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Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges
02-14-2024, 05:30 AM
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Some shades of pink from the beach on Monday night. K-3 + DA* 50-135 @ 50mm & f/4.5
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
02-13-2024, 01:35 PM
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Spent the weekend in Orange Beach. I didn't get my camera out much but I did take it down for the sunset yesterday. Some of these were taken standing in the surf - its nice to have a camera that due to age and general toughness you can basically run into the ocean with, there were quite a few people out there photographing the sunset but I didn't see anyone else getting in the water to do it lol.
K-3 + DA*50-135
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
12-28-2023, 08:29 PM
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Nice photos! I especially like the color version of the one with the blue dumpster. I did a double take when I saw the title, I haven't been through Dothan in over a decade but you don't frequently see any lower Alabama photos on here.
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Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment
12-27-2023, 09:01 AM
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Oh yeah - This was my final flash mounting solution, for probably a very different purpose but this all stays together well and hasn't had any problems.
This is a Camvate half cage with the top plate mounted at a 90 degree angle, you can see the angled cold shoe clamp thing with the tape sticking out at the base of the flash. It ended up being extremely heavy, but I use it all the time.
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Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment
12-27-2023, 08:50 AM
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That 1/4 inch hole in the bottom is fairly universal with this sort of thing so you could combine it with something like this hot shoe to 1/4 adapter to get it mounted in a hot shoe.
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Durable-Mount-Adapter-Tripod/dp/B00OT75QTA?tag=pentaxforums-20& - I actually have this and it does work, but it can be difficult to securely attach
As you start adding adapters on top of the hot shoe, moving the weight of the flash further and further from the shoe, the lever action on the bottom hot shoe increases proportional to the distance, so if the flash is fairly heavy or the hot shoe mount does not seem extremely strong, you may not want to do that.
regarding the insulated part, there are things like this that are actual unpowered hotshoes without center contacts:
https://www.amazon.com/NEEWER-Adapter-Compatible-Umbrella-Bracket/dp/B0B56BZ...ntaxforums-20& - This might be exactly what you are after - shoe plate on the bottom and non-center-contact unpowered shoe on top. Note that it appears that the metal part of the top shoe is held in with glue or epoxy so I'm not sure how tough it is.
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Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment
12-24-2023, 09:48 PM
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I'm not sure about the specifics of what cold shoe you are using, but I had a similar problem mounting a flash on a camera cage cold shoe and started using these instead of normal cold shoes
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M1MF7PI?tag=pentaxforums-20&
the groove is where most of the contacts sit on the flash and the sloped walls at the edge allow for a wider range of thicknesses. I electrical tape the contacts with a thin strip and clamp it down, works very well.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-23-2023, 10:28 AM
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
12-22-2023, 08:58 PM
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Me too - such an excellent lens. I'd preorder an updated version with the same optics but updated motors and coatings if they made it.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-22-2023, 08:48 PM
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
12-21-2023, 07:00 AM
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I think these are my favorites for the year.
Foggy boat
Dew-covered bee
Mobile Bay with some moonlight
Big bird
Skipper with a spikey pollen grain(?) on its face
My best lightning photo of the year. The drought really cut back on opportunities to improve on this.
And, not a photo, but an album - I had and reached a goal of 250 invertebrate species in 2023 |
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
12-19-2023, 08:15 AM
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When I need to put my camera stuff in a regular backpack, I use some combination of the following depending on what I am taking: a Domke protective wrap for the camera, this apecase insert in size 35 for 2 lenses (or sometimes for the K-3 with one lens) and thick neoprene covers for large lenses. Not exactly what you are looking for but I thought it might give some ideas.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-19-2023, 08:00 AM
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Some with the DA*50-135 and 16-50, taken on a camping trip with my kid at Meaher State Park, which is on more or less an island between the Blakeley River and the Apalachee River where they empty into Mobile Bay. Tons of Ibis, Herons, Egrets and songbirds this time of year. You basically couldn't take a picture without an egret in it somewhere. For some reason I decided at the last minute that the DA*300 was too heavy to carry around in my backpack - I regretted that some, but I do think I would have ended up just taking bird photos and missing out on a lot of beautiful scenery, so maybe it was a good thing. I REALLY wish the 16-50 SDM was as amazing a lens as the 50-135. I like it but the 50-135 feels like a magic wand or something.
DA* 50-135 (with and without DA 1.4 TC)
DA* 16-50 (SDM)
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
12-15-2023, 08:58 AM
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I spy a bird in a bare tree
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
12-13-2023, 08:36 PM
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A lot of the time this happens due to credential stuffing - don't reuse passwords! I had this happen to me about 10 years ago, it was actually pretty impressive. They would get in to the walmart account by stuffing, order you an $800 watch with slow shipping speeds to your own house through their own paid affiliate link, sign you up for about 100 email newsletters to clog up your inbox so that you wouldn't notice the purchase email, and then by the time the watch got to your house, the waiting period on the affiliate commission would have elapsed and they would be long gone with their 5-10% affiliate commission. I was lucky that my bank texted me about the unusual transaction, so it ended up being a free reminder to stop being lazy with my passwords.
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
12-12-2023, 06:53 AM
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Probably the last entry from me. Good luck!
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
12-12-2023, 06:51 AM
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Had to add my similar shot after seeing yours. I like yours better though, looks like you probably could have reached up and high-fived the pilot while you took it.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-11-2023, 06:10 PM
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I own all 3 of those - short answer, if I could only keep one, I'd pick the Pentax one.
With the pentax you get weather sealing, quick shift (which I love - the AF/MF switch on the side of the camera is super annoying, I usually realize I have it off while trying to focus on something one handed with half my body in a bush or something), and sturdy construction.
The Tamron is lighter, doesn't have weather sealing, and you have to use the AF/MF switch to put it in manual focus (the specs make it sound like it has some kind of clutch, but it is not the same thing, you still have to use the switch).
The IRIX is an absolute monstrosity compared to the other two as far as size and weight goes, and it does not have autofocus - not that important when actually taking macro photos, but very nice to have if you are just walking around taking photos.
All three take wonderful photos. I slightly prefer the ones from the Pentax though.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
12-11-2023, 05:07 AM
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I set myself some photo goals in the form of empty flickr albums last January and had quite a bit of fun with it, I think I'll do it again this year. I do think I'll switch it up some though and make the goals a little bit more specific. 2023 I had:
250 invertebrates - got 260
100 birds - I'm at 57 so far. I can't imagine I'll see 43 more species of birds in the next 3 weeks.
50 aircraft - been procrastinating identifying some museum photos, so no idea how many I actually have. Will not be doing this one again, it did not hold my interest.
50 reptiles and amphibians - got 11, I think this one was overambitious
For 2024, I'll probably only do an actual numbered species goal for all wildlife combined, which would include invertebrates, birds, etc. The 250 invertebrate thing really got me well-practiced at finding bugs so I'll probably up the number, maybe "400 species in 2024" or something. Probably some kind of second goal that encourages me to leave my backyard too lol.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
12-10-2023, 10:15 AM
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I use a two pile system for my batteries. Charged batteries go at one end of my desk in my office, depleted ones go in front of my work computer keyboard. If I sit down to work and there are batteries in front of the keyboard, I slap them in the chargers while I'm working. Then anytime I go out, one from the charged pile goes in my pocket or bag.
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Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges
12-10-2023, 08:46 AM
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Dock cranes in the fog
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-09-2023, 07:47 PM
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A few from a very foggy trip to the USS Alabama memorial park today. I think the K-3, DA* 16-50 and DA* 50-135 is probably going to be my ideal tourist kit forever (unless I eventually buy a K-3iii). Hard to beat the size and quality.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2pkDAcW]
The AL state docks with the DA* 50-135
...and with the 16-50
The USS Alabama with the 16-50
...and with the 50-135
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
12-05-2023, 03:20 PM
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Decided to go a little weird with it
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
12-04-2023, 08:42 PM
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I don't know if it is standard or a setting I changed, but with back button focus enabled on the original K-3, the screen turns off while the shutter is half depressed
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Forum: Photographic Technique
12-04-2023, 06:11 PM
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Also super useful when there is little to no light - you can really pour the polarized light on with a bucket to light things up in the dark without blowing highlights.
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