Pentax K10D, SMC Pentax-A 50mm f/1.7, ISO 320,  f/1.7, 1/100 sec, +0.7 EV, IS on

Well, the two weeks of spring in Alabama are over and now it’s pretty much summer. Time to start greasing up!

This image was shot with my Pentax K10D and old manual focus 50mm f/1.7 lens. The RAW image was uploaded to Adobe Lightroom for processing. First off I had to correct the white balance as my K10D has never been able to make heads nor tails of our comact flurescent lighting in the bathroom. One click of the WB eyedropper tool on the white portion of the bottle in focus did the trick. Next, I dialed in a tad of positive exposure compensation (+0.17) and then tweaked the Tone Curve by bumping up the Highlights and Lights and down the Darks and Shadows. The resulting S-curved tone curve created the high contrast image seen here. Lastly, I added in a bit of vignetting to further darken the edges of the image and add depth to the shot. To me, the super saturated colors and high contrast feels like a summer beach scene…all from a quick snapshot taken in my bathroom.

My industrial design class just completed their semester-long power equipment design project culminating with the building of full-scale appearance models. I set up a make-shift photo studio in a lightly used classroom and over the past 24 hours shot over 600 images. All were taken in RAW format (DNG) with my Pentax K10D and my 18-55mm kit lens and FA 35mm f/2 AL and processed in Adobe Lightroom. By shooting in RAW I was able to set the white balance for all the shots with one click by selecting an underexposed portion of the white backdrop with the eye dropper tool in Lightroom and then copying and pasting that setting to all images.

Most of the shots required a heavy dose of positive exposure compensation while shooting to keep the white backdrop white and not grey. I was pretty diligent with the use of the histogram while shooting so there wasn’t much need for exposure adjustment. I just made sure there was a good spike on the right hand side of the graph without going very far into the mid tones. Here’s a shot of the “studio” set-up:

I positioned the white paper backdrop centered under a row of fluorescent lights so that there was a row flanking the backdrop on either side. This provided nice even lighting front to back and reduced shadows to a minimum.

For each of the 14 students I took anywhere from 40-70 shots (all hand-held @ ISO 400). I started with low-angle orthographic views at a medium focal length (35-45mm) followed by eye-level perspective shots at a wider angle (35-24mm), short depth of field detail shots (to hide any imperfections), and specialty shots as required (use, high angle, ultra-wide low angle perspective, etc.). All in all I was really pleased with the results right out of the camera and I think the students ended up with great shots for their portfolios.

Unfortunately, the confidentiality agreement I signed prevents me from showing most of the shots or even revealing the client or other interesting project details, but here are a few ambiguous detail shots of the final models to show what I was able to achieve with this make shift DIY studio set-up:

Oh, and I have over 2,000 photos that I have taken of the students working on their projects this semester that I need to burn off onto DVDs within the next week!

Pentax K10D, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, ISO 320,  f/1.4, 1/60 sec, +.3 EV, IS on

This photo was taken while waiting in line at Moe’s in Auburn, AL. It was shot from the hip without being composed in the viewfinder. The composition turned out OK but I had to apply a fair amount of post processing in Lightroom to get to this point. Here’s the original unmodified as-shot image:

As you can see, it was a bit underexposed and the white balance was a little out of whack due to the mixed lighting conditions. After playing around with various white balance settings I settled on “Auto” as the best choice. Next all I really did to fix the exposure was jack the Exposure up to +1.42. While I was at it I also dropped the Blacks level to 0 and dialed in more contrast to darken things back up a bit without loosing shadow detail. Finally, I added in a touch of saturation to bring back up the color that was lost when I cranked the exposure.

Pentax K10D, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, ISO 100,  f/1.4, 1/125 sec, +/-0 EV, IS on

Shot this through the iron gate of a closed nightclub in downtown Auburn while I was on my way to lunch. I really like the way the skylights illuminate the dance floor in the background. The space heaters hanging from the ceiling seem almost alien. I opened the 50 f/1.4 all the way up, focused on the nearest table and let the lens do the rest (including the green halos).

Post processing in Lightroom required a little tweaking of the white balance (I used the eyedropper tool on the top of the table to get the best feel). I also backed all the way off of the black slider and then darkened the shadows back up by increasing the contrast. This revealed more shadow detail but still gives plenty of richness to the shot. I could have acheived the same effect with the Tone Curve tool but this worked well so I left it at that. Finally, I upped the Recovery a little to recover a little highlight detail in the rafters and bumped the Vibrance up a touch to make the image pop in a browser a bit more.

Pentax K10D, SMC Asahi Takumar 135mm f/2.5 (manual focus), ISO 100,  f/2.5, 1/250 sec, +2/3 EV, IS on

Playing around with my “new” Asahi Takumar 135mm f/2.5 I picked up from KEH for $60. This is a very cool little lens. It’s fully manual but I’m finding that if I shoot it wide open I can use Aperture Priority mode and still have simple control over exposure compensation. I’m planning on playing around a bit with stop-down metering in manual mode using my K10D’s Green Button.

Pentax K10D, SMC Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4, ISO 125,  f/1.4, 1/60 sec, +2/3 EV, IS on

Been playing around a bit with a Pentax FA 50 f/1.4 lens I’m borrowing. This shot was taken almost directly into the late afternoon sun streaming through the windows on the front of our house. So far I am finding the FA 50 to be a bit soft for my taste wide open (as you can see here) but the autofocus and extra 2/3 stop advantage over my old A series 50mm f/1.7 are nice. There does seen to be a fair amount of purple fringing in a lot of my shots but I have yet to really test the lens with anything more than some plinking around. I don’t think I’m going to do my usual full-on User Review for the FA 50. I’ll probably just do some anecdotal comparison to my old 50 f/1.7 for those people who either have an older manual focus lens and are thinking of upgrading or for those people who are considering their first fast fifty.

BTW, this image was imported into Lightroom using my standard import settings for my K10D. I then selected “daylight” for the white balance and nudged the blacks slider up to 16 to dial in a bit more contrast. Lastly, I cropped it square and rotated it slightly clockwise to adjust for level on the left side of the frame.

Ever since I started shooting DSLRs with APS-C sized sensors I have struggled to find the perfect go-to lens for the majority of my photos. I love the speed and image quality of my old A series 50mm f/1.7 but the lack of autofocus and relatively tight F0V (75mm equiv.) makes it less than ideal for a lot of my shooting. When my friend Stephen said he was sending me his DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited to take for a spin I was pretty sure that it was going to be the lens I have been looking for. I had read all the reviews so I knew that it was a sharp lens with top-notch build quality. All that remained was for me to live with it for a few days…

Pros:

• Razor sharp starting at f/2.8.
• Virtually no flare and very low CAs or fringing.
• Wonderful bokeh (especially during macro use).
• Impeccable Limited build quality.
• Smaller and lighter than most 1:1 macro lenses.
• Durable*
• Ultra close focusing capability.
• Built-in lens hood.
• Excellent bang-for-the-buck.

*I didn’t test this lens’ durability but my friend Stephen did. Within minutes of opening the box he dropped it from a height of 1M onto concrete. The filter mount ring took the brunt of the impact (note silver filed away area in these shots) but the function of the lens was not otherwise affected. Wow!

Cons:

• Slow focusing due to extremely long focal range.
• Lack of focus limit switch (might correct previous point).
• Focus ring spins during autofocus operation.
• Included lens cap falls off too easily.
• Extremely limited stand-off distance at 1:1 magnification (read: “none”).
• Diffraction may be a problem above f/8 with non-macro shots.

Conclusion:

Turns out this is not the do-it-all lens I’ve been looking for. Now, before all you Pentaxians out there start accusing me of bashing Pentax again, let me explain…

The DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited is one of the best macro lenses I have ever used. It absolutely blows everything away within 2 feet of the front of the lens. I love the natural look the 35mm (52.5mm equiv) FoV provides. I can easily see this being one of the best lenses available for shooting products in a studio setting. If I were still walking the floor at Asian electronics trade shows it would be my go-to lens (lots of close-up shots of products held in my hand). However, the things that make this lens so good at what it was designed to do also make it less than perfect for my everyday use. If your primary interest is up-close hand-held macro photography, look no further. Buy this lens. If, like me, you are thinking that this lens might double as a good medium focal length lens for everyday use, please read the rest of my review and decide for yourself:

Build Quality and Size:

Here we see the DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited focused at infinity along side the standard 18-55mm Pentax kit lens…

and here we see the macro lens focused to its closest setting (0.139M)…

and here along side my old A series 50mm f/1.7 lens. The point here? This is a very compact lens. Even when extended for close-up focus. Also, even with the rock-solid aluminum casing it weighs slightly less than the plastic kit lens (7.6oz vs. 7.8oz). There is absolutely no excuse for not being able to find a place in your bag for this lens.

I mentioned the focus ring in the cons. The double row of knurled rings just below where it says “PENTAX-DA 1:2.8 35mm…” in the photo above is the focus ring. It is very nicely damped in manual mode and features Pentax’s nifty Quick-shift Focus System to allow focus fine tuning in AF mode. The double-height ring provides a great grip for your fingers during manual focusing. However, since it takes up so much of the 35’s diminutive body, you have to be careful not to grab it accidentally when holding the camera with two hands (left hand supporting lens) if you don’t want to loose a little skin off your finger tips ;-)

Otherwise, the build quality of this lens is superb. You’ll never question the $480 price tag once you handle one for the first time.

Image Quality:

Uncropped f/2.8 @ ISO 100 shot of dew on leaf (NOT 1:1 magnification).

100% crop from the center of the first image.

The resolving power of this lens is amazing. I’m sure my old 10MP K10D isn’t even coming close to getting the most out of this baby. I’m not going to get into resolution specifics here. There are plenty of other websites that can confirm what I experienced first hand: this is one of (if not the) sharpest lenses you can hang on your K Mount. Here are a few shots I took with it on my Flickr page.

The nine bladed aperture provides wonderful round bokeh at all aperture settings.

It also provides nice 18 pointed starbursts when stopped down for long exposure night shots (if you are so inclined to use it for such things). They are not quite a clean as the ones that come off of the DA* 16-50 f/2.8 but they are certainly an improvement over the kit lens.

The DA 35mm Macro has a built-in retractable lens hood. Without the hood this lens produces almost no flare. Compare the example above with this similar one shot with the DA* 16-50 f/2.8:

Even though Pentax thoughtfully includes an excellent built-in lens hood with the DA 35mm Macro it doesn’t need one!

Handling:

The DA 35mm Macro requires you to get very close to your subjects to achieve maximum magnification. Here is the shot I took above while focusing at 1:1 on my kit lens with the 35 Macro:

Very close indeed. This is fine for shooting flowers, products and other static and aproachable subjects. If you want to shoot creatures that might not appreciate a lens pressed up in their face you might want to look elsewhere. The only real problem I had with this was the camera blocking light from my subjects. Being so close with the lens to the subject you’d pretty much need a studio and strobes to get enough light in there.

I’ve had experience with longer macro lenses that put you farther away from the subject and I have to say I prefer the up-close DA 35mm Macro. The wider FoV gives a more natural 3D look to the images and makes it easier to lock in focus while shooting hand-held.

This incredible focus range (infinity to 0.139M) is the DA 35 Macro’s Achilles heel. It is very deliberate and accurate when shooting macro but becomes slow and laborious when taking snap shots. If the camera misses the focus point it will usually run all the way to one extreme of the focal range and then back to the focus point where (hopefully) it will lock on. If not, it will continue on to the opposite end of the focus range before heading back to try again. On a normal lens this “focus hunting” can be a bit annoying as the lens “ziiiip-ziiiips” back and forth before locking focus. On the DA 35 Macro focus hunting goes more like “ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip, ziiiiiiiiiiiiiiip, ziiiiiip, ziiip-zip.” I missed a ton of snap shots with the kids while this lens oscillated back and forth the focus scale on me.

Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying the focus isn’t accurate. As all Pentaxians apparently already know, their DSLRs do not have the fastest autofocus system. The DA 35 Macro exacerbates this problem considerably. Its deliberate focusing is an important feature for shooting critical macro shots in controlled conditions but is also the main reason why it isn’t a replacement for standard lenses for every day use. IMO there’s nothing wrong with being good at what you do and sticking to it.

That being said, it is not to say that the DA 35mm Macro can’t be used for every day shooting. When more deliberate shooting is possible all the things that make this such a great macro lens also make it an excellent portrait lens. Most people do not recommend a lens this wide for portrait use. I found it to be great for portrait shots where you want the feeling of being up close and personal while getting a bit more of the scene into the shot for context. Like this:

Of course what’s working for me here most are the 35mm focal length and the sharpness. If you are willing to give up the macro performance there are other lenses that can likely better serve as wide angle portrait lenses.

The only head scratcher for me with the DA 35mm Macro is Pentax’s choice in lens cap. The included cap is machined from aluminum and velvet lined. While this gives it a distinctly premium look and feel, it kept falling off the lens while in my bag. Also, it is easily knocked off while the camera is hanging on your shoulder strap. When I buy one of these lenses I will add a spring clip style 49mm lens cap to my order.

Pentax K10D with DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited lens.

So, the DA 35mm Macro does what it does and does it quite well. Just don’t expect it to do all things equally as well. If you need/want and excellent macro lens then you’d be hard pressed to do much better. If you are looking for a good normal lens for taking those every day shots do what I did and pick up an FA 35mm f/2 AL while you still can. It was a close call for me. I had $500 to spend so I could have gotten the macro lens, but I decided to go with the slightly faster FA lens instead. So far I am quite pleased with my decision- though I really miss the DA 35mm Macro’s build quality and ability to get in close. I can easily justify getting the DA 35mm Macro for use as a dedicated macro/studio lens later on to round out my lens collection.

Some sample shots I took with the DA 35mm Macro while testing it for this review.

About the shots for this post: I shot the studio shots for this post using Fuji’s new F200EXR point-and-shoot camera. I’m not a big fan of PnS cameras but this little wonder has definitely gotten my attention. These shots are straight out of the camera at ISO 800. The camera’s various manual controls allowed me to get the exposure and WB right while the high ISO capability meant I could still go hand-held to knock the shots out quickly. BTW, this shot of the F200EXR was taken with the DA 35mm Macro. See what I mean about it being ideal for product photography?

Pentax K10D, SMC Pentax-FA 35mm f/2, ISO 640,  f/4, 1/50 sec, +2.0 EV, IS on

This is my 1999 Porsche Boxster sitting in the garage. I opened the door to grab a beer out of the fridge and thought “man that looks nice.” I grabbed my K10D with my new FA 35mm f/2 lens and snapped this shot. Despite the darkness of the garage and the black color of the car, I still had to dial in +2.0 EV to get any detail in the car to show up. The light coming through the garage door windows was just that bright! In Lightroom I simply converted the image to grayscale, cropped and exported this JPEG file.

Another box of goodies arived today. This time it’s some more loaner gear for me to put to the test. What we have here is a Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 lens, Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro lens and a Sigma EM-140 DG TTL ring flash kit. Stay tuned…