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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
07-05-2016, 08:06 PM
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Are you kidding me?? I have seen so many awesome shots shot with Pentax gear.
SMC-Pentax-FA-Star-600mm-F4-Lens with K-1 or K-3 would make a good run for the money for ANY Canon or Nikon. Truth is that Canon and Nikon has more advanced autofocusing systems, but that doesn't mean you can't make a nice shots with Pentax gear.
I am just an amateur who enjoy to shoot birds with Pentax gear.
Here are some samples. Top 3 shots of Bald Eagle with Pentax K-50 and SMC 500mm f/4.5 (30+ years old manual lens)
and 4th and the Black-capped Chickadee was with K-50 and DA 55-300 WR.
I can't wait for my K-1 to use with some nice older film era lenses.
Just keep shooting with Pentax fellas serious or not.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/87461220@N07/albums |
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
02-18-2017, 02:58 AM
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I shot Pentax for over 30 years and recently switch to Canon. I sold my K-1 and K-3 and all my lenses.
Here is my take on Pentax vs Canon. I shoot almost exclusively wild birds and mostly owls now. K-3 and K-1 were fantastic cameras. Image quality superb. I really miss K-1, there is no better FF camera on the market then K-1 if you shoot landscapes, portraits, any kind of studio work and also great for wildlife as long as doesn't require blazing fast AF lock and tracking. I have tried K-1 with flagship Pentax 150-450mm lens and it just wasn't consistent enough to deliver. I tried my friend's older 1D Mark IV paired with older first generation Canon EF300mm f/2.8L USM lens (NON-IS..no image stabilization) and I was blown away. The image quality and autofocus blazing fast and dead on accurate with 10 FPS. This Canon combo allowed me to get shots that I couldn't achieve with K-1 or K-3.
I think that both K-1 and K-3 are capable to do great shots for wildlife and I made tons of good shots, but the weakness is lack of good NEW long fast prime lenses. I was hoping that Pentax would come out with new long prime HQ lens, but that was not the case.
It makes perfect sense for Pentax to focus on it's strength and that is landscape and portrait photography.
What I really miss that most modern Pentax bodies have is the image stabilization in the body and menus, controls and overall design. Pentax is the best.
Far as IQ and dynamic range, nothing beats K-1 period. Said that Canon 1D class bodies has pretty darn good IQ and dynamic range also.
It was really hard move for me to switch to Canon because I love Pentax gear, but at the same time I knew that if I want to get a shots like this posted bellow I need AF system to be able to handle one of the hardest subjects to track in flight like Short-eared owls which they fly like a giant moth.. very erratic, constantly changing speed , elevation and direction.
It really boils down what the photographer primary shoot and choose the gear to match it. For me personally AF speed, superb tracking and high FPS is a must, because otherwise I would miss many shots.
Some recent shots of Short-eared owl Canon 1D Mark IV and Canon 1D Mark III with Canon EF300mm f/2.8L USM NON-IS
This shot won "Editor's Choice" in NatureScapes.net 1D Mark IV
 CP9C2404 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
1D Mark IV
 CP9C0578 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
1D Mark III (10MB body)
 1H3U0387 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
08-28-2016, 07:41 PM
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Last few days I am trying to get some flying Barn Owls shots. It is a miles of walking to find them and then hoping that
will fly the right direction, not too far, light conditions, exposure etc.
I got some today. There was this Barn Owl fighting with Northern Harrier. After little skirmish owl resumed hunting not too far front of me.
Flying directly over my head.
I was testing how K-1 with DA 55-300mm WR would works and it worked well. I was shooting in "Crop Mode" to keep shutter frame rates up.
Barn Owl hunting
 IMGP3407 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
 IMGP3405 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
08-18-2016, 08:13 AM
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Thanks for the kind words.
I really like SMC 500 f/4.5 and SMC A 400mm f/5.6. I have both of them. SMC 500mm takes some time to master it. But once you get it dialed in with exposures it can produce fantastic images consistently.
I shoot it mostly on tripod. Not an easy to handheld, I do it sometimes when I have to. This where SMC A 400mm f/5.6 is nice, which I never use with tripod and it is easy to handheld. Both lenses produce sharp images. The 500mm gives you more reach and 400mm more flexibility.
Far as Bigma goes, I don't own it so I can't really comment on it ,, but I see Rupert producing some very fine images with it. Nice thing about Bigma that it is autofocus and it is 50-500mm (great lens).
Since you are planing to handheld or use monopod then Bigma is a great choice.
It really depends on your budget and what are you planning to shoot ..action, birds in flight then autofocus is better choice,,etc. There are some awesome new lenses out there like Pentax 150-450mm, Sigma 500mm f/4.5.
Here is older Sigma 400mm f/5.6 AF..hard to find in Pentax mount. Sigma Sigma 400mm F5.6 APO (AF) Lens Reviews - Sigma Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database.
I personally prefer prime lenses. There is enough high quality older Pentax lenses out there to choose from.
There is no good or bad answer here, because everybody's needs and what they can afford are different.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
03-02-2017, 09:56 PM
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Nice set Norm. I really like the Nuthatche facing down (3rd from the bottom). I am really considering to buy K-1 or K-3 again with Pentax SMC A 600mm f/5.6 (if I can find one). I really miss the Pentax gear :D
---------- Post added 03-02-17 at 11:00 PM ----------
Nice set, love the colors.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
02-19-2017, 11:47 PM
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Here is a good example why I miss K-1. This shot was taken in fairly thick fog (you would never guess looking at the photo). It was taken with 30+ year old manual focus SMC 500mm f/4.5 lens.
When I downloaded pictures from this set to my computer I almost delete them all. They looked awful with the thick fog. I was able to brings out the detail which seemed almost impossible. There is no way I would be able to
pull this off with my Canon 1D Mark IV camera.
This is where K-1 rules IQ and Dynamic range, color saturation is unreal.
Top picture ..owl in the fog.
Bottom picture shows amount detail on owl's face and body. When clicking on the image when showing on Flickr, yo can see tiny snow flakes on the owl's face and body. Shot with K-1 and SMC 500mm f/4.5.
 IMGP0816 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
 IMGP0609 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-26-2016, 07:22 PM
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Some recent shots of Northern Harrier and Short-eared Owl.
K-3 and SMC A 400mm f/5.6
1/640, ISO-400, f/7.1
 IMGP8823 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
Short-eared Owl
K-3 and SMC A 400mm f/5.6 1/200, ISO-1600, f/6.3
 IMGP8738 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
K-1 and SMC 500mm f/5.6 1/250, ISO-1600, f/8
 IMGP0734 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
K-1 and SMC 500mm f/5.6 1/160, ISO-1600, f/8
 IMGP0609 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
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Forum: Lens Clubs
10-29-2016, 11:56 PM
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-15-2016, 11:06 PM
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Picture taken last summer. Me and friend of mine were shooting shorebirds (mostly Greater Yellowlegs). We were at the water lever with front tripod legs in the water. We were so focused on Greater Yellowlegs that we almost missed this Great Blue Heron walking right in front of us...very very close. All I saw was the head of the Heron in the viewfinder. Sun was getting low creating a nice colorful background of the water and the grass in the distance.
Pentax K-50 and SMC 500mm f/4.5
1/1000, ISO-1600, f/11
 IMGP4790 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-16-2016, 12:30 AM
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It would be nice if Ricoh would come out with 400mm f/4, but it would be too expensive. 400mm f/5.6 would be more affordable and easier to handhold.
I love my SMC A 400mm f/5.6. It produces exceptional images, easy to use so I only shoot it handheld. It is a manual focus lens, but that doesn't bothers me. Some samples with this lens.
 IMGP7324 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
 IMGP6816 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
 IMGP2816 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
 IMGP2445 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
---------- Post added 12-16-16 at 02:27 AM ----------
Bunch of garbage. Pentax is more then capable for wildlife photography. Can it compare to flagships of Canon 1DX II or Nikon D5 with top prime lenses like 600mm f/4??,,,answer is no. But we are talking $18,000 setups.
But there is a catch.
You mostly gain with this high $$$$$ end setups auto focusing speed and accuracy and faster shutter frame rate in expense of 16 -20 MB sensors, which leaves them with less cropping flexibility. All my friends are shooting with top Canon and Nikon (mostly Canon) and at the end of the day of shooting I have just as many keepers as they do with my K-1 and K-3 using manual focus lenses. There is nothing nicer then when you nail the shot with K-1 or K-3 especially with K-1 and it's 36 MB sensor.
Another important thing is that Pentax has SR (Shake Reduction) built in body...huge advantage. You can use just about any K-mount lens and have image stabilization. In Canon or Nikon you pay big $$$$$ for a good image stabilization in their lenses.
Sony mirrorless are also great. Image stabilization in the bodies and awesome EV (electronic viewfinder).
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-13-2016, 10:46 PM
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Bald Eagle near the trail, looking down on me.
Pentax K-50 and SMC A 400mm f/5.6
1/800, ISO-1000, f/7.1
 IMGP2230 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
---------- Post added 12-13-16 at 11:58 PM ----------
Nice shots Kameko. How did you like the DA 560?? Was it sharp wide open at f/5.6?? By next summer I want to get long prime, manual focus or AF it makes no difference to me, but it has to be fairly sharp wide open.
My SMC 500mm f/4.5 is super sharp from f/8 to f/16, but in darker conditions I need wider aperture.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-14-2016, 09:21 PM
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Thank you. She was noise also :-)).
---------- Post added 12-14-16 at 10:32 PM ----------
Thank you for the kind words. I really like SMC A 400mm f/5.6. It take some practice to get sharp BIF pics with it. The hardest ones are when bird sneaks up on you really close range and
I have to scramble to turning focusing ring fast as I can to catch up. All my lenses are manual focus. For sure I miss some shots because manual focus, but I get fairly high number of keepers also.
---------- Post added 12-14-16 at 10:38 PM ----------
Recent shot of Short_Eared Owl. This one sneaked up on me. I almost missed this shot. I never cranked the focusing ring so fast, make sure I will get it in focus :D
K-3 and SMC A 400mm f/5.6
1/1250, ISO-1600, f/7.1
IMGP6816 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-12-2016, 09:49 PM
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Here are shots of Short_Eared Owl from last weekend. Any of you who like owls as much as I do would appreciate this. Me and my friend tracked this owl down. We crawled (laid flat) to get this shots in wet grass and mud. Inch by inch we were able to get in good range to take shots. This owl was really tolerant to us and let us take the shots (Thank you owl :-))).
I wanted to keep aperture at f/7.1 to retain sharpness (sweet spot for this lens), but that forced me to shoot at 1/160 and I didn't want to go over ISO-1600. Amazing, how good the K-3 can stabilize the sensor considering shooting 400mm lens x 1.5 crop factor = 600mm. Also this smaller and lighter lens was much easier to crawl with :-)). My friend with his Canon 500mm f/4 had to work a little harder (but he more likely got better shots).
Not the best light conditions, shooting at 1/160 shutter speed. Dark overcast and soon as we were done shooting, it started to drizzle. We lucked out.
K-3 and SMC A 400mm f/5.6
1/160, ISO-1600, f/7.1
 IMGP7337 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
IMGP7324 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
 IMGP7320 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
---------- Post added 12-12-16 at 11:02 PM ----------
Awesome shots. It seems that K-1 and D FA 150-450mm can track very well. Well done.
---------- Post added 12-12-16 at 11:45 PM ----------
Nicely put Norm, well written.
Well, this statement is partially true. I shoot mostly wildlife and wild as they get. Every animal, birds etc has a different tolerance to humans. For example Short_Eared Owls.. migratory bird. When first few owls arrived this fall they were very shy, hard to get close to them. As season progress they get used to people and get more tolerant once they realized we are not threat to them. I wear full camo, don't make noise and moving slowly helps me to get even closer. The owl knows I am there...in many cases is looking directly in to my eyes when flying by. I wouldn't say that they"don't care"...they are just a little more tolerant, but very much still wild birds. It is all about the food and least amount of energy to spend for them. Soon as the feeding grounds opens up north, they will be gone.
Another good example is Belted Kingfisher. I go during the season to one wildlife preserve and there are some Belted Kingfishers. Same birds, same spots, very territorial. I saw these birds and they saw me probably hundreds of times and I still can't get close to them. Some birds or animals keep the distance from humans more then others.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-13-2016, 09:27 AM
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Awesome shot. Amazing blure at f/7.1
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-11-2016, 08:41 PM
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Here are shots of Short_Eared Owl from this morning. Me and my friend tracked this owl down. We crawled (laid flat) to get this shots. Inch by inch we were able
to get in good range to take shots. This owl was really tolerant to us and let us take the shots (Thank you owl :-))).
Not the best light conditions, shooting at 1/160 shutter speed. Dark overcast and soon as we were done shooting, it started to drizzle. We lucked out.
K-3 and SMC A 400mm f/5.6
1/160, ISO-1600, f/7.1
IMGP7337 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
IMGP7324 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
IMGP7324 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-10-2016, 11:58 PM
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I just came across this "Manual Zoom Club". All my lenses are manual....and shoot mostly Wild birds. People get blown away when I tell them that I am shooting birds and BIF with manual focus lenses.
I get fairly good number of keepers shooting MF lenses.
Shot from last weekend using K-1 and SMC 500mm f/4..5
 IMGP9405 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
 IMGP9365 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
 IMGP9471 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-05-2016, 10:31 PM
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Forum: Lens Clubs
11-16-2016, 01:24 AM
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-06-2016, 08:16 PM
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-04-2016, 11:06 PM
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Some shots of Short-Eared Owl from today.
K-3 and SMC A 400mm f/5.6
1/500, ISO-1600, f/5.6
 IMGP6950 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
 IMGP6902 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
1/1250, ISO-1600, f/7.1
 IMGP6816 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
1/800, ISO-800, f/7.1
 IMGP6773 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
This one with Pentax K-1 and SMC 500mm f/4.5. There was very little light left and the K-1 has no problem to shoot at ISO-3200. I am blown away what this sensor can do.
1/400, ISO-3200, f/8.0
 IMGP8669 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-06-2016, 07:14 AM
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Thank you.
There are about dozen or so Short-Eared Owls in the fields where I take pictures of them. They are territorial and this particular owl I always found late afternoon
when feeding at the same spot, It will chase of any predator if it gets close.
Next 2 pictures shows this owl taking of after another owl or Northern Harrier. You can see in the pictures owl looking up after the bird.
Pictures are not very sharp, but they are telling the story,
 IMGP9403 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
 IMGP9404 by Ludovit Tatos, on Flickr
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Forum: Lens Clubs
11-26-2016, 06:42 PM
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New shots from yesterday afternoon. It was rainy and windy for a while here and Short-Eared Owls were not hunting (too windy to be able to hear the prey (Voles) ), but yesterday it was nice and calm and owls were everywhere.
I took both of my camera setups with me. K-3 with SMC A 400mm f/5.6 for brighter conditions and K-1 with SMC 500mm f/4.5 when gets darker. I end up using K-1 setup later and I am glad I took it with me and get some awesome shots,
otherwise impossible to get with K-3 due to big advantage of the K-1 sensor in darker conditions shooting higher ISO.
Here are some shots from K-3 and K-1
K-3 SMC A 400mm f/5.6
 IMGP6353 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
 IMGP6351 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
 IMGP6413 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
Here some shots with K-1 and SMC 500mm f/4.5
 IMGP7777 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
 IMGP7905 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
 IMGP7893 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
---------- Post added 11-26-16 at 07:53 PM ----------
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Very nice shot. I don't mine to shoot birds and to show their habitat in the background. It will tell more about the bird.
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Forum: Lens Clubs
11-27-2016, 11:36 PM
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Some shots of Short-Eared Owls from day after Thanksgiving in nearby grass fields. It is amazing how good is still SMC 500mm f/4.5 especially paired with K-1.
All this shots taken with K-1 and SMC 500mm f/4.5...shooting with f/8 aperture.
Short-Eared Owls
IMGP7893 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
 IMGP7753 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
IMGP7905 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
IMGP7777 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
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Forum: Lens Clubs
11-28-2016, 10:27 PM
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Very nice set. I love the bottom picture of the Kestrel??
---------- Post added 11-28-16 at 11:32 PM ----------
Thank you!
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Forum: Lens Clubs
11-20-2016, 04:30 PM
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Northern Harrier (female) hunting in rainy and windy day.
Full frame shot showing the grass fields where I take photos of the owls. Not today...too windy for Short-Eared Owls to hunt because they rely more on hearing.
K-1 and SMC 500mm f/5.6 ISO-1600, f/8.0, 1/1000 sec.
 IMGP7664 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
 IMGP7663 by Mako_Elite, on Flickr
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