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Camera review posted on @35mmcblog Check it out, comment, and share! https://www.35mmc.com/08/08/2022/leica-digital-modul-r-review/ #camerareview #shootleica #camera #35mmc #blog https://www.instagram.com/p/ChpzxZJpQcW/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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Had to share more photos from the Pentax lenses I rented to show the capabilities of smc DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED [IF] WR and the  HD DA 20-40mm f/2.8-4 ED Limited DC WR.  As with the previous post, images following the image of a lens were taken with that lens.

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Before summer’s end of 2015, I was tasked with photographing an event for the Piedmont Down Syndrome Support Network (PDSSN).  The event was their annual Buddy Walk & 5K.  After finding out that the event was a rain or shine event, I immediately knew that my Pentax gear would get a workout.  However, I would need to rent some weather resistant lenses to ensure I could work regardless of the weather.  Upon searching what was available I settled on the smc DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 ED [IF] WR and the HD DA 20-40mm f/2.8-4 ED Limited DC WR.  I rented the lenses for a week and did some rail-fanning to test them out before the event.  The following are my thoughts and a few examples from these lenses.

Starting with the 18-135mm, I knew this would be the primary lens.  A versatile workhorse on my K-7 able to zoom in on any action while still providing the wide-angle capability without the need for constantly switching lenses or cameras.  I honestly didn’t expect to like this lens as much as I did.  I soon realized why it has become a popular lens of Pentaxians world wide.  In use, the lens was much heavier than I expected.  Particularly front heavy.  It wasn’t bothersome in any way, but it certainly had more heft to it than I thought it would.  That heft translates into a great build quality with a smooth zooming action and quick autofocus performance.  Another bonus is the internal focusing (IF) design.  It means the lens doesn’t extend any to focus.  The lens also worked well for tracking subjects including moving trains and runners on the track.

Another very nice touch that other manufacturers should take note of is how the lens hood reverse mounts on the lens.  When stored, the larger of the petals are on the sides, allowing the user to easily access and read the markings on the zoom ring.  This means the lens can be quickly and easily used with the lens hood in its stored position.  Most other lenses require the hood be removed or mounted in it’s shooting position in order for the lens to be serviceable.  Kudos to Pentax for realizing this very simple, and often overlooked, detail.

The image quality of this lens was what I have come to expect from Pentax lenses.  Excellent contrast and saturated color with little to no issues with flare.  The presence of a bright light source would cause a slight decrease in contrast, but didn’t create any flare related aberrations in the image.  Overall, I would rate the image quality above average.  It is certainly not as sharp as my 16-45mm or, as you’ll soon see, the 20-40mm. ��But that certainly doesn’t mean that it isn’t usable and comes highly recommended for anyone wanting a single versatile lens.

Now to the 20-40mm Limited.  This was an odd choice to get for an event, but it was a lens I had been wanting to try.  I also needed a lens that would easily autofocus on my K10D.  That body is very picky and has issues when a lens’s max aperture gets smaller than f/4.  I did not want to lug a heavy lens like the DA* 50-135mm, so this made sense as a good walk-around lens.  So good in fact that this lens saw a lot of use photographing vendors and non-race events.  This lens makes a perfect street-photographer’s zoom.  It is small and discreet yet with a useful focal range and aperture.

This lens quickly became a favorite.  The image quality from this lens is really special.  The images this lens produces are as beautifully rendered as this lens is beautifully made.  Images come out sharp, with excellent contrast, virtually no flare or any kind of aberration to speak of.  I found myself trying to find ways and reasons to use this lens because it is that good.

The build of this lens is what anyone familiar with the Limited series of Pentax lenses would expect.  All metal and glass construction means this is a solid piece.  It balanced much better on the K10D and K-7 than the 18-135mm and was a pure joy to walk around with.  Autofocus performance was quiet.  Unlike the 18-135, this lens does extend a little and the focus ring rotates during autofocus.  Another feature I discovered about this lens is that it is parfocal.  This means that proper focus is maintained while you change focal lengths.  A great feature for videographers out there and means that one can quickly capture images of the same subject at different focal lengths due to the camera not having to refocus.  It also means it’s easier to track subjects in the viewfinder since the image remains in focus.  

One item I want to point out with this lens, and most Limited lenses, is the lens hood and cap.  It’s not an issue for me but something others often complain about.  The cap is a simple slide on metal cap that fits over the lens hood.  So to use it, the lens hood must be in place.  Not a huge ordeal, but most of the Limited lenses have non-standard lens caps that tend to be fiddly or have odd restrictions such as this.

Overall, both lenses suited their purpose perfectly and allowed me to navigate the event feeling prepared and confident in the results.  The 18-135mm is a great all-around lens.  An ideal one for someone frequently traveling.  The 20-40mm Limited has garnered many critics, but I found it’s usability and image quality warrants serious consideration.  In fact it is now on my short list of lenses to acquire.  I wish I could fit more images in this post to better show of these lenses capabilities. each set of images following the images of the lenses were taken by that lens (so images under the 18-135 were captured by it and images under the 20-40 by it).  Images of the lenses were captured with my K-7 and the smc-DA 16-45mm f/4.

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One of the key points to consider when selecting any camera system are the lenses available.  This is important because the lenses tend to be the largest monetary investment in any system.  You not only want good quality optics, but you also want lens systems that will be around for a while.  Pentax is one of the few systems that allow users the ability to mount lenses, without adaptors, that date back to 1975 when the K-mount was introduced.  The K-mount has not been 'abandoned' as other brands did with theirs, particularly as makers transitioned to auto-focus camera systems.

Pentax is also unique in that many new lenses can fully function on some Pentax film camera bodies.  Granted, the new DA series lenses are designed specifically for covering an APS-C sized sensor and not a 35mm frame.  Pentax has been very clear in stating this on their site and in their lens literature that APS spec lenses can cause severe light fall-off and vignetting when used on a 35mm camera.  However, several lens designs (and this is true with other brands as well) have simply carried over from the film days.  The DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited is one such lens for example.

Above I have the results of two lenses; the DA 16-45mm f/4 and the DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6.  The DA 16-45mm f/4 works on film with fantastic results.  Severe vignetting really only showing at focal-lengths below 24mm.  Below 20mm it almost looks fish-eye like.  But this behavior is understandable of such a wide angle on the larger format.  You can see the results in the first three images.  So once I got a hold of a DA 50-200mm I was curious to see how it would do.  

First thing you notice is that vignetting is far more noticeable throughout the zoom range, it does add a distinctive character to images.  Even at 50mm, you can see darkening in the corners like in the image of the old wheelbarrow.  Zoom in to 200mm and vignetting increases as you can see in the images of the cats.  While such vignetting would not typically be desirable for scenic landscapes; portraiture and detail shots benefit from the natural optical characteristic as it draws the viewer's eye to the subject.

As for using these lenses on the ZX-7, it was a great pair.  The lenses balance extremely well on the camera.  Auto-focus performance was also speedy and sure footed.  The two lenses combined, I have a seamless coverage from extreme wide-angle to moderate telephoto all with an almost constant f/4 aperture throughout. 

I was hoping for performance similar to that of the DA 16-45mm in regards to vignetting with the DA 50-200mm. I hoped that the 50-100mm range would be relatively vignette free.  Due to such poor performance in this regard, the DA 50-200mm would not be my everyday lens of choice on film.  However, given its otherwise excellent performance and its unique look with the vignette, I would consider trying it again for a portrait session to see if I can put this lens in its real element.

Regardless of vignetting, the lenses produce some stunning results and go to show how flexible this system can be in providing a photographer creative options and optics that represent solid value and longevity.

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Took a summer trip out to the Cass Scenic Railroad in historic Cass, West Virginia.  For this trip, I decided to document it entirely on film.  I packed my Pentax KX, Tamron 24mm f/2.5, Pentax-M 50mm f/2, and Tamron 28-200mm f/3.8-5.6 XR zoom.  Images photographed on Kodak Tri-X 400, Portra 400, and Portra 160 films and developed by "The Darkroom".

I chose this kit because it was simple.  I didn't want to worry about batteries (the KX being all mechanical minus the meter) and I wanted a high-quality yet lightweight set-up to travel with.  As you can see from the results, the meter on the KX is very good with consistent and reliable exposure.  The camera, despite being fully manual, was pretty quick to use.  The match-needle metering is quick to read and easy to visualize at a glance what settings you need if you want to over or under expose a shot on the fly without the need for an exposure compensation setting or adjusting the ASA value on the meter.  Focusing, as with most manual focus SLRs, was a joy.  The large and bright viewfinders of these cameras are rare to find most modern cameras and go under-apreciated. 

I have owned and used the KX for quite a while now, but there are still a few hick-ups I have when using it.  Features that sound like brilliant designs in marketing have created hurdles in having a streamlined user experience.  The first item is the meter switch.  To activate the meter, you have to pull the film advance lever to the 'pre-advance angle' and press the shutter button half-way.  This was a battery-saving feature and served as an on/off switch without the need for a separate switch for that purpose.  Sounds like an ingenious design right?  Problem is that I don't normally shoot with the film advance pulled out unless I plan on firing off several frames in succession.  This tripped me up several times when I half-press the shutter and the meter didn't respond.  Then I remembered the advance was not pulled out and my shot was sometimes lost.  A great design feature but unfortunately one that I just can't seem to grow accustomed to.  The second item is the shutter lock.  I am glad this camera has one because it can be easily tripped in a camera bag or if bumped the right way.  However, I wish it had more of a shutter guard like the Olympus OM cameras or was more flush to the body to advert accidental activation.  Being self conscious of hitting the shutter, I would keep it locked when not shooting.  Problem was, like with the meter switch, I would frequently forget to unlock it.  Combined with the meter switch this would become very frustrating at times.  Granted these should be things one would get used to when using the camera a lot, but for some reason I struggled a lot more with adjusting than I thought I would and these two things became a wrench in the gears of my workflow.  Lastly one minor design item is the aperture display in the viewfinder.  It's a key reason why I wanted a KX because I like having as much shooting info visible at once.  However, the display is located at the top of the viewfinder where I find it difficult to view and often even forget about it.  I wish it were located in the lower portion where it could be viewed more efficiently like in the Minolta XD-11 for example.

All things considered, my gripes are really nit-picks and things that most would grow accustomed to with use.  There are still a number of subtle design elements of this camera that can't be appreciated until one uses this camera.  The chamfered edges on the base-plate is one.  A simple element to reduce sharp edges and make the camera more comfortable to hold.  Pentax really is a photographer's camera brand and the KX is a solid workhorse of a camera.

As for the lenses, it should come as no surprise that the primes were sharp and compact.  The Pentax-M 50 in particular is quite compact.  The surprise is the Tamron zoom.  Most professionals frown at the super-zooms.  They aren't technically as sharp as a dedicated lens of a given focal length, but I am reminded when I use this lens just how good of a lens it actually is.  The majority of the images here were taken with the zoom.  The 24mm was used for the first landscape and the 50mm was used for the brakeman's brake wheel and the tree landscape.  Despite being an auto-focus lens, the zoom handled great on the KX.  As did all of the lenses during the trip.

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Photos taken by Argus C-44 

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With digital photography progressing at a break-neck rate, we have come to a point where many have never had the experience of using a film camera. In fact, many do not even know what film is. And given the nature of human assumption, what is new is better than what is old. However, there are a great number of ‘antique’ and ‘classic’ cameras that can hold their own against the armada of new products filling store shelves every year. One such example is the Argus C-44. A very unusual camera. Classically styled yet very simply made. Fashionable looks aside, you will find no frills and gadgets. Only the essential controls and functions necessary to make a photograph. It is a very interesting camera to use. The limited shutter-speed range really makes you think. Certainly not as flexible a machine as modern camera bodies. The camera, despite being of rangefinder design which are known for typically being discreet, has an incredibly loud shutter. Your finger progresses the super smooth shutter button to release a sudden “clack!”. Another item on this camera that gets a lot of comments is the lens mount. More specifically the lens changing procedure. It has been touted on the CameraQuest website that it is the worlds worst and most frustrating design. I agree that it is not the most fluid to use, however I do not find changing lenses in the field at all difficult. An unusual design, but not at all incapable of delivering the goods. Despite the specs that this camera lacks when compared to more modern offerings, the real gems are the lenses. Lenses are made by Argus in the U.S. and Steinheil in Germany. Despite their near sixty-year age, they can hold their own with modern optics. Surprisingly sharp, even when using average grade film. Equally as surprising is their resistance to flare. I have used more modern lenses that perform worse in this regard. From my own experience, having only used color film in this camera, I do suspect that these lenses would resolve better with black & white film as color tonality and transition can be a little muddled. But they resolve texture exceptionally well. Almost Leica like in that regard. Many might question the practicality of using such cameras. I find that they are rewarding and fun, if even frustrating at times, to use. However, I shall let the pictures speak for themselves...

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The Pentax 70mm f/2.4 is an awesome little lens!

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What are You Looking At?

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Kodak Signet 80

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Introduction: An in-depth review of the Pentax K-50, an upper entry-level DSLR featuring weather sealing, stabilization, and excellent image quality.

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Bringing Down the Old to Make Way for the New