The M Club!

[fearview]

@all



all of you guys living in the beautiful country

*jealous*

[jsherman999]

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Great, great shots all!!

Jandon, that M 50 f/2 never gets the respect it deserves - your shots show how sharp it really is, good job.

TG - the shots in the park with the 28 & 35 are very good, they really show off your spring in beautiful colors/contrast. The gazebo shot especially. What lens took which shot in that series, I especially want to know the last one - my favorite in your 28/35 group, the purple tree just pops.

The shots with the 150 are really getting good - looks like you're used to that focal length again and are getting some eye catching stuff out of it. I really like the lightpost for some reason.

nanok - what can I say - those are art (or something close to it

TaoMass, it's great to see the 100 macro, a lens I covet, represented so well here, thanks.

Pentagor, goken, Ann, keep 'em comin' like that, you guys are showing some inspirational stuff.


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[AML]

Went to a heritage cemetery today. Sadly it's overgrown and neglected in many parts, but it's an interesting place to visit. Once again i used the 50/1.7

There is very little colour among the overgrowth, so when you see flowers they really stand out.

[lithos]

50 f1.4, wide open.

[nanok]

fearview: not true, just go out and shoot, i am sure you can swipe us off our feat (unless you already did, there have been so many great pictures by so many people here, i am losing track). i bet jakarta makes most of the poeple here drool and shiver with excitement at the photo opportunities. i noticed that if one gets too used to a place, you tend to take everything for granted, and not see the things which can be shot, because you are so used to (and maybe fed up with) them.

jsherman: very nice of you to say, but i dissagree. look around. you make a thread about old beaten up manual lenses (and often really cheap to buy, too), and you get loads of inspiring pictures in response. that makes me think that, maybe, just maybe, the legendary qualityes of the pentax glass have a lot to do with the photographers which tend to use that glass, and what they manage to achieve

the_guy_with_the_85mm(will edit in the name in a minute: edit: hah! it's jsherman himself. HOW DARE YOU! ): i hate you. i always wanted a fast 80-ish mm, ever since i started to take photos with an slr, it has been my dream lens. now i got an smc-m 50/1.4 and i was extatic "wow, i never dreamed of something 80-ish, that fast and that cheap". and now you make me think maybe i do need some 80-ish mm too (even for aps-c), after all. that would be fine, only they are hard to come by, and expansive, at that. _great_ shots, really my kind of shots, almost feels like you use that lens exactly as i would.

anne: i have seen that weird bokeh with my 50/1.4 also, at times. i am unsure what triggers it, and if i like it or not (most of the time i like that lens a lot, overall). i need to shoot it more to see what i can make of it. the colours in your shots are superb (btw, i have been getting "complaints" from some friends that i over-process my shots, and colours are too saturated. i do nothing of the kind, i advised them to get some pentax glass and find for themselves what the world really looks like )

everybody: i think if pentax would start re-selling these lenses, complete with some weather sealing, and maybe even without AF (like a poor man's limited), they would be in for a big surprise. keep the examples coming.

this is now my favourite thread, de-facto, because of the quality of photos i find concentrated in one place. i feel humble. thank you

nanok-going-out-to-shoot-some-more-now-to-keep-up

[jsherman999]

Ann, those shots are freaking me out. Excellent mood brought about by creative
exposure and (I think) polarizer? Just beautiful.

Was it windy? The backgrounds look like they foliage is moving about... Tell me it
was windy, because if it wasn't, something 'ghostly' was happening there. You
may have been making the cemetary residents angry

Lithos - superb, you nailed a MF shot at f/1.4 and created a frameable keeper.


Nanok,

everybody: i think if pentax would start re-selling these lenses, complete with
some weather sealing, and maybe even without AF (like a poor man's limited),
they would be in for a big surprise. keep the examples coming.

Yes!! Can you imagine how fun it would be to have a new line of quality,
solidly-built Pentax MF lenses issued with new AD glass and a few more modern
upgrades to control CA, while maintaining the original element groupings
and size of the M line? And if they left out weather sealing, generally each
could be under $250 new? I can dream...

And yes, pentax was able to do something special with their 85's, all of them
are excellent, one or two are legendary. Even if you don't think you need that
focal length in APS-C, you need to think about the 85's just for the thrilling IQ.
The FA* 85 1.4 costs $1400, but you can get an M 85 f/2 for between $200 and
$400 depending on condition. They are different lenses, but at the end of the
day, the images you get from each can be almost indistinguishable if you learn
how to use the strengths of the M.










Thanks for the nice comments nanok, it's really great to have you with us as
an M-club charter member.


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[8540tomg]

TG - the shots in the park with the 28 & 35 are very good, they really show off your spring in beautiful colors/contrast. The gazebo shot especially. What lens took which shot in that series, I especially want to know the last one - my favorite in your 28/35 group, the purple tree just pops.

The shots with the 150 are really getting good - looks like you're used to that focal length again and are getting some eye catching stuff out of it. I really like the lightpost for some reason.

Thanks Jay! I’m starting to “see” things again. I’ve been away for quite a while. Digital has put the fun back into photography for me. It must be the instant feedback one gets. In any case I’ve taken a liking to that M 150mm. I find it very sharp and I like the colours it seems to provide. No post processing at all on any of my images so far. I should have recorded which lens I was using as I went along but I did not. As for the final shot in the 28-35 group I believe it was the SMC 35mm f 2. It was towards the end of the shoot and the light was hitting the tree just so. I'm sure I had the 35mm on at that time. The tree was at its peak and I think the lens/K10 pretty much caught the moment. Actually, I think it makes me look like a better photographer than I am.

In any case congrats to all recent posters. There is compelling evidence in this thread that the M series primes are really good when one takes the time to make an image. Perhaps it is taking the time to look and compose which is the key. With auto everything there is a tendancy to just blast away and hope technology does it all.

I wonder Jay, how much modern technology could really improve on the M line. It might provide a little more convenience and improve things a bit wide open but these lenses are pretty darnd good as they are.

TG

[AML]

nanok, it certainly did produce some weird looking bokeh. I can only put it down to the camera selecting some really weird fast speeds yesterday, maybe something else was at play. ; ) As to the over saturation and your friends comments, maybe they aren't used to seeing such vivid colours. The only PP i did with these were a little contrast adjustment and a small amount of sharpening. Coming from Kodak cameras i'm used to brightly coloured pics.


lithos, love your shot wide open of the hands. Looks great in B&W too!

jsherman999, sorry didn't mean to freak you out! I didn't use a polarizer for these (don't own one for the dslr yet). Only have a skylight filter.

I have some more freaking out news, nope it wasn't windy at all. As i said above the camera was selecting some super fast speeds.

Here's one example of some really strange bokeh. I have done nothing to it except rezise for uploading. This one reminds of the psychadelic 60's. When i first saw it, it spun me out in the head. Was there some strange force at play? Maybe i did make someone angry.




I love your shots with the M 85 f/2. It has very nice bokeh, is sharp and the colours are so vivid. I especially like the white flowers, it has no blown highlights, not easy to achieve with white flowers, very nice. After i pay for the 55-300mm, i'm definitely going to save up for the M 85 f/2. Thanks for posting these jsherman999.

[jsherman999]

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Incredible, I'll need to see if I can recreate that type of bokeh with my 50...



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[jsherman999]

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Here's what we need to order! ---> M-club T-shirts!






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[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by AML

I love your shots with the M 85 f/2. It has very nice bokeh, is sharp and the colours are so vivid. I especially like the white flowers, it has no blown highlights, not easy to achieve with white flowers, very nice. After i pay for the 55-300mm, i'm definitely going to save up for the M 85 f/2. Thanks for posting these jsherman999.

Ann.

OK my 85mm is not an M-seres lens ... but is an M42 Super Takumar 85mm f/1.9
So it is even older ... but still in a similar class to the M-series.

I purchased mine of none other than Jsherman himself ... so i knew it was well looked after in the first place ... especially after seeing his many test shots I had to purchase it.

Speaking of white flowers ... I have had issues metering off them with many other lenses ... except this lens ... I don't know why.

Here's an example of what I am talking about:



And a lovely rose shot I managed to get in as well .... this lens is awesome for floral photography.

[Canada_Rockies]

I was out looking for Harlequin ducks, but came across this young cow moose with what looks like a bad case of mange. The lighting was not good - 1/20 ISO 400 - but SR helped by leaning on the truck window sill helped me get these three barely acceptable shots. I cannot blame the lens for this - I should have jacked up the ISO.

[8540tomg]

Hi all,


Jay - You get the best out of that 85mm.

T-shirts - a great idea. We could personalize them with a picture of our favourite M series lens on the front.

Anne that lens of yours is possessed. Very unusual effect!

Simon - I'm envious. Must get a 85mm someday - Takumar, K, M, A or whatever.


Albert - A few more from that 400mm. That would be nearly a 550-600mm or so equivalent would it not? Must be some eagles in your area. That lens should get you close enough. Curious to see how sharp it can be on a tripod. I've bid on one or two of these on EBAY but no luck so far.

Keep them coming gang.


As for me I tried the M 75~150 zoom on Sunday and had little luck. When I set the focal length at 150mm it seemed OK. Zooming into 75 seemed to mess with the metering. I suspect one needs to change the focal length as you zoom about. I'll experiment some more and get back to report.

TG

[Canada_Rockies]

Originally Posted by 8540tomg

Albert - A few more from that 400mm. That would be nearly a 550-600mm or so equivalent would it not? Must be some eagles in your area. That lens should get you close enough. Curious to see how sharp it can be on a tripod. I've bid on one or two of these on EBAY but no luck so far.

The lens is fine for sharp, but it does have the dreaded CAs. One must be careful in contrasty situations. The crop factor brings it up to 600mm field of view, and with the 1.4X-S on the back (L won't fit) it crops to 840mm. I took some shots with the TC on the back, because I was ready for ducks, but took it off for these. I am carefully watching an Osprey nest for activity. There is a white head showing - should be some little guys shortly. There are two pairs of bald eagles and a pair of goldens in the neighbourhood, but they are darned hard to catch.

[Eaglerapids]

My 135mm lineup.....taken with my second M-135/3.5:-).



There's nothing wrong with the Super-Multicoated Takumar, I didn't see at the time that the lens cap wasn't pushed on all the way.