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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
08-02-2015, 11:41 AM
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I'll put in a vote for this one. Nice!
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
12-10-2014, 03:56 PM
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Wow, what a great giveaway! I'm in!
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
08-31-2014, 01:47 PM
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Thanks for the advice, Frank. We've got CPLs for both lenses. We've also got a couple ND filters and are planning to take a "compact" tripod to try to get some cool "cotton candy" waterfall shots and to get ourselves in a few photos. And we do plan on taking a lot of pictures, no matter what time of day it is. Being newbies, I'm sure we'll have a lot of bad shots, but as long as we can get a few great ones we'll be happy.:) And I need to remember, this is a vacation, not a photo shoot. But since we'll likely never get back to Hawaii, it would be nice to have some good pictures of when we were there.
I also looked at 500px and there's a lot of great photos there. I need to spend some more time there getting ideas. Thanks.
Dave
---------- Post added 08-31-14 at 04:48 PM ----------
Hat & sunscreen are on the top of the list, along with bug spray from what I've read.:)
Dave
---------- Post added 08-31-14 at 04:58 PM ----------
We don't really have the money or time to get the 18-135 WR, but I figure if we really need it we've already spent too many dollars on this trip so whats a few more? :lol: Sounds like we can get by without it, though. You got that great lighthouse rainbow shot without one, and I'm sure many others, and survived the boat tour, which was one of the things I'm a little concerned about - being on a boat with the spray all around. And that's a good point about people with other makes of cameras. I need to ponder this one a little more.
We are not looking forward to the trip back, and both of us returning to work the next morning. think we should have planned an extra "recovery" day. :)
Dave
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
08-31-2014, 08:57 AM
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Robthebloke, we have "lower quality" lenses, and CPL and UV to fit them all, so I guess we're set there.
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GeoJerry, great advice about not wanting to be overwhelmed with new stuff, and about the exposure issues. I've got a copy of the manual on my iPad and quite a few hours on an airplane to kill, so I'll definatley read up on the things yo mentioned.
We've got a Pentax 18-55, Tamron 18-200, and Quantaray (Tamron) 70-300. I wish we had a 18-135 WR, but I don't think there's time to get one shipped before we leave. I'm thinking the 18-200 will be on the camera most of the time and take the 70-300 for if we need extra reach. The 18-55 will probably stay home. Ideally, I'd like to have a 18-135 WR and also take the 70-300, though.
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Just1MoreDave, Yeah, I'm sure we'll be up before dawn early in the stay. I'll bet that first few days back to work are going to be rough, though.
I wish we had some kind of WR lens, but we don't. How water resistant are the Pentax WR lenses, anyway? Some people say "light rain" and some people say they shower the sand off of them. I'm wondering if it would it be worth it to have that 18-135 WR I want shipped out there?
Great shot of the rainbow at the Kilauea lighthouse, too
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jbinpg, thanks, I'll go read the interview with Sean Davey
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Brooke Meyer, I plan on shooting RAW+JPEG. Lisa likes to copy the JPEG files to her iPad and send some to family.
Nice shots, too!
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Kerrowdown, we definitely want to stay away from Danno! :lol:
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Thanks everyone for all the great advice!
Dave
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
08-30-2014, 07:30 PM
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My wife, Lisa, and I are leaving for Kauai in a few days. This will be our first vacation where we've had a DSLR with us. Everything before this has been with a point-and-shoot, but Lisa now has a K10D and we're both getting interested in trying to get some great pictures with it. I've been reading what I can find about it, but am getting more confused.
For instance, I read that you want to shoot early or late in the day, then I read that's not true in Hawaii for some reason and the midday sun gives the water a better turquoise color. I've read you need to use a UV filter and that you don't need one with digital sensors. I've read that a CPL and/or ND filter are a must because of the bright sun and I've read that they aren't needed.
Any tips for us newbies? This is probably the only chance we'll have to go to Hawaii, so we want some good photos to remember it by.
Thanks in advance!
Dave
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-27-2014, 06:51 PM
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First, I'd like to thank Larry (crewl1) for this generous offer! Since I've been on the Pentax Forums I've found everyone here to be a great help to newbies like me.
Here's my story:
My wife, Lisa has always expressed an interest in photography and has taken some great shots with our old point & shoot camera, but wanted a DSLR. Our daughter gave her an istDL that she had stored away for a couple of years after she bought a newer camera, but when we got it home it didn't work due to a bad sensor.
Seeing my wife's disappointment, I set out to find her a camera and to me, it looked like another Pentax was the best value, especially since we already had two lenses that came with the istDL. I found a good deal on a lightly used K10D at Adorama and bought it for her.
It turns out that I've also become interested in photography, and started buying all sorts of things that we "need", to the point that my wife told me that "I'm" spending an awful lot of money on "her" hobby! But we have a new granddaughter (our first) so I want to be sure to capture all the memories that come with that.
I've been looking at 50mm lenses, but haven't purchased one until things cool down a little with Lisa, so this offer comes at a great time for me.
And to seal the deal, here's my 1-year old granddaughter, captured with our K10D. She would really like for her grandpa to win this lens. How can you turn down a face like this?:D
Thanks again for the giveaway, and for your consideration.
Edit: I just realized the winner will be announced September 22. Well, that's my wife's birthday (really), and since I'm trying to win this for her, it would make a great birthday present!
Dave
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-25-2014, 05:09 PM
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Nice photo! Is that from somewhere along the Outer Banks, Highway 12 on the right?
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-25-2014, 03:21 PM
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After reading through the replies and the link that Lowell supplied, it sounds like I don't have much to worry about. I don't see any of my photos being used for any kind of business or promotion.
Thanks,
-Dave
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-25-2014, 03:15 PM
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This afternoon I experimented some more with my Lilly in front of the Sliding Glass Door shot. I decided to let the camera figure it out and learn by examining what it was choosing. I used P mode (Program Line 1-Normal) and turned on Exposure Bracketing. After several attempts, I came up with this, at f/4, 1/45 sec, and ISO 100. This was done with the matrix metering and turned out to be the "high exposure" shot of the bracket. I locked exposure with the bright glass out of the scene and moved back to my subject. It called for a flash on and I popped up the built-in one.
It may not be perfect, but I can live with it. The highlights don't look totally blown out, so maybe some post-processing could improve it, but there's really nothing of interest out that sliding glass door except a lawn that I should be mowing instead of playing with the camera. :lol: But post-processing is another subject that I have to work on.
I shot this RAW and just loaded it into Raw Therapee, let it use the "Auto" settings, resized for uploading to the forum, and saved it.
Still learning... But this brings up another question concerning Depth of Field. at f/4, why is the background still almost in focus? I guess I need a lens that will allow a smaller aperture to get it blurred more?
Thanks for all your patience with this newbie!
-Dave
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-25-2014, 01:43 PM
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Thanks for the tip, Zealex. Something else to look at.
-Dave
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-25-2014, 10:30 AM
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Thanks for the replies! I'm glad to hear the UHS-1 cards will work since they're the basically same price as the regular Class 10 cards. Even if the K10D won't utilize the extra speed, hopefully my next camera will.:lol:
Brooke, that looks like a deal on the 16GB Transcend cards. I may have to try a couple of those.
And I'll get the latest firmware update installed.
-Dave
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-24-2014, 08:14 PM
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I need to get some SD cards for my K10D and have a few questions. I can't see where the K10D manual specifies a minimum speed class, but I'm looking at class 10 cards, since I figure that even if the camera can't write at the card's rated speed I can read them faster on the computer. I can also use them in my HD camcorder, which only requires a minimum of Class 4 or 6 (I don't remember for sure.)
1. Do cards labeled UHS-1 work in a K10D? I've read here that some cameras don't work well with UHS-1 cards.
2. How fast will the K10D write to the card? I see all kinds of write speeds listed for various cards.
3. For two cards rated the same write speed, will using a larger card, like 16 or 32 GB cause any slowdowns in the K10D over a smaller card, like 4 or 8 GB? I'm wondering about "overhead" for the camera to wade through a larger number of files.
4. I'm at firmware version 1.30. I see that version 1.31 is available for "Improved recording stability when using some SDHC memory cards." Does anybody know what this specifically addresses?
5. Are there any brands that perform better in this camera? Lexar, SanDisk, Transcend, Kingston, PNY or eBay specials work just as well?
6. Do MicroSDHC cards with an adapter work?
EDIT: I found this on Lexar site:
 Quote: Can I use an UHS-I card with a SDHC host device?
Yes! All SD UHS-I cards can be used with all existing SDXC and SDHC devices (backwards compatible). Note that SDXC UHS-I cards are not compatible with SD or SDHC host devices, only with SDXC host devices. But I'm sure I read here that some people have had problems with Pentax cameras and UHS-1 Cards.:confused:
Thanks in advance,
-Dave
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-24-2014, 06:07 AM
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Wow, lots of helpful information here! Too much to respond to each post individually, but thanks to everyone for the help. I'm still trying to absorb all the information in your replies, and experimenting with the camera, and watching the linked videos as well as others I found on the net. And actually, a lot of what you all are telling me is starting to make some sense. :)
I haven't given up on getting that perfectly exposed shot of the plant. If/when I get something decent I'll post it and see what you guys think. Maybe there's a solar eclipse or a K5 in my future (about the same chances of either one happening.:D)
I'm sure glad I found such a friendly and helpful bunch of people. Thanks again to everybody!
-Dave
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-22-2014, 11:40 AM
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I have yet to get very far into any kind of post-processing, but is most software able to lighten or darken specific (masked?) areas, or is it more of all highlights/all shadows adjustment. How about free options like Gimp or RawTherapee or Darktable?
Thanks for that great explanation of using the camera's spot meter, and how to interpret the results. I think I actually understood that and am going to do some more experimenting with the camera. If I may ask a couple of follow up questions - (1) How do I know how many stops a fill-flash will add to the subject; (2) if the camera can capture 8 stops, then in your example, setting the shutter speed to the center (1/60) should result in a fairly balanced image, with the just the darkest and lightest areas too dark or light? Or am I missing something else?
Hopefully I can get a chance to do some more experimenting this evening.
Thanks again,
-Dave
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-22-2014, 10:57 AM
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What about when you're not working for hire? What are the rules for posting photos of strangers (or their pets) on personal websites, here on the forum, social media sites, flickr, and places like that?
-Dave
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-22-2014, 06:41 AM
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I'm at work now, but will check out that video this evening. I've learn some things from other B&H videos.
Exposing for the highlight makes the left side of the picture very dark/underexposed. Can that be recovered with post-processing?
It is a great setup for testing out things. That's why I thought it would be a good shot to ask about, since I seem to run into that issue a lot when I'm trying to get pictures of family without "posing" them. Pretend the plant is a family member or two who is visiting and I want to get a candid shot of them. For that situation, #6 is not practical. I need to learn about numbers 1,2, and 4. #3 sounds like it would be fairly quick to do, I just need to pick up a graduated ND filter. The first thing for me to try is probably #5, but would it take a separate flash, or is the pop-up one good enough to do it? I plan on doing a lot more experimenting with that shot.
You're right, there is nothing of interest there. Letting it blow out doesn't bother me too much, but it takes part of the plant with it.
I agree the scene is not too interesting. :) It was mainly just to experiment with getting a decent photo when the light situation is that bad. These are the best that I could come up with, with my extremely limited knowledge. what you are saying about needing to pick a "slice" and accept that it won't all be "perfect" makes sense. HDR/blending seems to be a common theme, too. I've got to look into that more.
That's great, clicksworth! I wish my Gimp skills were better.
That's a good idea in some situations. I'm learning that sometimes a couple of steps one way or the other can make a big difference.
Thanks for all the replies, everyone. Lots of great advice and ideas. I seem to learn best by trying things, but at times like this I didn't even know what to try. You've all given me some ideas.
I have more experimenting to do... :)
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-21-2014, 08:04 PM
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Thanks alamo5000, I'll look into the Capturing Light book.
Here's another try at showing you the photos.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-21-2014, 05:10 PM
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OK, when I introduced myself as a beginner with questions over in the "Introductions" forum, a couple people recommended I read Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure". I did, and it really taught me a lot. I finally see how aperture, ISO speed, and shutter speed interact to get a good exposure. Thanks to those who recommended it.
But, I'm still having some problems taking a photo of a subject when there's a bright light source nearby. I've uploaded a couple of samples to see if I could get some pointers in dealing with situations like this.
Here are the photos: Sample1, Sample2. (These are the "best" - I have a few that are much worse)
What is the proper way to deal with a situation like this? There's a sliding glass door in our family room that lets in a lot of light, and it seems like our new granddaughter or someone is always in front of it when I want to take a picture of them, so I come across this situation a lot. Even if they aren't directly in front of it, it seems like the shot I want is always in the general direction of that door.
I also tried to do some post-processing of these in Pentax Camera Utility, RawTherapee and Microsoft Live Photo Gallery, but had no luck making them any better. But I have no idea what I'm doing there, either. There's so much to learn!
Thanks in advance for helping this newbie. I really want to learn to take decent photos with my old K10D. :)
Dave
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
07-16-2014, 05:13 PM
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Thanks for the welcome and the suggestions.
I found the K10D Club thread the other day and have read through a big part of it. There are some fantastic photos in it, too, so I know the camera is capable. I'll finish reading it and maybe introduce myself over there.
Two recommendations for the "Understanding Exposure" book already? I guess I need to get a copy and study it.
And, yes, North Carolina is a great state to photograph. We have it all from the mountains to the sea.
Thanks everybody!
Dave
---------- Post added 07-16-14 at 08:28 PM ----------
(baro-nite, I guess we were composing posts at the same time.)
Thanks for the suggestions. I did do a reset when we first got the camera, but may do another one to start with a clean slate again since I've been messing with some things. I also set ISO to Auto and limited the range to 100-800 based on what I've read in the forum about the K10D not doing so great at higher ISO speeds.
The other ideas are exactly the kind of stuff I need. I tried flash with backlit scenes, but wasn't thrilled with the results. I didn't know about dialing up the exposure compensation to handle that. I read how to change the exposure compensation in the manual, but like many other things I read how to do, I don't know when to do it or when it applies or what's a "reasonable" aperture or shutter speed or other setting. That's where the book that others recommended may come in handy. I've read about aperture and depth of field, but haven't figured out reasonable values for different situations.
Is there a "guide" somewhere online that lists common settings for the various scene modes that other camera have?
Thanks again, I'll keep plugging away at it. :)
Dave
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
07-16-2014, 12:44 PM
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Just joined after lurking around here for the last few days, reading lots of posts and articles.
About a year ago, my wife expressed interest in moving up to a DSLR from our old Canon A510 point & shoot, and I'd also had similar thoughts. Our daughter gave her an ist-D and a couple of lenses that she wasn't using, but it turned out to not be working. Since we now had Pentax compatible lenses, I bought her a gently used K10D body from Adorama to get her started.
We were a little disappointed that the K10D didn't have any "scene" modes, as we thought they would ease the transition from P&S to DSLR. We've been using it in Green Mode, and taken some great pictures that way, but we've also had some really bad ones. It's more that we've been lucky that the conditions are just right than knowing what we're doing. Anything out of the ordinary, like backlit people, moving kids & pets, low light shots and stuff like that usually don't work out. I've done a some reading online and a little experimenting with Program mode, but still can't seem to get decent pictures most of the time.
Did I make a mistake in getting the wrong camera to make the transition?
Dave
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