Really? Half a stop makes that much of a difference for studio and dumb flash??

I can already sync up to 1/4000s with HSS flash of the AF360 & AF540

Maybe they will though as it's a function of the two shutter curtains and their speed of travel... but then maybe it's harder as the shutter curtains have further to travel for FF.

Matt

Personally, I find I haven't missed the viewfinder as much as I thought I would

To use the Q is such a delight - and it's incredibly inconspicuous! Most people don't seem to mind you taking a portrait with the prime lens - there's more personal eye contact and less "camera-in-yer-face" that scares others off.

Just had an 16x12" print done (of the dog shot - but the one straight from LR with no Topaz) and I am incredibly pleased with the quality!

Enjoy your new toy Ken!!

Matt

Not sure if this will help... but it's interesting all the same

(and this Which! conversation too)

You might find a polite call to BBC Watchdog may help

Matt

Ok... dog shot: purple fringe above its right eye and green fringe over snout. That's axial CA from wide open. Expect this - it's quite normal in very wide aperture lenses (as I said). Correct in LR.

Oh, and the dog shot looks soft due to motion blur. 1/50 at 50mm isn't fast enough unless the subject is still.

Checker board shots. Exactly where is the focus? Very hard to tell where the camera was actually focussing. Comparing focus in LiveView vs viewfinder is one way to work out what's happening. LiveView should be bang on focus (because it's using the sensor itself) - and is helpful to work out if you have lens issues. You can then use Focus Adjust to correct any issues with the phase detect normal focus


That said, if the DA50/1.8 is anything like the FA50/1.4, I would expect:
* Slightly soft wide open (especially in the corners) with extremely critical focus requirement.

* Lovely buttery bokeh around f/2.4. Wonderful for flower photography.

* Extremely sharp at f/4 - but focus is still crucial

* Razor sharp at f/5.6 or f/8.


If you send lens and camera back to Pentax they'll calibrate the two

Matt

Algi's example is axial chromatic aberration where the different wavelengths are affected by distance (rather than across the frame). Both the FA50/1.4 and DA*16-50 show this when wide open, or wider than f/4.

It used to be a right pain to correct, but Lightroom 4.1 onwards includes automatic removal of this type of CA (as well as the usual pixel shift CA). Just select the CA correction tab and tick the box!

You can also use the eyedropper and select a particular colour of both CA and fringing


Looking at the supplied examples of the DA50/1.8 it looks like it could be a poor copy - perhaps with decentering issues. It shouldn't be that blurred... but also be aware that if you have focus issues they will become more and more apparent the wider you go! My FA50/1.4 requires very critical focussing (plus careful adjustment of the focus adjust custom setting on the K5).

Matt

You'll probably be disappointed... With the wider aperture there is more light, yes, but shallower depth of field. So focussing becomes much more critical.
But the wide aperture at 50mm will give you lovely portraits if your kids can stay still long enough

For fast moving kids - aperture maybe f/5.6, but higher ISO - therefore faster shutter speed. Or, practise your panning technique, or shoot with the camera rock steady to show the manic blur in the photo

Matt

If you're indoors, I'd use Manual on the camera, f/5.6 and get an ISO + shutter speed that measures about 1Ev below ambient (i.e. so that the meter shows slightly underexposed).

Then use P-TTL on the flash.

Definitely try it out first! You'll need to be 100% confident before trying it

Oh, and preferably shoot RAW. Then you can always claw back mistakes in Lightroom

Matt

There's a few useful nuggets here:
https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/topic/digital-slr-and-p-ttl-flash-guide-4323



Matt

Only until the next news item knocks it off the list
Matt

Review here, details on epz here

Matt