[OzzRod]

Welcome everyone to this month’s Single Challenge.

Aim of the Game:To use the same lens each day for a month, posting one picture captured each day with that lens. The picture must be captured with a Pentax lens coupled to a camera body of your choice (including Pentax/Ricoh), or a non-Pentax lens provided it is coupled only to a Pentax or Ricoh body. (Taking other pictures with other cameras/lenses is fine, but these won’t be eligible for this Challenge).

Commenting: Posting your pictures allows other participants to comment on them. Conversely, it’s hoped that you will comment on those of other members. Please don’t be shy if you don’t have much photographic experience or are a Forum newbie - your personal reactions to photographs are as valid as anyone else’s. It’s a very friendly group and with regular commenting, you’ll soon be enjoying the camaraderie.

The rewards: It’s great fun. You’ll learn heaps about how your chosen lens can perform and you’ll see what other members achieve with their selected lenses - sometimes the same one you’ve chosen. In the comment banter you’ll pick up many tips on photographic technique generally, including post processing. As the month progresses it often becomes quite demanding (it’s a challenge, remember) but you’ll always be encouraged by other participants. Worried about LBA? - this game doesn’t help you fight it!

How to participate:

1. First you need to join the Group to be able to post pictures; you only have to do this once. The group’s name is “Monthly Photo Challenges”. You’ll find a clickable link on that forum page to join.

2. You’ll need to have your pictures stored in an on-line album. This could be the Pentax Forum, or others such as Flickr, Picassa etc. You actually post a link to the picture in your album into the daily picture thread.

** If you are linking to a Pentax Forum album, you’ll find advice on how to post elsewhere in the Forum and in the FAQs below. One of the Challenge’s stalwarts, patjp, has also prepared a short YouTube video on how to do this (

You Tube

You Tube

)

** If you are posting a link to Flickr, just click on the sharing icon beside your selected picture and a window will open displaying the BB code. Copy it and paste into the Single in (month) Challenge picture thread in the Pentax Forum.

Each day, you’ll see a new thread of pictures grow and by clicking on each you should be redirected to the photographer’s parent album where you will be able to add a comment and read those of others. When you post each day’s picture to the Pentax Forum, please specify the camera/lens combination underneath your picture eg K5 & DA15 Ltd - this makes it easy for others to note what combo you’re using.

The thread you’re painstakingly reading now is the Discussion Thread for Game > Single in (month).
This is separate to the picture posting thread referred to above and you’ll probably want to subscribe to the Discussion one to keep up with activities and develop a rapport with Challenge members. It’s the place where you can ask questions, offer advice, share concerns, suggest improvements, and often just participate in general banter related to this month’s challenge.

So there it is. It is easier than it might seem at first. If you miss a day, don’t worry. If you have any problems, please ask. We’re a very friendly, forgiving, international bunch. Come and try!

FAQs: Finally, Zorglub has kindly posted a FAQ collection here.

[Sandy Hancock]

By popular demand, I'll certainly be giving my newly acquired FA*24 a workout for December, but I am considering doing a Double in December, and posting another photo per day with the K135/2.5
My first impressions with the latter have not been positive, but I should give it a decent whirl (probably on the K-01) before I start looking for an A*135 to replace it

[severalsnakes]

I'm in, and I feel like I've got to use one of my new m42 55s. Which shall it be? Auto Rikenon 55/1.4? Auto Sears 55/1.4? SMC Takumar 55/1.8? ... Whichever it is, I know it's gonna take beautiful pictures of my Christmas tree. :-P

[Duh_Vinci]

I thank you all very much for carrying on this challenge and sharing the photography from your parts of the world! It certainly has a way of re-igniting the spark and allowing one to learn much about that "one lens"!

I can't commit to one lens for the month of December, as I have to show some love to my m43 natives and I must admit, I miss dearly using the Lensbaby! I will looking through your albums for certain!

Regards,
D

[mtux]

My mother in law is going to visit us during December. and well I need to choose a lens for walk-around and you'll probably have a virtual tour around KL and some other parts of Malaysia as she's gonna have the actual tour.
Nominated lenses will be Tamron 17-50 (My most used lens, having the most used range of focal length, but already had two single ins so far) DA18-135 (had one single in last Nov) silver DA35ltd (Will shine on my coming silver K-3) and last but not least DA21ltd (Used it just two month ago, and proved to be a great walk-around lens for traveling around the city)

But who will be selected!?
I'm leaning for Tamron for having zoom along with pretty good IQ, or DA35ltd for well, being silver. LOL.

Decision!?!?!

[Sandy Hancock]

Decision!?!?!

You know you're gonna wanna take some macros....

[mtux]

You know you're gonna wanna take some macros....

Oh! I can't use the Raynox on Tamron 17-50, and it's close focusing is poor! :|

---------- Post added 11-25-14 at 04:36 PM ----------

But hey, that could be a good way to cure my macro bug. and back by January with a fresh passion for macro. LOL

[Tsuken]

I'm in. Natch.

I dunno, maybe I'm lazy and want some autofocus for a change - which means only one lens: my Sigma 30/1.4 again. I also want to experiment with using the AF lock button for focus. Which means autofocus lens; which means Siggy.

So at this point I'm thinking it might well be my Sigma mess o' letters 1:1.4/30mm

[edgedemon]

I might give this a go, I have my first FA lens on its way to me (courtesy of grahame on here), so if it arrives in time I will want to spend a month getting to know my FA 28mm F2.8...

[OzzRod]

I'll be back for December but I haven't decided between my FA77 or K50/1.2 and I'm keen to give my Raynox DCR-150 a good workout too. Like Tsuken, having a month with auto-focus does have a lot of appeal.

..... I also want to experiment with using the AF lock button for focus......

I think you'll be impressed. My rate of sharps increased significantly when I started using this method.

---------- Post added 25-11-14 at 10:54 PM ----------

I might give this a go, I have my first FA lens on its way to me (courtesy of grahame on here), so if it arrives in time I will want to spend a month getting to know my FA 28mm F2.8...

Whoohoo! Do join in!

[photolady95]

I'm not sure about December after having to quit in November. I have an A 28mm 2.8 I've never used. Perhaps that would be the one if I can join. December will be busy for me, with 7 birthdays, and Christmas. I'll let you know for sure after I get my car fixed.

[blackcloudbrew]

I will continue to monitoring the single in challenges and comment as I have time. I'm still out. I do find my mind drifting back to the joys and pains of these threads and am considering a 365 for next year all with the Q7. And if the truth be known, in spite of my best efforts to reduce my lens collection, I've succumb to LBA once again and again and again. I have an HD DA 55-300 now, 3 new 6x7 lenses (a 120 soft lens, a 165 LS lens, and in the mail is a 55 f4 lens), I've added the 06 for my Q system and have an 08 in my to by list for next year. Oh, and I've gotten a Heilos 44-2 M42 beast as well, and er...an FA 28-105 (silver) lens. What is wrong with me? So...I may be on my way back to this wonderful group come January.

Who knows? It may be time to give the Single in Film Challenge another go as well.

[g026r]

I'm in for December. Due to the sort of weather we get here, I'm going to stick with something auto-focusing and weather-sealed. That pretty much means either the 18-55 or the 18-135. Neither are a particularly loved lens for me, but I figure I'll go with the 18-55 as the 18-135 feels like too much range.

A kit lens month then. Hopefully I'll actually finish it.

[severalsnakes]

But who will be selected!?

I want to see the DA 35! If you're taking a poll. :-)

I might give this a go, I have my first FA lens on its way to me (courtesy of grahame on here), so if it arrives in time I will want to spend a month getting to know my FA 28mm F2.8...

The Single In... challenge is a GREAT way to get to know a lens. I'm going to end up doing ALL of mine... so I need to stop buying lenses or I'm never going to get ahead. :-o

So...I may be on my way back to this wonderful group come January.

Who knows? It may be time to give the Single in Film Challenge another go as well.

Sounds like some Single In challenges will be good for you to get to know your new lenses, too. ;-) And so many months spoken for! :-D

A kit lens month then. Hopefully I'll actually finish it.

Sounds like a real, true challenge. You can do it!

[blackcloudbrew]

The Single In... challenge is a GREAT way to get to know a lens. I'm going to end up doing ALL of mine... so I need to stop buying lenses or I'm never going to get ahead. :-o

LBA is a harsh mistress.