[Special Ed]

Hi y'all,

Aside from my introduction thread, this is my first post because I've been busy reading the myriad threads on the site relating to just about everything. The net is I now have things less figured out than I did before I started reading

I did learn that this site is absolutely the worst possible place to hang out if you don't want to spend money on camera gear. I was going to try to live with my 28-105 for awhile but my love of spending money took over and I ended up grabbing an Irix 15mm Blackstone, D FA 100 WR Macro and D* 300 f4 (I spread it out over a week so it didn't look too excessive ). And now I see that the AF540GZ II flash is on sale at B&H for $469.95 so it looks like I'm going to have to spend even more money

Part of my travels on this site (the overlapping lens thread) have me questioning whether or not I should take just my primes with me on my trip to Scotland in May and leave the 28-105 home to save space in the camera bag. I will be taking a trip to Staffa and Lunga to see birds and other sea life (with luck) and then I'll be photographing landscapes, villages and ancient sites in the Highlands and Islands as well. I honestly believe I won't need my 28-105 but part of me is thinking, "But what if you want that shot at 28mm or 50mm instead of 15mm. What do y'all think?

The other question I've been researching here is grad ND filters. I've got a mass of filters but this forum has helped me realize that if I'm going to go for a grad ND, I should really look at something like a 100x150mm Lee system (to cover my Irix 15mm). I was ready to purchase a set and then I read a couple of comments (I'll paraphrase), "The grad ND isn't really necessary now that I have my K-1," and "I can do this in my camera so I don't really need to carry the grad ND now."

So...I get the reason behind using the filters but I am not yet so familiar with my K-1 that I understand how it can help me overcome the inevitable bright sky dark foreground situation. Can anyone enlighten me? I shoot RAW and am not ascared of fixing things in post (I have Photoshop Elements but will likely be getting Lightroom).

Sorry for the rambling. I've been reading a lot and not talking a lot so it's all coming out at once

Cheers,
John

[aslyfox]

welcome

there are a few members here at the forums from Scotland

they might be a good source to give you specific suggestions

I suggest that you might use the Pentax user map to find out who they are and send a pm or two

your current [ isn't there more time between now and when you leave ?? you might add lenses ] lenses are;

the 28-105, Irix 15mm Blackstone, D FA 100 WR Macro and D* 300 f4

so you have good coverage ( IMHO, YMMV )

the argument for the zoom is of course it is " multiple choice " and gives you wide angle - short telephoto options without the time necessary to change lenses

what is your guess that you would need that option??? my WAG would be that you only need that when you are trying to photograph wild life

have fun and please post your photos when you can

[Special Ed]

Allen, thank you. Yes, I have three months until I leave. Here in Washington, most of that time will be spent indoors trying not to rust so I won't do much shooting in the interim (aside from testing various settings).

I was thinking that most of my experience with zoom lenses is that I'm either zoomed all the way out or all the way in. I don't spend too much time lounging in the middle of the range. I just started questioning myself because for the last 10 years I've had just my trusty K20D, DA 18-55 and DA 50-200 and they covered all the bases. Still, image quality suffered a hair so with the K-1 I'm trying to up my IQ game without taking excessive amounts of gear.

[aslyfox]

Allen, thank you. Yes, I have three months until I leave. Here in Washington, most of that time will be spent indoors trying not to rust so I won't do much shooting in the interim (aside from testing various settings).

I was thinking that most of my experience with zoom lenses is that I'm either zoomed all the way out or all the way in. I don't spend too much time lounging in the middle of the range. I just started questioning myself because for the last 10 years I've had just my trusty K20D, DA 18-55 and DA 50-200 and they covered all the bases. Still, image quality suffered a hair so with the K-1 I'm trying to up my IQ game without taking excessive amounts of gear.

well if budget isn't a problem

and you believe in reputations

the limiteds do they live up to the reputation and why - Page 10 - PentaxForums.com

[ some people say I like to cause trouble, I have no idea why ]

there may be some limiteds available in the market place " buy/sell " I recently bought my smc Pentax 21mn F3.2 Limited from a member through the market place

---

Last edited by aslyfox; 02-01-2018 at 10:50 AM.

[twilhelm]

So... I love spending other people's money! I'm going to play off Aslyfox a bit here.

You have a good range of quality lenses. But my first question would be; Is this a once in a lifetime trip? Or will you make it again?

If I were going, I would want a range from wide to tele. I would take the 28-105 just to have on those days things are busy and moving fast and I don't want to miss a shot while changing lenses. I don't think I would take my 300mm, but I would opt to have my DA*200 with me, unless you think there is a possibility of shooting wildlife. I have the three amigos, FA Limiteds 31, 43, and 77, so they would be in my bag. I've also found the HD DA 20-40 works surprisingly well on the K-1, so it would be with also.

And then, if I plan for the inevitable problem, I won't have it. Right?! So I would take a crop body with me, in my case the K-3.

As far as the flash, the 540 is a great flash. But will you need it for the trip? There are smaller Pentax options which would save space and money, if you felt you needed it.

Finally the filters. You can do a lot in post, but the filters can do more and save you a lot of headache with blown highlights. But... If you buy them, be sure to take some time before your trip to get to know what they will do. Using one at the wrong time because you aren't familiar with them can ruin a shot that you really wanted. I don't think they are a necessity, but they can take your photography to a new level.

[aslyfox]

Tony makes good suggestions but one I heartily endorse

take a back up camera [ even if one isn't a DSLR or SLR ]

I'm a firm believer in " Murphy's Law "

" any thing that can go wrong will go wrong "

and Finnegan's Corollary to it

" Murphy was an optimist "

the back up is there if necessary and if you can carry two cameras, it allows an quick change in set up as well

[jatrax]

I would never go on a trip without the 28-105. I think you will find it will be more than adequate for most shots and your primes will mostly stay in the bag except for special shots.

Resist the temptation to buy everything you think you need all at once. Your learning curve should dictate purchases, not your want curve. ND grads are useful for landscape photography occasionally. Not something everyone needs. If you are really into seaside sunrise or sunset shots then they are worth it. For casual photography, no. I think they are one of those things that if you really, really need them you know you need them. Otherwise you can do much the same on the computer.

[btnapa]

Part of my travels on this site (the overlapping lens thread) have me questioning whether or not I should take just my primes with me on my trip to Scotland in May and leave the 28-105 home to save space in the camera bag.

Hi John, welcome to the forum.

The one lens that I use a lot in my travels is the 28-105. I do bring my entire bag since most my travels are by car in the US. I do have the 70-200 Tamron the FA limited trio a 14mm Samyang and the 100 macro along with a few other lenses. However, what I often face is the practicality of the lens. If I have time which is not always the case, I try one of my primes for slightly better quality images. If I am shooting f5.6 or f8, most lenses are plenty sharp at those apertures. The only exception is when I have to shoot f2 or 2.8 or something wide for a shallow depth of field effect.

Bottom line, zooms are a lot more convenient for travel situations. So it is up to you to bring more or to buy more lenses. At this point in my photography life, if I had to buy more lenses, they would be more zooms than primes as I find them a lot more practical. The good thing is that almost all Pentax zooms, especially the newer and faster zooms are as good as the primes.

[johnmb]

I agree with several comments of forum members. The 28-105mm is such a useful zoom for general photography when doing such a trip, and it is quite light. On two recent trips to foreign countries I found it invaluable for general scenery. The primes are great for key shots, and of course your bird photography. Regards, John 8

[aslyfox]

So... I love spending other people's money! I'm going to play off Aslyfox a bit here.

You have a good range of quality lenses. But my first question would be; Is this a once in a lifetime trip? Or will you make it again?

If I were going, I would want a range from wide to tele. I would take the 28-105 just to have on those days things are busy and moving fast and I don't want to miss a shot while changing lenses. I don't think I would take my 300mm, but I would opt to have my DA*200 with me, unless you think there is a possibility of shooting wildlife. I have the three amigos, FA Limiteds 31, 43, and 77, so they would be in my bag. I've also found the HD DA 20-40 works surprisingly well on the K-1, so it would be with also.

And then, if I plan for the inevitable problem, I won't have it. Right?! So I would take a crop body with me, in my case the K-3.

As far as the flash, the 540 is a great flash. But will you need it for the trip? There are smaller Pentax options which would save space and money, if you felt you needed it.

Finally the filters. You can do a lot in post, but the filters can do more and save you a lot of headache with blown highlights. But... If you buy them, be sure to take some time before your trip to get to know what they will do. Using one at the wrong time because you aren't familiar with them can ruin a shot that you really wanted. I don't think they are a necessity, but they can take your photography to a new level.

the D FA * 70-200mm F2.8 AW is designed for full frame but there is a size and weight issue


according to the " In Depth Review " of the K 1, the DA *200 will work well with it

https://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/pentax-k-1-review/available-lenses.html

[Bob 256]

I can recommend the AF201 for a small flash that fits atop the K-1. Not full functioned, but works for a great number of flash needs and is compact and can be carried in your pocket. For the more demanding, the AF540 as twilhelm suggested.

Take a copy of the manual either hardcopy or pdf. You're bound to run into questions about K-1 operations and you need it when first becoming familiar with the K-1. Internet may not always be at hand.

Take at least one spare battery and a charger. Batteries are to the K-1 what film was to cameras of yesteryear (no offense to film shooters). A battery is always bound to run out just at the wrong time so be ready.

A plastic bag or two. The K-1 is water resistant but not waterproof, so if you visit a place like Niagara Falls or the like, bag it just to be safe. My first case with my K-1 and a big falls was cell phones going down all around me (except the real waterproof ones), and here I was with my new $2k camera - I had a bag.

I think you can forego the NDs - just keep an eye on the histogram and don't clip. The K-1 has a fantastic dynamic range.

I would recommend an ultrawide in your bag. Some scenes just can't be captured with anything less.

Read up on the HDR function of the K-1. For some shots, it works wonders. Don't worry about the HDR image displayed on the LCD, you are capturing individual shots in the DNG file which can be processed later with better HDR software than the K-1 sports.

Extra memory cards and a waterproof wallet for them.

And welcome to the forum!!!

[Special Ed]

Wow...lots of good responses here. Let's see if I can get to them all

well if budget isn't a problem

and you believe in reputations

the limiteds do they live up to the reputation and why - Page 10 - PentaxForums.com

[ some people say I like to cause trouble, I have no idea why ]

there may be some limiteds available in the market place " buy/sell " I recently bought my smc Pentax 21mn F3.2 Limited from a member through the market place

I wish budget was endless but I'm trying to keep this to the must haves...mostly. I will keep my eyes on the three amigos for when I'm ready to expand further.

[ChatMechant]

On a recent trip to Japan I took the 28-105, m20 and FA31. I thought I would use the 20mm more but hardly used it at all(it's fantastically small though so I din't notice it anyway)The 28-105 was indispensable and the 31 was nice for low light and street shooting but I could have easily gotten by with just the 28-105 with the sr and high iso quality of the k-1 I was able to get shots like this in near darkness:


iso9000, 1/8 sec handheld

I suppose it depends on how much walking/carrying gear you're going to be doing and the photography/vacation balance.

[Special Ed]

You have a good range of quality lenses. But my first question would be; Is this a once in a lifetime trip? Or will you make it again?

We go to the UK every year but the last time I was in Scotland was 2008 so this is a once in a decade trip. It's also my 50th birthday trip so is kinda special.

If I were going, I would want a range from wide to tele. I would take the 28-105 just to have on those days things are busy and moving fast and I don't want to miss a shot while changing lenses. I don't think I would take my 300mm, but I would opt to have my DA*200 with me, unless you think there is a possibility of shooting wildlife.

I do expect to do some wildlife shooting. That's specifically why I bought the DA*300....that and I couldn't get permission from the Paymaster to buy the D FA 150-450.

So I would take a crop body with me, in my case the K-3.

I just bought a new backpack (Lowepro 250 AW II) so I have room for the extra body but I'll respond specifically to this as I see another comment about spares.

As far as the flash, the 540 is a great flash. But will you need it for the trip? There are smaller Pentax options which would save space and money, if you felt you needed it.

Didn't want to get caught without one when I might need it. I plan on going into castles and other places that might require the flash.

Finally the filters. You can do a lot in post, but the filters can do more and save you a lot of headache with blown highlights. But... If you buy them, be sure to take some time before your trip to get to know what they will do. Using one at the wrong time because you aren't familiar with them can ruin a shot that you really wanted. I don't think they are a necessity, but they can take your photography to a new level.

I appreciate this and will think carefully on what you've said. I have a fair bit of experience with filters...just not square filters you insert into a holder so I would definitely need to practice.

[SteveinSLC]

For traveling, I'd certainly take the 28-105 ahead of the 100 Macro. Far more versatile, and almost as good.

And unless you have very specific indoor plans, I probably wouldn't take a flash either. The low-light performance of the K-1 is so good I rarely feel the need for one.