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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
05-23-2020, 02:16 PM
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The local oriole finally decided to come close enough and sit still long enough that I had time to get the camera.
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
08-31-2019, 12:04 PM
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Great Blue Heron over Cayuga Lake, NY.
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Forum: Non-Pentax Cameras: Canon, Nikon, etc.
05-11-2019, 07:26 AM
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Please let us know what the outcome was. Did they get the shot? And before getting involved, remember this bit of wisdom that was passed on to me many years ago, “You can’t tell anything to someone who knows everything.”
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
05-10-2019, 04:13 PM
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Definitely an osprey, but still a nice photo!
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
07-30-2018, 04:00 AM
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
07-24-2018, 10:28 PM
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The best lobster rolls in the world are at the Fish Net in Blue Hill, just a little south of Acadia, right where Routes 172 and 176 come together. This was determined by years of painstaking research, trying lobster rolls at as many restaurants as possible. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it! :)
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
07-13-2018, 05:18 PM
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 | Nature Puffin
Posted By
RDP |
Replies: 5
Views: 405
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Thanks! They are something I have wanted to see for as long as I can remember, and last year was my first, and I certainly hope not last, opportunity. Here are another couple for you. The first one is the same handsome fellow as above. The shot with the mouth full of fish was taken much later in the evening in very dim light. I was struggling achieving focus, and I’m not thrilled with the technical result, but I still like the photo.
-Robin
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-13-2018, 09:00 AM
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The adult was probably about 100 feet away, standing watch over a pair of juveniles who were feeding down on the rocky beach below, and the juvenile was in the top of a pine tree about 40 feet up. That one took a great deal of stealthy stalking, in order to find it and not spook it in the process. I hope to get more shots of this family next month, when I go visit my sister up there. The nesting site is only about a half mile up the coast, I think. I haven’t actually found the nest yet, but I am assuming it is close to the center of their activity.
-Robin
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-13-2018, 08:48 AM
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All of my bald eagle shots have been with either my Sigma 50-500, or my DA 55-300 if I need weather resistance. Nearly always fully zoomed in. Despite having a decently long lens, the 1.5x from the APS-C sensor, and 24 megapixels to crop from, I find myself constantly trying to get closer. Understanding animal behavior and having a blind or some other means of getting closer are probably more important than the finding the longest lens.
The adult was shot with the 55-300 while I was in the kayak, and the juvenile with the Sigma, both handheld (thank goodness for stabilization!). Both part of the same family group on Newbury Neck in Surry, Maine.
-Robin
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
07-13-2018, 08:20 AM
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| | Nature Puffin
Posted By
RDP |
Replies: 5
Views: 405
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That’s actually a question I pondered myself. I’m pretty sure they must be able to see straight ahead pretty well, despite their eyes being on the sides of the head, as they don’t appear to turn their heads when flying. It does make me wonder about the structure of their eyes, though.
-Robin
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Forum: Lens Clubs
07-11-2018, 02:11 PM
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Thanks! What you say is very true, and when I look at my shots from over the years, they all bring back wonderful memories, and even if countless others have taken nearly the same shot of the same subject, mine are “mine”. Some of the things I will think about every time I look at this photo will be location scouting and test shots the day before, studying The Photographer's Ephemeris and using the compass on my phone so I would know exactly when and where the sun would rise, being shocked that there were already four other photographers there when I arrived a half hour before daybreak, and that they were all stacked up right next to each other. I had determined during my recon that I wanted to be out on the cliffs more, so I hopped the chain link fence and scrambled over the rocks. One of the previous arrivals followed me out, commenting, “What a great idea!”
-Robin
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
07-11-2018, 01:54 PM
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| | Nature Puffin
Posted By
RDP |
Replies: 5
Views: 405
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On my vacation in Iceland last year, I would have been very upset had I not seen any puffins. Fortunately, there were huge numbers of them, including this one who posed quite nicely for me!
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Forum: Lens Clubs
07-10-2018, 06:41 PM
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Portland Head Light at dawn. K-3, HD 15
I know it is a subject that has been shot a gazillion times, but I just had to do it. Raw development (and lifting of shadows) in Affinity Photo, and light further editing in Snapseed, all on the iPad Pro.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
07-10-2018, 06:08 PM
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Shot in Maryland over the Potomac. K-3, HD 55-300 (at 300). 1/500, f8, iso 320
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
07-06-2018, 05:22 PM
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I’ve got an incredibly mediocre shot of a juvenile bald eagle that I only kept because the nictitating membrane was closed. My wife thinks I’m the only person who gets excited by things like this. It’s nice to know that there are others out there!
-Robin
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
07-01-2018, 07:26 AM
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What a beautiful shot! As someone who likes to spend his (very limited) spare time in a kayak, with a camera in hand, or both, I know how special calm, quiet water, and gorgeous light can feel. Your photo makes me look forward to August, when I will have more free time to be in the boat, seeking serenity. Welcome to the Forums!
-Robin
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-01-2018, 04:41 AM
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I'm going to add a +1 to the idea of a bridge camera. Wide angle to crazy long telephoto, plus macro in one easy package. I started with a Panasonic FZ-8, and then upgraded to the FZ-150 prior to making the switch to Pentax. Not having to worry about changing lenses, and the large DOF from the small sensor really allowed me to get the wildlife photos I wanted, rather than worry about the technical side of camera operation. Superzooms now are even more capable than my 150 (which I still occasionally use), and there are some that are even weather resistant, which would be a plus for a wildlife-interested youth.
-Robin
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
07-01-2018, 04:10 AM
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Congratulations, SirTomster! And thanks to Adam and the rest of the staff here at PF, for sorting out the raffle glitches in such an honorable fashion.
Maybe next month will be when I have to start acquiring more FF lenses (fingers crossed)!
-Robin
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
06-30-2018, 04:00 AM
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As much as I’d love a K-1, nearly all my lenses are for APS-C. Winning a free camera could turn out to be very expensive!
Good luck to everyone!
-Robin
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-11-2018, 04:27 PM
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I’m fascinated to see the widely different feelings toward the same lens model. I never got along with the DA 35, despite trying hard to like it. On APS-C, I find the view just a little too narrow. It is plenty sharp, but I find the rendering bland. Since I got my Vivitar (Komine) 28/2, I haven’t used the 35 at all. The Viv has an angle of view I find much more comfortable on crop, it is even sharper when stopped down, and the rendering is beautiful. One man’s treasure is another man’s trash, indeed.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
01-14-2018, 07:20 PM
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I've had a success story as well. Last spring I slipped in some mud on the banks of the Charles River west of Boston while loading gear into my kayak. I ended up falling into about 18 inches of water, with my K3/18-135 sinking straight to the bottom. After toweling it off, I dismounted the lens, removed the battery, and opened every door and cover, and left it to dry in the trunk of the car while my wife and I went on kayaking. After a few hours when we got back, I reassembled everything, and it worked perfectly! Of course, I understand that if there is a next time I might not be so lucky, but at least on this occasion the WR worked far better than described.
-Robin
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-30-2017, 06:06 AM
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Cokin also makes a 49mm extension ring (essentially the same as a deglassed filter) that reaches to the edge of the retracted hood. I leave mine on my 15 all the time, and have never noticed any vignetting, with or without filters attached. However, I don't use the P series, and I usually use a 49-62 step-up ring so I only need to carry one set of filters. I paid about $10 for it.
-Robin
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Forum: Photographic Technique
05-26-2017, 05:32 AM
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That's possibly the most convincing argument I've seen for shooting this way. I need to rethink my workflow, at least in certain situations.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-17-2017, 05:24 PM
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I routinely take my K3 out in the kayak on both fresh and salt water. I always use a WR lens (18-135 or 55-300). The camera has gotten splashed, with no problems. I have rinsed the salt spray off afterwards under a gentle shower. Still never a problem. I have shot in light to moderate rain. No problem. Last week, I did the unthinkable and slipped while entering the kayak, and fell into the river, completely submerging the camera for several seconds! To my utter amazement, everything was fine after drying it off! I know that Pentax WR seals are not rated for that, but too many of us have stories like that for me to think it is a total fluke.
Don't go out of your way to test the sealing, but don't be afraid to take it out in the boat or use it in the rain. Some shots can't be taken any other way.
-Robin
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Forum: Sold Items
12-23-2016, 01:29 PM
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Giving this a free bump to reward the generous offer!
The school I teach in has one of these, and I have used it on many occasions, mostly for video of assemblies and concerts. Maybe not the smallest, lightest, sturdiest, or anything-est, but a good basic tripod that gets the job done. Anybody who doesn't have a tripod and wants to improve their photos should jump at this.
Thanks, Logan, for reminding us of the spirit of the holidays!
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