Just comparing the lineups:
http://www.ephotozine.com/news/fullnews.cfm?NewsID=2859
and
http://www.ephotozine.com/news/fullnews.cfm?NewsID=2730

Looks like they're developing with Tokina (the 16-50/f2.8, the 50-135/f2.8, and the 10-17 seem to share the same spec).

Sounds an interesting lineup all the same.
(Not that I need any more lenses after getting the 12-24 of course! )
Matt

Capture One includes a downloader tool that I use and store each download in a dated and named directory. Each year gets its own directory.
e.g. today might be:
... Pentax istD20062006-04-05 Lens tests

They have to stay in separate directories like that, otherwise there are far too many images. In addition it allows me to use BeyondCompare to quickly synchronise directories between my machine and a RAID server

Matt

I clocked my *ist-D a while back
It just goes back to zero and starts again.

Matt

Kimbo, that's a very kind thing to say Now I'm blushing
Matt

The SMC-DA 16-45 will give you a good range for portraiture and group shots. At the 16mm end it gives a good coverage without too much apparant distortion (though if you use 16mm and go really really close up it looks very whacky, like this!). The 45mm end is great for single portraits too.
Matt

Arthur - I didn't have a screw in filter at all. It was the square filter system I was referring to. And P-size is too small
Matt

Liam - I'm not quite sure, but it may have been the Pentax petal hood not on 100% square. It needs to really click home to sit square (I double checked after reading these comments).

I took a Cokin P holder and cut off the front two holders (so I'm left with just one). Even then I get more vignetting than you see in the example. It's a bit of a pain, since I'll just have to upgrade to the Cokin Z-Pro range for this lens. It's seriously wide - and I keep getting feet and bits in the frame With the modified P-holder it's just about good enough to live with, but the Z-Pro would be much better (as would the seriously expensive Lee filters!).

Peter: Regarding the comment on 16-45 vs 12-24: I have both. The 16-45 is, perhaps, a more versatile lens, and sharper. However, the 12-24 definitely has a place I've been using it almost constantly at 12mm, and yes it does expand the photographic opportunities - especially if you make the opportunities given the 18mm effective AoV (compared to 24mm of the 16-45). And if you buy from Germany, it's only 150% of the 16-45, not 200%
I had a 20-35mm on the Z1p, and have missed that seriously wide look - which is great for landscapes, and interiors

Matt

Here's a shot (of the Louvre and the railings of the Jardin de Touilleries).

The original is here:
http://www.pbase.com/image/58584965
Straight out of Capture One, in sRGB colour space.

The reworked image is:
http://www.pbase.com/image/58584956
PTLens corrected, Sharpen-O-Matic, and some Photoshop selective curves to bring out the clouds. I didn't fully correct the CA in this - the far tower for instance.

They are available at full res.

Enjoy
Matt

Well, I took over 200 shots with the SMC-DA 12-24 and SMC-FA 24-90 around Paris at the weekend

The 12-24 is a really nice lens, and the two lenses work really well together. PTLens does a great job of fixing the distortions and adjusting basic CA. The images are nice'n'sharp. I'm just pondering on uploading a full resolution image or two at PBase (but there'll be some 1000 pixel images for view at my ePhotozine gallery of the same user name).

Matt

(Just a minor piece of cross posting)

Bought PTLens anyway - it's a very nice plugin! It includes the correction data for the SMC-DA 16-45. Furthermore it includes the distortion characteristics for the Tokina 12-24mm, which I reckon is pretty close to the Pentax

I've also discovered that not all CA is easy to fix with Panotools. PTLens includes the regular sliders (as available in Adobe Camera RAW and CS2) to correct basic CA. However, when there are very bright highlights these tend to "bloom" into coloured CA which needs other correction (in fact this is the type of CA I experienced when using the SMC-F 100mm/f2.8 macro) - there's not a lot can be done automatically...

... except I'll be trying out the other link I posted for the $10 action that purports to fix this type of blooming CA. I'll let you know

Matt