New Enthusiast...and I went Pentax

A.Yzerr · 12-06-2013, 08:43 PM

Originally posted by BretW

Welcome! I'm new here too.

I find what you have conveyed is powerful. I have no memory issues myself, but I resonate with your story at many levels, even with respect to memory. A picture can add dimension to memory--if you have the technical ability to figure out the puzzles involved. And the puzzles are often fun ones.

I'm also a biologist (though not an entomologist. I'm a theoretical evolutionary biologist with a passion for tropical rain forest), and I just last week moved from Canon to a K3 18-135, AF-360FGZ Flash and am going to pick up the 100 Marco WR next. Just like you, Weather sealing was a/the decisive factor, though now having shot the K3, I'm discovering the many other charms of the Pentax worldview, and the K3 in particular. Even the 18-135 WR is a surprisingly charming little lens, if you recognise its limits.

My intro was here:

Why I left Canon for a K3

with the meat of my story at post #14. But more interesting than what I wrote were the excellent replies I got from seasoned Pentaxians. Probably worth a look.

I also found this other interesting site through the Pentax forums:

Extreme Macro

That one has me thinking about reversing old enlarger lenses and things. Didn't know that the parts existed to make that so easy, nor that it would be a good thing to do. But now I do.

What is your specialty in entomology?

That's exactly it! It's a puzzle. They can be as simple as the direction of someone's stare, and that can invoke the images of what they were watching at the time, and how that made them feel. It's so much to be conveyed that makes it a thing of beauty and very powerful.

I read your thread and I have to say, I'm quite jealous that you've been able to go to Madagascar! That must've been an experience. Also, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who finds the idea that Pentax weather seals their camera bodies as a high bonus point. Not to mention the no low pass filter. With my Nikon I was always either overly concerned or frustrated being limited in weather, and the times I did attempt a "weather proofing" (read. plastic bags) it did not at all assuage my concern. I really enjoy working around streams and bodies of water, the sheer amount of biodiversity leaves something always to be discovered. However, I also live very near many deserts and such, so dust and sand are a big problem.

I'm currently to begin working on a tri-trophic databasing grant with Hemipterans (large families, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Rosaceae are primary concern). I'll also be looking into their parasitic Hymenopteran interactions (specifically Chalcidoidea). Assuming all goes to plan that is.

Prior to following the path of Entomology I was very nearly persuaded by my mentor to pursue historical biology, or paleo-bio if I wouldn't go for that.

Thank you for the links, I haven't gotten a chance to look into them as of yet - though I'm certain I will in the next day or two.

I'm surprised at what a warm reception I've met here.

Originally posted by TER-OR

Gotta be the citizen scientist here...

Contribute to Lost Ladybug Project if you find native ladybugs. Some are really tiny.

Also, if you're in Illinois (eventually surrounding states) to Welcome to BeeSpotter!, BeeSpotter, University of Illinois for bumblebees and honeybees.
I've documented 10 species of bumblebees in my back yard - several rare. One not documented in Illinois in many decades. Then again, unless someone looks, no one knows....

Originally posted by Ash

Good stuff, and good to have you here. Hope you continue to enjoy the forum. Look forward to seeing some of your arachnids.

I will most certainly look into the Coccinellidae project.

Unfortunately I'm not located in Illinois.

However, a former classmate of mine somewhat recently documented Mecopterans living in a valley in California where they were not known to occur previously. So yes indeed, unless someone looks, who knows!

Most recently I've been taking pictures of a friends' pet reptiles, so unfortunately I haven't made all that many arachnid shots. However, I do plan on getting out there and getting some good Lycosidae pictures as they're fairly plentiful. Once the weather begins to be favorable again.

Originally posted by BretW

Oops. Didn't notice you mentioned arachnids, odonates and hemipterans (aproximately spiders, dragonflies and 'true bugs', to all you normal folk). All really cool photographic subjects.

It was tempting just to say "hemipterans suck" and leave it at that, but others here might assume I was being a jerk.

Those are primarily my interest as photographing goes. For the most part they're cooperative individuals, and I really enjoy them ecologically.

Ha - they certainly do! I always like using the old joke, "I've tasted Honeydew - it's sweet, and it even has a pleasant taste. It's literally good ****." Always gets people.

Unfortunately I'm unsure of when I'll be receiving my K-3 package. My shipment was supposed to arrive today. However, it never did. Upon inspection of the tracking number and shipment progress I observed three notifications. The first was there was a "Late Trailer", the second was the shipment had an updated delivery date, and the third is that there is an "Exception" placed on all packages.

I was somewhat disappointed with this turn of events, and I'm not really sure what exactly I should do (if anything). Exceptions on every sinlge package (3 of them) unnerves me.

EJMzagsfan · 12-06-2013, 10:30 PM

Waiting on a camera's the worst. I made the mistake of getting mine sent ground and it was gruelling. Never again.

Jean Poitiers · 12-07-2013, 12:11 AM - **1 Like**

Welcome to PF and "bonjour" from France, A.Yzerr ... enjoy the K-3 and go get a D FA 100 f2.8 WR Macro lens ... the best of Pentax, love mine for insects, plus portraits and telephotos ... hope to see an image or two soon ... Salut, J

SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR Reviews - D FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

An old shot in the K-r & D FA 100 ...

**TER-OR** · 12-07-2013, 02:58 PM - **1 Like**

OK, I'll share one of my more unusual finds. Mantid fly:

A.Yzerr · 12-07-2013, 05:10 PM

Originally posted by Jean Poitiers

Welcome to PF and "bonjour" from France, A.Yzerr ... enjoy the K-3 and go get a D FA 100 f2.8 WR Macro lens ... the best of Pentax, love mine for insects, plus portraits and telephotos ... hope to see an image or two soon ... Salut, J

SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR Reviews - D FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database

Ah yes! I ordered one as part of the original kit I ordered with the body.

Originally posted by Jean Poitiers

An old shot in the K-r & D FA 100 ...

Nice shot! Love the pollen basket visibility.

Originally posted by TER-OR

OK, I'll share one of my more unusual finds. Mantid fly:

Mantispidae are awesome! So alien. Unfortunately I do not know of any populations occuring in my general area.

A.Yzerr · 12-22-2013, 05:28 PM

Good news!

After an unfortunate length of time involving much confusion, frustration, and playing phone tag - I finally received my camera and lenses.

A by product of this delay has caused me to gain some considerable paranoia. I spent far too much time devoted to reading about the K-3, and I stumbled upon many discussions of defects and others experienced. Fortunately I was able to take a few shots and I played around with all the equipment to ensure it was working correctly.

I believe, superficially, all is in order. Though I've become concerned with any sort of impaired image sharpness, as I've read about AF issues and when I zoom 1:1 in LR things don't always seem quite right. I looked into a lot of online charts people have posted to test sharpness, but I've found that my printer seems incapable of producing the amount of refined detail in the images to properly test anything.

I'm not really sure as to how I should go about testing this - and I'm almost certain that any sort of loss in image quality or sharpness is very likely due to my own unskilled photographic nature.

I went ahead and attached two random images. I think I'm maybe using a bit too large of an aperature so the depth of field is too shallow to truly capture many things in great detail, but alas, I am unsure of such things.

**Ash** · 12-24-2013, 02:04 PM - **1 Like**

All in good time. Experience and learning will determine the best settings for your intended result. As for 'testing', to be truthful: don't bother. Just shoot real life stuff and have a look at your results afterwards. f/8 is usually a good place to start, and shooting a distant landscape would give you an appreciation of how sharp the camera can render images with that lens. Close ups are harder to determine overall sharpness, but very good for looking at finer details in the centre or slightly off centre.

12-22-2013, 05:28 PM	#21
A.Yzerr Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 29 Original Poster	Good news! After an unfortunate length of time involving much confusion, frustration, and playing phone tag - I finally received my camera and lenses. A by product of this delay has caused me to gain some considerable paranoia. I spent far too much time devoted to reading about the K-3, and I stumbled upon many discussions of defects and others experienced. Fortunately I was able to take a few shots and I played around with all the equipment to ensure it was working correctly. I believe, superficially, all is in order. Though I've become concerned with any sort of impaired image sharpness, as I've read about AF issues and when I zoom 1:1 in LR things don't always seem quite right. I looked into a lot of online charts people have posted to test sharpness, but I've found that my printer seems incapable of producing the amount of refined detail in the images to properly test anything. I'm not really sure as to how I should go about testing this - and I'm almost certain that any sort of loss in image quality or sharpness is very likely due to my own unskilled photographic nature. I went ahead and attached two random images. I think I'm maybe using a bit too large of an aperature so the depth of field is too shallow to truly capture many things in great detail, but alas, I am unsure of such things. Attached Images

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12-06-2013, 08:43 PM	#16
A.Yzerr Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 29 Original Poster	Originally posted by BretW Welcome! I'm new here too. I find what you have conveyed is powerful. I have no memory issues myself, but I resonate with your story at many levels, even with respect to memory. A picture can add dimension to memory--if you have the technical ability to figure out the puzzles involved. And the puzzles are often fun ones. I'm also a biologist (though not an entomologist. I'm a theoretical evolutionary biologist with a passion for tropical rain forest), and I just last week moved from Canon to a K3 18-135, AF-360FGZ Flash and am going to pick up the 100 Marco WR next. Just like you, Weather sealing was a/the decisive factor, though now having shot the K3, I'm discovering the many other charms of the Pentax worldview, and the K3 in particular. Even the 18-135 WR is a surprisingly charming little lens, if you recognise its limits. My intro was here: Why I left Canon for a K3 with the meat of my story at post #14. But more interesting than what I wrote were the excellent replies I got from seasoned Pentaxians. Probably worth a look. I also found this other interesting site through the Pentax forums: Extreme Macro That one has me thinking about reversing old enlarger lenses and things. Didn't know that the parts existed to make that so easy, nor that it would be a good thing to do. But now I do. What is your specialty in entomology? That's exactly it! It's a puzzle. They can be as simple as the direction of someone's stare, and that can invoke the images of what they were watching at the time, and how that made them feel. It's so much to be conveyed that makes it a thing of beauty and very powerful. I read your thread and I have to say, I'm quite jealous that you've been able to go to Madagascar! That must've been an experience. Also, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who finds the idea that Pentax weather seals their camera bodies as a high bonus point. Not to mention the no low pass filter. With my Nikon I was always either overly concerned or frustrated being limited in weather, and the times I did attempt a "weather proofing" (read. plastic bags) it did not at all assuage my concern. I really enjoy working around streams and bodies of water, the sheer amount of biodiversity leaves something always to be discovered. However, I also live very near many deserts and such, so dust and sand are a big problem. I'm currently to begin working on a tri-trophic databasing grant with Hemipterans (large families, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Rosaceae are primary concern). I'll also be looking into their parasitic Hymenopteran interactions (specifically Chalcidoidea). Assuming all goes to plan that is. Prior to following the path of Entomology I was very nearly persuaded by my mentor to pursue historical biology, or paleo-bio if I wouldn't go for that. Thank you for the links, I haven't gotten a chance to look into them as of yet - though I'm certain I will in the next day or two. I'm surprised at what a warm reception I've met here. Originally posted by TER-OR Gotta be the citizen scientist here... Contribute to Lost Ladybug Project if you find native ladybugs. Some are really tiny. Also, if you're in Illinois (eventually surrounding states) to Welcome to BeeSpotter!, BeeSpotter, University of Illinois for bumblebees and honeybees. I've documented 10 species of bumblebees in my back yard - several rare. One not documented in Illinois in many decades. Then again, unless someone looks, no one knows.... Originally posted by Ash Good stuff, and good to have you here. Hope you continue to enjoy the forum. Look forward to seeing some of your arachnids. I will most certainly look into the Coccinellidae project. Unfortunately I'm not located in Illinois. However, a former classmate of mine somewhat recently documented Mecopterans living in a valley in California where they were not known to occur previously. So yes indeed, unless someone looks, who knows! Most recently I've been taking pictures of a friends' pet reptiles, so unfortunately I haven't made all that many arachnid shots. However, I do plan on getting out there and getting some good Lycosidae pictures as they're fairly plentiful. Once the weather begins to be favorable again. Originally posted by BretW Oops. Didn't notice you mentioned arachnids, odonates and hemipterans (aproximately spiders, dragonflies and 'true bugs', to all you normal folk). All really cool photographic subjects. It was tempting just to say "hemipterans suck" and leave it at that, but others here might assume I was being a jerk. Those are primarily my interest as photographing goes. For the most part they're cooperative individuals, and I really enjoy them ecologically. Ha - they certainly do! I always like using the old joke, "I've tasted Honeydew - it's sweet, and it even has a pleasant taste. It's literally good ****." Always gets people. Unfortunately I'm unsure of when I'll be receiving my K-3 package. My shipment was supposed to arrive today. However, it never did. Upon inspection of the tracking number and shipment progress I observed three notifications. The first was there was a "Late Trailer", the second was the shipment had an updated delivery date, and the third is that there is an "Exception" placed on all packages. I was somewhat disappointed with this turn of events, and I'm not really sure what exactly I should do (if anything). Exceptions on every sinlge package (3 of them) unnerves me.

12-06-2013, 10:30 PM	#17
EJMzagsfan Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Idaho Photos: Albums Posts: 241	Waiting on a camera's the worst. I made the mistake of getting mine sent ground and it was gruelling. Never again.

12-07-2013, 12:11 AM - 1 Like	#18
Jean Poitiers Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Lost in translation ... Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 18,076	Welcome to PF and *"bonjour"* from France, A.Yzerr ... enjoy the K-3 and go get a D FA 100 f2.8 WR Macro lens ... the best of Pentax, love mine for insects, plus portraits and telephotos ... hope to see an image or two soon ... *Salut*, J SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR Reviews - D FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database An old shot in the K-r & D FA 100 ...

12-07-2013, 02:58 PM - 1 Like	#19
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	OK, I'll share one of my more unusual finds. Mantid fly:

12-07-2013, 05:10 PM	#20
A.Yzerr Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 29 Original Poster	Originally posted by Jean Poitiers Welcome to PF and *"bonjour"* from France, A.Yzerr ... enjoy the K-3 and go get a D FA 100 f2.8 WR Macro lens ... the best of Pentax, love mine for insects, plus portraits and telephotos ... hope to see an image or two soon ... *Salut*, J SMC Pentax-D FA 100mm F2.8 Macro WR Reviews - D FA Prime Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database Ah yes! I ordered one as part of the original kit I ordered with the body. Originally posted by Jean Poitiers An old shot in the K-r & D FA 100 ... Nice shot! Love the pollen basket visibility. Originally posted by TER-OR OK, I'll share one of my more unusual finds. Mantid fly: Mantispidae are awesome! So alien. Unfortunately I do not know of any populations occuring in my general area.

12-24-2013, 02:04 PM - 1 Like	#22
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	All in good time. Experience and learning will determine the best settings for your intended result. As for 'testing', to be truthful: don't bother. Just shoot real life stuff and have a look at your results afterwards. f/8 is usually a good place to start, and shooting a distant landscape would give you an appreciation of how sharp the camera can render images with that lens. Close ups are harder to determine overall sharpness, but very good for looking at finer details in the centre or slightly off centre.