Some Recent Shots: Pentax F 35-70mm

I got this lens from a good Pentax buddy some while back. A very compact AF lens that I think gets overlooked because it isn't very fast in terms of lens aperture (f/3.5~f/4.5) and because the zoom range isn't very wide. However it performs very well and I would rate it as one of the better zoom lenses that Pentax has produced. The zoom range is quite useful for candids and the bokeh is decent.



In comparison to another Vivitar AF 35-70mm f/3.5~4.6 that I have, the 2 lenses are about equal in image quality. However the Vivitar is quite a bit bigger, heavier and a little better in build quality. The Pentax uses a 49mm filter thread while the Vivitar uses a 52mm.



Both lenses have a useful macro feature and is engaged by turning the zoom ring beyond the 70mm setting. While not as good as a dedicated macro lens, I have found the macro quality to be quite good for both lenses. All in all they are nice lenses that focus pretty quickly but the Pentax gets used more often because it is much more compact.


The smaller Pentax versus the larger Vivitar 35-70mm zoom.

Some Snippets

A few test shots that I had done recently.

A simple brown leather bag.

K100D Vivitar 35-70mm AF

This was a sample shot for a friend's clothing business.


K100D Voigtlander Macro Apo Lanthar 125mm

Industrial Discoveries

Many times, photography is a matter of chance. A combination of factors like finding the right subject at the right time of the day is something that is often unplanned. Yesterday was just such a day.

Drove to an industrial area after meeting a client when lo and behold, I saw an old aircraft radial engine with the prop still in place. Quite rare and unusual to see this in Singapore, so I stopped and took a short walk to photograph it.
K100D Vivitar AF 35-70mm.



A little while later, spotted these exhaust vents. Somehow it kind of reminds me of the kid's show the Teletubbies where the speaker sticks out from the landscape.
K100D Sigma 90mm Macro

Talking About Macro Lenses: Part 1

I've come to love macro lenses in the many years I've toyed with cameras. Not that I'm a serious bug hunter or anything of that sort, far from it. For me it's the versatility and flexibility of shooting a distant subject one moment and close-ups the next that gives the macro lens an edge over many other lenses. Unlike a zoom, the predictability of angle of view means that I can quickly determine what's going to be covered. Plus the adage that there are no bad macro lenses is true which translates to nice sharpness and colour.



These shots were taken by a very cheap manual focus Vivitar 100 f3.5 Macro. Made by Cosina, this lens comes in many different names as there are camera mounts both in manual and autofocus. The lens barrel is very plasticky and many photographers I know cast the "can't take it seriously" look whenever they look at this compact dinky lens. However in terms of image quality, this lens gives results far better that expected. It focuses to 1:2 and goes to 1:1 with a diopter filter attachment. Bottom line, it's cheap and good despite the dodgy build quality.

Here's how it looks like (manual focus version).