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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
07-12-2021, 07:22 AM
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Jumping Spider... I think this is Phidippus purpuratus, but I'm no expert.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
05-20-2021, 12:38 PM
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Thanks John! Appreciate it. It's been a while, but I definitely still like that shot.
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
04-22-2021, 12:21 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-13-2021, 08:34 PM
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I have had a 150-450mm for a couple of years now, and have recently acquired the DA* 300mm. My answer to your poll is definitely number 1, even though my experience with the 150-450mm on a K3 at 450 has at times been a lot like what you describe: even on a good tripod with a static subject, the sharpness is sometimes not as "crisp" as I'd like, especially at f5.6. This does happen more often at the long end of the zoom. Yet, since my lens has also produced very sharp images at 450 (especially between f9-f11, but also at f5.6), I've always discarded these experiences as being a problems with my long lens technique. I believe the weight of the 150-450mm makes it harder to get tack sharp images. I find the 300mm much easier to use and my results with it are more consistent, even with the HD TC (I know you don't want to talk about the TC, but here goes...). I also prefer the bokeh from the 300. On the other hand, it is not focusing as fast (especially with the limiter on the zoom) and will hunt more, particularly in low light. At first, I was planning on keeping only one of the lenses, but in the end I'm going to keep both: the 150-450mm for when I'm working from a tripod/monopod or I need the zoom and the 300mm for photography on the move and pseudo macro shots from a distance.
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
10-10-2020, 09:18 AM
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A common fly delicately stands on a daisy's ray flowers.
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
10-01-2020, 06:53 PM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
10-01-2020, 06:51 PM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
09-12-2020, 06:27 PM
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Forum: Winners' Showcase
08-14-2020, 05:38 AM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
08-05-2020, 08:11 PM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
07-14-2020, 08:59 PM
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View of the Saguenay Fjord from the wharf of Anse de roche, in Quebec. One of my favorite autumn spot for sunsets. This image is a composite of six shots (HDR, panorama).
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
07-05-2019, 07:40 PM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Winners' Showcase
07-05-2019, 07:38 PM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
07-05-2019, 07:37 PM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
07-05-2019, 07:36 PM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-09-2019, 10:05 PM
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I don't know if my experience can help, but I had the Tamron for a couple of years, which I finally sold and replaced with the 50-135mm. I never really fell in love with the Tamron because of focusing speed and accuracy in low light, and a lack of contrast/sharpness wide open. For this last reason, I tended to avoid wide open shots and almost always used the lense at f4 or smaller (where it was admittedly very sharp)... The 50-135 is a completely different story : I just love the way it renders out of focus transitions, it is a very sharp lens at every focal length (even wide open), is much smaller/lighter, silent focusing, and although relatively slow focusing on my k3 (at least compared to my 150-450mm), is in my experience very accurate even in low light. I'd say the focusing speed is similar to the 20-40, which is also one of my most used lens. I don't know about the Sigma, but I really wholeheartedly recommend the 50-135. It is a joy to use.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
05-27-2019, 11:40 AM
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Great work Luftfluss. Your examples makes me want to try natural light only macro.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
05-26-2019, 08:21 PM
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The DFA100 macro WR is probably my most used lense, or at least the one with which I have had the most success. I mainly use it for 1:1 macro or higher magnification (with a Raynox adapter) of insects. For my style, at these magnifications, a good flash is absolutely essential for critical sharpness. It is the main source of light in most of my macro work, but good natural lighting will still also contribute most of the time. I use the 540fgz on a bracket off camera, with a small softbox for diffusion. For macro, I always shoot handheld for mobility, with everything manual : exposure, flash, focus. Here is my usual starting point :
1/125 sec. (the flash freezes the subject, shutter speed is mainly to control background exposure)
F16 (in my experience, the sweet spot on the 100mm between sharpness and depth of field for 1:1 magnification and higher. I find F22 too soft and F11 lacking DOF).
200 iso
Flash in manual mode at 1/8 for 1:1, 1/4 for more than 1:1. This has to be adjusted depending on the ambient light.
The main challenge at these magnifications is the shallow DOF. I always try to take many pictures from the same angle so I can do focus stacks in post. With a cooperative subject, I have successfully made up to 10-15 pictures stacks, even handheld. Although even just a 2 pictures stack can make a huge difference. Here are three examples : the green tiger beetle is at 1:1 no stack; the "bearded fly" (Therevidae) at more than 2:1, 2 stacks; the yellow fly (Laphria) is a 6 pictures stack.
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
10-13-2018, 11:10 AM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
10-03-2018, 06:01 PM
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I had my K-3 screen changed by Sun Camera Service after a similar unfortunate "cleaning" attempt by myself. Like you, didn't get any answers to the messages I sent Pentax, so decided to send the camera to Sun. Turnaround was fine (2-3 weeks including both way shipping from Quebec), as was cost (if I remember correctly, less than 150 Canadian dollars to install a new screen, including parts, time and shipping). Not a cheap error, but could have been worse...
Good luck with yours.
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Forum: Pentax Price Watch
09-15-2018, 02:42 PM
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Thanks. Received it a couple of weeks ago (the 50-135mm). I didn't have a real opportunity to use it yet, but I did some tests shooting my friend's dog, and I really love the rendering. A steal at that price...
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Forum: Pentax Price Watch
08-04-2018, 05:36 PM
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Thanks for the heads-up. I wasn't planning on getting the 50-135mm that soon after the 150-450mm, but at that price, being in Canada, I just could not resist. I hope I'll like it as much as the 20-40mm and 150-450mm. It almost perfectly plugs the "hole" in my lens collection...
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
07-04-2018, 08:12 PM
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Wow! Sorry for reviving this very old thread, but I've been struggling with my 540fgz intermittently not charging for YEARS. I put up with it because it was working most of the time, but then would suddenly stop charging even on full batteries. SOldbear's second solution seems to have solved the problem. I'm thrilled!!! If you're still around SOldbear's, you have my deepest thanks: I was about to throw up the towel and buy a new flash until I finally discovered this thread. I can't believe I will no more have to shake the flash and rapidly turn it on and off to get it to finally work! Now, back to photographing bugs!
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
07-04-2018, 07:09 PM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Photographic Technique
06-30-2018, 09:22 PM
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I suppose it really depends on what you shoot and which way you do. I personally shoot a lot of insects "portraits", handheld, with flash and diffuser, at between 0.5:1 and 2.5:1 (using a Raynox and Pentax 100mm WR). I mostly shoot at f16, which is in my experience the best compromise between diffraction and depth of field. I've tried playing with larger aperture, but most of the time the results were less satisfactory: I usually need the bigger depth of field. Even with focus stacking, I've had better luck shooting with smaller apertures: with insects, you often only have 2-5 shots before the subject moves, and handheld, the shallower the depth of field, the harder it gets to take a sequence without "holes" in your stack. F16 sharpens up pretty well with the 100mm, even using the Raynox.
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