Some Recent Photos

Been busy lately but I figured I'd toss a few recent shots up. From that last

few weeks. I haven't even dumped the cards from this past weekend, and we have a

3 day weekend coming this weekend. I'm gonna be drowning in images before I know

it after a weekend in DC, then memorial weekend in NH, then a weekend in

Montreal!!!

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Drove 3000 miles last month!! Gas prices? Let em rise, keeps everyone else off

the road and makes American's give up the RV size cars they've come to love!!!

Here's to $6.00 a gallon and another year of 30,000 miles behind the wheel!!!

God Bless OPEC and Mobil!!

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Image data (camera, lens, etc,) can be found on flickr

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Tulip Fest:

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<a title="Tulip Festival - Sarah Volk 2008 Tulip Queen"

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<img src="http://static.flickr.com/3016/2491040053_dfebe781ef_d.jpg" border="0"/>

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<a title="Tulip Festival"

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<img src="http://static.flickr.com/3185/2491040415_7049e4013d_d.jpg" border="0"/>

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<a title="Tulip Festival - Grannies For Peace"

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<img src="http://static.flickr.com/2335/2491858042_b4b07ba168_d.jpg" border="0"/>

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<a title="Spin Doctors At The Albany Tulip Festival"

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<img src="http://static.flickr.com/2277/2493977056_e4c6cb07d0_d.jpg" border="0"/>

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Snowy Mountain hike:

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<a title="Painted Trillium"

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<img src="http://static.flickr.com/2344/2495936664_463aefd4b9_d.jpg" border="0"/>

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<a title="Descent From The Summit"

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<img src="http://static.flickr.com/2365/2495111405_b18fd843e4_d.jpg" border="0"/>

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<a title="Summit Snowy Mountain - Adirondacks, NY"

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<img src="http://static.flickr.com/3067/2495937046_a5beefe359_d.jpg" border="0"/>

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<a title="View ESE From Snowy Mountain Fire Tower Cab"

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<img src="http://static.flickr.com/2218/2495934242_35782f9880_d.jpg" border="0"/>

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<a title="Snow on Snowy Mountain"

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<img src="http://static.flickr.com/3089/2495112589_552893e369_d.jpg" border="0"/>

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<a title="He Never Tries To Please Us"

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These reminded me of once again how I needed a walk in the forest. Legs in snow with bare arms! That is the feeling!!! Oh, well; thanks very much...

Nice shots Justin.

 

The cop in the first photo doesn't look too impressed. I guess his choice for queen lost out. Oh well, better luck next year, Bud.

 

Funny one of your wife and pooch. I've seen that look before, many times. It means "How the H.. am I supposed to get under that? ...I wonder if my life insurance is up to date?"

 

Thanks for posting.

Justin, As always, great work...How do you like the K20D?

I haven't found it to be nearly as impressive as others. I'm a bit confused about the autofocus being faster mainly. I can't seem to replicate that. Burst rate seems equally fast or slow in AF.C.

 

However, JPEGs out of camera (assuming you like to shoot them) are excellent. I had to shoot a few at the end of the trip because I was running low on card space and they are very good.

 

The burst mode is OK but nothing special. Those JPEGs don't look nearly as good.

 

However, the added features are nice, live view has another generation before it's perfect (changing settings like ISO seems to not be accomplishable), however, it works and could certainly be useful.

 

Overall I'd say it's a K10D x 1.5 vs a K10D x 2. That said, if you liked the K10D you won't dislike the K20D as for the most part it's only been improved.

 

I do like the 35mm DA Limited though. Excellent lens. Definitely an option to replace the 35mm FA. The 55-300mm is a decent lens, but so far I think my sigma 70-300mm is better. However, size wise the 55-300 is just tiny compared to the sigma. So that needs to be taken into account.

Justin, While I am not surprised at your other findings as I have said the same, I am surprised that you see no difference in the AF and especially AF.C. I have been using my K10D and K20D quite a bit lately and I am now starting to find the K10D a little irritating as it is clearly slow to focus compared to the K20D which I find on equal footing with Nikon. (My daugher shoots Nikon and also agrees that the K20D is on par with Nikon D200) ...

 

What are your thoughts on High ISO perf?

Really nice shots as usual Justin. You're making up for lost time over the winter now.

 

Have a great trip to Montreal next weekend.

 

Take a shot of a good beer for me while you're at the beerfest.

 

Here's a shot of a great beer from our trip out west last year.<div></div>

Congradulations on getting the K20D, 35mm Limited & 55-300 Justin. I too am surprised it isn't a K10D x2 for you. Javier has made waiting for it a challenge. I'm so into cashing out entire pentax kit but the K20D makes me stay put just to see for myself what i can do with it & all the lenses we've got. I handled the 35mm Limited and I liked it, sweet lens, unique. I passed on testing the 55-300 due to the fact the old 80-320 I bought wifey years ago is an exceptional performer in sunlight and at its long end. Its unshootable in lowlight.

 

Me, I've gotten alot of fun out of the 300mm 2.8 manual focus and the pentax 1.7x autofocus function manual focus lens converter. Heck of a combo, Really makes me want a K20D to see what I can capture via this 510mm f4 IS inbody. But I'm months away for K20D addition, I thought you planned to wait till the k10D died to get K20D. Did your K10D die? I look foward to your K10D, K20D comparisions.

 

Lindy

Nice shots, Justin. It's great to see you pursuing your New Year's resolution of getting out and shooting more with such gusto.

 

I too am curious as to why you got the K20D. That kind of money could buy some really nice glass for your K10D. What prompted the decision for a new camera body instead?

no need to go through a menu to change iso anymore -justpress "OK" with your thumb and turn the front command dial. big improvement, since i ride iso all the time.

I like your use of fill flash on the fire tower shot.

Thanks...if you noticed the fill flash it was a bit over done, but of course what can you do on the camera flash?? I did add a film canister diffuser to soften it a bit. But since the flash is P-TTL it basically compensates for the diffuser by pumping out more light.

 

As far as the K20D, it's a loaner. I didn't violate my pact and go out and buy it. Thus far it meets expectations, and the feature I like most is the DR expansion. For mid day scenics (well, mid day scenic snapshots when you can't wait for the golden hours) it's "golden".

 

David...On the K10D you did the same thing. Thats what firmware upgrades are for!! I believe from 1.1 or 1.2 on the K10D you hit the OK button to change ISO. Me, I don't change the ISO much. Mostly shoot at 200 on the K20D with DR expansion on in daylight.

 

I truthfully haven't tested high ISO (much) yet. That will be forthcoming.

Justin,

 

How did you get a "loaner" K20D to testdrive?

 

Are the newly issued lenses you listed in your flickr pages loaner's too?

 

Lindy