Pentax:

My full Pentax kit currently consists of 4 cameras and 19 lenses:

  • Pentax K-70 (24MP APS-C)

  • Pentax K-S1 (20MP APS-C)

  • Pentax K-3 (24MP APS-C)

  • Pentax SF1n (35mm film)

  • HD Pentax DA 15mm f/4 Ltd

  • SMC Pentax DA 16-45mm f/4 Zoom

  • SMC Pentax DA 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom

  • SMC Pentax DA 21mm f/3.2 Ltd

  • Takumar A 28-80mm f/3.5-4.5 Zoom

  • SMC Pentax FA 35mm f/2

  • Sigma EX DG 50mm f/2.8 Macro

  • SMC Pentax F 50mm f/1.7

  • SMC Takumar 55mm f/1.8 (M42)

  • Helios-44-2 58mm f/2 Pre-Set (M42)

  • Vivitar 85mm f/1.8 Pre-Set (T2)

  • Rokinon 85mm f/1.4

  • Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 Macro (Canon FD)

  • SMC Pentax M 135mm f/3.5

  • Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 Close Focus (M42)

  • SMC Pentax M 200mm f/4

  • SMC Pentax FA* 200mm f/2.8

  • SMC Pentax F* 300mm f/4.5

  • Kalimar 500mm f/8 Pre-Set (T2)

This kit is basically complete: it allows me to do any kind of photography that I'm interested in, so I don't really need anything else. Of course there are items that I'd like to add to this kit, but none them are a high priority. I also have three other Pentax 35mm bodies that may eventually be added to this list.

Of these 19 lenses, 15 have full frame coverage, and 9 are autofocus lenses. Only 9 of these lenses have been purchased since I bought my first digital camera, so 10 of the lenses (including 2 of the autofocus lenses) date back to the film era and are at least 25 years old. Most of these lenses were purchased new: only 9 were purchased used.

Mamiya:

I have a Mamiya C330 Professional f 6x6 TLR with two lenses, but I haven’t yet checked it out to see if it’s still usable.

Canon:

I have three Canon FD 35mm bodies (two AE-1’s and a T90) and 10 FD mount lenses, but I don’t know if any of the bodies still function. My original AE-1 holds the record for longest continuous use: I used it for nearly 16 years (and it only had to be sent in for service once). Canon was my first big system, but after Canon made all of my FD system obsolete by introducing the totally incompatible EOS autofocus system, I switched over to Pentax (a decision that I’ve never regretted).

Polaroid:

I own three Polaroid cameras. Two of these, the Swinger Model 20 and the Big Swinger 3000, I used as a kid long before I took a serious interest in photography. Later on I added the superb SX-70. All three of these instant cameras, however, were used only sparingly due to the high cost of the film packs. I don’t know if any of these cameras are still functional (and I doubt that anyone makes film for the Swinger models).

Cell Phone:

  • Samsung Galaxy A32 5G (48MP cell phone)

Software:

All of my photo editing is done with Adobe Photoshop CS2; cataloging is done with ACDSee Photo Studio Home 2020.

Favorite Lens

My favorite lens is, without a doubt, the SMC Pentax F* 300mm f/4.5. It's considered a legendary lens among Pentax shooters, and it’s been my favorite lens ever since I purchased it in 1988. It's by far the finest lens I have ever used. The Pentax 300mm is also possibly my most used lens.

Given its age, I suppose there are modern lenses that match or exceed its image quality… but frankly, the Pentax 300mm is so good I find it hard to imagine how a lens could actually be better! The only problem with the lens is that switching from autofocus to manual focus is a bit awkward; many modern autofocus lenses do this much more smoothly.

Standard Shooting Set

My standard shooting set consists of four lenses: the 21mm f/3.2, the 35mm f/2, the 85mm f/1.4, and the 300mm f/4.5. This is what I take when I'm heading out to shoot with no particular subject in mind. If I want to travel a little lighter, and I don't think that I'll need the reach of the 300mm, then I'll replace it with the smaller 200mm f/4.

I originally had the 135mm f/3.5 listed rather than the 85mm f/1.4. But I realized that I hardly ever use the 135mm, while I love using the 85mm even though it’s a big, heavy lens. I don’t hate the 135mm or anything, and it would seem to fill the gap between 35mm and 300mm better than the 85mm, but the numbers don’t lie: I’ve taken many fine pictures with the 85mm, and almost none with the 135mm.

Just One Lens

If I need to travel extremely light – taking just one lens – I will usually select the 18-135mm zoom. Its 7.5x zoom range offers tremendous versatility with reasonable image quality. It's also my choice for shooting in inclement weather, as it is the only lens I own that is weather sealed.

However, I also enjoy going out with just a single prime lens, anything from the 15mm to the 500mm, to see what pictures I can get with just that one lens. It's a good way to learn the advantages and disadvantages of each lens… and it's also an interesting challenge.

Videos

Here are a selection of videos from YouTube featuring some of the equipment I have used, both past and present.

My current cameras:
Pentax K-70 Hands-On Field Test (10 Sep 2016)
Pentax K-S1 Camera Review (2 Dec 2014)
Pentax K-3 hands-On Field Test (5 Nov 2013)

A zone-focusing 35mm compact that I used a lot for street photography:
Konica C35 V Overview (9 Nov 2015)

A rangefinder 35mm compact:
Canon Canonet QL17 G-III (21 Jan 2016)

My first 35mm SLR:
Zenit-E & Helios 44 Overview (4 May 2016)

The oldest lens I own:
Weird Lens Review: Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 (25 Feb 2016)

The Gear Gallery

Images of some of my gear, including items that are no longer used or that are non-functional.