On Jan 31, 2011, at 2:36 PM, Glen Berry wrote: > I'm considering spending some money on a new macro lens. I used to have an > older Pentax 50mm f2.8 autofocus lens that was built like a tank, and took > very sharp photos. I bought it used at a local shop for only about $100, > which was a huge bargain! Unfortunately, that lens got stolen along with the > camera it was mounted on at the time. God, how I wish the thieves had stolen > my inexpensive kit lens instead! :) > > Anyway, I'm currently shooting with a K100D, and I'm trying to decide between > getting one of these new macro lenses: > > Pentax smc P-D FA 50mm f/2.8 > Pentax SMCP-DA 35mm f/2.8 > > Are either of these lenses noticeably sharper than the other? > > Which would you buy, especially if this were going to be your only macro lens? > > Are there any other macro lenses I should consider?
I find several things to be a factor when doing macro work: How close can I get? How far away can I get? How much background do I want to show? If you want to show more background, get a wider lens and shoot from closer. If you want to isolate the subject, get a longer lens and shoot from further away. The other question to consider is what focal lengths do you already have? I have the D-FA 50/2.8 and use it fairly frequently. I want the DA 35/2.8 macro because I think it would be close to the ideal lens for photowalks in the woods. When I don't need 1:1 macro, and want to show the backgrounds, I use my sigma 20/1.8. A lot of my mushroom shots were done with it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ellarsee/5183450266/in/set-72157625225151443/ I'm also borrowing Sasha's tamron 90/2.8 which I really like. > > > thanks, > Glen > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- Larry Colen [email protected] sent from i4est -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
