Re: Comprehensive Testing: Results & Observations with Pentax 645 Lenses used on the
**(Reviosions made to the post below)
Hi Everyone,
I'll attempt to address some of the recent posts above in a single posting, in order to make things a bit more concise:
1. Hi Robin...your kind words are appreciated. I too find when I come across some useful information regarding lenses or equipment...that I might not be shooting with what is being reviewed at the time, but never less, the information down the road often becomes a guide, so that I can make informative choices. Contributions by everyone, like here in GETdpi, truly facilitate this concept.
2. Tom, if I am thinking of the same postings as you were regarding some of the thoughts others posted on a different forum, I'm not sure how hostile they were vs. simply having a different yet strong opinion about certain things. I'm refering to the questioning of aperture I selected for the sweet spot of some of the lenses. The term "sweet spot" as I explained is very subjective....some would say it's the earliest f-stop where max sharpness is generally obtained over most of the frame (ie: max sharpness in the central part of the frame is reached), even though the edges and sides might not be up to the level of the central art of the image. Others, like landscape shooters might say it's the earliest f-stop where optically the lens reaches max sharpness from edge to edge right into the corners. The sweet spot of a given lenses aperture for one type of shooting (or shooters) may differ from those who's objectives in image reproduction is different.
The point is as you well know, differing opinions is both welcome and healthy. Its how we all learn and build up a base of information....but only as long as its done both constructively, with respect for others and of course without malice.
3. Ed, you have some very interesting lenses I'd love to test. I was hoping to get around to the 67 lenses on the 645D, but have to obtain sufficient quantities in order to have a meaningful # of samples. Wow, I'd love to visit Australia and at the moment, don't have my glasses on...did you type you'll be sending me a R/T ticket to your local this week so we can shoot...LOL! I'll keep an eye on my mailbox and start packing (don't I wish)! I appreciate your offer and suggestion and maybe one day I'll get lucky enough to accept. In the meantime your observations with your lenses would be most interesting.
4. Dave (in N.J.)...you have the one lens I've been dying to evaluate and compare to the Fa 300 f4. Namely that's the A* 300 f4. It seems some of the manual focus 645 lenses, whether they are the same optical formula as their Af counterparts or not, may have optical advantages over the same focal lengths in 645 Af lenses. Interestingly, this same thing occurred many years ago when Pentax started making Af 35mm lenses. Many of the older manual focus lenses were optically superior. As you know the MF 35mm f3.5 may have some advantages over the Fa 35mm f3.5...namely less spherical curvature (field curvature). This gives rise to a flatter optical field and therefore, distant landscapes seem to be somewhat sharper across the entire image when compared to the Fa version of the same lens.
Instead of sending the lens, I am hoping that I might be spending a short time (vacation) sometimes this summer in the general vicinity of Cape May. If that happens, who knows, maybe we'll be able to meet up and can do a bit of shooting with both the A*300 f4 and the FA 300 f4 (with and without the 1.4x, which I also have). It would be an interesting comparison.
What I am really after is to get caught in nice steady rainstorm where I can head over to that spot with the bird on the wooden pier which was near a dock....the exact location where you took your astonishing impressive 645D image of such a subject (which you posted not long ago on Getdpi)...and try to emulate the same shot. Of course nothing I photograph will come close to your original! We'll see what happens as simmer approaches.
Thanks all!
Dave (D&A)