Oooh... by many accounts possibly the finest lens Pentax ever made for 35mm. I want one eventually... Congratulations

Awe inspiring set of shots. Really really marvellous stuff.

The previous owner speculated that it may be lens separation or just a dodgy element. All I know is that there is a gig on later on and we're going in to play!

No, neither did they title the band. Just a picture for an article highlighting new talent in the Cork music scene.

Just makes me want to get better shots next time. And I learned a valuable lesson, bands want to be seen together.
Nothing on the left side, you can see I was hemmed in by a photographer on the left and there was another on the right. I had a quick play in LR (just shows how much interest I had in it) and this is the new slightly improved version.




The band are friends of mine. So no issue with them helping themselves.

Thats just it, I would not have chosen a shot of the band together. They were too spread out over the stage and I was picking off shots of them individually.

Anyway. Published shot



Its the reason I picked up the FA* zoom

One of my gig shots turned up in Cork's Evening Echo this evening. The band had sent it through to some publicity firm who in turn sent it through to the paper. I am of 2 minds about it, its nice to see your image in print, but it was a crap shot
I suppose it shows I have come on a bit photography wise, I'm getting narked because they picked a shot I did not care for too much. K-5 & FA43... what a combo

The FA* does have a certain 'legend' aura about it so perhaps the collector instinct did kick in . I asked for a couple of samples before I committed and they looked 'sharp enough' for my intended use so it was a calculated punt. Sharpness is only one part of a lenses repetoire though, colour rendition, contrast, and bokeh all have a part in making an image stand out.
I looked at the Tamron, and for sure it is cheaper, smaller and probably sharper but again QC is hit and miss, the colours and contrast don't hit me with the same ooh and it doesn't have Power Zoom

I must be the exception that makes the rule

Thanks for the comments, Algi, Stan & Ed - Appreciated.

It would give pixel peepers a heart attack, you know the type that zoom in to 400% to see if everything is absolutely sharp.
I'm not into that, I want sharp enough , real colours, strong contrast and non nervous bokeh - this example is perfect for me that way.
I must admit to having a pixel peeper look at first , then I said to myself "out you go and have a wander around and take some real pictures" and since then I have not worried about the 'optical flaw'. I can't wait to take it into my favourite night spot for live gigs, it might turn out to be a band portrait special