Hi,
> I've got a 17/4.0 super-tak (I'd really like the SMC if I could find > and afford it) which is small, light, and fun to play with but I'm not > yet convinced it is all that sharp. The A16/2.8 is sharper, and a > little better designed in some ways. Not to forget that russian Zenitar 2.8/16 here. In terms of contrast and sharpness, it's at least as good az the Pentax 17mm, but i'd say it's better. Also, the MC coating on this one works surprisingly well. I think fisheye lenses are much more about fun than making THE picture. So i won't spend too much on them. Even those terrible "fisheye converters" have a role here, if they're cheap enough. I personally don't know anyone who uses fisheyes that much that would justify buying an A16 or anything that expensive. Go for an SMC 2/28 instead... :) > 28/2.0 Kiron I think that Kiron (Kino Precision, Japan) lenses are quite good ones, they are among the best 3rd party lenses I ever used. The ones I know are 24/2, 70-150/4, 80-200/4.5, and a 100mm macro. All of them have good mechanical and optical construction. Of course their coatings are not up to SMC, but far better than what the contemporary Vivitars, Sigmas or Tokinas have. The above mentioned 80-200/4.5 zoom is a quite interesting one, as it has a "Zoom lock" feature and the front element does not rotate. The 24/2 is still held by a friend, and at mid apertures it's well comparable to my SMC-A 24/2.8. (Think of slides, not small prints.) I didn't test it wide open, sorry. > Even manufacturer's 28s can be weak at the edges, especially > the fast ones, [...] > That's not to say that I won't believe it > could be fun and useful, especially if you got it for a lot less than > the $350 or so that KEH currently has an M28/2.0 listed at. I don't think that price tells everithing about image quality. The M28/2 (or the A version, which I use) is a great lens, but in controlled light conditions (where SMC is not a must) it's results are hard to distinguish from say the Cosina MC 28/2, which is actually even smaller and costs less than 1/4 of the Pentax ones. So I think that that Kiron might wortht a try, if cheap enough. These ones can be surprisingly good, and they're better than average 3rd party 28 around for sure. Gabor
