All Forum Comments
Comment by davidrobinson posted on What size for raw please? at 10/03/2014 - 10:57
Those are cracking photos you should be pleased with them.
I love my Sigma 150-500 which is always on my K5ii, when I first used it on the K5ii I was extremely pleased, however recently the results have been a decidedly iffy. I'm hoping its me expecting too much with distant subjects heavy cropping and poor light. Might not reach your standard as you have set a high bar but its fun trying.
Regards David
I love my Sigma 150-500 which is always on my K5ii, when I first used it on the K5ii I was extremely pleased, however recently the results have been a decidedly iffy. I'm hoping its me expecting too much with distant subjects heavy cropping and poor light. Might not reach your standard as you have set a high bar but its fun trying.
Regards David
Comment by davidrobinson posted on K-5 and 150 500 Combo BIRD shots at 26/02/2014 - 18:29
dcweather wrote:
Re: Nikon - only referring to speed of AF in "servo" for locking on and tracking birds. Other aspects of K3 are hard to beat and probably can't be for the price.
Ah yes they do seem to have that side of things wrapped up.Re: Nikon - only referring to speed of AF in "servo" for locking on and tracking birds. Other aspects of K3 are hard to beat and probably can't be for the price.
All the best David
Comment by davidrobinson posted on Focus tracking K7 and K5ii at 25/02/2014 - 22:58
gwing wrote:
You won't want to hear this after already buying your charger but if you want to test batteries I'd recommend getting a charger such as the BC700 that can test, measure and recondition batteries.
But if you are only using the batteries for photography and not something where safety depends on knowing the batteries are top notch I really wouldn't bother. Good batteries and a good charger are all you need - charge them up, go take photos, and don't worry about this testing malarky. Just keep a spare set of charged batteries in the kit bag
I can highly recommend the "tecnoline BL700" it is brilliant. It has several modes and charging current settings. It rejuvenates old and tired NiCad's, charges/discharges/tests almost all rechargeable aaa and aa batteries. Battery Logic http://www.batterylogic.co.uk/ who sell them are excellent to deal with, giving good value, advice and after sales service. It will pay for itself in no time by salvaging batteries you thought were only good for the bin.You won't want to hear this after already buying your charger but if you want to test batteries I'd recommend getting a charger such as the BC700 that can test, measure and recondition batteries.
But if you are only using the batteries for photography and not something where safety depends on knowing the batteries are top notch I really wouldn't bother. Good batteries and a good charger are all you need - charge them up, go take photos, and don't worry about this testing malarky. Just keep a spare set of charged batteries in the kit bag
Regards David
Comment by davidrobinson posted on Battery testers at 25/02/2014 - 20:21
I nearly bought one a while ago, from what you say its a good job I didn't.
Regards David
Regards David
Comment by davidrobinson posted on Focus tracking K7 and K5ii at 25/02/2014 - 15:22
I have never used the dedicated AF button until today, now I can see the advantages. The most noticeable advantage is you don't accidently take pictures you didn't want. Plus you can hit the shutter button as soon as you want. I will keep trying it and let you know how I get on.
Not sure about Nikon/Canon being the be all and end all, my friends Nikon D600/800 kit cost much more than mine and doesn't always produce images better than mine in similar situations. Some is just down to patience, luck and getting your gear to work for you. I have to say value for money Pentax takes a lot of beating.
Anyway enjoying your photography, your hobby and seeing what you can squeeze out of it is the main enjoyment.
Regards David
Not sure about Nikon/Canon being the be all and end all, my friends Nikon D600/800 kit cost much more than mine and doesn't always produce images better than mine in similar situations. Some is just down to patience, luck and getting your gear to work for you. I have to say value for money Pentax takes a lot of beating.
Anyway enjoying your photography, your hobby and seeing what you can squeeze out of it is the main enjoyment.
Regards David
Comment by davidrobinson posted on Focus tracking K7 and K5ii at 25/02/2014 - 14:20
Focus point expansion works, I have been able to lock onto and keep focused on several birds but unfortunately the light was getting poor so not much to show for it today.
I will post two of a Short Eared Owl which is as I say disappointing because of the speed it moved and the very poor light. The one where it launched itself off a distant telegraph pole shows how the camera kept it in focus pretty well.
Regards David
I will post two of a Short Eared Owl which is as I say disappointing because of the speed it moved and the very poor light. The one where it launched itself off a distant telegraph pole shows how the camera kept it in focus pretty well.
Regards David
Comment by davidrobinson posted on Focus tracking K7 and K5ii at 24/02/2014 - 22:56
gwing wrote:
On my K30 my current preferred mode for BIF is to select continuous focus, single centre point focus and focus point expansion so the surrounding focus points can be used for tracking as well.
I've found (Expanded Area AF) on page 115 of the K5ii manual and have set camera up to try it out tomorrow, a brief test indoors seems to confirm it uses chosen or in my case centre point focus to initially lock on to subject then if it strays into surrounding focus points it tracks and refocuses as required. Looks as if it will help me, now I need some good light and a cooperative bird or two. Where have I heard that before? NOTE I don't think the K7 has this option unless anyone knows different.On my K30 my current preferred mode for BIF is to select continuous focus, single centre point focus and focus point expansion so the surrounding focus points can be used for tracking as well.
Thanks for the advice.
Comment by davidrobinson posted on Focus tracking K7 and K5ii at 23/02/2014 - 20:50
gwing wrote:
On my K30 my current preferred mode for BIF is to select continuous focus, single centre point focus and focus point expansion so the surrounding focus points can be used for tracking as well.
I then take initial focus further away than the distance I want to shoot the bird at, follow it and hit the AF button when it is where I want to start shooting. Once it locks on focus I take a burst of shots at slow frame rate while attempting to keep the bird on the central focus spot.
I find the focus lock is quite good and tends to hold focus quite well even when the bird flies past other potential focusing distractions. However it generally only seems to hold the focus lock for three or four seconds and then loses it. That may be me of course, and there may be better techniques, I'm no expert at this flying bird stuff - just having fun. Compared to my old k7 the K30 is loads better for this, I assume the K3 should be better again.
I haven't seen the option for (single point focus point expansion) in the menu of my K5ii I will have to look into that.On my K30 my current preferred mode for BIF is to select continuous focus, single centre point focus and focus point expansion so the surrounding focus points can be used for tracking as well.
I then take initial focus further away than the distance I want to shoot the bird at, follow it and hit the AF button when it is where I want to start shooting. Once it locks on focus I take a burst of shots at slow frame rate while attempting to keep the bird on the central focus spot.
I find the focus lock is quite good and tends to hold focus quite well even when the bird flies past other potential focusing distractions. However it generally only seems to hold the focus lock for three or four seconds and then loses it. That may be me of course, and there may be better techniques, I'm no expert at this flying bird stuff - just having fun. Compared to my old k7 the K30 is loads better for this, I assume the K3 should be better again.
Comment by davidrobinson posted on Focus tracking K7 and K5ii at 23/02/2014 - 18:36
dcweather wrote:
I've tried most settings and it's still not brilliant even with a clear sky and that includes the K3. In fact I get a higher success rate by just following the bird and trying to get in normal spot focus.
This evening I tried following a fast moving Marsh Harrier. It was overcast and the light was pretty poor as you would expect at 5pm. However with the K5ii set to (Constant Auto Focus) (Five focus points Auto) the camera locked onto the bird quicker than I've seen before. Thanks Mike for reminding me of 5 focus point option.davidrobinson wrote:
Having tried both settings with mixed results and not finding the answer in the camera manual can anyone answer this.
When using continuous focusing for focus tracking of birds. Which is best, to have the camera set to "Centre Focusing" or "Auto Focusing"?
Obviously for centre focus you have the difficult job of keeping the subject in the centre of the viewfinder and you would expect the "Auto focus" mode to be much better as its using all the available focus points. The problem is I am still getting inconsistent results. I know that birds don't fly in a predictable flight path but any suggestions to help nail spot on focus would be gratefully received. Regards David
---------------------------------------------Having tried both settings with mixed results and not finding the answer in the camera manual can anyone answer this.
When using continuous focusing for focus tracking of birds. Which is best, to have the camera set to "Centre Focusing" or "Auto Focusing"?
Obviously for centre focus you have the difficult job of keeping the subject in the centre of the viewfinder and you would expect the "Auto focus" mode to be much better as its using all the available focus points. The problem is I am still getting inconsistent results. I know that birds don't fly in a predictable flight path but any suggestions to help nail spot on focus would be gratefully received. Regards David
I've tried most settings and it's still not brilliant even with a clear sky and that includes the K3. In fact I get a higher success rate by just following the bird and trying to get in normal spot focus.
I tried Constant Auto Focus single point but I had difficulty keeping the bird in the centre of the viewfinder however when it did lock on I think the final image was crisper then the 5 point Auto.
Please advise if you have any more suggestions.
Comment by davidrobinson posted on Focus tracking K7 and K5ii at 23/02/2014 - 18:30
I've used their own make cards for many years and never had a problem. Service is quick and prices are keen on all makes and there customer service is very good. Link http://www.mymemory.co.uk/SDHC
Regarding shooting in RAW its well worth it if your prepared to spend a little longer than normal in editing, the benefits are the ability to improve a slightly less than perfect shot and make it outstanding and make a good shot brilliant. In camera JPEGs may throw away important info which a good RAW editor can make use of. Detail and colour may be lost forever as the camera discards information as it produces a JPEG.
However initially be prepared to spend a lot of time using and learning how your RAW editor works with your cameras photos. I would invest in Photoshop Elements as its easy once you get a routine going plus you always have the original RAW safe.
If in doubt when you start using RAW set the camera to take both RAW and JPEG that way you always have the JPEG to fall back on.
Regards David