From: "Heiko Hamann" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > I just want to tell you of an experience of success that I had on > Friday. We were invited to a wedding last summer and our friends did ask > me, if I could make some photos. I didn't feel like doing it, so I only > took my MZ-5n with the SMC-FA 28-70/4 and the AF500FTZ and shot 4 or 5 > rolls of film with the camera set to complete auto modes. They had also > asked some other friends and so we came together last Friday and had a > look at 40 (!) films containing 36 pictures each. Really cruel...
From: "Frits Wüthrich" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > So I think a better lab would have improved my > photographs immense. Comparing camera's/lenses based on results of the prints > from (different) labs is .. well ... not so straightforward, I would say. > At my brother wedding I also took pictures with my Mz-5n and 28-70/4. I used Fuji Superia 100 and processed films in few labs. Each lab made different pictures in color, and in sharpnes (!!!). I've also took black and withe C-41 pictures and two labs made pictures without black and without white :-) But the final effect is not only in lab but in our lovely Pentax gear.In Practical Photography from April 1999 is first part of "Huge lens test" In this issue there were 20 standard zooms including SMC-FA 28-70/4. Lens tests is performed by TIPA (Technical Image Press Association). Tipa use Hasselblad's Ealing MTF equipment to permform the test. Only Contax and Leica is opticaly better but remember abaut $$$$$. Nikon, Canon, Minolta are far away. They describ optical performence of Pentax: "Very little to complain about. Central detail ranges from very good to excellent. Edges at f/4 are fair to good and improve once the lens stopped down.". In summary: "A very nice offering from Pentax mixing good handling with qualityu optics at a cheap price. Definitely one to consider." There is only one problem with this lens - distortion is high from -4.89% (barrel distortion) to +2.43% (picushion), even Pentax SMC-FA 35-80 f/4-5.6 (black old type) has lower distortion. I've noticed that 28-70/4 (now is discontinued in production) was made in Japan and also in Vietnam. My is "Made in Vietnam" and I don't like its plastic feeling. People also says that this zoom wide open is poor at 28mm. I've just bought on ebay.de SMC- FA 28/2.8 (like new condition in orginal box) for 150 Euro (still waiting for delivery). It will be interesting to compare this two lenses in action (zoom at 28mm).
