as always, just one little kit problem

While taking photos of my staircase project I could see the SMC 24mm contrast was poor.  It turned out to be a small corner of the image was showing a piece of the cloudy-bright sky, and that was enough to produce veiling flare across the image.  I re-shot with my arm covering the bright area, only to find I had too much image shake for the SR to overcome.  I learned later that I had SR set for a 180mm lens, so it was working for a telephoto lens not a wide angle.  Oopz.

All of this points to the down side of classic glass.  SR does not set itself for them, the 40-year-old SMC coating isn't the best option for modern digital sensors, and relative to other options it's easy to make silly mistakes!

On the one hand a DA21 would cure the problem nicely - but it does leave a larger gap between 21 and 50mm (return of the DA35/2.4?).  On the other hand the Sigma 18-50 covers the range with modern optics and coatings and is silent to focus unlike the DA21 (and DFA 50 for that matter).  A bit more bulk for sure, but at 21mm it just straddles the f/2.8-3.2 maximim so the DA21 is no faster.  And the zoom is already in hand - so no further expense.  The age-old conundrum of carrying a few great primes vs. a convenient zoom reappears, especially when one of the few primes is not quite "great"!  Must check the 100/2.8 for veiling flare in similar circumstances now . .

DA15, K24, DFA50, M100, DAL55-300 on K-s1; Sigma 18-50 above.

While updating the group photo I noticed another new thing: not only does the K-s1 not come in the Pentax 'stormtrooper/panda' White and Black trim (it has grey trim), its white is not in fact white!  I know this because I put my broken white DAL 18-55 next to the camera and it's clearly not a good match - the lens is more intensely white than the body.  That saves me some effort, as I have a black DAL with a good mount which I could use to repair the white lens' cracked mount.  Now that I know the colors would look really wrong it saves me the effort.  To spare the fashion-conscious I left the hideous, clashing lens out of the photo.

two pancakes, one crêpe

Many have extolled the virtue of the Pentax DA pancakes: 21mm, 40mm and 70mm Limited primes that serve very well and are tiny to boot.  At one time I owned the DA40 and 70 at once, and I liked them very much but the budget demanded a sacrifice.  I later picked up the DA21 so my lifetime triple was complete!

Now I have picked up a new 40mm - not the DA Limited but the XS model that came with the K-01.  If the others are pancake lenses, this is surely a crêpe as it's substantially thinner.  It loses quick shift but is optically the same excellent lens; I look forward to using it to replace my lens cap! :^)  Actually the lens-cap for this is about the size of a rubber quarter, so hopefully I shall be able to keep track of it.

The fourth prime is a Sigma 105mm macro, which is larger and heavier than these three combined.  Hopefully I can justify carrying such a 'beast' now and then!

so many ways to play

So assume you have a couple of lenses you like, and some you don't.  An easy assumption since nearly every camera user will invent reasons to rework the kit, sometimes on a mere whim or rumor! In any case, how does one go about rearranging the kit, and find true imaging happiness?

Wide/Normal
I have a few great primes in the DA21 and DA70 Limiteds plus a nice Sigma 105mm macro.  I can stick a prime in between the Limiteds (35 or 40mm?), or choose the new 20-40mm Limited zoom and release the DA21 back into the wild.  Another option is a 17-50mm f/2.8, which would go nicely with the 70 and 105.  I could also abandon Pentax and pick a Sigma or Tamron 28-70 or 28-75 zoom at f/2.8, which could send the DA70 packing¹.

I really dislike Pentax' forcing a lens change around 50mm (16-45, 16-50, 18-55 + 50-135, 50-200, 55-300 etc.)² as I find the 50mm zone worth moving past in one direction or another.  This suggests that I'm a good candidate for their upcoming DA 17-85mm± offering, which should appear in 2014.   In the meantime a DA35/2.4 would fill my gap with the least expense - assuming a DA40xs does not magically appear.

Tele
A few shots with the DA50-200 have shown how the primes obliterate this compact lens - but what after that will I be willing to carry?  Actually the Sigma 100-300 can cover that ground for a while despite its relatively slow f/4.5-6.7 aperture, though the HD 55-300WR would be a good option too.  I owned and liked the Sigma 50-150, and the DA* 50-135 does drop into my price range at times.  This is less of a priority so I can punt on telephoto decisions for now - but I'd think a weather-resistant 17-85 + 100-300mm would make a simple and impressive pair most days!



P.S.  The magic worked: I found a used DA40XS for less than the price of a used DA35/2.4!  I did not expect that, but I'll cheerfully take it.  Most reviews say this is an optical clone of the Limited lens without quick shift, but some like it a lot less.  When the time comes it can be sold with my K-01 and bring it back to its original complete and bizarre nature. :^)

¹ I do have a Quantaray 28-90 with 1:2 macro, but it's f/5.6 at the long end, and it flares some when the light is wrong.
² the DA 17-70 bridges that gap, but with no WR I'll wait and manage with primes.

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)