All Forum Comments
Comment by bretbysteve posted on Latest Ebay Lunacy! at 02/09/2007 - 16:06
Hi,
"Yup, with an objective and competent reviewer"
G:...Does such a thing exist on planet earth?....especially on the internet...
cheers Steve.
"Yup, with an objective and competent reviewer"
G:...Does such a thing exist on planet earth?....especially on the internet...
cheers Steve.
Comment by bretbysteve posted on New PKA mount Zeiss Lenses at 30/08/2007 - 11:49
Hi,
G: "The true comparison is between the Zeiss (manual focus and exposure) and the Pentax 77mm Ltd. At B&H, the former is listed at USD 984, and the latter at USD 679"
Cannot argue that the Pentax 77mm is superb, but it is not true that it is a 'true comparison' to compare the Pentax 77mm to the Zeiss 85mm, because the Zeiss is a faster f1.4 lens..which you have to pay more for, the Pentax is only an f1.8 lens.
....and there ARE plenty of buyers for the old Pentax 85mm f1.4 A*, which is the reason why the price of these has stayed so high for so long. If there were no buyers, the price would have plummeted, but it has not.
And since when did we move to the USA? the UK prices are: Pentax 77mm £559 (SRS) Zeiss 85mm £669 (Robert White)...so not much of a price hike considering you are getting an f1.4 rather than an f1.8 lens.
cheers Steve.M.
G: "The true comparison is between the Zeiss (manual focus and exposure) and the Pentax 77mm Ltd. At B&H, the former is listed at USD 984, and the latter at USD 679"
Cannot argue that the Pentax 77mm is superb, but it is not true that it is a 'true comparison' to compare the Pentax 77mm to the Zeiss 85mm, because the Zeiss is a faster f1.4 lens..which you have to pay more for, the Pentax is only an f1.8 lens.
....and there ARE plenty of buyers for the old Pentax 85mm f1.4 A*, which is the reason why the price of these has stayed so high for so long. If there were no buyers, the price would have plummeted, but it has not.
And since when did we move to the USA? the UK prices are: Pentax 77mm £559 (SRS) Zeiss 85mm £669 (Robert White)...so not much of a price hike considering you are getting an f1.4 rather than an f1.8 lens.
cheers Steve.M.
Comment by bretbysteve posted on New PKA mount Zeiss Lenses at 29/08/2007 - 19:32
Hi,
Just one or two points on things mentioned in this thread so far:
"Don't forget the marked focal lengths of all lenses are nominal. Most 24mm lenses from the MF era were closer to 25mm, so Zeiss could simply be making a slightly more accurate (or honest) statement"
In the original Contax RTS range of Zeiss lenses there was also a 25mm lens, but the ACTUAL focal length was 25.9mm! so in that particular case, Zeiss was not very honest at all, they simply wanted to make the lens look as close to 24mm as possible, so ignored the principle of rounding up & rounding down to the nearest decimal point. Clearly the Contax 25mm was actually a 26mm lens.
However, the new Zeiss 25mm lens IS a proper 25mm focal length. The Zeiss ZF/ZS lenses which are now to become also ZK have been universally praised as fantastic performers, but are not for everyone. They are very high performance lenses and have especially long throw focus movements for accurate focus, the downside of which is that they take longer to focus, so they are NOT for action photography. They are also meant to be used wide open, or near to it due to the very high performance at max apertures.
I would also mention that the Zeiss 25mm has an astonishing close focus ability of about 6cm, whereas most lenses of 28/24mm are about 25-30cm.
As regards the availability of Pentax 24mm, the SMC-K & SMC-A 24mm f2.8 are regularly on evilbay. The Pentax 85/1.4 A* which will compete directly with the Zeiss ZK 85/1.4 is very expensive and will cost you just as much secondhand in mint condition (or near) as the Zeiss will cost you brand new, so I know which I would buy.
All the Zeiss devotees are eagerly awaiting the possible launch of a Zeiss 21mm ZF/ZS/ZK....
cheers Steve.M.
Just one or two points on things mentioned in this thread so far:
"Don't forget the marked focal lengths of all lenses are nominal. Most 24mm lenses from the MF era were closer to 25mm, so Zeiss could simply be making a slightly more accurate (or honest) statement"
In the original Contax RTS range of Zeiss lenses there was also a 25mm lens, but the ACTUAL focal length was 25.9mm! so in that particular case, Zeiss was not very honest at all, they simply wanted to make the lens look as close to 24mm as possible, so ignored the principle of rounding up & rounding down to the nearest decimal point. Clearly the Contax 25mm was actually a 26mm lens.
However, the new Zeiss 25mm lens IS a proper 25mm focal length. The Zeiss ZF/ZS lenses which are now to become also ZK have been universally praised as fantastic performers, but are not for everyone. They are very high performance lenses and have especially long throw focus movements for accurate focus, the downside of which is that they take longer to focus, so they are NOT for action photography. They are also meant to be used wide open, or near to it due to the very high performance at max apertures.
I would also mention that the Zeiss 25mm has an astonishing close focus ability of about 6cm, whereas most lenses of 28/24mm are about 25-30cm.
As regards the availability of Pentax 24mm, the SMC-K & SMC-A 24mm f2.8 are regularly on evilbay. The Pentax 85/1.4 A* which will compete directly with the Zeiss ZK 85/1.4 is very expensive and will cost you just as much secondhand in mint condition (or near) as the Zeiss will cost you brand new, so I know which I would buy.
All the Zeiss devotees are eagerly awaiting the possible launch of a Zeiss 21mm ZF/ZS/ZK....
cheers Steve.M.
Comment by bretbysteve posted on New PKA mount Zeiss Lenses at 29/08/2007 - 17:08
Hi,
Can only agree 101% with John. If you really want to find some truly moronic moderation, with little cliques, in-fighting, little toleration of new members etc, try the amateur photographer forum, or the one at photo net...
This one is brilliant...
cheers Steve.
Can only agree 101% with John. If you really want to find some truly moronic moderation, with little cliques, in-fighting, little toleration of new members etc, try the amateur photographer forum, or the one at photo net...
This one is brilliant...
cheers Steve.
Comment by bretbysteve posted on Im almost off and away..RANT! at 25/08/2007 - 18:28
Hi,
Everyone would do well to remember that fleabay is NOT a shop.
It is an auction and just like any other auction, prices will vary all over the place...due to the usual suspects..
cheers Steve.
Everyone would do well to remember that fleabay is NOT a shop.
It is an auction and just like any other auction, prices will vary all over the place...due to the usual suspects..
cheers Steve.
Comment by bretbysteve posted on Rhyme or reason... is there any? at 03/09/2007 - 13:50
Hi,
I believe I am correct in saying that digitalrev ship from Hong Kong.
cheers Steve.
I believe I am correct in saying that digitalrev ship from Hong Kong.
cheers Steve.
Comment by bretbysteve posted on K10D for £ 362.99 ? at 15/08/2007 - 18:35
Hi,
Mr Batty takes an awful lot of time over his listings and his photos..they are some of the very best on evilbay. Just compare them to the mass of typical dross listings and dreadful photos you typically get.
I would suggest this time and trouble has something to do with the high prices Batty gets for his items...most sellers are too lazy to be bothered, so they get less for their items...
cheers Steve.
Mr Batty takes an awful lot of time over his listings and his photos..they are some of the very best on evilbay. Just compare them to the mass of typical dross listings and dreadful photos you typically get.
I would suggest this time and trouble has something to do with the high prices Batty gets for his items...most sellers are too lazy to be bothered, so they get less for their items...
cheers Steve.
Comment by bretbysteve posted on See the Batt fly. at 30/07/2007 - 12:06
Hiya,
"(save for the macros, where the exra speed is not a huge benefit, given that they'll mainly be used at f11 and smaller)"
George..one point...that is the traditional way macro shots are taken, with loads of DOF and everything in focus. There are an increasing number of creative photographers (I include myself) who break rules and use shallow DOF to increase the 3D look of a shot, including macro shots.
Here, an f2 macro lens has a big advantage. Also a big advantage of these Zeiss lenses is that the performance of them wide open or near to it is outstandingly good...so they are designed to be used in this way.
Also, the Zeiss 25/2.8 has a close focus ability to within an astounding 6cm....most lenses of about 24/28mm are 20cm close focus at best.
You are so right though, that this can only help Pentax, in that it makes the K10D and others even more attractive to discerning photographers. I just hope that Hoys does not 'drop them in it' and I also hope for an even more upmarket model above the K10D..
cheers Steve.
"(save for the macros, where the exra speed is not a huge benefit, given that they'll mainly be used at f11 and smaller)"
George..one point...that is the traditional way macro shots are taken, with loads of DOF and everything in focus. There are an increasing number of creative photographers (I include myself) who break rules and use shallow DOF to increase the 3D look of a shot, including macro shots.
Here, an f2 macro lens has a big advantage. Also a big advantage of these Zeiss lenses is that the performance of them wide open or near to it is outstandingly good...so they are designed to be used in this way.
Also, the Zeiss 25/2.8 has a close focus ability to within an astounding 6cm....most lenses of about 24/28mm are 20cm close focus at best.
You are so right though, that this can only help Pentax, in that it makes the K10D and others even more attractive to discerning photographers. I just hope that Hoys does not 'drop them in it' and I also hope for an even more upmarket model above the K10D..
cheers Steve.
Comment by bretbysteve posted on Brand New Carl Zeiss lenses now in Pentax KA fit!...Zeiss ZK at 21/07/2007 - 12:03
Hiya,
For those who want some real quality manual focus lenses, the Zeiss ZF (Nikon AI) and the Zeiss ZS (M42 screw) lenses are now going to be made in Pentax KA bayonet mount fit!
So, for those of you who are trying to find dodgy used examples of the Pentax SMC-A* 85/1.4 for as much as £500-600, you could buy a new Zeiss ZK 85/1.4 for £670.
http://www.zeiss.de/C12567A100537AB9/Contents-Frame/67195A125FA6D5F841256A780049...
OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 19.07.2007.
Carl Zeiss now offers its premium lenses for 35 mm SLR (single lens reflex) cameras for an additional camera connector: the K bayonet. This lens series is sold under the ZK name. Until now, the manually focusable SLR lenses were only available for the F bayonet (ZF) and the M42 screw threads (ZS).
SLR lenses from Carl Zeiss are known for their outstanding image quality and precise, long- lasting mechanical parts.
For the design of its lenses, Carl Zeiss draws on more than 100 years of experience in camera optics and current developments from the production of high-quality lenses for cinematography. Cine lenses from Carl Zeiss have been used in numerous major productions such as The Lord of the Rings and Perfume.
Lenses for the K bayonet will initially be available as Distagon T* 2.8/25 and 2/35, Planar T* 1.4/50 and 1.4/85 as well as Makro-Planar T* 2/50 and 2/100. In the future, the SLR line of lenses will be expanded to offer demanding photographers an even larger selection of focal lengths for their work.
cheers Steve.
For those who want some real quality manual focus lenses, the Zeiss ZF (Nikon AI) and the Zeiss ZS (M42 screw) lenses are now going to be made in Pentax KA bayonet mount fit!
So, for those of you who are trying to find dodgy used examples of the Pentax SMC-A* 85/1.4 for as much as £500-600, you could buy a new Zeiss ZK 85/1.4 for £670.
http://www.zeiss.de/C12567A100537AB9/Contents-Frame/67195A125FA6D5F841256A780049...
OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 19.07.2007.
Carl Zeiss now offers its premium lenses for 35 mm SLR (single lens reflex) cameras for an additional camera connector: the K bayonet. This lens series is sold under the ZK name. Until now, the manually focusable SLR lenses were only available for the F bayonet (ZF) and the M42 screw threads (ZS).
SLR lenses from Carl Zeiss are known for their outstanding image quality and precise, long- lasting mechanical parts.
For the design of its lenses, Carl Zeiss draws on more than 100 years of experience in camera optics and current developments from the production of high-quality lenses for cinematography. Cine lenses from Carl Zeiss have been used in numerous major productions such as The Lord of the Rings and Perfume.
Lenses for the K bayonet will initially be available as Distagon T* 2.8/25 and 2/35, Planar T* 1.4/50 and 1.4/85 as well as Makro-Planar T* 2/50 and 2/100. In the future, the SLR line of lenses will be expanded to offer demanding photographers an even larger selection of focal lengths for their work.
cheers Steve.
Comment by bretbysteve posted on Brand New Carl Zeiss lenses now in Pentax KA fit!...Zeiss ZK at 20/07/2007 - 16:37
Like our Spanish resident says, not lunacy at all, just proves the worth of time taken on an excellent listing. The vast majority of ebay sellers are so lazy they cannot be bothered at all to get anywhere near this level of listing and then wonder why their items sell for tuppence...
cheers Steve.