[Rockbox]

Although I have been using Pentax cameras since the early 1980's and I have looked at various things on this site I haven't joined until now. My favourite Pentax camera of all time is probably the ME Super, of which I have two in my collection of film cameras. Haven't shot any film for a while, exclusively digital now. Started off with Pentax digital with an Optio 430 then a *ist DS, KX (didn't like that much), and K5. I really like the way the K5 handles and have been using it for 7 years, but I have just bought a KP and I'm a little unsure about its handling doesn't feel as comfortable. I hope I'll get used to it when I have chance to use it extensively. We'll see.

Regards, Steve

[BigMackCam]

Welcome to the forums, Steve, from another UK member

I also have a couple of ME Supers, neither of which are getting as much use as they should. Perhaps we should both make a point of changing that if the UK ever gets a Spring and Summer??

Give the KP time... It's quite a different design concept to the K-5. I think it's worth persevering, as the image quality is outstanding. I shoot a K-3 and K-3II most of the time (as well as some older bodies) and enjoy them very much, but I would *love* to have access to the high ISO capabilities of the KP. It's really quite special

[Rockbox]

Welcome to the forums, Steve, from another UK member

I also have a couple of ME Supers, neither of which are getting as much use as they should. Perhaps we should both make a point of changing that if the UK ever gets a Spring and Summer??

Give the KP time... It's quite a different design concept to the K-5. I think it's worth persevering, as the image quality is outstanding. I shoot a K-3 and K-3II most of the time (as well as some older bodies) and enjoy them very much, but I would *love* to have access to the high ISO capabilities of the KP. It's really quite special

Mike,
Thanks for your encouragement. I'm certainly looking forward to using the KP when (a) the weather improves; and (b) when I'm a little more mobile (I'm recovering from an operation last Friday). I have a little collection of film cameras with about a dozen or so Pentaxes, but most of them were acquired with collections of lenses and things bought cheaply from E-Bay. It actually includes 3 ME Supers, two I bought brand new and my first wife and I used them extensively in our geological fieldwork in the 1980s-90s and I continued using up until digital took over using, at first, a Casio QV-3500 in 2001/02.

[BigMackCam]

Mike,
Thanks for your encouragement. I'm certainly looking forward to using the KP when (a) the weather improves; and (b) when I'm a little more mobile (I'm recovering from an operation last Friday). I have a little collection of film cameras with about a dozen or so Pentaxes, but most of them were acquired with collections of lenses and things bought cheaply from E-Bay. It actually includes 3 ME Supers, two I bought brand new and my first wife and I used them extensively in our geological fieldwork in the 1980s-90s and I continued using up until digital took over using, at first, a Casio QV-3500 in 2001/02.

Sorry to hear about your operation, Steve, but hope you're on the mend

Your geological fieldwork photography sounds interesting! What photographs were you capturing, and for what purpose (if I may ask)?

Like you, I have a few film cameras. All of mine were bought used and fairly cheaply, mostly through eBay too. I have a mix of compacts, SLRs and a couple of TLRs. Quite a few are old Soviet models, and one of my main interests now is Soviet SLR and rangefinder lenses.

I didn't get into photography until much later than you. After playing with some compact film and digital cameras (some of which I still own), my first digital SLR was a Nikon D40X, and a year or two later I switched to a Pentax K-7 (around 2010) that I really wish I'd kept for posterity As I mentioned previously, I now shoot a K-3 and K-3II mainly, but also have my "old" (? ) and well-loved K-5, and some older Samsung-badged Pentax DSLRs with CCD sensors that I love to shoot. I also have some Sony mirrorless gear, but I doubt I'll ever switch away from Pentax. It's where I "cut my teeth", and for the types of photography I enjoy, Pentax does everything I need very well

Anyway, get well soon, and... once again... welcome. I'm sure we'll give you all the encouragement you need with that excellent KP

[Unregistered User 8]

Hi from Australia Steve, and welcome to the Pentax forums. Good to have you as a member.

[Rockbox]

Sorry to hear about your operation, Steve, but hope you're on the mend

Your geological fieldwork photography sounds interesting! What photographs were you capturing, and for what purpose (if I may ask)?

Like you, I have a few film cameras. All of mine were bought used and fairly cheaply, mostly through eBay too. I have a mix of compacts, SLRs and a couple of TLRs. Quite a few are old Soviet models, and one of my main interests now is Soviet SLR and rangefinder lenses.

I didn't get into photography until much later than you. After playing with some compact film and digital cameras (some of which I still own), my first digital SLR was a Nikon D40X, and a year or two later I switched to a Pentax K-7 (around 2010) that I really wish I'd kept for posterity As I mentioned previously, I now shoot a K-3 and K-3II mainly, but also have my "old" (? ) and well-loved K-5, and some older Samsung-badged Pentax DSLRs with CCD sensors that I love to shoot. I also have some Sony mirrorless gear, but I doubt I'll ever switch away from Pentax. It's where I "cut my teeth", and for the types of photography I enjoy, Pentax does everything I need very well

Anyway, get well soon, and... once again... welcome. I'm sure we'll give you all the encouragement you need with that excellent KP

Mike,
Geological photos were of rocks!! Seriously usually rock exposures showing significant structures, lithologies or features but also quite a few of me and my first wife on various mountains and so on.. I spent many years researching the geology and geochemistry of the northern Highlands, particularly north and central Sutherland. Published a few scientific papers along the way. Also spent a few years as a consultant on the Geological Conservation Review investigating, and photographing geological SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) throughout the Northern and Grampian Highlands. I've thousands of, mainly Kodachrome, slides from those days (mostly taken on the ME Supers) and I still haven't digitised most of them.
I used a Zenith B for a while after the shutter on my Prakticamat got too unreliable. I also used a 120 size Rolliecord TLR for fun. Plus I used an Olympus EE3 half frame as a 'notebook' camera for quite a few years.

I've attached a photo of me way back in 1981 in Assynt, NW Highlands next to the Peach and Horne (2 famous Victorian geologists) monument, taken with ME Super and Kodachrome digitised on Epson 750. I haven't changed a bit - I've changed a lot!

[BigMackCam]

Mike,
Geological photos were of rocks!! Seriously usually rock exposures showing significant structures, lithologies or features but also quite a few of me and my first wife on various mountains and so on.. I spent many years researching the geology and geochemistry of the northern Highlands, particularly north and central Sutherland. Published a few scientific papers along the way. Also spent a few years as a consultant on the Geological Conservation Review investigating, and photographing geological SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) throughout the Northern and Grampian Highlands. I've thousands of, mainly Kodachrome, slides from those days (mostly taken on the ME Supers) and I still haven't digitised most of them.
I used a Zenith B for a while after the shutter on my Prakticamat got too unreliable. I also used a 120 size Rolliecord TLR for fun. Plus I used an Olympus EE3 half frame as a 'notebook' camera for quite a few years.

I've attached a photo of me way back in 1981 in Assynt, NW Highlands next to the Peach and Horne (2 famous Victorian geologists) monument, taken with ME Super and Kodachrome digitised on Epson 750. I haven't changed a bit - I've changed a lot!

Very interesting indeed, Steve - thanks for the background. I'm always interested to hear how people use photography in non-commercial professional applications. We have quite a few members here for whom photography is a supporting aspect of their day-to-day jobs...

[Rockbox]

Mike,

I used photography extensively in teaching and research and in other work scenarios, right up until I retired. Here's another photo from the 1980's. It was taken with an ME Super, no lens but with an extension tube over the top of the objective lens on a polarising microscope. The photo is of a thin section (30 microns thick) of a lunar basalt (supplied courtesy of NASA) under a crossed polars showing the interference colours of the minerals (mainly pyroxene and olivine showing the bright colours together with plagioclase feldspar, grey with stripes, and with opaque, black, metal oxide minerals). I have also taken similar photos with my Pentax DSLRs again using extension tubes over the eye-piece of the microscope.

[Kerrowdown]

Welcome to the forum, enjoy it all here.

[BigMackCam]

Mike,

I used photography extensively in teaching and research and in other work scenarios, right up until I retired. Here's another photo from the 1980's. It was taken with an ME Super, no lens but with an extension tube over the top of the objective lens on a polarising microscope. The photo is of a thin section (30 microns thick) of a lunar basalt (supplied courtesy of NASA) under a crossed polars showing the interference colours of the minerals (mainly pyroxene and olivine showing the bright colours together with plagioclase feldspar, grey with stripes, and with opaque, black, metal oxide minerals). I have also taken similar photos with my Pentax DSLRs again using extension tubes over the eye-piece of the microscope.

Ah, you've touched on an area of blossoming interest for me, Steve. A few months ago I acquired my first (and probably last!) "proper" microscope, and have started playing with photography of various commercially-prepared samples. I haven't worked with polarised lighting yet - I'm just getting started with simpler stuff such as oblique and Rheinberg illumination, but I'd love to move on to the more advanced stuff you describe, equipment and ability willing

[Rockbox]

Ah, you've touched on an area of blossoming interest for me, Steve. A few months ago I acquired my first (and probably last!) "proper" microscope, and have started playing with photography of various commercially-prepared samples. I haven't worked with polarised lighting yet - I'm just getting started with simpler stuff such as oblique and Rheinberg illumination, but I'd love to move on to the more advanced stuff you describe, equipment and ability willing

I'm strictly a polarising microscope man. Amongst other things I taught Petrology and Mineralogy at university for 25 years which involved a great deal of polarising microscope work. So I'm an expert but only in that area, I know next to nothing about biological specimens and microscopy.