Good luck on your choice Bruce. Whichever lens you choose I will say that I use the 20-35 far less than the 28-70. Whichever lens you go with you're looking at $500-600. That's no small change to invest in a lens that might just set in your bag the majority of the time.
I'm going to Italy in a couple of weeks and will be taking the 20-35 and the 28-70 with me. When I get back, if you haven't made up your mind by then, I'll drop you a line and let you know how much use I got out of both lenses. Dave -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Bruce Dayton Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 4:49 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Only using my prime lenses - I promise Dave, Thanks for your input and comments on this lens. There aren't that many choices in this type of lens for the Pentax shooter. I suspect I have two quandries, the Pentax vs. Tokina (speed and flare issues) and zoom vs. prime. I have some thinking and evaluation to do to see if I would actually use the zoom if I got it. Thanks, Bruce Dayton ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Hatfield" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 2:37 PM Subject: RE: Only using my prime lenses - I promise > Bruce, > > I've been very pleased with the lens so far. I've only had it about 4 > months so I haven't had a great deal of time to utilize it under extreme > situations. > > Close focusing will get you down to about 1.5 feet, though, at the focal > range this lens provides that's more than adequate in the situations I've > encountered. > > Yes, flare can be an issue, just like it is with the 28-70, but I don't see > it as overly exaggerated on this or any of my Tokina lenses. Conscientious > use of the provided lens hoods will eliminate the flare in all but the most > extreme cases. > > I'm extremely pleased with the results I get. If you're not familiar with > it you might want to go to http://www.photographyreview.com/defaultcrx.aspx; > you'll find 10 other user reviews listed for this lens. Don't be fooled by > the 3.9 out of 5 rating it receives, though. Read the reviews and you'll > find that, except for a couple of disgruntled individuals who submarine the > lens, those who have it and use it are very pleased with its performance. > > You'll also find good reviews of the Pentax SMCP-FA 20-35 f4.0 which is, I > assume, the lens you're comparing this with. Frankly, my decision to go > with the Tokina came down to two factors > the larger f2.8 aperture and the > consistent 77mm filter size that allows me to purchase one set of filters to > use on all three of my Tokina lenses. > > Hope this helps a little. > > Dave > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On > Behalf Of Bruce Dayton > Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 3:33 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: Only using my prime lenses - I promise > > Dave, > > Since you have one of the lenses I was looking at, I would be curious how > you feel about the ATX 20-35 f2.8. How is the close focusing, distortion > and flare. My ATX 28-70 Pro II does *not* focus close and I really have to > watch the flare. I was trying to compare the Tokina to the Pentax. > > Thanks for your input. > > Bruce Dayton > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "David Hatfield" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 12:52 PM > Subject: RE: Only using my prime lenses - I promise > > > > Bruce, > > > > I think it's great that in this, like in most things in life, people can > say > > the same thing while approaching it from totally different angles (kind of > > like photography, huh?). If you learn the basics - learn to "see"; learn > to > > "think"; learn to "plan"; be ready for the unexpected; etc. - then > equipment > > generally becomes inconsequential apart from what you're comfortable with. > > I've used zooms all my photographic life (25+ years) even when they were > > terrible! I've grown accustomed to their feel and style. > > > > Who knows, some day I might pick up that LX I was talking about a few days > > back, get a good prime and start learning all over! > > > > Dave > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On > > Behalf Of Bruce Dayton > > Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 2:10 PM > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Re: Only using my prime lenses - I promise > > > > Dave, > > > > I'm not arguing your points at all. I am not concerned about the optical > > quality specifically. It has more to do with me. Years ago, I moved from > a > > Practica screw mount match needle body to a Canon A-1 (quite a jump). > While > > the body was quite capable, I found that it wasn't my style. I almost > quit > > taking pictures. I finally sold it and got an Olympus OM-1 with 50mm > lens. > > I think the point has more to do with usage and style rather than the > > ability of a zoom or prime to produce a great image. I'm with Shel where > I > > find that I personally work better with a prime than a zoom. Not that I > > couldn't do it with a zoom, but more that I enjoy more the prime and I > feel > > that *I* - not the lens - takes a better picture. > > > > With all of that, as I mentioned, there are many good cases for a zoom. I > > mentioned a few. Probably more of a style kind of thing. I have the same > > Tokina ATX-pro 28-70 f2.6-2.8 and find the optics and build good, but > quite > > flare prone. It balances very nicely on the MZ-S with battery grip. > > > > Bruce Dayton > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "David Hatfield" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 11:40 AM > > Subject: RE: Only using my prime lenses - I promise > > > > > > > I don't know, Bruce (et. al.). Seems to me that zooms are finding their > > own > > > spot in today's photographic world. Years ago the argument for using > > primes > > > centered on the fact that they were generally a higher quality lens that > > > what you could find in even the highest priced zooms. I don't believe > > that > > > to be the case anymore. Today's technology and production have brought > > zoom > > > quality to a point that, if placed side by side, few if any could pick > out > > > shots made with primes as opposed to those made with zooms even at the > > > highest magnification. > > > > > > Zooms are a great tool. They allow me to compose, shoot and recompose > at > > a > > > moments notice without having to waste time finding just the right spot > to > > > shoot from (assuming, of course, that my next shot will be from the same > > > angle). The creative process still resides with me. It's only the > > > equipment that is different. I still have to determine the best angle, > > > framing, exposure, etc. for each shot whether I use a zoom or a prime. > If > > I > > > use a good quality zoom then the quality of the shot will come directly > > back > > > to my capacity as a photographer, not to the nature of the lens. > > > > > > I currently carry four lenses in my bag > the Tokina ATX-pro 28-70 > > f2.6-2.8 > > > (my "normal" lens), a Tokina ATX-pro 20-35 f2.8, a Tokina ATX-pro 80-200 > > > f2.8 and the Sigma 105 EX f2.8 macro (my only non-zoom) used primarily > for > > > macro shots since it produces 1:1 without attachments. The quality of > > these > > > lenses easily matches even the best primes and none of them releases me > > from > > > having to think about how I'm composing my shot. They simply allow me > the > > > ease of altering that composition without having to dig in my bag so > > often. > > > > > > Zooms? I love 'em!! > > > > > > Dave Hatfield > > - > > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . > > - > > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . > - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . > - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
