[raider]

Just interested to see some macro pictures taken using the K-x and to get some user feedbacks of using the K-x in a macro shootout. Perhaps using liveview and manual focusing? Anyone?

[WerTicus]

You cant zoom in on the image in live view as far as I can tell, that can make fine manual focus in some situations with LV more difficult.

I get the impression the LCD on the kx is cheaper and lower quality colour / contrast also.

I don't do a lot of macro work so I don't know if these are show stoppers.
I also have no examples to show!

[pxpaulx]

Nothing special here, just a couple lenses and a game I recently sold (here/ebay) - taken w/the 50mm f2.8 FA macro w/flash.

Picasa Web Albums - pxpaulx - 102_1116

I could have sworn there is a zoom feature when focusing in liveview, maybe I am crazy. Anyway, I find manual focus with LV is pretty decent.

Edit: I am not crazy! page 147 of the manual - during liveview operation, when the camera is switched to manual focus, the info button toggles between 2x, 4x, and 6x magnification.

[pbo]

MF in LV is decent. So far, I haven't really used zoom that much - unless I need critical accuracy (I usually just put a small aperture on, and roughly judge focus from live view without zooming in). Besides, LV is not exactly what-you-see-is-what-you-get. By default, lens gets stopped down a bit (not sure how much - but I'd guess 1-1.5 stops), and you can only set the f-stop to which to stop down when the camera takes shot, not when composing. But that shouldn't matter much in macro - you'd probably put a smaller aperture anyway.

Some pictures - not the best, but hey, it's macro
1) Focused with LV, using zoom-in. Was pretty challenging - since lens was long-ish (Bokina), and zoom-in makes even subtle shaking pretty evident.
Full size here (6 megs or so) - looks much better than photobucket-resized version

2) Focused, again, with LV and using zoom-in. Much easier this time, though, since I used a tripod.

crop:

3) Not really macro, more like close-focus with 16-45mm. LV again, this time without zoom - just focus roughly on what I want, then shoot at f/8

crop:

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Last edited by pbo; 11-30-2009 at 09:37 PM.

[raider]

Thanks! They are all nice pics. All goes to show that the K-x's LV is pretty good for macros.

Do you guys find the K-x's high iso performance is good for macro as well? I tried the sigma 105 with my k100D this morning in my garden and with an aperture of F16 (to get more depth of field) and iso800, my shutter speed is still below 1/100s which is what I think the min handheld speed for the lens. I find that most of my shots are blur as a result.

I was just thinking that the k-x will allow one to push the iso up to say 3200 which gives several stops advantage over my k100D. Do u think this is beneficial for macros?

[frank]

Not mine, but my friend Macus' new macro setup (old lens, new camera):



I'm sure he got some keepers from this combo by now

[WerTicus]

awesome i love this forum!

[Eruditass]

I took some the other day of bugs only a couple millimeters in size - it was quite hard as the little buggers moved around and I couldn't use LiveView because it was too dark through the tubes. Bunch of extension tubes and an external diffused flash

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/post-your-photos/81481-macro-please-identify-bugs.html

[pbo]

I was just thinking that the k-x will allow one to push the iso up to say 3200 which gives several stops advantage over my k100D. Do u think this is beneficial for macros?

Technically, you can do that, but don't forget that, unless you want grain in your photos, don't go up too much. Say, go to 1600 so that pictures turn out sharp - and be happy that the detail is still there. K-x is not omnipotent, after all... Better yet, get a flash.

[raider]

I have two flashes...a metz and a 360. Put the 360 on the k100D and let wifey tried out the combo (k100D + sigma105 + 360) yesterday. After 20mins she come back and complain about the weight and that her hand is sore...

I tried the combo myself and 30mins later I think I understand what she is talking about - the combo is not exactly light weight. I searched for a ring flash thinking that it should be lighter in weight but no! the Sigma EM140 is about 430g without batts and the 360 is just 240g or something without batts. So the ringflash not the way to go for me.

At the advice of a guru, I think I am gonna go wireless flash with the k100D or to get the k-x since it has wireless flash features built-in.

[pbo]

It is kind of a heavy setup. I usually just put a cheap chinese-made trigger on the camera, a receiver on the flash, stick the flash into some sort of tube or stand so that it stands straight, put it on manual and bounce it off the wall, and then go from there, try to figure out settings for a proper exposure.

[WerTicus]

Ahh now that i've tried INFO button to zoom i see its better than the k20d because its a lot smoother an image where as the k20d looks like a digital blocky type of zoom.

naturally the kx is better at high iso.

[jantjooh]

Maybe you can have a look in "the other forum" about my slide copying project, with the K-m and a modified slide projector. And a Macro lens of course.
The K-m does an unusual job..: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review