27 February 2008

Been Absent

I have not been posting for awhile due to the Chinese New Year. Being in the print business, it is usually the quietest month of the whole year. And it has been a welcome break after a very hectic 4 months of print projects.



During this period I've decided to re-evaluate my Pentax gear in the light of the imminent arrival of the K20D. I've decided to let go of some stuff and I have also been buying stuff!!! Yes Lens Buying Addiction (LBA) is a disease and it reared it's head with a few new acquisitions.



Got the FA 43mm f/1.9 Limited, the DFA 100mm f/2.8 Macro (yet another macro lens) and the FA 20-35mm f/4. I'll talk about the FA 43mm here and illustrate this post with some images that were taken with this wonderful lens.



The FA 43 has the ability to render images that give a sense of depth coupled with a certain colour vibrancy that makes it a little different than the FA 50mm f/1.4. The angle of view is also a little wider and thus more versatile in my opinion. At almost twice the price of the FA 50, this comes in the form of an excellent build quality.



The FA 50 with it's wider aperture and slightly longer focal length can give slightly better out of focus backgrounds but the FA 43 shines in terms of colour and in delivering images with what I'd describe as film like in quality. For those undecided between the two (and three if you include the well regarded FA 35mm f/2), the FA 50 is the obvious choice for those on a budget but if you can spend a little more, the FA 43 Limited is well worth the extra cost. If a slightly wider field of view is needed, then the FA 35 would be the one to look for.

08 February 2008

Honey Bee Macro







K100D FA 50mm f/2.8 Macro with Pentax Auto Extension Tube K.