Pentax 645 400/5.6 questions

[roland_vink]

Hello, I'm considering the 400/5.6 EDIF lens for my Pentax 645n. I've

never seen or handled a real live lens, otherwise I might have

answered some questions myself.

 

From pictures I've seen of the lens, the tripod mount seems rather

small for a lens of this size with a 645 camera attached. How firm is

the tripod mount?

 

How well does the lens handle in manual focus mode? Some AF lenses

are over twitchy near infinity because the focus scale is very

compressed, how does the 400/5.6 compare?

 

I would also like a lens of this size for my Nikon 35mm kit. I know

that metering is stop-down only, but that's not a problem because I

will usually shoot wide open f5.6 or f8 anyway. Has anyone used this

lens with an adaptor for 35mm cameras? How well does the quality hold

up to a 400/5.6 lens designed for 35mm cameras?

 

Thanks!

[peter_weimann1]

Hi Roland,

the lens is very sharp, autofocus is dead on and responsive (with NII), very light weight. I do not use the tripod collar. I fix the camera on the tripod and attach the lens to it. This looks ugly and unprofessional but works for all shutter speeds. Not so with the lens mounted to the tripod. Then there are limitations in shutter speeds due to vibration. Look here for results: http://www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/mypics/31851

The action shots with the fighting knights are taken with the 400, NII and tripod. Manual focus is quite good for an AF lens and you can manage to get correct focus with your 35mm camera attached. This lens is every bit as good as a lens for 35mm.

Hope this helps.

Peter