> Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 17:07:25 -0400 > From: Andre Langevin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Opinions: A35/2 vs K30/2.8 > Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" > > Not a lot of answers... The A lens is certainly an uncommon lens. I > have the M one but have not tried it yet. I might bring it to > Mongolia in july, with 24/2.8, 50/2.8 and 100/2.8 as a back-up kit > alongside a "small" 645 kit (45,75,150). The 35/2 would become my > fast normal lens, although I will try to stick to the 645. It will > be my first medium format shooting... > > Andre
I have both these lenses. I have shot tests with them, but I haven't put much mileage on the 30 and haven't touched the 35 in a decade. Both of these lenses perform as well as anything I've tested at their focal length (35 and 28) from Pentax or Nikon and are in my opinion among Pentax's best lenses. A35 has staggering center sharpness, except at f/2 where I found it slightly worse than the Nikkor AF and the original Super-Takumar. From f/2.8 on the center is tack sharp. Edge sharpness isn't great at f/2 or f/2.8, slightly worse than the Super Tak and noticeably worse than the Nikkor AF. By f/4 the edges tighten up and are as good or better than any other 35 I tested. K30 is consistently a little better in the center than at the edges, but shows less difference across the field than the A35. The A35 is sharper in the center at all apertures than the K30 (slightly worse at f/2 than K30 at f/2.8) but only a hair sharper than the K30 at the edges (except at f/2.8 where the K is better) Note that NO 28mm lens I tested produced better than average performance wide open, and most were still noticeably weak one stop down from that. As a group the 28s performed worse than the 35s, in general equalling the performance of the 35s only when closed down an extra stop. The A35 and K30 follow this pattern, with the K30 a "B" lens at f/4 and an "A" lens at f/5.6, whereas the the A35 is in "A" territory by f/4. These results, of course, are only valid for my particular samples without corroborating evidence. Personally, I find the 28/50 combination to be a better fit for my shooting style than the 24/35/85 sort of combination. 35 isn't wide enough to be wide for me, so I would opt for the K30. For other styles of shooting, I can see that a "wide 50" might be just the thing. I was all set to take the K30 to England on vacation, and then I lucked into an M28/2. I'm still leaning towards the K30, although the M28 has performed well so far. DJE
