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Share your photos with legacy lenses

dirk said:
If it stops raining today, I will make a few sample shots for you with the 77 limited and 43 limited on the S5ii. Weather forecast is positive for today. Hope dies last. We had 2 months basically only raining here...
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Haha you were a Pentaxian also? Quite a number of us! Lately they have threatened to cancel me and have deleted my posts, totalitarianism and cultish behaviour if you ask me.

You make the case why weather sealing is essential, what's the point owning equipment that is unuseable in times where the best opportunities exist? Especially in a storm at the ocean or lashing rain downtown East Berlin for example where we were hit by a mini tornado...

Pentax WR (weather resistant) was the reason I started with them back in 2012 with a £400 K-30 18-55mm kit. Back then YouTuber was dunking Pentax in rivers and others burying them in sand and under taps. 2 years and 3 months out of warranty I took mine out in a heavy rain hiking shoot, got great photos but the camera got destroyed. I wrote an email and they gave me a new one saying it was a defective weather seal around the LCD so I stayed with them until recently.

I was more cautious since then and now with much more expensive equipment dubious about weather sealing and what Lumix could provide as guarantee. So far it's only got light rain but up mountains or beaches etc. in driving wind and rain in Ireland I can get great photo opportunities , usually with animals asking me am I crazy not taking shelter from this. :p
 
Oíche said:
Die-hard Pentaxians hate you if told their lenses look better on Lumix caneras Z04 Carrot

I had 4x DA Limiteds, no FA, could have adapted the 60-250 f4 which worked on FF properly with a modification but no AF (AF sucked regardless with it on moving stuff) but glad I traded them in for Lumix S5ii, 24-105 f4 & 70-300 f4.5-f5.6. I am more of a landscape and a long distance photographer though to bear in mind.

I did buy a PK-L adapter so I can use the Samyang 14mm f2.8, tried other Pentax lenses too including F*300 f4.5 but for me I see no point as the Lumix zooms are matching or beating them in IQ plus all the AF and dual stability advantages with S5ii.

Saying this I may try a few others including the M 35-70 f2.8-f3.5 which has a distinctive output which I suppose is the purpose of this thread. I've still to try my CZ Jena 50 and 135, and others so thanks for posting as it went out of my head.

Your 43 is nice, I'd love to try the 77 Ltd as I started a thread regarding 3D pop here and that lens was the basis for it.
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For me the pleasure of adapting lenses is being able to use the old manual focus ones, not newer AF ones with horrible manual focusing.

I am always wary of weather-sealing claims but I was using my S5 and 50/1.8 on a very windy beach with fine sand last week and have had zero problems. A few fine grains made a couple of the wheels a little gritty for a short time but now they're fine. I've still to really try my L-mount stuff with rain.

Back on topic - some shots with the Konica Hexanon 40mm f/1.8 yesterday morning.

53704741243_c5b5b78a2b_b.jpg
Purple flowers, purple flare by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr

53704531581_a18ef984db_b.jpg
Park morning by Jonathan MacDonald, on Flickr
 
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Jonathan, maybe you are accustomed to the higher resistance focussing rings of legacy lenses as you often use them and this tactility is what you like? It gives the feeling of more accurate focus for sure if not true.
 
Oíche said:
Jonathan, maybe you are accustomed to the higher resistance focussing rings of legacy lenses as you often use them and this tactility is what you like? It gives the feeling of more accurate focus for sure if not true.
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I think they do give more accurate focus, partly because of the resistance and smoothness and partly because they generally have longer focus throws than AF lenses, which allows greater precision. The added resistance allows you to get the focus just right.
 
Jonathan-Mac said:
I think they do give more accurate focus, partly because of the resistance and smoothness and partly because they generally have longer focus throws than AF lenses, which allows greater precision. The added resistance allows you to get the focus just right.
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Yup. I'd add a third factor: the added resistance makes it much less likely that you'll accidentally bump the focus when you take your hand off the ring -

Actually, add a fourth factor: the focus ring on almost every early AF lens is a tiny afterthought that you can't really grip (see: Pentax-F 35-70, Minolta AF 70-210 a.k.a. the beercan). Which just makes it easier to accidentally shift the focus, because you don't have stable control of the ring to begin with.
 
dirk said:
If it stops raining today, I will make a few sample shots for you with the 77 limited and 43 limited on the S5ii. Weather forecast is positive for today. Hope dies last. We had 2 months basically only raining here...
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Two months! OMG that sounds horrible.

We've just had a week of rain and I am over it!
 
Oíche said:
Haha you were a Pentaxian also?
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Not exactly. But almost. I was running a German Pentax forum and at that time, the Pentax K7 came out. I was thrilled and was very close to buy one. A German publisher wanted me to write a book about the K7 at the same time, but after I decided not to buy the K7, I turned the offer down.

It is funny, but I bought my 2 Pentax lenses brand new after I bought the Lumix S5. I saw an image at dpreview, shot with the 77 limited and I liked it so much, that I decided to give that lens a try. After I saw how small this lens is, I added the 43mm limited too. I can not get that focal range with this aperture in L-Mount.

I really like these tiny lenses and their image quality is really good. Unfortunately, the adapters are thick and heavy. Destroys a little bit the pleasure to use both lenses in the S5.

So, here are some quick shots from today with the 77mm and the 43mm. Just to show how they perform wide open.

web4k_P5II4027.jpg
  • Panasonic - DC-S5M2
  • HD FA 77/1.8
  • 77.0 mm
  • 1/250 sec
  • Pattern
  • Manual exposure
  • ISO 100

Focused on the eyes of the ape.

web4k_P5II4031.jpg
  • Panasonic - DC-S5M2
  • HD FA 77/1.8
  • 77.0 mm
  • 1/250 sec
  • Pattern
  • Manual exposure
  • ISO 100


Focused on the beige hair on the right side.

web4k_P5II4077.jpg
  • Panasonic - DC-S5M2
  • HD FA 43/1.9
  • 43.0 mm
  • 1/250 sec
  • Pattern
  • Manual exposure
  • ISO 100

Focused on the eyes of the ape.

web4k_P5II4096.jpg
  • Panasonic - DC-S5M2
  • HD FA 43/1.9
  • 43.0 mm
  • 1/250 sec
  • Pattern
  • Manual exposure
  • ISO 100


Find the focus :)

The Pentax 43/1.9 limited is wide open significantly sharper then the Sigma 45/2,8, although the Sigma starts only at F2.8.

web4k_P5II4066.jpg
  • Panasonic - DC-S5M2
  • 45mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary 019
  • 45.0 mm
  • ƒ/2.8
  • 1/250 sec
  • Pattern
  • Manual exposure
  • ISO 100
 
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That's definitely sharper than the 43mm Limited that I owned.
 
Jonathan-Mac said:
That's definitely sharper than the 43mm Limited that I owned.
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I think there are different versions of the limited lenses. Did you have the same one like me? They improved the coating in the newest version as far as I know. This can lead to higher contrast and less straylight, which can cause a better impression of sharpness.

There was a nice article in the 79ies or 80ies from Carl Zeiss about lens design, which demonstrated with example images this effect.
 
The Pentax community could be rather closed-minded and fanatical. Certainly I ran up against that, despite contributing much to Pentax Forums back in the day. My "problem" is that I am not loyal to any brand. I want to use the best tool possible at any time (within practical limits). Once EVF technology got good enough, it was clear that mirrorless cameras were innately superior to SLRs. Not something a Pentax fan wants to hear!

I much prefer the focus feeling of a good manual lens and Pentax made more than their fair share of them. Mounting them on my S5 is the best of both worlds. Here are two with the Pentax-M 50mm F1.7, the best bargain I know.

Riverfest (vignette added):

riverfest [P20940] Pentax-M 50 F17 (Medium).jpg

Wheel (colour grade added):

wheel [P20941] Pentax-M 50 F17 (Medium).jpg

And one unprocessed, shot at F2. Here's Rin-Rin:

Rin-Rin [P20016] Pentax-M 50 F17 @ F2 (Medium).jpg

The FA 43 and FA 77 Limited are two of the finest lenses... once you know how to use them. I will say that the 77mm has more purple flaring than any lens I own. It gets little use any more since I own both the Lumix S 85mm and the Zeiss Sonnar 85mm.
 
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Back to the Pentax-M 50/1.7....

I am honestly not sure what else one needs from a lens. It's sharp enough, renders nicely, has a smooth OOF transition. If only I liked the 50mm FOV a bit more! Cost me €49 because I didn't want to mess around with cheaper and possible defective copies.

Here are two shots taken with a cheap screw-on diopter. Moss:

moss [P20403] Pentax-M 50 F17 + macro (Medium).jpg

Dandelion:

dndelion [P20370] Pentax-M 50 F17 + macro (Medium).jpg
 
robin0112358 said:
The Pentax community could be rather closed-minded and fanatical. Certainly I ran up against that, despite contributing much to Pentax Forums back in the day.
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That place is a cult, and it is so because of the moderators trying to root out anyone who doesn't praise everything Pentax. Only recently one of sent me a PM asking me to leave... Hence a cult. The dpreview one is almost as bad.

I'm glad I traded my Pentax APSC digital gear in for Lumix FF, who in the right mind would start with a Pentax FF system in 2024?

I've still many film lenses including F*300 f4.5 but all this stuff has lost so much value since I bought it used, there is less demand for it. I think the camera shop Wex sold my traded in K-70 (mint with only 4500 clicks) as the upgraded KF was basically the same camera, they also sold my DA15 f4 but still have my 20-40 Ltd (mint), DA40 Ltd and DA* 60-250 f4. In comparison the Lumix used gear doesn't sit around as long.

I have a Pentax-M 50 f1.7, also had the f1.4. I compared the K55 f1.8 against the Lumix 24-105 f4 and despite the speed it cannot compare against the modern zoom for IQ... Which is why I'm done with adapting legacy lenses. Despite slower aperture both my 24-105 and 70-300 produce far nicer bokeh, contrast and colours. The F*300 f4.5 can't even match the 70-300. BTW these kind of sentiments are why the cult will turn on you and ask you to leave.

I think for one last time I'll try the Vivitar 28 f2.0 Close Focus (the expensive Komine version) as it had distinctive bokeh and I've never tried on FF digital but with 0.5x macro in both Lumix zooms producing beautiful flower photography along with everything else I can see me selling the more valuable ones as they're never going to get used again. And keep a few for film photography, no point selling a 50 f1.7 for £15, not worth the bother. The M200 f4, K135 f3.5 and more I also own have little value even in minty condition.

I might try the CZ 135mm f3.5 Electric too on S5ii but could let this go too, not sure of value on this nowadays.
 
robin0112358 said:
Back to the Pentax-M 50/1.7....

I am honestly not sure what else one needs from a lens. It's sharp enough, renders nicely, has a smooth OOF transition. If only I liked the 50mm FOV a bit more! Cost me €49 because I didn't want to mess around with cheaper and possible defective copies.

Here are two shots taken with a cheap screw-on diopter. Moss:
Click to expand...

Those are nice pics!

I admit, tho, I've never really gotten the love for 50/1.7's. The Pentax-M, Minolta MC/MD, and OM Zuiko (f/1.8 instead of 1.7) 50/1.7's get a lot of attention and praise, and I've tried all of them - MC and MD III versions of the Minolta, three different versions of the OM 50/1.8 including the 'Made in Japan' version that's supposed to be special. They've all been nice lenses, and I'm fine using them. But none of them really stood out as something special to me, and I've always been happier with the f/1.4 versions instead. I feel like I'm really missing something, but I can't figure out what. :(

One thing cited is cost; they're easy to find and dirt cheap. That certainly fits my experience with estate sales in Kansas City; they pop up fairly often and are fairly cheap (just saw another copy of the Pentax-M today, along with the M 28/2.8). But I see the f/1.4 versions fairly often as well, and within $10 of the f/1.7 price. Is there more of a local selection in my area?
 
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