Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
On Wed, 21 Apr 2004, Bruce Dayton wrote: So here is a plug for the current Tamron SP 90/2.8 macro Thanks for this, it was expensive :-) I got a MF Tamron SP90/2.8 from ebay with a Pentax Adaptall II and the dedicated bayonet hood. The feel is good, and I like the handling (can I confess that I find the opposite focusing turn more natural?). As for pictures, the first film is en route to my trusted lab; no real macro photos, but a couple of hasty portraits of my daughter. Kostas
RE: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
I have the Tamron 90mm f2.8 AF and the Pentax F 100mm f2.8. I prefer the Tamron for its handling, particularly the large focusing ring, as I'm often used MF for macro. I can't really see the difference in image quality, and when I tested them the Tamron gave higher contrast. The Pentax did have a fungus problem at the time (since fixed by Pentax), so I should probably test them again. Cheers Nick -Original Message- From: Amita Guha[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 20/04/04 22:55:26 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: what's your favorite Pentax macro? Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. Thanks, Amita
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
May sound strange, but I like my Bellows 100/4. Unfortunately, if you buy one, you need the bellows or the helical extension (and perhaps extension tubes). Regards, Bob... A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. - Winston Churchill From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] I wont be much help,but its slow at work.vbg I only have two,the SMC A 70-210 F4 and the SMC F(might be FA)35-70. Pentax book states the f 4 is 1:4 and i'm not sure about the other. Both are quite nice considering they are zoom lenses,but i like the 70-210 a little better. Mike Johnson liked one shot of mine, of a backyard Iris,and was amazed it was from a zoom macro. Back to work now,sort of. :-) Dave Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF.
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
Hi Kostas, The reason a macro performs so well at close distances is that the elements are designed to give a flat field, sharpness from edge to edge. Steve Larson Redondo Beach, California - Original Message - From: Kostas Kavoussanakis [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 4:17 AM Subject: RE: what's your favorite Pentax macro? On Tue, 20 Apr 2004, David Madsen wrote: and all around fun to use. However, if I had it to do over again... I once borrowed the FA 50mm 2.8 to shoot photos of my grandfather's flower garden. Amazing results. Blown up to 12x18 it is flawless. They each have their own set of advantages, but if straight up image quality is what you want, get the FA 50mm 2.8, you won't regret it. I have the FA50/1.7. This is not a Macro lens, but it focuses down to 0.45m. The FA50/2.8 goes down to 0.19. Is that the only reason to get a macro lens, or am I missing something? And yes, even if you don't know the answer, you can bet it's the latter :-) Regards, Kostas
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
On Wed, 21 Apr 2004, Steve Larson wrote: The reason a macro performs so well at close distances is that the elements are designed to give a flat field, sharpness from edge to edge. I see, thanks very much. Kostas
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
On 21 Apr 2004 at 4:38, Steve Larson wrote: Hi Kostas, The reason a macro performs so well at close distances is that the elements are designed to give a flat field, sharpness from edge to edge. Or put another way; most conventional lenses are designed to focus at a distance measured radially from the lens which isn't generally a problem for non-macro distances but is a right pain when trying to photograph flat objects. Older macro lenses were generally optimised for close working distances but from my experience many new lenses are fine performers at conventional shooting distances also. Rob Studdert HURSTVILLE AUSTRALIA Tel +61-2-9554-4110 UTC(GMT) +10 Hours [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~distudio/publications/ Pentax user since 1986, PDMLer since 1998
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
On 21 Apr 2004 at 11:19, Kostas Kavoussanakis wrote: Is the Voigtlander available in K mount? Also, do any of the 90-125 lenses mentioned so far (and I have read no bad comments on any) work well as portrait lenses or as telefocus ones? The Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 125mm F2.5 SL is available in KA mount, it's only manual focus but the big advantage is that both the focus and aperture rings work in the same directions as the Pentax lenses. It's also very compact for it's specifications due to the fact that the mechanism telescopes in three parts plus the lens focus ring turns through almost two revolutions so it's really easy to focus accurately. It is an excellent performer at far, near and macro distances. I have some pics of it beside the A100/2.8 but I'm in a bit of a mess computer wise at the moments but I'll try to find them in the next few days. (sorry Alan :-) Rob Studdert HURSTVILLE AUSTRALIA Tel +61-2-9554-4110 UTC(GMT) +10 Hours [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~distudio/publications/ Pentax user since 1986, PDMLer since 1998
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
On Wed, 21 Apr 2004, Rob Studdert wrote: The Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 125mm F2.5 SL is available in KA mount, it's Do I want to know the price? :-) This can't be too readily available in the used market. Kostas
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
Hello Kostas, Guess I need to put in my opinion. For quite a long time I owned the FA 100/2.8 Pentax. I sold it when I went to medium format. Since then, I have moved on to digital (*istD) and needed a macro lens. This time I opted to buy the new Tamron SP 90/2.8 macro. After having used it for awhile, I can say, that if I could do it over again, I would choose the Tamron over the Pentax. Reasons are that while built like a tank, the Pentax is quite heavy - the Tamron is lighter, but still feels solid. The Tamron is a slightly better focal length for portraits, it's bokeh seems to be a bit smoother than the Pentax and handling is much better for me. I like to manual focus a lot and the Pentax is a bit sloppy feeling (AF) and the focus ring is flush with the lens barrel and smooth (harder to grip). The Tamron uses a clutch style much like the FA* lenses. It feels much better in manual focus and seems to give equal or better image results. It goes 1:1 unaided just like the Pentax and uses a 55mm filter rather than a 58mm. So here is a plug for the current Tamron SP 90/2.8 macro -- Best regards, Bruce Wednesday, April 21, 2004, 3:19:22 AM, you wrote: KK On Wed, 21 Apr 2004, Rob Studdert wrote: I have the A50/2.8M, Voigt 125/2.5 and the A*200/4M and I used to own the KK Is the Voigtlander available in K mount? KK Also, do any of the 90-125 lenses mentioned so far (and I have read no KK bad comments on any) work well as portrait lenses or as telefocus KK ones? KK Thanks, KK Kostas
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
On Wed, 21 Apr 2004, Kostas Kavoussanakis wrote: On Wed, 21 Apr 2004, Rob Studdert wrote: The Voigtländer Macro APO-Lanthar 125mm F2.5 SL is available in KA mount, it's Do I want to know the price? :-) Answer: at $620*, no, I just don't need this kind of construction and the premium that goes with it. Kostas * Though this is the Nikkon price I found.
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
Hi, Amita Guha wrote: Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. I have the Tamron 90mm/2.5MF. It goes to 1:1 with optional extension, 1:2 without. For me, it is the best value lens on the market today. Dead cheap and dead sharp, fast, neutral colour rendition and fast enough to double as a portrait lens. Add the AF1.7 and you get a 153mm AF macro lens, ideal for multilegged beasties. All (including AF adaptor) for about $250 if you look around. mike
RE: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
I own the Pentax FA 100mm 2.8 and I find it to be quite sharp, well built, and all around fun to use. However, if I had it to do over again... I once borrowed the FA 50mm 2.8 to shoot photos of my grandfather's flower garden. Amazing results. Blown up to 12x18 it is flawless. They each have their own set of advantages, but if straight up image quality is what you want, get the FA 50mm 2.8, you won't regret it. David Madsen mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.davidmadsen.com -Original Message- From: Amita Guha [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 3:55 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: what's your favorite Pentax macro? Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. Thanks, Amita
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. I've used a fair number of Pentax and 3rd-party macro lenses over the last few years. For ~my~ purposes, I've settled on the A 100/2.8 Macro as ~my~ best all-around macro lens (again, that's for ~my~ purposes - your mileage may vary). I have tended to find that the 50mm macro lenses focus rather close (in working distance), which sometimes has been a little annoying. Despite that, however, I have to say that the F 50/2.8 Macro is one of the sharpest macro lenses available (and I assume the FA version is optically the same), but horrible to use (mechanical annoyances). The A 50/2.8 Macro, on the other hand, is just a wee tad less sharp, but is a true joy to use in comparison, otherwise. (I still have an A 50/2.8 Macro, just to pack when I may not have room for the A 100/2.8 Macro.) At the other end of the macro lens focal length range, I've used (but no longer own) an A* 200/4 Macro. It's an exquisite macro lens, but sometimes that 200mm focal length is just a little too long, i.e., it requires a fairly long working distance, which sometimes is useful - think critters here - but sometimes can be annoying (e.g., table-top macro work may require the photographer getting up on a chair or stool, in order to get far enough away from the subject - g). In between the Mama Bear (too short 50mm) and Papa Bear (too long 200mm) extremes (and I would think that the 200mm macro range would be the best to use on ~all~ bears - but I digress...), are the various Goldilocks and Baby Bear Pentax and 3rd-party 100-ish macro lenses. I have never used a macro lens between 90mm and 105mm that did not do an excellent job. My favorites are the A 100/2.8 (as I mentioned) and the optically identical (to each other) VS1 and AT-X 90/2.5 lenses (with their 1:1 adapters/extenders). A number of the other 3rd-party 100-ish lenses work very well, too. The A 100/4 Macro is quite a nice lightweight lens. I certainly haven't used all of the 100-ish macro lenses (but I do understand, and can easily believe, that the F and FA 100 lenses are quite good optically, too). There are other options, as well. I do absolutely love the superb VS1 90-180/4.5 Flat Field (macro) Zoom (which makes just above every other so-called macro zoom pale in comparison). Rob Studdert will likely jump in here and rave about his Voigtlander 135/2.5 Macro, and 135mm might just be a nice sweet spot for some of us, too... Fred
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
In an act born of desperation, Amita asked the following: Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. I like the Pentax 100 mm macro. It's sharp and the 100mm focal length gives me a a fair amount of working distance. I very seldom use the autofocus on it. I've found that it's much easier to focus on macro work by simply slightly moving the camera instead of fooling with the focusing ring. If you're seriously interested in macro photography then I recommend a focusing rail to make more precise focusing adjustments. I don't have and haven't used either the 50mm unit or 200 mm macro units. If I need a macro lens with either of those focal lengths then I use the A lenses that I have with extension tubes. The 100mm macro is a bit pricey. The 50mm is quite a bit cheaper and the 200mm is apparently quite rare. Tom Reese
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
I own the SMC Takumar 100 mm Macro. I like this lens because of the greater distance I have to work with. Anyone know if the Vivitar 90mm Macro was ever made in K-mount? I understand you could go 1:1 with this lens without attachments. Jim A. From: Amita Guha [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 17:55:26 -0400 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: what's your favorite Pentax macro? Resent-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Resent-Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 17:55:47 -0400 Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. Thanks, Amita
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
The Vivitar Series 1 90-180mm Flat Field. Very sharp very versatile often available dirt cheap as many don't know what it is or what it's capable of. If I could carry only one tele zoom while traveling that would be it. It is relatively slow at f4.5, only focuses to 1:2 at 180, and a it's bit heavy as are all early Series 1 lenses but you can use it as a club in self defense... Amita Guha wrote: Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. Thanks, Amita
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
On 20 Apr 2004 at 17:55, Amita Guha wrote: Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. I have the A50/2.8M, Voigt 125/2.5 and the A*200/4M and I used to own the A100/2.8M. My fav is the Voigt 125 as it is so versatile and an excellent performer (I sold the A100/2.8 and my trusty K135/2.5 without hesitation after buying it). If I were to purchase another macro lens it would be either the FA50/2.8 or something a little wider from a third party lens maker. Cheers, Rob Studdert HURSTVILLE AUSTRALIA Tel +61-2-9554-4110 UTC(GMT) +10 Hours [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~distudio/publications/ Pentax user since 1986, PDMLer since 1998
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
Vivitar Series 1 105/2.5 Macro. Best bang for the buck. It's very sharp and focuses 1:1 without any adapters. see the PAW I just posted. bad point: it focuses the wrong way Christian Skofteland [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Original Message - From: Amita Guha [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 5:55 PM Subject: what's your favorite Pentax macro? Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. Thanks, Amita
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
Vivitar Series 1 105/2.5 Macro. [snip] bad point: it focuses the wrong way True (as do all of the VS1 lenses). But - macro service makes this less of a problem, at least most of the time. Fred
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
The Vivitar Series 1 90-180mm Flat Field. [snip] only focuses to 1:2 at 180 Yes, but that's just as good as 1:1 at 90mm, right? but you can use it as a club in self defense... Har! g Fred
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
I have FA50mm FA100mm macro. I favour the latter becuase its longer focal length helps in macro work. Ramesh --- Amita Guha [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. Thanks, Amita __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢ http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
Pentax A 100mm f/2.8 macro. Everything about it is excellent. I used to have a Vivitar 90mm macro, I think it was an f/2.5. It was a most excellent lens, and went 1:1 with no adaptors. I am also quite fond of the 100mm bellows lens. Interestingly, the helicoid extension tube makes the 100mm bellows into an easy to use short telephoto. William Robb
RE: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
Although I have both the 50 and 100 f4 SMC MACRO-Takumars, I much prefer using the Pentax Autobellows unit and enlarging lenses. My current setup includes a 50mm Schneider, a 80mm Minolta rokkor-X, a 100mm Pro Raptar, and a 150mm Schneider all converted to M42 for the bellows. I like the 150 for good working distance when the perspective flattening isnt a problem. I only use the 50mm for 1:1 duplicating with the slide copier attachment. Sometimes I'll use the 80 or 100 when I want a more normal view. I have no favorite macro lens, I use all four for different things. Second reason I prefer using a bellows over a barrel type macro lens is that the autobellows has a separate focussing rail which allows for setting up the whole thing with better balance and also allows you to focus without disturbing the magnification setting. JCO J.C. O'Connell mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://jcoconnell.com -Original Message- From: Ramesh Kumar [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 11:26 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro? I have FA50mm FA100mm macro. I favour the latter becuase its longer focal length helps in macro work. Ramesh --- Amita Guha [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. Thanks, Amita __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25 http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash
RE: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
If Rob is right, then Voigtlander SL 125/2.5 APO-Lanthar is the one. http://www.cosina.co.jp/sllenses/ http://www.cameraquest.com/inventor.htm Regards, Alan Chan http://www.pbase.com/wlachan Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. Thanks, Amita _ MSN Premium helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-capage=byoa/premxAPID=1994DI=1034SU=http://hotmail.com/encaHL=Market_MSNIS_Taglines
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
My favorite Pentax Macro is my ONLY macro lens ! SMC Bellow-Takumar 4/100mm, with Bellow Unit or Pentax Auto-Bellows, and *ist D with M42 adapator.
Re: what's your favorite Pentax macro?
Amita Guha [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote Pentax glass experts, It looks like I might finally be able to buy a macro lens soon. I was wondering, what's your favorite Pentax (or other) macro lens and why? It could be AF or MF. Thanks, Amita I have two macro lenses--the 50mm F2.8 A macro, and the 200mm F4 A* macro. For setup shots, where I put the camera on a tripod, stop the lens down, and go with either outdoor available light or an external flash, I think the working distance that the 200mm affords is wonderful. The 50mm is a great do-it-all lens that can be handheld (if you brace your elbows on the ground). If I had to keep only one, it would probably be the 200mm lens. That said, I think the best lens for you depends a lot on your working style. Problem is, it's hard to figure that out until you have a macro lens. Hope this helps --Mark
