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Forum: Lens Clubs
11-05-2012, 02:32 PM
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Thanks for the kind words. Yours is an amazing capture!
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Forum: Lens Clubs
11-03-2012, 10:44 PM
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Busier than usual this quarter so haven't been as active with the image capturing as I'd like. Here are a few that were taken earlier this year with the 18-55 WR.
1. February 2012 was my first time out with the K-5 and the kit lens.This was a bit underexposed so contrast was boosted and a bit of de-noising applied
2. Taken moments earlier than #1, the same evening
3. This was taken later in February, on site at a 1925 historic home for sale
4. Captured in April
5. And with a neutral density filter
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-04-2012, 12:06 AM
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A week before the London Olympics started, my son was the goalkeeper for a team of U12 boys from Vancouver-Squamish at the BC Summer Games. (Twenty-five former Summer Games alumni have gone on to compete at the Olympics, including Ryder Hesjedal and Dylan Armstrong. Just sayin' ... ;))
The boys' U12 Gold Medal Game day started with rain, which cleared up somewhat during their match. I started out by shooting with my DA 50-200mm WR kit lens, then switching to the DA 55-300 ED midway through.
What was interesting to compare was the difference between the two lenses. (The set is here BC Summer Games 2012 - a set on Flickr in case you'd like to see everything I've uploaded so far.)
Because it was such an overcast day, I'd also started shooting using a slower shutter speed to keep the ISO relatively low. At first I was not that pleased with the blurriness, but then realized it's all part of practicing the panning on the fly!
The first four photos were taken with the DA 50-200 WR.
Attachment 136706
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The remaining photos were taken with the DA 55-300 ED (I have a Marumi circular polarizing filter on this one too, which may account somewhat for the difference in colour and contrast). I boosted the speed up to 1/500sec on most of these. As a result, I'm thinking there seems to be more of a 'static' feel to the action ... what do you think?
Attachment 136711
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To put the next two photos in context, at the start of the match it was believed that the opposing team was almost sure to win, but during play, our boys had kept the game scoreless for an entire 59 minutes. A penalty was called when one of the opposing players dove, making it look like a foul. The one goal of the game was scored on the free kick during the final minute, which is what you see about to get in past my son.
Attachment 136714
As a result, the boys ended up with Silver for the Games, which in itself is quite an accomplishment, but felt like utter defeat to these kids at the time.
Attachment 136715
But after the game and the Medal awards, where they received a great number of congratulations, they perked up in the end. (My son is the second from right in this last shot.)
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
07-06-2012, 01:42 PM
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Yes, if you read my post #16, you'll see that I don't use any battery grip on my K-5 at all.
First time freezing occurred on brand-new K-5 while LiveView was engaged.
Second time (and third time) on a new, replacement K-5 from the store, when camera was on AF.C, high burst shutter mode.
Battery OEM, battery level appeared full at the end of the day after the second and third incidents of freezing.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
05-27-2012, 10:01 PM
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I've already returned one K-5 during the two-week store exchange period, because of the Live View mirror lock-up freezing issue. So this is my second K-5, and the Live View freezing issue has not occurred with this body.
But I've been shooting my son's soccer games for about a month of weekends now, on this (second new) K-5 in high-burst continuous mode, AF.C, TAV, DA 50-200 WR lens. About 7560 shutter actuations as of today. Capturing RAW files only. Firmware V 1.12 this morning, but after today's experience, I've just upgraded it to 1.13. SR was also on (yes I know sports shooters say it shouldn't be used but it's a habit).
Today, the temperature outside was ~15°C (with a "RealFeel" of 18°C according to Accuweather), partly cloudy and windy. And today, I experienced for the first time, and not just once, but twice, the OTHER freezing issue that people on this thread are describing.
The first time the camera froze today, I saw in the viewfinder the red square of the focus point, which then remained 'stuck' in the viewfinder while the shutter release would not trigger. The top LCD displayed all of the current settings. Turning the power off then on did not unfreeze it. From my earlier Live View issue, I knew that I had to remove the battery and reinsert it. The camera reverted to settings that I'd had the first time I'd turned the power on this morning, but did not retain the settings (shutter speed, EV compensation, aperture) that I'd set it to before the freezing occurred.
The second time, I'm sure I was simply following the action with the lens and keeping my finger half-pressed on the shutter release button to keep the action in focus and getting myself ready to time a shot. All the while the autofocus was adjusting and readjusting as the moving subjects shifted around the field with the ball. Mid-focus, the camera froze again (with the mode & autofocus settings described above) and again turning the power off then on did not resolve anything. I had to take the battery out and reinsert it.
Altogether I took about 760 pictures at the soccer game, on a Lexar Class 10 32GB card. The original Pentax battery I used in the camera this morning still shows a full charge (and this is the end of the day as I'm writing).
I also noted that when I arrived home 30+ minutes after the soccer game the camera still felt hot around the handgrip (I am not using any extra batteries or grip).
This afternoon my son went on to play baseball but I was reluctant to pull out the camera after having to fiddle with the camera freezing and battery this morning (besides, the home field has so much chain link fencing around it I find it a bit of a hassle having to find good vantage points ... but it's been a long day of driving around between home and various fields).
Has anyone who's experienced the freezing issue in high-burst, continuous AF.C shooting sent their body back to Pentax for repair (ie. from what I read here this now seems to be a common enough occurrence and should not be news to Pentax), and if so, does the repair resolve the freezing?
My first camera was purchased in Feb 2012 and exchanged for the second one early in March. The second new camera had no other issues such as the Live View freezing I'd experienced with the first camera, and is well within its original warranty period. I'm wondering if anything else can be done to avoid the hassle that I've just experienced today. This is my first dSLR, and none of the other digital cameras I've used (Canon, Olympus) have frozen up like this.
Is there any advantage to me in getting Pentax to look at it? Thanks in advance for any advice or experience ~ Katherine
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Forum: Sold Items
05-14-2012, 09:39 PM
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Looking for a copy of this lens in mint, excellent, or very good condition.
A new one with a 2-year Canadian warranty will cost me $430 including shipping (before tax).
Hoping to buy used for no more than $300, shipping and all fees included.
Canadian sellers preferred (to avoid duties/taxes/brokerage) but will consider other places of origin if the cost is comparable.
Vancouver postal code V6K 1L6 if you need to calculate shipping costs.
Please PM me if you have one available, thanks.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
05-12-2012, 12:02 AM
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I've typically been a street shooter but with an active son I've been practicing my action shooting. I've been both impressed and inspired by the images that the original poster has shared, as well as many of those subsequent. The scene of the photographer bonding together with his horse subject is so evocative! I'm sure my photos are not as striking yet, but I'll keep on practicing. This is my first DSLR (though I used to shoot 35mm and medium format film).
All of these were captured with the DA 50-200mm lens, on AF-S. I find this lens to be a bit short, now that my son is playing on the full field, and am keeping my eyes open for a DA 55-300mm. In the meantime, many of these scenes are cropped. Mid-day light was strong, with contrasty shadows for some of the game, and I had to do my best in PP to mitigate the difference between the U12's black uniforms and the U14's white jerseys.
Maybe I reduced the gamma too much, but for some reason the JPGs I've uploaded here appear somewhat desaturated, whereas they are much richer looking on my laptop and on Flickr. The turf of course appears a different colour depending upon the direction of the shot. Here is an example of the colour difference between this site and Flickr ... you can check out the first photo using a guest pass. It's the identical file uploaded in both instances.
The last file is a lucky catch. While I was panning for this shot, another photographer fired his flash at the same time.
Appreciate any tips to help me improve my action shooting technique ...
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Forum: Sold Items
03-26-2012, 04:04 PM
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Forum: Sold Items
03-20-2012, 07:27 AM
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Forum: Sold Items
03-11-2012, 03:52 PM
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Sorry to hear about the money issues. I love shooting medium format and if I could, I would jump on this offer in a heartbeat ... maybe some other time. Good luck with the sale and hope everything works out for you.
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Forum: Sold Items
02-29-2012, 06:01 PM
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Forum: Sold Items
02-21-2012, 10:53 PM
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Forum: Sold Items
02-20-2012, 12:18 AM
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-27-2012, 10:44 PM
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Glad to hear it, Tony3d. My local store had a boxed K-5 body in stock today so I, too did the exchange. It even sounds different ... quieter mirror. Hoping for the best with the new one.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-26-2012, 11:29 PM
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Thanks for the tip, dosdan. Updating the firmware to v1.12 was one of the first things I did when I bought the camera on the weekend.
I took a look at the link you provided and it may be the same or a different issue; in contrast to the other threads where the problem occurs with M and FA lenses, I was using the DA 18-55mm WR lens.
Because this is my first dSLR, these first few days we've been shooting in 'green' mode to see how the camera sets up shots in different environments.
So the issue I described occurred with firmware v1.12, DA autofocus lens, 'green' mode, LiveView ... anyway the store did not have any boxed K-5 bodies in stock tonight; as long as I have this copy, I will continue to try replicating the issue to see if I can put my finger on other parameters that might be causing this to happen.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
01-26-2012, 04:45 PM
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I'm looking at this thread b/c I have recently experienced the same issue that the original poster had, with LiveView locking up on my new (5 day old) K-5 and freezing the camera. The ambient temperature indoors, according to our thermostat, was 70F, though it's possible it was warmer in spots such as the kitchen. I had just shown my son how to operate the camera. Before activating LiveView, he'd captured perhaps 4 images using the regular viewfinder to frame his shots. After engaging LiveView, he tried to activate the shutter button just once, and the camera froze. I could hear the whirring sound when I put my ear to the body. None of the buttons or functions worked, and shutting the camera off using the switch also had no effect -- the LCD display at the top of the camera still had data on it. I went online immediately to search for this issue. After I found this thread I took the battery out, and when I replaced it, the mirror clicked into place. Based on what I've read here, this is not a "normal" situation. I hope not, as I do want to keep the camera. I've just called my retailer as they have a 15-day return/exchange policy. They have also mentioned they will talk to their Pentax rep about the issue. I am hoping that the next body won't malfunction in this way.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
01-23-2012, 07:20 PM
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Ole, it's interesting what one finds intuitive or not. A few months ago I thought I would 'upgrade' my Canon A-620 P&S to an Olympus XZ-1. What drew me in was the beautiful, super-bright lens. But what is preventing me from using it more is how fiddly the menus are. So few buttons and dials make for streamlined-looking hardware but make it frustrating for users to get around quickly especially when one likes to have some creative control.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
01-23-2012, 07:11 PM
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Thanks for the welcome messages, Ole and tojason. Yes, I have the Chinese New Year parade on my calendar for next Sunday; my mother is marching with a group of seniors from one of the Benevolent Societies. I would prefer to shoot manually overall, but since this camera is so new to me, I'm going to probably do most of my initial shooting in the 'green' mode until I get to know it better. tojason, are you in Vancouver? Do you happen to know about the local photography meetup.com groups? There is one group that will be gathering before and afterwards to shoot the parade as one of the themes, view each others' work and to share their feedback, etc.; send me another message if you are interested in more details. If the weather is good perhaps I'll even see you there? (we'll recognize each other by the K-5s we have strapped to our necks) ...
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
01-23-2012, 04:07 PM
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Hi, glad to find this community as I start to exercise my creative muscles again!
I have a photography background from back in the olden days, of film and 35mm / medium-format shooting. When digital-everything came along, I delved into other media -- broadcast, interactive, etc. -- and while I've been bridging the image-making gap with a series of P & S compacts, camcorders, iPhones, and so on, I've been missing the kind of detail, control and scalability of a really good still camera.
My film cameras were Nikon (F50) and Mamiya (C330) so this is my first investment into the Pentax system. What I really like so far is the intuitive layout of the controls and menus, and the relatively small form factor of the body. Plus, the weather in Vancouver is drizzly, raining or wetly snowing at least half the year, and the build of the K-5 & the WR lenses are perfect for this kind of climate. I'm starting with the 2 kit lenses (18-55mm & 50-200mm) that were offered as a package deal and I'm sure I will be learning a lot in the days and years to come.
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