[dadipentak]

The gear and the pursuit of photography in general is an excuse to get out in nature.

Amen to that! This is also true of my other passion, fishing. The camera and the fly-rod allow me to see and understand the natural world in ways which would otherwise be impossible for me.

[Marc Langille]

The gear and the pursuit of photography in general is an excuse to get out in nature.

I'll agree with that statement Josh... sometimes it's the motivational factor to get your duff up off the couch...

[monochrome]

Correct: they cannot see the forest through the trees. Those folks have horse blinders on: they only seek the end, nothing else. [EDIT . . . Balance deleted for brevity]

This turned out to be a long reply that most people won't read. That's OK -

As my "other" hobby I fly fish for trout. Fly fishing is equipment-intensive, arcane, requires skill borne of many years of learning and is challenging to do well, but easy to do poorly. It is a broad, multi-faceted hobby that can include tying one's own flies, building one's own rods and collecting historically significant equipment, whether for use, beauty or possessiveness. I tend to shun the latest, carbon-graphite-nano-technology CNC-machined gear and favor the classic, hand-made stuff from the 19th C. through the late 60's. When I have it I use it, but I like to just look at it sometimes and enjoy the work that went into making it. I think that somehow bonds me to and honors the maker, and I treasure that (imagined) personal relationship. Sound familiar?

Missouri and northern Arkansas have a surprisingly large number of streams suited to support fit and naturally-breeding brown and rainbow trout populations. The Missouri Conservation Department manages this resource for sustainability particularly well. Sophisticated fishers have adopted a catch-and-release mentality and have learned to play and capture fish in such a way as to harm them as little as possible.

Most of us "harvest" no more than two fish a year, or enough to provide one fresh-fish meal a season.

A fly fisher is said to progress through four stages of maturity.

A desire to catch:

• Any fish
• Many fish
• Large fish
• Challenging fish

I would add a fifth stage of maturity drawn on length of years fishing:

• No fish

By that I mean that one has come into harmony with the river one is standing in. One is content to see fish sipping midges from the surface film; watch a Caddis hatch and the resultant feeding frenzy rather than frantically searching a fly box to tie on the closest-matching fly; observe a 24" brown lazily finning behind a log as it waits for prey large enough to be worth expending the energy to pursue (and, knowing I have the skill and equipment necessary to have a good chance to catch it, passing up the opportunity); sit and observe from 4:00am until full-sun the changes in the forest, the river and the activity of the inhabitants (including the benighted people who paddle through).

I have come to the point at which a day where I catch no fish, but make a perfect cast over a hole that SHOULD have a fish in it is a good day.

Perhaps because of my fishing experience I don't have the need to fire off 100,000 clicks to get myself to the challenging shot skill level ASAP. But because of my experiences fishing I understand the self-focused nature of many shooters.

Best thing someone could do for one of those is similar to what my fishing mentor (my brother-in-law) did for me. Patiently show them HOW to get the most out of the experience. Explain that you can accumulate life-long skills by taking the time to learn continually. Demonstrate how to do things the right way. Guide them in their juvenile first attempts and help them evaluate their progress. Enable them to pursue the hobby on their own when they have built the practical and emotional foundation necessary to succeed.

[borno]

I'll agree with that statement Josh... sometimes it's the motivational factor to get your duff up off the couch...

HA! You guys read my mind
I enjoy spending some quiet time in nature and the camera is a great excuse. A few good pictures are a bonus every once in a while.

[m8o]

Correct: they cannot see the forest through the trees. Those folks have horse blinders on: they only seek the end, nothing else.
......
Whenever possible, portraits of animals are the lowest on my list. An image that tells a story is what I seek: be it feeding, interaction or bathing, etc. The image is secondary - the experience is paramount. Why else would I go?

thank you for reminding me I wanted to go down to the bird sanctuary close by to see if the snow owls returned this year. Low tide is an hour from now, so I should be down there now.

[indytax]

d

This turned out to be a long reply that most people won't read. That's OK
[snip]

FWIW, I read it, and enjoyed it. Very nicely put, Monochrome.

[monochrome]

d

FWIW, I read it, and enjoyed it. Very nicely put, Monochrome.

Thanks. +characters

[gofour3]

Here are a few test shots from my first outing with my new K1000/8.

The main issues I have found with this lens so far are:

1) Transporting it and the metal trunk, due to its physical size of 73.8cm or 29inches.
2) Atmospheric conditions affecting the shot, especially long distance. (#4 & #5)
3) Vibrations when mounted on a tripod.


The day was sunny, but with a lot of haze and reflections over the water.

Camera: Pentax K2
Film: Ilford FP4 Plus (ISO 125)
Scans: Low res 700kb done by lab at the time of processing
Tripod: Manfrotto 055xprob/808rc4 3-axis head
Filter: B&W UV 010 MRC 52mm

#1 Moving sail boat at about 100 meters.



#2 Rotating market sign at about 150 meters.



#3 Stationary boat at around 150 meters.



#4 Stationary barge with 2010 Olympic rings at about 2.5km.



#5 2010 Olympic caldron at about 3.5km.




Lots more testing to follow!

Phil.

[dadipentak]

The main issues I have found with this lens so far are:
1) Transporting it and the metal trunk, due to its physical size of 73.8cm or 29inches.
2) Atmospheric conditions affecting the shot, especially long distance. (#4 & #5)
3) Vibrations when mounted on a tripod.

I'd agree with all of those, Phil, and I'd add fringing, too. It's a fun lens though. I used mine on a Manfrotto 055 also but the vibration was awful--those legs are just not sturdy enough. The vibration issue went away when I picked up used Manfrotto 3036 legs.

[Ben_Edict]

Here are a few test shots from my first outing with my new K1000/8.

The main issues I have found with this lens so far are:

1) Transporting it and the metal trunk, due to its physical size of 73.8cm or 29inches.
2) Atmospheric conditions affecting the shot, especially long distance. (#4 & #5)
3) Vibrations when mounted on a tripod.


The day was sunny, but with a lot of haze and reflections over the water.

Camera: Pentax K2
Film: Ilford FP4 Plus (ISO 125)
Scans: Low res 700kb done by lab at the time of processing
Tripod: Manfrotto 055xprob/808rc4 3-axis head
Filter: B&W UV 010 MRC 52mm


Lots more testing to follow!

Phil.

Phil, it is more astonishing, that you got these sharp images at all. The tripod/head are completely beyond their capabilities with this lens. The MA 055 is a nice tripod, but not for such a lens. And the head, well, Manfrotto rates it at 8kgs, which is somewhat overoptimistic. Also, it doesn't take into account the length of this setup, which will increase every tiny vibration. So must have employed good technique, to get these results at all.

Ben

[Nomad]

Her is the best shot so far with a recent pickup of mine. I purchased a Mamiya 400mm f6.3 which is fully manual but turning out OK with a bit of practice. The best part of the lens is the price $31.50 plus another $19.95 for an M42 to K mount adapter!!
This shot is at 1/350 f11 ISO 200 with a medium crop. This is mounted on a cheapy plastic tripod so mounted on my Manfrotto I should get better results.

[bergmania]

My latest LBA purchase.. a PK manual RMC Tokina 400mm/f5.6.. Need more practice..

[8540tomg]

Great stuff Phil. That must complete your K series collection. What a beast.

Nice shots Nomad and bergmania.

I posted this elsewhere but it seems to fit in this area as well. This Chickadee sat long enough to get himself shot.



Cheers

Tom G

[gofour3]

Dave & Ben:

Yes I would agree on your assessment of my tripod/head setup. I purchased the MA 055xprob/808rc4 combo for my K500/4.5 and a planned K1000/11 Reflex. The K1000/11 I was after was sold before I got a chance to purchase it, so I went to plan B and got a K1000/8.

I used the same techniques as I would for night shooting, a cable release & mirror lockup for stationary shots. For moving targets I put my hand over the centre of the lens, above the tripod mount. I also tried to shoot 1/250 or higher and did not raze the tripod centre column.

For my next outing I’m going to try faster film (400ISO) and a newly purchased Manfrotto long lens support accessory. Will see how that goes and then look at yet another tripod.

Tom:

Thanks and nice shot of the chickadee! Yes I’m done with my K series lens collection. (All but zooms & reflexes)


Phil

[borno]

That Chickadee looks like royalty perched on that bud
Nice one Tom G