[jpzk]

I've been looking in the DA15 thread, the Sigma 10-20 thread and the Sigma 8-16 thread. So many talented photographers and great shots and I can't make up my mind and haven't bought a wide angle yet. I guess in a way those threads have helped me, but if I'd only looked at one of them I'd have probably bought that lens.

Talk about talented photographers ... I am very impressed with some of the shots presented on several threads here.
So much so that when I see an exceptional phto, I almost always look for the "gear" that was used, not taking into consideration that it is "who is behind the camera" that makes the most of that rendering.
Of course, for those talented people, good "gear" does make a difference!

JP

[jpzk]

As I join the same group from JPZK's other thread, I believe that photography attracts gear heads like us. I've only been active on PF for 6 months or so, but my photography has moved forward by leaps and bounds!

My gear has also leapt forward.................I've strengthened my kit and prolly could finish my life with the gear I have today..............but there's always a shiny new thing out there that keeps my attention................rather than get a mirrorless cam to keep in my pocket, I should probably get a second K5 for my current lenses and carry it in a bag................the K5 with a pancake DA21 is not that dramatically larger than many other cams....................

Hey, GD!

You have just made a point about carrying a second K5 and fitting it with a pancake lens ... makes much sense! Not big, not heavy, great performances, and you can fit any k-mount lens which you already own. Cuts down on LBA as long as you are disciplined !

JP

[jpzk]

Just as an aside to my OP:

(and I think there is a thread on that subject on this Forum) why don't I go out with ONE lens for a whole day, and concentrate on taking pics with just that single lens/camera ... where is that thread?

[Bramela]

You need to get involved in the Single Lens a Month group. I have been active in that for quite some months now, and not only does it broaden one's horizons and capability with each individual lens one chooses, but it makes one realise the capabilities of lenses that hadn't been fully realised.
It is a pity more don't get involved in this very worthwhile exercise.

Monthly Photo Challenges - PentaxForums.com

[GDRoth]

You need to get involved in the Single Lens a Month group. I have been active in that for quite some months now, and not only does it broaden one's horizons and capability with each individual lens one chooses, but it makes one realise the capabilities of lenses that hadn't been fully realised.
It is a pity more don't get involved in this very worthwhile exercise.

Monthly Photo Challenges - PentaxForums.com

I just joined your group and will commit to spending more time shooting and less time thinking about new gear......at least for a week or so....

[RioRico]

.. why don't I go out with ONE lens for a whole day, and concentrate on taking pics with just that single lens/camera ... where is that thread?

That's my Lens-Of-The-Day (LOTD) strategy. I have a zillion lenses. I have faves. I don't want the others to go unused, unappreciated, wasted. So I grab some semi-random lens and use ONLY it for a day or ten. I'll have other lenses in my bag, just in case, but most days they just stay in the bag. And some of those LOTD babies find themselves promoted to favourites.

It gets REAL interesting when the LOTD choice is weird and/or specialized. I've a massive Rodenstock XR-Heligor 120/1.8 that is fixed-focused to 50cm / 20in. Yes, that's a long fast XRay lens with no aperture control, so it always shoots wide-open with razor-thin DOF. I can't really push the focus out any further. Every shot is Yet Another Learning Experience (YALE).

That's really the point of LOTD, especially with old manual primes. Every lens is its own unique window on the world. Limiting myself to a single lens forces me to see as it does. And so I learn. My most educational camera was an ancient no-auto-anything folder with a 50/3.5 lens. Fancy new gear lets us take nice pictures. Difficult gear makes us work to learn the craft.

[Jools]

Gotta second Bramela about the Single in group.
Handling one lens for an entire month, one really learns about one's gear. It's a great challenge.
It has also helped in reducing my LBA to some extent but I take it a day at a time.

[GDRoth]

good motto: ONE DAY AT A TIME

[thazooo]

To help feed Y'als addiction

The Online Photographer: The Lucky Photographer

Enjoy ;-)

[SpecialK]

Those would be two of my keepers from my kit SpecialK. The 28-75 is a barrel of primes, and the FA50/1.4 is just great, but to each his own.

Yeah, but I have the 40 and 70, and don't shoot low light. So, they were mostly unused.

[jpzk]

You need to get involved in the Single Lens a Month group. I have been active in that for quite some months now, and not only does it broaden one's horizons and capability with each individual lens one chooses, but it makes one realise the capabilities of lenses that hadn't been fully realised.
It is a pity more don't get involved in this very worthwhile exercise.

Monthly Photo Challenges - PentaxForums.com

Hi Bruce ... is this it?:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/mini-challenges-games-photo-stories/16025...er-2011-a.html

This is a very good idea and that is probably the thread I was talking about earlier.
Indeed, I will visit it with some pics.

Thanks.

JP

[kenafein]

To help feed Y'als addiction

The Online Photographer: The Lucky Photographer

Enjoy ;-)

The look on his face is priceless, zoo!

[magkelly]

A sudden lust for more "stuff" is something I've noticed happening no matter what forum I join. I'm the same way about the dolls. Before I joined several vintage Barbie forums I was pretty content with my modern play line and low end collector's Barbies, most of which came from the local flea markets and thrift stores over the years. I hardly ever had one new and I didn't care a whole lot about things like articulation. Now I find myself wanting to buy only articulated dolls, dolls I simply have no budget for all the time. I don't often indulge that whim. My wallet is just too empty right now for me to be buying new dolls, let alone the expensive articulated ones.

I've definitely found myself coveting many dolls, some for a long while till I can finally splurge and get myself one. I really don't think I'd be as bad about that if I didn't have a lot of other doll collector's egging me on all the time, and the whole Barbie shoe fetish thing, that definitely started with joining up on doll boards. My plastic people have more fancy shoes than Imelda Marcos was supposed to have. I don't even buy designer shoes for me. I buy my shoes at Walmart or Pay Less, but I sure do spurge on my dolls little plastic feet! I'm very lucky in that I have a couple of friends who find and sell used toys who I can trade other things with for dolls, clothes, etc or I'd be totally in hock to Mattel! (Yeah I know a grown woman who's that much into dolls, truly sad, but I don't think it's any worse than grown men collecting action figures, comic books, or baseball cards. Or wasting money on sports events, or high tech gear. My best guy pal collects designer sneakers. In a month he spends 100X what I ever do for my plastic people all the time.)

I am bad about camera gear too, but I'm a lot more careful about how I spend on that actually than I am about buying some used Barbie clothes or whatever. I can afford a pack of $2.99 doll shoes or a $5 gallon bag of doll clothes at the flea market once in a while. A $60-300 lens or a $500 camera? Not near as often, if ever. I do splurge now and again but I have to keep the splurges kind of small most of the time. $5 can be a lot to waste some weeks.

I actually use all my photo gear and play with my dolls. I don't sit the stuff on the shelf and let it get dusty. Even the little 5MP pink pocket cam I picked up for $2 last week has seen plenty of use and the 2MP cam I found a while back just went to a doll pal who needed a decent one for Ebay snaps now that I've got a couple with more MP to use. I combine the two things a lot actually by taking diorama and portrait pics of my dolls to share with other doll people. The pics I take of real stuff, real people, that's honing my craft, my work. The pics I take of my toys that's my hobby, my fun, my playtime.

I spend a lot of time taking care of other people. Almost all of my day is taken up with the demands of what other people in my life need me to be doing. That responsibility, and the work I have to do getting my stores ready to open, it can make it very difficult to have an outside social life right now actually. That little part of the day that I get to do my things, photography, typing at people online, dressing up the dolls for display and pics, doing crafts, that's what keeps me sane.

[RioRico]

A sudden lust for more "stuff" is something I've noticed happening no matter what forum I join. I'm the same way about the dolls.

Yeah, and on the UFO and conspiracy and AI forums, everybody always wants more UFOs and conspiracies and AIs. Conspiracies are easily mass-produced, UFOs aren't far behind, but AIs take more effort. At least lenses and dolls are more substantial.

[kenafein]

I for one blame RioRico for all his well written LBA inspiring posts.