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[OM] Re: Olympus announces new lens, list member continues to toss coins

Subject: [OM] Re: Olympus announces new lens, list member continues to toss coins in jar . . .
From: Larry <halpert@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:18:07 -0400
Moose wrote:
> This blanket statement is really inaccurate - and unfair to Oly, at 
> least (Larry?).
>
>
>   
>> My biggest concern is that lens designers no longer feel it necessary to try 
>> to eliminate things like vignetting and barrel and pincushion distortion, as 
>> it can be "eliminated" by software.
>>
>>     
> Moose
>   
As far as the Pentax goes, you've seen a bunch of my photos with it as 
I've used the 18-55mm kit lens extensively and like it, especially its 
ability to continue to focus down to 1:2.9 for macro, and its quick 
adjust focus clutch with real distance marked focus ring where you can 
refocus while still set to autofocus if needed. There is a bit of 
vignetting at the widest aperture at 18mm, and the lens is only 75 
bucks, but Photozone just reviewed it and a few comments were:

"Kit zooms tend to be pretty crappy beings but Pentax has actually done 
a comparatively good job here. Naturally the outer construction is based 
on lots of plastics but its quality is quite fine with relatively tight 
gap tolerances and there's even a metal mount.

The Pentax SMC DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL is a surprisingly good kit zoom...

Lateral chromatic aberrations (color shadows at harsh contrast 
transitions) surprisingly well controlled with an average pixel width 
around 1px at the image borders at 18mm and less so beyond. Very few 
standard zooms show such a moderate CA characteristic.

The build quality is good for a kit zoom and a level up from the rest of 
the gang such as the Canon EF 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 or Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm 
f/3.5-5.6 ED. All-in-all a good offer from a price/value perspective but 
naturally there're better lenses out there ... with a much higher price 
tag."

The new Oly seems to be getting good reactions, though I have no 
experience with it.

Pop photo liked both but seems to like everything, and bigger 
advertisers are liked a bit more.

Larry



>   



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