POTW 10-17-10

[Tony Evans]

<p>Sorry, lost connection.</p>

[Tony Evans]

<p>try again,</p><div></div>

[Tony Evans]

<p>and, FA-50 1.7, 1/125 @f11, ISO 100. Converted in Power Retouche.</p><div></div>

[deaner66]

<p>It's been awhile since I've posted. Still taking pictures, but haven't had the time to do much with them.</p>

<p>This is from some family portraits I did a few months ago. This shot was the Dad's idea and it is one I intend to keep in my brain, because almost everyone likes it. Who am I to argue?</p>

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[deaner66]

<p>This was a wedding I did back in September. This is just a Lightroom preset I frequently use on favorite B/W shots. </p>

<p>Mom and Grandma kissing the bride just before the ceremony.</p><div></div>

[deaner66]

<p>And finally, my wife and I went to the next to last Kansas City Royal's game against Tampa Bay. It was very cold that night and, of course, the Royals lost, but you can never go wrong watching a game in this stadium. </p>

<p>Did I say it was cold?</p><div></div>

[ukhov]

<p>Some assorted images for my post this week. First a wooden gear from History museum in Atlanta with imitation light.</p><div></div>

[ukhov]

<p>Atlanta</p><div></div>

[ukhov]

<p>about sport..</p><div></div>

[ukhov]

<p>-last one</p><div></div>

[c_wyatt]

<p>Some nice shots in here.<br>

Two of my own favourites so far are Matt Burt's 2nd shot, Kitchen counter, and Justin Serpico's 2nd shot, Stars of the outer banks.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Recently uploaded <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57thstincident/sets/72157625051993339/with/5087217858/">a few images</a> I took in the back yard testing my then new-to-me Sigma 600/8 K-mount mirror lens.<br>

Not a <em>great</em> image, but It is something of a testament to the K-7, this was handheld at 600mm, ISO 1600 and only 1/125 shutter speed. The viewfinder hops around so much that it gives me a headache when trying to focus though.<br>

<a title="Female Cardinal by 57th St. Incident, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/5087217858_7ab56f7d16_z.jpg" alt="Female Cardinal" width="640" height="425" /></a><br>

We have a little color here this weekend but the leaf season will likely be very short...we're one more good rainstorm from it all being on the ground.</p>

 

[deaner66]

<p>Justin, nice b/w shots, particularly the starfish shot.</p>

<p>We were walking the dog today discussing how the foliage in the Kansas City area is pretty bland this year. A lot of the trees still have green leaves, the oaks, the maples; but many of the trees have dropped their leaves, or never really got very colorful, like the sweet gums and the dogwoods. </p>

<p>Now, I'm not a botanist; but I'm not blind either. This year, here, doesn't seem all that colorful. And in these parts, fall really fills things out.</p>

<p>I know the northeast gets the big attention, but when the conditions are right here, it is spectacular, and rivals anything, anywhere else. Obviously, the best fall shows are like a firework display, when things go off together, or one after another.</p>

<p>Things could still change, I guess. But my experience says we are in a weak, desaturated fall.</p>

<p> </p>

[r.t. dowling]

<p>All sorts of beautiful pictures this week. Well done, everyone!</p>

<p>Here are some test shots I took with my new pocket cam, a Panasonic ZS7. (Yeah yeah, it's not a Pentax... but I'm a Pentaxian... that counts, right?)</p>

<p><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y144/mec407/P1000093-1.jpg" alt="" /><br>

_<br />_<br />_<br />_<br />_<br>

<img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y144/mec407/P1000098-1.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>_<br />_<br />_<br />_<br />_</p>

[deaner66]

<p>Nick Siebers: I feel you, bro, with these old MF jewels. In my experience, all these golden old lenses are not much to speak of wide open. Probably, all brands were the same. The best of these old lenses is never better when they are attached to a tripod when shutter speed is nothing to worry about. With me, I can take 100 shots with an old MF SMC M-A-K, Takumar, Sup Tak, especially a f/3.5 or f/4, and only get five or six great shots. But the great shots, well, they blow anything modern, completely away. It's not often but hey, it happens.</p>

<p>Haig: I LOVE your shots with the 12-24 especially the Roman shot. Robert Colameco's shots with the 10-17 don't look as crisp, or something, because just I like the look and feel of that 12-24 more. And Robert Colameco, your B/W street shot is fabulous. The 12-24 lens just looks sharper. Anyone else have an opinion about these two lenses?</p>

<p>Yuri UKhov: Your shot of the young ballplayer is maybe the best bokeh I think I have ever seen. Justin, you didn't really like the DA*300, did you? Without making me go back and read your review, which I DID read, why didn't you like this lens? I just remember you saying how much better the 200mm f.2.8 was. See, I DID read the reviews.</p>

[mountainvisions]

<p>Steve,</p>

<p>I'm not entirely sure it's possible for the midwest to have the colors of the east. It's not that we try harder to have them, or that it's clever marketing, it's simply that we have more diverse forest. The Adirondacks alone have more species of trees than any other location in the US. And that doesn't factor in that just outside the Adirondack Blue Line, there are high concentrations of species not found in significant quantity within the Blue line. Suffice to say, NY state clearly has more tree species than any other state in the US.</p>

<p>The midwest forest have mostly just a few different species making up 95+% of the forest.</p>

<p>In the end it's still all about diversity of forest when you have ideal conditions, more diverse generally equals more colorful.</p>

<p>Here is a link to look at. It list all the different types of tree species, hit ctrl + (+) to enlarge some of the maps. <a href="http://forestry.about.com/od/forestresources/tp/Forest_Cover_Type.htm">types of US Forest Cover.</a></p>

<p>As far as the DA* 300mm, I liked the lens, but having used (owned) the Nikkor 300mm f/4, it wasn't the best 300mm I had used. It wasn't tack sharp wide open (it was really good though, just not the best I'd seen, by 5.6 it was excellent). Really the review came down to what I thought of the two excellent lenses. The 200mm was the better of the two, but it lacked a tripod collar, major omission. If it had one, I really think with a matching 1.4X it would probably out perform the 300mm f/4 wide open, and give you much more versatility. Basically 2 lenses for the cost of 1. What I liked about the 200mm was it was optically better, but it was also extremely compact. The DA 300mm was more towards the size of my Nikkor.</p>

<p>Pentax always has a way of leaving something important out. I know the 200mm f/2.8 is small, but it's somewhat heavy for hand holding at all times, a tripod mount balances the load better. Plus, if say your using it to shoot distant landscapes, you really want it on a tripod and at f/8 or f/11. It will be steadier with a tripod mount.</p>

<p>Really though my thoughts were not relevant afterall, Pentax never produced the 1.4X TC, and the lack of a tripod mount made me move on to the 60-250mm as my eventual tele lens of choice. I'm a little weird in that I like tele zooms and wide to normal primes so as good as the 60-250mm appears to be, it would be my choice. If I needed the extra stop, I'd just use my 50-135mm (which again lacks a tripod mount).</p>

[denise_savage]

<p>Have had some great opportunities for using the camera over the past three weeks. With my parents visiting, it was great to be a home tourist! Too many favourites and breath taking ones to name them all this week, but the one I really do enjoy is Steve's - all the blokes in a row. It's great.</p>

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[denise_savage]

<p>This one is a bit special to me - it's my Dad and oldest daughter, caught in one of those memorable moments.</p>

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[MattB.Net]

<p>Justin - thanks for the compliment on my previous POTW shots - that was a fun day for sure and I was happy with the images I brought back too. I did another all day ride yesterday but didn't come back with a whole lot besides sore legs. There is some weather moving in and the light just wasn't very compelling so I concentrated more on riding than photo taking. Still a fun way to spend the day!<br>

As for leaves, I think this year was better than average although the window at high altitude way maybe a week and I was gone that week. But just a little lower the leaves have been hanging on really well. We will never have colors equaling the East because we mostly just have yellow. There's a little red and orange but not much.<br>

I grew up in Michigan and the fall colors there are pretty spectacular on a good year. I'd venture to guess they would approach the ADK colors, but the landscape is often much less interesting, so the photo opportunities are going to be better where you have that color combined with dramatic landscapes.</p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Nick, I love and am impressed by the M50/4 image of your daughter too...wondering about shooting data, you really created something pretty nice indoors with a relatively slow lens. I don't see obvious flash use, and of course there's no EXIF available...can you estimate what you did? Shooting aperture, approximate shutter speed, film and scanning used, did you use tripod or flash? Or does your kitchen just have a lot more light than mine does...</p>

[hinman]

<p>I have not gone through all the pictures but those from Justin and Dorus get me glued to the monitor with admiration. And I also like the Cows and Color from Matt. The b&w from ME is amazing. But ME, your logo is HUGE and it bothers me a bit in the viewing of your wonderful photos. And you all are wonderful in POW. </p>

[hinman]

<p><strong>#1 Seashells Searching</strong><br /> .<br /> <a href=" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4089/5085329060_2fa82df82e_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="425" /></a><br /> with Pentax K-x and Pentax DA 15mm f/4.0. <br /> .<br /> .<br /> I have already sold my Pentax K-x White. I will miss my most loved traveling camera. And K-x combined with either 21 or 15 can't be beaten for the wide end need. I can shoot in sunset and typical scenes like the above and have less of a worry how it will come out. Pentax does something amazing on the 15mm as I have not seen a lens that can do so well in the sunlight. My 21mm was also sold but not because I don't like it and it has more to do with the thinking that the Fuji x100 with 23mm f/2.0 in traveling, or a Samsung nx10 with a K-mount adapter for traveling.</p>

[hinman]

<p><strong>#2 Welcome Back</strong><br>

.<br>

<a href=" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/5084733123_3cb4559ea4_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="425" /></a><br>

with Pentax K-x and DA 15mm f/4.0 limited<br>

.<br>

.<br>

A welcome back sign in New Zealand Paero town in North Island. </p>

[michael_elenko]

Thank Hin. I'll tweak the watermark size in Lightroom.

 

ME

[hinman]

<p><strong>#3 Ferry Station Clock Tower</strong><br /> <strong>.</strong><br /> <strong><a href=" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/5076586149_1fa1d58965_z.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="425" /></a></strong><br /> with Pentax K20D and Tamron 70-150mm f/3.5 adaptall-2 (20A)<br /> .<br /> .<br /> I sold both of my DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 and my poor man's equivalent in Kiron 70-150mm f/3.8 in m42 mount. And I pick this lens as the temporary replacement in <strong>Tamorn adaptall-2</strong> that work with both Pentax and Nikon with an adapter. While it can't replace the DA*, it is quite alright for its price. It seems not as sharp as the Kiron equivalent zoom but it sure is a charmer for MF. Its close up has some ghosting in minimum focusing distance. Its filter size is amazingly small in 49mm and I can easily use Cosina 1:1 macro adapter on it. I like this focal range in 70-150 or 50-135 for street shooting. And its smaller size is ideal for traveling light and shoot in stealth mode. This shot can reveal the moderate poor performance on fringing but that is alright for a lens < $40.</p>

<p>Shots of its size next to a DA-L kit lens. <br /> <a href=" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/5079995818_22b9f56c4f_m.jpg" alt="" /> </a><a href=" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/5079995630_8040bc7072_m.jpg" alt="" /></a> <a href=" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4154/5079995528_080e6c6a40_m.jpg" alt="" /></a><br /> I am going to miss my Pentax K-x White camera.....</p>

<p> </p>