You will find better images and technical data on Boz's website. This is only an overview over my own equipment and some personal notes.
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The Pentax Espio 928 was my first own camera and also my entry into the world of Pentax. The 928 wasn't a cheap camera, but I wanted one with a wide angle lens. At that time point&shoot cameras with long zoom lenses were in fashion, so Pentax stuck out of the mainstream with its Espio 928. I have never regretted this choice. The 928 has a superb picture quality and is known as one of the best cameras of its class, even today. Pentax still offers wide angle p&s cameras: the Espio 24EW has a 24mm zoom lens. This is a tremendous focal range for such a tiny camera, but such achievements are hardly noticed in our digital times. |
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My first autofocus SLR was the MZ-5n. I went into a camera shop and compared the modells of Canon, Minolta, Nikon und Pentax. Again Pentax stuck out of the mainstream: most cameras had a large LCD and extensive menues to control the camera with lots of buttons. The MZ-5n has classical wheels and levers, in contrast. And it was much smaller than the competition. Those stylish cameras seemed like frauds to me whereas the MZ-5n gave me the impression of a real tool. And this impression was true: the MZ-5n is focussed on function: you can control the camera in every situation, even in the dark, as you can feel how the wheels and levers are set.
Beside its ergonomics the MZ-5n is very well built, although it is - like all cameras in this class - made of plastics. On the image you can see the MZ-5n with the SMC-FA 43/1.9 Limited - a nice, compact kit. |
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Première: The *istD is the first DSLR of Pentax and at the same moment my first DSLR. It is available since September 2003 and competes with the Canon 10D, Nikon D100 and Fuji S2Pro in the class of semi-professional DSLRs. The advantages of the *istD:
It continues the Pentax philosophy of compact SLRs consistently and is much smaller than its competitors. As usual in this class it has a resolution of 6 millions pixels (only the S2Pro has more) and a format factor of 1.5. Beside its compactness it has some more advantages compared with its competitors: a bigger and bright viewfinder, a flash system which still supports older TTL flashes beside the modern P-TTL with preflash. (as far as I know, only Fuji's DSLRs are capable of TTL, too) as well as the use of commercial mignon batteries instead of expensive, proprietary LiIon-technology. The *istD has a stainless steel chassis which is covered with high-quality, carbon-reinforced plastics. It feels very solid in your hand and you'll never get the impression of a cheap plastic camera. The *istD renounces like the MZ-5n flourish and technical gadgetry - it is focussed on function. There are no motive programs, but a program mode exists, so that even beginners can achieve very good results. In addition, ambitious photographers will find shutter and aperture priority as well as a manual mode. The camera can be controlled very ergonomically due to Pentax "hyper program": if you adjust the aperture with the thumb wheel, then the *istD will set the correct time automatically. If you set the time with the forefinger wheel, the correct aperture is automatically selected. If you want to go back to the time/aperture-combination that the *istD had suggested, then simply press the "green button". Another ergonomic plus: the depth-of-field-preview can be accessed by a small lever at the shutter release. Pentax takes its customers seriously. This is shown by the firmware update 1.1: Actually the light meter of the *istD does not work if you use older lenses without an "A" on the aperture ring, as the *istD lacks the mechanism to recognize the aperture mechanically. However, with the firmware update Pentax implemented a stopped-down metering. Just press the green button and the lens will be stopped down, the camera will take its measurement and set the correct exposure time. With this wonderful trick you can use even the old M42 objectives from the fifties with a modern DSLR. So the *istD has the biggest backwards-compatibility of all DSLRs. On the picture you see the *istD with the SMC FA 35/2.0. A beautiful, very compact combination - various Point&Shoot-Digicams are bigger. The 35mm lens harmonizes very well with *istD and gives a great normal lens. |
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The battery grip D-BG1 for the *istD takes four additional AA batteries. Using rechargeble batteries you might get problems with the energy measurement. The camera indicates "empty", although the batteries still have power. This effect depends on the batteries you use. With CR-V3 batteries there is no problem at all. Using the CR-V3 batteries that came with the camera and an additional kit of rechargebles in the grip I was able to take about 3200 (!) pictures - no reason to complain, I think. However - I prefer to put batteries into the grip, only. I see the real sense of the grip in the fact that you can hold the camera firmly and have additional controls if you use it upright. |
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With grip and flash attached the nice little DSLR suddenly becomes an impressive looking tool... |
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The SMC-M 50/1.7 is a superb, classic lens. You can get it used quite cheap. But you get a lot: the lens is sharp and fast. You can use SMC-M-lenses only manually (without AF and program mode). I bought the lens in my Pentax LX era. But due to the backwards compatibility of the * istD I can still use it today. |
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Another relic from my Pentax LX time: the SMC-M 100/2.8. A very nice portrait lens: good image performance and very compactl Like all SMC-M-lenses it is made from metal and has a more solid built quality than modern lenses. The still older SMC-K 105/2.8 is told to be even sharper, but I could not confirm this in own tests. Besides, sharpness is not crucial for a portrait lens... |
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After introducing my oldest lenses we get now to the newest one: The smc-DA 14/2.8. The smc-DA-lenses are calculated especially for DSLRs with a crop factor of 1.5, i.e. the image circle is smaller, so that image corners will not be illuminated when the lens is used with a 35mm camera. The lens is very sharp for this extreme angle of view. However, with open aperture physics becomes apparent by blurred image corners and vignetting. Stopping down the lens to 4.0 will reduce theese effects. The distortion is wavelike - comparable to the distortion of the 14 mm lens of Nikon for example. The engineers have to pull out all the stops at this extreme focal length to correct chromatic and geometry errors. The Pentax engineers were very successfull in their efforts. Particularly if one considers the price: the Pentax costs about 800 Euros. A comparable Canon or Nikon lens will cost about 2000 Euros (but you will get a full format lens for that price).
The 14/2.8 smc-DA is made from metal and is built very well. It is a pure fun to work with it. It already has the new Quick-Shift-Focus-System with which you can focus manually at any time without having to switch off the autofocus at the camera. Thanks to the wide, well usable focus ring this works very well. |
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Prime lenses have not only a better optical quality than zoom lenses, they are also a basic prerequisite in order to learn pictorial thinking: If you have to change your position in order to choose the motive instead of simply turnig the zoom ring, then you will compose your image in a completely different way.
The SMC-FA 35/2.0 is a very beautiful normal lens (not much time ago one would have called it a wide angle lens): It is compact, fast and quite cheap. The optical quality is also very good - a real inside tip... |
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Only a little bit wider than the SMC-FA 35/2.0 is the SMC-FA 31/1.8 Limited. The limited lenses of Pentax seem to be relics from the good old time: Only metal and glass, massively and perfectly built. However, they are far from relics: the 31 is produced since 2001. It is the biggest and heaviest of the three limited lenses. The optical quality of the limited lenses is very good - the sharpness is very good wide open and will be perfect if stopped down one aperture. The distortion is low and the Bokeh very beautiful. |
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In 1997 Pentax presented the first limited lens: the SMC-FA 43/1.9 Limited. It is most compact of the three lenses, tack-sharp and makes the *istD to an inconspicuous camera for available light photography - e.g. in theatres. |
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One of my favourite lenses is the SMC-FA 77/1.8 Limited. It combines the optical qualities of the Limited lenses with the focal length of a portrait lens - at MZ-5n at the lower end of the focal range of a portrait lens, at the *istD at the upper end (i.e. 115mm).
The 77 was presented by Pentax in 1999. |
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The SMC-FA* 300/4.5 is another of my favorite lenses. The focal length is optimal for wildlife photography and can be used with the *istD without tripod - although it has an angle of view like a 450mm lens. The lens has a very good image quality and a beautiful Bokeh - optimal for wide open use. The star in FA* marks the professional line of high-quality Pentax lenses. They are made from metal and have a mechanism which allows manual focusing without having to switch off the autofocus at the camera. |
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On the Photokina 2000 Pentax presented the MZ-S with a digital sibling, the MZ-D. In addition, the SMC- FA 24-90/3.5-4.5 was presented. I use this lens with my *istD most of the time, because it works very well with the *istD (in contrast to other zoom lenses with this focal range). The optical quality is astonishingly good for a zoom and the focal range is very versatile. |
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As tele-zoom I use a SMC-F 70-210/4-5.6. This lens is a little bit older and you can buy it used quite cheap. However, it is astonishingly good and belongs to the sharpest lenses in this focal range - another inside tip... |
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I had bought the AF500FTZ for my MZ-5n. It does not support the actual P-TTL functions that e.g. make possible high speed synchronization and wireless flash control. But with its guide number of 50 (with 85mm and ISO 100) it is the most powerful flash of Pentax. And thanks to the TTL sensor in the *istD it can be used as a usual TTL flash. |
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As a digital backup camera I have decided for the Pentax Optio 43WR. This small box offers 4 megapixel in a good quality and has a big advantage: It is waterproof and is protected by rubber corners. Certainly, one should not use it for diving or snorkeling, but it will resist a short drop into water and you will need no bag to protect it. Ideal to go where it is too dirty or dangerous for my *istD... |
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Olympus |
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| Beside my Pentax gear I still have my Olympus OM-1 with some accessories. This outstanding small camera works manually and is extremely reliable. Maybe I'll write something about it, if I can find some more time... | |
| © Dr. Heiko Hamann |