All Forum Comments
Comment by Kimbo posted on Problem....need urgent help.... at 03/03/2006 - 17:43
Yes, the Pentax / Tamron stand was poor by comparison with previous years but I did have a play with the DA 10-17mm fisheye zoom and was very impressed. For such a light and compact lens, it delivers a surprisingly bright image with no apparant focus shift throughout the zooming range. Build quality is excellent with swift focus and smooth zoom actions - if only I could justify £400 to Mrs. Kimbo!
I ended up going yesterday afternoon and if it's any consolation Liam, I did look out for a man with a swollen face looking sorry for himself but I didn't spot you - so you couldn't have looked that bad!
I suffered with one of those things a while ago and I looked like a hamster, so bad that the dentist prescribed a course of anti-biotics to reduce the swelling before he'd operate. Hope you get it sorted soon Liam.
The NEC is tough on the feet and you do need to pace yourself. Not wishing to pay £7 to park the car, I left it at my workplace and it took 30mins. to walk to the halls - approx. 15mins. to the railway station and a further 10-15mins. through the maze of corridors, escalators and steps. The moving walkways along part of the concourse are a great help but it's a pity that they don't go further and after a couple of hours wandering around the halls, I certainly wasn't looking forward to the walk back.
What's always impressed me at the show (not being into professional printing), are those enormous printers churning out massive poster sized prints - the image quality is stunning, and the amount of ink used per picture would probably keep my A4 Epson going for months.
I ended up going yesterday afternoon and if it's any consolation Liam, I did look out for a man with a swollen face looking sorry for himself but I didn't spot you - so you couldn't have looked that bad!
I suffered with one of those things a while ago and I looked like a hamster, so bad that the dentist prescribed a course of anti-biotics to reduce the swelling before he'd operate. Hope you get it sorted soon Liam.
The NEC is tough on the feet and you do need to pace yourself. Not wishing to pay £7 to park the car, I left it at my workplace and it took 30mins. to walk to the halls - approx. 15mins. to the railway station and a further 10-15mins. through the maze of corridors, escalators and steps. The moving walkways along part of the concourse are a great help but it's a pity that they don't go further and after a couple of hours wandering around the halls, I certainly wasn't looking forward to the walk back.
What's always impressed me at the show (not being into professional printing), are those enormous printers churning out massive poster sized prints - the image quality is stunning, and the amount of ink used per picture would probably keep my A4 Epson going for months.
Comment by Kimbo posted on Why was the Pentax stand at Focus 2006 at the NEC so bad? at 01/03/2006 - 12:39
According to the Photodo tests, the Tamron scores 3.6 and the Sigma just 2.5
Anything over 2 is good, over 3 is very good and 4+ is excellent.
http://www.photodo.com/nav/prodindex.html
Photodo appear to conduct pretty comprehensive MTF tests and some of the world's most highly regarded lenses do score well and so I think their charts are a pretty good indication of performance characteristics eg:
Tamron AF SP 90/2.8 macro scores 4.3
Tokina AT-X 90/2.5 macro scores 4.6
Pentax F 50/1.7 scores 4.4
A 85/1.4 scores 4.6
FA 43/1.9 LTD scores a slightly surprising 3.6
and the FA28-80/3.5-5.6 (which we know is not one of Pentax's best) scores a mere 2 points.
Looking at the scores as a whole and comparing with the competition, Pentax do pretty well
Anything over 2 is good, over 3 is very good and 4+ is excellent.
http://www.photodo.com/nav/prodindex.html
Photodo appear to conduct pretty comprehensive MTF tests and some of the world's most highly regarded lenses do score well and so I think their charts are a pretty good indication of performance characteristics eg:
Tamron AF SP 90/2.8 macro scores 4.3
Tokina AT-X 90/2.5 macro scores 4.6
Pentax F 50/1.7 scores 4.4
A 85/1.4 scores 4.6
FA 43/1.9 LTD scores a slightly surprising 3.6
and the FA28-80/3.5-5.6 (which we know is not one of Pentax's best) scores a mere 2 points.
Looking at the scores as a whole and comparing with the competition, Pentax do pretty well
Comment by Kimbo posted on IST DL Mirror Lenses at 27/03/2006 - 13:08
Quote:
On a film camera it could be difficult to use handheld because it's slow (and it's a lot better stopped down), however at say ISO800 on a DSLR it'd be much easier.
Yes, I was thinking exactly the same On a film camera it could be difficult to use handheld because it's slow (and it's a lot better stopped down), however at say ISO800 on a DSLR it'd be much easier.
I intend to sell the SFX but despite it being in excellent condition, it has very little value in today's market and a cheap AF zoom to go with it should make it a little more attractive. I believe the F35-70 is a better performer than the FA28-80 and I'm afraid that I might find it difficult to part with - so I'll concentrate on finding a 28-80!
I really wish that I'd bought those two lenses when I had the chance.....but we can all say that sort of thing can't we?
Comment by Kimbo posted on IST DL Mirror Lenses at 19/03/2006 - 15:12
Oh what is to become of us?
A year ago, in a rare moment of madness, I passed on the opportunity to buy an FA28-80 and FA100-300 for £10 each. Both were in excellent condition and were on a car-boot stand but I just didn't feel that I needed them. I have loads of lenses that I rarely if ever use (mainly MF) and my 35mm requirements were covered.
I now find myself looking for a cheap moderate zoom to sell on with my old SFX and the 100-300 would be ideal for use on my DL - the equivalent of 150-450 would be perfect at the motor racing events that I go to.
28-80s and 35-70s seem to be going for £20-£30 on eBay, while the 100-300s are around £50. Still very cheap but I could have bought the pair for £20!!!
I was quite proud of myself at the time and even Mrs. Kimbo tried to convince me that I should buy them but I stood my ground and resisted.....what a schmuck!
A year ago, in a rare moment of madness, I passed on the opportunity to buy an FA28-80 and FA100-300 for £10 each. Both were in excellent condition and were on a car-boot stand but I just didn't feel that I needed them. I have loads of lenses that I rarely if ever use (mainly MF) and my 35mm requirements were covered.
I now find myself looking for a cheap moderate zoom to sell on with my old SFX and the 100-300 would be ideal for use on my DL - the equivalent of 150-450 would be perfect at the motor racing events that I go to.
28-80s and 35-70s seem to be going for £20-£30 on eBay, while the 100-300s are around £50. Still very cheap but I could have bought the pair for £20!!!
I was quite proud of myself at the time and even Mrs. Kimbo tried to convince me that I should buy them but I stood my ground and resisted.....what a schmuck!
Comment by Kimbo posted on IST DL Mirror Lenses at 18/03/2006 - 10:27
Yes Mark well done, I'm sure you'll be very happy with the lens.
I think mine cost about half that but it was for lens only (no case, hood or filter set) and I did already have a suitable mount.
A word of caution:
It may just be my lens or perhaps as a result of it being fixed aperture but I have found it tricky at times to get the lens and mount to align properly.
The mount attaches perfectly to all my other Tamron lenses but sometimes I've thought that it was ok on the mirror, only to discover when mounting the whole assembly onto the camera that it wasn't centred correctly.
When this happens, the centre-line of the lens is at either the ten o'clock or two o'clock position (can't remember which) - after a bit of practise, I now seem to get it right everytime.
Just thought I'd warn you in case you thought something was wrong or faulty
I think mine cost about half that but it was for lens only (no case, hood or filter set) and I did already have a suitable mount.
A word of caution:
It may just be my lens or perhaps as a result of it being fixed aperture but I have found it tricky at times to get the lens and mount to align properly.
The mount attaches perfectly to all my other Tamron lenses but sometimes I've thought that it was ok on the mirror, only to discover when mounting the whole assembly onto the camera that it wasn't centred correctly.
When this happens, the centre-line of the lens is at either the ten o'clock or two o'clock position (can't remember which) - after a bit of practise, I now seem to get it right everytime.
Just thought I'd warn you in case you thought something was wrong or faulty
Comment by Kimbo posted on IST DL Mirror Lenses at 06/03/2006 - 18:28
Yes, give that one a miss - there will be others. You'd need to buy a KA mount for that one too.
Incidentally, there is also the SP 350mm F5.6 but you don't often see them advertised.
Here's one (but I'd still wait for a 500mm):
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tamron-Tele-Macro-Mirror-Lens-350-mm-F-5-6_W0QQitemZ7593533403QQcategoryZ48552QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Incidentally, there is also the SP 350mm F5.6 but you don't often see them advertised.
Here's one (but I'd still wait for a 500mm):
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tamron-Tele-Macro-Mirror-Lens-350-mm-F-5-6_W0QQitemZ7593533403QQcategoryZ48552QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Comment by Kimbo posted on IST DL Mirror Lenses at 03/03/2006 - 17:29
Theoretically, all mirror lenses should be pretty good because they are of a relatively simple construction but we all know that the standard of the materials and build quality are critical.
Makinon are very much a budget brand and generally don't have a particularly good reputation - this one might be ok however, I don't know because I haven't tried one!
Frankly, the Centon (Jessops own brand) is awful. If you were buying brand new, then there's nothing to touch it for the price (originally £99) and I think the last price I saw was around £70. For me, that 'buy it now' price would be out of the question esp. for a used example - £35 to £40 would be more than enough to pay!
I borrowed a Centon once and didn't like it at all but I picked up a very nice SP 500 for about £50 c/w tripod mounting bracket (but not the case + filters, sadly) and I think it's much, much better in every way.
Most mirror lenses screw onto a T-mount and yes, you need a Pentax K version. The Tamron however uses an adaptall mount and in that case, you should look for KA - that way you'll have full aperture control, should you pick up a conventional Tamron lens in the future.
Makinon are very much a budget brand and generally don't have a particularly good reputation - this one might be ok however, I don't know because I haven't tried one!
Frankly, the Centon (Jessops own brand) is awful. If you were buying brand new, then there's nothing to touch it for the price (originally £99) and I think the last price I saw was around £70. For me, that 'buy it now' price would be out of the question esp. for a used example - £35 to £40 would be more than enough to pay!
I borrowed a Centon once and didn't like it at all but I picked up a very nice SP 500 for about £50 c/w tripod mounting bracket (but not the case + filters, sadly) and I think it's much, much better in every way.
Most mirror lenses screw onto a T-mount and yes, you need a Pentax K version. The Tamron however uses an adaptall mount and in that case, you should look for KA - that way you'll have full aperture control, should you pick up a conventional Tamron lens in the future.
Comment by Kimbo posted on IST DL Mirror Lenses at 03/03/2006 - 10:12
May I suggest that you look for the Tamron SP 500mm - one of the best mirrors around and often available for about £50, although you might have to find an adaptall mount to go with it for £10-£20 extra.
You might find a cheaper alternative but a nice Tamron c/w mount for between £50 and £75 would be worth every penny. A pristine example with original hard case and filter set might cost around £100 (the new price for the Centon) but you'd have a superb lens at a real bargain price.
You might find a cheaper alternative but a nice Tamron c/w mount for between £50 and £75 would be worth every penny. A pristine example with original hard case and filter set might cost around £100 (the new price for the Centon) but you'd have a superb lens at a real bargain price.
Comment by Kimbo posted on IST DL Mirror Lenses at 28/02/2006 - 04:06
Judging by the above images, I'd say the 16-45 is pretty good for a zoom and worthy of it's reputation.
That's just the sort of test that we can find useful, along with shots of a colour chart.
That's just the sort of test that we can find useful, along with shots of a colour chart.
Comment by Kimbo posted on Small Test at 27/02/2006 - 16:03
I agree with Ken, the flash only charges when popped up - don't know why the light would be flashing though, if I can find my SFXn manual, I'll have a look.