[GUB]

I've edited that damn dust bunny out.

Whaaaat !! I have just spent 5 minutes looking for it!!!

[GUB]

Pentax FA 77/1.8 Limited

Nice one Ross. My Tak 85 1.8 spends a lot of time on the K-1. That little bit of extra length is great for portraiture.
I have a FA100mm 3.5 macro as well and that covers nicely when i need AF.
But anything that weans you off zooms has got to be good for you.!
So when is the K-1 coming?

[MarkJerling]

Whaaaat !! I have just spent 5 minutes looking for it!!!

[Class A]

Pentax FA 77/1.8 Limited

Nice one!

Gem of a lens.

I take it you won't be in the market for a 85mm then?

[NZ_Ross]

I take it you won't be in the market for a 85mm then?

Hi CA, Thanks - I saw your very nice offer regarding that. The new 85mm looks like it will be a fantastic lens, but when I did the USD to NZD conversion it is just a little too much for me I think, which is why I purchased the 77 Limited. Also, I will be able to use the 77 very nicely on my LX with film as well, so it is a win-win there.

So when is the K-1 coming?

My next big purchase will be a K-1, but next year I think. I am just waiting to see the specs of the new Pentax APS-C flagship before I jump, as I may head that way as an alternative.

---------- Post added 02-06-20 at 11:10 AM ----------

Nice. That lens gets fantastic reviews, but I'm sure you know that!

Thanks Mark, I have briefly used Pete's copy a few years back, and also well aware of its reputation and image rendering quality. I am looking forward to it arriving

---------- Post added 02-06-20 at 11:13 AM ----------

I am quite interested in the new D FA 21mm Limited that has been announced, but I suspect that will be next year as well.

[Kiwizinho]

Pentax FA 77/1.8 Limited

Nice!

I saw that, among some other nice lenses, but I'm up for a root canal this week, and bought an FA 35/2.0 (which I'm loving as a dual portrait, landscape lens) just a month back, so I need to behave myself for a bit.

I'm glad you're sticking with Pentax for a while yet otherwise things would get pretty quiet around here .

I know that there are other camera makes that can do things that Pentax doesn't, but it turns out those things aren't big priorities for me. I did actually invest in another camera recently - a new phone. It was pretty modestly priced, but the main thing it gave me that my last phone failed miserably on was reliable GPS tagging of images and raw via DNG support. Natural history is a big interest for me, so being able to reliably record where I took a photo is useful. The Pentax GPS uinit would do that of course, but it's a single purpose item that cost probably as much as my phone, and I can easily match date and time between low res phone images and images from my DSLR, and then geo-tag them in Lightroom.

[NZ_Ross]

I saw that, among some other nice lenses, but I'm up for a root canal this week, and bought an FA 35/2.0 (which I'm loving as a dual portrait, landscape lens) just a month back, so I need to behave myself for a bit.

My wife has had a few root canals - always a good contribution to the dentists retirement fund

I'm glad you're sticking with Pentax for a while yet

Thanks, I purchased a Panasonic G9 last year with 2 lenses, so that I could complete Vlogs for my work websites, including walk around Vlogs. The dual IS body and lens, the flip touch screen, 4K and good face autofocus were the selling points, and it is also a pretty good stills camera. Excellent WR too with the body and main lens. I have taken it with me for the past few international trips, but also missed my K-3 on those trips.

So I have been sitting on the fence for a while about which way to go forward.

Where I have landed, and confirmed yesterday with the lens purchase, is I will stick with Pentax for my personal stills photography - mostly landscapes, cityscapes and some wildlife, portraits as I get very nice images from my K-3 and the lenses I have at my disposal. I don't need the latest auto tracking and face / eye recognition for landscapes

I will keep using the Panasonic G9 for Vlogs as it does a very good job of that, but at this stage I will just keep it at the minimal kit I have - camera and 2 lenses as that is all I need for that function.

The question I still need to resolve is which camera I take for international travel - but it is not a pressing question right at the moment.

---

Last edited by NZ_Ross; 06-01-2020 at 04:48 PM.

[zkarj]

I'd love to move into video, but I'd want something pretty much equivalent to the Pansonic M10 I used to have. Which is to say, shoulder-rested, with a sensitive, multi-speed power zoom, and NO image stabilisation. I wasted a few hundred dollars on buying and selling at a loss a "modern" video camera a few years ago. It was too small to manually stabilise and the built in stabilising was over zealous. Plus the zoom was difficult to use smoothly as it seemed to have two settings — too slow and too fast.

The M10 had the same benefits of an SLR. You could sight live with your left eye will having your right eye in the viewfinder, allowing peripheral awareness, and your own body was the stable base for smooth panning. I still see new video so often that I instantly know is taken using a tripod. You can tell from the jerky movements. I know in theory a really good tripod can smooth those out, but it's also a really difficult skill to indirect your vision through a camera that's not directly in your line of sight to the subject.

Check out this video from a company that usually films Wings Over Wairarapa and sells this kind of footage. Watch the framing.

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

[NZ_Ross]

I'd love to move into video, but I'd want something pretty much equivalent to the Pansonic M10 I used to have.

I have a Sony EX1 that can be used handheld, but usually we have it on a good tripod with a video head. It is only 1080P not 4K but still a decent enough camera, I would have thought one of the professional grade Panasonics or Sony's would do the job for what you are looking for, but $1,500+ is the price of admission.

[zkarj]

$1,500+ is the price of admission

That's the problem. The M10 wasn't a high end machine at all, that was just the state of the art at the time. It took a full sized VHS cassette so the shoulder mount was simply practical. It was suggested to me that I mount the handicam on a plank of wood to get the shoulder mount but that doesn't quite get the ergonomics. I don't need high end, I just need the form factor. I did look at one model in Photo Warehouse in Welly and it was essentially a tiny handycam but it had extra bulk around it and the lens protruded from the front making it much like the M10. The photo budget is running on empty at the moment (spent too much on computers and software lately) but when it shows signs of recovering I will revisit this.

I'm still kicking myself that I didn't hang on to the footage I shot at Ohakea with it, as I think even converting from VHS it would still be more compelling than the jumpy stuff that passes for 'commercial' today. I do remember the contortion required to capture the Skyhawk that came in for a low pass then pulled up into the vertical, rolling a dozen times straight up until it was lost in cloud. I had to get my back back into shape after following that.

[NZ_Ross]

It was suggested to me that I mount the handicam on a plank of wood to get the shoulder mount but that doesn't quite get the ergonomics.

There are a huge range of shoulder mount rigs you can buy and use. We had a good look at them when we first got the EX1. There are also gimbal steady mounts that shoulder mount, but they are a bit more expensive. Shoulder mounts can be used with both video cams and DSLR's depending on the type you buy. So there are options that are more comfortable to use than a plank of wood

I also used to enjoy Skyhawks at airshows when I was a lad, not filming them, just trying to work out where they were going, and marvel at what they could do.

[impossibro]

Is anyone interested in the upcoming HD D-FA* 85/1.4?

Very interested. I've just sold my trading card collection and have some extra cash to put into my Pentax collection (the 85 will surely sit nicely next to my DFA50 ).

I'd also be keen on teaming up for a group buy.

[Clarkey]

My wife has had a few root canals - always a good contribution to the dentists retirement fund

Thanks, I purchased a Panasonic G9 last year with 2 lenses, so that I could complete Vlogs for my work websites, including walk around Vlogs. The dual IS body and lens, the flip touch screen, 4K and good face autofocus were the selling points, and it is also a pretty good stills camera. Excellent WR too with the body and main lens. I have taken it with me for the past few international trips, but also missed my K-3 on those trips.

So I have been sitting on the fence for a while about which way to go forward.

Where I have landed, and confirmed yesterday with the lens purchase, is I will stick with Pentax for my personal stills photography - mostly landscapes, cityscapes and some wildlife, portraits as I get very nice images from my K-3 and the lenses I have at my disposal. I don't need the latest auto tracking and face / eye recognition for landscapes

I will keep using the Panasonic G9 for Vlogs as it does a very good job of that, but at this stage I will just keep it at the minimal kit I have - camera and 2 lenses as that is all I need for that function.

The question I still need to resolve is which camera I take for international travel - but it is not a pressing question right at the moment.

Just to jump in here, interesting Ross, and I get you on the landscapes. I eventually decided not to go for the G9 as it was a bit big for travel that I anticipated, but I need a smallish hybrid solution for travel and for some video at work. My jobsites include facilities in Canada's newest industry and being discrete, and with the ability to wipe/wash down is important. I'm actually looking and the E-M5 that will amalgamate my Fuji, Pocket Panasonic and potentially the GR.

That's the problem. The M10 wasn't a high end machine at all, that was just the state of the art at the time. It took a full sized VHS cassette so the shoulder mount was simply practical. It was suggested to me that I mount the handicam on a plank of wood to get the shoulder mount but that doesn't quite get the ergonomics. I don't need high end, I just need the form factor. I did look at one model in Photo Warehouse in Welly and it was essentially a tiny handycam but it had extra bulk around it and the lens protruded from the front making it much like the M10. The photo budget is running on empty at the moment (spent too much on computers and software lately) but when it shows signs of recovering I will revisit this.

I'm still kicking myself that I didn't hang on to the footage I shot at Ohakea with it, as I think even converting from VHS it would still be more compelling than the jumpy stuff that passes for 'commercial' today. I do remember the contortion required to capture the Skyhawk that came in for a low pass then pulled up into the vertical, rolling a dozen times straight up until it was lost in cloud. I had to get my back back into shape after following that.

I'm not sure if I recorded this event in this thread, but I was in the Kaimanawas the last time the Aussies came over with their F-111s and the skyhawks chased them ( I guess some time in the 90's). The F-111's were low (and watching the swing wings was amazing), but having the skyhawks fly below me and looking down at the pilot was something else. Wrecked the hunting for the next few days, but....
Also as a boy walking home from the bus in Northland, looking up and seeing a skyhawk the height of the powerlines go by. They were amazing planes and I also had the pleasure of having and speaking to a school mate flying them when they were decommissioned. That person went to the UK, snapped up by the RAF when the squadron was decommissioned.

[zkarj]

Cool experiences Clarkey. I do have a vague recollection of a couple of Skyhawks paying us a visit in Mangles Valley near Murchison one summer holiday as a kid. One of my bucket list items is a visit to the Mach Loop in Wales.

Yes, the RAF and RAAF did well out of the disbandment.

[impossibro]

Pricing on the DFA85 directly from Ian R Little (I'm actually a little surprised I got such a quick response).

We are able to order and supply a HD PENTAX-D FA★85mmF1.4ED SDM AW at a cost of ...

.