How low is low light?
Posted 25/01/2013 - 15:20
Link
Low light is when it's too dark to really manually focus properly, and particularly the K-5 II and IIs will carry on auto focusing quite happily. So your platform, streets lit at night, etc.
No problem:
K-5 IIs, 43mm f/1.9, ISO 12800, 1/60s, f/1.9
No problem:
K-5 IIs, 43mm f/1.9, ISO 12800, 1/60s, f/1.9
Best regards, John
Posted 25/01/2013 - 15:42
Link
I've seen a very good offer on the original K5 this week and I'm tempted even though I've just bought the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 from SRS.
Thanks,
Steve
Thanks,
Steve
Flickr
DA AL 35mm f2.4, K3,18-135 WR, DA 55-300, Pentax KX, K5 x 2, 18-50 50-200 kit lenses, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Fuji X10, 2x Mamiya 1000s 2x 80mm f2.8, 150mm f3.5, 210mm f4, Yashica 124G TLR, 2x Yashica FX3 Super 2000, Tamron 28mm f2.8, 90mm SP f2.5, 135mm f2.5, Olympus 35RC, 2x Yashica FX2, Kodak Pocket Instamatic, Kodak Box Brownie
DA AL 35mm f2.4, K3,18-135 WR, DA 55-300, Pentax KX, K5 x 2, 18-50 50-200 kit lenses, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Fuji X10, 2x Mamiya 1000s 2x 80mm f2.8, 150mm f3.5, 210mm f4, Yashica 124G TLR, 2x Yashica FX3 Super 2000, Tamron 28mm f2.8, 90mm SP f2.5, 135mm f2.5, Olympus 35RC, 2x Yashica FX2, Kodak Pocket Instamatic, Kodak Box Brownie
Posted 25/01/2013 - 15:57
Link
The k-5 autofocus is not a patch on the mkii, in low light the mki will hunt, particularly with the tamron 17-50 attached.
PPG Wedding photography Flickr
Concert photography
Currently on a Pentax hiatus until an FF Pentax is released
Concert photography
Currently on a Pentax hiatus until an FF Pentax is released
Posted 25/01/2013 - 16:40 - Helpful Comment
Link
K5 is still decent though. This was in the garden in the early hours (12:41am). Lit by a single sodium street lamp that I've colour corrected the best I can
1/30 sec at f2.8 and ISO 5000 using autofocus
Fox in my garden by Alan Wennington, on Flickr
1/30 sec at f2.8 and ISO 5000 using autofocus
Fox in my garden by Alan Wennington, on Flickr
Posted 25/01/2013 - 17:17
Link
Went and tried the K30 in low light and could not get it to focus at all tried every thing, focus switch on auto etc had me baffled.Even took the lens off and cleaned the contacts still nothing.After a bit of head scratching i had a eureka moment and checked the lens and that was it decided it would probably work if i took off the manual focus lensand as if by magic all was well again!
Posted 25/01/2013 - 17:19
Link
It's probably good enough for the odd occasion when I might use it.
Flickr
DA AL 35mm f2.4, K3,18-135 WR, DA 55-300, Pentax KX, K5 x 2, 18-50 50-200 kit lenses, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Fuji X10, 2x Mamiya 1000s 2x 80mm f2.8, 150mm f3.5, 210mm f4, Yashica 124G TLR, 2x Yashica FX3 Super 2000, Tamron 28mm f2.8, 90mm SP f2.5, 135mm f2.5, Olympus 35RC, 2x Yashica FX2, Kodak Pocket Instamatic, Kodak Box Brownie
DA AL 35mm f2.4, K3,18-135 WR, DA 55-300, Pentax KX, K5 x 2, 18-50 50-200 kit lenses, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Fuji X10, 2x Mamiya 1000s 2x 80mm f2.8, 150mm f3.5, 210mm f4, Yashica 124G TLR, 2x Yashica FX3 Super 2000, Tamron 28mm f2.8, 90mm SP f2.5, 135mm f2.5, Olympus 35RC, 2x Yashica FX2, Kodak Pocket Instamatic, Kodak Box Brownie
Posted 25/01/2013 - 20:20
Link
Our local pub taken with the KX, focussing looks OK to me.
Flickr
DA AL 35mm f2.4, K3,18-135 WR, DA 55-300, Pentax KX, K5 x 2, 18-50 50-200 kit lenses, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Fuji X10, 2x Mamiya 1000s 2x 80mm f2.8, 150mm f3.5, 210mm f4, Yashica 124G TLR, 2x Yashica FX3 Super 2000, Tamron 28mm f2.8, 90mm SP f2.5, 135mm f2.5, Olympus 35RC, 2x Yashica FX2, Kodak Pocket Instamatic, Kodak Box Brownie
DA AL 35mm f2.4, K3,18-135 WR, DA 55-300, Pentax KX, K5 x 2, 18-50 50-200 kit lenses, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Fuji X10, 2x Mamiya 1000s 2x 80mm f2.8, 150mm f3.5, 210mm f4, Yashica 124G TLR, 2x Yashica FX3 Super 2000, Tamron 28mm f2.8, 90mm SP f2.5, 135mm f2.5, Olympus 35RC, 2x Yashica FX2, Kodak Pocket Instamatic, Kodak Box Brownie
Posted 25/01/2013 - 22:05
Link
It looks bright in the darkness but it's designed to illuminate the pub sign, I'm across the road on the car park, the strength of the light diminishes by 4x the distance from the camera. If the camera will focus under these conditions it will focus on a station platform or in a railway yard.
Flickr
DA AL 35mm f2.4, K3,18-135 WR, DA 55-300, Pentax KX, K5 x 2, 18-50 50-200 kit lenses, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Fuji X10, 2x Mamiya 1000s 2x 80mm f2.8, 150mm f3.5, 210mm f4, Yashica 124G TLR, 2x Yashica FX3 Super 2000, Tamron 28mm f2.8, 90mm SP f2.5, 135mm f2.5, Olympus 35RC, 2x Yashica FX2, Kodak Pocket Instamatic, Kodak Box Brownie
DA AL 35mm f2.4, K3,18-135 WR, DA 55-300, Pentax KX, K5 x 2, 18-50 50-200 kit lenses, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Fuji X10, 2x Mamiya 1000s 2x 80mm f2.8, 150mm f3.5, 210mm f4, Yashica 124G TLR, 2x Yashica FX3 Super 2000, Tamron 28mm f2.8, 90mm SP f2.5, 135mm f2.5, Olympus 35RC, 2x Yashica FX2, Kodak Pocket Instamatic, Kodak Box Brownie
Posted 26/01/2013 - 00:13
Link
Here's one from a short while ago, the same scene as my earlier shot in this thread:
This was the K-5 and 43mm. I focused on the dark car just to the right, so low light performance even on the K-5 is not too shabby.
This was the K-5 and 43mm. I focused on the dark car just to the right, so low light performance even on the K-5 is not too shabby.
Best regards, John
Posted 26/01/2013 - 10:45
Link
sportyman531 wrote:
It looks bright in the darkness but it's designed to illuminate the pub sign, I'm across the road on the car park, the strength of the light diminishes by 4x the distance from the camera. If the camera will focus under these conditions it will focus on a station platform or in a railway yard.
Camera to subject light doesn't diminish, only light from the light source to the subject diminishes with distance.
It looks bright in the darkness but it's designed to illuminate the pub sign, I'm across the road on the car park, the strength of the light diminishes by 4x the distance from the camera. If the camera will focus under these conditions it will focus on a station platform or in a railway yard.
Chris
Posted 26/01/2013 - 11:52
Link
screwdriver wrote:
Light in both directions will diminish as it spreads to cover more area. sportyman531 wrote:
It looks bright in the darkness but it's designed to illuminate the pub sign, I'm across the road on the car park, the strength of the light diminishes by 4x the distance from the camera. If the camera will focus under these conditions it will focus on a station platform or in a railway yard.
Camera to subject light doesn't diminish, only light from the light source to the subject diminishes with distance.It looks bright in the darkness but it's designed to illuminate the pub sign, I'm across the road on the car park, the strength of the light diminishes by 4x the distance from the camera. If the camera will focus under these conditions it will focus on a station platform or in a railway yard.
It's not proportional to 4x the distance but to the inverse square of the distance - doubling the distance gives 1/4 the light, three times the distance is 1/9, ten times the distance only 1% of the light.
However the lights here are quite bright & hardly class as low light.
The other night I was photographing candles, getting towards low light but my K7 managed OK. Photographing the river at night however was beyond it, even with a full moon.
Mike
.
Pentax:K5ii, K7, K100D, DA18-55, DA10-17, DA55-300, DA50-200, F100-300, F50, DA35 AL, 4* M50, 2* M135, Helicoid extension, Tak 300 f4 (& 6 film bodies)
3rd Party: Bigmos (Sigma 150-500mm OS HSM),2* 28mm, 100mm macro, 28-200 zoom, 35-80 zoom, 80-200 zoom, 80-210 zoom, 300mm M42, 600 mirror, 1000-4000 scope, 50mm M42, enlarger lenses, Sony & micro 4/3 cameras with various PK mounts, Zenit E...
Far to many tele-converters, adapters, project parts & extension tubes etc.
.[size=11:].Flickr• WPF• Panoramio
.
Pentax:K5ii, K7, K100D, DA18-55, DA10-17, DA55-300, DA50-200, F100-300, F50, DA35 AL, 4* M50, 2* M135, Helicoid extension, Tak 300 f4 (& 6 film bodies)
3rd Party: Bigmos (Sigma 150-500mm OS HSM),2* 28mm, 100mm macro, 28-200 zoom, 35-80 zoom, 80-200 zoom, 80-210 zoom, 300mm M42, 600 mirror, 1000-4000 scope, 50mm M42, enlarger lenses, Sony & micro 4/3 cameras with various PK mounts, Zenit E...
Far to many tele-converters, adapters, project parts & extension tubes etc.
.[size=11:].Flickr• WPF• Panoramio
Add Comment
To leave a comment - Log in to Pentax User or create a new account.
159 posts
15 years
Ramsbottom,
Bury,
Lancashire
If I'm on a railway station at night trying to shoot a train in the platform will the platform lights generally provide enough illumination?
Is one candle power in your living room what is really meant by "low light"? Again, is there much difference between a K5 and a KX for this?
Steve
DA AL 35mm f2.4, K3,18-135 WR, DA 55-300, Pentax KX, K5 x 2, 18-50 50-200 kit lenses, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Fuji X10, 2x Mamiya 1000s 2x 80mm f2.8, 150mm f3.5, 210mm f4, Yashica 124G TLR, 2x Yashica FX3 Super 2000, Tamron 28mm f2.8, 90mm SP f2.5, 135mm f2.5, Olympus 35RC, 2x Yashica FX2, Kodak Pocket Instamatic, Kodak Box Brownie