All Forum Comments
Comment by JAK posted on €250 for macro lens-help please at 02/04/2012 - 22:16
Thanks for posting that Charlotte - having seen references to it, I was wondering how a Pringles tube could help with macro photography. Now I know!
Good idea.
John
Good idea.
John
Comment by JAK posted on Some macros with new lens at 02/04/2012 - 22:06
If your photo with the 50-200 looks fine and same shot with the 18-135 looks soft then there could be a problem with the new lens. However 135mm is its extreme telephoto end whereas for the 50-200 its midrange and near its optimum focal length. Many consumer telephoto lenses do not perform that well at their extremes.
If you are not happy, you should be able to return the lens to the dealer for a swap or refund - you should expect it to perform well and you have pictures to show it doesn't. But there could be other factors. Can you advise the camera exposure settings for both shots as that may help give a further clue? Even better would be to post the pictures concerned as well.
John
Just a thought - Did you take shots of the castle with both cameras and both lenses to compare or one on the K-x and the other on the K-5?
If you are not happy, you should be able to return the lens to the dealer for a swap or refund - you should expect it to perform well and you have pictures to show it doesn't. But there could be other factors. Can you advise the camera exposure settings for both shots as that may help give a further clue? Even better would be to post the pictures concerned as well.
John
Just a thought - Did you take shots of the castle with both cameras and both lenses to compare or one on the K-x and the other on the K-5?
Comment by JAK posted on 50-200 V 18-135 at 02/04/2012 - 21:33
Stop the aperture down to around f/11 and you'll have a much greater depth of field (of course you'd have to adjust the shutter speed and/or ISO accordingly.)
The 50mm lens is acting as a short telephoto which at close range will have a fairly narrow depth of field. By using a wider angle lens, eg around 28 to 35mm, you'd probably get away with an aperture around f/8, possibly the optimum sharpness of the lens and have the lot reasonably sharp.
Regarding your actual photo and the set up you used to take it and to keep the effect you achieved, just try focussing on the front food items to have those sharp then if those behind are going out of focus it might look quite effective and give the picture depth. I see you used spot metering, which is fine for that, but you'll need to re-frame the photo without changing focus. I find having the camera focus set up on the AF button rather than the half-press shutter release prevents the camera wanting to refocus as you take the shot.
As it is and you obviously realise, that picture just looks wrong as only the middle items are sharp. Nice overall effect though and nearly there!
John
The 50mm lens is acting as a short telephoto which at close range will have a fairly narrow depth of field. By using a wider angle lens, eg around 28 to 35mm, you'd probably get away with an aperture around f/8, possibly the optimum sharpness of the lens and have the lot reasonably sharp.
Regarding your actual photo and the set up you used to take it and to keep the effect you achieved, just try focussing on the front food items to have those sharp then if those behind are going out of focus it might look quite effective and give the picture depth. I see you used spot metering, which is fine for that, but you'll need to re-frame the photo without changing focus. I find having the camera focus set up on the AF button rather than the half-press shutter release prevents the camera wanting to refocus as you take the shot.
As it is and you obviously realise, that picture just looks wrong as only the middle items are sharp. Nice overall effect though and nearly there!
John
Comment by JAK posted on getting all over sharpness? at 02/04/2012 - 21:16
Sorry, I hadn't seen what camera you were using. And yes the eBay link is to a current ebay offering of such a device - there are others.
Unfortunately the jack socket for the RF remote is missing on the K-m, K-x and K-r but is on the rest from the K100D up to the K-5 and the Samsung GX's. Don't know about the Ist era cameras.
Not sure you'd get that perfect shot with a long telephoto this way, you couldn't time that critical focus. But for collective shots with a wideish angle lens with plenty of depth of field and to not disturb the fellas it should be fine (so long as you don't mind the odd droppings when the camera setup is used as a convenient perch!)
John
Unfortunately the jack socket for the RF remote is missing on the K-m, K-x and K-r but is on the rest from the K100D up to the K-5 and the Samsung GX's. Don't know about the Ist era cameras.
Not sure you'd get that perfect shot with a long telephoto this way, you couldn't time that critical focus. But for collective shots with a wideish angle lens with plenty of depth of field and to not disturb the fellas it should be fine (so long as you don't mind the odd droppings when the camera setup is used as a convenient perch!)
John
Comment by JAK posted on Remote Controlling your camera HELP at 02/04/2012 - 20:51
The IR control is very convenient but do consider an RF trigger as it doesn't require line of sight and works over a larger distance.
This looks to be a useful thing:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RF602-Wireless-Remote-Flash-Trigger-Pentax-K10D-K200D-...
Not tried that one but I do have something similar I purchased several years ago. This one looks to be able to trigger flash as well, so dual purpose.
John
This looks to be a useful thing:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RF602-Wireless-Remote-Flash-Trigger-Pentax-K10D-K200D-...
Not tried that one but I do have something similar I purchased several years ago. This one looks to be able to trigger flash as well, so dual purpose.
John
Comment by JAK posted on Remote Controlling your camera HELP at 02/04/2012 - 17:15
That got me wondering too.
The answer is hidden on page 159 of the camera manual
John
The answer is hidden on page 159 of the camera manual
Quote:
When [9. One-Push Bracketing] in the [A Custom Setting 2] menu (p.91) is
set to [On], even if the shutter release button is not continuously pressed
fully, all images are automatically shot with one press of the shutter release button.
In other words, custom menu setting 9 needs changing to 2 (as well as having the appropriate setting in the drive menu) otherwise it only takes one shot per shutter press!When [9. One-Push Bracketing] in the [A Custom Setting 2] menu (p.91) is
set to [On], even if the shutter release button is not continuously pressed
fully, all images are automatically shot with one press of the shutter release button.
John
Comment by JAK posted on K5 questions at 02/04/2012 - 17:04
I've been scanning slides taken over 50 years ago (c.1959 Kodachrome, Agfa, Ilford, Perutz) with a Minolta Scan Dual IV. I've used the Minolta software via Twain from PS Elements. Even got it working on Windows 7 despite the fact it isn't supposed to be compatible!
Some of the slides look nothing like they did when they were taken - colour balance and density have shifted so what use is a profile for those?
However Elements gets them looking their old selves again in moments. Some looked complete right offs but digitally they are now fine.
When I first started scanning some of my slides more than 10 years ago profiles and the like didn't exist (or if they did I wasn't aware of them) so not worth getting hung up over lack of profiles.
John
Some of the slides look nothing like they did when they were taken - colour balance and density have shifted so what use is a profile for those?
However Elements gets them looking their old selves again in moments. Some looked complete right offs but digitally they are now fine.
When I first started scanning some of my slides more than 10 years ago profiles and the like didn't exist (or if they did I wasn't aware of them) so not worth getting hung up over lack of profiles.
John
Comment by JAK posted on Scanning Negatives at 02/04/2012 - 13:33
Return it under warranty. Even if the warranty has run out you should still be covered by the Sale of Goods Act as that version of the lens only came out in 2009 so it would be reasonable to expect it to last three years!
John
John
Comment by JAK posted on 18-55 WR rings loose at 02/04/2012 - 13:15
[quote:3496ace15f="wvbarnes"]Hi, I have this one from this side of the pond, works fine and looks similar. I'd buy Penax if affordable but they aren't are the?
]http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=111929[...
+1 Works fine and does exactly the same job.
]http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=111929[...
+1 Works fine and does exactly the same job.
Comment by JAK posted on Question about the Aputure Pro-Grade TTL Off-Camera Hot-Shoe Flash Sync Cable, Cord at 02/04/2012 - 11:33
Just bought it and it wans't the dispaly model! They had a few in stock. It's not the WR model but I don't mind.
I think it's the first 1st hand lens I've bought out of 8 lenses!
John