This is an absolutely wonderful idea for a thread!! So, here is my contribution - adapted from a number of previous posts using three cameras K5, K100D and the Q at the Canyon. Stringing things all together, does make a better post (as opposed to the prior separate posts I did at the time).....
____________________________________
About 2 1/2 years ago, on a whim, at the last minute (literally 1.30 in the afternoon) I tossed everything in the truck and drove 3.5 hours up to the Grand Canyon (south rim, east end) to catch the sunset. It was a really nice drive, even through the heavy rain storm on the way up to Flagstaff. It has been raining, lots of clouds up there, and on the webcam the canyon was clear (90 miles of visibility) with some white puffy clouds, so I left - stopping for gas on the way. I got there at 5.30 pm - with a 6.55 pm sunset. Substantially cooler (60) than down in the valley (104 when I left), breezy and spitting rain.
Pulled out my tripod and head, selected my lenses, loaded by backpack and went out to the rim, setup and started shooting with my K5. In 50 shots (pretty much all bracketed) I had gone through all 3 of my K5 batteries. One I knew that I just recharged a week ago. [Note - it turned out that in my K5 the mirror motor went kupt, and was sucking the batteries dry....] So, I decided to go back to the truck and drive up to the next scenic view a couple of miles up the road. I pulled out my Q and tripod and went shooting. Then I remembered that I had brought the case with my K100 and I had new AA batteries along with it.
Swapped cameras - tried to move the L Bracket from the K5 on the K100 (the door was too large with the shutter release cable attached), so I just made due, with the base plate.
I wound up shooting all 3 bodies across 2 hours at sunset. The lighting conditions were constantly changing and the images represent this. However, in processing the shots last evening and this morning, several things stand out. The resolution and refined quality of the K5 is wonderful. The K100 even at 6MP - but with its CCD sensor captures a wonderful scene. I had not really shot with the K100 a lot over the last 4-5 or so years, and it is an excellent camera in its own right. It would be nice to shoot them side by side and see the difference - same view, same light, same lens - but that is too much like shooting a brick wall. This was done somewhat out of necessity since I ran out of charged batteries and both the Q and the K100 performed more than admirably.
Some K5 shots
So, at 5.30 with some pretty nice light, the K5 did what it does so well. Great definition and resolution, excellent color. [Side note - I was trying to capture large stitched panos, and some HDR with the K5 and things did not go the way it was intended with the batteries] The light was very muted and the sun was just starting to break out under the clouds. It was spitting rain with a breeze, and even with a lens hood, I kept having to wipe the rain drops off with a lens cloth. Then I ran out of battery juice.
This was intended to be (and I think that it was) a stitched set of 3 images bracketed (5 frames +/- 2ev) taken at 6pm. It was spitting rain, and I lost a number of shots with a rain drop hitting the lens. I think I caught one here, but decided to use it (the flare off to the right hand side). The light changes rapidly, and along with the clouds and weather, plus some fog in the canyon - every minute is very different. This is looking directly west from the far eastern edge of the canyon.
Shots from the Q
Drove to the next scenic outlook and started shooting with the Q. The Q really surprised me with the 02 lens at telephoto end. This was the shot that I had always wanted - with the K5 - all the resolution and definition, using the the old glass that I have been acquiring. So, after checking the shot on the rear screen, I remembered that I had brought the K100 along and I always have a new pack of AA's with it.
With the K100D
So, I went back to the truck, selected the 150mm fumbled around a bit, trying to remember how to shoot with the K100 (single wheel), and found that the 150 was way too much lens, for what I wanted. Went back to the truck (20 feet - and still spitting rain) to get the 85mm, but the sun came out under the clouds and lit up the ridge behind me, so I popped on the Zeiss 25mm, scurried back to shoot this.
Somehow the bold vivid colors really suits the CCD sensor on the K100. The pixels are large, fat, low noise and just soak up the light. The Q on the other hand, with the relatively small sensor, did extremely well, but with loosing the light, it was probably at its limit. In post processing, the imaging noise was starting to come through, but I am extremely happy with what I was able to capture.
Here is the last set before leaving - in the dark. K100 3 bracketed (HDR) and stacked - very little light.
This is a stitched set of 3 bracketed images using the K100. It was 7.15 pm and the sun had just set and twilight was going fast. This is looking to the north with a ridge to the east that caught the last bit of sun. It was darker that what you might have thought, but the K100 captured everything quite nicely.
So there you have it! A spur of the moment epic Arizona road trip. Just tossed everything I had in the truck and drove. As it turns out, I needed every bit of equipment that I brought with me in a very unexpected way. I have been meaning to do this again, but business travel has just killed my down time. But Retirement is coming up fast.....
The next week I took the K5 in to the vet (CRIS) under warranty and got it fixed.
I need to do this trip again - with my K5IIs and my current lens set. I would like to see what I can capture with my K5 and K5IIs doing my best at this wonderful Grand Canyon!!!!
Note - One of the things I had intended to use was my 28mm Shift lens to shift down into the canyon a bit more. All of that was side tracked. So, that is one of the things I want to really do and use - to see how that would come out with a shifted perspective. The other is to handle the light much better - with shooting into the sun with the very wide dynamic range in the Canyon. There are so many opportunities and situations there to challenge the photographer in trying to capture just small portion of what the canyon has to offer.
Also, it is really funny that in all of this - the K100 came shining through in the pinch. It is really difficult to beat this body - even with its age. Just a fantastic little camera. Still, tons of potential.
Last edited by interested_observer; 01-04-2016 at 04:55 AM.