acrummey

<p>Hey guys, where is it now?</p>

<p>I will take my two shots tomorrow morning. It will be in the mail before Wednesday.</p>

<p>Ira</p>

<p>I don't know about this camera but I think a decent p&s or bridge camera is very important since it is actually small and light enough to carry all the time. It gets a little tiring lugging a heavy bag with DSLR and lenses. If you are setting out on a photo outing you need the DSLR, if you are travelling and just need some travel snaps take the lighter all-in-one. (and no I do not mean nature safaris here).</p>

<p>The camera is now showing exposure number 17, I was planning on taking 2 shots and shipping it to Jacques but I can just take one if there is going to be a problem.</p><div></div>

Other than the pose in the second last image I cannot offer any constructive criticism, the models afre gorgeous and the lighting is quite flattering. The second image has a little too much headroom (the space above the head) I think, it could benefit from a tighter crop. The features are well defined without being harsh, which is what we really need for good portrait lighting.

 

Ira

I own both, I use both regularly. The 35mm f2 is the most useful since it covers a field of view which is closer to what the 50mm would have been on film. The 50mm f1.4 is a great event and portrait lens.

I am tossing this thread back because I have gone through the same arguments this past couple of weeks. After much research and looking at lots of examples I narrowed it down to the DA 12-24mm f4 or the 14mm f2.8 (I dropped the Sigma 10-20mm from the list for a number of reasons). I finally went with the 14mm based on a very good price and the fact that, if the 12-24mm is slightly better it still cannot make up for what was (for me at least) anywhere from a $200-250 price premium.

 

A recent wedding shoot has truly taken me back to my photographic roots. I the beginning my kit was a 35mm Pentax MESuper (and K1000) with a 28mm f2.8, a 50mm f1.7, a 135mm f2.8 and a 70-150mm f3.8 zoom, my kit now consistes of a K10D (and *istDS) with a 35mm f2, a 50mm f1.4 and a 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 zoom, toss the 14mm into that mix and I cover a much greater telephoto range than before but still have a very similar kit. The wedding I spoke of gave me a little more time than usual and I could examine my results more closely, the result was that my zoom lenses were put back in the bag and the vast majority of shots were with the FA35 and FA50, I had to resort to the 18-55mm kit lens for wider shots and I was not overly pleased with the results so bring on the DA14.

 

I think we sometimes get so caught up in arguments over ultimate sharpness that we miss the artistic intent of these images. Perhaps it is time to review some of the works of the photographic legends and see that they were not always the sharpest, they were merely the best.

 

Ira

Image quality is great but some owners have had communication issues between the lens and dslr body. These problems usually involve menu screens that blink off. I have one that I have used with very few problems on a DL DS K100D Super and K10D. Keep the contacts clean and it will serve you very well.

 

Ira

It is unfortunate that Pentax has decided to do away with the in camera drive link in these new lenses. Personally we are not affected much because I have a K10D and my wife has a K100D Super, both SDM cameras, however my old *istDS and my son's *istDL will have to make do with the older glass.

As Alisa said, I also find the idea intriguing but I have seen so many heavy-handed attempts with extreme haloing and unrealistic colours that I am hesitant to embrace it. Peter's image above "Waitpinga Rocks - 3 exposure HDR" is an excellent example of what happens when you get it right. I am not ready to invest in software specifically for HDR but I will definitely try it out this summer. Images like this mid day iceberg shot could have benefitted from HDR.

I have the FA 35mm f2 Al , I love this piece of glass and especially the AF. I'd go with the Pentax 31mm. Zeiss lenses may be magnificent but the Pentax primes aren't too far behind, especially the FA Limited lenses.

I agree on the grip, mine will probably never come off except to change batteries.

Check out these http://aicphotography.tripod.com/Iceberg/index.html

Well, since it is just manual aperture you need, here are three of my favourites.

 

FA 35mm f2.0 AI my "standard" lens since it approximates a 50mm on a film camera.

 

FA 50mm f1.4 a wonderful portrait lens since it now acts like a 75mm on film. Wonderful Bokeh.

 

A 70-210mm f4 the best manual focus zoom lens I have. I appreciate the constant aperture which is fairly fast.

One more shot from the F 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 This was taken at minimum focus distance while the DL was on a tripod, 1/3 sec at wide open f5.6.<div></div>

Sorry, the last shot was from the wrong lens, the FA 4.7-5.8. Here is a shot of the moon using the F 4.5-5.6.<div></div>

I have the F 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 lens, optically identical to your FA but without the power zoom, I also have the FA 100-300mm f4.7-5.8. My experience is that both of these lenses are reasonably capable on digital because most of the sharpness issues on film were with the corners, effectively cropped out by the APS-C sensor. I prefer the heavier F lens because the internal zoom mechanism means the lens does not extend when zoomed, I also don't particularly like the plastic lens mount of the silver FA 100-300mm (although its extreme light weight makes it very easy to carry on a DL body). I find the F (which, as I said, is optically identical to the FA power zoom model) to be a little sharper at the long end. I really like mine and have used it for a variety of things including flower images.<div></div>

I just received a K10D, but it was in transit before this thread started.

 

I currently have all of the lenses that I can manage to work with (or afford). New lenses are always a learning experience and right now only Limited or * lenses would improve upon what I have. Until I can afford these high dollar items I will have to manage. That is why I don't think this challenge will be a problem for me, maybe, I hope, if I can stay away from ebay...

You have all of the lenses you need, it pays to keep it simple. It is nice to have f2.8 professional zoom lenses but they are very expensive, your 18-55mm will shoot at least 90% of what you need. You may use the 70-300mm if you have time to shoot any posed shots (nice if you can step back and zoom in, blurrs backgrounds nicely). I like the idea of b&w print film in the K1000 with the 50mm lens, you can get creative and have some fun. Try to get the "standard" shots of bride and groom and important guests (wedding party, parents etc.) and then look for interesting moments that will be more interesting. I have done many weddings and I know how stressful it can be but this is a great learning situation.

My lens collection includes:

 

Pentax DA 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AL (my only "digital only" lens, AF)

 

Sigma 24-135mm f2.8-4.5 IF AF

 

Pentax F 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 AF

 

Pentax FA 35mm f2 AF

 

Pentax FA 50mm f1.4 AF (won on the Pentaxian website)

 

Pentax M 100mm f4 Macro (only a 1:2 macro but great for flowers and small details) (MF)

 

My choices for three to keep are:

 

Sigma 24-135mm f2.8-4.5 IF AF (most flexible)

 

Pentax F 100-300mm f4.5-5.6 AF (need a long lens)

 

Pentax FA 50mm f1.4 AF (marvelous image quality)

I haven't purchased anything in the past 48 hours so can I join too. I do contribute here, if somewhat irregularly.

I will quote Godfrey DiGiorgi (please excuse any inaccuracies)he said "Horses for courses". An Olympus E-420 with the 25mm f2.8 would make a nice package for a large pocket. I prefer my DL with 35mm f2 as a picture taking tool but the Olympus is considerably smaller and more easily carried. I could get a 40mm DA limited and be close to that size but that isn't really the point, I see no problem with owning a Pentax system yet still having this little jewel as a "take everywhere" alternative.

Well, if it does happen I will not be affected much, my only DA lens is the 18-55mm kit lens. Everything else is F, FA or a single Sigma zoom.

Ira

As a fan of the "fast fifty" in my 35mm film days my choice is relatively simple. I would choose an FA 35mm f2.0 -AL- (since I already own one). I would prefer an FA 31mm LTD but it is too expensive for my meager budget.

The meter in the K1000 is not very sensitive so it is hit-or-miss for low light exposures. Therefore I would suggest ISO 200 or 400 as a general purpose film and a good hand held light meter if you want to try low light.