You're correct. An A lens will give you full functionality, minus autofocus. The FA 35/2 is a superb lens, and I believe the A version is optically identical. -------------- Original message ---------------------- From: Inet Shopper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Hi everyone, > > I'm new - been lurking for a few days. I currently use film-based equipment > (Canon A1 and Rollei compact point-and-shoot), but am considering going > digital. > > I shoot mostly landscapes and architecture, and prefer a wide-angle lens. With > the compact I usually use the wide end (38mm) and with the Canon A1, the lens > is usually 50/1.4 or 28/2. I also shoot at evening gatherings, and like the > low > light capability of both lenses. > > To be clear, the Canon A1 uses FD lenses, and I'm not willing to use adapters > to get limited functionality on a DSLR body. I am prepared to buy a couple of > lenses for the DSLR, but not too many - my funds are limited, not Limited :-) > > Logic and economics suggest a K100D with the 18-55 kit lens plus one A-series > lens, the 28 or 35 f2 for a "normal" view and low-light use. My understanding > as a non-Pentax user is that the A-series lens will work properly - aperture > can be controlled from the body, and there is open-aperture metering. > Therefore, in choosing an A-series lens and not a "modern" autofocus FA lens, > I > trade off only autofocus for cost savings. Please correct me if I'm wrong! > > There is currently no f2 ultrawide lens, so I can't "get back" my 28/2, but > the > 28/35 in f2 guise would give a 42/53mm normal view and be good for low-light > conditions. The kit lens is already 18/3.5, so a 20/2.8 seems like overkill > for > a half-stop of light. > > Questions: > > 1. Cost of 28/2 and 35/2: The A-series 28/2 and 35/2 actually seem uncommon > and > somewhat expensive, about US$150+/- on eBay. One A35/2 recently sold for > US$375! I've also searched the German and Dutch eBay sites, plus KEH. I'm > clearly not alone in wanting to use them on a Pentax DSLR. Are there any other > useful sources? I live in Singapore, and the local used market is mostly > Canon/Nikon. > > 2. K/M Lenses: If I was to use a K/M lens, but only used it wide open in > aperture priority mode, do I get fully automatic operation i.e. no need for > the > 2-step meter-shoot kludge? If so, then as a "night lens" there's no difference > between the A and K/M lenses, right? > > 3. Focus Trap: Some posters mentioned that the shutter locks until the camera > confirms focus. This is great for macrophotography, but can it be turned off? > Sometimes, an out-of-focus picture beats no picture at all. I've used a Nikon > D70 to cover an event before - when it couldn't focus, I had to switch to > manual focus to get the shutter to trip. > > 4. Other general-purpose lenses: Two alternatives to the 18-55/3.5-5.6 kit > lens > are the 17-28/2.8-4 lenses offered by Tamron and Sigma. While a little wider > and a little faster, they are full-frame lenses and so twice the size and > weight of the kit lens. Are they worth the extra money and weight? Money can > slowly be earned again, but I am unlikely to carry and use a lens that is too > heavy, and full-frame is no advantage since I have no full-frame Pentax body. > > 5. Flash compatibility: I understand the K100D uses a new type of flash > control, P-TTL, and will not work with normal TTL flashes. I have no idea what > P-TTL is. I use a Sunpak 30DX bounce/swivel automatic flash with a Canon > module > for my A1. I set the desired aperture on the flash, set the A1 to shutter > priority at 1/60, and get satisfactory results. If I simply purchase a Pentax > module (for the LX, ME, MG, MV, MV1), can I continue to shoot in the same way > i.e. the flash sensor controls the cut-off? I'm not hung up on getting > TTL/P-TTL flash. > > Finally, Pentax and Sony are currently the only way to get antishake AND a f2 > or faster lens together, as the Canon and Nikon IS/VR lenses are f2.8 at most, > not to mention heavy and expensive. But Canon and Nikon have the clear edge in > availability of used lenses and accessories, so I'd also like to hear from > members who use gear on the Canon and Nikon platforms. Please reply off-list > if > you feel it's not relevant to PDML. > > Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post, > Benjamin > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
-- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
