When the Z1-P came out, Cheung was editor of Practical Photography. They did a hands-on test of all the top of the range 35mm film SLRs of the day, including Contax, Leica, etc.

The Pentax, which was the cheapest camera on test, came second or third, just after the very much more expensive pro Nikons and Canons. Had the build quality been better, it might have come first. Cheungy expressed amazement. He had never realised how good Pentax cameras were, and was especially surprised by the comments about the excellent ergonomics of the camera compared to the others.

I am afraid his are all too typical of the blinkered attitudes of so many journalists. He can't allow himself to give unqualified praise, so, like Askey of DePressingReview, he has to nit-pick.

And, it seems, he doesn't know what a fish-eye lens is.

G

I think a program line based on a reasonable minimum shutter speed for the lens in use would be more useful.

G

Personally, I think MTF is a bit of a waste of time. There are few lenses which are not at their best at f8, or close to it. So if you want the best the lens can offer, shoot at f8.

Generally, however, there are other considerations, and provided you use good lenses (which provide excellent results anywhere between f4 and f16) then, all else being equal, I would rather lower the ISO and shoot at f4 than raise it and shoot at f8 (or whatever the MTF says). I think the image quality will benefit more from lower ISO than smaller aperture.

Usually DOF or shutter speed considerations will weigh much more heavily than MTF.

G

All the FA, FAJ and digital lenses.

G

Try this

http://www.normankoren.com/Tutorials/MTF.html


(It may be more than you needed to know)

G

Yes, a few photographers are still using film, and a few are still using old manual focus bodies. But they do not constitiute a big enough market to warrant building extra complexity into sophisticated new lenses. That would just push the cost up more, and encourage people to buy third party lenses.

G

I really don't think Pentax is going to bend over backwards to provide lens compatibility with film cameras.

Most serious photographers now use digital, and people who bought an MZ-S had plenty of opportunity to buy lenses at the time. They can still do so, second-hand, or from third-parties.

The whole point of the new lenses is the new focussing system. They will be wasted on bodies without the ability to use it.

G

It provides minimal functionality, similar to the MZ-S.

G

What makes you think it's compatible? The sonic lenses need both power and instructions. No body prior to the K10D is capable of the latter.

G

I don't think so. Earlier cameras will have no way to transmit the instructions to the lens on how to focus.

G