Juan, welcome back! I have been in BA a few times in the last couple of years, kept thinking I needed to track you down and ask for restaurant recommendations down there…
And thanks for starting this discussion. Long story short, over the last 20 years I have bought and sold many lenses. Gradually got to the point where I probably don’t need any more and am not actively looking. For my K-1 I have the big 3 DFA lenses. (And yes, they are big.) 15-30/2.8, 24-70/2.8, and 70-200/2.8 So, a funny thing happened on my last trip to Europe. I left all of those lenses home. I took an A-20/2.8, FA43/1.9, and DFA 100 macro WR. And I also took the new GR III, APS-C with a fixed lens (28mm effective length). Sometimes I used the 43mm, sometimes I used the 20mm e.g. when I was inside a church or wanted wider landscapes, but most of my K-1 shots were with the 100mm, and the GR III got extensive use for wider shots. Essentially a two-camera two-lens system. I did sometimes miss having my zooms, but mostly was pleased I had saved the weight and fuss of carrying multiple heavy lenses. A few decades ago, in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, I did extensive rock climbing and mountaineering. I had a similar two-camera, two-lens system then: a Nikkormat with 100mm lens and a MInox G with a zone-focus fixed focal length lens (28mm? 35mm?). The Minox was carried on my gear sling, I could be holding on the rock with left hand, with the right hand pull up the camera, flip open the cover with my thumb, set the focus, match-needle the exposure, compose and shoot, flip the cover closed, and be on my way all in just a very few seconds. The Ricoh GR III comes the closest to a totally functional everything-just-right of any camera I have used since those MInox cameras. I just wish it were WR so it would be usable in the rain and had a better coating on the screen so that it was usable in bright sun. Actually, I am at the point where I really need to let go some of those lenses in the closet. I love the almost sensual feel of the 77/1.8 but I seldom take it anywhere nor use it if I do have it. It is not WR, and when using AF it does not allow the manual fine tuning of focus that more modern Pentax lenses have. Same is true of the 43mm. Next time I will just take my 50/1.2 for mid-range shots. And so I see no reason to keep the 43mm. Back to the original “lens lust” theme… I had a 400/4.0 (?5.6?) which I bought for an Alaska trip in 2016. I was glad to have it, used it often, but too long for me to handhold, and other than Alaska there are too few times I shoot wildlife when using a tripod. So I sold it after the trip. (Bought a DA* 300/4.0 instead, which I don’t think I will ever let go.) I would buy another 400mm if/when I go back to Alaska. And then one other, by far the best lens ever, the DA*200/4.0 Macro. I had one, I wasn’t using it, I sold it to a list member who could take far more advantage of that gem than I could. But don’t think of looking for one, such a search is akin to a search for the Golden Fleece or the Holy Grail; you may hear rumors of sightings, but you will not find one. Stan > On Nov 1, 2019, at 2:12 PM, Juan Buhler <juanbuh...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I figured I'd start a thread about lens lust. Note this is not "lenses I > need". I have too many as it is, covering every focal length I care about > (which doesn't go much further than 100 or 135mm anyway) > > DA15/4: I have the DA21mm, and it's an awesome lens. Seems like the 15 > would be a great companion to it. I don't really need it, since I have some > zooms that cover this focal length, plus I haven't been shooting with the > KP much anyway. > > M20/4: I don't know why I want this one, I just do. I really like the M > lenses. I do have the DA21 Limited for APS, and the Sigma 20/2.8 for APS on > the Sony, and an awesome Zeiss 21/2.8 for full frame on Leicas and Sonys. > And that's without counting the zooms that cover that both on APS and full > frame: I have a 17-70/4, a 12-24/4, and a Canon 17-40/4 that covers full > frame with fast AF via an adaptor on the Sony. > > M40/2.8: I just always wanted that little pancake lens. Don't need it, as I > have tons of both 35mm and 50mm lenses, plus a really nice Konica Hexanon > 40mm/1.8 that is perfect for the A7ii. > > DA20-40: This seems like the perfect street lens for the KP. Been wanting > it since it came out, but never pulled the trigger. Again, I already have > other lenses covering this range. > > K85/1.8: I had this lens. It fell from my motorcycle jacket the day I was > getting my istD back in 2004. I never saw it again. It's not a FL I > regularly use so it's hard to justify. I had found it in pristine condition > for under $100 back in the late 90s. > > M28/3.5: This was my main 28, my copy seemed to be a lot sharper than what > should be legal. I lost it years ago. I do have an M28/2.8 and the > FA28/2.8, plus a Takumar 28/3.5 (the big barreled one). Oh and I do have > the awesome K30/2.8 and a bunch of other 28s for other mounts, so it's > super hard to justify buying this one. > > Takumar 50/1.4, 8 element: I REALLY don't need this. My best 50mms are a > Summicron, the A50/1.4, maybe the M50/1.7 or FA50/1.7 (yes, I have all > those plus a lot more 50s!) > > K50/1.2: Again, I don't need another 50. But it sure would be nice to play > with that extra third of a stop. > > How about you? Any lenses you've always wanted but haven't gotten around to > getting? Any opinions on that list above? > > j > > -- > Juan Buhler - http://www.jbuhler.com > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
