Showing posts with label wide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wide. Show all posts

An old friend with Spiratone Plura-Coat 20mm f/2.8

2012-02-01 Posted by Hin Man
Old friend with Spiratone 20mm f/2.8
I had few pictures with Sony NEX 5N and a good old friend of mine with Spiratone Plura-Coat 20mm f/2.8 in K-mount. I sold this lens when I got a used DA 21mm limited -- and it is my attempt to control lens count. But later with addition of Pentax DA 15mm f/4.0 limited, I parted with DA 21mm limited. It was my wrong move in parting the 21 limited as it serves as a good pair for 15+21. The 15mm is great for the wide landscape and 21mm is excellent for the wide normal and street shooting. And in saving money, I did not re-purchase 21. Instead, I got back to my inexpensive 20mm friend with Spiratone. I dislike the use of green button in Pentax digital and this 20mm lens is actually more user friendly in the Sony NEX. Thanks to the great MF features in NEX -- any K-mount lens is UP a notch or two in terms of ease of use in focusing, metering and use of flash. Performance is quite good considering 1/5th the cost of a new DA 21 limited. This 20mm is a rare item but certainly not a well sought lens.

Old friend with Spiratone Plura-Coat 20mm f/2.8
Cropped square
Mom and Daughter looking up to a mechanical butterfly in
Exploratorium in San Francisco
A fascinating place for the young minds


Old friend with Spiratone Plura-Coat 20mm f/2.8
from Crispy Field overlooking
Golden Gate Bridge


Old friend with Spiratone Plura-Coat 20mm f/2.8
Panorama Scene Mode


Old friend with Spiratone Plura-Coat 20mm f/2.8
@2.8, flare comes though I have a wide hood mounted
however bad the flare turns out, I actually find the shot intriguing


The lens is not a huge lens and quite small comparing to other 28mm. The only gripe that I have is on short focus throw -- about a quarter turn and I wish it a touch longer as closer to 1/2 turn. When mounted on the NEX, it becomes a bit bulkier like other K-mount lenses but I find the added bulk of the adapter sometime help with the focusing as there is more space to work with and it is easier for me to fine tune focus with my palm supporting the base of the adapter + lens.





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Tarmon SP 17mm f/3.5 adaptall-2 (51B)

2009-11-25 Posted by Hin Man
Tarmon SP 17mm f/3.5 adaptall-2 (51B) product shotsPentax MX and Tamron SP 17mm f/35

I am accumulating primes with Tamron adaptall-2 hoping to get 17mm, 24mm, and 28mm for wide angle needs with my film bodies. I recently got 51B on the 17mm from another great forum member. It is quite interesting to see a prime with built-in internal filters. I plan to use the 17mm with my film gear and the view is quite wide in the film body. Some LBA product shots to share:



Tamron 17mm 1:3.5 adaptall-2 (51B)

Tarmon SP 17mm f/3.5 adaptall-2 (51B) product shots


MFD is close to 9" or a bit less than 0.25m

Tarmon SP 17mm f/3.5 adaptall-2 (51B) product shots

Internal Filters with Normal, 81B, 80B, Y2, Normal

Tarmon SP 17mm f/3.5 adaptall-2 (51B) product shots



Two snapshot pictures from K20D + 17mm 51B

Tarmon SP 17mm f/3.5 adaptall-2 (51B) product shots

Tarmon SP 17mm f/3.5 adaptall-2 (51B) product shots

The Y2 is a yellow filter, I see darkening color in 81B and some other change in 80B. When I asked around for the use of the filter, I learned that 80B and 81B are used for warming effect.

17mm is not wide when used on aps-c camera with my K20D but it is very wide when I put it on my Pentax SuperProgram and Pentax MX and the view is quite spectacular. I noted some distortion in the test shots and I think more use will help. I am hoping for a small sets of mixed primes and zooms to be used with my film gear stepping out of my comfort zone into film where one has to think in composing a picture.

 All the adaptall-2 have aperture rings and with the adaptall-2 p/k-a adapters, they will work fine in SuperProgram as well as MX for street scenes, candids, close-up and portraits. My nostalgic film experience is my high point with the adaptall-2 lens series. And I can adapt to another system using the same sets of lens for Ricoh xr-p or Nikon F series of 35mm camera. Oh my gosh, I wish I can use them with my 645N camera and I can surely benefit from the adaptall-2 system. With usage in both Pentax film bodies, my Pentax digital bodies with K-x and K20D, and my Praktica MTL5 in M42 mount, I can't complain how adaptable the adaptall-2 system is. Bravos to Tamron who came out with such a great system for ease of adaptation to one's system of their choosing.


Useful Resources:


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Spiratone 20mm f/2.8 Test Shots

2008-04-02 Posted by Hin Man
Spiratone 20mm f/2.8 Test Shot
Spiratone 20mm f/2.8 Test Shot

Spiratone 20mm f/2.8 Test Shot
Spiratone 20mm f/2.8 Test Shot
Spiratone 20mm f/2.8 Test Shot
I have my usual preferences in going after the inexpensive alternative choices for lens. I don't know much about the brand for Spiratone except my need for a wider angle prime that matches the focal length of DA 21mm limited. And I want it to be fast with maximum aperture at f/2.8. When I spotted this in eBay, it was a no brainer to me to use it as my temporary choices for a 3 prime trio as my holdover to get DA 21mm limited. Initially I was not too happy about the lens as I find it bigger than expected and the filter size is 58mm. I have wonderful results with this prime using my Pentax Super Program. It makes a big difference in not having a crop factor as in the digital SLR bodies. And 20mm is wide angle for me in film and it allows me to see if I like the focal length in the digital.


Initial Impressions:
  • Though not as small as a Pentax pancake, the lens is pretty solid with metal body.
  • Wide angle at 20mm is very useful as compared to my Vivitar 24mm and 28mm. It works great for me especially on film body with Pentax Super Program
  • Initially, I get average to good pictures at wide open apertures. Later when I used it more in K10D in a Macau trip, I find the lens wide open in f/2.8 very good and dependable for indoor shots. And the wider view in 20mm versus 24mm offers me a better perspective for landscape.
  • Though it is not a close up lens, this wide angle prime serves me well in restaurant for a wider view and close up on food shot is quite good. It is not as good as my Pentax FA 50 f/1.4 for night shooting and food shots, but it has competed with my Vivitar 24mm f/2.8 in several outings at night. In my recent trip in Macua, I brought this prime instead of Vivitar 24mm f/2.8. And this prime serves my Macau trip the best
  • Focus throw is at 1/4 turn and ease of focusing is adequate but not the best due to short focus throw. It is quick to focusing but the lens does not offer the fine precision as in my other 24mm and 28mm prime. Hyper-focal techniques can be experimented on this lens but I have not gotten into the using the hyper-focal markings on the lens barrel yet.
  • Overall impression is positive and I get to like it more after repeated and traveling usage. The lens is found very dependable and wide open appertures are average to outstanding depending on the lighting conditions. I found most shots with this lens in my Macau trip to be outstanding.

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Welcome to Hin's Photo Corner, this is my learning blog on photography, blogging and advertising. And I hope you enjoy your visit. For contact, please comment in blog post or email me directly hintheman at gmail.com.

 

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