Misc My first pictures taken with my new K-50

My first pictures taken with my new K-50 · **1 Like**

Hi everyone,

Recently I bought my first DSLR: a Pentax K-50 with the DA L 18-55mm F3.5/5.6 kit lens. I have to say that this camera is a true delight to shoot with and I am very happy with its performance, though I obviously still have a lot to learn to get familiar with its true powers

Last weekend I got a chance to play with my new toy and started experimenting in Manual mode right away. I would like to share three photos that I shot that day. The first two are my first attempt at macro photography. While they are not as sharp as I want, I do like the bokeh behind the pink flower and the general "dreamy" effect of this picture. The flowers were shot at f/4.0 and f/5.4, respectively. Is my assumption correct that, if I would have used a lower aperture, the objects would have been sharper? Of course, I would have had to compensate with ISO and/or shutter speed.

The last picture is a typical Dutch windmill. There I used a lower aperture to catch more details.

Any critique/tips/comments are welcome.

I look forward to posting on this forum!

Cheers,
crispic

32.5mm, f/4.0, 1/50

55.0mm, f/5.6, 1/80

37.5mm, f/11.0, 1/50

Parallax · 10-24-2014, 02:46 PM

Nice shots all, but particularly nice composition on the windmill.

**Kerrowdown** · 10-24-2014, 03:15 PM

Originally posted by First Poster

I am very happy with its performance

That's indeed good news that your K-50 is giving the results.

Vitalii · 10-24-2014, 03:36 PM

Originally posted by crispic

Hi everyone,

Is my assumption correct that, if I would have used a lower aperture, the objects would have been sharper? Of course, I would have had to compensate with ISO and/or shutter speed.

nope, its sharp as a kit lens can get.
with low aperture you can get bigger depth of field, but not sharper details in the sharpest point.
to get sharper image, you should get a prime lense, like 50mm 1.8. even an old manual m42 prime will perform better, so no need for haste in buying high end equipment, just try it out.
Flash gives you some crispy sharp images.
after that, its only a tripod with IR remote or using mirror up, that can provide you last bit of some extra "sharpness".

if real macro and supermacro is that what you are meaning under "sharper object", then just look for the threads. in both cases, you will need at least dedicated macro lense or special equipment. no worries there are more than anough low cost scenarios.

Last edited by Vitalii; 10-24-2014 at 04:14 PM.

crispic · 10-26-2014, 05:04 AM

Thank you all!

Originally posted by Vitalii

nope, its sharp as a kit lens can get.
with low aperture you can get bigger depth of field, but not sharper details in the sharpest point.
to get sharper image, you should get a prime lense, like 50mm 1.8. even an old manual m42 prime will perform better, so no need for haste in buying high end equipment, just try it out.
Flash gives you some crispy sharp images.
after that, its only a tripod with IR remote or using mirror up, that can provide you last bit of some extra "sharpness".

if real macro and supermacro is that what you are meaning under "sharper object", then just look for the threads. in both cases, you will need at least dedicated macro lense or special equipment. no worries there are more than anough low cost scenarios.

Thank you, that's very informative. I'm currently looking for a second hand macro lens, though it is often hard to find reviews for old lenses. Perhaps you (or someone else) has some recommendations?

sherrvonne · 10-27-2014, 08:16 AM

Nice photos, the windmill is very nice.... Yall have much more interesting windmills than we do!

GeoJerry · 10-27-2014, 07:25 PM

Nice pictures! You picked a great starter DSLR. I have a friend who just got one and he's very happy with it as well.

vitally answered your question but I'd just add that if by "lower aperture" you meant smaller opening, as opposed to smaller f-stop number, then your assumption would be correct in a way because you would have had a greater depth of field, meaning more of the image would have been in focus, This may be what you mean by a sharper image.

Generally lenses will have their highest resolution in the mid-aperture range. So if it's sharpness your after without concern for depth of field or stopping motion (say for example a landscape shot), you're probably best off using an aperture like f/8 or f/10. These are usually the sharpest for a given lens but it depends on the lens and for a zoom what focal length you're using. Keep up the good work!

esrandall · 10-27-2014, 07:37 PM

Plenty of great reviews in our forum. Lots of lenses, old and New. You can read for hours on end. And like the others have said, nice composition on those shots. If you are interested in macro flowers, a nice MF 50mm f/2.8 can be had for less than $150. You can also try reversal rings, cheap tubes, or close focus filters (like a Raynox) if you want to make sure it's something you're really into, before plunking down larger dollars.

**clackers** · 10-27-2014, 08:03 PM

Originally posted by crispic

Thank you all!

Thank you, that's very informative. I'm currently looking for a second hand macro lens, though it is often hard to find reviews for old lenses. Perhaps you (or someone else) has some recommendations?

This forum has lots of reviews of old lenses, Crispic, by members for members, instead of magazines doing de facto advertising for their sponsors!

**paulh** · 10-27-2014, 09:32 PM

Congrats on your K50! Very nice images, too

Vitalii · 10-28-2014, 06:55 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by crispic

Thank you, that's very informative. I'm currently looking for a second hand macro lens, though it is often hard to find reviews for old lenses. Perhaps you (or someone else) has some recommendations?

If you are looking for AF-Lenses, then you will have hard time finding a bad one. The whole thing about which lense perform best is overestimated - at least in that price range that you are looking at. In fact the the difference lies around 10% so i wouldn´t worry about that.
to clear your conscious, just look for some macro lenses reviews on forum, read some people liking and disliking them, and end up not knowing, what to choose.

as i wrote before, please READ some magazines or tags about macro shooting. the topic is enormous. it is hard to bring all the techniques that can be apropriate for you.
some examples:

Macro lenses with AF
Magn.<=1:1
pro - easy, no need in specific knowledge, biggest Depth Of Few that you can get in macro (bigger magnification = smaller DoF).
contra - none. at least in my opinion
what do you want to shoot - still objects or alive?
for still the 50mm macro is more than ennough, easy and fast to work. for alive objects a 90mm with a flash would be prefferable.

close-up filters
Magn.<=1:1
enlarging filter which are screwed on any lens.
pro - can be used on zoom lenses, AF, easy to use, cheap.
contra - Image Quality loss, but still usable on primes.

manual macro tubes or bellow
Magn.<=>1:1
are put between the body and the lens.
pro - can be used with most Manual lenses (AF bellows and Tubes are pricey), can provide greater magnification, cheap.
contra - light loss, mostly used with tripod, manual working.

Reversal Rings(Retro Rings)
Magn.=>1:1
A bayonett ring which is screwed on lense filter, so you can flip it. 50mm prime gives you ca. 1:1 magn. 28mm provides 2-3times magnification.
pro - really cheap, easy way to get supermacro, no IQ loss, no light loss.
contra - Small DoF, manual working.

For manual working you will need a old prime lense, no matter which one - you can buy old pentax lens with aperture ring or get a good m42 lens and put adapter on it. It is preferable to have a lens with A-M switcher or even better a A-M pin on the side, which automatically closes your aperture. Because of shallow DoF you will focus with aperture wide open and just before shooting, close the aperture.
And manual working means manual working - sometimes even the metering will work wrong, so you will need to compensate it, or work with Live View.

I´ve compared old M sigma macro to tubes, reversed prime and some enlarger- lenses on bellow there was no differance in IQ, all performed preatty well, the only thing that was a bit different is the DoF. it seemed on theMacro lense it was slightly greater. still on the magn. 1:1 it is to hard to judge.

first - magn. 1:1, Pentax FA50mm 1.4, reversed
second - magn. 3:1 Pentax Fa50mm 1.4, reversed on 65mm macrotubes and flash.

crispic · 10-31-2014, 02:39 PM

Thank you all for the kind words and tips. I will definitely use them!

And special thanks to Vitalii for your detailed information. I will do some more research on macro photography and read some reviews on lenses. Your advice will definitely help me in deciding which lens to buy. Oh, and I really like the detail on the spider photo. Was it alive?

After an extremely busy week I will finally have some time to shoot again tomorrow, can't wait!

phoenixvision · 11-01-2014, 07:12 AM

Just wait until you get yourself a prime lens.....You got off to a great start and have an excellent eye.....

gor80 · 11-01-2014, 07:26 AM

good shots, the second frame seems a little blurry, I would add sharpness and contrast!

Vitalii · 11-01-2014, 09:13 AM

Originally posted by crispic

Thank you all for the kind words and tips. I will definitely use them!

And special thanks to Vitalii for your detailed information. I will do some more research on macro photography and read some reviews on lenses. Your advice will definitely help me in deciding which lens to buy. Oh, and I really like the detail on the spider photo. Was it alive?

After an extremely busy week I will finally have some time to shoot again tomorrow, can't wait!

yep, it was alive, and really tiny so even with f8 the DoF is still tiny... have fun with your new gear.)

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10-28-2014, 06:55 AM - 1 Like	#11
Vitalii Senior Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 115	Originally posted by crispic Thank you, that's very informative. I'm currently looking for a second hand macro lens, though it is often hard to find reviews for old lenses. Perhaps you (or someone else) has some recommendations? If you are looking for AF-Lenses, then you will have hard time finding a bad one. The whole thing about which lense perform best is overestimated - at least in that price range that you are looking at. In fact the the difference lies around 10% so i wouldn´t worry about that. to clear your conscious, just look for some macro lenses reviews on forum, read some people liking and disliking them, and end up not knowing, what to choose. as i wrote before, please READ some magazines or tags about macro shooting. the topic is enormous. it is hard to bring all the techniques that can be apropriate for you. some examples: Macro lenses with AF Magn.<=1:1 pro - easy, no need in specific knowledge, biggest Depth Of Few that you can get in macro (bigger magnification = smaller DoF). contra - none. at least in my opinion what do you want to shoot - still objects or alive? for still the 50mm macro is more than ennough, easy and fast to work. for alive objects a 90mm with a flash would be prefferable. close-up filters Magn.<=1:1 enlarging filter which are screwed on any lens. pro - can be used on zoom lenses, AF, easy to use, cheap. contra - Image Quality loss, but still usable on primes. manual macro tubes or bellow Magn.<=>1:1 are put between the body and the lens. pro - can be used with most Manual lenses (AF bellows and Tubes are pricey), can provide greater magnification, cheap. contra - light loss, mostly used with tripod, manual working. Reversal Rings(Retro Rings) Magn.=>1:1 A bayonett ring which is screwed on lense filter, so you can flip it. 50mm prime gives you ca. 1:1 magn. 28mm provides 2-3times magnification. pro - really cheap, easy way to get supermacro, no IQ loss, no light loss. contra - Small DoF, manual working. For manual working you will need a old prime lense, no matter which one - you can buy old pentax lens with aperture ring or get a good m42 lens and put adapter on it. It is preferable to have a lens with A-M switcher or even better a A-M pin on the side, which automatically closes your aperture. Because of shallow DoF you will focus with aperture wide open and just before shooting, close the aperture. And manual working means manual working - sometimes even the metering will work wrong, so you will need to compensate it, or work with Live View. I´ve compared old M sigma macro to tubes, reversed prime and some enlarger- lenses on bellow there was no differance in IQ, all performed preatty well, the only thing that was a bit different is the DoF. it seemed on theMacro lense it was slightly greater. still on the magn. 1:1 it is to hard to judge. first - magn. 1:1, Pentax FA50mm 1.4, reversed second - magn. 3:1 Pentax Fa50mm 1.4, reversed on 65mm macrotubes and flash. Last edited by Vitalii; 11-06-2014 at 09:08 AM.

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10-24-2014, 02:46 PM	#2
Parallax Senior Moderator Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Dakota Photos: Gallery Posts: 19,332	Nice shots all, but particularly nice composition on the windmill.

10-24-2014, 03:15 PM	#3
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,815	Originally posted by First Poster I am very happy with its performance That's indeed good news that your K-50 is giving the results.

10-24-2014, 03:36 PM	#4
Vitalii Senior Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 115	Originally posted by crispic Hi everyone, Is my assumption correct that, if I would have used a lower aperture, the objects would have been sharper? Of course, I would have had to compensate with ISO and/or shutter speed. nope, its sharp as a kit lens can get. with low aperture you can get bigger depth of field, but not sharper details in the sharpest point. to get sharper image, you should get a prime lense, like 50mm 1.8. even an old manual m42 prime will perform better, so no need for haste in buying high end equipment, just try it out. Flash gives you some crispy sharp images. after that, its only a tripod with IR remote or using mirror up, that can provide you last bit of some extra "sharpness". if real macro and supermacro is that what you are meaning under "sharper object", then just look for the threads. in both cases, you will need at least dedicated macro lense or special equipment. no worries there are more than anough low cost scenarios. Last edited by Vitalii; 10-24-2014 at 04:14 PM.

10-26-2014, 05:04 AM	#5
crispic New Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 18 Original Poster	Thank you all! Originally posted by Vitalii nope, its sharp as a kit lens can get. with low aperture you can get bigger depth of field, but not sharper details in the sharpest point. to get sharper image, you should get a prime lense, like 50mm 1.8. even an old manual m42 prime will perform better, so no need for haste in buying high end equipment, just try it out. Flash gives you some crispy sharp images. after that, its only a tripod with IR remote or using mirror up, that can provide you last bit of some extra "sharpness". if real macro and supermacro is that what you are meaning under "sharper object", then just look for the threads. in both cases, you will need at least dedicated macro lense or special equipment. no worries there are more than anough low cost scenarios. Thank you, that's very informative. I'm currently looking for a second hand macro lens, though it is often hard to find reviews for old lenses. Perhaps you (or someone else) has some recommendations?

10-27-2014, 08:16 AM	#6
sherrvonne Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,975	Nice photos, the windmill is very nice.... Yall have much more interesting windmills than we do!

10-27-2014, 07:25 PM	#7
GeoJerry Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,158	Nice pictures! You picked a great starter DSLR. I have a friend who just got one and he's very happy with it as well. vitally answered your question but I'd just add that if by "lower aperture" you meant smaller opening, as opposed to smaller f-stop number, then your assumption would be correct in a way because you would have had a greater depth of field, meaning more of the image would have been in focus, This may be what you mean by a sharper image. Generally lenses will have their highest resolution in the mid-aperture range. So if it's sharpness your after without concern for depth of field or stopping motion (say for example a landscape shot), you're probably best off using an aperture like f/8 or f/10. These are usually the sharpest for a given lens but it depends on the lens and for a zoom what focal length you're using. Keep up the good work!

10-27-2014, 07:37 PM	#8
esrandall Closed Account Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Sumner, WA Photos: Albums Posts: 965	Plenty of great reviews in our forum. Lots of lenses, old and New. You can read for hours on end. And like the others have said, nice composition on those shots. If you are interested in macro flowers, a nice MF 50mm f/2.8 can be had for less than $150. You can also try reversal rings, cheap tubes, or close focus filters (like a Raynox) if you want to make sure it's something you're really into, before plunking down larger dollars.

10-27-2014, 08:03 PM	#9
clackers Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 16,397	Originally posted by crispic Thank you all! Thank you, that's very informative. I'm currently looking for a second hand macro lens, though it is often hard to find reviews for old lenses. Perhaps you (or someone else) has some recommendations? This forum has lots of reviews of old lenses, Crispic, by members for members, instead of magazines doing de facto advertising for their sponsors!

10-27-2014, 09:32 PM	#10
paulh Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: DFW Texas/Ventura County, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 33,252	Congrats on your K50! Very nice images, too

10-31-2014, 02:39 PM	#12
crispic New Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 18 Original Poster	Thank you all for the kind words and tips. I will definitely use them! And special thanks to Vitalii for your detailed information. I will do some more research on macro photography and read some reviews on lenses. Your advice will definitely help me in deciding which lens to buy. Oh, and I really like the detail on the spider photo. Was it alive? After an extremely busy week I will finally have some time to shoot again tomorrow, can't wait!

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11-01-2014, 07:12 AM	#13
phoenixvision Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,458	Just wait until you get yourself a prime lens.....You got off to a great start and have an excellent eye.....

11-01-2014, 07:26 AM	#14
gor80 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Балашиха Photos: Albums Posts: 595	good shots, the second frame seems a little blurry, I would add sharpness and contrast!

11-01-2014, 09:13 AM	#15
Vitalii Senior Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 115	Originally posted by crispic Thank you all for the kind words and tips. I will definitely use them! And special thanks to Vitalii for your detailed information. I will do some more research on macro photography and read some reviews on lenses. Your advice will definitely help me in deciding which lens to buy. Oh, and I really like the detail on the spider photo. Was it alive? After an extremely busy week I will finally have some time to shoot again tomorrow, can't wait! yep, it was alive, and really tiny so even with f8 the DoF is still tiny... have fun with your new gear.)