Pentax Medium Tele-Lenses

[JJChan]

The SMC Takumar 85mm f1.8 M42 wide open and about f5.6, Sony A7II (and dirty sensor). Its a lovely portrait lens with nice skin tones but only have pics of family and they refused permission to post anywhere!

Whilst you guys had snow, it was 43C (109.4f) in the shade just before Christmas. We've just had 3 days of >42C here.

[JJChan]

Pentax SMC 135mm f2.5 (second version). Only a few shots from walkaround suburb so far

[pluton]

Pentax made(makes?) good lenses.  All of my experience was in the film era, but I still fondly remember the SMC Pentax K-mount 28/3.5(non-M) lens as giving superb results on film.

[tommiejeep]

JJ, hard to get a good idea about the lenses from these.  Contrast seems low.  Shooting handheld , IBIS ?  Yup, families can be hard to please when posting images  , particularly wives .

Where were the second and third shots taken?  Interesting colours in that last shot. The last two would probably benefit for some better, more interesting light but realize walkabout shooting .

I have not attempted cleaning the a7II senor yet.  I have not used a zoom on the camera until I started playing with the Nikons on the Commlite.  Playing with adapted primes means many lens changes  ,  and the Sony a7II sensor seems to be worse than the Nikons for attracting dust.  I have yet to need to clean the Df's sensor and the D750 is just about ready for its' first clean (used the blower a couple of times) .    The EM1s have shown no signs of needing a clean  .  I think Nikons system has improved and the Olympus is just very good.

Next week should be fun, the new lenses arriving and I just picked up a Mint 105 f4 Ais Macro (finally) but no time to get a PN-11 delivered before my wife departed (she is on the way to Manchester Airport as I type  )

Cheers,
Tom

[richardHaw]

i was actually thinking of buying old 645 lenses and turning them into bellows lenses 

[JJChan]

JJ, hard to get a good idea about the lenses from these.  Contrast seems low.  Shooting handheld , IBIS ? 

Yes sorry - nothing too interesting around to capture. All on IBIS - but it's bright so most shots are 1/200 or more.
I think the glass are low macro contrast but quite good microcontrast. Very subtle transitions - very analogue like. I think they would have suited film really well. Both 85 and 135 are sharp and have low CA. Crisp. Seem to be slightly underexposed - will have to play with the Sony. Tiny in size. 85mm vignettes significantly wide open. Exquisitely machined and a real pleasure to shoot with.

Shots in the country were from my wife's folk's farm near York in Western Australia. Very very hot - still a farming area about 1.5hrs outside the city with a nice drive. I'll post some other shots. There's lots to photograph but it may be the absolute isolation of the place that is what is so attractive about the area. Its just the trees shuffling and in summer the loud buzz of bees from canola farms. It's magical there.

JJ

[tommiejeep]

JJ, it is what is interesting about lenses.  I always preferred portraits/people with the 28-70 2.8 to the 24-70 2.8 but for most shooting I wanted the 24-70.  The 35-70 2.8 (which I just sold) had a really nice output but found I was having to bring up the contrast for many images.  Nice having the option of the lower contrast and adding in Post  . 

I am finding that the a7II underexposes quite often and dial in from +.3 to +1 EV.  I finding myself watching the EVF much more than with the EM1.  My newer Nikons have been pretty much spot on.  I always have to watch the D700 for overexposing.
JJ, there is still a 'Rural' feel to much of Goa but in a couple of moments drive you feel you are in progress gone chaotic  .  Except for maybe a couple of deserts, nothing like Western Oz in India.  Enjoy  .
Tom