Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
04-07-2009, 04:14 AM   #1
Veteran Member




Join Date: May 2008
Location: Sydney Aus
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 527
Size does matter...

I took the kiddies to the museum the other day. I thought it would be a great opportunity to use the da 40mm. So i threw the lens on the k100d and flung it over my shoulder. When not using the camera i barely knew it was there.

I observed another parent there with an SLR, it was a canon (literally). The lens stuck out about 6inches (without hood) and the flash protruded a good 6 inches off the top of the camera. It looked like a pain in the a55. The thing was huge. The flash lit up the entire zoom (and the rooms are big in a museum). This attracted lots of dirty looks.

I liked my shots from the day, even though a little faulty. The 40mm is a little slow for such a dark environment, well it was for me on the day because i used ISO800 not ISO1600.

I like the 40mm indoors but in a museum i could have gone longer, like a 50 or even 70. ... anyway, i have the A 50 1:1.7 and just dropped the coins on a 70mm LTD. Hopefully the half stop extra will serve me well. Unfortunately I can't use the 50 in those situations because kids don't know what 'stay still' means. AF is a must. Tough! because the exhibits would have been excellent with the 50.

Having said all that. I small(ish) dslr with a tiny lense was a joy to sling over my shoulder and take with me.

cheers
mike

04-07-2009, 04:30 AM   #2
Veteran Member




Join Date: May 2008
Location: Sydney Aus
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 527
Original Poster
here are a few samples.

















Last edited by schmik; 04-07-2009 at 08:59 PM.
04-07-2009, 04:41 AM   #3
Veteran Member
soccerjoe5's Avatar

Join Date: May 2008
Location: Philippines
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,343
Nice work!
04-07-2009, 04:55 AM   #4
Veteran Member




Join Date: May 2008
Location: Sydney Aus
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 527
Original Poster
Cheers Diego.

Also, forgot to mention another tip that may help others. AF is much much faster in low light when set to centre point only and AF.S. Just focus and then recompose. Any other setting and it just hunts......


mike

04-07-2009, 06:55 AM   #5
Veteran Member
maxwell1295's Avatar

Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Long Island, New York
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 2,703
You did great....#1 and #3 are fantastic shots.
04-07-2009, 07:02 AM   #6
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Cleveland, OH, USA
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 292
Hi Mike,
I was in the same situation: went to botanical garden with just DA 40 and used it while not running after my 4-yo. Here're a few snaps:
Picasa Web Albums - Anatoly - Botanical garden
There were a lot of people who came really prepaired: C & N, tripods, external flashes, etc. But I felt I belonged to cell phone camp size wise.
04-07-2009, 07:06 AM   #7
Veteran Member




Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: somewhere around
Posts: 615
Hey!
Noo. the big gun did much better with flash, I betcha... (there's no such emoticon to show my feelings).
Sorry for this, but in my view flash is a no-no in museums. First, is forbidden sometimes.
Second, is a good way to spoil the picture, unless used in a careful way.
Your photographs show this better then I could ever say it.
Beautiful series, really.
Congratulations.

04-07-2009, 07:11 AM   #8
Veteran Member




Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Near Montréal, Canada
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,716
Absolutely stunning shots, great job. You clearly have a good eye, and that's much more important than the size of your lens
04-07-2009, 07:22 AM   #9
Inactive Account




Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Posts: 12
Very good photos schmik!. The DA40 looks like a very nice lens. the size and price are hard to resist. Now i feel like a trip to museum.
04-07-2009, 08:12 AM   #10
Senior Moderator
Loyal Site Supporter
Parallax's Avatar

Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: South Dakota
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 19,325
QuoteOriginally posted by octavmandru Quote
Hey!
Noo. the big gun did much better with flash, I betcha... (there's no such emoticon to show my feelings).
Sorry for this, but in my view flash is a no-no in museums. First, is forbidden sometimes.
Second, is a good way to spoil the picture, unless used in a careful way.
Your photographs show this better then I could ever say it.
Beautiful series, really.
Congratulations.
You're right about the flash. There is a lot of work, science, and psychology that goes into lighting museum exhibits. A flash is an excellent way to screw it all up in a.....................(sorry for this)....................screw it up in a flash.
04-07-2009, 02:37 PM   #11
Veteran Member




Join Date: May 2008
Location: Sydney Aus
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 527
Original Poster
Thanks for the kind words guys and gals. Cheers!

I agree about the lighting and the museum. It is done so well that flash does spoil it... and everyone gives you dirty looks

Here are a few more.














Last edited by schmik; 04-07-2009 at 08:58 PM.
04-07-2009, 05:29 PM   #12
Ira
Inactive Account




Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Coral Springs, FL
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 5,216
ALL HANDHELD!?

Please tell me no or I'll throw out all of my gear right now.
04-07-2009, 05:41 PM   #13
Veteran Member




Join Date: May 2008
Location: Sydney Aus
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 527
Original Poster
HAHAHA, yes all hand held. Mostly all at ISO800. And..... only had 5 seconds per shot as i was chasing the kids and the wife around.

Can't wait to get the da 70mm too (wooo hooo half a stop faster )

Mike
04-07-2009, 06:05 PM   #14
Junior Member




Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Bloomington, IN
Posts: 36
Nice pics, not even considering the environment. I enjoyed them.
04-07-2009, 08:46 PM   #15
Pentaxian
SpecialK's Avatar

Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: So California
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 16,479
All nice shots but a little white space between them would set them off a bit better.
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
40mm, camera, day, flash, k-mount, lens, museum, pentax lens, shoulder, slr lens
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Image Size vs Document Size vs Resolution vs Resampling vs ... AHHHH! veezchick Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 13 08-02-2010 03:57 PM
When does IS matter? FHPhotographer Pentax DSLR Discussion 14 01-13-2010 06:10 AM
No matter where ya go..... WWWench Welcomes and Introductions 2 03-12-2009 02:07 PM
Camera Does Matter! RiceHigh General Talk 53 03-29-2008 09:01 AM
Who says that size doesn't matter dave kitson Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 8 02-27-2007 06:23 PM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:13 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top