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Forum: Lens Sample Photo Archive
12-18-2015, 11:34 AM
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Nice! The lens has an attractive 3-D effect.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
12-09-2019, 11:44 AM
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It’s nice to know that we don’t have to mortgage our houses to buy a new camera, should one fall into the river. But having labor be so expensive while manufacturing is cheap will likely drown us all in plastic and the junk of disposed goods. Ugh, such downsides.
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Forum: Pentax KP
12-09-2019, 11:30 AM
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I haven’t had the issue you’re having. But love my KP and sure would lean toward at least checking out the cost of repair. You’re fortunate in California to have a number of authorized repair centers:
Pentax Repairs U.S.A., Pentax Service Centers |
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-08-2019, 10:34 PM
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That’s one gorgeous eagle shot!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-30-2015, 10:08 PM
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Stunning! Well, that's it. I'm gonna have to go find me a Cedar Waxwing.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
03-11-2019, 05:53 PM
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Sometimes I'm lucky enough to naturally wake up for golden hour on the river. Today was one of those glorious days. DA560 on KP.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
01-09-2017, 07:00 PM
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I truly love BBF. But here's a little issue I present with tongue only slightly out of cheek: ;)
It's been really cold but clear here in Portland and I happened to wake up way before dawn the other day with a brand new lens waiting in my bag (DA*300, for the curious types). So, feeling enthusiastic, I jumped in my photovan to go get some dawn pics. Turns out it was 19 degrees and "feels like 11". Cause that wind was blowing like a sonofagun. And I'm in an open field, staring at Mt.Hood.
So what's the issue? With Back Button Focus, not only did I have to freeze my index finger but my thumb went totally numb. If I'd been using a more familiar lens, I could've fumbled around through my gloves. Or, if I wasn't such a slave to BBF. But, no! I stubbornly kept at it till I thought my thumb was gonna fall right off. I've never had frostbite but I swear my thumb is not naturally that white! Finally left to go find some warm water.
Lousy dawn pictures, but went back later for sunset, when things had warmed up a bit. Three days later, my thumb is still sore.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
04-08-2019, 09:14 AM
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Sounds like a fabulous trip! I use this setup for certain situations and add the hipbelt carrier for extra lenses. I often shoot from a small boat so need everything close at hand. The harness system is very stable and great for keeping one or two cameras safely close to your body when not in use. The twist lock is a quick draw, so no problems there.
http://https://www.cottoncarrier.com/products/g3-camera-harness-2
As to whether or not to carry or use extra lenses out of a bag, I would say that really will depend on how much room you’ll have available to you in the vehicle. With enough room, my preference would be a separate bag because having lens pouches hanging off your body while sitting can be physically limiting. If I couldn’t determine that ahead of time, I’d probably bring a bag and pouches and make the choice there.
Have a great time!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
04-06-2019, 11:05 PM
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As to our rarity... Two weeks ago I was shooting in my local wildlife refuge. A beautiful day, there were several of us photogs wandering around with our long lenses and tripods. One friendly fellow with a Sony setup came over and inquired about my DA 560, “Wow, what’s that you’re shooting?” When I explained, he said, “Gee, you’re the first actual Pentax shooter I’ve ever met. I’d begun to think maybe you folks were like unicorns.” I assured him we were, in fact, very real and lived all over the planet. He wished me well and we continued on our respective paths.
I had a good laugh over that one.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
04-03-2019, 12:27 PM
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Lovely images. I’ll look forward to your comparison down the road. In the meantime, the zoom is tempting me because of the numerous times I needed to back up and couldn’t. I’ve taken to shooting from the van at our wildlife refuges because you’re prohibited from exiting the car and, frankly, it really can’t be beat for weathering the weather and so much easier on the back. Also, the birds seem very used to the cars. I’d love to have the 150-450 on one side and the 560 on the other. Now, if I could just get my trusted companion to wear camo and hide her scent, I might increase my capture rate! :)
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Forum: Lens Clubs
04-05-2019, 10:14 AM
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Hahaha! How do you think I wound up with mine? Fell in love with that 560 the moment I saw it. :lol:
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
03-04-2019, 05:55 PM
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The birds and light have been cooperating for my new KP. I'm really impressed with this camera, especially for how well it does with high ISO, as well as the tilt screen and its small stature. I like the way it pairs with the DA300, not unbalanced at all. Even with the 560, it works well. Kind of like carrying around a lens and, oh by the way, there's a camera attached!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-19-2019, 03:40 PM
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Hi Nass. With the parameters you’ve stated, affordable and not the “very best” images, I recommend getting a Q. I had a similar need to yours, just checking up on wildlife across the river, and found the Q was more than satisfactory for that purpose. I tried it out, with no knowledge of the camera, with my Sig 150-500 and found it to be perfectly adequate. With more attention to details, not shooting from a floating platform, and some work on the raw files, the images could be quite good. Here’s the link to my post on it:
Q7 and the Big Sig Try a Dance - PentaxForums.com |
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Forum: Pentax Q
01-16-2016, 08:35 PM
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Just picked up a Q7 from a member here. A K mount adapter arrived and today finally had a chance to try it out. Wanted to see how far I could see. Well! It turns out you can see pretty far!
My houseboat is maybe 350 feet (? someday I'm going to measure it) from the far shore. It drives me crazy that all manner of wildlife are on that shore (coyote, ducks, geese, heron, eagles, osprey, you name it) and even my longest lenses can't reach it for a decent shot. I thought for a while about the Nikon... um... the one with the ridiculous reach, but discounted it because no raw (and not Pentax!). And the Q just seemed like fun. So I popped the Q7 onto the Sigma 150-500 and had some fun.
Below are a few photos of my tryout today. VERY boring pictures, but I just wanted to get an idea of the reach at various focal lengths. One conclusion I reached is that I definitely need one of those scopes all the Q folks have on their cameras/lenses. Because you really can't rely on the Live View fooling you into believing you have this in perfect focus... I absolutely did not. Neither did I do my regular camera check in (eg: terrible sensor dust, now gone). To be fair, it was pouring rain today and dark as heck. But the little Q held its own, though forcing some pretty slow shutter speeds for most of it.
So, for what's it's worth, here's a little photo journal of the adventure:
The first shot is with the great little Q01, standard prime, just to show the distance we're talking about:
At 150mm:
At 210mm:
At 250mm:
At 300mm:
At 400:
At 500mm:
And a few geese at 500mm, same distance:
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
03-15-2019, 07:11 PM
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Well, ain't that a purty combo! Have fun!
P.S.: Seeing your Cathedral Park pics, it appears you're right up the road (er, river) from me. Come on up the Channel this summer and say hi!
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
03-11-2019, 06:07 PM
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Forum: General Photography
03-08-2019, 02:09 PM
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Want to learn bird photography?
I read like a fiend, always trying to add to my knowledge of photography techniques. Since Nature photography is my favorite genre, I’m always happy when someone whose work I admire writes a well-conceived book. Never one to fall into arrogance about her work or ideas, Marie Read has the experience credentials to teach us a lot. This book, in my opinion, is useful for beginners and intermediates alike. Even advanced shooters will get lots out of what she shares.
I bought the e-book and the photographs are spectacular on my IPad. But,better than that, every single one has her settings and equipment noted. My download came from Rocky Nook but it’s also available everywhere else.
Mastering Bird Photography by Marie Reed ? |
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Forum: General Photography
03-04-2019, 06:27 PM
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Perfessor,
I recommend Flickr for anybody who cares how their photographs are presented. They do a great job with that. Here are my reasons:
- It's free (up to 1000 photos, then pretty darn cheap after that).
- It's accessible by anyone. Not true about viewers having to be Flickr members. Try it out yourself... just go to Find your inspiration. | Flickr and search by name on the top. You can just give people your Flickr name (for ease, you can make it your real name, as in kath.sheridan)
- You can have your "site" up in minutes, unlike a website, which I have, but that takes a lot to get there. Uploading to Flickr is easy as pie.
- You can make photos public or private, or whole albums public or private. If you want, you can direct folks to your page and tell them what Album their pics are in.
- You decide if your photos are downloadable or not. I sell mine through my website, so they are not.
- Instagram is lousy. As others have said above, it's made for phones and quick looks and lots of "following". The reason you don't see a lot of the members here use it is likely due to both demographics and the fact that it sucks for real photography. I have an account but so rarely post because... there really is no point unless you want to create a "story" every day and have lots of people like you. Some of us don't need that kind of adoration.
Good luck with whatever system you choose. By the way, you can always put a note on your Flickr descriptions that instructs people on how to buy prints from you.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-31-2018, 03:13 PM
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I held off getting the DA 300 for the longest time, not wanting to spend the money for “one more lens” and thinking I had it covered with those I have. But, having given in and acquired it, I will say it’s in a class all its own and produces truly exceptional images.
With a stable target where 300 will get you close enough, the quality can’t be beat. And, given that quality, your options for cropping are greatly enhanced. Of course, there’s always that trade-off with a fixed lens... just when you think the distance will be fine, there are so many situations where using your feet isn’t an option. For those, which are the majority for me, I value my zooms greatly. When my lens budget balance goes back up, I’d like to get my hands on that 150-450. That’s a nice range and I suspect the image quality would far surpass my Sigma 150-500. Good luck with your decision!
P.s., I just re-read your post and didn’t answer your question directly. IMHO, no, I don’t think you could get the same detail/sharpness/contrast with those other lenses. Sometimes, as in this case, the quality results not only from the glass itself but in the superior performance of the mechanism. I believe both are superb in the DA 300.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-23-2017, 02:13 AM
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My "Diamond Ring" taken in the path of totality on a farm in Liberal, Oregon.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
03-19-2016, 08:22 PM
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Finally got some sun today. The Cormorants will be leaving soon, so I was lucky to get this pair hanging out on the river.
Double click for gallery details, if desired.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-30-2015, 06:14 PM
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Hey, great minds think alike! I have the 350 version of this pack and it works great for the Sigma 150-500. Unfortunately, the 560 lens is almost 22 inches long without a camera, so it needs a tall pack. I think I'm likely to go with the Lens Trekker, unless someone has a better idea or some good reasons why the LensCoat is worth a $100 more.
The LowePro Lens Trekker:
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-09-2015, 01:22 AM
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After much anticipation and several emails, two Fedex guys showed up early this morning with my 560. I didn't have too much time to play with it, but managed to get it up on the Wimberley and try a few shots out the window. It really is a lovely thing and I can't wait to take it to the woods and the river and get up close to all my little friends.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-09-2015, 06:57 PM
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Unfortunately, no. Thank goodness, the hood is collapsible, but that's it. Would have been nice if they could have found a way to do it. Here are some pics and measures:
Fully extended:
Collapsed hood:
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
08-23-2017, 02:22 AM
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I left the house at 0400 to drive 35 miles south from Portland and try to find a nice open space in the eclipse path. I spent the next 7 hours alone in a field with a great view of the eastern and southern sky. What a terrific experience, likely once in a lifetime for me.
I'd never tried solar photography before, but decided to try a 4x4 solar filter (16.5 stops) on my DA* 300mm. The quality of that lens is really superb. I set up for auto bracketing, 5 shots each, aperture priority so I could control the ISO, and took photos from start to finish. This is the best of the lot.
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