http://www.fotofach.de/ 377-278 http://www.fotofach.de/festbrennweiten-erfahrungsberichte/pentax-smc-da-200-mm-f28-ed-if-sdm/ The Pentax SMC DA* 200mm f/2.8 ED [IF] SDM is a very welcome addition to the Pentax lineup. The performance is generally on a very high level. In terms of resolution and contrast the lens is able to produce very good results straight from the max. aperture setting. The level of distortions is absolutely negligible and vignetting and lateral chromatic aberrations (CAs) are not overly field relevant. The quality of the bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is very decent. However, there are also flaws. In critical scenes (extreme contrast) the lens shows a rather high amount of purple fringing and longitudinal chromatic aberrations (LoCA), colored out-of-focus halos, are also higher than average. These two issues do probably originate in the rather old base design of the lens dating back to 1993. The mechanical quality of the lens is absolutely exceptional thanks to high quality materials and seals against dust and moisture. The new ultrasonic AF drive (SDM) works like a breeze - it's both fast and almost silent. All-in-all a quite sound offer although a comparatively expensive one. ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:03:16 +0200 295-277 http://www.fotofach.de/festbrennweiten-erfahrungsberichte/pentax-smc-dfa-100mm-28-makro/ The Pentax SMC-D FA 100mm f/2.8 macro is a very good lens which is capable to provide very high sharpness till f/16. However, the resolution could be a little better at f/2.8 whereas the contrast level is already excellent here. The bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is very smooth and buttery - an important characteristic for a macro lens. CAs and vignetting are very well controlled and not really field-relevant. Typical for macro lenses it shows an absolutely negligible degree of distortions. In relation to its fairly high price tag (~550€/US$) the build quality leaves a little bit to be desired - the lens doesn't feel quite as substantial as its predecessor and the lack of a focus limiter is a bit disappointing because the AF tends to hunt quite a bit. ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:00:08 +0200 293-276 http://www.fotofach.de/festbrennweiten-erfahrungsberichte/pentax-smc-fa-77mm-18-limited/ The Pentax SMC-FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited is undoubtedly a special lens thanks to its very small dimensions combined with an exceptional build quality. Optically it doesn't offer much beyond the mainstream in this class but don't misunderstand this as something negative because moderate fix-focal length tele lenses tend to be great performers. The center resolution is very fine to great throughout the tested aperture range whereas the borders leave a little to be desired at f/1.8. Stopping down resolves the border weakness and the quality is extremely high and even between f/4 and f/8. Distortions and CAs are basically non-existent and vignetting is pretty well controlled. In extreme contrast situations you can push the lens into purple fringing (color blooming) problems at large aperture settings but stopping down a little usually helps in such situations. A very positive aspect of the lens is its bokeh (out-of-focus blur). It is very smooth and buttery making the lens an obvious choice for portrait photography. The biggest "problem" is not performance but the price tag. At around 750-800€/US$ the lens is about twice as expensive as competing products on the other side of the fence (namely the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, Nikkor AF 85mm f/1.8D). Even regarding its lovely build quality and compact design this is stretching things a little in my opinion. Obviously Pentax came to the same conclusion - the successor, the SMC-DA 70mm f/2.4 Limited, is quite a bit more affordable (although also one stop slower). ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:58:46 +0200 292-275 http://www.fotofach.de/festbrennweiten-erfahrungsberichte/pentax-smc-da-70mm-24-limited/ The Pentax SMC DA 70mm f/2.4 Limited is an great lens with no really significant technical weakness. The resolution characteristic is generally excellent regardless of the (tested) aperture setting and the resolution distribution is much more harmonic compared to the SMC FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited although it sacrifices a tiny bit of peak performance. The vignetting is slightly more pronounced than desirable at f/2.4 but not really an issue beyond. Neither distortions nor CAs are field-relevant. You may be able to spot some traces of purple fringing. An interesting aspect of a large aperture tele lens is quality of the bokeh (the out-of-focus blur). Similar to its alcoholic counterpart it is a matter of taste to some degree - I'd say it is very good but not excellent. Here and there some of the out-of-focus halos seem to be a bit hard edged. The degree of background/foreground blur is also a bit limited by the comparatively small max. aperture (for a moderate tele lens). Typical for all Pentax Limited lenses the build quality is excellent and it is a joy to use such a high quality lens in the field. The price (around 500€/US$) is quite fair in relation to what you get here. Now is it a "better" lens than the FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited ? I'd be hard pressed to provided a real guidance here. Technically the DA 70mm is a bit better (more even resolution, less purple fringing) whereas the FA 77mm has a slight edge regarding the bokeh due to its larger max. aperture. Fortunately the choice is yours and not mine ... :-) ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:57:42 +0200 451-274 http://www.fotofach.de/festbrennweiten-erfahrungsberichte/pentax-smc-da-55mm-f14-sdm/ The SMC-DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM is a rather typical representative of the standard lens species - it is capable of delivering ultra-sharp results when stopped down a little but it's also fairly soft at very large aperture settings. Distortions and lateral CAs are not field-relevant. There may be a hint of vignetting visible at f/1.4 but generally there's no reason to worry about this out there as well. The biggest differentiator of the lens is probably the high quality of the bokeh which is often a problem in most of the elderly 50s out there. Unfortunately bokeh fringing (colored focus halos) remains a problem but, to be fair, this is a general issue in this lens class. The build quality of the Pentax lens is very high and in line to the professional DA* standards. The new Supersonic Dynamic Motor (SDM) AF is certainly a very welcome addition thanks to its lower noise level although it's not exceedingly fast. The question of the day is naturally whether the sum of all these qualities is worth the very high price tag. Well, this is tricky. Optically the DA* 55mm f/1.4 is not all THAT different from other lenses in this lens class. The mechanical qualities are certainly worth a couple more bucks but generally we do believe that it's quite overpriced by say 150EUS/US$. Alternatively you may also have a look at the Pentax SMC FA 43mm f/1.9 Ltd. ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:56:32 +0200 291-273 http://www.fotofach.de/festbrennweiten-erfahrungsberichte/pentax-smc-fa-43mm-19-limited/ Similar to its cousins (DA 40mm f/2.8, FA 50mm f/1.4) the Pentax SMC-FA 43mm f/1.9 Limited is a great performer with only few weaknesses. At f/1.9 the contrast and resolution is somewhat soft but beyond the quality is superb and probably as good as it gets on the K10D. Vignetting and distortions are well controlled whereas CAs could be a little lower for a fix-focal. I guess many Pentax users will raise an eyebrow or two regarding the following statement but the bokeh (out-of-focus blur) can look a little harsh in certain situations - see the first and fourth sample image above. The build quality of the lens is superb and surely one of the reasons for its rather steep price tag. ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:53:08 +0200 290-272 http://www.fotofach.de/festbrennweiten-erfahrungsberichte/pentax-smc-da-40mm-28-limited/ The Pentax SMC DA 40mm f/2.8 exhibits a very harmonious optical performance combined with excellent build quality. It is capable to produce very sharp images across the frame straight from the max. aperture. Distortions are marginal and CAs are a non-issue. Vignetting is quite pronounced at f/2.8 but not a show-stopper. The bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is pretty smooth. The biggest "problem" of the lens is not quality but its application. It is a comparatively slow lens and not faster than many zooms and classic "normal" lenses are about as good at comparable apertures but with a lot more potential for low light photography ... at a lower price. Some users may argue with its size and weight but even with the DA 40mm f/2.8 a DSLR is not a pocketable camera. That all said it remains an excellent performer and as such it is a welcome addition to the Pentax lens lineup. ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:52:01 +0200 378-271 http://www.fotofach.de/festbrennweiten-erfahrungsberichte/pentax-smc-da-35-mm-f28-makro/ The Pentax SMC DA 35mm f/2.8 Limited macro is a undoubtedly a high quality lens but it does not excel. The center performance is great straight from the max. aperture whereas the corner performance is slightly lower than expected for a "Limited" lens (still on a very good level in absolute terms). The lens produces only a very slight barrel distortion and quite moderate vignetting but lateral CAs are a bit on the high side for a newly designed fix-focal length lens. The bokeh can be busy at medium focus distances but it seems fine in macro situations. The pricing of the DA 35mm f/2.8 is fairly moderate (~320€/450US$) especially when considering the excellent build quality as well as its macro capabilities. ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:50:58 +0200 289-270 http://www.fotofach.de/festbrennweiten-erfahrungsberichte/pentax-smc-fa-31mm-18-al-limited/ The Pentax SMC-FA 31mm f/1.8 AL Limited is an excellent lens. It is already sharp at f/1.8 and razor sharp at medium apertures. Distortions and CAs are very well controlled. On the downside it vignettes quite a bit at f/1.8 so the ultra-large max. aperture takes its toll here. The bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is very smooth and buttery which is fairly unusual for a lens with aspherical elements. Typical for all Limited lenses the build quality is exceptional and it is a joy to use the lens. It also shares another, rather unfortunate, characteristic with its cousins - a high price tag. Quality comes at a price but 900-1000€/US$ seems a bit over the edge but then it is probably just another example of diminishing returns upon higher investments. Nonetheless it is refreshing to see that Pentax focuses on quality rather than costs - there're enough plastic lenses out there after all. ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:49:16 +0200 288-269 http://www.fotofach.de/festbrennweiten-erfahrungsberichte/pentax-smc-da-21-mm-32-al-limited/ The Pentax SMC-DA 21mm f/3.2 AL Limited is a very good lens but it is not as special as its longer cousins (specifically the Pentax FA 31mm f/1.8 Limited) nor is this really possible because of the increasing design problems when pushing things towards wide and ultra-wide angles. The center performance is exceptionally high whereas the borders require f/5.6 to achieve very good levels. The amount of barrel distortions and vignetting are Ok but nothing to rave about for a new fix-focal lens. CAs are quite well controlled. The coolest aspects of the lens are naturally the extremely small size, the very low weight and a relatively moderate price tag of around 450€/US$. Combined with the "longer" pancakes lenses, the DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited and DA 70mm f/2.4 Limited, you'd have a complete yet very unobtrusive fix-focal lens setup for street photography. ]]> Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:47:42 +0200