First time lucky with a Kx

aliengrove
Posted 03/07/2012 - 16:56 Link
I've not posted anything here for a while, having been distracted somewhat by my other two cameras. Today I borrowed my wife's Kx, my K5 being away for repair. I like it! It helped having some good weather to try it out. I'm looking forward to getting the K5 back, but the Kx is a very able substitute!

The first shows K2 in the distance. All taken with my FA 24-90mm. Larger versions can be seen on my Flickr stream.

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Edited by aliengrove: 03/07/2012 - 17:02
Chrism8
Posted 03/07/2012 - 17:46 Link
Cant comment on the Kx, never used one, but if these images are anything to go by, its an excellent piece of kit, Like #1 and #3
Chris

www.chrismillsphotography.co.uk

" A Hangover is something that occupies the Head you neglected to use the night before".

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K1 - Sigma 85mm F1.4, Pentax DFA 150 -450 F4.5 / 5.6, Pentax DFA* 24 - 70 F2.8

Samyang 14mm F2.8, Pentax DFA* 70-200 F2.8, Pentax A 50mm F1.2

K3iii + K3ii + K5iis converted to IR, Sigma 17 - 70 F2.8, Pentax 55 - 300 F4.5 / F5.6 PLM
paulgee20
Posted 03/07/2012 - 18:12 Link
Absolutely superb shots Jonathan

Paul
K5's (2)both gripped, K10d gripped, Pentax 28-90 f3.5, Sigma 18-250mm, Sigma 150-500mm. Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro, Sigma 10-20 f.4-5.6.EX DC, Hoya 135 f2.8, Take on 28mm f2.8 Pentax AF360 flash, 2 fill in slaves. 30 metre remote release, Rt angle viewfinder, Giotto NOT 3261B Tripod with Manfrotto 808Rd4 ball head, Manfroto 4861RC2 monopoly, shoulder stock, various filters etc, Panasonic SET HBS HD Video cam, Tamrac Explorer 8x backpack and a sore back.....
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Photography is an index for measuring futility and pride.......

Paul

:wink
http://s743.photobucket.com/home/pg20_photos/index
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pg20
darkskies
Posted 03/07/2012 - 18:20 Link
Good advert! Super shots.
This space deliberately left blank.
michaelblue
Posted 03/07/2012 - 18:30 Link
Yes, great shots from the Kx.
I use the K7 and Kx, sometimes I prefer the Kx, it produces very clean images!
Regards,
Michael
Blythman
Posted 03/07/2012 - 18:46 Link
Fabulous pics. Can't bring myself to part with my K-x even though its been rarely used since getting the K5 13 months ago
Alan


PPG
Flickr
droopsnoot
Posted 03/07/2012 - 18:49 Link
They're very sharp images - I wonder how much of that is down to the lens rather than the camera itself. While I have no complaints with my Kx, I don't recall any of my images jumping out at me as being that sharp, leaving aside subject matter. Have you done much (or any) post-processing on them?
Real name: Mike Edwards. My homage to seventies Vauxhalls: www.firenza.net

Camera - Pentax Kx, 18-55 kit lens, 18-200 Sigma, 50-500 Sigma, 500mm Tamron mirror
bjolester
Posted 03/07/2012 - 21:10 Link
Wonderful images! My favorites are 2+4.

Bjørn
Bjørn

PPG
Flickr
davidstorm
Posted 04/07/2012 - 00:00 Link
Great images, the K-x is indeed a superb camera but also needs a good photographer behind it!

Regards
David
Flickr

Nicola's Apartments, Kassiopi, Corfu

Some cameras, some lenses, some bits 'n' bobs
aliengrove
Posted 04/07/2012 - 00:17 Link
Thanks for the comments!

droopsnoot wrote:
They're very sharp images - I wonder how much of that is down to the lens rather than the camera itself. While I have no complaints with my Kx, I don't recall any of my images jumping out at me as being that sharp, leaving aside subject matter. Have you done much (or any) post-processing on them?
The FA 24-90 is a superb lens, albeit one that feels a bit cheap and plasticky. As far as PP goes, a lot of trial, error and advice from the web have led me to adopt the following method to get the best from images suffering from atmospheric haze.
I started with the RAW files in Lightroom, where I adjusted WB, reduced noise and applied a grad filter from the top to reduce exposure slightly and increase contrast. Then the images were exported to CS5. The images have then had a general levels adjustment, with the lower part of this adjustment erased by about 40% using a large soft-edged brush (a general levels adjustment often makes the bottom of the images too dark).. Then I made selective levels adjustments using feathered masks (between 20 and 60 pixels depending on the size of the area) on different parts of the images. I then used an unsharp mask at a large radius (40 pixels and amount about 30-50) , using a heavily feathered mask (about 100 pixels), on the middle and far parts of the image, which reduces haze by increasing contrast. A few of the images have also had the saturation of the blue channel reduced slightly in the distance, again using a heavily feathered mask, to get rid of a touch of the blue cast you always get from altitude. All these adjusrments need careful fiddling to get them to blend into each other. Sometimes I tweak the individual masks by erasing parts of them using a soft-edged eraser at various opacities.The whole process perhaps sounds tedious but it generally takes about 10 minutes per image. Finally they are sharpened conventionally using unsharp mask.
Edited by aliengrove: 04/07/2012 - 00:26
K10D
Posted 04/07/2012 - 00:33 Link
Excellent set!

It just shows how good the IQ is of other Pentax bodies. There are those who have said that they wouldn't go back to a KR with any lens. I wonder if they would consider a KX?

Best regards
"To sell something you don't need, you first need to buy something you don't need"
matwhittington
Posted 04/07/2012 - 06:28 Link
Stunning views as ever - I especially like the first three.

Cheers
Mat W

My Flickr: link
Edited by matwhittington: 04/07/2012 - 06:29
Snootchies
Posted 04/07/2012 - 07:10 Link
Indeed - a fabulous set. Number 1 is breathtaking. All you need is a volcano in the background and you have Mordor.
Bob

My website (Hadfield Photography)

Pentax Gallery Artist page:link

Flickr Photostream: link
Edited by Snootchies: 04/07/2012 - 07:12
Algernon
Posted 04/07/2012 - 07:52 Link
Superb shots. My fav is No: 3 (just).
Half Man... Half Pentax ... Half Cucumber

Pentax K-1 + K-5 and some other stuff

Algi
Blaze
Posted 04/07/2012 - 08:29 Link
It's encouraging to see just what the Kx is capable of, probably aided by the superb lens.
(I love my Kx !)
Hard to say which is my favourite - they all give something different !

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