Pentax DA* SDM 50-135
Ok so as some are aware from my other topic "Tough choices" I went for and have now got the Pentax DA* 50-135MM.
First imperssions, IT'S BIG! The same physical size as my Tamron 70-300 and heavier too. Love the amount of light it can let in with the 72mm size opening. It came with a UV filter but that is really stuck on there so not sure how to go about trying to get it off with out damaging the glass.
It so far looks like a great companion for my K3 which I am convinced has been converted to the k3ii as it has astrotrace function, my inital findings lead me to believe it was only on the mark2.
Anyway I digress, I must admit i did thing the sutofocus would work quicker. Have to hold the shutter half down for about a second before it focuses. Is that normal?
Overall it seams great and cant wait to use it properly.
Andy
Quote from Lock5 on February 8, 2022, 7:11 amOk so as some are aware from my other topic "Tough choices" I went for and have now got the Pentax DA* 50-135MM.
First imperssions, IT'S BIG! The same physical size as my Tamron 70-300 and heavier too. Love the amount of light it can let in with the 72mm size opening. It came with a UV filter but that is really stuck on there so not sure how to go about trying to get it off with out damaging the glass.
It so far looks like a great companion for my K3 which I am convinced has been converted to the k3ii as it has astrotrace function, my inital findings lead me to believe it was only on the mark2.
Anyway I digress, I must admit i did thing the sutofocus would work quicker. Have to hold the shutter half down for about a second before it focuses. Is that normal?
Overall it seams great and cant wait to use it properly.
Andy
I have the DA* 50-135 and it is not the fastest to focus, so that may be normal. SDM focusing motor especially seems to be slow and have that delay sometimes, perhaps when it is starting to give out. I converted mine to screwdrive and it's still slow, but there's no delay. Something to consider.
Your K-3 should have the astrotracer function, it will just be disabled until you attach the optional O-GPS1 accessory to the hot shoe to allow GPS. But it should still show up in the menu as an option, you just wont be able to use it.
Welcome to the K-3 family! I think on first impressions my K-3 II had a lot of settings and features that I hadn't tweaked to my best liking. I found that I didn't really care for the shutter not firing until focused, as focus according to the camera wasn't always the focus I was looking for and sometimes I just wanted to rapid fire in succession at different focal points. When I disabled that feature, I found the camera to be much quicker for how I was using it. I'd highly encourage you to hunt around the menus, especially the extended menus toward the back of the settings and adjust things to your liking. This all might be old news to you, if so just disregard but otherwise feel free to ask if you have any specific thoughts or questions about the camera. I'm just excited to see another person pick up what I think might be the best APS-C I've ever shot on.
Quote from HeggenDazs on February 8, 2022, 3:27 pmWelcome to the K-3 family! I think on first impressions my K-3 II had a lot of settings and features that I hadn't tweaked to my best liking. I found that I didn't really care for the shutter not firing until focused, as focus according to the camera wasn't always the focus I was looking for and sometimes I just wanted to rapid fire in succession at different focal points. When I disabled that feature, I found the camera to be much quicker for how I was using it. I'd highly encourage you to hunt around the menus, especially the extended menus toward the back of the settings and adjust things to your liking. This all might be old news to you, if so just disregard but otherwise feel free to ask if you have any specific thoughts or questions about the camera. I'm just excited to see another person pick up what I think might be the best APS-C I've ever shot on.
This is great advice. I've only recently *really* gone into the menu and figured out just what each setting does (and I still have more to learn), and it makes a huge difference in getting what you want out of the camera.
Quote from HeggenDazs on February 8, 2022, 3:27 pmWelcome to the K-3 family! I think on first impressions my K-3 II had a lot of settings and features that I hadn't tweaked to my best liking. I found that I didn't really care for the shutter not firing until focused, as focus according to the camera wasn't always the focus I was looking for and sometimes I just wanted to rapid fire in succession at different focal points. When I disabled that feature, I found the camera to be much quicker for how I was using it. I'd highly encourage you to hunt around the menus, especially the extended menus toward the back of the settings and adjust things to your liking. This all might be old news to you, if so just disregard but otherwise feel free to ask if you have any specific thoughts or questions about the camera. I'm just excited to see another person pick up what I think might be the best APS-C I've ever shot on.
I will do. it's a great camera from what I can figure so far, I don't understand why people dismiss Pentax so easily. Doubt any have really gone and had a good play with them.
Ah the beautiful 50-135mm lens.
I knew it was good by reading about it. Then I had the chance to buy one with the SDM motor needed to be repaired. So I passed it to screw-drive.
It is one of the 3 lenses I do always bring with me in a Racing event. It works better (it is stellar there) for portraiture. Even at F4 it does produce very nice images.
But it also works for action. And when it doesn't you just manual focus it.
I find it to be relatively small and not that much of weight, and it's lovely that it is WR. Here in Spain it doesn't rain that much but you can find yourself in races where it rains. Or when I used to visit Sweden for Rally Sweden, it was great to know that if it snows I can still shoot with this lens.
If I can share some image taken with it let me put those here:
Formula E Berlin 2021 (manual focusing the lens because there was a double fence in between me and action)
_IMG8914-2 by Daniel Gonzalez Aguilera, en Flickr
24 hours of Bacelona 2021
_IMG1565 by Daniel Gonzalez Aguilera, en Flickr
Formula E in Valencia 2021 and it was raining
_IMG8133 by Daniel Gonzalez Aguilera, en Flickr
Last one, in the grid in Albí (France) in a 1930's racetrack. The guy was standing there so I took the chance
_IMG0528 by Daniel Gonzalez Aguilera, en Flickr
Or this one also
_IMG0571 by Daniel Gonzalez Aguilera, en Flickr
What I mean with the last image is, I use to use the 50-135mm in the pre-race grids with me in one body (usually the K3-II) and the Sigma 17-50mm in the other one 🙂
I promisse to keep quiet for a while with sharing images 😛
Some great pictures there my friend.
Thank you 🙂 Glad you like them.
So you see the lens you have bought can produce great images 🙂
