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Forum: Post Your Photos!
12-22-2014, 03:27 AM
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 | Nature Galah
Posted By
RobG |
Replies: 19
Views: 2,079
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
12-10-2014, 10:52 PM
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Good choice... I think you will be very happy with it.
EP5 w/P45-175mm
[IMG] Black Kite by 2Deye, on Flickr[/IMG]
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
12-09-2014, 07:47 PM
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
12-07-2014, 06:44 PM
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August's northern lights (which are always magical) and the shooting star. It's such a rare thing to see northern lights in August. Despite the fact that it's not easy to see and photograph auroras in august I did it more than twice in this year! Let me show this one from the early (aurora) season.
Any comments would be highly appreciated!
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
12-09-2014, 12:11 PM
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I usually select what meets my needs and buy regardless of the "next latest or greatest" incarnation. The EP5 was dinged to no end in the reviews. I waited until the price was dramatically reduced and purchased one. I've never regretted the purchase and Oly eventually fixed a problem that I never experienced. Choose the features you want, what meets your needs and you can easily afford. Almost any camera on the market today will produce great images. Bodies turn over quickly so i'd recommend getting excellent lenses as your priority.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
12-10-2014, 12:31 AM
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Great deal right now on the GX7! $497.99
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Forum: Homepage & Official Pentax News
12-08-2014, 08:14 PM
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The only good thing that comes out of a dropped camera is the opportunity to upgrade.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
12-08-2014, 07:20 AM
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I've been using MFT for 2 years now since I sold the Pentax gear. Very satisfied :)
Here are some shots with the GF1 and 14/2.5
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
12-07-2014, 09:14 PM
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Can't really advise you but.... M43 has a huge lens selection and very fast AF. The GX7 with the Samyang/Rokinon 7.5 fisheye would be a great combo. APSC of the K3 offers advantages as well. What to buy these days is often a tuff decision. I sold 99% of my Pentax gear when i went to M43 (just kept a couple lenses for use with an adapter).
[IMG] PC030085bw by 2Deye, on Flickr[/IMG]
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Forum: Pentax Q
12-01-2014, 03:49 PM
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yeah... um what?? If it is a cyber monday sale, shouldn't it last until 11:59 pm? Why are things on sale being taken off?
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
11-24-2014, 05:55 PM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-19-2014, 02:26 PM
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Think of it this way:
If you want modern rendering (IMHO emphasizes MTF in LWPH) buy the DA50/1.8.
If you want modern rendering (IMHO emphasizes MTF in LWPH) and you ahve more money buy the DA*55.
If you want a more classic rendering from the film era (my personal preference) buy the FA50/1.4.
If you want a more classic rendering from the film era (my personal preference) and you have more money buy the FA43/1.9
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-19-2014, 02:05 PM
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If focus speed matters take the the FA 50. I find the da 55 more accurate, but both the FA 43 and da 55 are slower than the focus speed of the FA 50. It is worth every bit of 250 used.
And sorry, the da 55's rendering is superb. It is supposedly the DA (and aps-c)clone of the FA 85. If you are doing birds the FA 50 is stellar at f/2. If I had the FA 43 and not the da 55 I might think it is better or "on par" with the da 55. I own both, and the FA 43 is excellent, but I am not as enamored with it as much as some.
The DA 55 had focus issues with the earlier Pentax AF systems. I have had excellent results with a k-x, k-5, k-30, and k5iis. Yes it is bigger but it isn't huge like people make it out to be.
For you, I would recommend a used FA 50. It was my first fast AF 50. It never let me down.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-19-2014, 01:45 PM
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That's one attractive conure! My daughter has a more standard variety conure, shot taken with FA31 here...
I have the 35/f2.4 as well and think it would be fine for these type of captures (it also focuses closer), as well as any of the mentioned lenses, and don't think the FA50 will be necessarily better for AF, depending on how you're shooting, but obviously faster so lower ISO.. Any camera with any lens can struggle with focus when shooting low light at/through cages (etc) when there are a lot of contrast points to decide from. Did you have a specific AF point selected?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-19-2014, 12:51 PM
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I have been using the M 50/1.4, the A 50/1.4 and A 50/1.2 and the FA 50/1.4 and the FA 43/1.9, indeed I have the all sitting in my cupboard and some slower 50s on top. The M50 is the least desirable of the bunch. The FA keeps the lens formula of the A-series with added AF. So whether you buy an A or the FA is more a personal decision, than a question of image quality. I like the FA very much, because it's compact and lightweight. The 1.2 is much heavier and so I leave it behind much more often, than the FA.
And size and weight is a more decisive factor, than I thought in the past. I would never buy the DA 55 for its sheer bulk alone. The FA is somewhat soft wide open, as was any other lens with such a fast max. aperture at that time (with a few noteable and very expensive exceptions). The Nikons did not do better in any respect. And then there is a lot of misconceptcion around about the perceived lack of contrast wide open. Most of the exapmle images I have seen, where people complained about lack of contrast, were simply not in focus or the user did not realize how shallow the DOF is at 1.4. And as you can see with many other fast lenses, contrast will degrade massively, outside the focus plane.
So I would not hesitate to recommend the FA 50/1.4, if you need a fast and still affordable lens. For your birds it is probably more useful than the 43mm, because of the longer focal length and because its nearly an f-stop faster. Your image quality limiting factor will in all probability not be the lack of contrast, buth the shaloow DOF, when used wide open. And you will soon realize, that you need to stop down to f/4 to get good photographs of your bird, in which case the FA performs perfectly.
Ben
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-19-2014, 11:19 AM
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I can't speak to DA55 but I sure love me some FA43 (and I'm sure you've read plenty of those reviews too from what you've written) and find it to be plenty fast to focus (with K-5) and discreet and great for street stuff (and will only get better for all purposes when our FF arrives)... From the (plenty of) images I've seen made through the DA55, I don't think it's rendering is better than FA43 at all, but it's definitely in the same league, and considering the buzz on the board here of late, it's worth mentioning that it's reported to be FF coverage as well...
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-19-2014, 09:14 AM
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F, fa, dfa, and da are all autofocus. The A series are manual focus with controllable aperture on the body. M and K are manual aperture and focus.
As far as buying the FA 43 vs DA*55 I think the $650 New price of the 55 is better than the FA 43's 500 deal. The da* is superior in every way, rendering, microcontrast, colors, skin tones, and much sharper til f/2.8-4. It is weather sealed and a lot more accurate focus (on my k5, k5ii, and k30). I think the FA 43 is lighter, much sleeker, and had a higher resolving power at higher apertures. Wide open, it is soft compared to the da*55. It improves drastically by 2.0 (not much of a change). The da*55 is the best lens I own - but the majority of my shots are portraits and that is the 55's niche. The 43 is more story telling lens. Later today I will post some pics I have done with all of them.
---------- Post added 09-19-14 at 11:15 AM ----------
I just wish the 55 was smaller :-)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-18-2014, 06:58 PM
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Only YOU can decide which one works for you. You can get an old M50/1.4, which will render more or less the same as the FA50, and try it out to see if you fall in love with it. Get one of the other two used as well, shoot them side by side. Sell the expensive one, buy the other one, try it out also side by side with the M50 for another little while. After that, sell them all except whichever you liked best. This is kind of like free rental since there isn't usually much trouble to off load either the 55 or the 43.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-18-2014, 04:17 PM
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The magic in a FA 50mm f/1.4 lens starts at f/2.8 for me but I think it is at its best when stopped down to f/4 - f/5.6. That is its sweet spot where you get excellent sharpness while still maintaining sufficient subject isolation. The colors are soft and beautiful. When people talk about Pentax lenses having a unique rendering where the image look like it was drawn with colored pencil then this this it.
Here's my son taken with the FA 50mm playing some football.
IMGP9952 by Never Off, on Flickr
The new price of $300-something is pretty good considering it was $400-something before. Used prices are even better at around $200 and I would personally do that. Even with a CLA from Eric you're still ahead.
The focus ring on mine got stuck and it's getting repaired right now. It seems like a semi-common problem. Someone in the forum had the lens break in two. So, mechanically, it may not be the sturdiest lens.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
09-15-2014, 07:17 AM
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Forum: Pentax K-01
03-12-2014, 10:13 AM
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Rocket blower just fixed my K-01 sensor dust, today. Highly recommended.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
03-11-2014, 08:51 AM
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Please don't get that dusty brush anywhere near your open mount!
Never inside it, especially.
Try a genuine Rocket blower. With most other blowers (even without the brushes) there is the chance of bits of latex or plastic shedding from inside the bulb and spraying out with the air.
Good luck
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Forum: Pentax K-01
03-09-2014, 08:41 PM
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I live in Florida, and we have a lot of humid pollen that can get on a sensor. In those cases, a rocket blower never worked for me. I got a set of Clean Skies brushes from eBay, and it solved my problems. One brush to clean out the mirror box, one for the sensor. You shoot the brush with canned air and it builds up a static charge. One swipe across the sensor takes care of most anything.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
03-09-2014, 07:53 PM
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…when using the rocket blower, hold the camera with the mount hole facing downwards, so the dust doesn't resettle on the sensor. Also always change lenses with the mounting hole facing downwards, not forwards or upwards.
The pentax O-ICK1 gumby wand IS worth having, it does a brilliant job.
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