Hi Jonathan, The Vivitar is great, very sharp, but I don't particularly like its colour rendering, it's a bit too cool for my taste so requires a lot of adjustment in PP. I got mine as part of a lot so it didn't cost me anything, but I had to clean oil from the aperture blades before I could use it. It's perfect now. I don't find the slowness of the 19-35 limiting in any way and in actual fact my copy is really sharp, not so much at the edges, but where it counts it is great. I really like the Cosina, it has exceeded my expectations and I use it a lot. It isn't the most contrasty lens and it has a tendency to blow highlights, but if you know that in advance it's not an issue. It's a keeper for me.

Thanks very much John, for me it's a necessity as I can't afford the current 15-30 or the 24-70, much as I would like them, but I've found some real gems very cheaply. I had to completely dismantle the 80-320 and clean every element as it had fungus, but now it is working great and I will never part with it.

Regards
David

Unfortunately the Fox had been shot in the chest and someone had moved it to that position for the Buzzards to eat as carrion. Very sad.

The Pentax 80-320 is sharper at the long end, but the Tamron is the overall sharper lens. The only issue with the Tamron is that it has a tendency to purple fringing on high contrast subjects, but on most images this isn't apparent. I would highly recommend either the Tamron or the Pentax for a budget zoom. I've owned many, many lenses in the 50-300 range and the current Tamron and Pentax I have are probably the best I've had. I won't buy any lens now that isn't full-frame compatible.

Thanks for your comments, it's very much appreciated!

Regards
David

Hi All

It's a long time since I posted a set of images, so thought I would upload a few today, with the theme that they are all taken with my K-1 and all with very cheap lenses, under £40 each. The lenses used in this set are a Sigma 28-80 f/3.5-5.6 (approx £8, bought in a lot), Cosina 19-35mm f/3.5 (£33), a Vivitar 28mm f2.0 (free), a Sigma DL 100-300 f/4.5-6.7 (approx £8, bought in a lot), a Tamron LD Di 70-300 (£36) and a Pentax-FA 80-320 (approx £20, bought in a lot).

Cosina 19-35 f/3.5



Cosina 19-35 f/3.5



Cosina 19-35 f/3.5



Vivitar 28mm f/2.0



Vivitar 28mm f/2.0



Sigma 100-300 f/4.5-6.7



Sigma 100-300 f/4.5-6.7



Pentax-FA 80-320



Pentax-FA 80-320



Pentax-FA 80-320



Sigma 28-80 f/3.5-5.6



Sigma 28-80 f/3.5-5.6



Tamron 70-300



Tamron 70-300



Tamron 70-300



Hope you like, all comments and critique welcomed!

Best wishes
David

Hi All

As you might have seen recently, I've been on the lookout for full frame lenses that are good on a K-1. As I'm actively buying, restoring and selling used Pentax equipment (for my living, filling in time and earning a crust until myself and the missus can get to our house in Corfu), I am in the fortunate position of being able to buy and try a huge range of different lenses. The current objective is to find some reasonably priced AF zooms in the 70 to 300 range. So far, I've foud a few gems at not very much money:

1. Pentax-FA 80-320mm (black version) for less than £30. Great lens, my copy is particularly sharp at the 320mm end, but is good across the focal range. In my experience, this lens is as good, if not better than the Pentax 55-300, of which I've owned and extensively used both the original version and the HD version.

2. Sigma DL 100-300mm f4.5-6.7 for less than £10. Another good 'un, not quite as sharp as the 80-320, but not far behind. Very light and portable, complete with original hood and in mint condition. Very nice colour rendering on this lens and it mates extremely well as a travel kit with the Sigma 28-80mm f3.5-5.6 macro focusing zoom that I also have, this was also under £10 in mint condition and is an absolute steal, even if you paid 3 or 4 times what I did. It has 1:2 macro capability!

3. Tamron LD Di 70-300mm for less than £30, in mint condition. This is the sharpest of the bunch and extremely contrasty too. Focus accuracy is unbelievably good. The only downside with this lens is its tendency to purple fringing on high contrast subjects, but this is usually not a major issue.

Would be interested to hear opinions from others on what they have in this focal range, please don't mention expensive lenses as I can't afford them!

Regards
David

Hi Yorkie

I think I may be able to help you, I have sent you a private message.

Best regards
David

Lots of ME Supers suffer from this issue, it's caused by worn / degraded bushings and it's probably not worth repairing. I would stick it back on ebay 'for parts or not working', you will sell definitely sell it.

Regards
David

Hi Kris

Yes, the KM is a better camera, I agree. I find they sell for about the same price as a K1000 (the ones I've sold have anyway), the reason I suggested K1000 is for the very reason that it doesn't have any bells and whistles and therefore tends to go wrong less often. K1000's are definitely over-priced though IMO, for what they are. KX is even nicer, probably the best of the 'K' series bunch.

Regards
David

(quote relates to P30 / P30T)

Sorry I haven't commented earlier, but I've not been on the forum in a while. I would caution against buying a P30 or P30T on ebay, they are very prone to winding issues (shutter won't latch, camera locks up) which are caused by deterioration of plastic bushings in the camera, this is generally not economical to repair. A much better bet (this is my opinion only) would be something like a Cosina CT-7, these are better built than the P30's, all metal construction, very nice control layout that's reminiscent of the ME Super, with Auto or Manual Exposure modes. It's a K-mount, so takes all the Pentax lenses.

I have one in mint condition that you could have for £20, can send some images if you like.

If you could spend a little more and don't mind all manual operation, you can't get more reliable than a K1000.

Regards
David

Interesting information about the flowers, but what grabs me is the expertise with which these shots have been taken. Great work.

Regards
David

They are all excellent, but In particularly like the second one.

Regards
David