Dinner with DA 15mm f/4.0 Wide Open

[hinman]

<p>Sorry guys, I have nothing to do in dinner time when I get fed up with my own cooking. Not that I can't cook, there are times that I want my dinner made by others and be served with some decency after a verrry down day with work. All test shots without PP and straight from K-x in ISO 1600 and ISO 3200. No PP on noise. </p>

<p><a href=" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4819736139_c5a0a228c1_b.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="1024" /></a><br>

Please click photo to see the entire series. PF/CA notice on left side with windows on a few number of shots</p>

<p>All along, I love my DA 35 for close up and the DA 21 comes close as second in terms of close up. And I thought 4.0 may be a bit slow for indoor shots. The lighting is not the worse kind but dark enough that the shutter is not appropriate in iso 800. I used ISO 1600 on f/4.0 and ISO 3200 on f/5.6. Corners may be soft -- how the hell I know. I don't pixel peep and I don't test lens with charts. I field test them with what I see. It seems alright in indoor. </p>

<p><a href=" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4820350666_0d36e76e8e_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="425" /></a></p>

<p>In other cases I do see light falling off in the corner in wide open shots in f/4.0, maybe a bit to be concerned but nothing major. But the dinner shot comes out quite alright for me. Some moderate PF/CA is noted on corners but again nothing severe to warrant big concerns. </p>

[jerry_sousa]

<p>So, what you are really trying to tell us is that, you don't know how to make a curry dinner!</p>

[MattB.Net]

<p>Mmmmm. That looks delicious!<br>

Nice shots too!</p>

[russel_yee]

<p>is that a 100%? ISO 1250, with no Post?<br>

if so that looks ... spectacular. if it's not 100% or close, I don't have a baseline to say anything other than you're making me hungry man.=)</p>

[hinman]

<p>@Russel, that is not a crop. The pictures are straight from K-x with DA 15 limited without any post processing except straightening.</p>

<p>What I am getting is that the lens seems to do okay for indoor with K-x. Yes, we won't get outstanding pictures in ISO 3200/1600, but the results are quite good to me. The close up in DA 15 limited makes it an interesting candidate to bring along for food shots. And it can cover the interior shots though a bit slow when compared to other limited. Its minimum focusing distance is 0.18m whereas 21 limited is slightly longer in 0.20m, I need to check to confirm.</p>

<p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4820342318_e78e3e5665_z.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="640" /><br /> 1/25 sec, f/4.0, 15mm, ISO 1600, 0 Ev</p>

<p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4819726307_d0411305db_z.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="640" /><br /> 1/40 sec, f/4.0, 15mm, ISO 1250, 0 Ev</p>

<p>On the ice water drink in 2nd shot above, there are blue fringes to the left with window lighting but seems moderate to me.</p>

[michael_elenko]

<p>Ahh rooster sauce, a classic pho squirt in. When I first worked with the Vietnamese refugee community from 1980-1985, my friends used to tease me because I could only handle 2-3 drops of the stuff. Now I'm up to 6 drops! That's what happens to taste buds as one ages.</p>

<p>Just for fun I played with your shots in Lightroom; a little color correction really helps with the lighting as well as the enticing. Applying +40 NR in LR3 really smooths things out.</p>

<p>ME</p>

[markus maurer]

<p>Nice to see some delicious food shots Hin. You inspire me to take some photos of this coming weekend cooking at a friends house but as you might know Swiss food is not hot :-)</p>

[Tony Evans]

<p>Hin,<br>

Forget the photo-tech data. Post the recipe!</p>

[hinman]

<p>@Micheal E. Thanks for the tips. I think the WB in my test shots are part of the reasons that make the color fringing more obvious than others. Thanks for tip especially on color correction. I wish to find time to learn how to use my LR 2.7 better. And it may be too much for me to jump to 3.0 unless a free trial version.</p>

<p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4820378892_e94b6aaa3a_z.jpg" alt="" /><br /> Color is off in AWB</p>

<p>And please note the neon lights on the front door, it may be one of the culprits in the color fringing that I saw from pictures shot from indoor -- Bingo on CSI investigation on the color fringing. It is the DAMN neon lights on window</p>

<p>@Markus, I will love to see a Swiss kind of dish, be it cold or hot. This is important to know photography has no boundaries on countries and ethnicity. Any thing different from the boring normal make it all worthwhile for a shot. But I am sometimes boring with repeated shots for testing, please excuse my lame excuse</p>

<p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4819755321_caf38a8342_z.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="640" /><br /> Shot in f/5.6.</p>

<p>@Tony, what you see on the dish are Mosala Chicken with Rice and Naan. It is a restaurant with interesting burgers and pizzas but I am keen on its Indian/Pakistan mix of rice and naan dish. I am Chinese and the rice is all different. I finish the rice with the Mosalla Chicken sauce first. Half of its chicken is left to go. It just shows you how good the mild flavor source is. I am afraid of hot and spicy. Anything mild and medium goes well in my book for favorite food. The lady in the kitchen did it perfectly for me with request to be milder than their default of Mosala spicy, someone gorgeous please marry this chef for your life whick has great potential for full of taste buds and senses.</p>

<p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4820336430_c6bc812055_z.jpg" alt="" /><br /> The Chef and Waitress in Middle, I have yet to thank her for the wonderful 2nd time experience in restaurant of <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/mirchi-cafe-and-masala-pizza-fremont">Mirchi in Fremont of California</a>.</p>

<p>Here is a final good-bye view to the restaurant. <br /> <img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4819766297_ff02598be6_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="425" /></p>

[Tony Evans]

<p>Hin,<br>

Thank you for the delightful photos which make my mouth water. You have found a very good source of Chicken Masala, the favoured indian dish in the western world. I like to cook Indian but prefer a somewhat hotter dish. Next time, ask them if they do Butter Chicken, even more sumptious (and calorific). I suspect the rice was Busmati (my favourite), very long grain and fluffy. I understand Chinese also prefer long grain but a little stickier. My wife prefers Jasmine for this character. Thailand and Vietnam varieties are very sticky and used in Chinese deserts/sweets. As usual, your shots are wonderful.</p>

[michael_elenko]

<p>Hin, you are welcome. Getting quick OK white balance in LR is pretty easy if you shot RAW--just click the eyedropper tool on a gray area that has about the same RGB levels. You can adjust the scale of granularity for the sample in the bottom panel. The more skillful part is then adjusting the Temp and Tint sliders to represent what color values you desire the image to possess. Depends on whether one is accuracy-driven or art-driven (or both. . .). Then you can paste that configuration for similar shots.</p>

<p>The benefits of LR3 is in state-of-the-art NR and sharpening management. The new rendering processes are noticably better. The new curves control is mighty nice too. And the printing flexibility is welcome.</p>

<p>Your pictures just inspired me to heat up some naan.</p>

<p>ME</p>

[markus maurer]

<p>Should read "Masala" = Curry, chicken and "Basmati" rice.<br>

Hin, some of the most famous Swiss dishes are made of melted cheese and eaten in winter. Of course we have some local specialities in the different states as well, I will try to take of photos of "Roeschti" = hashed potatoes for you, we have it with meat or with an egg or some cheese as well. A closeup of a chocolate bar would be too boring, would it :-)</p>

[rparmar]

<p>I should not read these sorts of posts when I am hungry for dinner.</p>

<p>Nice shots, Hin.</p>

[shaloot]

<p>oh man I am missing some Indian food right about now... and I'm Indian! Might have to visit our local restaurant soon. I'm terrible in trying to cook Indian food at home, since it requires so much more prep time and ingredients... I love some butterchicken and naan, and all kinds of rice with any curry will do!</p>

[r.t. dowling]

<p>::runs down the street to the Indian restaurant::</p>

[hinman]

<p>Thank you for all the support. I went home and did my own dishes as usual without my wife and boys -- they are in still in NZ enjoying their summer vacation. My own cooking goes alright but a picture of one or two don't make it like the restaurant. I can have better control on lighting at home but my dish plate and other don't make the photo interesting. It may be time for me to upgrade some of my dinner plates and mat to make it photo-friendly environment for both eating and shooting. I love to cook for my boys and my sweet-heart for a break. And they do enjoy my out-of-the-blue-moon type of cooking -- spontaneous and whatever that I find in the fridge.</p><p><br></p><p>My own cooking is so lame with a salad, nuts and frozen fish and Marsala Chicken , the poor Hin's Saturday brunch with Naan from TraderJoe and Mouseli, kind of like rolled oaks like a oatmeal that I brought back from New Zealand.</p><p><br></p><p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4829938606_50e1c76cf4_z.jpg" _mce_src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4829938606_50e1c76cf4_z.jpg" alt="" height="640" width="425"><br>

with <strong><a _mce_href="http://www.techtheman.com/2010/07/traveling-with-pentax-k-x-and-da.html" href="http://www.techtheman.com/2010/07/traveling-with-pentax-k-x-and-da.html">pentax k-x and DA 15mm f/4.0 limited</a></strong> -- quite alright in day time with food shot<br>a bit small but it can be good if you have outstanding background like the restaurant for an interesting view. I have to decorate my humble corners with table mat and better food plates. Something I find the needs/wants to improve on food shots.</p><p><br></p><p>And when it came to my Sunday dinner. I have the jack-of-all-trade dish in stir frying whatever left in the week. My first shot don't have the brown rice clear, something to think about what I want in the shot</p><p><br></p><p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4829362761_857c1b8d8c_z.jpg" _mce_src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4829362761_857c1b8d8c_z.jpg" alt="" height="640" width="425"><br>

Pentax K20D and Cosina 55mm f/1.2 -- light really falls off in f/1.2 and hence I used f/4.0</p><p><br></p><p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4829975198_1ecd1aae3b_z.jpg" _mce_src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4829975198_1ecd1aae3b_z.jpg" alt="" height="640" width="425"><br>

I like this a bit better without the brown rice in a cloud</p>

[hinman]

<p>While in dinner preparation, I was rushing through the Dvd rental with "Lonely Bones." It was a very sad and in-human to watch kind of movie. It brings out the worse nightmare one can imaging happening to a family. What strikes me most is in the love of the family as well as how the author makes it a beautiful story to tell with a not-so-forceful kind of happy ending. You see my laptop in the shot but the overall shot is far from interesting that I want to achieve. It is very lame without my written words</p>

<p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4829976822_bc5c0da0f0_z.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="640" /></p>

 

[hinman]

<p>After dinner and a sad movie, I went out to return the video. On my way back home, I felt like night shooting on the streets. The UWA didn't play out in a empty street and hence I went for my DA 70mm f/2.4 in the bag</p>

<p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4076/4829367443_373a099eac_z.jpg" alt="" width="425" height="640" /><br>

pentax k-x and <strong><a href="http://www.techtheman.com/2010/06/pentax-da-70mm-f24-limited-test-shots.html">DA 70mm f/2.4 limited</a></strong><br>

1/30 sec, f/2.4, 70mm, iso 1600, 0 Ev - wide open<br />hand-held</p>