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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
09-06-2013, 04:52 AM
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Re abundant Australians, I have also been surprised to see the number of members on the forum- there doesn't seem to be much of the new gear in the shops here- maybe a lonely K5/K30/Q cowering on the most obscure shelf if lucky, and little secondhand gear... On the other hand, I would love to spend some proper time in Scotland- have only spent one day in Edinburgh (February = sun, but icy and 'lazy' wind; i.e. too lazy to go around you, so goes straight through instead).
:fedup: (that's supposed to be blue for 'cold', rather than green for 'about to throw up'!)
I have just been reading about the A3000 in the camera database- I wasn't familiar with it and was surprised to find it was introduced in 1984, as was the Program A- I thought auto-winding bodies didn't come until later.
The first 'new' lens I looked for after finding the Program A was a 24mm- I always thought 24mm would be a great focal length, but couldn't have afforded one originally. It took a while, but I eventually found a nice A 24 F2.8 and really do like the field of view it gives- nice colours too. Of course that led to wanting an even wider field of view- I had a look at a second-hand Sigma 15-30 zoom a while back in a shop here and was amazed at the angle of view at 15mm on full frame. Thought about it too long and it sold though. I do drool over the 15/3.5 (any version) in the lens review section occasionally... and a K 50 F1.4 came with the K2, which introduced me to the K-series lenses. It is superb, and great when light is limited.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
09-04-2013, 01:24 AM
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Thanks for the welcome. I hadn't realised it was that long since I registered- time flies. :o
Good to find another fan of the Program A! I really like its compact design, still think it is one of the best looking SLRs made (maybe even nicer than the Super A) and find it quite intuitive to use- it does become tricky when there is not enough light to see the shutter speed readout in the viewfinder though... A shame I never realised how good the kit lens (A50 1.7) was, or I would have used it more- the 35-70 zoom was always very convenient and performed well, although often not quite wide enough.
The Program A has been joined by a K2- one of the attractions here was mirror lock-up for long exposures. Interesting to see the difference in design philosophy with the original K-series cameras- beautiful build quality and the analogue metering display gives more control over exposure, which can be satisfying to experiment with. This one needs new rear seals, so at present is being taped up in case of light leaks. The film speed setting ring was stuck, but I (gingerly) took it apart and it is working now (although still stiff)- otherwise in great shape.
I have tried attaching a couple of images- the first from an experiment with Lomo Redscale film and the second, a Renault Dauphine Gordini from the Brisbane French Car Day (Velvia 50).
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
09-03-2013, 04:42 AM
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There seem to be a few here already :)
I found this forum a while back after finding a nice Program A, with 35-70 F4 zoom and AF200T flash- to replace the kit that was stolen in a break-in a few years ago. I was always happy with the Program A and was sorry when it was taken, so it was great to find the same camera and lens at a very reasonable price (even though it will never quite replace the original). Since then I have learned a whole lot more about photography (and now know the meaning of 'LBA' firsthand, largely thanks to this (excellent) forum!). Currently finding out about the huge range of interesting M42 lenses that are out there...
The next challenge will be to spend more time out with the camera, rather than just reading about photography on the 'net' and daydreaming. I have been interested for a while in trying some more serious low light photography- a K5 might be just the thing for that...
James
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