The thing that gets me excited about the Q is not that it is a great
do-it-all pocketable compact (because it isn't) be rather that it is a
great interchangeable lens KIT and I can carry a small bag and have
tremendous capacity..,.
With that in mind, I wanted to come up with a macro setup that would
compete with my DSLR / A* 200mm macro rig but be small enough to fit
into a little cameral bag. I came up with the idea of using an M50 f4
macro - a lens that I know to be remarkably sharp - a generic Q to K
mount adapter, and a Bolt VM-110 LED ring light (continuous light
source.) I had to go with a continuous light source because the
electronic shutter on the Q combined with a generic K to Q adapter will
only flash synch at 1/13th of a second...
So here are test shots with the Bolt ring light and M 50 f4:
http://www.markcassino.com/b2evolution/index.php/2013/03/25/test-shots?blog=9
I used an old postage stamp and a $20 bill for my models. The shots are
hand held - taken in early evening light in my home office on a very
gloomy day, all at ISO 400. ISO 400 starts to impinge on image quality
with the Q, but I doubt I will often want to do macro shots in less
light. Using the 50mm macro at its minimum focusing distance there is
about 5 inches of working room and 1/2 inch of subject matter fills the
long axis of the frame. At about 1 foot of working room just over 1 inch
fills the frame. So for a good sized fly I would need to be a foot or so
away...
This is sweet - the ring light stores nicely and in one 9 x 4 inch bag I
can carry a kit that includes a very good fish-eye (18mm standard frame
equivalent) , nice normal prime, two excellent zooms covering the
standard frame 28 - 80mm and 80 - 248mm and also a 275mm f4 macro
equivalent plus lighting... and still room to spare...
I don't know if this is what Pentax had in mind when they came out with
this system, but it works for me. I may even cough up the dough for the
Pentax Q to K converter with the built in leaf shutter to make an actual
flash practical with a K mount lens. (But I'm still hoping that Pentax
makes a Q* mount macro for the Q system so I won't need the expense
adepter and can just buy a more expensive lens...)
Mark
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