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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-17-2013, 07:01 PM
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Yes the lens is heavy, and yes, it's very good. But the good here has a caveat. It's NOT a general purpose lens that you can bring everywhere and shoot under all conditions, if that's what you're alluding to in your question. There are so many variables to your question so I will try and attempt to answer in stages.
Because it's a long and slow lens, I would suggest you use this lens in very bright conditions first. Keep the ISO relatively high even in bright sunshine, like ISO 400, and the shutter speed fast ie around 200-300, and you will be rewarded with amazing handheld images. Sharp contrasty and beautiful. That should be the condition you use the lens under. Practice until you get amazing images, then expand these conditions. DO NOT, I repeat, do not use the lens indoors, at night, or in dark environments until you mastered the lens because you would want to throw away the lens and the camera if you don't.
Once you start understanding what the lens can do, try to extend it's limits. Use it on a tripod indoors or shoot with very high ISO. You would find these are compromised shooting conditions. People don't stand still enough to shoot with a tripod, you can't frame or meter as well because the camera is stuck in one position and not easily moved. Plus you get crazy artifacting because it's higher ISO. If you insist on shooting under these conditions, and expect the images to come out like those you shot with on the 50mm f/1.4, you really have to adjust your expectations. Know that the lens is not made to shoot in these conditions. That's why you have the $1500 50-150 f/2.8.
What I am trying to also say is that you have to understand the limitations of your tools, adjust your expectations accordingly ,and also practice to learn how to get the best pictures with the tools you have under said conditions. You might also have to admit that you currently don't have the tools or budget to shoot under such conditions, and try to rectify it.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
03-07-2013, 12:08 PM
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That view finder is AWESOME! Can you hook me up???
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Forum: Photographic Technique
03-07-2013, 11:49 AM
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Lots of great advice from others. I echo what others have said. For someone that's taking this seriously for a year, it's tremendous growth as it already.
A couple thoughts to add based on what you have said.
_You talked about trying to improve. From this statement I am guessing there is a target you have in mind you're aiming towards? Perhaps a photo you really like and is modelling your shots around, or a style from another photographer you really admire. If the person is famous, perhaps consider studying under the person at a workshop? It's expensive but learning from another expert, instead of trying to figure it out yourself will allow you to grow leaps and bounds.
_You seem very interested in very saturated color evening/ night scenes. No problem with that. You should try and see whether you can achieve this effect through technique and composition purely from the use of the camera. Experiment with Don't rely on post production. Forgive me if it's not right, but I see some rather heavy handed halos, which would indicated photoshop work. Having lived in Shanghai for 5 years, I don't think I have ever seen these colors in Shanghai skyline:)
_The other thing you want to be aware of is composition. I see you're respecting the proportion of the thirds and not centering your picture. However the one thing I cannot figure out is what are you trying to get me to focus on? Pictures all tell a story and one of the ways is to do it is to have something that immediately draw the viewers eyes to. Perhaps you might want to think of that a little?
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Forum: Pentax K-01
02-26-2013, 11:22 AM
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Definitely an interesting lesson for Pentax. I feel like they are caught between a rock and a hard place because it's really hard to play in the same sandbox as the big boys. I admire their tenacity though, with product after product that buck the usual conservative route the big boys take.
Although I have shot with Pentax in the past, I myself have not been a keen supporter of the K-01 until the price dropped to levels that are impossible to ignore. For a smaller company like Pentax, the strategy of the K-01 was easy to sell internally. It made so much sense to reuse the components they have to make a camera that might align with the direction the market is moving towards, which is the mirrorless craze. The re-used components that made a lot of sense were:
_Great K-5 sourced sensor
_Existing chassis from the K-5 with parts, especially the hard points, from the K-r. This allowed them quick entry into the market without expensive development of unique lenses which I am sure they did not have budget for. Nor did it make a lot of sense with the already proprietary lens mount of the Q camera.
_Dressed in a body that is highly styled. Pentax, strangely enough, is known for coming up with more fashionable camera that have unique personalities. It has appealed to lots of young girls in Asia carry Pentax K-rs in a riot of different colors.
At the same time the K-01 was announced, the Fuji X-pro 1 was also introduced. Unfortunately, where we are today, Fuji won the race, and Pentax's gamble did not pay off. It is kinda sad because after using the K-01 for a while now, they have a very unique product. But I think the marketing department at Pentax is not real good at selling this very unique product that needs to be spoken of in a different way, as all of you have so rightly pointed out.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-15-2013, 09:01 AM
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Hey all
I was wondering whether you could help a newbie (to Pentax) out?
I just bought a K-01 and decided to pick up a couple older lens to go with the 40mm XS lens that came with the camera. Of course I did not know about the KR mounts until it was too late. Within 5 minutes of using the K-01, I had a Starblitz 28mm f/2.8 stuck on with the dreaded KR pin in the focus screw problem. I managed to remove the lens with the help of a colleague that's also a photography fanatic. Phew!
Now that I am more careful, I realize this Tokina also has the same pin. From what I can tell, it's supposed to be a K mount lens for Pentax cameras. I tried searching for Tokina KR lenses and had not much luck. Can anyone help me confirm whether I can use this or should I return this lens?
With the Starblitz, I removed the pin based on a recommendation from one of the websites. I also tried removing the mount for the Tokina, but it's a lot more complex probably because its a zoom, so I don't really want to fiddle too much with it.
Thanks in advance!
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