Quoting Mark C <[email protected]>:
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
That's impressive.
I'm still building up my Q kit - the 15 to 45 zoom is on the way and I
have adapters for M42 and Konica AR. I'm yet to try macro with my Q
but I have a 55mm Hexanon that I'll be playing with when I get a
chance. I even have an old 50mm Macro Takumar that might be worth
trying.
I'm interested in that Bolt ring light. From your last paragraph I
get the impression that you think actual flash has some advantages
over continuous light. If so, any particular reason? Greater light
intensity?
--
Cheers
Brian
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Brian Walters
Western Sydney Australia
http://lyons-ryan.org/southernlight/
--
PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
[email protected]
http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow
the directions.
