AA filter by a long shot.

Now for the silly part: I also have the K-01 on the block.  That's just silly, both because I really enjoy it and also because all of its boxes and manuals are packed for our move and wildly inaccessible!  I shall not be aggressive with the sale or lower the price, so we shall see where that leads.

moving and imaging

I've now reached the point of packing up the home where living minimally will need to serve.  With several items in the kit not receiving much use, some lenses can pack up easily - but others should be more visible.  The challenge of not cramping one's style is now in play!  Worse yet is the risk that, once all is unpacked again, I may have learned to do without what was packed... not a bad thing really, but sobering.

Step one is easy: I really don't need the two full-frame zooms in my APS-C bag right?  Well, one is my only 1:2 closeup option (though I have several 1:3ish that will do), and the other gets me to 300mm.  I'll take the chance and pack them.  The two Limiteds will stay out, as will the DA16-45.

For lighter telephoto and poor weather the DA50-200WR should stay - wait though, that doesn't really matter with the K-01 does it?  The K-5 is being packed as its electronics are in need of service, and that includes SR - so really the 50-150 f/2.8 is as useful for low light as the 50-200 f/4-5.6 is for weather seals.  Ah well the WR lens is pretty small so it can stay, and the SMC-A 24/2.8 and new 8mm fisheye can go in the packing box.

The easy-to-pack items are the SMC-M 50mm f/2 and the 400mm f/6.3 preset; those are very rarely in use and can be done without for a bit.

So for the next month or three this is my mini-kit:
K-01 ghost-camera + DA16-45, 50-200WR and Sigma 50-150 zooms + DA Limiteds 40 and 70

And the Q might as well be easy to reach too, being so small.  As daylight weakens it shows its limitations with the small sensor though.  Were I seeking a small camera again, the Lumix GM-1 looks mighty handy: Q size but m4/3 sensor, and a 12-34mm zoom that would play nicely with the two adapted Limiteds.  Oh yeah, I'm not seeking a small camera... shame on me for speculating so much.

YAKU October '13

So here's the kit as of autumn 2013. The K-5 and K-01 have some new optical company!

The top row is the SMC-A 24mm f/2.8 and new Rokinon 8/3.5 fisheye.  This one replaces the Sigma 15/2.8 fisheye, which was crowded out by the DA16-45 f/4 (center of 2nd row, flanked by DA50-200wr and Quantaray 28-90 1:2 macro).  The third row is the Sigma 50-150/2.8, DA70/2.4 and DA40/2.8 Limiteds, and the Quantaray 100-300.  

The 55-300wr has just been announced; that should be a challenge to keep out of my bag -especially now that the 50-150 has covered the DA50-200wr's territory.  Sure wish the Sigma were rated as weather resistant!

The two Quantarays are full-frame friendly and allow 28-300mm on my Pentax ME/SE film body; the 24mm works for film also, as it was intended!

We'll see what 2014 brings!

 * YAKU = Yet Another Kit Update

Ricoh brings the K-3 to market

The K-3 is quite a dense camera, features galore and more than before!  The K-5 is still all I need and substantially more, but those new specifications are head-turning.  I'm doing my very best to hold with what I have now so its grand opening will not see me in any virtual lines - but it's good news for Pentax and therefore for owners of all K-mount cameras.

another dip in the pool ('dip' is a verb here)

I watched with surprise and disappointment recently as the only 500+ gram lens I'd ever want was being sold in a forum I frequent.  The price dropped a time or two, and nobody jumped on it.  It dropped again, and sat a week.  Taunting me!  :^)

And so, again, I snapped.  I scraped together funds from a few untapped sources and bought a Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8.  This now becomes my most-expensive lens, and easily my heaviest.  It should be worth owning despite the bulk: two stops faster than the DA50-200 and slow 100-300mm zooms, and nearly a speed match for the DA70 Limited.  (I admit that I tried to move that lens first to cushion he blow; it's a hard lens to lose though!)  I already have 67mm filters for the DA16-45 so the 50-150 makes a great pair with it.

I expect that its output will force me to re-evaluate my weight limit on lenses.  Yes I've been a weight wimp, 450 grams / one pound lenses have been the max - but it's my hobby and I play it my way!

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

image from wikipedia.com

Double whammy

A day or so later the Samyang/Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 fisheye went on sale, for $60 less than its typical best price.  That one was more likely to be added in my imaging future, and the 'wait' is over.  The 15mm lenses are too close to the DA16-45 to justify, but the 8mm fits nicely in my kit.  In its Pentax iteration it even 

So now I have yet another Pirate lens, one to make me say arrrrgh!

we interrupt this program... breaking news!

The wheels are in motion for a move!  Well more precisely, a storage unit
is not in motion, but stationary in our driveway.  Same result though.


Leaving this city will be a first for me, after 56-plus years - and my bride will sell and buy her first home ever.  The news won't actually break us, in fact it will free us from breakage in some ways - and if we pack carefully nothing at all will actually break. 

We won't be moving very far, but it will definitely count as moving.
This effects of this news will trump most picture-taking for
the coming month or two, so that makes it worth noting here.

tests at 50mm

Another common focal length in my collection (and others' as well) is around 50mm.  I have five ways to play right now: Rikenon XR and SMC-M f/2 primes, the DA50-200 (max f/4), a Quantaray 28-90 macro (f/4.5 at 50) and the DA40 Limited is close enough.  Oh rats I forgot the 16-45 at f/4 - so a supplement will follow soon!

Tests were not precise: hand-held and manual focus at the widest apertures, since they will all be fine at f/5.6 anyway.  All were shot with auto ISO and WB, and as DNG raw files with the K-01; no processing other than posting from Picasa so its raw defaults are shown here.

Depth of field was an issue with the f/2 primes, as the center of the bud and the pollen stems are not a match with the petals.  Anyway, in this case the no-surprise winner was the DA40 Limited, which loses a stop to the f/2s but is a modern optical marvel and a mechanical throwback with its all-metal construction.  Second* would go to the 28-90 macro; this lens dares to perform well despite its bargain-bin price of $35-50 most of the time.  If you hit the first Ritz closeout it was under $10, which is what I paid to go with my Sony Alpha A200!

The two 50mm primes did pretty well but contrast was down a bit, likely from their older coatings.  The 50-200 has a fairly long minimum focus that is better suited for flower shots above 100mm.  Still, the image is decently sharp with great color & contrast. 

I've tried the DA40 with a bargain +1 and +2 closeup filter attachment, and while this brings one closer the images are just not the same.  Sure your DoF is razor thin, but it just looks less saturated and less amazing.  No doubt a $100 closeup filter would outperform a $10 one, but we use what we have not what we might consider.  The DA40 Limited does excellent work and can get pretty close, and for me that'll do.

* Update: the DA16-45 is quite good also; exposure was a little brighter but the time of day was different.  Sharpness and bokeh are pretty similar on this shot.  And I got a bee-fly in the scene (lower right), that's pretty cool!  

DA40 at f/4 at the top.

must ... stop ... looking

I put some of my kit at risk - and for what?  Well, a fine 105mm Sigma macro that's what.  
The deal didn't happen, so the DA70 (likely my best lens) remains with me.  Whew, I suppose?

I currently own prime lenses that cover 15 to 70mm, and I also cover 16-300mm with three relative-bargain zooms.  When funds are really tight as they are now, trading is all I have to work with - and it is not to be done carelessly.  No doubt a 100mm prime is a fine idea (hey wait didn't I just sell one? o yeah), but letting go of something else on the list isn't wise.  The 15mm fisheye is the most expendable, but not at a fire-sale price  unless the budget is such that I cannot afford to keep it.  For now it can stay at a price that will not hurt too much to part with.

This month's bit of cash went to a set of 49mm filters; time to stop adapting 52mm filters since I have but one matching lens but four that take 49s.  In the past I had the opposite setup, and I somehow failed to send off those filters as the lenses were sold.

Maybe in a few months a manual-focus 100mm is in the cards - but I must shop warily!

the hidden cost of lens-switching

I find that my kit no longer needs 52mm and 58mm filters.  How odd, as a few months ago I needed nothing other than those!  That was partly thanks to a 49-52 and 55-58 step rings.  Now everything is 49 and 67mm with a few stray 55s, so as a result many of my filters will be on the block now.  And it turns out I have more than one of some of them, such as two 58mm cPolarizers - that could use an explanation...

Both the 28-200 and 18-200 are moving on, so that last test was done just in time!  The winner by attrition: Pentax DA 50-200 WR.

testing 1,2,3 zooms to 200mm

I stood on my porch with my K-01 and tested three xx-200mm zooms at 135mm, 200mm and for close focusing.  They each did the job pretty well, which is no surprise nowadays.

I locked aperture and ISO but the left one does not show the 0.7EV exposure boost that I thought they all had - and no stopping the clouds in any case!  Anyway, the 18-200 Sigma looked best for colors, the Promaster 28-200 perhaps a touch sharper, and the DA50-200WR the least color-fringed.  No surprise since it's the zoom with the least range to compensate for, and a later test looked sharper than the first go.  The 28-200 is an older copy of this oft-remade Tamron lens, and color fringing has been its weak point for quite a while in my experience, which goes back to my Alpha days in 2008.  This version has 72mm filter threads and is about 100 grams bulkier than the more recent models.

One thing is clear in close-focus: the longer the zoom's range the closer you can get, but the least like 200mm the scale becomes.  Long-reach zooms must be made this way to do what they do, and it's very clear when popping off the 18-200mm and sticking on the DA 50-200WR; I had to step quite a way further back to reach focus, but the resulting image scale is actually larger!

No major surprises revealed, but good to know.

bad timing

Once the K-01 arrived, I hit the perfect time to send the K-5 away for a maintenance check.  It has the 'dreaded' mirror-flop issue, where a fully charged battery overloads a circuit and causes the shutter to click extra times - it doesn't take extra photos, just sounds like it's doing so.  Apparently a cicrcuit-board swap will take care of it, and other inspections will probably detect anything else that needs knowing.

But now it's summertime, and having a rugged camera is more important!  I can manage fine with the K-01 as long as the weather is stable, though the screen-only preview is harder in bright sunlight - but it's too bad the timing isn't better.  I have the extended K-5 warranty, and perhaps the local Pentax shop can turn it around faster with this summer timing.  Anyway that's the next camera expense to plan for, even if it's just postage to and from the shop.

the Kit - this time I mean it! mean it... mean it... me

OK, a final flurry of shopping and the kit is reshaped.  Here is the core* of my photo gear as of late June.

Mounted on the K-5 is yet another fine copy of the DA16-45.  That lens was one of the big reasons I went back to Pentax as a digital choice after letting Sony go reinvent itself without me.  I have been forced to sell it once, and chose to a couple of other times - this is my fourth copy so this is truly the voice of experience speaking -- and I dearly hope I've learned from it all!  If nothing else my pension checks will dictate that it stay around, I expect...

To cover the midrange I have the DA40 and DA70 Limited duo (hiding in their fine leather pouches).  These are absurdly good lenses and I hope never to part from them, unlike other lenses I have owned.

In the WR and telephoto department I will carry the DA50-200WR.  This lens is plenty good enough and much easier to carry than the well-regarded 55-300mm (another lens I have owned at least three times), and on a wet hike it will be the on-camera option for max moisture resistance.  It has the additional ability to make use of 49mm filters like the Limited primes!

On the occasional day when more reach is needed, the 100-300 Quantaray/Sigma will join me.  Other than being quite slow optically (f/6.7 at 250mm +) it's talented, compact and lightweight, and is faster to focus in good light than the DA55-300.  When lighting and weather are at their best, I can cover quite a bit with 16-45, 40, 70 and 100-300.

* Not appearing above because they won't get much use:

• Sigma 15mm fisheye, good enough to get more use but less vital with 16-45 in the bag
• SMC-A 24mm f/2.8, a nice lens but the 16-45 excels in this zone with greater versatility
• SMC-M 50mm f/2, which cannot compete with the Limited pair & has 'limited' resale value
• Sigma 18-200DC gen-1, a quite decent all-purpose lens that will be on the K-01 often
• Quantaray 28-90mm w/1:2 macro, a great $35 lens that is hardly worth the price to ship! :~)
• Hanimar 400mm f/6.3 preset, for emergency wildlife only!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
early-Aug update: the 28-200 and 18-200 are gone, as is the venerable Vivitar 28-105.  The 15-fish and 28-90 remain available but no takers yet.  The primes will not harm me if they stay, and if I take them to goodwill I fear that I might return home with more! :~)
mid-Aug: the 15mm fisheye is gone, sad to say.

another old friend returns

Prodigal lenses surround me!

First it was the 28-90 Sigma/Quantaray (top), then a  100-300mm of the same vintage (left).  While seeking a wide option I rediscovered the Tamron 17-35 (right).  And now a used-but-effective 18-200 Sigma has reappeared (bottom).  I have many good memories from these lenses, from backpacking to general bikeabouts; the 18-200 is decently sharp for its type, shows far less chromatic fringing than the DA18-135, and reads f/5.6 out to 170mm before dropping to f/6.3 beyond that. Yes that means it's 5.9 with rounding but good enough for me!  Truly one could take prize-winning shots with such a lens, but I do not plan to dump everything else upon its arrival.

Depending on its focus speed it could be ideal for the K-01, and this plus a Limited prime in each pocket will do great things any time.  It's only 1:4ish for closeups, but I have just allowed my macro lens to leave the nest; seems I very seldom do more than 1:2 so extreme closeups are not my 'thing' and the 28-90 can do that.  At least I tried and I know my macro interest now, after trying out three dedicated macro primes!

So while this could be a kit-rearranging move, I expect that the budget is more likely the item that will cause changes.  As a newly retired human with smaller checks in my future, I may need to think about what gets used often and what just looks nice on my shelf.  We shall see!  In the meantime I can comfort myself with the knowledge that the four lenses cost me a total of just over $400 - and that's quite a lot of versatility for a relatively small price!

News Update 6/28

Well I did it again, but for a very good reason: a sub-$200 DA16-45 became available.  Compared to the Tamron 17-35 I gain coverage both wide and long, and shed 10mm off the filter size and 80 grams off the bag weight.  In exchange I lose full-frame/film coverage, f/2.8 at the wide end, and an  aperture ring.

 This change voids the last month or so of acquisitions, as the 28-90mm can go too: the DA16-45 goes nearly 1:3 on closeups at f/4 with smoother bokeh, so the 1:2 at f/5.6 is less amazing.  For that matter, even the 15mm fisheye is now at risk from the 16-45!  I'll probably keep the 28-90 for $35, and it can join the $25 100-300 as the film-capable lenses.  The 18-200 can stay too, as it's hard to beat as my casual lens.


In other news, the two excellent Rikenon lenses have moved on. They are both deserving of more time.  The 28/2.8P and 70-150/4 XR served me very well!  The Promaster 28-200 is also on the runway awaiting final instructions.

surprising $35 lenses

That $35 number seems to be a rather magical one for me in recent times.

The Rikenon 28mm f/2.8 was maybe closer to $39, depending on Canada-USA exchange rates - but close enough for my work here!  An excellent all-manual lens that has given me several great images like this one:

I recently picked up a $34.99 Sigma/Quantaray 28-90mm f/3.5-5.6 1:2 'macro' lens, and for about $70 both a Promaster 28-200mm and Sigma/Quantaray 100-300mm f/4.5-6.7 telephoto.  The two Quantaray lenses are familiar from my SonyAlpha days when they served me well.  The 100-300 put out great color and decent sharpness, but its contrast was a bit low; this often looks like softness but is quickly fixed in nearly any software.  Come to think of it, the 100-300 also put in an appearance in Pentax mount for a while - it was used here, though this is quite heavily cropped:

I paid $50-75 for earlier copies, so $35 feels like quite a steal.  

As to the 28-90?  Well it's quite small and very light, and can do 1:2 closeups - which is pretty much as close as I've done with my dedicated Promaster 100mm f/3.5, since it requires a filter-mount adapter to do 1:1 imaging (and then cannot focus to infinity).  While f/3.5 is quite a bit faster, one learns swiftly that macro imaging often uses more depth of field to do its work, so it's a toss-up which would serve me best.  I am not a true Macro type, so foregoing 1:1 imaging will not do me harm - but giving up on a prime lens for a zoom?  Test images on more distant images show the Q-ray to render better, showing more natural colors and decidedly less destructive contrast.  Closeup tests will come soon - but hey we're comparing a $35 zoom lens to a $180 prime, after all.


Then there's this 28-200.  I owned a Tamron XR Di IF &c &c in my Alpha days, and above 120mm I did not like it much - images softened and color fringing burst forth.  I figured this could attempt to match the 28-90 and have the high end for emergency use, since Promaster lenses are Tamron/Promaster generally, a lot like Sigma/Quantaray in that regard.
This lens surprised me though: it's actually an older throwback than I had expected, with 80 grams more weight and 72mm filter threads (so much for my lonely 62mm c.Polarizer).  I shall have to do more work to see where the weaknesses are with this copy, but its 1:4ish closeups are no decent match for the 28-90.

Still, it's a $35 lens - and that seems to be a sweet spot for me.  We shall see.

p.s. The 28-200 is indeed a curious one!  This is an older design than the XR Di IF &c Tamron that I used before, 100g heavier and takes 10mm larger filters.  Despite all that (?) it performs a bit better at the long end.  The Tamron with my Alpha A200 was notably soft after 120mm, and this shows less softening.  It does have similar fringing characteristics, sad to say; it could use a rinse with software to remove the color edges.  Not bad, but I have other lenses to do this work that I like better.  I'm keeping the 100-300 for sure though!

shouldn't couldn't wouldn't --- did.

Time to disconnect the auction site from my bookmarks now.  For just over $70 I picked up a (Tamron) Promaster 28-200 lens (which I 'promise' not to use past 120mm).  It will be faster than the recently-grabbed 28-90 (Sigma) Quantaray, and of course in 'emergencies' can go to 200.  We'll see, but only one will stay.

Did I pay too much?  Maybe.  Oh forgot to mention, that price included a (Sigma) Quantaray 100-300, one that I've owned and liked before.  Twice.  So let's say each was $35 - and that I feel that I did well!

Except for the new lens cabinet I might need to build... :^)

90 v 100 on a few subjects

The Quantaray/Sigma 28-90 arrived today, so I put it to a few tests against my well-liked Promaster 100mm macro.  Both do about 1:2 closeups in native mode; the Promaster includes a 49mm filter-type multiplier to achieve 1:1 but I seldom use it, so 1:2 seems sufficient for me.  The lenses don't compete on speed, since it's 100/3.5 vs 90/5.6, but what the heck we'll put them head to head anyway.

A few quick tests at 1:2 were not definitive so I shot the neighborhood to see the results.  In the climatis-and-mailbox shot the Q-ray image was decidedly better in exposure, avoiding the major blowout of highlights that the Promaster displayed.  Just a single shot but a clear difference.  Looks like a flower horse, but truly it's not!

Later I shot a closeup of our porch post with many things behind; both shots have rather nervous bokeh on display, so again no clear victor.  I shot these through a window, which helps neither lens show off to its best effect.

Let it be noted that the Q-ray focus is slower and feels more precise, and it covers its full range in about 1/4 turn.  The Promaster nearly goes full circle, meaning if it misses you'll be waiting a while for it to get close again.  Enough victories that maybe the 100mm will be sent packing.

In the wide department the same could happen with the Sigma 15mm fisheye.  It takes some excellent and fun images, but the 17-35 Tamron non-fisheye is clearly a winner and both are f/2.8 - still counting votes on the result there.

Kit update - yes, again

Enough tweaks have occurred since the last update a few short months ago - so here we go again!

APS-c and Compact Bodies:

• K-5, still amazing after nearly 1½ years in my bag.  No real complaints, though it will need to go in soon for a solution to the full-battery mirror flop issue.
• K-01 (white), great fun since November.  It's definitely a different way to achieve similar goals, some better and some worse.  I find I can manage a few things I didn't think I'd ever be willing to try, which is seldom a bad thing.  I am sure glad it's here so the K-5 can visit the shop!
• Q: his and hers black ones, with 02 zoom lenses.  Tiny, fun and as good as a 1/2.3" sensor can do.  Nice to have the 'standard' dSLR menu on a compact, that's for sure.  I've still not purchased an adapter  or the PK lenses, but I'm wavering... 

Lenses, in approximate FL order.  
Just for amusement I've added (ff) to those that are full-frame friendly, meaning all but ONE.  Even the Limited primes that I own are deemed FF-tolerant, much to my surprise.  I am not planning to grab a full-frame Pentax dSLR any time soon, but if a windfall were to strike I'm well protected.

• (ff) Sigma 15/2.8 fisheye: yes the DA15 would be smaller, but this has so many good things going for it that I have no complaints.  It's not all that large in any case, and it's faster, focuses closer and works with full-frame (film) cameras. Oh yes, often a bit cheaper too on the used market!  Great fun and very talented, and really not all that fishy for landscapes on an 16×24mm sensor.
• (ff) Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4.0: part of what makes this nice is that it doesn't crowd any other lens.  Overlap can be a good thing most of the time, but a Limited lens deserves breathing room.  I owned this in my SonyAlpha days, it was my first really good lens.  If anything it could crowd the fisheye out of the lineup!
• (ff) Quantaray (Sigma) 28-90mm f/3.5-5.6 macro: another SonyAlpha veteran lens that I liked four years ago.  Dirt cheap, feather light but decent imaging and 1:2 macro at 90mm when you want such things.  An excellent one to have on the camera when you have nothing planned or you want something you won't mourn over if damaged.
• (ff±) Pentax DA40/2.8 Limited - yes it's true what others say: absurdly small, absurdly talented and worth owning.  For many it's the first Limited because of its price; I got such a good deal that I cannot repeat it, and it's a real keeper even had I paid $100 more like most other owners.  Sharp in focus and smooth elsewhere, thanks to great optics and nine-blade aperture, and too small to justify leaving behind.
• Pentax DA 50-200 WR: the perennial underdog telephoto lens for Pentaxians, this featherweight and weather-resistant zoom only suffers by comparison to the 55-300 models.  For now I prefer the compactness of this one, and on the K-01 it is a very good copy - now that I know that the K-5 will either need to match or get its first lens ± adjustment.  This is a great zoom for the K-01 as it's small and light - nearly a clone of the macro that's a bit further down the list.
• (ff±) Pentax DA70/2.4 Limited - ditto at least, except that this one was not to be found cheaply.  It's still worth the price.  Something about this feels illegal, to be a bit telephoto yet tiny and fast - and let's not forget the nine aperture blades to make the images really snap.  Live and learn: Limiteds are worth having.
• (fF) Rikenon XR 70-150/4: when I put down my bid at auction I barely knew this lens existed.  It's been with me quite a while, relatively speaking, and other than its old-school lens coating it's a real marvel.  I don't recall seeing many 2-ring internal-zoom lenses in my 1980s film days but clearly a few were out there, and this one is smooth and sharp.  It's a bit dense and at 440 grams it's heavier than all but the 400mm - but fixed f/4 through the range, 52mm filter threads and a built-in shade are nice to have.  Optically it's of prime caliber and can sorta do close focusing in its 'macro' mode.  O What Fun!
• (ff) Promaster 100mm f/3.5 macro (AF): I had tried two other macros, and felt like Goldilocks.  The Tamron 90 was excellent but too bulky, the Sigma 50 excellent but I had to get sooo close for real macro images.  The Promaster only goes 1:2 on its own - but I have the original 'matched' multiplier to achieve 1:1 shots (49mm, so it fits the Limiteds and 50-200), and it's well under half the size and weight (and price!) of the Tamron.  This does very well for my mid-tele and macro work, and is another small wonder.  I've made it pretty clear that I like that in lenses!
• (ff) Hanimar 400/6.3: and then there's this thing.  A preset T-mount lens (with 16 aperture blades!) it's a curiosity that was handed to me by my father-in-law; for the price of a K-mount adapter any 400mm lens is hard to beat.  I need to use it more but it's done quite well on my few test outings.

Compared to earlier times, that's not many lenses - but it's more than I can use at any one event that's certain.  Most events can go with perhaps two primes and a zoom, and seldom would more than four go anywhere with me.  A very compact, thrifty and comfortable kit.  Again.

This set leaves me with some excellent mix-and-match sets:

1. 17-35 + 40 + 70 + 100m for best of the best, with 15f optional
2. 17-35 + 40 + 50-200wr for most compact & fewest changes (probably the backpack kit)
3. 28-90 + 50-200 for when wide angle isn't going to be a big deal
4. 28 + 40 + 70 ultimate compact trio that covers many circumstances

Add the 15mm fisheye to any of these for ultimate width, or make other combos to address specific wishes (macro prime lens for example).

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Software:
 I now own Elements 10 and Premiere 10.  Plugins include NeatImage for noise reduction, SmartCurve for lighting adjustments and ReDynamix for redistribution of dynamic lighting with easy controls to temper the  HDR-like effects. I also use Picasa software for the easy changes and quick text additions.  No Lightroom or other powerhouse software will appear until my computer is massively updated, which I don't foresee any time soon.

Everything changes II - going retro

Well, I sought a deal on the DA16-45 and failed several times on auction copies.  As the going rate climbed toward $250 I revisited a few sites for the off-brand options like the Tamron 17-50 (add $100) or a similar-spec Sigma (very few on the used market at any price).

Now stop me if you've heard this before (too late!) but there's the ideal lens for my kit sitting lonely on a virtual shelf: the Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4.  I had this on my Sony A200, my first really great lens - yes range is thin for 440g and it takes 77mm filters.  On the other hand it doesn't prevent the DA40 from playing, it's fast and decently wide, and I liked its images a great deal four years ago.

And hey guess what: it's full-frame capable.  That may not interest me now, but it may interest others in a year or so.  If money comes at me and I cannot duck, even I might care - but it will serve well on the 18×24 sensor in the meantime.

Retro part II

After adding it to my cart and then deleting it, I re-added a Sigma 28-90 with 1:2 macro.  The label says Quantaray but it's the Sigma 28-80 by any other name, and was another of my A200-veteran lenses .  Yes it has a plastic mount, yes just f/3.5-5.6 - but also yes close-focus ability at almost 1:2, yes 8 aperture blades, and oh yes 220 grams and a low price of $35.  When I don't need to go wide this lens can do most of what I do on not-really-out-for-imaging days; when I want to be serious the Limited primes will do the job best.  It will be fun comparing the Promaster 100 to this at 90mm, as both can do about 1:2 closeups.

And hey guess what II: it's also full-frame capable.

Everything Changes.

That title about covers it.  Whether it's the ideal set of lenses in your bag, the camera they fit on, or saying farewell to a 33-year career with no real plans in sight, life just keeps moving along, and forcing decisions.

Re: imaging: I seem to be turning a bit of the kit upside down.  The DA18-55 WR has been my foul-weather standby, but I'd really prefer a DA16-45 for hiking, a bit of extra light grasp and wide-angle fun, and generally better image quality.  If that happens though, a different WR lens would be a good idea - and looky here: a grade-9 used DA50-200WR for comfortably below the going rate at B&H. Done! - but what will the 55-300 think?  For that matter, what will the 15 fisheye think of a 16mm zoom?  Good thing lenses don't think out loud... but sometimes owners do!

The DA21 Limited calls my name, but I continue to resist - and the 16-45 can help with that.  For half the price of a DA21/3.2, the DA16-45 is a smidge slower but a lot more versatile, and very very good.  I've owned it before but only with non-WR cameras like the k-100d and k-x... so why not the K-01?  If I don't find a very good deal though, I'm fine with the 18-55 WR.

On the tele side, the K-01 is quite awkward for me with the 55-300, so the 50-200 will be a better fit with that camera - and WR gives it high value on the K-5.  I owned the 50-200WR before too, and I found it acceptably sharp and liked its consistently good bokeh.  And how often do I find 300mm useful really, is it worth having the range if it's seldom used - or worse yet used badly in lesser light, replacing lens sharpness with image shake?  Hmmm...

As to the DA70 and the 100mm macro, they are safely tucked in the bag come what may!  While I know of prettier lens in the 90-105mm macro range, Promaster's results speak for themselves, and they say very good things.

Any kit shifts will need to be balanced with sales, but I'm OK with that; in fact the SMC-A 24 and 50mm lenses will depart soon.  The DA55-300 is an impressive lens, but I can grab another easily - and letting go could allow more chances for the Hanimar 400mm to play.

This realignment would make the kit appear thus:

• zooms: 18-55wr (possibly DA16-45), 50-200wr, manual Rikenon 70-150/4 
• primes: 15/2.8 fisheye, Rikenon 28, DA Limiteds 40 & 70, 100/3.5 macro, 400/6.3
• on the fence: DA 55-300, Vivitar 28-105, SMC-As 24 and 50

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

As to the adventure of retirement - well that's true too, and coming soon.  My pension will be decent but the LBA needs to end!  At some point I will likely add a part-time job but it's not guaranteed to be awaiting me, so it's a leap of faith.  My wife is very happy about this upcoming change, so it's a leap of love too.

lens testing: 50 vs 50 vs 55 vs... never mind

I recently picked up a Rikenon 55mm f/2.2 for a bargain price.  I was allured by its perfect focal-length fit between DAs 40 and 70, and was not deterred by its relatively slow speed of f/2.2.  However this copy came with some fuzz/fungus or something on the lens elements.  Today I uncsrewed it to pieces, cleaned the elements and put it back together.  I put it on my K-01 at f/4, manually peak-focused on the mailboxes across the street and took a shot.

Hmmm not great, I think.

So out came the SMC-M 50mm f/2, and a Rikenon 50/2 XR(s), and oh why not toss in the DA40 and 70, and the DA18-55wr too?  Chimping at each shot I learned tow things:

• I'm no good at manually focusing the 18-55 even at 40mm f/4.5 with peaking, and
• every shot was better than the 55/2.2 gave me.  Oh well.

So the winning lens is... ?

Well, before I even dumped them to my computer for further scrutiny I logged into pentaxforums, and saw an SMC-A 50/1.7 on the market that trumps them all, for a really good price.  Now to fill a box for the thrift-store, or maybe the dumpster, and make room in the bag for what many consider the best of the Pentax 50mm optical formulae whether in M, A or F series.  I had an f/1.7 for a while a year or so back, and I'm sure I sold it for more than I will pay today.  Sometimes the timing is great, most times not; today feels good.

what the Q can and cannot do

Well, a week with the Q has been interesting.  I feel pretty comfortable in saying this is a camera that will give you the best possible images from its sensor.  As many have noted, that's the good and the bad news; a 1/2.3" sensor is good in good light, indifferent when photons are fewer.


This shot looks nice when taken by itself: an iso2000 image that still has some fine detail.  Crop it down near 100% of your screen though, and the bricks are detailed yet covered in bonus data, the noisy stuff that records on the sensor but isn't really there. 

Let's be honest: for iso2000 and jpeg this is still quite impressive for a tiny sensor - but larger sensors exist for a reason, and scenes like this can really look great in my K-01 or K-5 even at iso3200-4000 and jpeg.  A large-sensor lens would probably show less purple tinting in the upper-left branches too.  I have heard great things from owners about the 01 Prime lens, and no doubt it would fare better.
I should have saved this in raw format to see how clean it could be -- but that will have to wait for another pre-dawn opportunity I guess.  No doubt it can look better after a bit of post-processing; I know the Fuji F550 surprised me quite a bit with its 1/2" EXR sensor.  Sooner or later I'll check the Q's raw abilities & post that answer here.

hello goodbye

So here are three cameras with different sensor sizes, and the zoom lens that covers wide to light telephoto work. 

If you like headaches, here goes: each sensor sees its lens as if it were a 35mm film camera with a 28-80mm zoom lens attached.  The Q lens is f/2.8-4.5 while the others are f/3.5-5.6, so it sounds brighter - but wait, formulae available on the web can 'prove' that the equivalence is actually much closer, and it can be clearly demonstrated that ... [enough: where's my ibuprofen bottle?]

Whatever.  Three cameras that can do very good things up to the limits that each sensor imposes, or that physics imposes upon them.  Larger is better for the sensor, smaller is best for most camera users, and the compromises each company makes will bring different opinions into play.  No reason to get a headache, really!

This is a gathering and a farewell party, as the blue Lumix G1 will be going up for sale.  With the Q's arrival it will become our "talented smaller-sensor" camera, and we will become an all-Pentax family.  This was shot with the K-01, so the Pentax Trifecta is in place.  If I become royalty I can afford the 645D and acquire the Royal Flush, but not before.

The micro-4/3 format is quite versatile and has many things going for it.  I won't bash the G1, especially as it was the first of its m4/3 kind and still serves many people very well.  We needed our small cameras to be really really small - so the Q will serve us better.

kidding, right? Right?!?

Somehow, I'm not.  Another camera is on the way.

I recently despaired of getting another camera for my wife, despite my certainty that a yellow K-01 would prove irresistible.  We have similar Lumix G1s so that would be the vehicle that allows us to shoot 'identical' images, so she would learn to see what I see on the same subject.  The G1 is a great camera with some nice features, and it's an ideal learning tool, but my wife's health is such that even micro-43 is pretty bulky for her use.

As Pentax did with the K-01, they now do with the Q - drop the price to a fraction of its original MSRP and watch them vanish.  The K-01 cured me of new cameras... but I failed to account for the cuteness factor as applied to my wife.  She found it absurdly cute and small and felt that the sub-$200 price was worth a dent in our budget.  Saying this actually meant a sub-$400 price as she still wants us to have identical cameras to shorten her learning curve - so here we go, again.  The sale includes the standard zoom lens of about 28-85mm so it is not shown in the image above (that's the prime lens).  Still let's face it, this is a really small camera!

Talented too, by the way.  Its backlit 12Mpx sensor can do quite well to iso1600 or a bit more, and it has raw abilities for personalized processing for sharpness, noise and everything (unlike jpg with its fine but compressed images that don't decompress the same twice).  I really liked the Fuji F550 (until it hit the pavement, hard) for its 1/2" sensor with raw shooting, so part of this will be familiar to me.  Many things, actually - the menu system is almost a mirror copy of the larger Pentaxi in my collection, so my learning curve will likely be quite short!

So the Pentax Trifecta is complete - do not hold your breath for the Grand Slam, as the $10k± 645D will not be in my financial league for the foreseeable future.  Plus it's kinda big.

image from quesabede.com

Oh hey, did I mention the adapter to allow K-mount lenses to work with the Q?  

That DA40 pancake lens just mutated into a 230mm telephoto... so they tell me.

in the San Juan Islands

While I'd like to show you fine details on the gull, I really like the concentric rings created by its bathing - so you get the wide view!

We spent several days of our anniversary in the same place we spent our honeymoon, on Orcas Island in NW Washington.  While most of the time was foggy and rain-free, a few times the sun broke out and gave us some great views.  The K-01 and Limited lenses received most of the use but the Sigma 15mm fisheye and a zoom or two also had some sensor time.  It was a fun trip but it was very cold - no surprise on mid-January trips at 48°N latitude!  Even the wood stove was reluctant to do its thing, but some store-bought kindling brought things around.

This was our first trip with the new car, and it performed admirably.  Lens buying will be restricted while it's being paid off but the warranty and reassurance of a new vehicle are worth it.  I'm still quite comfortable with the camera gear I have right now, so if I take good care of it all this Pentax stuff will easily outlast the car payments!

2013 begins!

And so the new year sweeps in.  Portland had no frost until the 29th, then three straight frosty mornings; winter arrived at last.  I pulled out the Promaster 100mm macro and visited the fungi in the front yard, and got a few keepers.  Some day I will do this with a tripod and 2-second mirror lockup... oh wait this was shot with the K-01, no mirror to lock up!  Funny how old habits and reflexes go, some slide past with no regret while others stay locked into memory and refuse to budge.  Shooting macros handheld is an old habit that I've yet to shake - just often enough, it works well enough.

The K-01 is clearly a different way to work compared to dSLRs, but it's not a bad way.  Many things I felt sure of were not important to getting an image, and some are nearly fun (like time-lapse movies, though that will take more practice).

In any case, 2013 should be a fun year to take pictures!