ins & outs

As funds tighten again the GX7 and two primes departed, leaving the team photo a bit less full.

With the GX1 missing out on stabilization the primes become less useful despite their improved light-capture and overall IQ - so OIS lenses are more useful. A Sigma 19/2.8 is on its way though for 1-lens shooting days.

small change

I've been looking over the fisheye options for the GX system. My recent preference was the 7Artisans f/2.8 model, but someone sold their nameless C-class option at a further discount. Given recent news on the dental-expense front, I figured it was now (barely), or never to buy the lowest-cost option.
So here it is!

It arrived today just as I was heading to town. Smoke was drifting near the sun as the east wind blew smoke out of the Eagle Creek fire in the Columbia Gorge - a fine time for this lens to arrive and capture it. Hopefully the weekend rains will give that fire a serious dousing as the terrain is very difficult for fire-fighting.

aftermath of the Shadow's passing

cropped and re-leveled but not really processed.. yet!

Since the eclipse on 21.August, several changes have occurred in many types of gear.

• Our largest telescope has sold, 
• an eyepiece and the Canon A720is sold at the star-party swap meet - and 
• the K-5 that took the photo above (and many others) has moved to Carolina.

In some ways this was ideal! I got to use the 'scope before it sold and the K-5 was the superior imaging system to have on-site. The GX1 isn't bad by any means, but the K-5 has the better sensor for dynamic range and pixel size - so no complaints here.

and I have the silver 14-42mm lens!
from imaging-resource.com review

These changes allowed me to pick up another bargain GX7. The GX85 and GX8 are tempting in different ways, and I even considered the current deal on the YI-M1 + 12-40mm lens - but for now the familiar and lower-priced GX7 will serve very nicely while other debts are paid down. I enjoyed the GX7 in black but prefer the look of the silver model.

What next for my µ43 kit?
I'd like the set of 7.5/14/20/30 for primes, meaning that a 7.5mm fisheye and 20mm f/1.7 Lumix might be sought in the near future. I've learned of the 7Artisans f/2.8 fisheye which is competitive with the Samyang in many ways for a somewhat lower price, so when the time comes we'll see what prices look like. Also there's no denying the appeal of the 60mm Sigma and even the 100-300 Lumix.. but the 45-150 is both talented and tiny so it will be sufficient for now. I still have a K-mount copy of the Quantaray 100-300, which is less convenient than the Lumix version but somewhat stabilized on the GX7 so that's fine too.
Also: focus peaking is back, how nice!

Clearance sale!

A few weeks back I found a local copy of the 17-28mm Pentax fisheye. At the time I had no Pentax body..but as so often happens with me, times change the kit.

Yesterday I made a Command Decision and took my Olympus E500 kit to them and offered a trade. In theory I could get more from a true sale - at the same time the 17-28 is usually $100 more than what I dealt for, so the deal was accepted & everyone's a winner! The E500 gear was getting essentially zero use since the K-5 arrived, and keeping the lenses around forced me to consider the Olympus EM1 just to keep them in play - and if I want a mid-size WR camera the K-5 is just too much of a bargain to beat for now.

I owned the fisheye zoom before and enjoyed it. The fisheye effect is lessened on smaller sensors (yes this is a lens for 36×24 reception) but the effect is cooser to a 14mm non-fisheye than a 17mm. It's nice and small too, good for hikes and a nice match with the 28-80 Sigma (though neither are foul-weather friendly). Good stuff.

the Tamron 10-24 zombie awakens!

I've just learned from the eBay seller that the 10-24mm Tamron that was withdrawn from sale last week.. is coming soon! It seems the seller pressed the wrong button while processing. I am still happy that the E500 and unused 4Thirds gear has become the 17-28mm fisheye.. but it does mean I have one more ultrawide lens than I need. It's not a bad problem to have, since both lenses can be resold for more than I paid if I must; now to test them out and see which is the keeper!

And just to make sure I have too many lenses - I bought an $18 Pentax 35-80 lens. Its sole purpose is to steal the mount and make the 18-55 'wr' a useful lens again. It won't quite be WR with that mount, but I'm not finding any of the WR mounts available for purchase. Better slightly WR than no lens at all, I'm thinking!

tiny white cameras

A trio of little white cameras are here now: the GM1 

(shown here with 9mm fisheye 'body-cap' lens), YoCam and Motorola cellphone. 

Image taken with my HUUUGE K∙50.

Each has its place. I really dislike cell phone cameras, but a visit to Mt. St.Helens forced me to give it a workout. In HDR mode images were okay, somewhat - though the brightening haloes in some shots were really annoying. It's definitely the emergency camera.

The YoCam is the miniscule adventure camera. It can do HD+ video, still shots, live feed to the phone (e.g. backup cam for the car), and go 30 feet underwater.  I must test this before we go anywhere important, but for unusual shooting it definitely has its place. Its wide angle f/2 lens is handy too.

The GM1 is smaller than our old Q, most especially with this lens attached - yet it has a full 4Thirds sensor inside, no pinkie-fingernail sensor here. It will be a challenge to adapt to an advanced camera so small, but the touchscreen can handle most of the controls.

Why are they all white ones?  Simply because I'm tired of black (phone, YoCam) and the used GM1 came this way. I'd have taken red or some other shade if the choice were mine, as white items hide nearly as well as black inside a house with papers strewn about.

Oh wait, I forgot my wife's white NX300 - another shot coming soon, but I'll wait for her pancake 16mm lens to arrive later today!

more gear shifting

The former owner of the ePM2 also had a few other lenses to sell, so I relieved him of those this week.  The home equity loan went through, so while things aren't fantastic financially at least they are more clear!  With that last bit of gear I'm ready to stop for a while, since the missing piece in my mind (Samyang's 12mm f/2) is not on supersale now anywhere and it's too new for owners to let go of their copies.

Left to lower right: Sigma 30 and Oly 40-150r, Oly 17/2.8, BCL9 body-cap fisheye, and 14-42rII on the ePM2.
This 18-300mme kit can fit in a lunchbox, and I can choose primes or the 14-42 for the wide range!

While I find the Samyang 7.5mm fisheye appealing (as I did with the G7) the bargain BCL9 is a 9mm f/8 fisheye that will stand in just fine for most applications. I had figured on 7.5/14/20/30 as the primal set but I've had a soft spot for the 17/2.8 for several years, so its return makes the 12mm a better fit.

On the Pentax side the kit has slipped away.  I still have the 10-17 fisheye which hopefully will find a new home soon.  The micro4:3 replacement set has taken most of the Pentax funds so taxes and medical bills still await - but some improvement has taken place with the gear swaps. I still have the 28, 50 and 135mm primes also; the 28 isn't needed for the Oly kit but fast 50 and small 135 could see some time there.  The 300mm mirror lens might be quite fun as well!

attempting a slow-but-steady path

For once my new-years imaging resolution is to use the same cameras throughout 2016! 
If that comes true it might be the hardest thing I've ever done.. not quite, but very true photographically.  Since 2010 I've switched cameras/bodies at least fifteen times - several were due to finances but many were just frivolous adventures.  Finances have stabilized now so it's time to become a photographer again for my main hobby, instead of gear-swapper! 

After the quick and over-eager attempt to make mic4:3 my system of choice, I found the drain in funds to be alarming. Even with great bargains the adventure was becoming a large cash drain.  After more thinking and less rationalizing I returned the camera and sold off a couple of lenses. . and prepared to restore my Pentax collection, which had not quite vanished.

 A 'used' red Pentax  K-50 + 18-55wr kit and a 'like new' HD55-300wr lens arrived soon after - in the K-50 case 'used' meant a shutter count of TWO including the one I took to check the shutter count!  Neither 18-55 nor 55-300 has ever let me down in a way I could attribute to them, and both are weather ready but with greater range than my previous kit. 

I've also picked up a bargain 10-17mm fisheye for max versatility in K mount.  The fisheye zoom has often interested but never joined me; until now I've been a prime ultrawide user, having tried the DA15 and both Sigma 15mm and classic Pentax SMC 17mm fisheyes.  Oh I did have the F 17-28 fisheye briefly, come to think of it.

So I'm set at 10-300mm, and weather resistant above 17mm.
I've never had such a full focal-length range at my disposal!

On the small side of things, I've reverted to Samsung's NX300 rather than going micro4:3. The nx500 has pushed this model aside with its newfangled sensor and 4k video, but my time with the 300 last year left me quite impressed.  The one is white, and will be for my wife; I will add a darker one for myself later.¹ In the meantime I'll be thoroughly testing it out for her with shots like the K50 image above, and hopefully a few more creative offerings. It's been a while since I used a date-stamp camera - more precisely I did not know my previous NX300 had that feature!

I also snatched up a bargain copy of the well-liked 16-50 with OIS for it, so the kit is really small and image stabilized! It boasts a talented 20Mpx APSc sensor and many cool features that I managed to pick up quickly (unlike the G7, sadly).  The white 20-50mm lens came with the camera; it gets fine reviews but its lack of IS makes it less useful compared to the smaller, wider 16-50.  This bargain copy came in black but is available in white; assuming my wife likes this camera, the black lens will be mine & a white 16-50 will come soon for hers!

We'll have no native NX telephoto option right now - but telephoto isn't a good fit anyway for a kit that's buile to be tiny; a PK>NX adapter will do for non-stabilized telephoto shots with good light and/or a tripod.  Maybe later we shall do something about this - but Samsung has implied by its silence that its NX lineup is being phased out, so maybe not?

  I suppose my Q should be worried; the nx is a bit larger but the sensor difference is massive.

¹stay tuned - I found a second white body at an even better sub-$200 price, plus something to make them distinctive :^)  If I can pull this off my wife will be quite impressed with her anniversary gift!

done and .. slightly un-Done

Papers signed, funds to flow soon.  The home refinance feels good!
However, I had planned to invest a bit more of the surplus funds into lenses.  That plan fails because of those silly fees that added up without being fully factored into my planning worksheets, which converted a pleasant excess into a small check that has several other important uses.  So any other items will wait for January, when no house payment is needed and a bit of excess from our former escrow account will flow back to us.  That money also has places to go, but a pinch of expense for that 7.5mm fisheye can probably be worked in!  It's available for $50 off right now, and hopefully a few buyers won't like fisheyes and drop a copy into my happy hands.  Or maybe an inventory excess sale?  We'll see if it works out.

This lens took a rare 5-star award from photozone, so the secret is out.
Its all-manual functionality and fishy output just aren't for everyone though, regardless of stars!

image via lenstip.com

It should be noted that Olympus sells their 'body-cap' 9mm fisheye for quite a bit less.  It isn't awful and it's a whole 30 grams - but at a fixed f/8 it will not be astronomy-friendly as this f/3.5 model.  With a bit more budget I could squeeze out a Samyang 12mm f/2 which gets rave reviews from astro-types.  It's $100ish more than the 7.5 though, for now I'll Just Say No.

fair trade

Rather than deal with the issues that selling many items entails, I packed up a large group and sent them off to a dealer.  I knew that I'd make much less cash that way but I had hoped to swap for a useful lens and still have some funds to put back in the kitty for later.

image from pentaxforums.com

While they were processing  and evaluating, the lens I'd hoped for got away.  When I did hear back I'd found another interesting used lens on their used-gear page, though for more money.  After a brief promise to do better next time about the kitty, I agreed.

And so my next wide-angle lens is one that I've contemplated several times - the DA 10-17mm fish-eye.  Despite the field coverage it's small and light, fast enough, and has Pentax goodies like quick-shift.  It's not weather resistant but no extra-wide lenses are right now except the DA16-85.. and that wasn't available for the trade offer that I received.  Users state that at 17mm it's barely a distorting lens at all compared to 'straight' 17s; we'll see about that soon.  I really liked the 17mm SMC fish-eye in the past; now I'd have it again and a lot more!

Given the 10-70 and 50-135, the 20-40 is the ideal fit for me.  Not yet though, as I caved and bought the absurd-bargain DA17-70.  It's larger and heavier than I'd wish, and not truly WR (with just one seal), but it's a nice solution for the sub-$250 price.  And if rains come hard I still have the underrated 18-55WR lens.  At some point I will acquire the 20-40, but in the meantime I shall put the 17-70 through its paces to see how it compares to other copies.

Now that I look closely at the pentaxforums ratings, I see the only DA zoom lens less liked than the 17-70 is.. the WR kit lens (and the type-1 kit).  That's silly and absurd for several reasons - one of which is that the 18-55II non-WR lens gets better ratings than its optically-identical WR version!  And both are preferred over the 17-70 with f/4 at 50-70mm, a bit wider wide angle and silent SDM motor??  Yes that motor is a fine source of fear and doubt in the Pentax world, but let's be real about it.  I do recognize that value affects ratings; for its average price of $475 I suppose that the 17-70 is a 'weak' lens .. especially if I had paid full price and the focus motor failed.  Also - why am I working at this when even I want to dump this lens!

So the Big Three (plus 2) kit right now is DA 10-17fe, DA17-70, and DA*50-135
with DA18-55wr and DAL55-300 in reserve.. plus K24, A50/2, A100/4 1:2 & M135 primes
 plus the NX300 + 16/2.4, 30/2 +  K-adapter for small-cam shooting and panorama stitching!

moving on...

In both good and  bad news, the house has sold!  This means debts are nearly gone and our scattered boxes of lifestyle will be regathered soon in one place.  It also means we must figure out where that New Place actually is, and soon!

Tours of our next possible home have been ongoing, and for the most part the 17mm Fish-Eye has overtaken the 18-250 as the most-useful lens for such matters.  I did not expect to use the superduperzoom over 50mm often for this task, but 18mm isn't quite enough either.  Since the Fish-Eye shoots with distortion allowed its horizontal field is wider, a bit wider than the DA15 - so that's wide enough for me, and while the distortion is clear in many cases it doesn't distract me from what I want to see with these images.  If anything it's rather cool!  And as the shot here shows, the color & contrast are quite excellent.  This house this was shot from wouldn't take a contingency offer on a sure-thing sale - too bad for them.

Of course, one of those packed boxes scattered to the four winds holds an 8mm Rokinon fisheye,
something I was sure I wouldn't be needing before the move - and really I still think the 17mm is better for home scrutiny as the 8mm would make details too small to get more than a general sense of how these prospective homes look.  As I've noted before, I believe the SMC 17 has effectively removed the Rok 8 as my widest lens, or the lens that will get enough use to justify its place in the bag.  Someone else can enjoy it soon.  The same could be said of another box, which holds K-01 and K-5 bodies that have been benched during the move and now find themselves less valued.  I really should have seen that coming...

comings and goings

In a temporary, cash-grab measure the SMC 17mm has left the building.  I have tried several ways to get below 18mm (DA16-45, Sigma 15FE, Rokinon 8FE and the 17FE) and find the Pentax Fish-Eye oldie suits me best.  The Takumar version is probably the same optical formula and is more easily found, yet ironically it's more expensive; presumably the compact-mirrorless crowd prefers just an M42 adapter to the PK?  Anyway, unless a DA15Ltd appears at the opportune moment I will spend half that price for another SMC 17FE.  Good stuff.

Also leaving the building is the DA50-200wr.  It was once my only WR option but the 18-135 now fills that need.  With the 55-300wr's arrival it seems the 50-200 has lost more value than one might expect; ah well I got enough for it.

Once I am moved and unpacked I can determine any needs for incoming gear.  The 8mm fisheye, SMC-A 24mm and Quantaray 100-300mm have been inaccessible, and their absence caused some surprising shifts in my lineup (e.g. SMC 17 and Tak 'the beast' 300mm, both f/4).  The prime hole between 24 and 50 may or may not need filling, along with the 50-105 space - but Not with f/1.4 mini-Beasts from Rokinon!  I would prefer the Mitakon f/2 at 85mm (or the SMC-M but that tends to be expensive), both far more compact.  A few 35mm f/2 lenses are also out there to combat the Rokinon 35/1.4.  I just feel that f/2 is bright enough and the extra bulk needed to reach f/1.4 is more than I choose to bear.

active status: da18-135, a50 1:2, st105, m200, tk300 
within reach: qr28-70, old heavy MF zooms
out of reach: Rok8fe, a24, q28-90 1:2, q100-300
my wish list? SMC 17fe, faster mid-tele zoom?

another dip in the pool ('dip' is a verb here)

I watched with surprise and disappointment recently as the only 500+ gram lens I'd ever want was being sold in a forum I frequent.  The price dropped a time or two, and nobody jumped on it.  It dropped again, and sat a week.  Taunting me!  :^)

And so, again, I snapped.  I scraped together funds from a few untapped sources and bought a Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8.  This now becomes my most-expensive lens, and easily my heaviest.  It should be worth owning despite the bulk: two stops faster than the DA50-200 and slow 100-300mm zooms, and nearly a speed match for the DA70 Limited.  (I admit that I tried to move that lens first to cushion he blow; it's a hard lens to lose though!)  I already have 67mm filters for the DA16-45 so the 50-150 makes a great pair with it.

I expect that its output will force me to re-evaluate my weight limit on lenses.  Yes I've been a weight wimp, 450 grams / one pound lenses have been the max - but it's my hobby and I play it my way!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

image from wikipedia.com

Double whammy

A day or so later the Samyang/Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 fisheye went on sale, for $60 less than its typical best price.  That one was more likely to be added in my imaging future, and the 'wait' is over.  The 15mm lenses are too close to the DA16-45 to justify, but the 8mm fits nicely in my kit.  In its Pentax iteration it even 

So now I have yet another Pirate lens, one to make me say arrrrgh!

Kit update - yes, again

Enough tweaks have occurred since the last update a few short months ago - so here we go again!

APS-c and Compact Bodies:

• K-5, still amazing after nearly 1½ years in my bag.  No real complaints, though it will need to go in soon for a solution to the full-battery mirror flop issue.
• K-01 (white), great fun since November.  It's definitely a different way to achieve similar goals, some better and some worse.  I find I can manage a few things I didn't think I'd ever be willing to try, which is seldom a bad thing.  I am sure glad it's here so the K-5 can visit the shop!
• Q: his and hers black ones, with 02 zoom lenses.  Tiny, fun and as good as a 1/2.3" sensor can do.  Nice to have the 'standard' dSLR menu on a compact, that's for sure.  I've still not purchased an adapter  or the PK lenses, but I'm wavering... 

Lenses, in approximate FL order.  
Just for amusement I've added (ff) to those that are full-frame friendly, meaning all but ONE.  Even the Limited primes that I own are deemed FF-tolerant, much to my surprise.  I am not planning to grab a full-frame Pentax dSLR any time soon, but if a windfall were to strike I'm well protected.

• (ff) Sigma 15/2.8 fisheye: yes the DA15 would be smaller, but this has so many good things going for it that I have no complaints.  It's not all that large in any case, and it's faster, focuses closer and works with full-frame (film) cameras. Oh yes, often a bit cheaper too on the used market!  Great fun and very talented, and really not all that fishy for landscapes on an 16×24mm sensor.
• (ff) Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4.0: part of what makes this nice is that it doesn't crowd any other lens.  Overlap can be a good thing most of the time, but a Limited lens deserves breathing room.  I owned this in my SonyAlpha days, it was my first really good lens.  If anything it could crowd the fisheye out of the lineup!
• (ff) Quantaray (Sigma) 28-90mm f/3.5-5.6 macro: another SonyAlpha veteran lens that I liked four years ago.  Dirt cheap, feather light but decent imaging and 1:2 macro at 90mm when you want such things.  An excellent one to have on the camera when you have nothing planned or you want something you won't mourn over if damaged.
• (ff±) Pentax DA40/2.8 Limited - yes it's true what others say: absurdly small, absurdly talented and worth owning.  For many it's the first Limited because of its price; I got such a good deal that I cannot repeat it, and it's a real keeper even had I paid $100 more like most other owners.  Sharp in focus and smooth elsewhere, thanks to great optics and nine-blade aperture, and too small to justify leaving behind.
• Pentax DA 50-200 WR: the perennial underdog telephoto lens for Pentaxians, this featherweight and weather-resistant zoom only suffers by comparison to the 55-300 models.  For now I prefer the compactness of this one, and on the K-01 it is a very good copy - now that I know that the K-5 will either need to match or get its first lens ± adjustment.  This is a great zoom for the K-01 as it's small and light - nearly a clone of the macro that's a bit further down the list.
• (ff±) Pentax DA70/2.4 Limited - ditto at least, except that this one was not to be found cheaply.  It's still worth the price.  Something about this feels illegal, to be a bit telephoto yet tiny and fast - and let's not forget the nine aperture blades to make the images really snap.  Live and learn: Limiteds are worth having.
• (fF) Rikenon XR 70-150/4: when I put down my bid at auction I barely knew this lens existed.  It's been with me quite a while, relatively speaking, and other than its old-school lens coating it's a real marvel.  I don't recall seeing many 2-ring internal-zoom lenses in my 1980s film days but clearly a few were out there, and this one is smooth and sharp.  It's a bit dense and at 440 grams it's heavier than all but the 400mm - but fixed f/4 through the range, 52mm filter threads and a built-in shade are nice to have.  Optically it's of prime caliber and can sorta do close focusing in its 'macro' mode.  O What Fun!
• (ff) Promaster 100mm f/3.5 macro (AF): I had tried two other macros, and felt like Goldilocks.  The Tamron 90 was excellent but too bulky, the Sigma 50 excellent but I had to get sooo close for real macro images.  The Promaster only goes 1:2 on its own - but I have the original 'matched' multiplier to achieve 1:1 shots (49mm, so it fits the Limiteds and 50-200), and it's well under half the size and weight (and price!) of the Tamron.  This does very well for my mid-tele and macro work, and is another small wonder.  I've made it pretty clear that I like that in lenses!
• (ff) Hanimar 400/6.3: and then there's this thing.  A preset T-mount lens (with 16 aperture blades!) it's a curiosity that was handed to me by my father-in-law; for the price of a K-mount adapter any 400mm lens is hard to beat.  I need to use it more but it's done quite well on my few test outings.

Compared to earlier times, that's not many lenses - but it's more than I can use at any one event that's certain.  Most events can go with perhaps two primes and a zoom, and seldom would more than four go anywhere with me.  A very compact, thrifty and comfortable kit.  Again.

This set leaves me with some excellent mix-and-match sets:

1. 17-35 + 40 + 70 + 100m for best of the best, with 15f optional
2. 17-35 + 40 + 50-200wr for most compact & fewest changes (probably the backpack kit)
3. 28-90 + 50-200 for when wide angle isn't going to be a big deal
4. 28 + 40 + 70 ultimate compact trio that covers many circumstances

Add the 15mm fisheye to any of these for ultimate width, or make other combos to address specific wishes (macro prime lens for example).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Software:
 I now own Elements 10 and Premiere 10.  Plugins include NeatImage for noise reduction, SmartCurve for lighting adjustments and ReDynamix for redistribution of dynamic lighting with easy controls to temper the  HDR-like effects. I also use Picasa software for the easy changes and quick text additions.  No Lightroom or other powerhouse software will appear until my computer is massively updated, which I don't foresee any time soon.

the gear list, part XVII, give or take X

As 2013 approaches (and the Mayan calendar panic recedes!) the gear list has earned another entry in the 'blog.  Much gear has been sacrificed for Limited primes and the K-01 bargain, but what remains is truly good stuff.  I can look back and miss a few items that have left the list, but overall regrets are few. For example, the K-01 and its focus peaking would have rendered the 50mm f/1.4 Sears lens much more usable - but the DA40 Limited that has taken its range is far too good for any regrets!

Bodies:

• K-5, still amazing after a year in my bag.  No real complaints, especially now that I have the next item with its focus peaking ability (yes more versatile video too, and some day I'll learn how to use it!).
• K-01 (white), great fun since early November.  It's definitely a different way to achieve similar goals, some better and some worse.  I find I can manage a few things I didn't think I'd ever be willing to try, which is seldom a bad thing.

Lenses, in approximate FL order:

• Sigma 15/2.8 fisheye: yes the DA15 would be smaller, but this has so many good things going for it that I have no complaints.  It's not all that large in any case, and it's faster, focuses closer and works with full-frame (film) cameras. Oh yes, often a bit cheaper too on the used market!  Great fun and very talented, and really not all that fishy for landscapes on an 16×24mm sensor.
• Pentax 18-55WR: when the weather outside is frightful, this will do nicely.  Yes the 18-135 has its place and I enjoyed some time with a good copy - but the price difference was enough for this lens and a DA40 Limited (oops, that came up out of order).
• SMC-A 24/2.8: I had once owned a Vivitar 24/2.0 but it was larger heavier and for some reason didn't resonate with me.  This one does just great, and colors are more correct than the Rikenon 28mm that I've enjoyed so much.  The 24mm also focuses closer and images are equally sharp by my my casual inspection.
• Pentax DA40/2.8 Limited - yes it's true what others say: absurdly small, absurdly talented and worth owning.  For many it's the first Limited because of its price; I got such a good deal that I cannot repeat it, and it's a real keeper even had I paid $100 more like most other owners.  Sharp in focus and smooth elsewhere, thanks to great optics and nine-blade aperture, and too small to justify leaving behind.
• Pentax DA 55-300: the perennial favorite telephoto lens for Pentaxians on a budget, whether financially or by weight.  Most owners and testers say it outperforms the many 70-300 zooms on the market, and other than some vignetting and not being f/2.8 it's hard to find much fault.  For 420 grams I'll take the speed penalty, especially with the sweet-16Mpxl sensors that I have in the K-5 and K-01.  When I need telephoto it's hard to need more than this.
• Pentax DA70/2.4 Limited - ditto at least, except that this one was not to be found cheaply.  It's still worth the price.  Something about this feels illegal, to be a bit telephoto yet tiny and fast - and let's not forget the nine aperture blades to make the images really snap.  Live and learn: Limiteds are worth having.
• Rikenon XR 70-150/4: when I put down my bid at auction I barely knew this lens existed.  It's been with me quite a while, relatively speaking, and other than its old-school lens coating it's a real marvel.  I don't recall seeing many 2-ring internal-zoom lenses in my 1980s film days but clearly a few were out there, and this one is smooth and sharp.  It's a bit dense and at 440 grams it's heavier than all but the 400mm - but fixed f/4 through the range, 52mm filter threads and a built-in shade are nice to have.  Optically it's of prime caliber and can sorta do close focusing in its 'macro' mode.  O What Fun!
• Promaster 100mm f/3.5 macro (AF): I had tried two other macros, and felt like Goldilocks.  The Tamron 90 was excellent but too bulky, the Sigma 50 excellent but I had to get sooo close for real macro images.  The Promaster only goes 1:2 on its own - but I have the original 'matched' multiplier to achieve 1:1 shots (which works fine with the Limiteds by the way), and it's well under half the size and weight of the Tamron.  This does very well for my mid-tele and macro work, and is another small wonder.  I've made it pretty clear that I like that in lenses!
• Hanimar 400/6.3: and then there's this thing.  A preset T-mount lens (with 16 aperture blades!) it's a curiosity that was handed to me by my father-in-law; for the price of a K-mount adapter any 400mm lens is hard to beat.  I need to use it more but it's done quite well on my few test outings.

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A few additional items have not yet left the building.
The Rikenon-P 28/2.8 has been a real gem, and I've enjoyed its time on the camera.  While the 24mm has crowded it a bit I still find occasional use for it; perhaps one day it will leave me, which I did not think I'd ever say aloud.  That's saying something about the SMC-A 24!  The SMC-M 50mm f/2 is very good but the DA40 takes its spot for nearly everything, and the Vivitar (Kobori) 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 is a fun one-touch zoom that the 24-40-70-100 primes have supplanted.

Compared to earlier times, that's not many lenses - but it's more than I can use at any one event that's certain.  Most events can go with perhaps two primes and a zoom, and seldom would more than four go anywhere with me.  A very comfortable kit.

Micro four-thirds:
On the non-Pentax side, we own two Lumix G1 cameras, two 14-42 OIS kit lenses and a 45-200 OIS zoom to share.  My wife really wants to learn about imaging, and having identically-spec'd cameras was how she wanted to learn.  These are decently talented micro/43 cameras with electronic viewfinders and flip screens, so very versatile.  I also have a basic adapter to allow the K-mount lenses with aperture rings to work as well, though no stabilization in that case.  I must try the 400mm Hanimar on the G1 soon!!

Software:
 I now own Elements 10 and Premiere 10, having upgraded from 9.  Not usually worth taking a single step up, but I didn't have Premiere before this, and the package price was very good - and since I now have the K-01 I might do some video work.  Some day.
Plugins for the above include NeatImage for noise reduction, SmartCurve for lighting adjustments and ReDynamix for gentle redistribution of dynamic lighting without all the HDR effort. I also use Picasa software for the easy changes and quick text additions.  That'll do for now.

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Update March '13

Add a Pentax Q to the list with its standard 02 zoom, and yet another SMC-A 50mm f/1.7 - I had one just a few months ago, but that was before the K-01 made faster lenses practical thanks to focus peaking.  This one cost about half the other's price too - bargains get to me like that!  It will get used when light is really scarce, otherwise the DA40/70 team will crowd it.  
The Q does not have a PK adapter... yet... so expect another update when I break down at last.

April update - subtract a G-1, add a DA 50-200WR to the mix.

a month's trials and a fine hike

I took a pretty walk early in October, trying out several lenses in turn.  The bag carried the DA18-135 for simplicity, plus a Sigma 15 fisheye, Rikenon 28 and the DA40.  The Sigma 50 stayed in the car, victimized yet again by the DA40.  Sadly the Promaster 100 macro stayed at home; it would have been a fine complement to the other primes.  Also sadly, the 49-52mm step ring did not come, so the DA40 had no polarizer like the 28 and 18-135.  While I'm filled with regrets, the Rikenon 70-150 f/4 really should have been there too!

At first the 18-135 got all the shots and I found it satisfactory - especially since it was my only 'telephoto' option! - but weather conditions were perfect at the time, so its weather sealing was of no value here.  No need for silent focus either, as I was essentially alone and 6500 feet up!  So after taking a shot at  around 40mm I popped on the Limited prime and enjoyed it for a while.  The smaller camera/lens combo was most pleasant!  It alternated with the all-manual Rikenon at times, which with the cPL filter took several powerful images.  I must say that overall I preferred the primes as my way to shoot.  Having fairly large FL gaps is not big to me, and 15-28-40 felt just fine; I would like to add the DA70 some day to fill the space to the 100, but I also have a Rikenon 70-150 zoom that would have served very well - sadly it also stayed home. 

At the turnaround point on my hike I broke out the 15mm fisheye, and it was great fun.  Starpoints made the sun into an artistic light source, and the larch and huckleberry shrubs were great color features.  I'm always impressed that the sun can be in an image yet exposure doesn't overcompensate with a black foreground!  Soon the 15mm went back in the pack, and the DA40 was back on.  The 40 and 28 got plenty of use on the way back.

So what did I learn?  (And will it stick?)
I think the 18-55WR is enough WR range for my purposes, and the $300 saved can go back in the fund for a DA70.  I will need to try that 70-150 f/4 with the other two primes first however - as the Rikenon 28 makes the DA21 less vital to my plans, the 70-150 may restrain my 'need' for the DA70.  I'm still on the fence for a macro, with two fine choices: the Sigma 50/2.8 EX DG has been sidelined by the DA40 and the Promaster 100/3.5 lost its chance to shine this trip.  So a few more tests to winnow the set are needed.

More shots from this trip on Picasa!

camping at last

 After nearly three years without any practice, my first trailer-camp required backing up between two thick trees and up a 20-degree slope.. and oh yes it was pitch dark, not counting the many nice relatives who illuminated our site and called out warnings or encouragement as I struggled to regain old habits. 

We hung out in the bug-free woods for three days.  I brought two cameras to play with: the K-5 and a fine red Lumix GF2.  While its primary purpose is its AF video more than raw-image stills, it wandered the camps with me nearly as often as the K-5.  In fact the K-5 sulked a bit - not exactly that, but it showed signs of a K-5 battery trait that is fairly well documented.  The mirror mechanism fired twice for several shots when using a freshly-charged battery, and as the battery is used the issue 'always' resolves - and my camera ran true to form.  The GF2 had just its 14-42 kit (28-84 equivalent) while the K-5 used 15 (fisheye), 28 and 50mm (macro) lenses (22, 42 and 75mm equivalent).  All had their uses, and for the family photo I went old-school with the 28mm Rikenon.  This old manual lens is a sharp one, and I captured the bunch of us very well.  Sadly my wife was ill through all of Saturday, so the trip had rather strong ups and downs.  But despite the health problems we did it!

that was fun!

All that driving for a dumb picture?

Well not exactly.

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The weekend of May 20th had several things going for it.  On a personal level it was the seventh anniversary of my first date with my future wife.  Yes the Republic fell and the Empire was established, and Darth Vader was encased in black plastic.. pretty sad overall, but we consider it a nice evening anyway.  We chose to travel on the 20th to commemorate that date and our 5th wedding anniversary; that happened in January but we were forced to delay our party.  To make it worth heading south there was the annular solar eclipse cruising past Oregon on its way to Texas.  These are not the stunners that total eclipses are, with the prominences and huge corona blazing in a starry sky, but they are worth seeing anyway (if you have filters to protect your vision!).

So off we went.  This event also came close to cancellation, as we intended to go Saturday for a far more leisurely ramble toward totality - but instead we dashed down Sunday, arriving at a suitable site with about 10 minutes to spare.  I brought three cameras - the Lumix G1 and 45-200mm lens got the tripod, the K-5 and various lenses was in hand for versatility, and a film camera was used for the occasional shot, the first film I've exposed in about a decade.  Overkill most likely, but if you own them why not use them?

We made a cheap pinhole camera to use when cameras had the filters attached, then popped the filters on the binocs for the big views - or just held the filters to our eyes and saw the action unfold in natural scale. Several groups of clouds threatened to intervene but they passed above the sun instead, so we had very little atmospheric interference with the show. The sky faded toward twilight yet visibility remained great; impressive how less than 10 percent of the sun can still provide that much light! The wind faded to nothing during the eclipse, where it had been brisk and gusty in the afternoon heat. Shadows looked decidedly weird, a feature I remember from 1979's total eclipse that a few of us viewed from near Mt. Hood. And then the moon caught the far edge of the sun, and the event was essentially over. We packed up slowly and drove back into thick mid-level clouds, which brought the solar show to an ignominious end.

It should be noted that my film experience was not great, and makes digital imaging feel so much more 'right' now.  I bought batteries for three film bodies, only to find that the 'best' of them (Pentax ME 'SE') had drained them overnight; apparently it was not set to Lock and that's bad.  The second ME body was not closing convincingly, so the film could fog at a very bad time - so I stole its batteries and put them in the SE body.  Since that had drained the other batteries I wasn't sure of that - so this left the Ricoh XR-10 as my safest bet.  That camera came through but it was an awkward fit since I did not get to read any instructions first!  The film took almost $10 to process and the drug store failed to print most of the eclipse shots.. guess the computer figured they were blank and decided not to print!  I will try that SE in the near future.. maybe it can catch the Venus transit?  p.s. it sure is weird not seeing the captured image on the back of old film cameras.. :^)

careful what you wish for..

Having recently decided a 15mm lens was in my future, I set about seeing what that future would cost me.. in order to decide how far in the future I'd need to shop. LBA forces a lot of such circular logic in order to justify more lenses, and it worked its dark magic again. Sitting on the auction site was the Sigma 15mm fisheye, gently used, for .. make offer?
I made offer. And now it's mine.
Regrets are pleasantly few. Yes I would have preferred the DA15 which is smaller and lighter, and has quick-shift focus override. On the other hand I will enjoy f/2.8 abilities and be full-frame capable if Pentax chooses to make a camera with a 36x24 sensor. Even if that's announced tomorrow I am not up for such a thing, as I really like the K-5 size and would not choose to carry a more massive camera. Still, others would definitely go for such a camera, and some of them will have DA15s - and they will covet my Sigma! And even if they don't, this is an excellent lens regardless of peers. In the 24x18-sensor world the fishiness is lessened but still there for entertaining shots. Outdoors, just keep the horizon near the center and trees away from the edge, and its fisheye characteristics are much minimized.

This should be fun!

daring to dream - camera gear 'needs'

The budget is tight around most of the globe, and our household is included. I have carefully assembled my gear, having backtracked and reworked it several times as our finances flexed. I have been indulging very few other hobbies, so I am content with what I have.
But if? If more funds dropped into my lap for photography, where would it go? Let me count the ways..

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First off: inventory.
On the AF front I am covered from 18mm to 300mm with very good Pentax zooms.  For manual-focus fun I have things covered at 28mm and from 35-150mm with a prime and two zooms (all from what I'll call Ricoh's bronze age - hopefully the golden age begins soon!).  I have a macro lens, several decent filters, a good-enough tripod and bags to carry the gear.  Memory aplenty and two batteries.  Check.

Inventory problems?
I have to say my limitations are few, and thoroughly self-imposed.  I have no "fast glass", and I am very happy about that!  To spend twice as much cash to carry thrice the weight, so that I can shoot at f/2.8 instead of f/4.5?  With a K-5 that can shoot iso6400 or better with careful attention?   As Bilbo Baggins will soon be saying on screen, No thank you!
As to range, I feel only slightly cramped and only at the wide end.  I should like to pass beyond 18mm - though something like 10mm would more likely distract my concentration - why compose when you can take a picture with everything in it?  That's an awful thing to say but I can hear it even now; the lazy imager in me will not be silenced and my guard must stay up. To keep lenses small and scale under some semblance of control, I'd like a prime or two for going ultrawide.

My Mental Shopping List
If money frees up for a large purchase my most likely next lens will be 15mm, most likely the DA15.  Let's face it though, I also fancy Sigma's 15mm fisheye, which yields a bit more speed at the price of bent lines.  One of those would likely be followed by the DA21.  I really like the 28 that I have and it would probably have a comfortable place on my shelf if the 21 came about.  The Sigma EX DG 50mac that I own now is too good to waste my dreams on the Limiteds from 40 to 70mm, which is a great relief even to my dreams. I do not doubt I would really enjoy the DA 12-24 and hear nothing but good about it, but apparently in my dreams it's prime time.
On the tele end: nothing really.  The DA55-300 was made with me in mind - if I need more I shall crop, and if I stay below 250mm I shall be rewarded.
The only other item of some interest is a catch-all that is as good or better than the Sigma 18-200 that I have enjoyed more than once in my imaging career.  I hated to let that go last time but the budget makes demands that must be obeyed.  However, Pentax has mapped out a similar lens in their near future which has my interest.  Other than "DA High-Magnification Zoom" and a fuzzy blur that looks like ~18-200mm we know nothing of substance in May 2012.  Will it have quick-shift, weather seals, faster aperture settings?  Will it be an XS model for the K-01?  Will it be available in fuschia?  No strike that, not a priority :^) - but its final configuration will go a long way to determining if it lands in my bag.

Fun times ahead - as always, budget permitting.

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Further ruminations on the 15mm selection
We Pentax users have two very good candidates with distinctive features: the DA15 Limited and Sigma's fisheye. It's hard to argue against two lenses with great reputations, but the differences are clear; each of us will put a 'price' on those differences and choose the right lens. Both have 7 aperture blades and neither are weather sealed. Superlatives abound on the internet for both.

• On the DA side of things we have less field curvature, quick-shift, filter threads and those features that make Limiteds so beloved. It's a bit smaller and 100g lighter.
• On the Sigma side we have full-frame coverage, f/2.8 and an aperture ring. It can get close enough for 1:4 life size closeups. The fisheye effect on aps-c is muted but still evident.

When the time comes it will be an interesting decision. Perhaps a used lens will appear just as funds can be found. We'll see!

and a week later, we did see - here's the update.