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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-13-2024, 06:32 PM
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I have sent manual lenses in for Mr. Hendrickson to take apart and clean for me. One was a thrift store Pentax 55mm f/1.8 that had a stuck aperture ring. It came back in excellent shape. It's now my go-to lens. Very pleased with his work.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
06-30-2014, 11:53 AM
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
05-21-2022, 09:48 AM
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I feel the same. No other tactile feel is quite like Pentax, and to boot, IMO, Pentax cameras have the most intuitive layout of navigation buttons/dials for beginners and advanced users alike.
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Forum: General Photography
07-13-2015, 02:02 PM
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I have begun uploading photos to Flickr for various reasons. However, I leave my absolute best photos for uploading to my 500 pix account. There, I have a "Plus" account which gives me a link to show folks what I can do. (It is not a true portfolio—that is reserved for those who purchase an "awesome" account). There are those who recommend "getting your pictures out there", which I do on Facebook from time to time just to remind people that I am still active as an amateur photographer. Again, those are not my best photos. It seems a paradox to upload your second-best photos, but I do it anyway because even those photos have their purpose. I am not totally comfortable with uploading my absolute best photos to Flickr because, let's face, it, people will rip off your photos in a heartbeat. I am hoping that some kind folks scouring Flickr will find my 2nd or 3rd best photos and actually use them and give me credit, but if not, they get a freebie.
I said all that to say that my ultimate goal is to get the 500 pix account loaded with my best shots. 500 pix protects your uploads with a GIF layer so that the would-be thief who thinks he or she can "right-click" to get your photo gets a transparent GIF instead. At least that is what I remember. I think that site also has a right-click protection statement that the would-be clicker gets.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
02-23-2015, 02:23 PM
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The photo with flash is nice. Even the one without flash can be saved. Try not to be too heartbroken. At least you got some keepers, and sometimes less is more. Will you get another opportunity to photograph the three of them again? This is a learning experience. I have made this error over and over again and now I use flash indoors almost all of the time now, rarely using it on full blast, though. Even on "auto" you can turn down the flash.
Keep up the good work!
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
02-19-2015, 08:44 PM
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I would not shoot that slow (1/30), hand-held, no matter the lighting. My choice of shutter speed when hand-held is always at least 1/125, but often higher, like 1/160. In low light, at that speed (or higher), one of my workarounds is to set the ISO from 100-200, the aperture to f/8 (a bit more or less), and use the pop-up flash set to -2 or -1.7.
You would have to accomplish this in manual mode; challenging, but possible. Experiment with the settings. Take time to tweak one or more until you get the look you want.
Once the pop-up flash is engaged, your shutter speed will not go above 1/180 which is why it is helpful to lower the flash output to eliminate washed-out photos.
Experiment! Have fun.
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Forum: General Photography
01-19-2015, 09:49 AM
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I have toyed with the idea of coming along as a "second shooter" but even that is a position of responsibility that I am not qualified to take on. Consequently, although photography is my passion, to be true to what makes me happy, I have decided to keep photography as a dedicated hobby and let the pros handle important events such as weddings. If I take a camera along to a wedding, it would only be for pure fun, yet it would probably be even better to not take the camera at all so that I can enjoy myself without pressure.
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Forum: Pentax Lens Articles
01-14-2013, 09:21 AM
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I get a black screen every now and again. But for the most part, the green button works for me. I don't use it all the time; in fact, I don't use it very much at all these days on my K-r, having become fascinated with what I can achieve through simply opening and closing my aperture in combination with turning my flash down to -2 and with using fast lenses (Sears 50 mm f1.7, Tak 55 mm f1.8). My conclusion is that using the green button is not an exact science, especially with a touchy camera. My K-r does not seem to like extensive use of the green button. Furthermore, if I "stop down" once, it works for the next several shots. Sometimes. Hmmmnnn ...
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
08-23-2014, 07:35 PM
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I just bought a strap from the Couch company that makes camera and guitar straps from recycled automobile seatbelts and upholstery. Made in USA. I love it! https://www.couchguitarstraps.com/camera-straps.html. I got the "Seatbelt" strap in "mellow gold" to go with my new black and white K-30. Awesome! and affordable.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
05-02-2014, 07:05 AM
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The ladybug shots are not bad. As you can see, the focus is very slim with a Raynox on a long lens, so it might take practice to get the focused area on the bug's face and let the rest of the body be slightly blurry if you have to.
I do not use "live view" at all. Hold the camera's eyepiece right up to your eye; you will get better control that way. Distance is variable; especially with a zoom lens. Experiment. If you zoom way in, you will only get the bug's face sharp. Zoom out a little, and you can get more of the subject in focus.
In addition, try using your pop-up flash in conjunction with the Raynox. It tends to render sharpness on more areas of the subject. If you use the pop-up flash, close your aperture (go to a larger number) and/or lower your ISO along with bumping up your shutter speed to accommodate for the extra light.
If those picutres look too "flashy", you could always get a flash diffuser or even tie a white tissue around your flash as a workaround. Experiment. Have fun.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
09-19-2013, 05:35 AM
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
12-27-2012, 06:22 PM
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Hey there, rlg118.
Let me encourage you. You are an inquisitive, thoughtful photography student to have put two cameras side by side, stabilized on a porch railing. That is like using a makeshift tripod, which is an invaluable tool for all photographers.
Then to have been brave enough to experiment in the cold is another plus.
And then to "see" with your artistic eye, the snow-covered street scene as viewed from a residence. What a nice angle.
Please don't be discouraged! As others have noted, you are in that crossroads between relying on a point-and-shoot and making good use of manual photography.
I was in that same place just a few months ago. Oh, it would be so much easier just to go back to my compact cameras... the frustration, the embarrassing moments while you fiddle with your DSLR settings in front of people ... But then, after about a thousand (or two thousand—for me, three thousand) shutter clicks, a funny thing happens: you begin to understand your camera and your lenses. Your lenses take on personality. You appreciate each one in its uniqueness as you would your friends.
Please, stick with your Pentax. You don't need to throw out the Nikon Cool Pix; that camera has its role. But the sensor in your Pentax is what makes the difference. It is what will open up a whole new world for you. Patience and understanding is what is needed at this time. Keep plugging away with ingenious experiments. Read the manual and put sticky notes on the pages that you want to get back to again and again 'til you "get" a particular concept.
Everyone here at the Pentax Forum is rooting for you. Your part is to learn your camera. We can help with any questions you may have.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
11-28-2012, 09:30 PM
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I like the idea of a world full of non-Nikonians, non-Canonians, non-Pentaxians, etc., but just photographers sharing information.
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Forum: Photo Critique
11-19-2012, 08:29 AM
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Thanks for sharing your first photos. Sometimes a beginner (I know, b/c I am one) just wants to post in order to show what the camera can do at that point in time (while first getting used to the camera.) For first photos, I find them interesting and encouraging. I also noticed something with my K-r that I got in September: Once I reached a 2000 shutter count, the photos noticeably improved.
I would not be too harsh on the beginner regarding what "sells". Sometimes we are drawn to a photo that doesn't follow all the popular rules. And keep in mind resampling/resizing: Perhaps the beginner is not resizing to the forum's new specs, resulting in an automated resampling. Posted photos sometimes seem out of focus when they really are not (depending on the website).
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