In a message dated 11/20/02 12:04:00 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << Well, I've bought a ZX-5N (not arrived yet).
It was recommended to me that I try a prime Pentax lens, 50mm, instead of my off-brand (and not so off-brand) zooms. Try it for more picture clarity and also try it for the discipline of shooting with just a 50mm. I took that to heart and bid on a 50mm 1.4 on ebay. And got out bid. To cut a long story short -- I bid on and got outbid on several 50mm 1.4, M or A (because everyone raved about it at Stan's) And when that wasn't working I switched to bidding on 50mm 1.7, M or A. I lost count on how many I got outbid on. Because I had just bought the new (used) camera, I wanted to keep my expenses down. I finally ended up paying $20 for a Pentax 50mm f2 (M). The only review I could find at Stan's was for a 50mm f2 (A). I hoped the two were very similiar. But, I mean, it was cheap. Is this a good enough 50mm prime for now? For me to see if I see a difference in picture sharpness? (I plan to shoot several subjects with my Alibnar zoom at 50mm and the new 50mm at the same aperture and shutter speed). Also, to try out discipline? My zooms only go as low as 3.5 (or as high as, still confused about that) now. So f2 is still an improvement. Or did I get a bad lens? I won't hate you if you tell me it is -- no big loss, it was cheap. Doe aka Marnie :-) >> Marnie the 50/2 is a fine lens, certainly better than the Albinar. You should see improved results. However, if your pictures are not as sharp as others in the class, I suspect it has more to do with technique than your lens and certainly, your camera. You can get just as sharp an image with the K1000 as you can with a top-of-the-line Nikon, Canon or Pentax. Other points to consider, 1) Are you using a tripod for most, if not every shot. 2) Are you maximizing the lens by shooting at or around F8 as opposed to using the lens wide open F2, F4 .... 3) Are you using a fine grain film ASA 50, 100, 200. If you are using ASA400 or more, chances are this will help to soften the image. There are other reasons but these are probably the top three in order of importance. The use of a tripod is number one far ahead of importance than the second two... Vic
