Do You Have More Lenses Than Imelda Marcos Has Shoes?
Best of Pentax Forums Newsletter September 17, 2025
How Many Lenses are in all those Bags?
We had a huge response to the How Many Cameras Do You Own poll last week: 2,778 views and 256 votes so far. The most popular response was something along the lines of Holy Moly I Have Way More Cameras than I Realized!
Then Moderator Racer X 69 chimed in to say The question shouldn’t be how many cameras you own but how many lenses. Loyal Site Supporter BertieK fired back: That's probably next week's poll.
I wish you guys would stop peeking in my editorial planner!
So, yeah, this week we’re asking Just How Many Lenses Do You Own, Anyway? Do you have two-one on your camera, and one in your pocket? Or are you not entirely sure how many camera bags you have, never mind how many lenses are in them? Vote in this week’s poll, and share your thoughts in the comments!
Elsewhere in this week’s newsletter, Pentaxian jcdoss reviews the SMC Pentax-A 400mm F5.6; New Member DasFilmVonDerErde puts the Pentax SF7 / SF10 through its paces; and Pentaxian Neuse River Sailor takes a look at trove of lost Ansel Adams photos found at Stanford University.
If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter, please take a moment to join the more than 1,500 Pentaxians who have subscribed to our free curated compendium of the hundreds of great images and post shared each week in our Pentax community. Please let us know your thoughts here in the comments and on our Pentax Forums, and have a perfect Pentaxian week!
Threads of the Week:
Interesting Ansel Adams article at SFGate
September 14, 2025 • General Photography • 7 replies • 488 views
Neuse River Sailor said — "Lost California photos from Ansel Adams raise compelling questions". Not really lost, just forgotten, the article is about a series that Adams and a staff of helpers took at the Stanford University campus in 1961. Read more »
September 9, 2025 • Welcomes and Introductions • 7 replies • 284 views
Tomciom said —My name is Tomek. I live in Poland (Poznań, western Poland) and have been a loyal Pentax user since at least 2008 (first a K20, now a K3II, I also have several analog Pentax cameras). Besides taking photos (nature, landscapes, some architecture), I also passionately repair (and sometimes break) various small and large objects – I believe it's the best way to be eco-friendly. Read more »
September 11, 2025 • Pentax DSLR Discussion • 4 replies • 491 views
skid2964 said — I know where to find the fancy hard plastic, twist on body caps, but where can I find the cheap white plastic tupperware-looking caps? Read more »
Pentaxian User Reviews
Pentax Lenses
SMC Pentax-A 400mm F5.6
Reviewed by Pentaxian jcdoss
Review Date: September 15, 2025 Recommended | Price: $400.00 | Rating: 9
Pros: Build, handling, built-in hood, sharp, great color
Cons: A bit of chromatic aberration
I purchased this lens with a couple of others in a package deal about five years ago. I also have the M400 f5.6 lens, and I wanted to see if this one was any better. The two lenses are exactly the same size and weight, which isn't surprising since they're both the same focal length and maximum aperture. Both have slide out hoods which are invaluable and effective. As far as handling, both are very good, essentially equal. The lens is fairly lightweight for such a long focal length and easy to manipulate one-handed, although most of the time I'm supporting it and focusing with my left hand. The A lens is superior to the M in sharpness, color, and chroma, although there is still some in high contrast areas. It's easier to clean up with A-lens images, however, and it doesn't show up as often.
I have an online gallery of images taken with this lens here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jcdoss/albums/72177720308047398/
I use the lens with the 1.4x-L Converter-A sometimes and I feel there is little if any loss of image quality with this combo. Images taken with the converter can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jcdoss/albums/72177720313691178/
Pentax Cameras
Pentax SF7 / SF10
Reviewed by New Member DasFilmVonDerErde
Review Date: September 15, 2025 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: 8
Pros: Great Focusing screen, great viewfinder magnification for this type of camera, decent performer, good light meter
Cons: Poor eyepiece, no iso override, noisy
I kinda want to be an advocate for this camera. I think comments here are a bit harsher than they need to be. In fact, i think i have a bit of a sweetspot for this model, as i've had a few samples. First, what i like:
It has an AMAZING focusing screen. Pentax was using the so called "aspheric micro matte" focusing screens in these years, and they are super sharp, even if a bit dimmer than others. Things really do pop into focus provided that you are lucky enough to get a good sample and the eyepiece doesn't subtract too much from that (see below).
it can make use of all program modes on "A" lenses and newer.
it has a pretty reliable exposure meter, that works in a weird way by evaluating the difference in EV as you progress from the center to the edge of the frame. Sort of a blend between a centre weighted and a rudimental 2-segment metering if that makes sense
AF and focus confermation work quite well, even when they don't you can easily resort to the great clarity of the viewfinder to judge focus (in most cases at least, again, see below)
built in TTL flash
What i DON'T like:the plasticky uncoated eyepiece gives an inconsistent experience when looking though the viewfinder. It's the bottleneck of the viewfinder assembly of this camera. At least there's no diopter adjustement, so not too much clarity/brightness is lost through the viewfinder (mind you: i'm saying this even though i wear prescription glasses). On the SF-7 i ended up using the most there's a noticeable difference in viewfinder clarity when looking through in landscape vs portrait orientation for instance.
It's quite loud: it's pretty hard to go by unnoticed if you use this camera, especially given the fact that is not the smallest out there
no ISO override, dx only: to be honest i can live with that, worst case scenario you can always expose manually and compensate for what the meter is saying (the camera will assume 100 iso if DX code is absent, you can also trick the sensors with electrical tape on the cassette if you want to).
All in all i think this is a bit of an overlooked camera imo, especially given the price.
Comment of the Week:
Site Supporter Matthew on How many cameras do you own, anyway? The Best of Pentax Forums September 10 Poll: This is kind of a "how long is a piece of string?" question. So many devices have cameras on them these days. Phones, TVs, laptops, monitors, security systems, GPSs, fridges (so I'm told), VR headsets, cars (can have dozens) and bikes all include cameras before we even start on the "cameras". Then I have to consider assorted game cameras, all the old "project" cameras that just need a small repair to get them operational again, and the little pile of E-waste waiting to go to the specialist recyclers.
So I fairly quickly realised that my response to the poll was incorrect and I should have responded "I have more than 20 cameras" or "Actually, I have no idea!".
Just How Many Lenses Do You Own, Anyway?
The Best of Pentax Forums September 17 Poll
We had a huge response to the How Many Cameras Do You Own poll last week: 2,778 views and 256 votes so far. The most popular response was something along the lines of Holy Moly I Have Way More Cameras than I Realized!
Then Moderator Racer X 69 chimed in to say The question shouldn’t be how many cameras you own but how many lenses. Loyal Site Supporter BertieK fired back: That's probably next week's poll.
I wish you guys would stop peeking in my editorial planner!
So, yeah, this week we’re asking Just How Many Lenses Do You Own, Anyway? Do you have two-one on your camera, and one in your pocket? Or are you not entirely sure how many camera bags you have, never mind how many lenses are in them?
So here’s the setup: We’re only counting interchangeable lenses, so your Pentax 17s and Ricoh GRs don’t count. So get those bags open, start counting, then vote in this week’s poll, and share your thoughts in the comments!
Vote in this week’s poll, and let us know why you do what you do in the comments!
This poll closes September 23
And here are the results of last week’s poll:
Weekly Photo Challenges
Project 52-13-38: From Below, 9/14 - 9/21: This week, we’re turning the world upside down—by looking up. “From Below” challenges you to find fresh angles, whether it’s towering trees, city skyscrapers, or your dog’s chin looking unexpectedly majestic. Change your perspective, embrace a little neck strain, and most of all, have fun!
And here’s Loyal Site Supporter BertieK’s entry: K-3iii Mono DA 16-50 PLM IR 590
A Walk Down Memory Lane
The highest rating in the history of PentaxForums In-Depth Lens Reviews is the 9.4 awarded to the HD Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW. Here’s the conclusion: There is no doubt that the HD Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW lens sets a high bar for future star-series full-frame lenses. This lens is without a doubt one of the best-performing primes Pentax has ever released, and when combined with recent high-performance DSLRs such as the K-1 II, it can take photography to a whole new level. It seems that the long wait for modern premium full-frame primes has paid off. The D FA* 50mm F1.4 is a lens for people who love a 3D-pop and plasticity in their images first and foremost. While many positives can be said about how it shines in technical performance, this is not the key differentiator. It is the combined package of bokeh, rendering, micro-contrast, sharpness and flare resistance which makes this a very good lens for portraits and any type of shot in which you want to achieve subject isolation but still want to convey the characteristics of the background. If you shoot any type of portraiture, this lens is for you.
PentaxForum Front page stories Sept 10-16:
2025 K-mount 50th Anniversary Shirts Now Available
Two designs in dozens of styles & colors
By PF Staff in Giveaways and Events on Sep 14, 2025
The wait is over: our new K-mount 50th anniversary shirt designs are here, celebrating half a century of Pentax's iconic SLR lens mount!
Thanks to the creativity of our members peterfreeth and morphost, two special edition designs are available now in a variety of colors and styles, incluing T-shirts, long sleeve, hoodies, womens' shirts, and mugs.
Looking for more? Dozens of prior years' designs and other Pentax-themed apparel can still be found in the Pentax Forums Shirt Store.
Browse all available shirts & styles on our Teespring page
Due to increased base printing costs, for the enjoyment of the community we have priced these designs with minimal markup. If you would like to support the forum, please consider making a donation. Thank you!