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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
04-22-2023, 09:14 AM
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Wonderful. That's one to print really big. I'd have it on my wall. And I usually HATE flower shots.:)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
05-24-2020, 01:55 PM
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Is that the infamous book depository in the background?
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-21-2019, 02:50 AM
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I wasn't getting much use out of my DL2, so I donated it to the charity I volunteer for to sell on to a new home. It came down to a tossup between keeping the DL2 or the Samsung GX-10 version of the K10D, and even though I think the DL2 actually has the better colour rendering of the two I decided to keep the GX-10. In fact, given the choice between the GX-10 and pretty much any other camera in existence, I'd choose the GX-10 (or its K10D doppelganger).
I'll still be following this thread and loving the photos though.:)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-30-2019, 02:22 AM
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I'm no lens guru (more of a witch doctor), but it's the same sort of pentagonal flare that you'd get from the A35/2.8's five bladed aperture in most shots with the sun in the frame. It appears smaller and multiplied six times because there are six tiny suns reflected off the bumper.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-06-2019, 10:08 AM
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I decided it would be useful to have an 18-55mm for the DL2, so I picked one up (with the white band and plastic mount) on the auction site for a negligible £15.99 inc postage. And my immediate impression after a few test shots this afternoon is that it's the sweetest rendering example of all the many 18-55s I've ever owned. I think I might be trying it out on my GX-10 soon too.:)
A test shot of the corner of the garden where junk goes to die:
 The Corner of the Garden Where Junk Goes to Die by David Holland, on Flickr
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-29-2019, 02:19 AM
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That really captures the Long Island fall colours in exactly the way I remember them from my teenage years there. Beautiful.:)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-25-2019, 01:02 AM
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Those are beautiful. Welcome to the forum.:)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-30-2019, 01:21 AM
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Aargh! Spider macro!! Another page of the forum I'm gonna have to scroll down with a hand over my eyes. I don't get it: take a photo of an attractive young lady en dishabille and you have to hide it behind a warning, but close-up emetics of icky arachnids are fine anywhere. Haven't you ever heard of NSFW, Paul -- Not Suitable for Wimps?
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-12-2019, 10:57 AM
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-17-2019, 01:16 AM
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Sounds expensive. I should have also mentioned that one abrasive surface that the ponies spend a lot of time on is the roads. They are drawn to the heat that it retains from traffic in the colder months (and even summer nights), and they are also drawn by the salt that's spread on it to prevent ice. You'll often see them licking at the road surface in the winter.
But because they are drawn to the roads there's a tragically high fatality rate from idiot drivers who don't know how to behave in an area like this. And there's no excuse when it's really such a simple rule: always be able to stop within the distance that you can see ahead. If you can't see round a corner, always assume that there will be an animal standing in the road.
In any accident, we locals are inclined to tend to the pony, sheep or cow first. There's no sympathy at all for the moron behind the wheel.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-16-2019, 01:48 PM
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The ground here is usually either exposed granite bedrock, granite with only and inch or two of soil on it. . . or peat marsh. So the ponies hooves usually wear down naturally, although you'll occasionally see one that could maybe do with a bit of a trim. I'm so used to seeing unshod ponies around that it seems quite unnatural to see somebody riding a shod horse. And the ponies certainly seem to find the idea a bit absurd.:)
Thanks Dan. The sensor cleaning could have been me. I just use a cotton bud (Q-tips preferably) very lightly moistened with lens cleaning fluid. The same stuff in a spray bottle from Boots that I use on my reading glasses and camera lenses when needed. Just a gentle wipe with a barely moist bud, then another wipe with a dry one. And obviously a blast with a blower first and afterwards.
Purist gear collectors will gasp in horror at such a method, but the glass on the sensor is plenty scratch resistant enough. You'd think sensor cleaning was brain surgery, the way some folk fret about it.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-15-2019, 01:08 AM
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It's great to have you back, Dan, and a joy to see those photos shot to your usual exceptional standard.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-14-2019, 08:46 AM
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Because six megapixels is plenty. . .
A slightly soggy walk this afternoon with the Takumar 28mm/3.5 on the DL2. A combination that I've made sort of DIY weather resistant by. . . well, putting it in a plastic bag basically.:)
 This Afternoon's Walk Was a Bit Wet by David Holland, on Flickr
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-08-2019, 01:06 AM
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This has got me thinking (which never turns out well). So I've gone back to a random K100D PEF file from 2012 and compared how I processed it then with how I'd do a basic PEF to JPEG conversion nowadays.
Here's what I did with it back in 2012:
 Random PEF file from K100D by David Holland, on Flickr
And here's what I did with it this morning using the standard approach I apply nowadays:
 Random PEF file from K100D by David Holland, on Flickr
So yes, the differences I mentioned in my post higher up on this page are probably down to changes in my approach to processing rather than sensor differences. And when I look at these two samples, I have to conclude that in many ways my processing has become much, much WORSE over the past 7 years.
I think I need to reconsider what I'm doing with my raw files. In particular, to remember that I DON'T always have to recover as much shadow detail as possible, and that actually leaving quite deep shadows in a photo looks good.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-07-2019, 02:00 PM
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I think the K100D that I had back in 2012-13 gave a more saturated and contrasty look than I get now from the DL2. The DL2 seems to give a more naturalistic colour rendering that I actually prefer, and more of a feeling of three-dimensionality.
Of course, that could be down to different firmware processing rather than physical differences in the sensors. Or even down to the fact that I'm using a newer version of Camera Raw now.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
05-29-2019, 07:45 AM
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-08-2018, 11:38 AM
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A much more pleasant location.
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-08-2018, 10:48 AM
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I could swear that's Plymouth Sound. But where in Plymouth could you take a shot with a 35mm that makes the breakwater look so close? Somewhere around Prince Rock or Cattedown?
I've suddenly remembered that a forum member in Plymouth suggested meeting up a while ago, but my health situation was so chaotic at the time that I don't think I ever replied.:o If that was you, please accept my apology. It would be great to meet up when this slightly bumpy phase is over and I've got things back on a more even keel again.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-05-2018, 05:24 AM
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Ah, that's a wonderful photograph of Vixen Tor. It looks like you were there before the nasty old woman who owns the land decided to wall it off from us peasants, causing a legal battle over public rights-of-way that drags on and on interminably. And I think the church in the second photo might be the ruins of Holy Trinity in Buckfastleigh, a very atmospheric place. Thank you for sharing those, you've made my day.:)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-04-2018, 12:53 AM
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That means you'll know my shameful secret: that most of my "Dartmoor wilderness" photos are actually taken within about fifteen minutes walk of a car park.:lol::lol::lol:
I'd love to see some Dartmoor photos from you if you've got any you'd like to post.:)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-03-2018, 09:02 AM
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Yeah, but the ponies laugh themselves fit to bust whenever they see someone using a selfie stick. They also love messing with serious photographers who try to use a tripod. They'll stand there patiently for ten minutes while Mister Ultra-resolution sets up his shot, then they'll turn and wander away the moment he's ready to press the button. They do it every single time, down to the second. They're merciless.:lol:
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-03-2018, 01:19 AM
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Thank you. There were actually ponies about fifty yards away, and I hung around for a while hoping that they might move into the frame. But then the fog started getting thicker and I decided that it was time to start heading home. Even though I know the ground around there well, it's all too easy to get disoriented when you can't see more than ten feet in any direction. And because it was just a short afternoon walk I didn't have my compass with me (note to self: ALWAYS carry a compass).
Our Dartmoor ponies are a hardy breed, and they'll happily live on even the highest ground.:)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-02-2018, 10:57 AM
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A bit misty at Great Staple Tor. Never a pony around to give a sense of scale when you need one. With the 18-55mm WR on the DL2.
 Great Staple Tor Mist by David Holland, on Flickr
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-12-2018, 01:12 AM
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Wonderful photos, Rodaballo. That third one deserves to be printed big. Perfect composition and light.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-26-2018, 09:48 AM
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For me, that's the crucial thing. It's a beautiful photo, and when I look at it I can feel that I'm seeing something close to what the real experience must have been. I'm most definitely NOT one of the no-editing-should-ever-be-allowed brigade, but I do like photos to be believable at least.
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