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06-01-2016, 12:50 AM   #541
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Appreciate the writes above. May was an interesting month for me with FA50/1.4, especially with my long awaited K-1 arrival on May 6th, which certainly spiced things up around here... As I've said before, FA50 was my first prime lens purchased back in 2008 and the main lens I shot with those first few years, so I feel totally comfortable and well acquainted with it on crop and was wondering if that sense would translate to the K-1, and it definitely did, without skipping a beat. It handles really well on the K-1 (as does every lens I've tried so far).

It's a satisfying experience every time I shoot with this pairing, thanks to having such a clear personal point of reference from when I began shooting with FA50 on my K100D back in 2008... All the focus huntings and missed focusings and wasted shot opportunities of my kids, over the course of years... It's more of a nod to the exceptional performance of the K-1 of course, but now I can shoot with much more confidence, even with the extra shallow dof, knowing that I can get a keeper out of the situation without feeling like I have to work so hard and just hoping to get lucky... It has been making me more and more willing and eager to take portrait shots in various circumstances than I was with any previous camera... It was Grey May here every day, and I really didn't get out much relatively speaking, but with this combo I still enjoyed my shooting thoroughly every day, as casual and limited as it has been.

I am so into the K-1 that I'm seriously struggling to not put my K-3 on the market.... I keep telling myself it's good to have as a backup, and maybe at some point I'll want to shoot them side by side, and maybe I'll want to use K-3 in a situation where maximum reach is all I care about, and maybe I'll want to use it with my DA15 someday because I will miss shooting it and don't like shooting crop mode on the K-1... There, that helped, for the moment...

It's difficult to skip out on the June SIC but I just need to, as I think sticking to just the June DIC will help me to spread the love around to more of my lenses with the K-1. See y'all next time.

06-01-2016, 01:59 AM   #542
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QuoteOriginally posted by todd Quote
I am so into the K-1 that I'm seriously struggling to not put my K-3 on the market.... I keep telling myself it's good to have as a backup, and maybe at some point I'll want to shoot them side by side, and maybe I'll want to use K-3 in a situation where maximum reach is all I care about, and maybe I'll want to use it with my DA15 someday because I will miss shooting it and don't like shooting crop mode on the K-1... There, that helped, for the moment...
+1. On every single point.
06-01-2016, 02:52 AM   #543
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Single in May 2016

So, May with my SMC Pentax-M 1:2 50mm. This was the first Pentax lens I bought, back when I just had my Lumix G-10. (So I ended the month yesterday, with it once again affixed to that camera.) To summarise: I really do love this lens. The lack of metering when stopped down on the K-30 is annoying - particularly since the G-10 manages fine - but I've got better and better at "feeling" the correct manual exposure outside, and when inside, it generally needs to be wide-open anyway. Image quality and sharpness is fine to my eyes, and I really like the way it renders pretty much everything. I quite like this focal length on APS-C, but not quite as much as 35 mm (which is already strapped back on to the K-30).

I forget what it cost me on Fleabay, but I don't think it was terribly much; maybe around $40 (Australian). I'm certainly glad I have it.

Favourite few of the month ... There are a few more this month than in some other recent months; guess I like this lens, and what it leads me to:


Two Trees at Sunset by -Occasionally Focused-


Red Leaves by -Occasionally Focused-


Catching air by -Occasionally Focused-


Red Planet by -Occasionally Focused-


Deez by -Occasionally Focused-

QuoteOriginally posted by Sagitta Quote
Muffed it on my last day!

Does this count as an excuse note? I did shoot it at the very last moment, just not with the proper lens...



Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate!
06-01-2016, 03:31 AM   #544
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First I want to thank everyone who commented on my photos. Thanks!! As for the Pentax A 50mm f2, it outshone itself. I was surprised at some of the detail this lens produced. As you all know, I'm not a short prime shooter but I was happy with the results it gave me. It's sharp and delivers very good bokeh. That last shot from yesterday, I tried using a more open f stop but it just wasn't working out really well. First shot was way overexposed, and that is why I shot that one at f10. However, after changing f stop, the photo was what I was trying achieve. All the flowers in focus. I'll keep this lens.

The one portrait I did of the neighbor lady, I showed it to her and her only question was........"where's my wrinkles"

06-01-2016, 03:36 AM   #545
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sandy Hancock Quote
The "designed for APS-C" DA*55 is 95% full frame compatible.
Here is where I show my ignorance of how FF differs from APS-C. I thought the advent of FF would bring us back to lenses having a focal length without the crop factor to consider, so a 50 is a 50, a 28 is somewhat wide, etc. So how is it that a DA 55 has vignetting?
06-01-2016, 03:53 AM   #546
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QuoteOriginally posted by robgski Quote
So how is it that a DA 55 has vignetting?
That's the 5%

That's the fact that the DA55 wasn't actually designed as a full-frame lens; it was designed to cover an APS-C image sensor and then some (e.g. to allow pixel margins for the shake reduction). We are lucky that it covers as much as it does.
06-01-2016, 04:16 AM   #547
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QuoteOriginally posted by robgski Quote
Here is where I show my ignorance of how FF differs from APS-C. I thought the advent of FF would bring us back to lenses having a focal length without the crop factor to consider, so a 50 is a 50, a 28 is somewhat wide, etc.
The focal length really has nothing to do with it Rob. It is all about the image circle. As pathdoc says, the DA*55 was designed when Pentax only had plans to cover the APS-C image circle, but as luck would have it, it *almost* covers the full frame image circle as well. For all intents and purposes it does the job - it just needs a tiny crop in certain circumstances.

06-01-2016, 04:24 AM - 1 Like   #548
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Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50/1.8

My version of the lens (like Rod's) is the rarer 8-bladed radio-active one. Not sure whether it has lanthanum or thorium elements, but the glass is seriously yellowed, and this caused extra pp issues all month. So I took a lot of photos of yellow objects to take advantage of the golden yellow hue. Having originally thought about de-yellowing the lens, I'm so glad I didn't, most of the time the white balance can be restored, except for high key images.

If you like the look of zebra lenses, the Pancolar is quite a handsome thing. Less attractively, it has a stop down lever that you need to hold with your left index finger to take stopped-down photos. This is rather irritating at first, but after a while you get used to it, and at least it allows you to take two photos for the price of one; wide-open and stopped down to your chosen f-stop.

My plan was to use the lens for the first half of the month and then switch for comparison to the radio-active Super Multi-Coated Takumar 50/1.4. However, when the time came to switch I felt I hadn't fully got to grips with the Pancolar and ended up using it through-out the month. It's not the sharpest lens in its class, compared for instance to a M50/1.7. But it produces lovely images with warm tones and gorgeous colours, in the right situations. The bokeh is exceptionally smooth and well rendered wide open, amongst the best I've seen, and (as you all know) I've tested the narrow dof bokeh capabilities of a fair number of lenses.

As a testament to its beautiful bokeh/colours I think (without counting) the Pancolar received more faves. in total during the month than any other lens I've singled. Many thanks for this! In contrast, I also achieved an explore with a black and white photo, something to write home about in this age of zillions of vivid full colour FF digital images on Flickr.





Of course, all this pales into insignificance to Pete Huu's amazing photo, linked below, that I fave'd soon after he posted it. Every day it appears in my activity stream - it's now got 27,067 faves!


https://www.flickr.com/photos/petehuu/23278274583/
06-01-2016, 05:10 AM - 1 Like   #549
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Wrapping up May (sans the last day) with that $10 Miranda 70-210mm Macro.

All in all the lens was a surprise and a half. Its much lighter and 'plasticy' feeling' than any of my other similar lenses from that era, and I had a comical bit when I first picked it up when I was trying to twist or pull bits of to enable the macro mode like my other lenses require (this lens is simply a 'get close and you're in close focus), but once I figured it out.... damn.

Its certainly not high end, but the color rendering is downright modern (it reminds me a lot of my Samyangs) and it doesn't require much to get it silly sharp.

Bokeh is amazing (due to the close focusing aspect) right down through the apertures that normally descend to crud (f/8 onwards). I'm not sure who made the thing (I'm pretty certain at this point Miranda was no longer an independent company so it was probably a rebadge).

Bonus points in that it was practically brand new - both the lens and the camera it came on (an old Chinon) looked like they were barely used (if ever).

My only real complaint is the lens has the worst zoom creep of any lens I own, but since I found myself usually shooting it either at 70mm or at 210mm it wasn't that huge an issue.

All in all a wonderful experience from a lunch priced lens. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Miranda lens if I see one cheap again.
06-01-2016, 05:58 AM   #550
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sagitta Quote
Muffed it on my last day!

Does this count as an excuse note? I did shoot it at the very last moment, just not with the proper lens...

Very nice excuse...
06-01-2016, 08:23 AM - 1 Like   #551
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May is over... my first SIC where I never failed to post a shot. (Yes I'm still a day or two behind in commenting - forgive me). This was a fairly easy month. I enjoyed it immensely - partly because the SMC DA 40 Limited is a joy to use, but also because the subjects appropriate for this lens are fairly easy to find this time of year.

So what did I learn?

Pro: Sharp lens edge to edge, good rendering overall. Small size does not attract attention and makes it easier to get a YES when you ask if you can take someone's photo.

Meh: Bokeh is nothing special nor is it horrible. Focus adjustment was needed and I never got around to it so some pictures came in too soft when I shot with wider f/stops and did not use CDAF focusing.

Con: The cap is the devil. Screw on caps are pretty and feel great but they are slow and fiddly. I need to replace my cap and haven't done it. I have missed shots due to this once or twice this month. Also I lived in constant fear of losing the cap.

Some of my fav's from this lens this month are below:







(Explored which was a shock for the first picture of the month!)



And my favorite Selfie...
06-01-2016, 09:17 AM   #552
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
Con: The cap is the devil. Screw on caps are pretty and feel great but they are slow and fiddly. I need to replace my cap and haven't done it. I have missed shots due to this once or twice this month. Also I lived in constant fear of losing the cap.

^^^^^ this ^^^^^


I am considering setting aside the specific hood/cap combo of the DA40 Ltd for a standard screw-in hood and cap for the daily run through the end of June....
06-01-2016, 09:26 AM   #553
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QuoteOriginally posted by pepperberry farm Quote
^^^^^ this ^^^^^


I am considering setting aside the specific hood/cap combo of the DA40 Ltd for a standard screw-in hood and cap for the daily run through the end of June....
I love the hood. So I should have scrounged up a Fujifilm cap like I was told over and over to do. But I haven't. I will dig around and if I find my "collection" of film canisters I will PM you with the offer of a few fujifilm caps.
06-01-2016, 09:46 AM - 1 Like   #554
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My first SIC review - I'll do my best! It was a good month. At times I felt like the M50 1.7 just took over the camera! Anywhere I pointed it, it was happy. Really sharp, great color, smooth focus, very light & easy to use. I didn't keep a record of f stop so although I pretty much know what to use & when, I think I could have learned a lot more had I kept track. There were days this lens just felt too easy but there were also days I struggled for a shot I liked. This was the first time I experimented much with processing & I think the M50 was a great lens to start with. I did get an explore which was a kick! Thanks everyone for their comments & for answering my questions. Well, on to June...
06-01-2016, 10:12 AM   #555
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
I love the hood. So I should have scrounged up a Fujifilm cap like I was told over and over to do. But I haven't. I will dig around and if I find my "collection" of film canisters I will PM you with the offer of a few fujifilm caps.



coolness - thanks!
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