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Showing results 1 to 13 of 13 Search: Liked Posts
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 11-02-2020, 07:18 PM  
Live moth on dead plushie
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 2
Views: 242
I would like to nominate this photo
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 11-02-2020, 07:14 PM  
Dragonfly "Anax imperator", laying eggs in water.
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 102
Views: 2,958
I would like to nominate this photo
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 02-04-2019, 03:44 PM  
Endeavor's last flight
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 11
Views: 628
This is an old picture I took back in 2012 with a very basic lens (kit 50-200mm) and a Pentax K-30. Hopefully the age of the picture doesn't disqualify it. The Space Shuttle Endeavor was coming to land in LA for the last time before heading to its final resting home at the California Science Center. The Shuttle Carrier 747 made a low pass, flying above runway 24R at LAX. I had luckily found a somewhat elevated vantage point: the overpass at the intersection of Highway 1 (Lincoln Blvd.) and Westchester Parkway. I didn't have any fancy equipment and took the picture handheld. This is testament to the quality of Pentax cameras and lenses.
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 02-09-2015, 02:33 AM  
CP+ Pentax Interview - Question Suggestions
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 188
Views: 20,293
Adam, the main problem with what you are proposing is that the exposure will get somewhat random, especially that 4 corners plus two bands on either side of the image will be black (that's ~30% of your image). If you shoot in crop mode, choosing your crop type (regular APS-C, portrait APS-C, or Square as I proposed) before you release the shutter, it would give you many benefits including the following:
  • The camera will know exactly what part of the sensor to care about in terms of exposure, but also data processing (think time-saving, memory allocation and buffer fill optimization, battery saving, etc).

  • Your chances of taking better composed pictures increase because you will have to actually think about your composition properly and will be able to visualize it right off the bat (rather than making it an after-thought process).

  • In portrait APS-C crop mode you'll read the info in your viewfinder or on the screen easily since the text will be horizontal

  • In portrait APS-C crop mode your flash will illuminate your subject from the direction you want, and will be easier to bounce (especially if it doesn't have a swivel head like the 1st generation AF 360FGZ)

  • In square crop mode you'll effectively use 63% more sensor area (20.4^2 instead of 16^2)

  • In square crop mode your crop factor will be effectively 1.18 (24/20.4) instead of 1.5 (24/16). Your perspective control will be easier for scenes and subjects that have 1:1 aspect ratios. Your "35mm equivalent" focal length will be much closer to the lens' actual focal length because you'll multiply it by 1.18 instead of 1.5.

Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 02-06-2015, 08:54 PM  
CP+ Pentax Interview - Question Suggestions
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 188
Views: 20,293
Adam, I would like to suggest a rather unique feature to Ricoh for their upcoming FF camera. It regards a DA lens mounted on an FF sensor and how you can create two cropped shooting modes in addition to the regular cropped mode that would make great use of the available sensor area. Please take a look at the following sketch and let me know whether you think this is worth mentioning to Ricoh. Imagine being able to jump to any of the 3 cropped modes illustrated on the right while looking through the viewfinder or at the rear screen by simply pressing a button or turning a wheel. I don't think any of the current camera makers has this simple feature on offer.

Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50 02-06-2014, 05:14 PM  
Get k-50 or wait for k-60?
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 61
Views: 11,027
Beyond the equipment you use to take your pictures, they will then be only as good as the medium that displays them. At some point you will need a good monitor if you don't already have one. Monitor with good colors means one that shows your photos in their full glory and accurate colors. It defeats the purpose of taking 16MP pictures and then watching them on a tiny phone screen or a cheap desktop or laptop monitor that might show your colors completely off (too cold, too warm, too purple, too green,...). I have a top of the line Dell laptop (>$3000). Its monitor is plain awful. I can't get the calibration right for the life of me, the colors are too cold, the viewing angle too small, black depth ridiculous, you get the picture! I also have a Dell Ultrasharp monitor on my desk: excellent! It brings my pictures to life in in every way, color, resolution, depth, etc., built by the same company! It's like comparing a NIssan Versa to a Porsche 911! Both are cars, have 4 wheels, drive from point A to point B alright. Driving experience? Night and day.
Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50 02-04-2014, 08:45 PM  
Get k-50 or wait for k-60?
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 61
Views: 11,027
One last thing, Wi-Fi is overrated and not exactly as usable as they advertise it to be. It's a nice to have gimmick, but a gimmick nevertheless. IMHO your equipment choice should concentrate more on what produces good photography results, so beyond good lenses, your next priority should be a good external flash with tilt/swivel head, a sturdy tripod, a monitor with decent colors, and possibly a good post-processing software. Wi-Fi is the absolute last item on my list.
Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50 02-04-2014, 08:35 PM  
Get k-50 or wait for k-60?
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 61
Views: 11,027
Another advice, don't spend too much money on the body, spend it on lenses. In most likelihood you will change the body in a couple of years, but you will keep the lenses for a loooong time. Two lenses that are excellent if you are a beginner are the 18-135 (walk around lens that will make you appreciate being able to take pictures with your K-30/50 in the rain), and any fast 50mm (new DA 50 or old M 50 on eBay depending on your budget). For your first ILC you wanna have at least one fast portrait lens.
Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50 02-04-2014, 08:30 PM  
Get k-50 or wait for k-60?
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 61
Views: 11,027
Also, 24MP is not necessarily always better. In high ISO, you might be better off with 16MP.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 02-04-2014, 08:59 PM  
The best $X you ever spent...
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 76
Views: 6,631
Under $100: $37 for a Pentax-F 100-300 zoom. The lens quality is nothing to write home about but at $37 a 300mm lens is unbeatable.
Forum: Photographic Technique 02-04-2014, 08:06 PM  
How LED Streetlights are Changing Los Angeles
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 13
Views: 1,703
Something similar occurred in France in the 90s. All French cars used to have yellow headlights (supposedly better for fog). European integration meant they all became white eventually and the look of streets and roads completely changed.
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 05-03-2013, 03:24 PM  
Pentax Lens Price Hike - Here we go again!
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 412
Views: 48,676
Here's my little analysis of the Pentax insanity that has afflicted us in the space of one year.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 10-11-2012, 01:56 AM  
85 or 50mm lens?
Posted By donfenix
Replies: 20
Views: 3,611
BTW, here is an excellent illustration of what you can expect from various focal lengths:

The Ideal Focal Length for Portraiture: A Photographer's Experiment
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