25 June 2009
Father's Day Weekend Macro
Went out with some fellow Pentax users to shoot some macro shots on the eve of Father's Day. Decided I didn't want to use a flash. All shots with the K20D and the FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro
19 June 2009
DA 55-300mm - a nice tele zoom
Quite a long time ago I asked a good friend of mine to source out a DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED, a consumer grade tele zoom that was been getting very favorable reviews from Pentax users. I had just about forgotten all about it when my I got a call to say he had one waiting for me.
I already had a DA 50-200mm, a very nice and compact tele zoom that had been around for quite some time. It's a great lens but if you need to shoot subjects at slightly longer distances like birds or stealth candids, it often felt that 200mm was just not long enough. So it was the attraction of good optical performance and that longer 300mm reach which got me to consider this lens. A price drop also made it all all the more attractive.
Physically, it is comparable to the DA 50-200mm, except when it is zoomed out to 300mm when the longer barrel extesion becomes apparent. The lens is a variable aperture zoom where the maximum aperture changes as the focal length increases. Starting a f/4 at 55 mm, it changes to f/4.5 at 107 mm, f/5.6 at 190 mm and finally to f/5.8 from 260 mm onwards. Minimum focusing distance is 1.4m.
Optically it is pretty good, images are mostly sharp and contrasty. There is some light fall off at maximum aperture but not very significant and nothing that can't be corrected in post processing. About the only criticism of this lens is some green color fringing when shooting backlit subjects and specular highlights. Again this can largely be corrected during post processing. The other issue is auto focusing. This lens has a long focus throw and if used in low light or low subject contrast situations, the camera's AF will occasionally hunt to lock focus. This is largely a camera body related issue but having Quick Shift does help in such situations. Aside from these niggling issues, this lens comes highly recommended.
These images were taken at a recent wakeboarding event using the K20D.
I already had a DA 50-200mm, a very nice and compact tele zoom that had been around for quite some time. It's a great lens but if you need to shoot subjects at slightly longer distances like birds or stealth candids, it often felt that 200mm was just not long enough. So it was the attraction of good optical performance and that longer 300mm reach which got me to consider this lens. A price drop also made it all all the more attractive.
Physically, it is comparable to the DA 50-200mm, except when it is zoomed out to 300mm when the longer barrel extesion becomes apparent. The lens is a variable aperture zoom where the maximum aperture changes as the focal length increases. Starting a f/4 at 55 mm, it changes to f/4.5 at 107 mm, f/5.6 at 190 mm and finally to f/5.8 from 260 mm onwards. Minimum focusing distance is 1.4m.
Optically it is pretty good, images are mostly sharp and contrasty. There is some light fall off at maximum aperture but not very significant and nothing that can't be corrected in post processing. About the only criticism of this lens is some green color fringing when shooting backlit subjects and specular highlights. Again this can largely be corrected during post processing. The other issue is auto focusing. This lens has a long focus throw and if used in low light or low subject contrast situations, the camera's AF will occasionally hunt to lock focus. This is largely a camera body related issue but having Quick Shift does help in such situations. Aside from these niggling issues, this lens comes highly recommended.
These images were taken at a recent wakeboarding event using the K20D.
31 May 2009
Grape Life
Shot this still life with the K20D and Sigma 50mm f/2.8 Macro using available light. Obviously this was a quick shoot because the sweet grapes disappeared pretty fast!
09 May 2009
Vivitar 200mm f/3.5 first impressions
Today I tried out a old lens that had intrigued me for quite awhile, the Vivitar 200mm f/3.5. This K-mount lens is fairly uncommon and it also comes in a Pentax M42 screw mount version. Got it from a friend in the US who likes collecting legacy lenses so it was interesting to find out the kind of images it could produce.
I went out to shoot some tall grass to see how the lens fares wide open and to check out the out of focus rendering and I have to say it is actually quite nice. Like many old lenses, there isn't the snappy high contrast typical of made for digital lenses today, which is probably a result of the lens coatings used then but it does exhibit good sharpness. Shooting at f/3.5 does have some corner softness but quickly improves when stopped down to a smaller aperture. Light fall off at the corners is not excessive and I kinda like the colour rendition.
This lens is probably overlooked in Pentax mount because Pentax also has the popular M 200mm f/4 telephoto that is more widely available on eBay. However some tests done on the internet pitting the two lenses head to head appear to give the Vivitar the edge optically. The lens looks pretty ordinary in appearance (I think the M 200mm looks a lot nicer) but build quality is solid but not heavy.
About the only criticism of this lens is the dinky built-in lens hood which when slid out is simply too short to be really effective. Like all legacy lenses without the benefit of an auto aperture setting, the only practical exposure mode to use is Manual, which can be a hit or miss affair as exposure readings will vary when shooting at different apertures. So plenty of use of the Green button to determine the camera's preferred exposure is needed.
If you like to try using old manual focus lenses for fun, this is a good telephoto to look out for. And it definitely won't cost too much to give it a try..
I went out to shoot some tall grass to see how the lens fares wide open and to check out the out of focus rendering and I have to say it is actually quite nice. Like many old lenses, there isn't the snappy high contrast typical of made for digital lenses today, which is probably a result of the lens coatings used then but it does exhibit good sharpness. Shooting at f/3.5 does have some corner softness but quickly improves when stopped down to a smaller aperture. Light fall off at the corners is not excessive and I kinda like the colour rendition.
This lens is probably overlooked in Pentax mount because Pentax also has the popular M 200mm f/4 telephoto that is more widely available on eBay. However some tests done on the internet pitting the two lenses head to head appear to give the Vivitar the edge optically. The lens looks pretty ordinary in appearance (I think the M 200mm looks a lot nicer) but build quality is solid but not heavy.
About the only criticism of this lens is the dinky built-in lens hood which when slid out is simply too short to be really effective. Like all legacy lenses without the benefit of an auto aperture setting, the only practical exposure mode to use is Manual, which can be a hit or miss affair as exposure readings will vary when shooting at different apertures. So plenty of use of the Green button to determine the camera's preferred exposure is needed.
If you like to try using old manual focus lenses for fun, this is a good telephoto to look out for. And it definitely won't cost too much to give it a try..
05 May 2009
Hexagon Bokeh
A shot of reflections off the sea with the K20D and DA 50-200mm with a Hoya colour polarizing filter. The specular highlights from the waves plus six sided aperture blades combine to create an interplay of interesting patterns.
19 April 2009
Personal favs
Just two images converted to black and white from my Pulau Ubin trip that I like a lot. A study in symmetry and simplicty.
*ist DL2 DA 18-55mm II
K20D DA 50-200mm
*ist DL2 DA 18-55mm II
K20D DA 50-200mm
17 April 2009
Pulau Ubin IR Images
Here's a series of IR image that was taken with my *istDL2 infrared modified camera during the Pentax outing to Pulau Ubin. It was a pretty hot day, which was physically sapping on the body but perfect conditions for IR shooting. Used the DA 18-55mm II for all the shots.
We went about by foot and came across this calm pond. Just a perfect and tranquil scene.
Plenty of coconuts too... as well as the friendly dogs that shadowed us most of the way.
A sweaty 30 minute walk from the ferry jetty and we reached Chek Jawa, a natural protected wetland. Definitely a must see when on the island.
Some solitary trees amidst the flat scene...
We went about by foot and came across this calm pond. Just a perfect and tranquil scene.
Plenty of coconuts too... as well as the friendly dogs that shadowed us most of the way.
A sweaty 30 minute walk from the ferry jetty and we reached Chek Jawa, a natural protected wetland. Definitely a must see when on the island.
Some solitary trees amidst the flat scene...
15 April 2009
Pentax Outing to Pulau Ubin
The Pentax group decided to shoot at a small island on the eastern tip of Singapore called Pulau Ubin. The outing provided a very welcome change of scenery from the hustle and bustle urban jungle of the city to actual rustic kampung houses, unspoilt tropical vegetation, beaches and wetlands.
It was a very warm and humid day and the bright sun and plenty of walking made for a good physical workout for the group. Nonetheless there were photographic opportunites aplenty and I managed to get some very nice shots of animals, plants, general landscapes plus IR images too.
It was a very warm and humid day and the bright sun and plenty of walking made for a good physical workout for the group. Nonetheless there were photographic opportunites aplenty and I managed to get some very nice shots of animals, plants, general landscapes plus IR images too.
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