Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!daemon From: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Newsgroups: net.rec.photo Subject: Wide angle zooms Message-ID: <3460@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Wed, 5-Oct-83 14:51:53 EDT Article-I.D.: decwrl.3460 Posted: Wed Oct 5 14:51:53 1983 Date-Received: Fri, 7-Oct-83 04:34:44 EDT Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: DEC Western Research Lab, Los Altos, CA Lines: 53 From: Ed Featherston HL01-1/P06 225-5241 Begin Forwarded Message: ------------------------------------------- Newsgroup : net.rec.photo >From : TURTLE::BENNISON Organization : Digital Equipment Corp. Subject: Wide angle zooms I bought a KIRON 28-85 f2.8/4.0 sight unseen from a New York mail order store. I bought it because it seemed to fare better than its competition in a Popular Photography (or was it Modern Photography?) test of most available wide angle zooms (a year or two ago). I like it a whole lot! The movement on it is very smooth, it looks sharp on my NIKON FG, and I can't find anything to complain about in the optics (I'm a rank amateur of course). It is vari-focal, but even on my uni-focal telephoto zoom I always refocus after zooming anyway (can't seem to pull that ring in a straight line), so it doesn't make any difference to me. In contrast, I'm not too fond of my Vivitar Series-1 70-210. Its movement is coarse and tinny compared to the KIRON, and its appearance is a little plastic. Optically it's fine, or I'd get rid of it. Nice thing about the KIRON, (and I think the VIVITAR 28-80 also), is that it has a lip at the business end that keeps my lens-keeper elastic from falling off. On my trip to England last Spring, the KIRON was about the only thing I used. I put on the telephoto for zoo's and some beach scenes, but that's about all, and I never touched the standard lens. Got some great shots. One word of caution though. I was using a filter system, one of the one- size-almost-fits-all-lenses types with the square plastic holders. Mostly I had a polarizer in it (great effect). But on the wider angle shots, I got vignetting due to the holder getting into the four corners of the scene. I could not see it through the finder, as the finder only shows 93% of the picture. I'm getting a custom polarizer for the wide angle zoom, it's worth the money. One last tip while I've got your attention. As my camera was new, I shot a couple of practice rolls before I left for my trip. Every nice day I would go out and shoot some. Well, when you're traveling, you can't wait for a nice day, you shoot in whatever weather mother nature provides. And overcast days are trickier then clear days, believe me. My FG, on automatic, was fooled into a few bad shots that I could have compensated for if I had realized there was a problem. - Vick Bennison Mail address : ...decvax!decwrl!rhea!turtle!bennison ------------------------------------------- End Forwarded Message