Pentax 110 70mm on m4/3

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squirrel$$$bandit

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Got the jinfinance 110 adapter today...forgive me, GetDPI people, this is a rerun post from over there. But I thought people here would be interested too. This is quite a nice portrait lens, rather soft in the corners, but very sharp in the center. And it feels good to use. Wide open only, of course, but I will try to rig something up.

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Very nice. The quality of the OOF portions of your images are quite smooth. Notice how I craftily avoided use of the contraversial "B" word. Hope to see more soon.

~Joe
 
Well, ya gotta call it something! "Bokeh" is the new "eBay," we will have to start euphemizing it. "Dorkeh," anyone?

I agree, it is indeed quite smooth.
 
I like the photos, and I like the fact that a nice Pentax lens that might not otherwise see much use is once again worth using. It is a bit of a pity about having to shoot wide-open. I don't mind manual focus, and stopping down to meter manually doesn't fash me, but only being able to shoot wide-open is a tiny bit limiting unless you have something specific in mind.

Tell me how easy/difficult you found it to focus manually with this combination? That's something I really worry about, since so far I haven't been thrilled with manual focusing on an EVF...
 
You could rig an aperture in a filter ring. I've done that before.

I have the 18, 25 (24? I forget), and 50 for the Pentax 110.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
You could rig an aperture in a filter ring. I've done that before.

I have the 18, 25 (24? I forget), and 50 for the Pentax 110.
Click to expand...

I'll defer to your experience, but does that really work, to put the aperture in front of the front element? And focus/composition, ugh. I'd almost prefer the thought voiced in another thread about a revival of the old waterhouse stops. Still, that doesn't seem too appealing either with so many other choices available.
 
This adapter would ideally have an adjustable diaphragm ring. The lenses were made to perform well with a body-mounted diaphragm anyway. Of course the f/stop relating to a particular opening size would be different with different lenses, but at least one would have some control, and the cameras do meter TTL ...

Very nice pics, mabelsound, and an adventurous exploit too!
 
Regardless of any aperture restrictions, these are really, really tasty photos. I knew I should have bought the Pentax 110 when it was cheap... ;)
 
Well, for the other large 110 lens I found, the 20-40 zoom, I epoxied an M mount onto it and punched a hole in the rear cap for use as a rough and ready aperture:

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It shouldn't be too hard to make some cardboard aperture discs to slip into the back of the m4/3 adapter, either...I don't really want to permanently mod the 70 this way so I will give the former a try. (as for the zoom, I haven't been out and about with it yet...maybe tomorrow. I suspect it won't be as nice as the 70, but a 20-40 aspherical zoom with constant f/2.8 can't be a total slouch.)

bmattock, I've gotten pretty used to focusing manual lenses on the LCD, especially now that the GF1 firmware allows for one-button magnification. Ultimately I am awaiting the first RF-styled m4/3 body with an EVF, then I'll be in hog heaven. But for now I don't have too much trouble with the GF1's screen. Direct sun is a killer but you can usually manage. And with my M8 at Leica, the GF1 is my winter experimental fun digicam de jour.
 
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bmattock said:
I like the photos, and I like the fact that a nice Pentax lens that might not otherwise see much use is once again worth using.
Click to expand...

That's my feeling--in a way this is kind of a worthless exercise, as I have better lenses that are easier to use. But every combo gives you different and unexpected opportunities, and one of the things I like about m4/3 is this ability to reverse obsolescence. Hell--I could now stick that 20-40 zoom on my M7. Has that ever happened before, like, ever?!?
 
I'm looking at this adapter, and think it would not be hard to put a manual aperture in it. I've done a front-mounted aperture on a Single-Element lens before. I've seen apertures for loupes and microscopes (control light coming in) and what not that would work.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
I'm looking at this adapter, and think it would not be hard to put a manual aperture in it. I've done a front-mounted aperture on a Single-Element lens before. I've seen apertures for loupes and microscopes (control light coming in) and what not that would work.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that would work--f-stops wouldn't even be necessary, just a lever of some kind to open and close the aperture.
 
Slightly OT...

The size of a 110 film frame is the same as the imaging area of a 4/3 sensor, 13x17mm. Wouldn't it be cool if pentax made a digital version of the auto 110 with that sensor? The electronics should be possible to fit in such a package, but maybe not a big enough battery. I'm all for smaller cameras, hate the trend of big cameras = pro (and with an extra battery grip to make them even bigger/more pro).
 
That would be cool, but it's hard to see it ever happening. They did just announce a fixed-lens point and shoot that superficially resembles the 110, though...
 
I just got a Pentax 110 with the tiny 25mm lens, the power winder/grip and the flash for a whopping $10 at a flea market last week :)

If only those adapters are not so pricy, at almost 50 bucks, I'd expect at least a set of water-stop aperture discs :)
 
Have you had any problem with the light leak he mentions in his ad? I'd really like to try this adapter, since I have all the Pentax 110 lenses except the pan focus 18mm and the 20-40 zoom...
 
Latching problems?

Latching problems?

I have the Pentax-to-m4/3 adapter from RainbowImaging, and mine does not quite latch onto the Pentax lenses. Has anyone else had this problem?

Tom
 
The images look cool. I like them.
I have the Pentax 110 with two lenses.
One of those may be a 50/2.8 and the other lens maybe is a 32mm (?)lens.
 
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