Hello Jerome, So sorry to hear about the accident. Based on the scarcity of this lens, I wonder if Pentax Colorado would have any front elements available? I suspect not - would have to order from Japan.
So here is a big question - If you had put a UV/protective filter over the lens, do you think that it would have saved the front element or just broken and gotten through anyway? The shots look marvelous - you are pretty close. Herb talks about sandwiching exposures together to get a larger range. I have just begun to play with that concept. First couple of attempts were based on a RAW image that was converted twice - once darker and once lighter. Then blending them together. Perhaps Herb will chime in with more details on how he does it. -- Best regards, Bruce Wednesday, August 11, 2004, 11:34:06 AM, you wrote: JR> I went hiking this morning with the ist-D and the DA 16-45mm lens. I JR> Slipped. Fell. With No filter. No hood. Lens met Rock. Photographer howled JR> in frustration. End of Story. JR> Ouch. Not sure what to do now. It's not ~quite~ a crack, but definitely JR> more than a scratch (actually, 2 or 3). From preliminary tests, the nicks JR> show up on the photos at about F11 or less. In most photos, I'm betting JR> that I'll be able to fix it via editing... but to have to do that each JR> time will be a pain. It was also the first trip out with the lens too... JR> which makes this stink even more. JR> It also left me wondering how costly (if even possible) it would be to JR> replace just a front element via Pentax Colorado. Any experience with JR> this, anyone? I suppose I'll give them a ring today or tomorrow. JR> Lastly, here are a couple of photos from the hike this morning. I'm still JR> having difficulty exposing for waterfalls, and haven't gotten it down just JR> yet. Balancing btwn making the scene bright enough [usually pretty dark in JR> the woods] and not making the water highlights too blown out seems to be JR> an art that continues to elude me. Any suggestions would be appreciated. JR> http://exposedfilm.net/bras2683.htm JR> http://exposedfilm.net/bras2679.htm JR> Comments appreciated as always. Best regards, JR> - jerome
