Orchard Road walkabout

2 Jan 2010, a public holiday. What better way to usher in the New Year than an informal mini Pentax user gathering along Orchard Road. Orchard Road has undergone a transformation with new buildings cropping up or existing buildings getting a upgrade to the exterior facade. I've not really ventured much along the Orchard strip for quite a while as it is pretty hard to find time to stroll and window shop nowadays, so it really felt like I was a tourist revisiting after a long hiatus. Somehow there was a sense of familiarity but at the same time everything seemed fresh and new. The turnout for the outing was pretty good and the opportunity to meet fellow photo enthusiasts over the New Year made it a particularly rewarding experience. Shot with the K-7 with either the Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro or the FA 135mm f/2.8.


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Soft, Softer, Softest: the Sears 135mm f/2.8

It's 2010 and I got hold of a cheap manual focus lens recently, the Sears 135mm f/2.8 (Mod No. 202). On first impressions, the lens looks no different from the many manual focus 135mm lenses that were commonplace during the reign of 35mm film. However a closer inspection reveals something different, the presence of a secondary macro ring at the front of the lens in addition to the usual manual focusing ring.

There are 3 click stop settings on the macro ring that introduces varying degrees of softness, much like using a soft focus filter. The soft effect gets more pronounced at wider apertures, the result of uncorrected spherical aberration being introduced. The overall effect is much like the images taken with the discontinued and rare Pentax F/FA Soft 85mm. My Sears was made for Ricoh's K- mount but modded to be an A lens, so shooting using auto exposure is a breeze. What a unique lens because it offers that romantic soft-focus imagery that is occasionally needed.


Normal operation with the macro ring not used.


Turn the macro ring and things start going soft. A glowing halo surrounds the subject.


At the fullest setting, the image might seem like a Gaussian blur adjustment layer was added, but the bananas still retain sharp focus.

DA 12-24mm f/4 - the Pentax wonder wide-angle

When a group of friends met to see a friend off to study overseas to a US university, who would have thought it would lead to an ultra wide in my collection. As the group were keen photographers the talk quickly centered on lenses, their likes and dislikes, the respective merits of different brands and like all good discussions, the question "What would be a good ultra wide angle?" came up. For our seasoned Pentax expert who was at the gathering, the answer seemed simple enough: the Pentax DA 12-24mm f/4.





Two weeks later, and I'm in total agreement. You see that friend going overseas had to transit in Korea en route to the US and a quick phone call later, he's snapped up every copy of the 12-24mm in the airport duty free shop because it was going for a nice price. It was the DA 12-24mm but rebadged as the Samsung Schneider D-Xenon 12-24mm f/4. The name, colored ring and exterior grip pattern's a little different but essentially the same lens where it counts... the same optics and the same multi-coating.





So what exactly warrants the fine reputation of this rectilinear ultra-wide? It can't really be an obvious winner in the value stakes because it isn't exactly cheap. It doesn't go as wide as the more affordable Sigma 10-20mm in terms of angle of view. But it's a winner in my book because of it's stellar sharpness even from f/4 and distortions are well controlled. The zoom range is a little more versatile than the Sigma, especially at the long end and the overall build quality is good. To me the true test is flare performance because with that wide angle of view, one will quickly encounter having bright light sources like the sun in the viewfinder. In this area this lens really shines.




To me this lens definitely has a place in the bag for the photographer shooting scenic landscapes, architecture, documentary, street or travel. With the wide angle of view, ensuring the composition or horizon is level is crucial. This is where the K-7's built-in electronic level display comes in real handy. The lens isn't small and the large 77mm filter ring means buying filters can be pricy (I use the excellent Hoya HDs). It does provide a new way of seeing and users who haven't used it enough can be initially baffled on how to tame the wide angle of view and perspective. But spend time with it and it will deliver stunning pictures.

DA 50-200mm WR: the compact wonder

I have always found the DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 to be an interesting lens. This versatile zoom telephoto lens complements the DA 18-55mm kit lens very well, being almost similar in size and weight. I've owned the original DA 50-200mm twice, a lens that offers great value and the compact dimensions makes it handy for travel or for those times to go with a small setup.



The first copy I bought was a used one and it was an average performer. I sold it when I acquired the DA* 50-135mm, I guess it's the same story with a lot of other Pentax users who upgrade their consumer zoom to a higher grade, fixed aperture pro-grade zoom. But the DA* 50-135mm while fantastic in image quality, is also a much bigger and less discreet lens and so I picked up my second copy of the DA 50-200mm from a liquidation sale. Better image quality the second time round and again I sold it to a friend on a whim. Big mistake, buyer's remorse.



So with that for a preamble it's the third time to hunt down the DA 50-200mm and this time round there is the new Weather Resist offering from Pentax. The same compact dimensions but with a change in the grip pattern of the focus and zoom rings, a red O-ring on the lens mount and surprise, surprise, a change to a 49mm filter size.



I must say I'm very pleased with the new Weather Resist version that I am currently using. The WR version proved itself when I was on holiday on the Gold Coast. On one particular day, there was light rain and continuous strong winds that were blowing very fine sand as I was shooting. I didn't bother to use any filter and the lens' SP (Super Protect) coating proved effective.



The question that invariably comes up is how does it stack up to the DA 55-300mm and the DA 18-250mm consumer zooms. The DA-55-300mm is obviously better suited for longer telephoto applications and the optical quality at the long end is surprisingly good enough that the occasional long tele shooter should seriously consider this lens instead of the excellent but more expensive F/FA or DA* 300mm telephoto primes. But there is no escaping the fact that the DA 55-300mm is also bigger, heavier and more expensive than the DA 50-200mm. The former's longer focus throw makes it easy to hunt focus in low light. The DA 50-200mm focuses and locks focus quicker than the DA 55-300mm and on a personal note, even with Shake Reduction, hand holding at 300mm is a lot trickier than at 200mm.



I've never used the DA 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 superzoom and hopefully I never will. To me the promise of being able to use such a wide range of focal lengths comes with plenty of trade-offs. Barrel distortion at the wide end moving to pincushion distortion at the long focal lengths, light falloff at the corners, obvious chromatic aberrations are the norm for a superzoom though the DA 18-250mm is one of the better ones around. I will concede those who are adverse to changing lenses or find it impractical to change lenses in the field might find a place for it but for me the "Jack of all trades, master of none" label always comes to mind.

An oldie but goodie: Rikenon 135mm f/2.8

I've been tied up with work and as a result I have all but neglected posting for a while. Well I'm going to kick start with a recent lens that I happened to get for next to nothing. The lens in question is the Rikenon 135mm f/2.8, an old K-mount manual focus lens made by Ricoh. Outwardly it was in fine condition but there was a spot of fungus on one of the internal elements.



Seeing that it would be a waste to junk it and wanting to restore it, I sent it for cleaning at a photo repair shop. Just three days later, to my pleasant surprise the lens was ready for collection. They did such a fine job that not a trace of the fungus remained.

Eagerly wanting to find out how images from the Rikenon would turn out, I did a couple of quick shots with it at a park. The lens is similar to the Pentax K or M series in that it lacks the A setting on the aperture ring, so shooting in Manual mode with the Green button to determine exposure is needed. Being a manual focus lens, use of a third party focus screen like the Nikon K-3 with the split image rangefinder and microprism collar is recommended for quick and sharp focusing. Overall the lens gives a fairly cool rendition in terms of color. Sharpness is good and there are no particularly nasty lens aberrations. A good result and a bargain considering the price I got it for.

Hello K-7, Goodbye K20D

Well after some months of consideration, I finally did it... I upgraded to the new K-7. The K20D had given me sterling service and it was hard to part with it considering that I had the special moulded rubber grip added on by the Pentax agent and that I had also replaced the stock focusing screen with a split image rangefinder focusing screen to aid manual focusing.

But move on we must and the catalyst for change was a meeting a few months ago with Pentax professional photographer Mark Dimalanta as he was en route for an assignment. As fate would have it he had a pre-production K-7 plus a bunch of lenses on hand including the DA* 60-250mm f/4 which had not yet been release for general sale then. Over lunch we had the opportunity to hear first hand about his exciting work plus the opportunity to try out what he had. Simply put I was sold.



To me the standout feature of this new camera was the 100% view viewfinder and the extremely silent camera shutter. Nevermind the fact that in spite of the smaller size compared to the K20D, the camera feels much more solid due to the all magnesium shell on steel chassis that's weather sealed. Much quicker AF with a a higher camera frame rate and with the inclusion of HD video, it's like having both a still and a video camera in a single package.

There are some nifty features the new camera sports like the electronic level that provides a visual indication of whether the camera is level or not as you prepare to take the picture. Then there is also the orientation sensor that automatically rotates the camera information and image. A wider exposure compensation range, AF assist light for low light focusing, Lens Correction function that adjusts for distortion and chromatic aberrations with DA series lenses, improved Live View and 77-segment metering system and a few other feature ensures the K-7 is a much improved camera over the K20D.

One significant improvement is the better white balance, particularly under incandescent lighting. Image quality is roughly on par with the K20D. Noise at high ISOs can be noticeable but this is where Pentax takes a conservative approach, opting for detail retention instead of heavy handed correction. Nothing that a dedicated noise reduction software like Nik Software's Dfine 2.0 can't handle. The larger 3 inch LCD and improved information display is the icing that makes the K-7 a lot better camera in so many little ways.

The smallest Pentax

Came across a good condition Pentax 110 recently and although I'm not into collecting vintage camera gear, I was prepared to keep this one for the timeless looks and its unique place in photographic history. It is such a cute camera that I wish Pentax would re-issue a modern digital version.



Briefly the Pentax 110 was Pentax's smallest SLR camera, and the smallest interchangeable lens SLR with TTL metering ever made. The camera has a proper TTL viewfinder, split image rangefinder focusing, programmed auto exposure using a center weighted metering silicon photo diode with shutter speeds from 1 sec to 1/750th, an exposure range of EV 3 to 17 at ASA 100, with an aperture range from f/2.8 to f/13.5. There were 6 lenses available, and the 24mm f/2.8 standard lens shown here (equivalent to 50mm on 35mm film) has a very smooth focusing ring with distance scales, has 6 elements in 5 groups, focuses down to 0.35m and weighs... a mere 13 grams!

The small format means that the camera has a lot of depth of field and is almost like a modern 4/3 format digital camera with a 2x crop factor. In fact the lenses have been modified to fit some current micro 4/3 cameras. The issue of usability with this camera is hampered by the limited availability of 110 film. Nonetheless this camera continues to marvel many even today.

Never a dull moment with the Nokton

I like the ubiquitous 50mm lens, once produced in prolific numbers and the starter lens that was usually bundled with the camera body until the onset of the zoom lens. Perhaps because it is supposed to be close to what we see in terms of field of view for 35mm film cameras or perhaps because it is so common, the versatility of the standard lens is undisputed.



I've had the pleasure to own several 50mm lenses including the FA 50mm f/1.4 and the A series lenses in f/1.4, f/1.7 and f/2, not counting several 50mm macro lenses, but as I already had the FA 43mm Limited, I was looking for something with a fast maximum aperture to straddle between it and the FA 77mm Limited.



The answer was the Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f/1.4 SLII. I already knew about it for quite some time, being a Cosina re-make on the renowned Topcor 58mm but I didn't really thought too much of it until recently. I had just installed a split image rangefinder focusing screen (the Nikon K3 screen) that makes manual focusing a breeze and seeing some recent stunning images taken with the lens got me to belatedly sit up and take notice.

Even though one could get an autofocus Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 or the manual focus A 50mm f/1.4 cheaper, there is something to be said for the build quality and optical performance that makes the Voigtlander Nokton a special lens. What one gets is a big hunk of metal and glass, with a generously solid metal lens hood thrown in. Value doesn’t necessarily mean a low price: it means you’re getting a lot for what you’re paying. The Nokton may not appeal to those who want AF from their lenses but for the photographer who wants full manual focusing and takes a more deliberate approach, this lens fits the bill well.



As to how it delivers image wise, I'm thoroughly impressed with it more and more all the time. There is little chromatic aberration wide open and I'm pleased with the smooth bokeh from the 9 aperture blades. The slightly longer focal length over the standard 50mm does give a little better background separation and slightly flatter perspective when shooting portraits. The colour rendering and contrast is very good as is the overall sharpness. In all it has met my requirements perfectly and a lens I heartily recommend.