> I have a new K100D, and am looking for a fast, wide (roughly 12mm) lens.
> Any suggestions?
>
> I've been thinking about the 16mm Zenitar fisheye lens. From what I
> have seen, it comes in several versions. As a Pentax K mount, with
> the aperature lever, and an M42 screw mount, amoung others. Both
> versions have advantages- the K mount would be more convenient, the
> M42 mount would be more versitile- It (and an adapter) would work on
> my Canon 10D.
>
> How does the aperature selection work in the M42/adapter? Judging by
> the pictures I've seen, it has the stop down pin on the mount, but
> no auto/manual apature selector on the side. I have a Yashica lens
> set up this way, and I can only use the lens wide open- no way to
> depress the pin, so the iris will stop down.
>
> Assuming you can get the M42/adapter version to stop down for
> exposure, are there any other quirks that might influence me one way
> or the other?
>
I've got the Zenitar 16/2.8 in K-mount. I use it relatively
frequently when I want a fast/wide. If I had rectilinear Pentax glass in
that range (other than the kit 18-55), I'd probably use the Pentax
instead. Trouble with the Zenitar is that it's not very fishy on the 1.5x
crop DSLR. It's more like a rectilinear lens with more than normal barrel
distortion. Still, I find barrel distortion no more distracting than
ultra-wide rectilinear distortion, so I use it as a regular lens.
WRT K vs. M42, that's a tough one. If you plan to stick with
Pentax from now on, the K-mount is more convenient in most respects.
Focusing that sucker is tough to do accurately without a split-prism aid
IMO, so stopped-down-focusing with an M42 is probably even more out of the
question. That means that each and every shot that requires refocusing
will require "unstopping, focusing, stopping, metering, shooting." With a
K-mount version, it's just "focusing, metering, shooting."
In all, really nice lens. A bit flare prone, but not nearly as
bad as my Peleng 8mm fisheye or Vivitar/Kiron 28/2.
-Cory
--
*************************************************************************
* Cory Papenfuss, Ph.D., PPSEL-IA *
* Electrical Engineering *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
*************************************************************************
--
PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
[email protected]
http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
