|
Forum: General Talk
12-06-2023, 04:35 PM
|
| |
I was hoping on finding a quality second hand copy of the Tokina AT-X Macro "Bokina" 90mm F2.5 but many of them did not come with the desirable 1:1 extension. The same goes for the Voigtländer 90mm f/3.5 APO Lanthar which also requires an accessory to accomplish true 1:1 capability. So this was the best alternative, I can't say I'm a huge fan of the amount of plastic in the build quality.
But it also has one of the oddest filter threads: 55mm. As a RF photographer it is nice to have the 90mm focal length at my fingertips once again, FA77mm felt somewhat indistinct from a 50mm, DFA*85mm was almost there but a HEAVY beast, but finally at long last I have a svelte 90mm that can focus closer than any standard RF could possibly manage.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
12-06-2023, 04:09 AM
|
| |
This..
I was seeking a lighter weight alternative to the FA*200mm f/4 ED Macro and the Sigma 180mm f/3.5 APO EX DG Macro lenses, both of which lenses are a brick and a half. And both have working distances that are redundantly long when working in the studio.
Pentax KP Tamron 90mm f/2.8 MACRO @ f/2.8 1/500th ISO 1600 |
|
Forum: General Talk
07-07-2023, 07:26 AM
|
| |
Considering I got mine second hand so it cost even less, basically made it a steal. A copy of the the Laowa Zero D 12mm f/2.8 dreamer was also in the store: as well built and compact as it was, there were a number of design elements with that lens that didn't sit well with me*. The lens cap was annoying, there weren't any click stops on the aperture ring and no lock for the A setting, also the 12mm couldn't be used on film cameras - with my cursory testing in the camera store I ascertained that the Samyang 14mm was the sharper of the two.
Ultrawide lenses are always going to be a compromise but yeesh, I can see the aberrations at reduced resolution.
*Also, 12mm what the hell am I going to use THAT for? Years ago I remember getting the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4 L zoom lens and I can only think of a handful of situations over the years I had it where I found a practical use for the sub 16mm focal lengths it offered.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
07-07-2023, 06:26 AM
|
| |
Coming from the DFA15-30mm f/2.8 as my standard ultrawide I have to admit I had low expectations for the optical quality of this lens when I bought it. The DFA15-30, which I almost exclusively use for the 20mm and under focal lengths* I bought the Samyang 14mm f/2.8ED ASPH as a way of reducing weight in my camera bag by shedding the superfluous focal lengths that the DFA15-30 covers.
Pentax K-1 Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED ASPH @ f/11 ISO 100 1/15th
I have to say, I'm a little shocked at how good this lens actually is. Yes, it is manual focus only and at apertures wider than f/8 it vignettes like hell. It has a peculiar distortion characteristic that makes it a problematic choice for architectural work** also, it has a field curvature characteristic that is a little odd for this focal length. Also infinity focus sometimes needs tweaking*** and there can be considerable sample variation among copies.
But other than that, operationally among the few ultrawides that are available for K mount, this one has really impressed me with its physical design and optical qualities. Flare is remarkably well controlled, chromatic aberration is a trivial matter to address in post, resolution is impressively high across the frame at moderate apertures with only a touch of astigmatism in the extreme corners.
Pentax K-1 Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED ASPH @ f/8 ISO 400 1/60th
I'll have to turn my copy over to my optical technician to test it as my optics bench doesn't have the required module to properly test full format lenses wider than 18mm.
*I already have the DFA21 and FA31 and IMO both are superior to the DFA.
** I don't do much of that with 35mm cameras anyway, a view camera with a MFDB offers superior control over image geometry and DOF. And the distortion I can live with after all, I have seen excellent landscape photos taken with fisheye lenses.
***it seems to be fine on my copy.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
03-28-2023, 02:46 AM
|
| |
Thanks, I'll use that foreknowledge to keep my temptations in check. The silver finish also doesn't thrill me, bear in mind I have a Silver Pentax KP which has been nothing but a delight to use. In my experience even with chromed Leicas, the silver finish on cameras never ages well in my experience. Black is my preference in a workhorse camera.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
03-28-2023, 02:26 AM
|
| |
Spotted a Nikon DF in the local camera shop today, it must be the first second hand one I have seen in YEARS...I have to say it is a visually appealing camera particularly to my aesthetic sensibilities, the price is also very tempting.
 |
|
Forum: General Talk
05-18-2022, 11:13 PM
|
| |
Just because something is cheap doesn't automatically mean it isn't any good, I picked this gimbal up second hand for $100. The other two Gimbals up for sale second hand were quality wimberly heads, but they have seen some very rough treatment.
This one looked like it had hardly been used, mainly because the owner didn't know how to fix it as movement on it was very sluggish and stiff.
Neewer Gimbal head - After reading through some tutorials, pulled it apart, cleaned it, replaced the atrocious grease, replaced the bearing, and re-greased it with high quality lithium grease. Now its motion is as smooth as my significantly heavier (and over 10X more expensive) Promedia Katana Gimbal.
Should be perfect for smaller scale wildlife photography.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
04-27-2022, 06:28 PM
|
| |
Fair call, they have a distinct look. T-MAX 100 has been a staple in my work for decades across multiple formats. My fast B&W film of choice was Neopan 400 which was discontinued by Fuji in 2013, I still have a few sheet film boxes and 120 packs in my deep freezer.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
04-27-2022, 01:53 AM
|
| |
Not a fan of T-max 400? I know the shadows block up easy, but the midtones and highlights are rendered quite crisply when exposed at ISO 320 and developed in Rodinal.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
04-26-2022, 03:15 AM
|
| |
Probably the closest I'll ever get to hand holding an 8X10 view camera...
The lapel pin looks like a replica of the classic Deadorff 8X10 with the classic Bausch & Lomb - Zeiss 23" Protar lens.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
03-23-2022, 06:01 PM
|
| |
I use the black and white tins for storing B&W film stock, but I have sets of the coloured tins for the colour film stocks I have in storage. These tins also are available in 120 format size, for which I also have sealed AGFA canisters to store the film in. I WISH they made tins for storing sheet films, at the moment I'm using pre-loaded film holders stored in the fridge compartment that are enclosed with a capsule of MgSO4 desiccant.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
03-19-2022, 10:43 PM
|
| |
I saw a Kodak film canister storage tin while perusing the products at my local film development store, and I knew I had to get it. Admittedly this was an impulse buy as I already own several of these: but I will purchase small items for no other reason other than to support local stores.
I have found these to be perfect for storing film under ice - the canisters I already own (Vintage AGFA canisters) which are sealed and thus ideal for keeping moisture away from cold film, but they are very smooth and difficult to handle when stored under dry ice for several months. The Kodak storage tins have a distinct surface texture to them and are much easier to handle while they are cold. There is a removable tray that comes with the tin for storing individual cassettes, however as a matter of habit I never store film without a canister.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
01-05-2022, 02:46 AM
|
| |
My D-FA21mm f/2.4 ED ASPH Limited finally arrived!
 |
|
Forum: General Talk
08-09-2021, 05:20 PM
|
| |
In my experience a lot of PC components in computers can be serviced by users with sufficient skill and ingenuity. However there are manufacturers that intentionally attempt to prevent this, the best example being Macbooks.
I have a tiny HP Mini netbook from 2008 running windows 10 from an SSD - that thing survived the recent updates that had bricked newer systems that cost substantially more.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
08-09-2021, 03:34 AM
|
| |
BASH is the default command line interface for me (it is like having a good swiss army knife) powershell is worth a look but most people hate it as it's from Micro$oft after all.
I recently de-comissioned one of my PC builds from Circa 2004 - which ran windows XP a 1.8ghz AMD Athlon XP with 2Gb memory. It all booted up properly, and I was able to skim some data from the old hard drives without a hitch.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
10-07-2020, 03:31 AM
|
| |
| |
|
Forum: General Talk
10-06-2020, 01:25 PM
|
| |
Last I looked HP5+, XP2,Kentmere, and Delta 400 are still being made. i'm scratching my head too, Ilford must flip a coin over which products they choose to discontinue.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
10-01-2020, 07:16 PM
|
| |
It is possible for some types of insulin to be transported without the need for refrigeration, however depending upon ambient conditions the shelf life viability of the product is drastically reduced. Considering the cost of insulin in the US* for many throwing a vial away after a month will not be economically tenable.
* despite clownstick von crumpetface declaring "insulin is so cheap it's like water".
|
|
Forum: General Talk
10-01-2020, 06:53 PM
|
| |
Regrettably no, the eyecup *is* interchangable but on the basic model* the standard eyecup is fixed. Another gripe of mine is there are no front/rear caps to protect the optics on the monocular.
* sans the microscope attachment which is more or less designed to shield against stray light when used with the 18X close up attachment.
 |
|
Forum: General Talk
09-27-2020, 05:13 AM
|
| |
I was at the local camera store [big surprise] and I spotted one of these in one of the binocular display cases:
The new Pentax 6X21 monocular, I bought it on the spot.
Being a rather indispensable part of my wildlife photography kit, I have carried a similar Zeiss 8X25 Monocular - however the blasted thing was impossible to focus comfortably with a single hand. The pentax monocular has a little rocker switch at the top that allows you to focus with one hand. Despite there being a lot of plastic used on both: the Pentax monocular has heft to it and gives an impression of better physical construction and visually both are roughly equal in optical quality.
Eye point on the Pentax monocular is substantially higher than the Zeiss, however this presents a problem as finding the sweet spot for observation is difficult as the monocular does not have a very long eyecup to shield against stray light. This is the only real negative I can gripe about with the Pentax monocular so far.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
08-11-2020, 11:50 PM
|
| |
In contrast, there is also MTF* Mens Tolerance Factor. The places women take us and the things they say about us when they think we are out of earshot.
Very true! Though the way I see it: here should be an emphasis on Good Quality.
* not to be confused with Lens MTF which @ 50% contrast is a standard for measuring Lens resolution.The acronym stands for Modulation Transmission Function.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
08-11-2020, 06:19 AM
|
| |
You forget, my musical tastes go beyond the common and repetitive top 40 doof-doof rubbish played on the airwaves. What you will hear are pipe organ toccatas, Piano concertos, music from obscure and sometimes well known artists...and of course a good movie soundtrack every now and then. There is no such thing as too much amplifier power, though there is a thing called restraint and I am considerate of my neighbors (if only they showed similar respect). It is only in my photography studio where I admittedly sometimes go to excesses with the dual 16" SVS subwoofers I own which are paired with a compliment of high end klipsch floor standing speakers:D
I will point out I had the Klipsch R-110SW subwoofer at the beginning of a relationship that lasted several years, If you must know we split up over differences in musical taste.:lol:
|
|
Forum: General Talk
08-10-2020, 10:21 PM
|
| |
I recently bought an SVS PC-2000 PRO subwoofer to replace the Klipsch R-110SW I have had in my loungeroom over the past 6 years.
Due to the upgrade the klipsch sub goes to my brother in law. Considering I'm giving it to him for free my sister can hardly complain so he sought to exploit that loophole in spousal approval.
The new subwoofer has passed all initial tests, and can comfortably maintain reference volume without overheating - SVS use a discrete amplifier design so this reduces the need for a heatsink as the heat generating components are spread out. Also this subwoofer has a bluetooth connection ability when paired with SVS app on a smartphone you can change a number of vital features (volume/Port tuning/Eq/Room gain compensation) remotely. Setting it up and finding optimal placement for the sub is quite easy, however the PC- 2000 being a downward firing cylinder enclosure design means there can be a fair bit of energy transmitted to the floors in bass heavy sequences and things in the immediate vicinity will rattle more than they probably would with a standard forward firing boxed subwoofer. The chief benefit of the cylinder subwoofer design is small footprint, light weight and an inherently stronger enclosure without the requirement for heavy duty bracing that square cabinets often need.
It is a rather novel but highly effective design. I'll admit I was caught a bit off guard at how tall the subwoofer is. Perhaps I should buy a second one and use both of them for bookshelf speaker stands.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
04-17-2020, 05:42 AM
|
| |
If you need any help or recommendations on repetiore feel free to PM me. I have been playing the flute for 23 years and have had many wonderful and woeful teachers along the way.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
04-17-2020, 02:40 AM
|
| |
A Mopane Head joint for my Haynes Flute which was custom made by a colleague of mine, Robert Bigio of London.
Pentax KP - SMCP-K 55mm f/1.8 @ f/5.6 ISO 100 1/160th with Linear polariser and a ceiling bounced AD400 @ 1/16th power. |
