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Forum: Lens Clubs
07-27-2010, 02:01 AM
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Thanks for the kind comments, Matt and Duc, glad you liked them! :)
Marc, great hiking range you have there, mate! Wish I had anything like that close to home...
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Forum: Lens Clubs
07-25-2010, 03:55 AM
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A few more from me... some landscapes this time :)
1#
2#
3#
4#
5#
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Forum: Lens Clubs
07-21-2010, 01:00 AM
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Thanks Kytra, I kinda expected the comment about the angles, but... I can't help it [:)]
Here are a couple more from the same holiday, no buildings this time, but trees (and...along the same 'twisted' lines):
#1 
#2 
#3 
Did anyone say DA15 has wonderful flare resistance? I guess they were right all along [:D]
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Forum: Lens Clubs
07-19-2010, 01:24 AM
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Hello again everyone,
I haven't posted any shots lately, but I've been following the thread so maybe it's time I got back in the game... Will run-down buildings be alright? :)
(this last one was through a fence, I wish I could have gotten closer, but...)
PS- hopefully you won't find them too dark
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
06-09-2010, 12:34 AM
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Thank you!
Here are two more, different takes on #7 and #12:
13.
14.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
06-08-2010, 06:34 AM
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Thank you guys, I'm glad you liked them.
I wasn't looking to get documentary-style accuracy, so I took a lot of liberties with the PP.
But I'm no PS expert... just playing around with the filters from Nik's ColorEfex and SilverEfex.
Stefan... cauta ceva poze de prin Bucuresti, o sa-ti treaca dorul :)
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
06-08-2010, 03:02 AM
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The mud volcano is not your typical Iceland-like volcano, nor is it a common occurrence. One of the few places in Europe where you can see one is near the Berca village, in the Buzau county of Romania.
We went on a day-trip there on Saturday, and while at the time I wasn't terribly impressed with what we found there, it turns out I am left with quite a few keepers (and nice onces, even, I might say :D).
In any case, here are some of mine:
first... 'the big picture'
#1
#2
#3
#4
... then 'getting closer'
#5
#6
#7
#8
... and then switching to 'the small details'
#9
#10
#11
#12
Thank you for watching!
If you'd like to see more, do check out the full set on Zenfolio (30 pics - give 'slideshow' mode a try, it's rather nice).
The thing is (leaving aside the fact that we had fun on the day-trip), I noticed something quite important: except a couple of images that I deliberately cropped to 16:9 format, the rest of the photos are not cropped at all. Not adjusting the composition in PP for an entire series is a first for me, I must say.
So... yet one more reason for me to be interested in hearing your opinions on these photos ;)
My girlfriend has an even more extensive set, but she used our old Sony A100 (which still doesn't cease to amaze me, in good light), so I will only give you the gallery link, in case you want to take a look: Picasa Web Albums - peach_ul - vulcanii noro... |
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Forum: Lens Clubs
06-07-2010, 02:06 PM
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I have to agree with JHD... that is one jaw-dropping shot, Jay!
How many eyes do you have, exactly? :D
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Forum: Lens Clubs
06-07-2010, 03:52 AM
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A few FA77 shots from Saturday (to complement the DA35 shots I posted in the 'theory' thread :) ):
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
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Forum: Lens Clubs
06-07-2010, 03:39 AM
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Let's try to revive this thread, shall we? :)
Last Saturday we went to the muddy volcanoes near Buzau (Romania) - one of the few locations in Europe where you can find them. I've yet to process the actual volcanoes pics, but here are a few showing 'photographers at work'... I call it 'the making of...' set :D
#1
#2
#3
#4
This was the first 'real' test for the lens, and I can say I was very happy with it, even for non-macro purposes.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-01-2010, 12:30 PM
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So much so that, if you don't pay attention when you get your hand in the camera bag, you might pick up the wrong one.
They are also very similar to the CZJ35/2.4, by the way.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-01-2010, 11:27 AM
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Thanks for the offer Damian! But, as tempting as it may sound, I'm afraid you're on the wrong side of the pond. I've already had enough hassle getting the DA15 and FA77 through customs, I don't really want another go at it.
@Alfdog - Are you getting ready for a FF DSLR from Pentax? :) I was torn between the FA31 and DA35, the macro won mostly because I found it at a third of the price of the FA lens. As for FA43... it would be wonderful on full-frame, but I must admit I can't understand that focal length on APS.
@jgsk - like with 43mm (or 50), I'm not really a fan of 100mm on APS-C, I had a couple of such lenses with Minolta (F2.8 macro and F2) but we just... didn't get along :)
There isn't really a pressing need for a longer lens now, I have a Tair 11A which I can use should I need the reach. It's a nice lens with very good IQ... if only it were a wee bit lighter.
@Dani - I had a lot of lenses with Minolta, and I realized most of them were gathering dust on the shelf, usually. I don't really want that to happen with Pentax... I'm trying to keep it simple. Now I have to wait and see how that works out!
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
06-01-2010, 05:01 AM
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Thanks Robin!
I'm kinda running out of ideas, to be honest.
Here's another one with similar processing, although rather ordinary, composition-wise:
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-01-2010, 04:56 AM
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Just received a DA35 last evening. Now it's like this:
(with a K7 to mount them on)
Now... all I need is a DA limited 135mm to complete the line-up :)
Here's hoping for nice surprises at Photokina!
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-30-2010, 10:53 PM
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I'm not surprised... if you're using AF all the time, it won't really matter, I think. Things become difficult only when you're trying manual focusing. At least, that's what's difficult for me, on APS-C viewfinders.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-30-2010, 08:40 PM
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To be honest, I can't understand the hype around the FA43. If I had a full-frame camera it would have probably been my first Pentax lens purchase, as I loved the Minolta 28/2 on APS-C.
But... I don't have a full-frame camera. And on a crop sensor, 43mm is right in the middle of nowhere for me (I don't like 50mm either), give me either 28 or 58mm. OK, I could live with 35mm, too. But 43mm is neither wide enough, nor long enough on APS-C, at least, not for my needs & shooting style.
Anyway... legendary or not, it's a lens I wouldn't use, therefore there would be no reason to carry it around.
And I could see both DA15 and DA21 put to use on such a trip, they would each be serving different purposes, IMHO.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-30-2010, 04:12 PM
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I'll go against the flow here, and make another recommendation: get a 17-70 instead, and a 50/1.4. The extra 20mm might not seem very important, but the extended range could prove useful. I know quite a few people who moved from the kit lens to the 17-50 and later on to 16-80 (I'm coming from Sony, hence the weird zoom range:) ).
If money's not an issue, I would recommend the Pentax version, but I suppose a Sigma could work too, if on a tight budget (I do have an aversion towards them, after seeing many reports of stripped AF gear on Sony DSLRs, dunno if that happens on Pentax cameras).
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
05-30-2010, 04:04 PM
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The Tammy is a very good lens, you won't be disappointed!
As for coping with indoor lighting... it depends on how low the light levels will actually be (but you can always bump the ISO if needed). Anyway, F2.8 is as good as any zoom will get you, only primes can give you wider apertures (which then come with the DOF downsides that tibbitts mentioned).
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-30-2010, 03:57 PM
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I tend to disagree.... having too many lenses might make choices difficult when shooting :) (especially if you have close/similar FLs)
Since you already have the 'normal' range covered by the lenses in Shanghai, take the two DAs only, to have wide-angle covered. Oh... and an M42 adapter too.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-30-2010, 03:51 PM
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'compromise' is a good word. While the K7 viewfinder is nice for an APS-C camera (and similar to the one on 40D), it's miles behind the Sony A900 one... (or any other of the current FF offerings, I suspect)
When switching immediately from a FF camera to an APS-C, you'll feel like looking through a small, dark tunnel :) Then again, keep using the K7 for enough time, and you'll readjust to its viewfinder, and it will seem very good again (especially if you'd make yet one more switch, to an entry-level camera, with pentamirror).
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-30-2010, 09:59 AM
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Ummm.. are you sure?
Just because Sony isn't doing well in Japan, you can't really predict their doom :)
They aren't doing bad at all in Europe, as far as DSLR sales are concerned. They were #1 in Poland last year, for example, above Canikon.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-30-2010, 06:35 AM
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That used to be true in the past, but now things are different. Take for example the A900/D3x sensor - Sony released its FF in Sept 2008, while Nikon's version came out in December. The D300 only had about one month advantage to the A700.
The fact that Nikon managed to get better performance than Sony, from those sensors, is a whole different story :) Pentax did it too, in the K-x, which to me looks slightly better at high ISO than Sony's A500.
So it's entirely possible for the A7xx sensor to show up in a Pentax camera at Photokina, and with improved IQ too.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
05-30-2010, 06:09 AM
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Well.. Panny already has relatively huge EVFs in G1/GH1/G2 (think 1Ds Mk3 size but 4:3 rather than 3:2), however the technology still needs improvement, when light levels go down, EVF start to show their disadvantages.
Anyway... since MILC is already taken, why not go with MILF? As in... "Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Format", obviously :D (I can't take credit for the idea, saw it on another forum)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-30-2010, 04:07 AM
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While this may not matter much... it should be noted that it's not specific to Pentax only.
Sony's SSM (SDM equivalent) is also slower than screw-drive, at least with some lenses. Back in the Minolta days, SSM was indeed faster, but Sony DSLRs have improved screw-drive motors (A700 for example is about 1.7x faster than A100, which uses the Minolta implementation).
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Forum: Lens Clubs
05-29-2010, 03:20 AM
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Hmmm... I was stunned when I first saw the 'NBA action' shots over at DPR, and now I'm stunned again, looking at them here :) Impressive, to say the least!
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