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scott_meilicke

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Posts posted by scott_meilicke

    Using a m42 adaptor on Sony nex 5. Any thoughts experiences ?

    in Olympus

    Posted

    <p>Hi Ben,<br>

    You may take a look at the Sony section of GetDPI:<br>

    http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=45<br>

    Quite a few people are talking about various manual focus lenses on the NEX cameras, showing pictures, offering opinions on operations, etc.<br>

    My cliff notes on the situation (without owning a nex) - the m42 lenses should work just fine. Whether you will adjust to the lack of viewfinder, and focusing (with magnification if that helps) via the screen, is up to you.<br>

    Scott</p>

    Small, light portrait camera

    in Olympus

    Posted

    <p>Pat,<br>

    I think to get small and something good for portraits, you are into the mirrorless large sensor realm. The Sony A55 and A33 would also fit the bill (even though they have a pelical mirror). The only lens that comes to mind with AF is the panasonic 45 macro. That puts you into u4/3 territory. Pick a body that fits your needs. <br>

    Actually, if you went with the A33/55, you could choose any of the Sony A lenses. The 50s would put you at 75 effective, the 85 at around 130 effective.<br>

    If you wade into the manual focus arena, you can pick bodies and lenses separately, since just about any manual focus lens will fit on any of these bodies. The Sony A33/55 are exceptions to this, since they use the Sony A mount, which has a larger registration distance than the other mirrorless cameras. The sony nex series (and the A33/55) seem to have the best sensor at them moment. As far as glass is concerned, there are bazillions of choices.<br>

    -Scott</p>

    Buyers remorse (Nikon)

    in Olympus

    Posted

    <p>I think we have all been down the greener pastures route. I left Pentax and limited primes for m4/3, and even though I had barely used my Pentax gear for over a year before I sold it all, I still miss those limited lenses. In dark moments, I wonder if I did the sane thing. <br>

    Then when looking at my most recent images taken with my G1 (and Panny LX3), I realize that the delta between my skill level and my camera is vast, and I should not really look to the equipment as much. :) <br>

    But - if you find you use the E620 more than the Nikon, maybe that is telling you something, all specs and 'capabilities' aside. There is real value to 'feel' and getting a camera kit that you get along with.<br>

    Scott</p>

    DOF :3/4 or APS-C sensor

    in Olympus

    Posted

    <p>Joseph, quite interesting. I had not thought of it like that. So the wonderful deep DOF I get with my Panasonic LX3 can be emulated with larger format? <br>

    Example - let's say the LX3 at f4 has an DOF equiv to my m4/3 at f8 (I have no idea, but let's go with it). Because the m4/3 at f8 requires more light than the LX3, I would set it at two stops higher ISO to bring the two cameras to roughly the sensitivity, and thus shutter speed. Presumably the bigger sensor has similar noise characteristics when set at two stops higher ISO than the LX3?<br>

    Hrmph, I am keeping the LX3, in large part, for the large DOF. <br>

    Anyone want to buy an LX3 :)<br>

    -Scott</p>

    Pentax clearance sale at Wolf

    in Pentax

    Posted

    <p>Often clearance, going out of business, etc. type sales have increased prices. It works. People get charmed into thinking they are getting a good deal because of the 'clearance'. There was a good piece about this practice on This American Life when Circuit City went under. The first thing the liquidators did in that case was increase prices to near MSRP. And the product flew off of the shelves.<br>

    Scott</p>

    Great... but would you sell your dSLR or digital RF for it?

    in Olympus

    Posted

    <p>You bet. Since I got my Panasonic LX3 a year ago, I have used my DSLR half a dozen times. However I did miss the SLR experience, so I sold my DSLR, and picked up a G1 about two weeks ago. So far I do not miss my DSLR, and I am about to sell my 31 and 77 limited lenses. While I love those lenses, I just did not use them enough to keep them around. Next stop, 20mm pancake (and 14mm when it comes out), and then maybe I will sell my LX3 too. :)<br>

    FWIW, I do not find the G1 lacking compared to my K100D. The viewfinder gets a little dicey in low light due to slow refresh rates, but with adequate lighting (good indoor lighting at night), it is fine for me. I wear glasses, and the G1 is a big improvement when using the viewfinder with my glasses. When the refresh rates are low, I often use my LX3 technique of pre-focusing and getting a rough sense of framing with the viewfinder (or screen), and then taking the picture without using the finder at all. This also helps to put my subjects (usually my kids) at ease.<br>

    Scott</p>

    Hard time deciding...

    in Pentax

    Posted

    David Kelly Wrote:<br/>

    <em>

    i agree with Renato. the $300 FA35mm f2 AL is optically just as good if not better

    than themuch more expensive limiteds, and weighs only 7oz.

    </em>

    <p>

    Really? Have you used both, or studied images from both? When I was trying to

    decide between the 35 and 31, I studied pictures from pbase.com, and came away

    thinking the 31 was better - <em>for me</em>. I liked the contrast and "pop" better

    on the 31. But I have read the 35 is dynamite, so likely will do just fine.

    </p>

    <p>

    But to the question - you state that the perspective (field of view) difference does

    not bother you, so quality is the only thing at stake. Take some pictures with both,

    trying for the same field of view, and see for yourself. Take pictures wide open, as

    well as stopped down. Many lenses will perform quite differently when stopped

    down, and you may find one or the other does better wide open. If you find the

    quality differences are minute, then return the 31, and use the money for other

    things.

    </p>

    <p>

    As suggested above, consider the 21, since the jump between 14 and 43 is quite

    large (3x). That would give you, in old school terms, FOV of ~21mm, ~32, and ~65.

    </p>

    AF360 flash in wireless mode

    in Pentax

    Posted

    I use the AF360 optically slaved off of my K100D (not super) using the on board flash.

    However, the flash is purely manual at that point. It would work just as well with a point and

    shoot camera. If you never planned on using the AF360 on your camera, just get a much

    cheaper manual flash that can be an optical slave.

     

    The K10D, I have read, can operate the AF360 as an optical slave with full PTTL. I'm not sure

    if the K100D Super also has this ability.

    Moving Trains (+imgs)

    in Pentax

    Posted

    I like #17 - good atmosphere.

     

    It sounds like you used continuous focus? Perhaps the 50 1.4 is faster focusing than my older

    limited primes (31 & 77), because I'm not sure I would have been able to catch those photos.

    Likely it is just me :)

     

    -Scott

    Focus Speed - Does it get faster than a K100D + 31mm ltd?

    in Pentax

    Posted

    Thanks all for your responses.

     

    Sounds like there are a few issues, and they ring true to me:

     

    1. lens design -

    My 16-45 is faster than my 31, but maybe not my 77. I'm not sure...

     

    2. AF algorithm -

    I have read other resources on the web indicating Pentax may be more accurate, Canon

    faster.

     

    3. Body -

    I'm glad to hear the k10d is a bit faster. Hopefully the next body will improve as well.

     

    4. Batteries -

    I haven't noticed this one. I use High current NiMH (2700mah)

     

    It also sounds like there is no one single solution to make my AF issues go away, other

    than my expectations. Oh well...

     

    If memory is serving me, I could us Servo AF on Canon and it would do fairly well at

    tracking the kids. And it felt very sure, but as noted above, perhaps not as accurate due to

    the open vs. closed loop. It is frustrating, however, recalling how Canon felt when

    shooting kids. I'll just have to take the lovely images of the limiteds as my prize for

    suffering the AF ;)

     

    Thanks again all. Maybe I will have to buy another lens, just to make sure :)

    Focus Speed - Does it get faster than a K100D + 31mm ltd?

    in Pentax

    Posted

    Hi all,

     

    Do DA limited primes focus faster than the 31 or 77mm limiteds? If so, how much faster (take a guess)?

     

    Does the k10d focus faster than the k100d with screw driven focus lenses? How much faster?

     

    How much faster are the new ultrasonic lenses than the screw driven DA or older limited lenses?

     

    About a year ago I switched from a Canon 20d + USM lenses to a Pentax k100d + 31mm limited, 77mm

    limited and 16-45mm zoom. I haven't regretted the switch - excellent image quality, especially the

    primes. Except, I sure do miss the sure footed focusing of the 20d + 28mm USM lens. My primary

    subjects are my 2 and 6 year olds, so I acutely feel the loss of the focusing abilities of the 20d.

     

    My last question - does anyone feel their Pentax system focuses as fast as a modern canon (20d or

    newer) with USM lenses? If so, what Pentax equipment are you using?

     

    Many thanks,

    Scott

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