[lorberboim]

Hi,

Thanks for all professional advice. I’m new to this area ( when I got the camera I just thought I’ll put it on auto mode….), besides English is not my native language and my age… so things tends to be a little bit confusing.
1. Got back the lost 100 ISO.
2. “If your 50/1.2 is an "A", "F", or "FA" lens, set the camera program line to MTF and take a shot of anything at all”
The lense is “A”. I set it is all the time on 22. Pic at album.
Will F or FA do better? Which is better?
3. Can’t find on camera or manual how to get the MTF.
4. 12/14/8 bit? What is it? In processing?
My aim is to get the best shot I can on the camera to start with. After…
5. I use this scale + Hair to focus on white paper sheet. Pic at album.
6. Here are a cropped piece of last pictures taken – On first when I want to set the camera while on M mode to get it brighter, to shorter exposure it change the ISO to 160. On the second one I changed the white balance just by adjusting the actual colors on painting to those on camera screen – better results. Pic at album.
Again, Thanks and will be glad to have more comments or advice. It all helps me to get to know my equipment and make the most to improve photos.
Haim
Pictures:
lorberboim's Album: Lorberboim Paintings - PentaxForums.com

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[dms]

Haim,
The last post (w/ the photo of your lens) has a new shot of a pastel, but you took it at f/22, and thus it cannot be sharp!
You should do it at f/11 (as you used before) was my suggestion. f/22 is the worst setting, at f/22 the lens sharpness is 1/2 of what it is at f/11.

[Canada_Rockies]

There is a small release button past the A on your aperture ring. Press the button and turn the ring past 22 to the A setting. Now your camera can see the aperture ring and set the aperture for you using the eDials. You have it set to 22 in the photo above. You might not have noticed the release button. Your camera's automatic exposure modes will all work perfectly.

The point above about not using f/22 is valid. The light coming through the lens bends where it touches the aperture blades, an optical effect known as diffraction. You want to avoid very high numbers on the aperture dial, which mean very small apertures where the diffraction overpowers the rest of the exposure. To set your camera to MTF, it is one of your program lines. The program line is set in the Custom Settings Menu. Here is the menu tree:

[Custom Settings] > [Program Line] > [MTF]

My K10D is set to this program line at all times. I use Pentax's hyper program to quickly change the aperture or shutter speed when I need to.

[lorberboim]

Ops.
I thought the larger the f the sharper the image.
Now got it.
The ring is already set to A.
I just manuvered the camera to shoot at f 22.
Now I cant find the program line or MTF on the custom settings. the manual dont mention any of those terms or similar. But,
I find something called cross processing.
It may be it. Any way I'll have something to play with tomorrow.
Thanks again,
Haim



Haim

[Canada_Rockies]

I see that you are using the K30 - from the EXIF in the lens photo - it is entirely possible that the K30 does not have that option. Sorry for confusing you. That means that your best bet is to use f/8 which is probably very close to the best aperture.

[lorberboim]

I see that you are using the K30 - from the EXIF in the lens photo - it is entirely possible that the K30 does not have that option. Sorry for confusing you. That means that your best bet is to use f/8 which is probably very close to the best aperture.

Hi,
You are right.
I try some f stops and the f/8 make the best.
Now the shots look way better.
I uploaded two new shots:
lorberboim's Album: Lorberboim Paintings - PentaxForums.com
If you have more suggestions, I'll be glad.
Do you think that I can do better with another lenses and or the K 3?
But first I want to make the most with the equipment I already have.

Thanks,
Haim

[Canada_Rockies]

The three at the top look much better. Now all you have to do is fine tune the exposure so that the pictures and images have the same density. I have no way of knowing what is correct and what isn't, but you can print one and hold it next to the painting.

[dms]

No, I don't think for any reasonable sized art work you will do better than the 50mm f/2 lens and your camera.

This is especially true in your case as pastels have no detail--they and the charcoal you might use are by nature soft.

[lorberboim]

Hi,
Looks like I getting now better results.
Thanks.
Any way I looked in the forum and noticed
That there are lenses – 50 mm “A” , “F”, “M” and “FA” .
I wasn’t able to find the difference between these grades and performance.
I noted that the M 50 mm 1/7 has a score of 9.5
https://www.pentaxforums.com/lensreviews/SMC-Pentax-M-50mm-F1.7-Lens.html?#review6264

while mine A 50mm has score of 8.3.
Should I try to get one of the M?
Haim

[Canada_Rockies]

Your A 50/2 is a basic lens, but it is still much better than a zoom lens for what you are doing. Using an M lens would take another learning curve as the aperture cannot be controlled by the camera, and you can only use Manual exposure. Av works, but only with the lens wide open, which is less than ideal. I suggest when looking at the forum ratings you check out why people have rated the lens the way they do. The only lenses that might be better for your purposes, and the increase will be marginal, is to use macro lenses. The distortion is very low, and the lenses are designed to take a flat field, such as your canvases.

[dms]

Quite frankly you keep asking the same thing!

Maybe you want to hear that you can do better with a K3 and a 50mm f/2.8 DFA macro lens. This will only cost you about $2000. It will not do any better photographing what you want, but at least you will know there isn't anything better in a Pentax dslr. Well actually there is--$10,000. medium format Pentax.

Again for what you are photographing the pastel rendering does not have enough detail to permit an improvement (beyond using reasonably good camera technique) no matter how much better the lens and camera.

[lorberboim]

Hi,
Thanks for your remarks.
Judging from my recent shots they look really very sharp as it is now already.
Cant see much place to improve. So I guess you are right and no point now in hopping on more equipment

Haim