Menu
What's new
The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Pentax K10D

S

stnami

Guest
I read Sean's call on the Pentax, pretty spot on, though I do think the 21 pancake has way too much distortion particulary close up.
 
Jonathon Delacour

Jonathon Delacour

Subscriber Member
Maggie O said:
I want one.
Click to expand...
Although I've been seriously considering the K10D for a long time, I now find myself wanting one less and less.

In his K10D review, Sean mentions focusing problems with the 21mm pancake (a criticism I've read elsewhere). stnami's remark about distortion (particularly close-up) is troubling, since I'd been thinking of the 21, 31, and 43 as the primary lenses I'd buy for the K10D. I'm looking forward to reading Sean's take on the 21 pancake (which I'd hoped to use close up, as I do without problems with my GRD).

I was also disappointed by Sean's review of the 43mm f/1.9 which, although a full-frame design, exhibits (what I would regard as) severe vignetting and softness in the corners at wide apertures -- on an APS-C sensor! Perhaps my expectations are unrealistic but, reading recent reviews and user experiences of the Olympus 7-14, 11-22, & 12-60 zooms and the 14-24 & 24-70 Nikon zooms, a lot of the gloss has gone off the Pentax primes.

Obviously the Olympus and Nikon zooms are significantly more expensive (as well as being bulkier and heavier) than the Pentax primes but sharpness and even illumination to the corners even wide open seem a reasonable tradeoff for size and weight (for the kinds of pictures I want to make with an SLR).

I guess I'll hold off making a final decision until the K20D is announced at (or before) the PMA show in January but at the moment, like Sean's wife, I've narrowed it down to either an Olympus E-3 and a Nikon D300. And that ain't an easy choice!
 
S

Sean_Reid

Guest
stnami said:
I read Sean's call on the Pentax, pretty spot on, though I do think the 21 pancake has way too much distortion particulary close up.
Click to expand...

Thanks Imants. I haven't actually reviewed the 21 Pancake yet but that's coming up in January. I think that the K10D, though certainly not perfect, is one of the great bargains among DSLRs.

Cheers,

Sean
 
Last edited:
S

Sean_Reid

Guest
Jonathon Delacour said:
I was also disappointed by Sean's review of the 43mm f/1.9 which, although a full-frame design, exhibits (what I would regard as) severe vignetting and softness in the corners at wide apertures -- on an APS-C sensor! Perhaps my expectations are unrealistic but, reading recent reviews and user experiences of the Olympus 7-14, 11-22, & 12-60 zooms and the 14-24 & 24-70 Nikon zooms, a lot of the gloss has gone off the Pentax primes.
Click to expand...
Hi Jonathon,

That resolution board is pretty ruthless. In normal use, I was actually quite impressed with the 43 Pancake. Most lenses are a bit soft in the corners wide open and virtually all compact lenses (SLR or RF) also show a bit of vignetting wide open. The vignetting from the Pentax 43 is quite mild.

The Zeiss ZK lenses are in a league of their own (among K/KA mounts) but the 43 is definitely a lens I'd own if I had a K10D.

Cheers,

Sean
 
S

stnami

Guest
K100D 21mm pancake, raw file converted no pp ......all I wanted to do was park a 21 (32mm) on a camera at 400-1600iso at f8...but not with this distortion



 
Last edited:
Guy Mancuso

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
That is quite a bit it looks like . It could be corrected but like any software program that just adds more work to the mix.

Although you could actually create a action in PS3 with the lens conversion filter and apply it to those images. that would take some sting out of the extra work involved. Here i tried it at plus 10 but your going to have to crop from here
 
Jonathon Delacour

Jonathon Delacour

Subscriber Member
Sean_Reid said:
That resolution board is pretty ruthless. In normal use, I was actually quite impressed with the 43 Pancake. Most lenses are a bit soft in the corners wide open and virtually all compact lenses (SLR or RF) also show a bit of vignetting wide open. The vignetting from the Pentax 43 is quite mild.
The Zeiss ZK lenses are in a league of their own (among K/KA mounts) but the 43 is definitely a lens I'd own if I had a K10D.
Click to expand...
Sean, point taken! The various (non-test) images that accompany the review clearly illustrate why you'd include the 43mm in a K10D kit.

Unfortunately, the list of upcoming reviews that you sent out at the end of last month doesn't include the Zeiss 28mm f/2. This is the lens I would most like to use on a K10D/K20D or a Nikon D300 (for the same reason that people are excited about the 40mm adapter for the GRD/GRD2).

In your reviews of the 50mm f/1.4 and 35mm f/2 Zeiss lenses, you didn't mention having any focusing problems. Yet this page on the Zeiss website contains the following warning:
If you ever tried to use classical lenses with manual focus with a digital or analog SLR camera you’ll know the problem: The standard focusing screens of modern auto focus SLR cameras are designed to show a bright, brilliant viewfinder image. Most of them, however, are lacking optical focusing aids (e.g. split/microprism screens). That makes it hard to visually judge sharpness.

However, precise and reliable focusing is required to fully utilize the capabilities of the Carl Zeiss ZF-lenses. ZF-lenses can be attached to all camera housings with F-bayonet mount; on Canon EOS camera models, for example, using an adapter. Therefore, if ZF-lenses are used on auto focus cameras, Carl Zeiss recommends giving particular attention to the focusing screen used.
​
According to Ray, in this thread on the new Cosina Voigtlander SL II 40/2 and 58/1.4 lenses:
harmsr said:
I have also found the D300 "rangefinder" focus light on the D300 much more accurate than on the D200. If you always go from close to far on the focus when using manual lenses on this body, you will nail the focus when the focus light just goes solid.
Click to expand...
and
harmsr said:
I was initially concerned that I would need to change the screen in my D300 like I did in the D200. However, the D300 screen and focus system is better. This lets me focus even wide open and fairly close with the Zeiss ZF 25, 35, & 50. It is not precise enough to nail focus wide open with the 85 1.4 ZF.
Click to expand...
It seems reasonable to assume that if focusing is fine with the Zeiss 25/2.8 and 35/2 lenses on the D300, then the 28/2 would also be OK. Still, I'd be interested in any comments you might have about manually focusing the Zeiss lenses on the K10D. Thanks...
 
S

Sean_Reid

Guest
Jonathon Delacour said:
Still, I'd be interested in any comments you might have about manually focusing the Zeiss lenses on the K10D. Thanks...
Click to expand...
Hi Jonathan,

Unfortunately, the 35 and the 50 were the only ZK lenses available to review yet. As I mentioned in the review, though, I found that the screen on the K10D made it fairly easy to manually focus the Pentax and Zeiss lenses by eye.

Cheers,

Sean
 
S

Sean_Reid

Guest
Hi Imants,

That is fantastic news. Pentax deserves attention and this will help them get it. I still have three Pentax mount lens reviews to finish as I get caught up.

BTW, the author says:

"The only backwash is the lens market that is still weaker on choice that the other brands."

That's mistaken. He's overlooking the fact that only Pentax and Nikon are fully compatible with those superb Zeiss primes, some of the best SLR lenses made by anyone at any price.

If the K20D moves flash exposure comp. to being a direct control, my wife may want a Pentax system for next year's weddings.

Cheers,

Sean
 
S

Sean_Reid

Guest
That's right, those two as well. The Pentax is a great body for traditional MF lenses.

Cheers,

Sean
 
Jorgen Udvang

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
The rumour all over the net is that the K20D is 14 or 15MP, a Samsung CMOS chip. The premature announcement on a Norwegian website a few days ago said 14MP for the Samsung version. It's also said to have ISO up to 6400.

I guess that it won't be the king of high ISO with that pixel count, but for some categories of photographers who don't necessarily depend on high ISO, this will be a very interesting camera. I have no problems seeing myself carrying this and a few Limited primes when I'm travelling. I tried a K10D with the 70/2.4 yesterday, and the only thing I could say was "WOW".

If Olympus doesn't come up with some good, compact primes very soon, I'm very, very tempted.
 
Jorgen Udvang

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Here are some samples that are supposed to be taken with the K20D. Whatever camera is used, the amount of detail in the ISO 100 photo is rather impressing.

ht tp://genericrepositoryoffiles.butterfry.net/unverified.possible.k20-gx20/3200iso.jpg

ht tp://genericrepositoryoffiles.butterfry.net/unverified.possible.k20-gx20/100iso.jpg
 
S

Sean_Reid

Guest
I don't think so but check cameraquest.com to check to be sure.

Cheers,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top