[Class A]

I'm going to examine that for some while before deciding what I want

Make sure you also check out the advice at Strobist: Lighting 101.
Sooner or later, I think you'll want to move the flash off camera and the above page recommends simple flashes with manual control for doing this.

Not sure what I'd do, atm. Still struggling with flashless photography, so I'm keeping the strobist in me on hold for a while...

[Transit]

Sorry this multiquote thing doesn't work for me.
do I really have to labouriously cut and past open and close quote things around every seperate comment I make ?
sigh

Class A I face a similar challenge on Boxing Day
but will also have the advantage of a bright day God willing
I'm using focus on the ok button now so i'll give continuous a trial

I will try making more shots too.

I just reviewed last years set and I had about 3% keepers focus wise !
Was using the M-200 as my long lens. Was just new to it and struggling.
not to mention my eyesight
Will take the sigma 70-300 this year but don't fancy that sucker searching for focus while panning
I might take it out for a test
spose if I was serious I would shell out $8000 for some canikon white thing
but hey I like the challenge

as for flash i think an onboard trigger with receiver plugged into offboard flash is the go
but it seems to be secret knowledge

To answer your and Pete's question about focus: I used continuous AF, assigned to the OK button.

This led to surprisingly many relatively sharp images. Here's what helped:
+ It was a very bright day so shutter speeds were usually quite high.
+ I did a lot of shots, anticipating a low keeper rate.


I'm happy with my first attempt. I got a lot more reasonably sharp images then I thought. At their original size they are fine and even cropped most of them would make good regular prints, I believe.

[Class A]

I forgot to quote this one:

Some great shots there Class A !

Thanks a lot Pete!
This is too good. I need to shoot and post pics more often. Cannot get enough of the praise.

Sorry this multiquote thing doesn't work for me.
do I really have to labouriously cut and past open and close quote things around every seperate comment I make ?

Are you already using the multi-quote buttons next to the "quote" button?
These help to combine quotes from multiple postings.

But I think I know what you mean. When I want to intersperse my comments with someone's posting, I manually put in the necessary "[ QUOTE=Transit;422115 ]" and "[ /QUOTE ]" delimiters.

This is a lot easier if you use an extended clipboard which can hold more than one item. I use ClipX for Windows (free). I copy the opening "quote" code and the closing "quote" code and then just either paste normally with Ctrl-V or paste with Ctrl-Shift V to get either of the two. Works like a charm. ClipX also helps to open a Google page with search results for whatever you have copied into the clipboard or opens a browser pointed at a URL which you copied to the clipboard. Wouldn't want to be without ClipX anymore.

Class A I face a similar challenge on Boxing Day
but will also have the advantage of a bright day God willing
I'm using focus on the ok button now so i'll give continuous a trial

These are very fast, aren't they? I think a pre-focusing technique will work best. Even trap focus might be too slow, unless you deliberately focus too much in front of the vehicle (it may just drive into the sweet focus zone while the camera gets its act together). Unless this works, you'll have to somewhat guess the right time to press the shutter.

I did that with the Aussie Rules games as well. I tried to think ahead and released in anticipation, not as a reaction. As someone said "If you see it in the viewfinder, you haven't captured it on film".

I will try making more shots too.

Yes, I hate to age the shutter on my K100D but I think there is no way around producing quite some waste in order to be able to fish out the keepers with fast action stuff.

Will take the sigma 70-300 this year but don't fancy that sucker searching for focus while panning

Once it has obtained approximate focus, just adjusting it is pretty quick. If you manage to find a spot where the distance between you and the vehicles doesn't change a lot while panning (say in the focal point of a curve) you should be fine.

spose if I was serious I would shell out $8000 for some canikon white thing

$8000 US(!) only buys you a body (Nikon D3x). No white thing attached to it yet.

as for flash i think an onboard trigger with receiver plugged into offboard flash is the go
but it seems to be secret knowledge

Definitely the way to go, AFAIC. But then do you want to have fun with cheap but misfiring Cactus ones that either cope with <12V or with >12V? Or do you want to dig deep into your pocket for PocketWizards (magically remove money from your pockets )? I saw some triggers on TM, reasonably priced and apparently reliable but it was hard to get comprehensive info from the guy. He invited me to have a play with the triggers at his studio, but it is in Auckland.

[cpopham]

I'm assuming you mean the Pentax 17-70. <snip> I guess the Sigma 17-70 has a slight edge over the Pentax version.

Actually, I was talking about the Pentax one, which seems to have an edge over the Sigma one at shorter focal lengths (before going a bit soft closer to 70)

To answer your and Pete's question about focus: I used continuous AF, assigned to the OK button.

Aaah, I thought you might have - I tried this once with trains. They're a little bit too fast...

I don't think this was a clever move by Pentax to cripple the K100D like that. I'm pretty sure it's just a software issue. Buying a 360 just as a controller for another 360 or 540? Nah. I'd be more tempted to get a 360/540 if I could control it with the onboard flash.

You know what? I *used* to think this too, until I actually tried using a single flash off camera. It's servicable, but a second flash would be advantageous... and then that second flash could happily be on the hotshoe.

Also, note that no K Series DSLR can use its onboard flash to wirelessly trigger another flash in HSS mode. For this, you need an on shoe flash to do the triggering.

Radio controlled triggers are tempting and a potential fix, but they don't support P-TTL, are a further expense

This is true, but P-TTL has its quirks. By which I am, unfortunately referring to the 'drooping' eyelid problem which all the modern preflash based TTL flash systems seem to have, to varying degrees. This led to me pretty much giving up on P-TTL for everything except fill light when I'm feeling lazy (or outside in bright light with higher shutter speeds). The 'fix' is to then switch your flash to manual, or automatic mode, set the camera to manual, and actually figure out how you want to balance the exposure yourself. This, by the way is pretty much exactly what Strobist advocates.

Buying a P-TTL capable flash gives you a few handy other things:

1) High Speed Sync. Useful for daylight fill... which is also the exact scenario where I find P-TTL quite useful.
2) The flash can retrieve various things from the camera automatically - for example, the flash head can auto-zoom as you do, and the flash can also automatically update exposure settings in automatic mode.

Make sure you also check out the advice at Strobist: Lighting 101.
Sooner or later, I think you'll want to move the flash off camera and the above page recommends simple flashes with manual control for doing this.

The reason they suggest manual flashes in twofold:

1) Because some lower end flashes lack a manual mode. Canon, I'm looking at you.
2) Since you're off camera with triggers, you don't need any manufacturer specific features... and they're really suggesting you save your money for pocket wizards...

I need to shot and post pics more often.

Me too!

Definitely the way to go, AFAIC. But then do you want to have fun with cheap but misfiring Cactus ones that either cope with <12V or with >12V? Or do you want to dig deep into your pocket for PocketWizards (magically remove money from your pockets )?

They're nicknamed Poverty Wizards for a reason

What I've been seriously considering, to be honest, is getting some of the Pentax 5P cables / hot shoe adapters. Off camera flash with full P-TTL capabilities when you want them. Downside wires..... upside.... well there aren't any reliability issues, are there?

[Class A]

Actually, I was talking about the Pentax one, which seems to have an edge over the Sigma one at shorter focal lengths (before going a bit soft closer to 70)

I briefly read through both reviews at photozone and at the shorter focal lengths the Pentax is reported to be better but anywhere else, including vignetting and CA, the Sigma was in front, IIRC. I don't mind too much either way. Neither of the two are on my roadmap atm.

Also, note that no K Series DSLR can use its onboard flash to wirelessly trigger another flash in HSS mode. For this, you need an on shoe flash to do the triggering.

Interesting. Not sure if there's really a hardware limitation with the onboard flash or the artificial crippling just starts later with the other K models.

This is true, but P-TTL has its quirks. By which I am, unfortunately referring to the 'drooping' eyelid problem ...

It appears, superglue (for the eyelides of the subjects) should be a standard accessory with a P-TTL flash.

This led to me pretty much giving up on P-TTL for everything except fill light when I'm feeling lazy (or outside in bright light with higher shutter speeds).

Still useful for things which do not blink. But then you probably have the time to set things up manually anyhow.

Thanks for all the good info on flashes!

What I've been seriously considering, to be honest, is getting some of the Pentax 5P cables / hot shoe adapters.

How do you control multiple flashes with these? Y-adapters? Daisy-chaining?

A further disadvantage might be that you cannot use old (high trigger voltage) flashes safely.

Peter Zack seems to be happy with FlashWaves.

[cpopham]

Interesting. Not sure if there's really a hardware limitation with the onboard flash or the artificial crippling just starts later with the other K models.

I suspect it's probably a little bit of both. HSS eats a LOT of a flashes power, and perhaps the onboard doesn't have enough power available to send the Master preflash AND usefully discharge in HSS mode. Alternatively, it might be that it's such an uncommon usage scenario nobody bothered complicated the K10/K2* interface to cope with it.

It appears, superglue (for the eyelides of the subjects) should be a standard accessory with a P-TTL flash.

It's not totally useless, you do get a decent number of keepers - it's just very frustrating to have an otherwise perfect picture in which someone is beginning to blink.

Still useful for things which do not blink. But then you probably have the time to set things up manually anyhow.

Exactly. The Strobist 'formula' is basically about balancing flash and ambient light to create the look you want - creating the exposure you want means manual exposures and manual flash powers. This is why they put so much importance on the triggers and less on the flashes.

How do you control multiple flashes with these? Y-adapters? Daisy-chaining?

You daisy-chain with multiple adapters. e.g. to control two flashes from a camera you would have:

Camera with Hot Shoe adapter F on shoe, 5P cable out of adapter, into Off Camera shoe adapter F, which has a Hot shoe adapter F on top, with the one flash on that, and then another 5P cable out to a single Off Shoe Adapter F by itself, with the second flash mounted on it. As an added bonus, AF 540s have a 5P socket, so you don't need to buy a shoe adapter.

A further disadvantage might be that you cannot use old (high trigger voltage) flashes safely.

This is true, but there's no point in buying the special Pentax cables / adapters to use old flashes. For those you can just use el-cheapo shoes and pc-sync cables. You can also get voltage regulating shoe adapters for reasonable sums too.

The Pentax cables are special (and expensive) because they carry all of the pins from the Pentax shoe to support full communication.

[Arpe]

Right - not sure when I'm going to be able to get back on here, finish work tomorrow, half a day only, then shopping and getting ready for the big day etc., then not back to work til 19th (though should pop in a few times before then). So a good break to all, the forecast is okay I think for the week for most of us.

Merry Christmas, if you observe it, and a happy and safe new year.

[cpopham]

Merry Christmas, if you observe it, and a happy and safe new year.

Indeed! Merry Christmas* to all!

(*or equivalent)

[Class A]

Have a good break, everyone. Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

[Transit]

Merry Christmas guys

Pete

[Transit]

BAAAAAAA... Humbug!

being a goat it's more like maaa ma maaa

[Transit]

K100D and Sigma 70-300APO go to the bikes (no pp)
Aussie boy Gareth Jones was very sharp


Very bright day and Ap handled it pretty well
Focus was less successful with this nice grouping playing a secondary role to the wire fence


eventually I wised up and turned af off and pre focussed

had a funny day. Was loaded with cards and batteries and only took 150 shots. Most of which I would put in the 'still learning' box
Was neat just to enjoy the whole experience and not angst too much about getting shots

Must say I was very impressed with the Sigma which mainly stayed on f8

Pete

[cpopham]

Awesome photos Transit!

I decided to resurrect this thread, since I figured many of us were probably subscribed to it.

Now, I noticed something on Tradme:
Pentax K20D Kit for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

The only things I'd really like from that are the 50-135, the grip, and maybe another battery, so what I was wondering is whether anyone else was lusting after anything in that bundle and might be interested in the idea of banding together for a purchase. A 16-50, and a K20 could be had very cheaply this way!

Thoughts?

[Class A]

I was wondering is whether anyone else was lusting after anything in that bundle

No probs with the lusting. The "shiny things" account is empty, though.

Hope you'll find someone to team up with.

@Pete: Very nice shot!

[Transit]

Awesome photos Transit!

I decided to resurrect this thread, since I figured many of us were probably subscribed to it.

Now, I noticed something on Tradme:
Pentax K20D Kit for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

The only things I'd really like from that are the 50-135, the grip, and maybe another battery, so what I was wondering is whether anyone else was lusting after anything in that bundle and might be interested in the idea of banding together for a purchase. A 16-50, and a K20 could be had very cheaply this way!

Thoughts?

Thanks Mate !
yes I've been watching the K20.
Can't say I want a bigger body (or file size) than the k100D myself tho the IQ would be nice

K100D with 16-45 just listed if anyone wants a second body
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/Digital-cameras/Digital-SLR...-197704636.htm


Pete