Thursday I picked up the prints from two rolls of Fujicolor 800 film shot at ISO 1250 and pushed 1 stop. Wow, could I see detail. Why hadn't my shots looked this consistently sharp before? Ah, I must have used the new KX, I thought.
No; both rolls had flash shots, a clear indication that I had used my Super Programs. And some of the "sharp" shots were taken with my new Pentax 400/45.6 PKA and my briefly owned SMC Takumar 500/4.5 + 1.4XL teleconverter. So why were they disceribly sharper? Several reasons, I think: 1. The 400 and 700mm outdoor shots were taken on my new, heavy-duty Cullmann Titan tripod and ballhead. 2. On several of the Titan shots, I used the self-timer. 3. For many of the indoor shots, I used TTL flash, abandoning my available-darkness bias. (It didn't hurt that the flash shots were taken with an SMC 35/2K, bought from Arnold Stark.) 4. Outdoor shots that were handheld were shot at f/8 or f/11, at shutter speeds of 1/250 second or higher. 5. For my 135mm outdoor shots, I used my new Vivitar Series One 135/2.3 PK lens. Not to knock the SMC 135/2.5K, but I think the Vivitar has it beat in lpm resolution wider than f/16. However, the Vivitar can't hold a candle to the SMC in saturation and contrast. 6. Indoor shots that were taken without flash were either on the Cullmann or on a tabletop tripod. These shots used my Pentax SMC 200/2.5, a lens that has disappointed me at f/2.5 and f/4. This time, thanks to stationary subjects, I shot at f/5.6. What a difference a stop makes! I can't wait to get the prints from my KX with 400 film and mirror lockup! Too bad it took me so long to wake up to the price I pay for shooting handheld, with a Super Program, at 1/15 to 1/60 second. I've just ordered my first cable release. Better late than never. [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
