Pentax 21987 35mm Digital cameras
I don't have the photographic experience to evaluate this lens in comparison to others primes lenses, but I can say that for someone used to using stock lenses or, in my case, the 18-200mm f3.5 SuperZoom Sigma that I used as a "walk-around" for years, this lens is a marvel of sharpness and clarity.
I had no idea what I was missing out on by using an "average" or "all-in-one" lens - compared to this.
Granted, there's no flexibility in zooming in on the subject but in-return, you get sharp, clear photos in low light.
I'd only ever experienced an aperture of f3.5, at fastest, before, but now light comes from nowhere and turns an otherwise hopeless shot into something not just OK, but a real keeper. Most of my best photos now, are taken at f2.4 or f2.8 (close ups of people, given the depth of field limitations)
I've used my old Sigma lens just once since I bought this Pentax lens - just to get a wider-angle shot. Otherwise, I simply don't want to see it after using this.
For someone who didn't really know what a prime was before looking at this - if you have a good camera body and wonder why your photos aren't as sharp as what you see in magazines - this lens is basically what you're missing.
I have the 21, 40 and 70 mm limiteds that are amazing lenses and cost accordingly. While the 35mm 2.4 isn't as well built IQ matches easily my limiteds and has even better center resolution.
BalasHapusI RECOMMEND IT, BUY IT
BalasHapusthis lens is wonderfill and for the price it is "given" : it's as so sharp as my 40 mmm limited and the colours are so natural : it's said on the foriums that is the same configuration with the famous FA 35 mm
BalasHapusThe free shipping was fast as usually, thanks to Amazon.com!
BalasHapusYou can read all other reviews for its pros and cons. I'm just telling you why I've picked up this lens.
I went to a kid's party about two weeks ago, I took my K-x with the 18-55mm kit lens on it. I set ISO to 1600 (sometimes 3200) auto. I didn't use flash at all. Most of time, the indoor light were sufficient for a decent photo. However, kids moved a lot and fast, the shutter speed was simply not enough to capture those actions...so a faster lens is obviously necessary for this situation. I have a M 50mm f1.7 lens, I got the decent speed, but with manual focus, it's almost impossible to get focus quickly enough. So my conclusion is that I need a faster lens with AF!
I've been thinking to get FA 50mm f/1.4, but for indoors with limited space, its FOV seems too narrow, although its price is acceptable, I doubt its usefulness for indoor application (when I shot with 18-55mm lens, I seldom used any FL higher than 50mm, most of the time, 18-35mm).
The next thing I've been considering is this lens. Its price is right, it has f/2.4 aperture, it's lightweighted, it looks nice on my K-x (see those pictures I shot with my cell phone). I tested it as soon as I got it. Indoors, no lights on, only tv is on, so it's pretty dim, I set ISO to 1600 auto, lens wide open (f/2.4), AF worked well, pretty fast, no hunting, the picture came out bright, sharp, the color looks very good to me. I further tested in a restaurant (see those photos I uploaded). With K-x's low-light performance, this lens is a perfect companion! I would think it's more than enough for a kid's party (light condition is much better than restaurant). I cannot wait to put it in real test for the next kid's party coming soon...
Usefulness: although it can be used for anything, I would think it's most useful for indoors (specially for moving subjects that require decent shutter speed). For other situations, like outdoors, in good light condition, I still prefer using my 55-300mm (a very sharp, versatile lens to me), or the 18-55mm kit lens (I don't have any other expensive lenses).
Lens hood: it doesn't come with hood, I don't think you need a hood for indoors. I bought a lens hood on ebay for the old 50mm f/1.7 lens, but doesn't fit well. I put the hood on this lens, perfect fit! I can put the cap on the hood, too.
Thank you for your time, and hope this helps.
UPDATES:
After attending two birthday parties (one at school, the other at a friend's house), I would say this lens is sufficient for this purpose, although sometimes I only wish I got wider FOV (I killed FA 50mm F1.4 for this reason). Other than that, with aperture wide open, the picture is sharp, bright, color rendering is good, WB is accurate (more natural compare to my M 50mm F1.7 lens which gives me warmer tone). At both parties, I set my K-x to ISO1600 auto, at school I often got ISO800 at 1/60sec, in the house (in the afternoon, all natural light through windows except in the basement), I can get ISO-200 sometimes at 1/60sec, most of the time, I got 400-800, because of this, I switched my 55-300mm lens on for the second half for some candid photos.
I don't have the photographic experience to evaluate this lens in comparison to others primes lenses, but I can say that for someone used to using stock lenses or, in my case, the 18-200mm f3.5 SuperZoom Sigma that I used as a "walk-around" for years, this lens is a marvel of sharpness and clarity.
BalasHapusI had no idea what I was missing out on by using an "average" or "all-in-one" lens - compared to this.
Granted, there's no flexibility in zooming in on the subject but in-return, you get sharp, clear photos in low light.
I'd only ever experienced an aperture of f3.5, at fastest, before, but now light comes from nowhere and turns an otherwise hopeless shot into something not just OK, but a real keeper. Most of my best photos now, are taken at f2.4 or f2.8 (close ups of people, given the depth of field limitations)
I've used my old Sigma lens just once since I bought this Pentax lens - just to get a wider-angle shot. Otherwise, I simply don't want to see it after using this.
For someone who didn't really know what a prime was before looking at this - if you have a good camera body and wonder why your photos aren't as sharp as what you see in magazines - this lens is basically what you're missing.
Pros:
BalasHapusCost
Optical Performance
Cons:
Plastic build
No included hood or bag
Smaller aperture vs competition for same price
Bottom Line:
Buy one.
The Pentax 35mm is a great lens that complements any standard zoom. The aperture is large enough to be advantageous. It offers at least a half stop over an f/2.8 zoom, and in reality probably closer to an f/stop given the fewer lens elements. The lens is bright at f/2.4, where most zoom lenses lose significant contrast wide open. Focus is fast and accurate (one of the faster lenses I have used), taking only a fraction of a second to lock in most cases, min to infinity to min is about 1 second or less.
The lens has moderate to low distortion (-0.8% barrel) and minimal CA on the K-5, not much over 1 pixel at the corners. The lens is very good across the frame from f/2.4 to f/2.8 and excellent from f/4 to f/8. It really performs well optically.
Although the construction is all plastic, it is a well built lens. I wouldn't let this be a deciding factor in purchasing this lens or not. If this lens had metal construction, everyone would think it were a Limited. However, it does lack quick shift focus.
This lens performs nearly as well as lenses costing much more, and I see why Pentax limited the aperture to f/2.4. They wouldn't want to compete with their other products. The price is fine, and so is the lens. I recommend this lens to anyone looking at the Pentax system. It is great for people of all experience levels. It should be called the Pentax DA 35mm f/2.4 AL [un]limited.
This modern entry-level prime is still higher priced than the competition. Canon, Nikon, and Sony all have 50mm primes at F1.8 aperture below the 150 price mark. That said, this is stil a welcome addition to the Pentax lens selection.
BalasHapusIf you search at photozone.de there is a nice review of its performance. It says its sharp with excellent resolution wide open at F2.4, and I totally agree. Things in focus really pop out and look 3D.
I like the focal length (53mm in terms of film) which is not too zoomed in and not too wide. 50mm was the standard kit during the film era. The 1:6x magnification is not great, but its close enough for food shots of your plate or head and shoulder portraits (bust).
Focus is fast because the lenses themselves are very light. But its screw-driven by the camera so you can hear it. Accuracy was spot on in my sample. If you use a k-x, research about "modset.492" it can allow you to fine tune your autofocus for back or front focus. Since its not official, proceed with your own risks.
Image quality is great. Lots of contrast. Excellent to very good at F/2.4 and almost off the scale excellent at F/4. Aperture blades are not rounded so although bokeh is smooth wide open, highlights do get edgy starting at F/4. Front bokeh looks a tad more nervous.
Vignetting (dark corners) and CA (color fringing at high contrast areas) are well controlled and I dont worry about them in my pictures. Flare controll is excellent too, as shots into the sun did not make any prominent ghosting.
Like always, a prime lens means that you do the zooming with your feet. But in a way that inspires you to get different angles once your moving around.
For its performance its 5 stars. For the price you pay I would say 4 stars. No hood is included nor does the lens have any attaching location if there ever was one. But considering its performance, I dont think it needs one anyway.