[Ken Lee]

Can you use just one lens on an entire trip? A “walkabout lens” can be an excellent way to lighten the load during a trip while still getting high-quality images. I used the relatively inexpensive Pentax 28-105mm lens exclusively for several trips. This is how it went.

Photofocus article


Long exposure night photo with light painting. Art installation by Daniel Popper, Joshua Tree, using the full 105mm of the lens.


Day photo. Horse, Warner Springs, CA


Long exposure night photo with light painting. House buried in sand., Mojave Desert, CA.

[Paul the Sunman]

Yes. The 28-105 certainly isn't lacking in IQ. However, for grand architecture or interiors, or monumental scenery, I think I'd pack the DFA 21 Limited as well, which also is of moderate weight and size.

[Papa_Joe]

Nice article! Thank you for the link!

On my first trip to the west of the USA I used a 35mm and a 75-205, that means two and a half week and 10 Rolls of Ektachrome with a 35 mm mainly. It worked quite well.

[biz-engineer]

Any 24-105 f4 lens would be even more versatile than the 28-105.
Oiut of curiosity, what light source(s) are you using for the night shots?

Is it really light painting with a torch or a fixed flood light at a distance from the subject matter to avoid light level fade (inverse square law) across the subject ?

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Last edited by biz-engineer; 06-22-2022 at 11:18 AM.

[RICHARD L.]

In my "Review" of this DFA 28-105 mm HD zoom, I concluded "You hardly need any other lens for landscape shooting". During my 2019 tour of the American Southwest, the lens was used for 95% of my picture-taking on a Pentax K1 body. The remaining pictures were taken with an FA 20 mm f/2.8, an FA 300 mm f/4.5 and a Canon G3X superzoom.

[pinholecam]

Can you use just one lens on an entire trip? A “walkabout lens” can be an excellent way to lighten the load during a trip while still getting high-quality images. I used the relatively inexpensive Pentax 28-105mm lens exclusively for several trips. This is how it went.

Photofocus article


Long exposure night photo with light painting. Art installation by Daniel Popper, Joshua Tree, using the full 105mm of the lens.


Day photo. Horse, Warner Springs, CA


Long exposure night photo with light painting. House buried in sand., Mojave Desert, CA.

Superb photos.
Goes to show that its the photographer that counts.

[Sir Nameless]

Those Arizona pictures look really saturated to me. Now that's not a post-processing criticism, but more a question. I read recently (don't remember if it was here or on pixls.us) about how northerners like myself expect the world to be pastel since we're generally deprived of bright sunlight, but equatorial dwellers see the world in much more vibrant hues. So having just read that, I'm curious if Arizona really looks that bright and saturated in real life.



Back to the OT, as a young man I had the opportunity to see some places in Europe I'll probably never see again. All I had was a few roles of Kodak Gold, a Phoenix P1, and a truly horrible 35-70 plastic zoom. Somehow it worked out ok. Given that experience, I'd be very happy traveling with my 18-135 and maybe a fast manual 50 (let alone a K-1 and 28-105).

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Last edited by Sir Nameless; 06-22-2022 at 07:40 AM.

[BigMackCam]

Those Arizona pictures look really saturated to me. Now that's not a post-processing criticism, but more a question. I read recently (don't remember if it was here or on pixls.us) about how northerners like myself expect the world to be pastel since we're generally deprived of bright sunlight, but equatorial dwellers see the world in much more vibrant hues. So having just read that, I'm curious if Arizona really looks that bright and saturated in real life.

This thread might help regarding the Arizona photos, as there's a before and after post-processing example:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/12-post-your-photos/441843-travel-amboy-...ml#post5565096

That aside, an easy test to answer your question re difference in colours between locations would be for two members, one in each location, to take a photos at the same time of day, in similar weather conditions, using the same in-camera JPEG profile (probably "Natural", as "Vibrant" over-saturates by design). My guess is that colours look more saturated from somewhere like Arizona compared to my native County Durham, but only to a certain extent. Having visited many locations in the US over the years - including Florida and SoCal in the height of Summer - the colours are vibrant in bright sunlight, but still natural-looking to a Brit...

[Sir Nameless]

This thread might help regarding the Arizona photos, as there's a before and after post-processing example:https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/12-post-your-photos/441843-travel-amboy-...ost5565096That aside, an easy test to answer your question re difference in colours between locations would be for two members, one in each location, to take a photos at the same time of day, in similar weather conditions, using the same in-camera JPEG profile (probably "Natural", as "Vibrant" over-saturates by design). My guess is that colours look more saturated from somewhere like Arizona compared to my native County Durham, but only to a certain extent. Having visited many locations in the US over the years - including Florida and SoCal in the height of Summer - the colours are vibrant in bright sunlight, but still natural-looking to a Brit...

Ah, OK. Thanks.

Here's a link to the post I was referring to that made me think about perception being tied to place. https://discuss.pixls.us/t/the-posterization-of-photography/11021/9

[timb64]

I did 10 weeks around Asia with just a K5ii and 16-85,no problem!

My favourites from Asia Trip | Flickr

[Ken Lee]

Yes. The 28-105 certainly isn't lacking in IQ. However, for grand architecture or interiors, or monumental scenery, I think I'd pack the DFA 21 Limited as well, which also is of moderate weight and size.

Probably right. I don't know that the 28-105mm would be the first lens I would grab for that, although it certainly wouldn't be the last one either. It's flexible enough that, well, it would do alright even though it's not the fastest lens.

I record music as well. In some ways, the 28-105mm is sort of like a Shure SM 57 or a AKG 414 in the sense that it records everything well. It might not be the ideal microphone you choose all the time, but it will never be the worst one either, always doing at least a good job...if not more.

---------- Post added 06-22-22 at 03:20 PM ----------

Nice article! Thank you for the link!

On my first trip to the west of the USA I used a 35mm and a 75-205, that means two and a half week and 10 Rolls of Ektachrome with a 35 mm mainly. It worked quite well.

Sure, hopefully the article is helpful. And very cool!

---------- Post added 06-22-22 at 03:28 PM ----------

Any 24-105 f4 lens would be even more versatile than the 28-105.

I am unfamiliar with that one. Can you tell me a little about it? How much does it cost? Is it still widely available? Those were some of my criteria for the article aside from the fact that I own it.

Oiut of curiosity, what light source(s) are you using for the night shots?

Is it really light painting with a torch or a fixed flood light at a distance from the subject matter to avoid light level fade (inverse square law) across the subject ?

I am using a ProtoMachines LED2 light painting device for almost all my light painting. They're expensive and often no longer available, unfortunately.

All my light painting with almost no exceptions are using a handheld light and illuminating the subject(s) during the exposure. And with a handheld light - or any light source - the inverse square law would still hold true. However, the advantage is that I can work quickly, change angles easily, change colors, and a number of other things that would be either time-consuming, difficult, or simply impossible with fixed lights.



---------- Post added 06-22-22 at 03:32 PM ----------

In my "Review" of this DFA 28-105 mm HD zoom, I concluded "You hardly need any other lens for landscape shooting". During my 2019 tour of the American Southwest, the lens was used for 95% of my picture-taking on a Pentax K1 body. The remaining pictures were taken with an FA 20 mm f/2.8, an FA 300 mm f/4.5 and a Canon G3X superzoom.

It's very surprising. I think I mentioned before, Richard, that I purchased the 28-105mm a while back but didn't use it very much initially, keeping it as a backup lens and using the 15-30mm f/2.8 much more often. Now it's flip-flopped, in part because I have been really into longer focal lengths, but also because I've been doing a lot of different kinds of photography lately, not just night photography (creating videos, product, day, and some event photography). Looks like a really great trip. The Southwest is a treasure trove for photographers, day or night.

---------- Post added 06-22-22 at 03:38 PM ----------

Those Arizona pictures look really saturated to me. Now that's not a post-processing criticism, but more a question. I read recently (don't remember if it was here or on pixls.us) about how northerners like myself expect the world to be pastel since we're generally deprived of bright sunlight, but equatorial dwellers see the world in much more vibrant hues. So having just read that, I'm curious if Arizona really looks that bright and saturated in real life.

Interesting. I had not thought about that before. Arizona generally does not look that "saturated" compared to other places to me with the exception of some cactus flowers and sunsets. Arizona has some of the most vivid sunsets and bold skies I have ever seen, and I'm reasonably well-traveled.

Oh, and also, if you want bold, saturated colors that are away from the equator, look no further than India or Burma. Some of the most picturesque, colorful, vibrant places I've ever seen.

Back to the OT, as a young man I had the opportunity to see some places in Europe I'll probably never see again. All I had was a few roles of Kodak Gold, a Phoenix P1, and a truly horrible 35-70 plastic zoom. Somehow it worked out ok. Given that experience, I'd be very happy traveling with my 18-135 and maybe a fast manual 50 (let alone a K-1 and 28-105).

That would work out quite well. Also, you can never go wrong with a 50mm.



50mm f/1.4 lens, although it's stopped down to f/2.5.

[Paul the Sunman]

Probably right. I don't know that the 28-105mm would be the first lens I would grab for that, although it certainly wouldn't be the last one either. It's flexible enough that, well, it would do alright even though it's not the fastest lens.

I record music as well. In some ways, the 28-105mm is sort of like a Shure SM 57 or a AKG 414 in the sense that it records everything well. It might not be the ideal microphone you choose all the time, but it will never be the worst one either, always doing at least a good job...if not more.[COLOR="Silver"]

Absolutely right. Good analogy.

---------- Post added 23-06-22 at 08:59 AM ----------

I did 10 weeks around Asia with just a K5ii and 16-85,no problem!

My favourites from Asia Trip | Flickr

Yes, I always think of the 16-85 as being the APS-C equivalent of the FF 28-105, except that it has some extra effective mm at both ends. A very nice lens too.

[Ken Lee]

I did 10 weeks around Asia with just a K5ii and 16-85,no problem!

My favourites from Asia Trip | Flickr

Cool! And yeah, that would work.

Burma is ridiculously photogenic!! It's a photographer's paradise.



I also met Aung San Suu Kyi and photographed her. This was in 2000, just after her house arrest. After meeting her, we were followed by the Burmese military for two days, a rather hair-raising and frightening ordeal.

---------- Post added 06-22-22 at 04:10 PM ----------

Superb photos.
Goes to show that its the photographer that counts.

Thank you, but no. I just aimed my camera randomly and AI did the rest.

[biz-engineer]

I am using a ProtoMachines LED2 light painting device for almost all my light painting. They're expensive and often no longer available, unfortunately.

Many thanks. I can see such lights feature a timer, it's key for light painting I suppose.

[Ken Lee]

Many thanks. I can see such lights feature a timer, it's key for light painting I suppose.

The timer does allow to create consistency from photo to photo, among other things. I frequently don't use it because early on, I got in a habit of counting. But still, it would be more accurate than me counting if I really needed it.

You may also keep up to eight presets. You have full control over saturation, color, and brightness throughout the RGB spectrum. The quality and "throw" of the light are perfect for illuminating subjects. It's solidly built (I've knocked the thing hard against things or dropped it several times), and so forth.