[robtcorl]

Very nice shot Charles!
I really do need to experiment more with the reversal setting, since I shot a ton of slides, way back when.

[ChopperCharles]

Reversal and Bleach Bypass are my two new favorite color settings

Here's a couple more reversal shots, this time of the custom motorcycle I built.







Charles.

[Mike Bokeh]

A little K-01 astrophotography a few nights ago.

Brilliant Jupiter creates a diffraction and the blue nebulosity of the Pleiades is apparent in this 89 second exposure @ f/4 ISO 1600 NR off using the 40mm pancake lens. The camera was mounted atop a tracking mount, so the trees rather than the stars are slightly blurred.

That's an absolutely fantastic shot, nightfly!

As a kid, I was very interested in astronomy, and still am.

I doubt that I could tell you all the moons of Jupiter as I once could, along with conjunction, superior conjunction, quadrature and all the rest of the terms many people haven't even heard of.

I'm on the cusp of buying a K-01, and this thread is pushing me towards doing so.

It's also rekindling my interest in astronomy.

By the way, the tracking mount you mentioned above - do they still refer to this as a clock drive?

Thanks,
Mike

[Jim Beverlin]

Yeah, I definitely like it a lot. The 40mm XS is great too but most of the time it just seems a little too tight on the subject for me personally so I usually end up swapping it out for the 21mm. I suppose when I get a little more into portraits I will begin using the 70mm a lot more. What little I've used of that lens I have also quite liked. Someday I think I'll also pick up the 15mm. I guess you just can't beat the DA Limited glass!

I have the 15mm and it is a nice lens but the 21mm is more practical in my book. Agree with your comments about the 40mm XS. I find that an odd focal length but will get use to it. The best prime that I have is the FA77mm. Beautiful colors and bokeh.

JRB

[kaiserz]

Reversal and Bleach Bypass are my two new favorite color settings

Here's a couple more reversal shots, this time of the custom motorcycle I built.







Charles.

Awesome cafe build!

[Neil MacG]

I recently spent 3 weeks in Australia with my K-01 becoming my primary camera throughout. I used it with my Tamron 18-250 most of the time but also took the DA 35 F2.4, SMC M 50 F1.7, Tamron 70-300 and Zenit 16 F2.8.

These are a few of my favourites:

With the 50 F1.7


With the Tamron 300 at ISO1600!






If you are really feeling masochistic, you are welcome to look through the whole 3 weeks worth of photos. I didn't put up all 5000 odd that I took, but it's still a lot. I really like this camera now.

Index pages for these Aussie photos start here: Australia

Neil

[Jim Beverlin]

+1

I whined for years about modern lenses being too big - I just don't like "beer-can" zooms - and missing the days of just an ME Super with an M50 and a M28 in my pocket. Turns out I needed to stop being cheap and buy some Limiteds.

(Although I still think the M28/2.8 and M50/1.7 are the perfect size for the K-01.)

I agree with your comments about zooms. Used them a lot in my film days but outside of a Chistmas play last week I had to photograph I have used strcitly primes since late 2011. Just do not like the size and weight for really good glass. The only zoom that is in my bag is the SMC-A 35-105 f/3.5. Still a good lens despite the years. Trying to find a decent price on a FA31mm f/1.8 and that is difficult to find. Ebay has them but they cost more than B&H or Adorama.

[rodin5]

I recently spent 3 weeks in Australia with my K-01 becoming my primary camera throughout. I used it with my Tamron 18-250 most of the time but also took the DA 35 F2.4, SMC M 50 F1.7, Tamron 70-300 and Zenit 16 F2.8.

These are a few of my favourites:

With the 50 F1.7


With the Tamron 300 at ISO1600!






If you are really feeling masochistic, you are welcome to look through the whole 3 weeks worth of photos. I didn't put up all 5000 odd that I took, but it's still a lot. I really like this camera now.

Index pages for these Aussie photos start here: Australia

Neil

Neil,
Great captures, Love the clarity of the K-01. I thought my FA 31mm was not so good on my K-5, but sharp as a tack on K-01. Come to think of it, the focusing seems much more precise with all the ltd's I've tested to this point.on the K-01
Thanks,
Joe

[Zygonyx]

I really hope that is upside down, or maybe I need to check the dosage on my medication bottle?

You are right, and this is done voluntarily.

[RonHendriks1966]

I recently spent 3 weeks in Australia with my K-01 becoming my primary camera throughout.

I really like this camera now.

Index pages for these Aussie photos start here: Australia

Neil

Good that you learnt to live with your brick. Great shots from the zoo downunder here.

[chickenphone]

One of my cheapest lenses, the M135, playing with DOF @ F3.5

[nightfly]

That's an absolutely fantastic shot, nightfly!

As a kid, I was very interested in astronomy, and still am.

I doubt that I could tell you all the moons of Jupiter as I once could, along with conjunction, superior conjunction, quadrature and all the rest of the terms many people haven't even heard of.

I'm on the cusp of buying a K-01, and this thread is pushing me towards doing so.

It's also rekindling my interest in astronomy.

By the way, the tracking mount you mentioned above - do they still refer to this as a clock drive?

Thanks,
Mike

Mike,

Yes, a clock driven equatorial to be precise. More images of the setup here:

Flanders Pond Observatory - a set on Flickr

I shoot mostly film, so you will see those cameras in the images.

Of the K-01 I can say this:

Noise is very low, even at ISO 1600 and NR turned off.

In manual focus mode using bulb you can zoom the focus by 6X to enlarge the star images for critical focus

NR can be turned off with practically unlimited exposure in bulb mode.

Sensitivity to the desired Ha band of red light is very good for an unmodded camera.

From my first night out:

Cygnus: single exposure 50mm f/1.7 SMC Pentax A - 147 seconds @ f/2.8 ISO 1600 NR Off

[rodin5]

;

Rupert suggested it, and I'm starting the thread.



Next?

This is my best picture of the K-01.
Joe

[Neil MacG]

Of the K-01 I can say this:

Noise is very low, even at ISO 1600 and NR turned off.

In manual focus mode using bulb you can zoom the focus by 6X to enlarge the star images for critical focus

NR can be turned off with practically unlimited exposure in bulb mode.

Sensitivity to the desired Ha band of red light is very good for an unmodded camera.

From my first night out:

Cygnus: single exposure 50mm f/1.7 SMC Pentax A - 147 seconds @ f/2.8 ISO 1600 NR Off

Fantastic image - it has clearly worked well with those settings.

But I am curious because, given the length of exposure - is the high aperture and ISO really necessary? Do you just not get the detail if you select a lower ISO?

Neil

[nightfly]

Fantastic image - it has clearly worked well with those settings.

But I am curious because, given the length of exposure - is the high aperture and ISO really necessary? Do you just not get the detail if you select a lower ISO?

Neil

Thank you. As I noted this was my first night out. I intend to shoot more at slower ISO (400 /800). One would have to expose longer of course. I also found that the old 50mm A lens works best at f/5.6, so exposure would be longer as well from stopping down. Ideally one would shoot several exposures and stack them for better color and signal to noise ratio.

When I expose film I generally work with f/4 to f/5.6 and shoot for a period of one hour, sometimes more with results (same area here) like this:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/59003880/Cygnus%201_1280.jpg

So stacking several digital images to get a quality image would take a similar amount of time given slower ISO settings / aperture / exposure length of light frames / dark frames, etc.

That being said, the K-01 has strength in capturing a fairly deep fields in brief exposures and will compliment my film work, not compete with it. A great little camera.