Hin's Photo Corner: March 2009

Pentax 400mm f/5.6 lens choices

2009-03-24 Posted by Hin Man

Though I like my current set up in using a fast 200mm combined with a TC, I am looking for a prime with longer reach as in 400mm f/5.6 so that I can depend less on the use of TC. My current combo is small and lightweight and if offers the best in ease of use and pretty much less than 2 lb and it is very portable and I can grab and shoot quickly.

Soligor 200mm f/2.8 in m42 next to
Vivitar 200mm f/3.5 from Komine in K mount
Both are relatively small & lightweight

And I prefer quicker reaction in Av metering without stop-down and the M42 lens or an 'A' lens will do that. The Av mode, allows me to concentrate on the framing and panning when needed. I hear the plane after the cooper hawk this morning. And I practice on panning distant plane flying. It gives me the instant thrill to follow the plane in action. My 400mm combo usually does poorly for infinity object, perhaps I have good lighting today and that really helps in the shooting as I can stop down to f/8 and still have reasonable shutter for the panning. I used my K mount 200mm f/3.5 on Komine before on similar shooting and after the stop-down, the plane may have already turned to a different direction.

Soligor 200mm f/2.8 m42 +
Kiron 2x doubler
heavily cropped

1/125 sec, f/6.3, 400mm, iso 200, 0 Ev

Click on the image to view it in a larger size

1/125 sec, f/6.3, 400mm, iso 200, 0 Ev

heavily cropped
bird is way too far
1/1600 sec, likely f/5.6, 400mm, iso 100, -0.7 Ev

I hope I can find a good prime or zoom in 400mm f/5.6 that is both hand-holdable and offer better IQ that I can depend less on the TC.

I plan to get the Pentax DA* 300mm f/4.0. But for now, I am looking for inexpensive manual focus choices. My rough criteria:

I prefer lens that is hand-holdable, roughly less than 3 lb
less CA in working with tree branches in high contrast
good manual focus throw for precision and ease of focusing
good IQ when used with Pentax F-1.7x AF TC
lens with tripod collar when I need it
Ideal focal length is 400mm f/5.6 to work with similar to my 200mm f/2.8 + 2x TC.
Or a manual focus 300mm f/4.0 with good IQ.

As of now, I have these choices in manual focus:

Sigma or Tokina 400mm f/5.6 in manual focus with 'A' setting -- not sure on weight?
SuperTak 300mm f/4.0 in m42 -- about 985g
Pentax 300mm f/4.0 in K mount -- about 1020g
Pentax M*/A* 300mm f/4.0 in K mount -- lightest about 850g
Pentax K 400mm f/5.6 (or the Takumar 400mm f/5.6 equivalent in m42) -- about 1285g in K version
Tamron SP 500mm f/8.0 adaptall-2 mirror lens -- not sure it is suited for wildlife photography such as birds

Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2.0 On Portraits

2009-03-23 Posted by Hin Man

I tried the lens for portraits and few are cropped to show the sharpness. I used mostly between f/3.2 and f/4.0 in ISO 100 and 200.

Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2.0 On Portraits

Nature Walk with Soligor 200mm f/2.8 M42

2009-03-19 Posted by Hin Man

I took the Soligor 200mm f/2.8 in M42 mount for a morning walk. I have the Komine 200mm f/3.5 with me but I fell short in time and energy to do the comparison. I love taking pictures more so than comparing pictures from different lens.

I find 200mm getting me closer to nature and I feel great carrying the Soligor around in nature walk. The K mount should be better fit as there is certain wobbling on the m42 mount. But the M42 does have the Av mode advantage not requiring the stop-down metering -- critical for reaction time needed in grabbing a shot.

I am not a bird shooter, I have problems in hearing the birds but not finding them easily. I managed to get few sparrows that are quite far away, I end up cropping the shots quite a bit

cropped, f/5.6

And a biker snapshots

bokeh shots

f/5.6

f/4.0

Impressions & Notes

Some wobbling with the M42 mount due to weight of lens, K mount won't have that problem.
But the m42 allows Av without stop-down metering
Sharpness is reasonable in close distance as in 10 to 20 feet.
I have test shots in farther distance and contrast and resolution is not as good. Pictures are quite soft
f/4.0 has a nice balance in bokeh and sharpness
I go between f/4.0 and f/5.6 mostly for birds on tree
Birds are difficult to nail focus due to their small size, I have quite a number of misses from my test, I should try spot focus
200mm seems way too short to get to birds, a lot of cropping as a result

Hiking with Tamron SP 28-135mm adaptall-2 28A

I bought Tamron SP 28-135mm f/4.0-4.5 adaptall-2 (28A) from forum friend Ryanwho priced it low for me to enjoy my first adaptall-2 zoom lens.

Initially, I was not too impressed as not having a lens hood seem to yield picture of flatter contrast. I bought a 67mm 3-stage lens hood, added a Hoya UV filter and tried it again on the weekend. The lens is pretty decent and it has a very usable range. Sharpness is decent. And it allows A aperture if you have the adaptall-2 pk/a adapter. I don't see a lot of discussion on this lens, but I find it a good manual zoom that covers a good focal range. It is on the heavy side and though it has a 1:4 close up, its minimal focusing distance is about 6 feet and I wish it is shorter than that.

Tamron SP 28-135mm adaptall-2 28A test shots

some fringing on the water
moderate, I would think

hat's label quite sharp
in pixel peeping

Hiking & Portraits impressions:

I love that focal range from 28mm to 135mm, better than 50-135mm or 28-75mm
I find the lens focal range good for hiking and portrait.
The focus throw is short, about 1/4 turn, and it allows quick focusing.
1:4 close up in the 28mm end is found decent in the center
sharpness in good lighting is found great, indoor is perhaps a bit too slow
minor zoom creep towards the long end for my copy
a bit heavy but easy to handle

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro Ex DG On Portraits

2009-03-18 Posted by Hin Man

I have another photo session with my wife who is helping me to see if the Sigma can serve well in portraits as good as the Tamron. Perhaps the location is differenent with more space, the extra 15mm actually comes in handy. It is really a toss between the two macro lens, I am flip flopping between the two on which one can serve me better. At this moment, flipping a coin is not a bad idea. I need to train my eyes to see the subtle differences on sharpness and contrast. And it can boil down to plain intuition on ease of handling in operation. Testing lens is fun but deciding on similar good lens is not fun at all. At the end of the photos session, I told my wife that I love both lens and I gestured to her that I have serious problems in letting one to go, keeping two is just as difficult with the continuous self blaming to no ends.

Sigma test shots

I used mostly iso 200 in f/4.0 to f/5.6 settings due to cloudy morning. Plain jpg in K20D with no post processing. It seems the Sigma can serve well in portraits though a bit longer in focal length than the Tamron

Related

Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2.0 (M42) On Flowers

2009-03-13 Posted by Hin Man

With inputs from others, my copy Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2.0 that I recently gett is similar to the Russian lens Helios 44-2. I manage to get some test shots on small flowers today. The lens is quite decent and I use a cosina 1:1 matched 49mm close up filter on the test shots as the lens don't get close to subjects -- minimum focusing distance is about 1.65 feet

f/5.6

Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2.0 (M42) On Flowers

f/2.0 + 1Ev

f/2.0 + 0.7 Ev

f/2.0 cropped 0Ev
without diopter

I am pretty happy with the bokeh and color. At f/2.8 and f/2.0, I seem to see darker picture in Av mode, hence I dial in +Ev

Impressions & Notes

Sharpness is very decent in wide open aperture
Filter size is 49mm
Minimum focusing distance is at 1.65 feet
My copy has a letter 1 overlapped with letter 'Q' denoting export version
10 blades, very circular diaphragm opening in many f/stops
All chrome color, very well made
Aperture ring in front that has a hidden preset ring when pulled down towards camera
Continuous aperture setting with no click stop between half and full stops -- I like it
At wide open aperture, a bit darker in the metering in Av mode
Bokeh is outstanding, no degradation on bokeh is noticed when used with diopter

Soligor 200mm f/2.8 M42 on Birds

2009-03-12 Posted by Hin Man

I plan to use the Soligor 200mm f/2.8 on bird shooting. I also like to use it for candid street shooting. I am a shy person and the 200mm will keep a good distance for me. I am in the process of gathering inputs from friends in how to test a 200mm lens properly. And thanks to Mike E. in suggesting a great article from Mike Johnson on How to stress a camera lens. With Mike E. suggestion, I will also explore the lens into landscape shooting.

So far, the lens is not doing too well in the sharpness criteria as it is quite soft in f/2.8 and CA is very pronounced in wide aperture. But all things considered especially on the cost, it is still quite a decent lens to have. Some test pictures on birds using the Soligor with a 2x doubler from Kiron 70-150mm f/3.8 . I got a 400mm in the setup. I should have tried it on 200mm alone but I find myself too close to disturb the birds, hence the doubler. I mostly used in iso 400 and f/6.3 and f/5.6 in the setup, it is a bit slow to freeze the fast moving birds in eating.

Not much in this picture but I always love the energy and tenacity of hummingbirds in eating

Initial Impressions & Notes

my m42 has serial # starting 37
I find wide open f/2.8 a bit on the soft side.
Contrast and color is quite good.
I find f/4.0 very usable.
The lens is well built.
filter size is 72mm, a bit bulky but hand-hold-able
lens iris is not symmetrical when stopped down
PF happens in wider apertures
built-in lens hood very nice

Sensor Cleaning Wet Method YouTube by Curt Fargo

2009-03-11 Posted by Hin Man

I love micro-tools and the great person Curt Fargo behind the company. I just saw his useful demonstration on sensor cleaning with the wet method. I have purchased cleaning kit for my Pentax K20D and this video gives me enough information so that I know the procedure and what to pay close attention to. It is highly recommended clip on sensor cleaning

Related

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro EX DG On Flowers

2009-03-10 Posted by Hin Man

Earlier today, I tried the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Ex DG Macro on the same flowers that I tested Tamron but in different brighter afternoon lighting instead of morning softer lighting when tested the Tamron. The Sigma AF hunts more than the Tamron in close up and I have to turn to MF for few of the shots. Color seems to pop more in the Tamron and I have added some minor tuning in the set. A few test shots on flowers with the Sigma lens

I do notice a tendency of darker images from the Sigma.

Both Tamron and Sigma macro lens perform decently on flowers for me. My Tamron is an non-di version but I honestly can't tell if the later and more costly Di version can do any better for my casual shooting as an hobbyist. In the two shootings, I do find the AF in Tamron a bit better with less hunting. The manual focus are similar but I recall a longer extension from the Tamron. For normal shootings, both focus limiter does the job well. PF/CA seems better controlled in the Sigma. Both AF are too-loud to me for close up.

I am hoping that I don't rush into a decision until I figure out which one I like better in terms of color, IQ and ease of handling in making a shot on close up.

Related

Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro non-Di On Flowers

2009-03-06 Posted by Hin Man

wide open
in f/2.8

I will have a difficult time in deciding which 1:1 macro lens to trim among this Tamron 90mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro non-Di and that with Sigma 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Ex DG Macro. Both have AF and I find them both very capable in helping me to learn close up photos on flowers and bugs. They are easier to use when compared to Lester A Dine 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Dental Macro. I still find it a great challenge to get close to true 1:1 ratio without the use of flash and tripod. I can only manage to do hand-holding around 1:2 ratio.

Impressions & Notes:

This macro is easiest to use on flowers and product shots
Wide open aperture in f/2.8 is quite good. I don't see vignetting in wide open aperture
AF is reasonable but I still find it sluggish with loud noise in obtaining focus on close up.
Build is not as good as Sigma but this macro can serve well for both close up and portraits
Lens hood is definitely better than the Sigma as the hood can be mounted in reverse order.
Filter size is 55mm.
It is lighter than the Sigma
The Tamron will meet all my needs on flowers but I think the Sigma will be better suited for bugs.
In terms of versatility, I prefer the Tamron over Sigma.
In terms of better macro on bugs, I will pick the Sigma.
In terms of focal length, my 77mm limited prime is too close to the 90mm but the Tamron can double up for dual purpose. And I like portrait as much as I like macro. I am newbie in all areas especially on macro photos.

Pentax F 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5

2009-03-04 Posted by Hin Man

I sold this Pentax zoom a little while ago to a forum friend of mine. I only managed to borrow it from buyer for an extra day of test shots before shipping. The focal range appeals to me as it is close to Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8.

In the short time that I used it, I kept thinking of the Pentax DA 50-200mm f/4.5-5.6 or the Pentax FA 28-105mm f/3.2-4.5. While this zoom is faster than the DA zoom, its performance is not as good as the DA zoom for walk around purpose. For one, it is heavy and AF seems slower in this lens. I have used cheaper power zoom as in Pentax FA 28-80mm f/3.5-4.7 and I like the performance of power zoom over this lens. The minimum focusing distance is longer than I get used to, I recall closer to 7 feet making it not ideal for walk around. The close up is in the far end in 135mm end that allow close up to flowers.

Test Shots

Impressions & Notes

Overall not a bad zoom to have but there are better zooms that are lighter for walk around purpose
Size is small but it is heavier than walk around alternatives
Close up quite reasonable for flowers in the 135mm end
AF hunts in indoor setting

Hin's Photo Corner

Pentax 400mm f/5.6 lens choices

Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2.0 On Portraits

Nature Walk with Soligor 200mm f/2.8 M42

Hiking with Tamron SP 28-135mm adaptall-2 28A

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro Ex DG On Portraits

Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2.0 (M42) On Flowers

Soligor 200mm f/2.8 M42 on Birds

Sensor Cleaning Wet Method YouTube by Curt Fargo

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro EX DG On Flowers

Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro non-Di On Flowers

Pentax F 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5

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