I previously opened a thread regarding damage apparently caused by the elements while using my K5+18-135mm lens combo. Well, although not sure it even was water damage (my guess was the cold) I left it for a week in a nice dry warm place and it was back to normal in the 35C+ summer here.

However, as my warranty was almost up, I sent it off anyway for a warranty investigation/repair just in case there was something hidden.

Well, a warning to all using this combo in rain (persistent drizzle in my case). Pentax have confirmed that as a repair is indeed needed due to water damage, that this is not covered under warranty. So, to put it short, Pentax's weather-resistant flagship is only weather-resistant as far as marketing goes. You may be lucky, but if you're not, the warranty won't cover you.

To add insult to imjury, without actually telling me what is wrong, Pentax are quoting me 650 Euros to repair the camera. K5 body only is currently available for less than 600 Euro body only brand new...

Fuming doesn't even cover it.

Needless to say I'm tryng to find out what they discovered was wrong and will be pushing them on this. Will update on here as I find out more.

I would go one further and say I enjoy using manual primes more than anything, if only focusing was easier on the digital. There's only so many times I can make the wife repose when she's still a tad out of focus despite all my efforts with the lens opened up...

I know I could buy a new viewfinder glass but I@m holding back on that as I'm not sure just how much of the error is me!

That was my thought, too. The lens has been in a bag with a few silica packets the last few days just in case.

I do wonder what Pentax will say if I send it in just before warranty with what looks like a water problem. Which I would argue is a failure of a weather-residtant camera somewhere.

Then I did have the thought, how do you get moisture out of a weather resistant body. It's had anold prime on it in a warm ish place for a few days now. Won'tknow if it's worked til the snow comes though.

Still don't get how raindrops can cause instant fogging though.

Although the weather seems to have taken its toll on the K5 (see separate forum entry!), I had set myself a challange. Could I survive a 2 week holiday with just primes.

Not wanting to restrict myself to a 3 lens set-up, I chose to restrict myself to one small crumpler bag. Previously capable of holding a now sold Sigma 8-16, smc 50mm 1.7 and 18-135 (mounted). Just to give you an idea of size.

Well I was downsizing, so in the one pocket that previously held the 8-16, I had in:
15mm f4 Ltd
28mm f3.5 (manual)
40mm f2.8 Ltd

I had the vivtar 200mm f3.5 mounted (manual).

Hmm, that left space in the small pocket - so I threw in the 18-135, jut in case, you know in case I hated the setup or it rained.

This was cheating a bit, as if I wanted to switch the 200mm for any other lens, I had nowhere to put it (so I brought its case).

I had hardly had any use out of the 15mm or 200mm before going so thought I'd share my experiences with these lenses as a "trying to ditch the zoom prime convert".

So how long did I last with just primes
....2 days. Big fail...maybe. A recent thread on the 18-135 brought up much praise for this lens and the weather meant it got more than just a look in. However, the reason after 2 days? Trying to get pictures of atlantic terns in flight. No way would I get them with the 200mm manual. The other primes were too short and I needed that quick focussing. Got some pretty decent shots I would never have got without it.

In the end though, I was mildly surprised by which lenses got used the most and my feelings towards them.

So, in no particular oder, oldies first:


28mm f3.5
Not bad, not great. Used quite sparingly because to be honest who normally needs both a 28mm and 40mm on a wildlife holiday...And when either of these would do, out came the 40mm. A bit of magenta tint, but easy to sort out PP.

It did fill a gap though, and together with the 40mm and 15mm, fits 49mm filters - so the ND's fitted it. Stopped down reasonable sharpness, but nothing outstanding. Nowhere near my 50mm 1.7 manual, for example. Good enough to get compliments, but not the wows.

200mm f3.5
Got it for 3 things. To see if I really needed a prime at this focal length, and shooting lazy puffins and far-away whales.

This lens is far from perfect. Wide open, it's a CA fest. Stop down, and down, and down again and the CA is gone around f5.6. But now it's not really fast enough for lower light. It's not razor sharp, but for the price more than sharp enough! And built like a tank. Mine looks like it just came out the factory.

I could defintely do with this focal length. However, following the puffins, a zoom would have been handy - and I admittedly reached for the 18-135 again - which actually proved to be the sharper lens, albeit at around 100mm, stopped down.

I think I might have to start saving up for the 60-250. The 200mm would be nice, but I can see when I might want longer, and I can see when I might prefer a zoom.

For puffins it was fine. For faster than expected whales....out comes the 18-135mm.


Now for the Autos:

40mm Ltd.

No surprises here. I knew the lens and it did the job I needed it for. Sharp for landscapes for stitching where I didn't want too much foreground, and it helped me out in the dusky light. No worries about darkness in the summer, so no desperate need for a faster lens really.

I opted not to bring the 50mm 1.7 and this also worked as a stand-in portrait lens.

I'm still unsure about the focal length - but it's a keeper alright! So small it easily slots into the pocket, how can you not take it with you if you have it.

Problem for me was it mostly stayed in my pocket, mainly due to...

15mm Ltd
Wow. Delivered only the day before I left, I never had a chance to use it, but I was blown away. Not becuase it is the perfect lens, it isn't. In some regards my 8-16mm was sharper. I hear the 12-24mm pentax is also sharper corner to corner. Both are big heavy lenses though. Yes, it can get a bit soft around the edges - and not just if you are pixel peeping (checking for focus on screen for example). Contrary to some reviews I've seen, you can make it flare - but you do have to be taking into the light, and nothing like the sigma. There is vignetting, and there is distortion - visible mainly when you foolishly place people in the corners and such like. But again, nothing like with the 8-16mm.

However all of these are small issues, mostly resolved by stopping down a little. Some have commented on the star like sun you can achieve by stopping down and shooting stright into it. I actually tried to avoid this, as I was getting stars of reflections off glass - but that's just practice and getting to know the lens.

What amazed me most was the versatility. It stayed on the camera easily 80% of the time - 15mm is such a great focal length, and with such a light, well designed lens. Wow. There is also such a simple fix to get the cokin filters to fit so that's not a problem - although I somehow doubt square cokin graduated filters would work given the size of the objective. I didn't try.

If I had to keep only one lens it would honestly be a fight-out between this and the 18-135 (which I wasn't supposed to be using).

I would say of all the primes, it was the only one that offered that little something extra something that the 18-135mmm couldn't replicate at a pinch.


18-135mm
Won't say too much as there was a recent thread on this. But, excellent all-rounder and the saviour when the weather turned bad or the subjects started darting around like crazed wasps. Couldn't replace the 15mm but a perfect lens to compliment it with for a 2-lens set-up.


A zoom free future?
ot for me. Not while I still have the 18-135mmm. A great back-up turned bad-weather go-to. I'm tempted to exchange the 28mm for maybe a longer portrait like the 70mm, though. The 200mm was a good experiment, but unfortunately likely to be an expensive one as I look enviously to the 60-250mm, a zoom. If only it was f2.8...

A bit of background

I spent two weeks in cold and wet iceland camping. The camera was never exposed to temperatures lower than 2 degrees. It wasn't brought straight from the cold into the warm. It did get a bit wet, but was then partnered with the 18=135. It was never submerged or anything similar. It was never exposed to salt water, or other icelandic chemical waters.

So, all-in-all well within the parameters of it's spec. In fact, this is one of my reasons for getting the camera - a take it anywhere machine! However, after one damp afternoon it started acting strangely. It seems it might be the cold. But your opinions are really appreciated.

First a couple of minor niggles my camera has had. I noted that with manual lenses the mirror can lock-up when dark and stopping down with the green button. SOlved by pointing it at a bright light-source or taking the battery out. I've also always felt battery life was not what it should be - roughly 400 shots in raw without using liveview. I've just learned to live with this.

Before the major problem, I noted that when I put a new battery in, the screen was pulsing in the corners. This lasted a good while until I had taken 50 or so shots. This was with both a pentax original battery and a 3rd party battery. Hmmm, a sign of bad stuff to come?

Now after one particularly cold and wet day with the 18-135 the camera seemed to function fine. I opened all the flaps in the dry to check no water got in from waterfall spray. None anywhere to be found. Dry battery area, dry SD, dry body. I extended the zoom to dry out.

I was later able to check the photos no problem. I left the camera in the cool glove box when we went in the nice warm cafe. My wife didn't and got terrible internal condensation in her compact - right move I thought. Checked photos later, no problem. Camera left in the glovebox overnight - never spent a moment in the tent.

The next day I brought it into a non-heated marquee. I turned it on - it seemingly turned off. I found it was turning on for a few moments. I got no response from pressing the buttons. The viewfinder went black,except for the red focus square - no pictures were possible. Then it also started to seemingly running the dust removal proceedure constantly. I could not stop it. It was like the camera was having a fit.

This lasted for about 2 days. I was able to grab the odd shot, or sometimes 10, but the problem returned. I got no focus lock beeps and it never found focus.

I changed battery - same problem.

After two days of "fitting" it calmed down and seemed to work. then the focus beep stopped working. Now that's an odd gremlin to have.

However, a new problem: the rear screen was steaming up, as was the top screen. Not in the warm. Cold raindrops falling on the screen would leave a white trace inside the screen. The cold (up to 10 degrees!) left me with an almost steamed up screen. The top was the same. Can't be condensation, in the cold? I don't understand that at all. It's the most crazy thing - and bloody annoying!

Is this a warranty job (2 weeks left!), or if the cold and damp have caused it, is it arguably my fault - even though using it well within advertised paramaters. What can I do? As I've returned to a normal summer, it's not goinf to see those sorts of conditions for months, well past warranty - I'm not willing to stick it in the fridge to test it out - will the pentax centre?

My considerably cheaper not weather sealed phone survived no problems.

Here's a pic of steaming up in the quite cool weather (about 10 degrees). The spits of rain caused the spots of white, the steaming up followed.

Any advice welcome - finger pointing too if constructive

I think the poor reception was quite closely linked to the cost, as on release it was considerably overpriced - and all reviews made much of that. I think some reviewers never got past that - photozone notwithstanding. as part of a camera kit as Assn upgrade to the usual 18-55, it was fair value, and now of course the price has dropped making it arguably greatvalue for money considering all the plus points already mentioned.

It's my most used lens. Others have been sold or replaced, this has stayed the course. I have no intention of getting rid.

As others have said great travel lens, and should you need it a fully weatherproofed system, the perfect go-to combo for a K5.

The good for me:
-fast and near silent focusing
-build quality
- compact
- weatherproofing for when you need it
- great images throughout the range, taking into account the usual limitations of distortion at 18mm and drop off in sharpness at the long end.

Cons - more minor niggles:
- despite some reviews out there to the contrary, yes there is some lens creep
- There is some border softness, but I can honestly say it doesn't distract unless zooming in to the borders.
- The lens hood is now dead loose to the extent it has fallen off once. I need a new one after 2 years. Hoping it's the thread on the hood and not the lens, or this will be more than a minor niggle. But I'm an optimist.

Have included a (not perfect) shot taken at 135mm in monsoon weather in New York. No-one else was taking photos. Actually no-one else was even in the streets, but I love taking pics of people in the rain. It has had a little post-processing, but no need to protect camera or lens and shows it's still quite capable at the long end.



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Steve - just checked, still neither. Maybe it's me, or they've appeared in forums.

PM sent Fletcher

oh i looked yesterday and nowt - or i need new glasses.

But also genuinely curious about what it is that people missed when giving up one of these. I won't miss the weight of the sigma or it's hatred of live view, but it's uniqueness at 8mm can't be beat - if you manage to tick all the boxes to get that magic shot.

Actually, I'm currently selling my sigma 8-16. Proceeds to go to something more compact and less extreme.

But am I wrong to dismiss the 12-24...?

The thing is, I intend to use it with ND filters and a tripod, so am I foolishly dismissing the bigger albeit more expensive lens.

My heart (and back) says 15mm, my brain says 12-24mm.

General thoughts on this oft asked Question welcome. Has anyone changed from one to the other - what did you miss most about the lens you traded in?

Also as the title suggests if you are thinking of selling either actually my mind is not yet made up, but I will be buying one sooner rather them later...