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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-19-2015, 07:22 PM
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I one of the weddings I shot this summer had a videographer shooting on Canons. She was amazed by how cute and tiny my 31 was (she was using a 35 for her video). She just about died when I got the 43 out. If only I had the pancake 40.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-17-2015, 07:07 PM
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I (sadly) haven't logged in for over a year and a half but I did today and I see that the sky is still falling.
It is good to see that some things never change ;)
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-22-2013, 05:32 PM
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I use a K5 and a IIs for weddings and I shoot at least two of them a month. They work great. The moire thing has really not been an issue, despite all of the fabrics. The improve AF is really great at receptions.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
09-20-2013, 11:27 AM
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THey all are great, but that first one is outstanding!
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
07-15-2013, 08:05 PM
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I was referencing the two instances where I experienced moire in my IIs. I shoot weddings with both cameras. It was an extreme circumstance and it also caused moire on the shots with the k5. That filter is not a be all and end all answer to moire - you can still get moire in cameras that have the filter. Even the DPReview that you are referencing will show moire on the K5...but that set up is completely unrealistic to what I find myself shooting.
I know that I am going to come across times when the IIs will have moire and the k5 won't, I just haven't found it yet. Personally, I have found that the added sharpness to be worth the risk of moire and that the threat of moire is greatly over exaggerated. I am not alone in these feelings, there are others on this forum who feel the same way. And there are people on this forum who agree with your viewpoint. If the gain doesn't outweigh the risk for you, that is fine. Buy yourself a filtered camera. I am quite happy owning one filtered and one not filtered.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
07-12-2013, 01:43 PM
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
07-12-2013, 01:30 PM
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I have the IIs and I love it even for shooting weddings, but if I only shot fashion I would go with the II. I had no moire in the first or second weddings that I shot. The third wedding I did see a (very) little bit on one guy's suit, so I switched to using the K5 to photograph him. I also had a little bit on a back lit photograph of some tulle that was hanging, but once again - I also took the same picture with the K5, so not issues for me or the bride. If you were keeping the K5 I would say go for the IIs and use the K5 when moire appears, but if it is the only camera that you will have, you need that filter!
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
07-10-2013, 04:35 AM
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While the purple fringing in the first image is extreme, I am not really surprised. The image is taken in very bright sunlight with a very wide angle lens. With the sun that you had, if I was shooting the same building with the 10-17 fisheye I would expect to see a lot of PF in the same places. I don't think it is your sensor, with the exception that PF is a digital photography problem.
Each lens is going to behave differently, but PF is a bigger issue with wide angles. The coatings and elements of the lenses do affect the image too, so you will find some lenses that are more prone to PF and green CA than others. For my lenses, I expect PF from the 10-17, a little less from the 12-24, and only in extreme circumstances from the 16-50. With my primes, the 77 loves to give me a little green CA in the right conditions but the dfa 100 wr never gives me any in the same conditions. Still, all of this has a two click solution in Lightroom, so I don't let it bother me.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
05-30-2013, 05:53 PM
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Okay. I am a wedding photographer. As everyone said - you need to decline.
Don't get me wrong, everyone starts somewhere. But starting into wedding and event photography begins with not being the primary shooter at a wedding. Be a back up or an assistant or just start shadowing a pro. You need to learn the pacing of events, how to take pictures of people in action, low light photography, flash, posing, and so much more. You have to have a back up camera body. You have to have back up everything! When I shoot weddings I have back up cameras, lenses, flashes, etc. All of this doesn't cover what the bride and grooms expectations are.
You don't have the money to get the gear and that is okay. It usually takes a while. You also don't have the time to learn everything that you need to do. So tell the couple this: you researched it and you are not ready to primary shoot a wedding. Tell them that you want to celebrate their wedding with them and that you can't enjoy the wedding if you are working. Tell them that you are happy to take some shots, but that this is an event that really calls for a professional.
If weddings are something you want to do one day, then learn how to do it. But this is just not the right way to get into it.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
05-17-2013, 11:50 AM
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You should find that a monopod would improve any of your images when shooting near 300. I have the 60-250 and I have gotten used to balancing it, but when it has to be perfect don't hesitate to use a mono.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
04-14-2013, 04:43 AM
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I should have also clarified, I also ask them to put me in the same room as them for a meal. Some reception venues like to have a vendor room, which is nice, but it takes me away from the action. By being in the room, I am able to snap away whenever I need too. I will use some of that time to take pictures of the cake (if it wasnt cut already), the gift table, the cookie table (Pittsburgh tradition), and to set up my flashes for the dancing. You still want to be relatively discreet when dong all of this...people don't like having the photographer so frantic that the guests are watching them during the dinner service. And the guests hate being photographed when they are eating, so I find it is better to photograph guest when they are done and are mingling or dancing.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-14-2013, 04:33 AM
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I had the 35 macro and the 77 when the 43 came along and asked me to buy it. Given how much I love the 77 and how I always felt that my 50 was just a bit too long must of the time, I thought that the 43 would be just right...and it was! Then a few weeks later the 31 appeared and asked me to take it home. This was a hard decision because I already had the 35 macro and a 28 (oldie but goodie that I inherited from my dad), but it also meant completing the collection in black MIJ and who could pass that opportunity up?
I thought after I got the 31 that I would end up selling the 35, but I am keeping it. It is smaller and the macro function makes it very handy. the 31 is great for a wide portrait that includes the scene. The 43 seems to live on my camera as the everyday lens, but I am keeping my 50 because sometimes i want the way it renders an image and it is different from the 43. I keep thinking about the 15, but I don't want to buy any more da lenses. The ff desire is really the only thing keeping the LBA in check.
The truth is, you can always find a reason to own more lenses.
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
02-24-2013, 06:47 PM
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+1
Plus, Sony feels that FF is important enough that they have brought it back. Their first go around was at a time when FF was really mostly only embraced by pros. Now, there are more advanced amateurs looking for FF.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
01-21-2013, 07:33 PM
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I haven't yet needed more magnification than my macros and some extension tubes, so I am not experienced in the lens stacking, but I understand it. Just remember that since you don't need autofocus and you do need an aperture ring, there are some good quality glass options out there that aren't too expensive.
As far as rails go, of course, that $600 one is beyond sweet...but until you are ready to jump in that far, look at the cowboy student ones on amazon and the flashpoint ones on adorama. I know there are a few people on the forums who have had success with them. I have a coyboy studio one that I got for Christmas and so far I have been very happy.
I am jealous of you getting a D800! I am still holding out hope that we will see the FF from Pentax in 2013. You might want a rail when you get the D800 since the FF sensor is going to give you a shallower DOF.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
01-21-2013, 07:11 AM
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You are definitely getting ahold of the stacking thing and each image is getting better. Moving to f16 was the right move. Did you get the rail yet? The one you ordered puts my cheap cowboy studio one to shame! I guess that you are enjoying the whole super close macro thing.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
01-16-2013, 02:28 PM
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I have several led flashlights that I use for continuous lighting with marco, but I also tend to just use my flash a lot. I think you are right in going with continuous if you are stacking, so the flashlights should work fine. Just fine a way to mount them in a steady, constant position.
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
10-17-2012, 09:50 PM
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I am not getting into this beyond this last post, but I am going to address these last few things before I let it go.
Don't knock the "part-time pros". Just because someone has another job doesn't mean that they aren't putting full-time work into it. I have to have a day job because I need health insurance. my husband is self-employed and a pre-existing condition makes me uninsurable on my own...but when I work for a corporation I am guaranteed coverage. It is merely a fact of life in the USright now. Would I like to be just a photographer? Of course. As it stands, I got to work for 8 hours, plus my one hour lunch and my horrible commute in Pittsburgh and then I come home to work. I an working at photography typically from 7-11 each night Monday thru Friday. Saturday? Well that is getting up early and shooting all day. Sunday? Usually a portrait session or two followed by editing from 4-11. I put more than full-time 40 hours into my, as you called it, "part-time pro" status.
And the portfolio of someone not using a medium format can be pretty good. The camera and the lenses are just part of the tools - like an artist with his brushes and paints. Can they help you do a better job, certainly. But let's be serious, gear isn't the only thing that factors into making a great image. The photographer comes first. I have seen some pros in our market with film medium format portfolios that are awful...they have all of the right tools, but none of the artistry.
It is funny that we are in the same market. I have clients ask me if I shoot digital or film...I have had clients ask about crop sensors or full frame...but no one has asked about if I am shooting medium format or not. Most are just concerned that they are going to get the digital images with rights. Are there photographers in Pittsburgh firing off some rolls of MF, yes, but there are plentry of other, qualified, quality professionals in this market that aren't shooting medium format at all.
You shouldn't forget that not every couple can afford a pretentious, stuck-up photographer like yourself. Yeah, we have the platinum wedding set in Pittsburgh....I am on the preferred vendor list for some of those venues. But don't forget that in the steel town that you are living in there are also a lot of couples who don't have a $25k+ budget. According to you they should just get crap because they can only afford $1-2k on their photographer. Just because they can't afford you doesn't mean that there aren't photographers in the Pittsburgh market who are going to deliver them beautiful photographs of their wedding.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
09-23-2012, 09:47 PM
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I love the look of the silver lenses, but mine are already all black. The husband will notice silver ones now...and not that it would change me buying more lenses, but I don't always like him to notice when LBA is in full swing.
On the 560 I really wish they would have done something of their own. Not that it matters because as much money as I have spent on gear, I can't afford that lens.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
09-21-2012, 06:17 PM
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I saw some of lightroom's tool with d800e samples and it would reduce moire, but not completely eliminate it. That is why I am looking for samples directly from the k5IIs. Right now I can't tell if the Lightroom brush can't do enough regardless of camera (and I am not going into photoshop for 700+ wedding pictures) or if the cameras will produce a different amount of moire. If the k5IIs has slightly less, can it be handled in Lightroom? I haven't tried DxO, but I just switched from aperture to Lightroom this year, plus I upgraded to cs6 design premium and added the onOne perfect photo suite this year...I am a little softwared out.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-10-2012, 08:09 PM
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I am sorry - I don't mean to whine, but this release was disappointing. Do I want better AF? Yes, but I think that they honestly have to have more (and smaller) AF points to really improve the whole AF system. Can the II focus in near dark conditions? Maybe, but it means nothing if it focuses on the wrong thing because of the huge AF point.
And look, I do believe that it is unrealistic for a FF release this Photokina. Totally too soon...but they need to give their high end/pro users some indication that a true flagship is coming. Just let me know it is coming! The K5 was a great flagship TWO YEARS AGO. I could justify not going FF two years ago...but now I have wedding guests showing up with FF cameras...a D600 at $2000 will only make that worse. They ask me if I am shooting FF...hell, savvy clients ask me. I DESPERATELY want to be loyal to Pentax, but I cannot stay with them if they are going to stop trying to be competitive and are giving in to be completely irrelevant. And maybe they could stay relevant with an aps-c, but it needs to blow away everyone else's offerings and the K5 II is just not going to do it.
And what about that 560 lens? It is great that they released it, but what camera do they want people to put it on? Not to mention the chunk of change that it is bound to cost! yeah, there will be a few on here, but I think some of the people who could afford it would want a really high end camera to put it on.
I am with Pentax through the fall. I am not changing cameras in the middle of wedding season. I also have to watch the whole tax thing, so I have until next March before I seriously consider what I am going to do...but if those new FF cams from Nikon or Sony do play out, it might be hard to stay. I love my FA limiteds...they will make this decision terrible! I just hope that Pentax can let us know that a K3 is coming sometime in the next 6 months so I can stay.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-11-2012, 04:48 AM
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Of course my clients are hiring based on more than my gear, but gear is one part of the equation. They do ask what I shot with and some ask if it is full frame. Another then they want to know about is the memory cards. A wedding (should be) a once in a lifetime event. My clients want to know what I am doing in case of card failure. Dual card slots might be a silly feature to some, but in my case the instant back up would be extremely helpful.
Clearly the gear isn't the only thing that makes a pro...because I don't have ff gear and I am shooting over 20 weddings a year. But if Pentax wants to keep their pro shooters they need to offer more than an upgraded (by one feature) two year old camera as a flagship.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-11-2012, 11:06 AM
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Dunc's...I hear you. I was disappointed too. I just keep trying to remind myself that they really haven't had long enough to do the right amount of R&D to get the kind of FF offering that we want out. I did not really expect FF at photokina, but I thought we might see a better aps-c offering. Still, that could come at CP. At this point, a nice solid rumor would keep me on.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-04-2012, 10:37 AM
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If it is 9 cameras, then there will surely be P&S included in the release.
If at the end of all of this the K30 is left as the entry level DSLR, then Pentax wins for having the most "robust" entry level model. I could see them doing this, as it would give them an advantage when people are deciding between Canikon and Pentax. Still it would be an interesting choice and it could mean some really good things for the top-of-the-line models and what they will offer.
Overall, though, I just have to say that I was really pleased to log on today at lunch and discover that the September craziness has begun. Here is to 20 days of crazy rumors.
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Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges
08-25-2012, 11:35 AM
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August sunset after storms in Western Pennsylvania. I get a lot of nice sunsets there, but they rarely have the nice purple hue.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-14-2012, 08:00 PM
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Way to take a nice, helpful thread into something inflammatory. Really, way to be hostile.
There are plenty of very competent wedding photographers who use zooms. There are also plenty who use primes. And there are those who choose to use every tool, prime and zoom, available to them. No one said anyone HAD to use zooms, but it was a suggestion for some of the unpredictable and/or inflexible moments of the day.
Of course, lens are only one part of being able to shoot a wedding. As others have mentioned, you need to think about having at least two bodies...you have to have a backup even if you aren't going to shoot with both. And back up lenses. And fast glass for when you aren't able to use flash. And more important than anything you have to have a solid plan for everything. You have to know when all of the moments are going to be so you can get the shot.
What I find really hard to believe is that in 40 years of shooting weddings nothing unpredictable ever happened at any of them. The weddings you shoot must be very boring.
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