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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
03-12-2017, 03:36 AM
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There are still a lot of jacaranda trees, but they are disappearing slowly. They are not indigenous to South Africa. As such they are now considered a threat to the local floara and are being cut down. Not to worry, there are still quite a few around. Note to self: go take some pictures of them.
---------- Post added 03-12-17 at 03:38 AM ----------
I know that spot. It was taken at the Union Buildings. It would be interesting to compare the shot with one taken recently.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
03-10-2017, 01:21 PM
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After lurking here for a short while (only a few weeks, honest) I have signed up. I am an IT professional living in South Africa. Photography is just a hobby. I dabble in a lot of genres - sport, photojournalism, macro, landscapes etc.
I am a long standing Pentaxian, going back to the mid eighties when I was a student. My first one was an SP 1000. I bought it from a friend with a Soligor 90-230mm. I added a used Takumar 50mm. Or was it a 55mm? This was followed by a 28mm, but the brand name eludes me. It was a long time ago and the details are now fuzzy. I do remember that I never really got the hang of the manual diaphragm on the Soligor and mostly used maximum aperture.
After a year or so, I was hooked and it was time for something more modern. I got hold of a used MX which served me well. It came with a 50mm f/1.7. With an M42 adapter, my old lenses could still do duty while I built up a new kit. I got me a 200mm f/4, 100mm f/2.8 and 28mm f/2.8. All were SMC Pentax M, bought new out of the box with money earned in holiday jobs.
When I started working, the bug really bit. The MX was replaced with an LX that was sort of new old stock. It was brand new but had been sitting on the dealer's shelf for a long time and I got a great deal. I found a used motor drive for it and I looked the part of serious photog! The 50mm f/1.7 was sold as along with the MX but I figured I could do without a K mount standard lens for a while.
I had a Hasselblad 500C/M with 120mm macro lens for a few months but it had to go when the 200mm just didn't cut it for sports anymore. A Takumar 2x converter did not help much. I just had to have an SMC Pentax A 400mm f/5.6. It had to be special ordered from Japan but the wait was worth it. After that I quickly found that swopping between the 200mm and 400mm lenses made me miss shots while shooting sports, so I bought a new Super A body.
In between the above I had an M 40mm f/2.8, bought used, for a while but it did not appeal to me. When a used A 50mm f/2.8 macro turned up, it did not take long to do a part exchange deal. Rounding out the collection was an M 20mm f/4 bought used. I can remember that I actually dug out all the coins I had lying around the place to make up the purchase price. The guy at the shop was happy to make a sale of what was a bit of a curiosity and did mind counting them!
As for flashes, I had an AF280T bought new and an AF400T received as a gift from my parents.
After this marriage and kids happened and photo gear was not on the agenda. Besides, I had everything I needed, hehehe. I did finally succumb to the autofocus revolution in the mid nineties and got myself an MZ50. It came as a kit with an FA 28-80mm. The Super A was sold to a photography student who need a manual focus camera. The MZ50 autofocus kit was rounded out with an AF500FTZ and an F 100-300mm, bought from a friend who was liquidating some of his gear.
Fast forward to the mid noughties and the digital era arrived. The *ist line-up did not do it for me but when the K10D arrived I just had to have one. It cost a pretty penny but I got one. The dealer only had kits in stock so I took the DA 18-55mm. Not taking it would mean a special order and only a small saving.
The K10D has served me well for more than a decade. It worked out well, except for the limited compatibility with my M lenses and flashes. When the F 100-300mm developed a problem, I just bought a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro to replace it rather than send it off for repair.
My daughter has developed an interest in photography. After getting tired of asking her if I can borrow my K10D, I bought her a used K200D that I found on the internet. This purchase set off a bout of shopping.
I have been on a bit of a buying spree this year. So far I have bagged a K 200mm f/2.5, an M 50mm f/1.4 and an F 70-210mm. The 200mm is a bit rough on the outside but the glass is good. It was not particularly cheap but I have always wanted a really fast lens. Call it good value. The 50mm was cheap(ish) and is in very good condition. The zoom was really cheap. It came with a circular polariser, for less what a new polariser would have cost. At this point I have to confess that the reviews on this site played a big part.
One would think that that with all the gear listed, I would just take pictures and get on with life. However, there are still itches that need to be scratched.
The K10D still takes good pictures but something more modern with better low light performance would be nice. Video and live view are a bonus. A K5 or even a K3 would be nice but they are pricey, even used. A K1 is a dream. As for lenses, an 85mm would do nice portraits. And I don't have an ultra wide. And the joys of PTTL flash photography are unknown to me. Hang on, I think I should stop shopping and go take some pictures....
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