On 2/22/07 3:23 PM, "Godfrey DiGiorgi", <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> A review of specs and testimonials is just a starting point. Once the > question is put and various people offer their opinions based on > their use of a lens or lenses, then going on to say "But they all > seem to be compromised and not as good as I hoped!" means absolutely > nothing until you actually test the lens in question by using it. Godfrey, I was just offering my general comments to a general question raised by you regarding "test first, then buy" philosophy which I assumed was your point. If everybody could do that, it is indeed the best test. People have different taste on different lenses about their rendition and even mechanical feeling etc. But in the real world, I thought it was almost totally impossible. OTOH, in my personal case, I never really remember any occasion where I needed a lot of inputs before buying "Pentax" lenses. I suppose everybody in this list knows for long enough how certain Pentax lenses behave and do not need a lot of prior input. Particularly for recent Pentax lenses, I am very comfortable in buying any of them (not many choices for DA's anyway for now :-). I do not read any lens test at all, not because I specifically avoid them, but usually by the time I need certain lens, sufficient first hand info is available in this list or others. About the only time I had any long thought was when I was interested in buying an FA80-320 which was a long time ago. I am not a long FL shooter but thought I needed at least one lens which covers beyond 200mm but did not wish to pay too much. I was aware that 80-320 was soft in certain range but I knew that and was willing to buy it with a full knowledge of shortcomings. It was a relatively cheap zoom and I did not mind the risk of shortcomings. In fact, I cannot recall any occasion wherein I unknowingly bought a dog or even dissatisfied after the purchase of Pentax lenses. Once I decide which lens I need to buy, I make some quick general research (if needed) so that I won't miss any obvious flaws etc. After that, I just go ahead buying it. If I ever found a lens really not being up to my expectation, I will get rid of it, and if I suffer a loss or something, so be it and no fuss. I am easy in this regard :-). And in general, Pentax lenses are pretty good, even some kit lenses seem OK although I do not have any of them, as long as one knows that you get what you paid for. In many cases, I find Pentax lenses are more than good for the money you pay. Ken -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
