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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
12-13-2014, 04:58 PM
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
12-10-2014, 01:57 AM
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3 million posts is an awesome achievement. Congrats!
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Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges
08-10-2011, 04:20 PM
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Thanks for hosting Mary.
I've actually started a new 52-week project at the beginning of August on my website.
Week 1: Ambient Light
Week 2: Fill the Frame
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Forum: Lens Clubs
01-26-2011, 05:31 AM
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M42, K or M version? :)
And how about the other macros you've posted? Sorry for the questions, but would be great to know which lenses you're using to capture them. I'm still on the fence with which MF prime macro to get and this thread is a brilliant showcase for what some of them are capable of...
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Forum: Lens Clubs
01-26-2011, 02:39 AM
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Rense, those are some beautiful images and truly inspiring! Which lens(es) did you use for those shots (esp of the bees)?
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Forum: Lens Clubs
01-21-2011, 04:56 AM
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Good point about the reversed 50s. I even have some reversing rings which I have played around with briefly in the past, but I need to play with them more to get the technique right.
Anyway, I suppose one more 50 couldn't hurt... ;)
Looking forward to seeing some images from this lens!
Thanks for the comment! I'll take another look and see about picking up the M50/4, and see what the macro Taks are going for.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
01-20-2011, 07:10 AM
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Gotta say, I love this photo of the bee - did you use any lighting other than ambient?
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Forum: Lens Clubs
01-20-2011, 07:08 AM
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Thanks for the reply! My praying mantis pics from earlier were to help out a friend who sells them and really not my primary interest in macro photography. As I'm not planning on snapping "critters", I'm not concerned about having to get too close to the subject, nor about 1:1, so maybe the M50/4 would be a good choice for me.
I'm also aware of the K/M/A series lenses, having a number of them (and M42 Takumars) already, so stop-down metering and not having the aperture in the viewfinder/EXIF data doesn't scare me. :) Also bear in mind that my ONLY macro lens at the moment is a Tamron Adaptall-2 lens, so I'm used to shooting fully manual macro.
I was really just interested in the technical merits of the lens and you've easily sold me on it. I can pick one up for about £90 (US$145) which seems a good price for a dedicated prime macro lens.
Then again, I could just buy some close-up filters to use on my M42-50/1.4, A50/1.7 or F50/1.4, or reverse-mount one of them on another lens... After all, how many fifites does one actually need? ;)
Anyway, I'll stop hijacking this thread with gear talk!
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Forum: Lens Clubs
01-20-2011, 04:09 AM
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Thanks, Frogfish, that one was quite hard to shoot with the MF lens, as he was constantly moving around! There's more praying mantis shots from that session (including other species) at my website (link). They were all shot with the Tamron SP 35-80 (Adaptall-2) macro lens.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
01-20-2011, 04:05 AM
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I know most of you here are using AF and 1:1 macro lenses, but does anyone have any thoughts on the:
M100/4 macro (1:2)
M50/4 macro (1:2)
I have the opportunity to get them at decent prices and am interested in hearing thoughts/seeing samples.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
01-19-2011, 10:02 AM
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I have also taken some Macro shots with the Tamron SP 35-80mm (Adaptall-2) on my K10D. Not 1:1 as many of the other excellent insect shots that have been posted, though that's mainly because my TC is in pretty bad shape and leave OOF smears on the images. :(
This little guy was tiny! That's a piece of lettuce he's sitting on:
Wide open, here's a bokeh example:
And another bokeh example at wide open (B&W HDR from three images):
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-19-2011, 09:05 AM
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axl - thanks very much for the link, though I was unfortunately too slow to grab the 43mm.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I have purchased the F50/1.4, as this is apparently a rare lens and I found one at a good price. I've read many of the forum articles comparing IQ etc with the 1.7, but I went for the 1.4 as the better bokeh and faster aperture are a bit more desirable than a slightly sharper image at f2.
I will continue to keep my eyes open for a good price on the 43mm, though I may hold off on the 70mm now as the 50 may make this focal length redundant.
On another note, I'm looking at getting a good wider-angle macro lens (like the DA35 Ltd), but MF is preferred. Any suggestions? Actually, I may start another post!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-14-2011, 12:20 PM
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I agree, the IQ and large apertures on these more expensive Limiteds would be the ideal solution (esp the 43mm!).
However, they are way out of my price range (more than £650 for the 43 and £1,000 for the 31 new!).
Yeah, we have that saying. Pence is the plural of penny, so it works on both sides of the pond. And I just saw a pic of the Sigma mounted on a D-SLR over at Photozone and it is far too big for my use!
Yeah, that Voigtlander looks quite nice, and it got a glowing review at Photozone, but unfortunately it would not solve my issue of ruining/missing that perfect shot because:
a) it could still take too long to find focus or
b) I might think I have focus and find out later it was out.
This is especially frustrating for candids/street photography, where you can't ask someone to hold/recreate a pose while you try again.
Yeah, looks like I'm leaning very much towards the FA's (probably the 1.7 as it seems to be rated just as highly and won't cost as much if I can nab a bargain).
The recommendation on the 35mm is also interesting. I've compared the 50 and 70 FOV's on my 50-200 and there isn't a lot in it...
Timh, I think you actually may be onto something. The 40mm really does seem to be the ideal lens, except for the DOF. Maybe I'll follow suit and get the 40 and keep the A 50. Plus that always leaves the gap in focal lengths to get the 70!
Just tested the CIF function and I can't seem to get it to work... Interesting feature if I can nail it, so I guess it's off to the forums for some tutorials!!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-14-2011, 07:27 AM
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Hi, I've spent hours reading through the forums and can't seem to make up my mind, so I'd love some input!
I have the wonderful A series 50mm f/1.7 and it takes outstanding photos, but there have been too many instances where I have lost some otherwise brilliant candids and portraits due to the lack of AF. So I want to upgrade this lens to one of its newer, AF siblings. But which one?!?
I mainly shoot candids, portraits and street-photography, plus the occassional detail and macro (NOT insect). I love the intense DOF and lovely bokeh at f/1.7 and am not at all fussed about corner/edge softness, so I'm leaning more towards another fast lens. That said, I'd like something smaller in size and fast/reliable with AF. I'd also like the ability to take some macro shots if they present themselves, but I'm not adverse to using (shock, horror!) close-up filters or extension tubes, etc.
I'm planning on getting the 70mm Limited for longer reach situations, but what about in the "standard" range?
- Sigma 50mm f/1.4 (£380 new)
- Pentax-DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited (£350 new)
- Pentax-DA 35mm f/2.8 Macro Limited (£400 new)
- Pentax-D FA 50mm f/2.8 Macro (£400 new)
- Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.4 (£330 new)
- Pentax-FA 50mm f/1.7 (used only)
I'd normally pounce on the 1.4/1.7 FA, except that the build quality doesn't seem anywhere near the affordable (<£400) Limiteds, which my budget will stretch to.
Biggest factors: Bokeh & reliable AF
I'd love to hear your experiences!
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-24-2010, 06:56 AM
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Forum: Photographic Technique
08-20-2010, 06:23 AM
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Wikipedia has a set of images showing the way a rainbow is seen by people with different forms of colourblindness.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
08-20-2010, 06:20 AM
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I, too, am colour-blind, but must address this common misconception. Being colour-blind doesn't mean that we can't see colour at all, just that colours can appear different to our brains (reds and greens can look the same, etc). So something you may see as green may appear brown to me, or vice-versa.
There are a variety of hues and shades that one can be colour-blind to, depending on your genetics.
Personally, I'm not often unsure of colours in my photography, but when I am, I will use a grey card to set the correct white balance in Photoshop later. I've never had anyone comment that my colours looked funny, but then again, my level of colour-blindness is probably not as severe as metaphiston's (and others!).
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
08-19-2010, 11:24 AM
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Thanks for the welcome!
I'd mainly (wistfully) lurked in the lens review sections, but my search for a K10D replacement has led me recently into the realm of the forum.
The wild speculation surrounding Fotokina keeps me very, very amused. :)
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
08-19-2010, 08:40 AM
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Hello, everyone.
I've been a casual browser of this forum for quite a long time, having owned my K10D since Christmas 2007.
I've recently been forced to post-process ALL my images to correct for some harsh hot-pixels (40+ in total!) which has me considering an upgrade for my beloved camera.
So here I wait for Photokina to come and go and put all the speculation to bed regarding the new additions to the Pentax family.
And, of course, tempt me to part with more of my hard-earned cash!
Love the discussions and the community over here and looking forward to joining in!
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