Pics from a newbie
 

Hi all.

Glad to see a photo section here. I'm too busy playing with my new 75 to go out snapping but here are a few old ones. This thread will make interesting reading in the dark evenings.

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/7255/imgp9763.jpg


http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/2...gp5766edit.jpg


http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/2205/imgp4930t.jpg

First question has to be Canon or Nikon.............:getmecoat:

Or Pentax.

Nice one :)

Those are some truely fantastic images :cool2:

Steady on. Here's 3 more.

http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/7733/imgp7395.jpg


http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4...iteditedit.jpg


http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/5000/imgp7115v.jpg

some very nice photos , well done

very nice but take some shots of your 75 :icon_smile:

I'm waiting for a sunny day, so June.

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/9...im0002edit.jpg



http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/953...09imgp9424.jpg



http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/7...10sparrows.jpg

very good photos:drool4::drool4::drool4:

Or Olympus, Minolta/Sony.....We could keep guessing, put us out of our misery, what you shooting with:D

Anyhow some very nice work there, keep on posting for us.

It's a pentax kr and a combination of really old and modern lenses.

When I was at college (many moons ago) I used to use a Pentax k1000 and then bought a Pentax Z1 and had that for many years, 'twas a great film body camera.
When I joined the digital revolution I migrated to Canon cameras but do still have a soft spot for Pentax bodies.

I got a pentax because they are excellent in their own right but they have in camera image stabilisation and you can fit lenses that are up to 60 years old, or older. This means you can buy a really good manual lens for 20 - 30 pounds.

If money was no option I would most likely get a Canon or Nikon. Mind you, a good camera with several prime lenses and one or two zooms will cost a few thousand quid.

I wont even go there with the cost of our hobbies, especially if the other half gets to read this;)
I do motor sport photography in the main and the cost of the glass can get a wee bit silly!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...1/IMG_8385.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...1/IMG_8300.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...t_filtered.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...t_filtered.jpg

I use a Sigma 150-500 o/s lens but would love to go for a 500mm prime Canon L but need the numbers to come up first:D

Looking to buy a 70-200 2.8 this year and stuck between the Canon:drool4: or the Sigma (much cheaper) decisions, decisions.

The modern stuff is ideal for that type of shooting You need the camera and lens to be fast focusing and let in plenty of light. As you said, it gets expensive.

I like the the first two best.

Thanks,
The first two are from last years second round of the btcc at Brands Hatch,
The F1 shots were from the Belgium Grand Prix Spa in Aug 2010 and the weather was very bad for most of the race and the catch fences proved to be a big problem in low light conditions, they were shot with an iso of between 800 and 1600.
Still Lewis won so all was not lost :D
Much easier now to take memory cards for my type of shooting.
Used to cost a fortune in film and development although the anticipation waiting for your prints to come back was always a buzz.
Look forward to seeing more of your pictures and some of your car when the weather improves.

Hi Paul and many thanks for posting up some excellent photos. I would be interested to know which settings and editing programme you use, that is if have the when time to reveal these. Having image stability is really useful as we all know. Just before Christmas I visited Lake Bogoria in Kenya to take some bird photos. The telephotos lens I used has no image stability. The settings were 'P' and sports at 1/4000s in RAW (Nikon). On the day I visited it was very hot at 41 C as Lake Bogoria also has thermal springs. The other paradise for rare tropical birds I went to was Lake Baringo. Taking photos in this environment was challenging to say the least as there were Hippos and Crocs lurking. One Croc chased the wife which was a laugh. She would kill me if she knew I had posted about it :}

Editing: I think Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop is best. If I could only have one it would be Lightroom. I believe Gimp is a good free solution. Some people will disagree but it comes down to personal preference.

Most of my bird shots are done at close range. It's really hard to get a large, sharp image using a telephoto at long distance and achieving this can cost a lot of money for a good lens.. I prefer to set the camera up near the subject and trigger it remotely. Some of my shots were taken as I sat in my armchair watching TV, operating the camera about 20 metres away :}.

So I don't do much shooting at long distance.

Not sure what camera or lenses you have but looking at those two I would suggest trying a hood for the lens.

You are so lucky having those subjects on your doorstep.

I've got a Nuthatch and Bullfinch in the garden at the minute, last two winters i've even had a Redwing which is pretty rare for up here.
My main birding lens is a Bigma 50-500mm OS, I shoot all my macros on a compact with a few select attachments as I shoot video too.

Thanks Paul for the tip about getting a lens hood and using the remote from a distance. Both don't cost much yet I do not have any. I was given photoshop elements 10 for Christmas and it included a 30 day full programme of Adobe Premier on another DVD (which I have not loaded as I need to learn elements first).

I would love a long lens up to 500mm but like a lot of people they are so bloomin expensive. The Nikon range is and the Sigma's are not that cheap either.

I am thinking of upgrading my camera later on in the year and am wondering now if I should spend my money on the lens or do I have a go at a camera like the Pentax you have. A family friend has the same camera you have Paul and last year she went on safari with it for the first time in using a DSLR. She posted up some excellent pictures on her facebook, full of colour, details and correct lighting. I am not knocking Nikon, Canon, or Fuji here. All excellent cameras. I do like the results you produced Paul in your nature studies. I am not in the UK long enough to try-the-before-you-buy camera rental scheme and will think and research.

A lot of these cameras are coming down in price, but not the accessories like the lenses. And the other thing is knowing how to use them and them how to edit.

Don't we just love it! :} It is really good to see new members and the not so new posting up and keeping the photography section going :bowdown:

I am very lucky to be able to live so close to the wild life. It does have some downsides but I won't go into that. I am not complaining

Hi Phil,
While lenses are expensive they do stay with you. When I bought my Bigma there were very basic camera bodies available for decent money, at the time I was shooting on a Canon 350D I bought for £200. The lens cost me just shy of £1200 but I still have it. I have since upgraded my camera several times but the lenses I still have.

The current DSLR market is saturated with cameras which have that many features it pretty much takes all the control away from the user and I personally don't like that. Understanding aperture to control DoF, to create the look and effect you're after takes skill. Built in software now does all that for you.

Before you choose on a brand look at the lenses available as this is the most costly factor. Main reason people opt for the big two brands is due to the availability and cost of lenses, plenty of used lenses crop up on ebay for Nikon & Canon which keeps used prices low.
Sony are now a big player and are producing some great cameras.
Don't overlook Olympus as their E-series cameras produce some stunning results straight off camera, and due to the 4/3rds system being a 2.0x crop sensor a 300mm lens gives the 35mm equivilent field of view as a 600mm lens. I thought long and hard about this before I bought as I shoot a lot of birds and wildlife.

I agree.

The make of camera is not to important, all the manufacturers produce excellent products. I went with Pentax because I could buy a host of top quality Pentax/Asahi/Takumar lenses for 20-50 pounds. Many of these lenses would be over 50 years old but with superb glass. These lenses would be hard to use as the are completely manual. So they are difficult to use but it teaches you how to use the camera as you you have to do everything yourself. With the Pentax's built in stabilisation you do not need lenses with stabilisation. As I said before if, money was no option I would most likely get a Canon or Nikon or maybe one of these or similar.


http://www.cliftoncameras.co.uk/Leica_S2-P_Digital_SLR

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/1296/imgp2724h.jpg


http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/9...28imgp8444.jpg


http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/6...29imgp5341.jpg

All the Adobe software can be downloaded on trial for 30 days (I think) so you can try it out if you wish.

I played with your picture for 2 minutes and you can see a difference.


http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/2...sondisplay.jpg


http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/3...ngoesondis.jpg

I could do with your Bigma to get pictures of the Buzzards down the woods across the field. I suppose I could set up on a tripod and fire the shutter remotely after chucking a dead critter in the field. They look like Vultures circling in tthe summer.

We occassionally get peregrine and sparrowhawk too but catching them is another matter. The Bigma needs a lot of light, f6.3 at the long end often isn't enough.

Hi Paul

I can see how you were able to clean up the photo of the lesser and greater flamingoes as well as to improve the clarity and all done in 2 minutes! Clearly I am not up to your standard :}

I am going to wait until I am back in London to get the free trial downloads which will be in a few days time. No broadband here. Just on the dongle and if I check now it says the speed is 0.53 kbps - 1.06 kbps

I have been looking at clifton cameras and will revisit another time. Thanks for the link.

Alan and yourself have made some good points about the cameras, how the market is and the lenses, as well as the software. It is great to have both of you on board here to show us your photos and knowledge. I say this with sincerity by the way. I like the idea of also making use of a digital cam for other shots like Macro.

I started off with a Zenith E SLR back in 1980 and over years collected Minolta, Pentax and Nikon, 35 mm of course.

What sad news today about Kodak.

The key to good macro in my experience isn't about getting the best camera and lens, its about fieldcraft. The following photos were shot on an old camera I gave £100 for with a special close up filter I got. For me, it's about getting up close and personal with the things you never get face to face with.
http://http://farm5.staticflickr.com...b898d3698c.jpg
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4081/4...b898d3698c.jpg

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4082/4...5620a0bd8d.jpg

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4074/4...804f4ee05d.jpg
http://http://farm5.staticflickr.com...e0582422be.jpg

Yep, macro can be done for not much cash. I use extension tubes or reverse a lens onto the camera or put something like a 135mm on the camera and reverse a 28mm on the end of that. You can see individual electrons like that:}

I got hold of a really cheap crappy teleconverter and took the glass out, it gave me an extesion tube with electrical conections to the lens.

Amazing looking photos there Alan. You are quite right about getting personal with the subject matter. That is indeed very close, very personal - fascinating. On reflection I went with the Nikon because of the brand. I had a Nikon before and never ever had any problems with it. I did look at Sony, Canon and not at Pentax, but settled on the Nikon. I suffer from shaky hands :} and it is because of this that I desire some help in dealing with certain shots. The VR lenses are really pricey and out of my range. So when I am out in the bush with the wild life, I sometimes have to pass my camera over to someone to take a photo and that person may not always know about field craft and how to take a shot. I will be in the UK for a couple of weeks (I might have time to check some brands/lenses out) before returning to Kenya and then down to South Africa where I am also very lucky to be close to the wild life on the mountain farm for a few months. I have taken thousands of photos of wild birds, reptiles, the 'Big-Five'. Insects such as the ones you and Paul have shown, is something I have not attempted. Paul, I showed the wife how you cleaned up the Flamingo shot and she said Wow! :}

One thing I would say is that if buying lenses is really out of your budget have you looked at the superzoom compact bridge cameras? All the control of an SLR but in a smaller package. Granted the overall image quality will never be as detailed as what an SLR can produce but with many of the modern superzooms having lenses equal to an 800mm lens they do allow you to get very close to the action and many now have CMOS sensors.

That's a good shout. I looked really hard at a bridge camera before going for the SLR. I had even chosen the one I was getting. Some are really good and you will never have to buy another lens (well maybe something for extreme macro). Also you can travel light with just the camera instead of a bag full of lenses. In fact if I had lot's of money I'd have one, for those moments you just want to pick up a camera and go.


Here are a few

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equ...-the-year.html

I've currently got the Canon SX30 IS plus a few lens attachments.
Previously i've had the SX1 IS and the S5 IS, both great little cameras.

It boils down to compromise, the compact gives me advantages over the big lens in that I can snap away at a full 840mm zoom while handholding. It also has a 4x digital teleconvertor which gives equal to 140x zoom, which is absolutely rubbish for still images it is fine for HD video.

As I mentioned in Starbugs post I did buy the Fuji HS10 but I preferred the electronic zoom toggle as opposed to Fuji's zoom ring.
In the end I missed the intuitive firmware of the Canon so opted for the SX30.

Panasonic have done some good bridge cameras over the years, I think their newest one is supposed to be a cracker.

Phil, I don't know how you shoot but regarding the shaky hands, a tripod and a remote control would work. Not much use if you are in a group on a vehicle though.

If you were mainly shooting wildlife, a bridge camera on a tripod with a remote would give excellent resuts.

Where were those Shaggy Ink Caps please? I'll come and pick them next Autumn before they get in that state. Delicious!

On my patio. I'll light the bbq for you.

A bridge camera could be answer to my problems. Tomorrow a.m I am flying to London just with hand luggage, one bag and only room for some documents and the laptop. The Nikon is being left behind because of weight. I just had a quick look at the link you posted up Paul. Thanks for the idea. I like it and the price range looks good. I will also look at the Canon Alan described. I really can't believe my luck, in that I simply bent over this morning to pick something up and then my back went....arrgh! darn it. So am loaded up on analgesics. Such is life but then there is always someone worse off.

Cheers Rocket. You really should try them, but when they're younger than those in the photo'. Fried or microwaved for a few minutes in a drop of milk. Tasty!

Chad.

PS. I've only ever seen them growing in grass before. Very surprised to see them in a paved patio.

That 3rd pic is stunning :drool4::bowdown:

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/4...28imgp8189.jpg


http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/115...10dcim0007.jpg


http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/2...gp9391edit.jpg

Love the last one.
Hope you didn't get to damp down low in the dew:D

I put that one in for Grumpy1's breakfast.

I bet he's hungry already:drool4:

Ahhh! the hazards of taking such wonderful photos..morning dew in your pants, better than safari ants hehehe

I was wondering how you both line up your shots Jeff and Paul. Is it done with planning or just by chance and on spec?

I am going start another thread "Out of Africa 2" as most of my shots were taken 'on the fly' as some of the subjects were much larger predators.

I was showing a mate your pics Paul and we wondered how you lined up for the pics of the insect and bird life and if it is a bird or an F1, neither are going to stand around for very long :}

Us Togs love to put ourselves in Harms Way:D
I once went to a race track without a brolly, the danger to ones self from a good soaking just can't be measured!
Most of my photography is planned as I tend to book my race days in advance and then do some research into the venue, good places for action shots, avoidence of catch fences and most importantly, how near are the food concessions:drool4:

Can't be sure what species that one is from that angle Rocket, but thanks for the thought.

Chad.

Phil : The bird ones are mostly planed and shot from a tripod. The insect ones are hand held wandering around.

Here you go grumpy1

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/2...08imgp9342.jpg

Still not too sure on that one Paul I'm afraid. It looks like a good many others, some of which are edible and some which aren't. I'd have to do some research on it, if I can find my books. I usually only pick boletus (except the peppery variety, for obvious reasons), shaggy ink caps, puff balls, wood blueits, oyster and the common field mushroom.

This morning

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/3...gp0303edit.jpg
Shot at 2012-02-10

Very nice, you caught the early morning light very well.
Always hard exposing for snow, I usually use a neutral density filter and dial in a bit of exposure compensation, what settings did you use?

Using all my photographic skills I rushed in, grabbed the camera, set it to auto and pressed the button. Then as always I loaded it into lightroom and tweeked it a bit. :}

Still takes skill in the framing of the shot and pp in photoshop.
I'm a sucker for a winter landscape!

I rekon if I fancy taking a few pics I may go out for say an hour with the camera and will spend at least an hour on the pc in Lightroom and or Photoshop.

I know what you mean, prefer the digital darkroom to the old days and taking up refuge in the bathroom!

picture
 

just like to say iam using picture one as a screensaver good photo:bowdown:

I like picture one as well. The woodland shot creates a feeling of peace, warmth and tranquility. By coincidence, Canon also presents a similar view on its website in one of their sample images. I know you do not use a Canon Paul but thought you might find that of interest.

I have the snowy one as a screensaver maybe I should change, I might feel a bit warmer. I'll have a look at the Canon site, thanks.

A couple of mine - and yes most involve water - sorry

http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/...8_edited-2.jpg

http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/...6_edited-1.jpg
http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/...6_edited-1.jpg

http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/...3_edited-1.jpg

They look great, very peacful setting.
Looks like Alresford Creek or Possibly Mersea Island although I'm probably wrong:getmecoat:

A few more pictures!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...5/IMG_1609.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...1_filtered.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...5/IMG_5358.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...IMG_5312-1.jpg

Spring !!! maybe. Took these today


Spring flowers with bees.

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/3897/imgp05392.jpg


Close up

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/950/imgp05391.jpg


Another flower

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/5903/imgp05413.jpg


These were shot with an ancient russian Helios lens. They came with Zennit and other cameras and were based on an old Leica design.

Like this.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HELIOS-44M...item2a1a300de8



Took this with a modern Pentax 35mm you can just see the vapour trail from the aircraft in Shadofax's shot in the Moon thread.



http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/2034/imgp0571e.jpg
Shot at 2012-03-01

very nice:drool4::drool4::drool4:

This evening

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7...p0931edit1.jpg
Shot at 2012-03-08

It's spring again.

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7585/imgp1151f.jpg
Shot at 2012-03-12

Amazing photo :}

Yet another Dafodil, on a misty murky morning this time. Today infact. I hope the sun breaks through and I may mow the lawn.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/5479/imgp1269edit.jpg
Shot at 2012-03-15

Love the water droplets, as you say spring is here at last:}
Photos like that make me wish my camera had an articulated screen to save on the wet knees/backside!

When you see photographs like this you realise there are snaps & photographs, what I take are always snaps :D

These are a joy to look at.

Mine is also not articulated so I point it in the general direction and fire of loads of pics. I'm not laying on the grass when it's that wet.:}

The tried and trusted bracket the shot because there's no way I'm soiling my trousers technique:D

I went out to take take some bird pictures today and got these :shrug:.

There's flys on my tractor.

Shot with my trusty Helios £20 special and a teleconvertor with the the lenses removed.

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9106/imgp1599n.jpg
Shot at 2012-03-24



http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/1514/imgp1622edit.jpg
Shot at 2012-03-24

Superb, fantastic detail in those :}

Up the road this morning. Lovely weather.


http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/8...rlinga1of1.jpg

Thanks for putting these up Paul :)

Although flies would not be a subject I would enjoy taking photos of. Not a criticism ;) I hear summer has arrived :}

It's odd really. We have soaring temperatures and the dreaded flies and the bluebells are not out yet.

When the blue bells and snow drops are out, I hope we won't be disappointed ...

The little fella at top left centre looks as though he is smiling.......... :D

Some great photos in your collection......... :bowdown:

Err, a Woodpecker on a post.


http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/3...m0036edit1.jpg

The Car


http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/2024/imgp17981.jpg



http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9347/imgp17761.jpg




http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2...p1797edit1.jpg

Your photos Paul are never disappointing.

The ones I don't post here are.

I have lots like that to share:getmecoat:
Seriously, great pics again!

Thamks.

Actually I come back with 95% rubbish. A lot of that is on purpose and the shots are just for learning, what if I do this or maybe from that angle etc. Brilliant this digital photography, gone are the days of agonising for 10 minutes before pressing and praying.

If I go out for an hour, take 40 pics and one is pretty good I am happy.

I know what you mean, you can take bracketing your shots to a whole new level now cost of film and development have been taken out of the equation:D

I still shoot a lot of film. While there is much emphasis on crisp clean digital images I do think the texture you get with film simply can't be replicated.
I work with film in my decay work, the textures give it much more clout than digital as the on board processing just tries to polish each image.

Take this for example:
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2079/5...594b8ebf_z.jpg...shot in an old steel works in Sheffield, it's been left abandoned and slowly decaying for the last 20yrs or so, it's almost as if the workers just put their tools down and left. Film allows you to capture the old rustic style of the workshop in a raw format you couldn't get without heavy processing.

This was last year at the end of April. I must wander down the woods and see if the bluebells are early this year.

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7743/imgp06501.jpg

Thats a great shot

Thanks.

I can report the bluebells are not out there yet.

Any snow drops Paul?

They are over I'm afraid.
I did post a pic in this thread on March 1st of 3 snowdrops looking more like wind turbines.

I must have missed those ones. Thanks Paul.

A mate of mine lives in Kent and only ever gets his Canon out for the snow drops. It is an obsession he is not able to explain.

Nags last Autumn

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/2...9editedit1.jpg



http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/9...p8679edit1.jpg

The white horse is superb. Very nice pics!:clap:

They are looking like paintings. Awesome!


http://maps.google.com/maps/api/stat...52&sensor=trueShort Term Parking Rd, O R Tambo International Airport (JNB), Kempton Park 1627, South Africa

Here is one that started as 6 pics, merged into one pic and cropped, processed and cheated a bit with photoshop.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/9014/90351548.jpg

Nicely presented cloud formation you have put together there Paul.

It was so wet today I stayed indoors and dug these out.

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5...m0011edit5.jpg
Shot at 2012-04-23



http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/9097/imgp5370edit3.jpg


http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/1...p6483edit6.jpg


http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/529...1797edit21.jpg

Somes stunning photos, just excellent .

Thanks.

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/7...9d9de685o1.jpg


http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9894/imgp52891.jpg
Shot at 2012-05-06

Some good images there. I like the woodland one has a HDR quality to it but not the usual overdone effect that seems very common these days. The Bokah is some of the images is sublime what lens are you using?

Woodland one was a mild HDR and quite a lot of work bringing out the balcks and taking down highlights. Lots if diifferent lenses but 3 of the common ones would be

Modern Pentax DA 35mm f2.4

Old M42 Takumar 200mm f5.6

Old Helios 44-6 58mm f2 quite often on extension tubes

Reviews here if interested.

http://www.pentaxforums.com/userrevi...-58mm-f-2.html crazy bokeh on this one at times.

http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensrevi...00mm-F5.6.html

http://www.pentaxforums.com/lensrevi...m-F2.4-AL.html


They are my favourites at the moment.

The bird shots use several different lenses but bokeh is always in my mind setting up the shot.


Edit: I just looked and the woodland shot is still a dng so it cannot have been an HDR, I must have been thinking of another one. It is the type of shot I sometimes use HDR just get an overall better exposure.

Nice to have some sunshine this weekend so I took a few pictures. Here is on of a horse I took in the sunshine and one of some cherry blossom, also a Banded Hoverfly I took last year.


http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2146/imgp21382.jpg



http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/1079/imgp20451.jpg





http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/6...p5452edit1.jpg

Nice shots Paul. Keep them coming.

I am waiting for a macro shot of a lion from you :}

Hehehe

I'll post some up soon

Hector


http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6357/imgp21492.jpg

Jeff this is your fault. Talking about your car pics got my finger itchy so I strolled down the fields. The more I look at it the less I like it.


http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/1726/imgp22341.jpg

Sorry:D
Looks good to me, only one horse power in that model though!
I can't believe the change in weather we have had, Sunday at Brands Hatch it was overcast and 10c today in Sunny Essex an hour and a bit from Kent 26c and more current bun than you could wish for. Looks the same down your way too.

Someone sent me this web address, It's got some pics using an iphone and a great deal of skill. Worth a look.


http://jerryghionisblog.com/2012/05/...he-iphone.html

I had this pic from Goodwood I liked so I set about in photoshop.


http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/494...2559sepia2.jpg

Well said that man! I'm a K-5 user and cannot speak highly enough of Pentax. For APS Pentax offer the best spec and build quality at the keenest price. Plus total compatibility with all previous generation Pentax glass. Great cameras and some fantastic prime lenses. Pentax seem to be overlooked or even sneered at by the Canikon brigade, wrongly.

I think driving a Rover and having a Billingham full of Pentax gear kind of go hand in hand :-)

Not at all Sir,
It's the person behind the glass taking the picture that is the most important sum of the parts;)
I learnt my photography at college doing a diploma in graphic design. One of the modules was photography and thats where I got into it (not forgetting the Brownie 127 my Grandad gave me when i was a kid of course)
The camera bodys used at the college were Pentax k1000's and I loved them, so much so that when I bought my first 'proper' camera it was a Pentax Me, then I got myself a z10 followed by a z1 what a camera that was:drool4:
When I moved onto digital camera I went with Canon because that offered me the best choice for the type of photography I do which is motorsport in the main.
Tbh Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Canon, Sony/Minolta all have great cameras and lenses available and are all more than good enough to meet most peoples needs.
So there you have it, we're not all fanboys for one make or other, love them all really and really loving that new omd olympus camera:drool4: Retrotastic or what:D

P.s, I shoot with a Canon Eos7d/Gripped and various lenses, the best APS camera money can buy........Only Kidding!!

Well that plan failed !

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...b/icon_lol.gif http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...b/icon_lol.gif http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...b/icon_lol.gif

15 minutes ago.

http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/3668/imgp2650p.jpg


http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/6687/imgp2651u.jpg

Lovely pictures as always Paul:drool4:

Thanks.


one more.

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/1570/imgp2634c.jpg

Well, two more.


http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/9946/imgp2636a.jpg

This weekends weather was not great for taking pics so I took these on my desk. What a palaver but I learnt a thing ot two. The main problem was trying to catch some of the few photons fizzing about.


http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5003/imgp2812edit2.jpg



http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/4...6editedit3.jpg

Got some wildlife in this one.


http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/6...gp2950edit.jpg

Impact shots again Paul. Spot on with depth and colour :)

The sun popped out for 10 minutes today.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1473/imgp3174edit2.jpg

High quality close up shots again Paul :)

Went out today and took these. I used a Takumar M42 screw mount 135mm f3.5 manual everything. It might be as old as me. Which is old.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8126/imgp3559.jpg



http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/1524/imgp3460l.jpg



http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/9391/imgp3527bm.jpg



http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/8610/imgp3540y.jpg



http://img816.imageshack.us/img816/1081/imgp3435.jpg



http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4448/imgp3320f.jpg
Shot at 2012-07-19

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/6752/imgp4082.jpg



http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/6995/imgp4032w.jpg

Absolutely stunning shots again Paul:)
Lovely use of leading lines and great focal lengths used on the landscapes!
Note to self.....Must get out myself and take more photos!

Thanks Jeff.

I really like landscape pics shot at longer focal lengths. So I stuck on an old 135mm and made myself shoot with nothing else. As usual got loads of rubbish but also got a few good ones. I was happy and got a nice walk.:}

Yep, most people assume landscape 'wideangle' and stick with that but using a Telephoto compresses the landscape and looks great:D
The macro shots aren't half bad either;)

The petals closest are a little out of focus Paul. Only teasing ;)

I keep getting emails from Adobe to buy lightroom 4. Have you any experience of it?

Not version 4 but if I could only have one piece of software for photgraphy it would be Lightroom. Can't get more praise than that I suppose.
It can take some time to learn all of it's features.

As for the picture, it could all be a little sharper if I'm honest :}

If someone made a digital back that would fit on our old SLR bodies what a wonder that would be, all your old lens would come into play again and you could control the depth of field. and a good old light meter to be in charge of exposures !!!!

Ha happy days spent burning and dodging in the dark room

Good idea but you can fit most old Lenses to Dslr's and you can then put your camera in manual mode. Use your old light meter to set your exposure and Bobs your Uncle:D

I know jeff I was being just a little tongue in cheek, in fact I do have a converter for my minolta lenses to fit my DSLR but my fave camera at present is a bridge version by nikon with 36x zoom lot lighter as you get older and save dragging a tripod around with you though mine is always in back of the car

Thanks for the info. I will revisit lightroom and have a think.

I am just about to head off for the weekend to W. Sussex Paul and will keep an eye out for the elusive Rocket :}

Very true Jeff and there is often a way round the lack of the digital features as you have described :bowdown:

I know exactly how you feel with lumping gear around;)
This is me at Brands with my chosen weight lifting equipment:D

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/u...5/0b40e6dc.jpg

Thats without the back back and other lenses that the other half was holding....Good Lass;):getmecoat:

Yours is bigger than mine Jeff !!!!

Gutted ....

If you want to use your old lenses get a pentax. They have used the k mount since 1975 and all lenses since then fit. Pre 75 you can get an adapter.:}

As for a darkroom, mine was boots the chemist but I really enjoy using the PC. I only had a slr for a few years in the 90's and then got my Pentax dslr as a Christmas pressy 2 years ago so I have only really been keen for a couple of years.

It makes up for inadequacies in other areas:shrug::D

I too am envious of Jeff's whopper.

Mine is only a little smaller I think :}

It's not the size, it's what you do with it Guys:D
Or so I'm told!!!

I have been thinking about getting a new lens, it may be for christmas but no harm thinking ahead. As ever cost is paramount and at the moment I am thinking of two in particular.

A Tamron or Pentax 18-250 macro (same lens near enough) for every day use and the only lens you need to take. This sort of goes against my ethos of using only primes but it would be dammed handy for days out etc. Review here of the canon version. As I said a jack of all trades.http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/293-...report--review

A Tamron 90mm Macro. I think this more likely as it fits my style and my views on lenses. http://www.photozone.de/pentax/362-t...-macro-pentax-

I would be able to use the camera and the 90mm along with a nice Pentax autofocus 35mm (which is pretty small) I have and I would be covered pretty well. I don't shoot a lot at long focal lengths and do have some old Takumar manuals at 135mm and 200mm.

It would be nice to have a bagfull of primes, maybe 8 or 9 at 500-1500 quid a piece.:}

Remember, a lens is for life not just for Christmas:D

Talking of primes, what I would do for a 500mm 2.8:D

Not quite as good as the one you mention but just took this with my 200mm Tele-Takumar 1:5.6



http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/7905/dcim0030.jpg

I have to say Paul that for an amateur your photos look as though you are a professional and I suspect you know much more than you let on :}:bowdown: