Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
On 7/6/2011 04:24, Paul Stenquist wrote: ... Very nice equipment, but I'm not much of a fondler. Me neither. I've Pentax MX thanks to Bob S's generosity and A 50/1.2 thanks to his help too. That's pretty pleasant to hold, but even more pleasant to take pictures with and even more pleasant to actually look at these pictures. When I shoot with my FA limited lenses, which are supposedly made pretty darn good from tactile perspective, I don't really care for that - I am shooting. I can relate to the satisfaction one gets from using good gear. The feeling that everything fits, clicks and generally works together well is indeed very pleasant, but personally (not passing any judgment here, just stating my view) I much rather like the end result and joyous ability to share my photographs with others. Boris -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
2011/7/6 Paul Stenquist pnstenqu...@comcast.net: Very nice equipment, but I'm not much of a fondler. deserves a small mark -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
Darend, I happen to think that this tactile experience as you name it Does have an effect photographs produced. If only because you Need to think about what you are doing. Tis what I love about old stuff and why I have more pleasure to work with film than digital. I often chose not.to because of various reasons like productivity, time constraints etc. I also love to develop and print myself though I often curse because my dark room.equipment is so-so. I still like it more than digital. Thibs.Darren Addy pixelsmi...@gmail.com a écrit :If you will indulge me... With all of the emphasis these days on digital and Image Quality, it seems that many have forgotten (if they ever even lived at a time when they could KNOW it) what a satisfyingly tactile experience photography was. We have been robbed of much of that tactile experience by our automatic and autofocus digital cameras today. We don't get the satisfying pop of the back when we would load or unload film. We've lost the satisfying tactile experience of advancing the film lever and cocking the shutter, or the act of rewinding the 35mm film into it's canister. Now few of us want to chuck our plastic-bodied, autofocus lenses and digital cameras and go back to film - at least on a regular basis. But we can recapture some of that feeling by putting some vintage glass on our Pentax DSLRs. In my opinion, a m42 to K-mount adapter (that allows infinity focus) is one of the truly must have accessories. My personal preference is for the genuine Pentax brands that require no tools to remove. As most of us know, this opens up the world of m42 Takumar glass to you and your Pentax DSLR. I'm especially thinking of this recently, as I obtained a beautiful black Spotmatic and had it CLA'd by Eric. It feels so great in my hands. I just received an equally gorgeous S-M-C Takumar 135mm f2.5 for it, with caps hood and case. What a beautiful piece of kit that is! Along with it I got a very nice chrome Spotmatic F (my first F) with SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 and S-M-C 35mm f3.5 - all looking as if they were rarely used. There is a feeling I get when handling this equipment that is missing when I pick up my plastic-bodied Pentax-F autofocus lenses and that I have the feeling would be missing even if I owned the new Pentax Limited lenses. The heft of the lens. The buttery smoothness of the focusing action. The all-metal screw-in lens hood with white lettering imprinted around the end. Certainly that tactile experience has very little to do with producing excellent images - but that feeling is an aspect of photography that I originally fell in love with and that I feel again as I handle them now. The closest I can come to that feeling is shooting my DSLR with those superb Takumar lenses on it, and in keeping a film body along for those occasions when I want to recapture that feeling in total. The ability to use this quality glass (easily) is one of the main reasons that I originally went with Pentax for my first DSLR (even though I owned no Pentax glass at the time). Darren Addy Kearney, Nebraska -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 7:23 PM, Darren Addy pixelsmi...@gmail.com wrote: I appreciate the reply, Frank. However, I'm not sure that even if I could wear a suit that had lenses pointing in every direction shooting 8 fps that I would find the experience personally fulfilling, although I couldn't complain as much about missing shots. I agree with you. I always travel light, bringing the minimum amount of equipment for the conditions I expect to encounter - usually just one body and a maximum of two (rarely three) lenses. I'm more than happy with my Pentax body - I don't need 8fps. All I really want is a high-quality 400mm auto-focus prime. Is that asking too much? ;-) snip I agree, which is why I said that few of us are chucking our digital gear. The point of my post wasn't that old school was more fulfilling, but that it did have a tactile element that many of us may have forgotten, that is, until we hold it in our hands again and a pleasant sensation tingles some long unused neurons in our brains. (I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine.) : ) Ah, yes. Well. In that case, I have to agree with you. Some of those old Taks had a feel and a quality about them that's unmatchable. Nothing like fondling a big strong lens to get that tingly feeling! ;-) cheers, frank -- Sharpness is a bourgeois concept. -Henri Cartier-Bresson -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
I'll have to get back to you on this--hoping to shoot some film this week :-) Cheers, Christine - Original Message - From: Darren Addy pixelsmi...@gmail.com To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List pdml@pdml.net Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2011 12:02 PM Subject: A few words about the love of Good Equipment... If you will indulge me... With all of the emphasis these days on digital and Image Quality, it seems that many have forgotten (if they ever even lived at a time when they could KNOW it) what a satisfyingly tactile experience photography was. We have been robbed of much of that tactile experience by our automatic and autofocus digital cameras today. We don't get the satisfying pop of the back when we would load or unload film. We've lost the satisfying tactile experience of advancing the film lever and cocking the shutter, or the act of rewinding the 35mm film into it's canister. Now few of us want to chuck our plastic-bodied, autofocus lenses and digital cameras and go back to film - at least on a regular basis. But we can recapture some of that feeling by putting some vintage glass on our Pentax DSLRs. In my opinion, a m42 to K-mount adapter (that allows infinity focus) is one of the truly must have accessories. My personal preference is for the genuine Pentax brands that require no tools to remove. As most of us know, this opens up the world of m42 Takumar glass to you and your Pentax DSLR. I'm especially thinking of this recently, as I obtained a beautiful black Spotmatic and had it CLA'd by Eric. It feels so great in my hands. I just received an equally gorgeous S-M-C Takumar 135mm f2.5 for it, with caps hood and case. What a beautiful piece of kit that is! Along with it I got a very nice chrome Spotmatic F (my first F) with SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 and S-M-C 35mm f3.5 - all looking as if they were rarely used. There is a feeling I get when handling this equipment that is missing when I pick up my plastic-bodied Pentax-F autofocus lenses and that I have the feeling would be missing even if I owned the new Pentax Limited lenses. The heft of the lens. The buttery smoothness of the focusing action. The all-metal screw-in lens hood with white lettering imprinted around the end. Certainly that tactile experience has very little to do with producing excellent images - but that feeling is an aspect of photography that I originally fell in love with and that I feel again as I handle them now. The closest I can come to that feeling is shooting my DSLR with those superb Takumar lenses on it, and in keeping a film body along for those occasions when I want to recapture that feeling in total. The ability to use this quality glass (easily) is one of the main reasons that I originally went with Pentax for my first DSLR (even though I owned no Pentax glass at the time). Darren Addy Kearney, Nebraska -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
RE: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
I usually just carry the old 6x7 (2,718 dings and still going strong) with two lenses and Super as a backup... Norm -Original Message- From: frank theriault I agree with you. I always travel light, bringing the minimum amount of equipment for the conditions I expect to encounter - usually just one body and a maximum of two (rarely three) lenses. I'm more than happy with my Pentax body - I don't need 8fps. All I really want is a high-quality 400mm auto-focus prime. Is that asking too much? ;-) -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
On Wed, Jul 6, 2011 at 12:04 PM, Norm Baugher nbaug...@baugherphotography.com wrote: I usually just carry the old 6x7 (2,718 dings and still going strong) with two lenses and Super as a backup... Norm Norm! Where'd you come from? Great to see you post! Yes, I remember that gorgeous 6x7, I think I even held it and took a shot with it. I think I owe you a phone call - from like a year ago... ;-) cheers, frank -- Sharpness is a bourgeois concept. -Henri Cartier-Bresson -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
RE: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
I agree with you about the tactile feel of the smc tak lenses. They were the pinnacle of pentax lenses build quality. Nothing with a K mount quite matches them, and some are quite worse indeed. -- J.C. O'Connell (mailto:hifis...@gate.net) Join the CD PLAYER DISC Discussions : http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/cdplayers/ http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/cdsound/ -Original Message- From: pdml-boun...@pdml.net [mailto:pdml-boun...@pdml.net] On Behalf Of Darren Addy Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2011 1:02 PM To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List Subject: A few words about the love of Good Equipment... If you will indulge me... With all of the emphasis these days on digital and Image Quality, it seems that many have forgotten (if they ever even lived at a time when they could KNOW it) what a satisfyingly tactile experience photography was. We have been robbed of much of that tactile experience by our automatic and autofocus digital cameras today. We don't get the satisfying pop of the back when we would load or unload film. We've lost the satisfying tactile experience of advancing the film lever and cocking the shutter, or the act of rewinding the 35mm film into it's canister. Now few of us want to chuck our plastic-bodied, autofocus lenses and digital cameras and go back to film - at least on a regular basis. But we can recapture some of that feeling by putting some vintage glass on our Pentax DSLRs. In my opinion, a m42 to K-mount adapter (that allows infinity focus) is one of the truly must have accessories. My personal preference is for the genuine Pentax brands that require no tools to remove. As most of us know, this opens up the world of m42 Takumar glass to you and your Pentax DSLR. I'm especially thinking of this recently, as I obtained a beautiful black Spotmatic and had it CLA'd by Eric. It feels so great in my hands. I just received an equally gorgeous S-M-C Takumar 135mm f2.5 for it, with caps hood and case. What a beautiful piece of kit that is! Along with it I got a very nice chrome Spotmatic F (my first F) with SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 and S-M-C 35mm f3.5 - all looking as if they were rarely used. There is a feeling I get when handling this equipment that is missing when I pick up my plastic-bodied Pentax-F autofocus lenses and that I have the feeling would be missing even if I owned the new Pentax Limited lenses. The heft of the lens. The buttery smoothness of the focusing action. The all-metal screw-in lens hood with white lettering imprinted around the end. Certainly that tactile experience has very little to do with producing excellent images - but that feeling is an aspect of photography that I originally fell in love with and that I feel again as I handle them now. The closest I can come to that feeling is shooting my DSLR with those superb Takumar lenses on it, and in keeping a film body along for those occasions when I want to recapture that feeling in total. The ability to use this quality glass (easily) is one of the main reasons that I originally went with Pentax for my first DSLR (even though I owned no Pentax glass at the time). Darren Addy Kearney, Nebraska -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 1:02 PM, Darren Addy pixelsmi...@gmail.com wrote: If you will indulge me... With all of the emphasis these days on digital and Image Quality, it seems that many have forgotten (if they ever even lived at a time when they could KNOW it) what a satisfyingly tactile experience photography was. We have been robbed of much of that tactile experience by our automatic and autofocus digital cameras today. We don't get the satisfying pop of the back when we would load or unload film. We've lost the satisfying tactile experience of advancing the film lever and cocking the shutter, or the act of rewinding the 35mm film into it's canister. Now few of us want to chuck our plastic-bodied, autofocus lenses and digital cameras and go back to film - at least on a regular basis. But we can recapture some of that feeling by putting some vintage glass on our Pentax DSLRs. In my opinion, a m42 to K-mount adapter (that allows infinity focus) is one of the truly must have accessories. My personal preference is for the genuine Pentax brands that require no tools to remove. As most of us know, this opens up the world of m42 Takumar glass to you and your Pentax DSLR. I'm especially thinking of this recently, as I obtained a beautiful black Spotmatic and had it CLA'd by Eric. It feels so great in my hands. I just received an equally gorgeous S-M-C Takumar 135mm f2.5 for it, with caps hood and case. What a beautiful piece of kit that is! Along with it I got a very nice chrome Spotmatic F (my first F) with SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 and S-M-C 35mm f3.5 - all looking as if they were rarely used. There is a feeling I get when handling this equipment that is missing when I pick up my plastic-bodied Pentax-F autofocus lenses and that I have the feeling would be missing even if I owned the new Pentax Limited lenses. The heft of the lens. The buttery smoothness of the focusing action. The all-metal screw-in lens hood with white lettering imprinted around the end. Certainly that tactile experience has very little to do with producing excellent images - but that feeling is an aspect of photography that I originally fell in love with and that I feel again as I handle them now. The closest I can come to that feeling is shooting my DSLR with those superb Takumar lenses on it, and in keeping a film body along for those occasions when I want to recapture that feeling in total. The ability to use this quality glass (easily) is one of the main reasons that I originally went with Pentax for my first DSLR (even though I owned no Pentax glass at the time). As it turns out all of my longest lenses (which are only 200mm) are manual focus. Two of them have no A setting, those being the two that are most used for my nature photography. My only macro lens is MF with no A setting. So for pretty much all my bird, beaver and bug shots I need to manually expose and focus on my DSLR. Quaint though that might be, I've missed dozens of wonderful shots due to having to set everything up as opposed to just pointing and hitting the shutter release. I'd like to tell you how much more fulfilling it is to shoot old school, but honestly, that's just bullshit. All it means is that I missed some really good shots because my equipment isn't up to snuff, and that's damned frustrating. All that being said, the aforementioned lenses (Tokina 80-200mm f2.8, Tamron SP 90mm f2.5 macro and Pentax M 200mm f4.0) are all solid, smooth easy-focusing pieces of glass, and I do enjoy using them. However that joy is mitigated somewhat by their technical limitations as compared to today's equipment. I do, however, love film cameras, and yes, a mechanical camera is just ~different~ from today's all-singing all-dancing electronic marvels. I take my Leica CL out once a year and put a roll of film through it, just to keep it running. Same with my old Yashica Mat. I should take my old Spotties, MX and LXen out, too, but when the hell would I shoot digital? ;-) cheers, frank -- Sharpness is a bourgeois concept. -Henri Cartier-Bresson -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
RE: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
if you're going to fondle it, make sure you lock the bathroom door. And keep the noise down. B If you will indulge me... With all of the emphasis these days on digital and Image Quality, it seems that many have forgotten (if they ever even lived at a time when they could KNOW it) what a satisfyingly tactile experience photography was. We have been robbed of much of that tactile experience by our automatic and autofocus digital cameras today. We don't get the satisfying pop of the back when we would load or unload film. We've lost the satisfying tactile experience of advancing the film lever and cocking the shutter, or the act of rewinding the 35mm film into it's canister. Now few of us want to chuck our plastic-bodied, autofocus lenses and digital cameras and go back to film - at least on a regular basis. But we can recapture some of that feeling by putting some vintage glass on our Pentax DSLRs. In my opinion, a m42 to K-mount adapter (that allows infinity focus) is one of the truly must have accessories. My personal preference is for the genuine Pentax brands that require no tools to remove. As most of us know, this opens up the world of m42 Takumar glass to you and your Pentax DSLR. I'm especially thinking of this recently, as I obtained a beautiful black Spotmatic and had it CLA'd by Eric. It feels so great in my hands. I just received an equally gorgeous S-M-C Takumar 135mm f2.5 for it, with caps hood and case. What a beautiful piece of kit that is! Along with it I got a very nice chrome Spotmatic F (my first F) with SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 and S-M-C 35mm f3.5 - all looking as if they were rarely used. There is a feeling I get when handling this equipment that is missing when I pick up my plastic-bodied Pentax-F autofocus lenses and that I have the feeling would be missing even if I owned the new Pentax Limited lenses. The heft of the lens. The buttery smoothness of the focusing action. The all-metal screw-in lens hood with white lettering imprinted around the end. Certainly that tactile experience has very little to do with producing excellent images - but that feeling is an aspect of photography that I originally fell in love with and that I feel again as I handle them now. The closest I can come to that feeling is shooting my DSLR with those superb Takumar lenses on it, and in keeping a film body along for those occasions when I want to recapture that feeling in total. The ability to use this quality glass (easily) is one of the main reasons that I originally went with Pentax for my first DSLR (even though I owned no Pentax glass at the time). Darren Addy Kearney, Nebraska -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
On Jul 5, 2011, at 5:35 PM, frank theriault wrote: ... I'd like to tell you how much more fulfilling it is to shoot old school, but honestly, that's just bullshit. ... MARK! stan -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
On 7/5/2011 18:35, Stan Halpin wrote: On Jul 5, 2011, at 5:35 PM, frank theriault wrote: ... I'd like to tell you how much more fulfilling it is to shoot old school, but honestly, that's just bullshit. ... MARK! stan YOu beat me to that Stan -- but I'm sure neither of us had to MARK! that one - ... well, maybe .. we _did_ since he is off gamboling about in Old Erin ann -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 4:35 PM, frank theriault knarftheria...@gmail.com wrote: Quaint though that might be, I've missed dozens of wonderful shots due to having to set everything up as opposed to just pointing and hitting the shutter release. I appreciate the reply, Frank. However, I'm not sure that even if I could wear a suit that had lenses pointing in every direction shooting 8 fps that I would find the experience personally fulfilling, although I couldn't complain as much about missing shots. I'd like to tell you how much more fulfilling it is to shoot old school, but honestly, that's just bullshit. All it means is that I missed some really good shots because my equipment isn't up to snuff, and that's damned frustrating. I agree, which is why I said that few of us are chucking our digital gear. The point of my post wasn't that old school was more fulfilling, but that it did have a tactile element that many of us may have forgotten, that is, until we hold it in our hands again and a pleasant sensation tingles some long unused neurons in our brains. (I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine.) : ) Darren Addy Kearney, Nebraska -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
On 6/07/11 3:02 AM, Darren Addy wrote: If you will indulge me... With all of the emphasis these days on digital and Image Quality, it seems that many have forgotten (if they ever even lived at a time when they could KNOW it) what a satisfyingly tactile experience photography was. We have been robbed of much of that tactile experience by our automatic and autofocus digital cameras today. We don't get the satisfying pop of the back when we would load or unload film. We've lost the satisfying tactile experience of advancing the film lever and cocking the shutter, or the act of rewinding the 35mm film into it's canister. Now few of us want to chuck our plastic-bodied, autofocus lenses and digital cameras and go back to film - at least on a regular basis. But we can recapture some of that feeling by putting some vintage glass on our Pentax DSLRs. In my opinion, a m42 to K-mount adapter (that allows infinity focus) is one of the truly must have accessories. My personal preference is for the genuine Pentax brands that require no tools to remove. As most of us know, this opens up the world of m42 Takumar glass to you and your Pentax DSLR. I'm especially thinking of this recently, as I obtained a beautiful black Spotmatic and had it CLA'd by Eric. It feels so great in my hands. I just received an equally gorgeous S-M-C Takumar 135mm f2.5 for it, with caps hood and case. What a beautiful piece of kit that is! Along with it I got a very nice chrome Spotmatic F (my first F) with SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 and S-M-C 35mm f3.5 - all looking as if they were rarely used. There is a feeling I get when handling this equipment that is missing when I pick up my plastic-bodied Pentax-F autofocus lenses and that I have the feeling would be missing even if I owned the new Pentax Limited lenses. The heft of the lens. The buttery smoothness of the focusing action. The all-metal screw-in lens hood with white lettering imprinted around the end. Certainly that tactile experience has very little to do with producing excellent images - but that feeling is an aspect of photography that I originally fell in love with and that I feel again as I handle them now. The closest I can come to that feeling is shooting my DSLR with those superb Takumar lenses on it, and in keeping a film body along for those occasions when I want to recapture that feeling in total. The ability to use this quality glass (easily) is one of the main reasons that I originally went with Pentax for my first DSLR (even though I owned no Pentax glass at the time). Darren Addy Kearney, Nebraska I just bought a Mamiya RB67 Pro and shooting my first roll of film in years certainly was fun. -- Philip Northeast www.aviewfinderdarkly.com.au -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
I've owned most of the SMC Taks at one time or another, and I still have a few. Very nice equipment, but I'm not much of a fondler. And while some of today's less expensive lenses don't begin to compare, the DA* lenses are very pleasing. I dont own any of the FA Limiteds, but I expect that they qualify as a worthy successor to the Taks as well. Unlike most others, I prefer the SMC taks and Super Taks with the metal focusing barrels to those with the rubber grip. It's also important, or at lease relevant, to note that many of the SMC Pentax K series lenses are virtually identical to their SMC Tak predecessors. Paul On Jul 5, 2011, at 1:02 PM, Darren Addy wrote: If you will indulge me... With all of the emphasis these days on digital and Image Quality, it seems that many have forgotten (if they ever even lived at a time when they could KNOW it) what a satisfyingly tactile experience photography was. We have been robbed of much of that tactile experience by our automatic and autofocus digital cameras today. We don't get the satisfying pop of the back when we would load or unload film. We've lost the satisfying tactile experience of advancing the film lever and cocking the shutter, or the act of rewinding the 35mm film into it's canister. Now few of us want to chuck our plastic-bodied, autofocus lenses and digital cameras and go back to film - at least on a regular basis. But we can recapture some of that feeling by putting some vintage glass on our Pentax DSLRs. In my opinion, a m42 to K-mount adapter (that allows infinity focus) is one of the truly must have accessories. My personal preference is for the genuine Pentax brands that require no tools to remove. As most of us know, this opens up the world of m42 Takumar glass to you and your Pentax DSLR. I'm especially thinking of this recently, as I obtained a beautiful black Spotmatic and had it CLA'd by Eric. It feels so great in my hands. I just received an equally gorgeous S-M-C Takumar 135mm f2.5 for it, with caps hood and case. What a beautiful piece of kit that is! Along with it I got a very nice chrome Spotmatic F (my first F) with SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 and S-M-C 35mm f3.5 - all looking as if they were rarely used. There is a feeling I get when handling this equipment that is missing when I pick up my plastic-bodied Pentax-F autofocus lenses and that I have the feeling would be missing even if I owned the new Pentax Limited lenses. The heft of the lens. The buttery smoothness of the focusing action. The all-metal screw-in lens hood with white lettering imprinted around the end. Certainly that tactile experience has very little to do with producing excellent images - but that feeling is an aspect of photography that I originally fell in love with and that I feel again as I handle them now. The closest I can come to that feeling is shooting my DSLR with those superb Takumar lenses on it, and in keeping a film body along for those occasions when I want to recapture that feeling in total. The ability to use this quality glass (easily) is one of the main reasons that I originally went with Pentax for my first DSLR (even though I owned no Pentax glass at the time). Darren Addy Kearney, Nebraska -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
On 2011-07-05 17:23 , Darren Addy wrote: I agree, which is why I said that few of us are chucking our digital gear. The point of my post wasn't that old school was more fulfilling, but that it did have a tactile element that many of us may have forgotten, that is, until we hold it in our hands again and a pleasant sensation tingles some long unused neurons in our brains. (I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine.) i still fire up the turntable now and then, just to hear the crackles and remember the motions, hand sutras almost, of withdrawing the LP from its sleeve with my middle finger on the center hole and the edge against my palm, switching fluidly to hold the edge by both thumbs and middle fingers as i gently drop it onto the spindle, then the way i clean the record and brace my backmost pinky knuckle against the deck while index fingering the needle onto the platter then withdrawing from the equipment and enjoying the imperfect sound, the shortness of a side, the way the artist arranged the songs with the two sides in mind ... ah, but that is just once every month or two; i have 49,000 songs on a server upstairs that i play through my Apple TV most of the time; almost done ripping all my CDs and then good riddance to them (but i'll keep my LPs for now) -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
When the Cotty Jr. thread prompted me to pull out my SRT-101 with the rokkor 58/1.4, this thread immediately came to mind. One of my biggest motivations for a mirrorless system will be the opportunity to use many of these old lenses, and quite possibly be able to take pictures even better than they've ever done before. I can think of hundreds, or thousands of reasons why modern lenses aren't made to the same level of finish as the lenses of 40 or 50 years ago. Yes, there are people that would pay an extra few hundred dollars for a lens that feels in your hand like a supertak 50/1.4, but most people wouldn't. I wonder if there is an opportunity for a business that takes modern lenses and crafts metal housings to vintage levels of finish. How many people would pay $2,000 to retrofit something like the DA* 55/1.4? I've gone back and shot film now and then over the past 5 years and every time I'm struck by the difference in the process of taking pictures, and also the process of developing or post-processing them. I also almost always notice the difference in image quality between what I can get with my new gear, and with the older gear. And that's in the situations where the old cameras can take the photos. Note, I didn't say that the images with the new gear were prettier, but with my gear, the digital images are almost always technically superior. I often think that I should spend some time emulating the rhythm of shooting with my film camera, even if I'm shooting digital. I know that with a film camera I'm quite capable of thinking through almost every aspect of a shot, and getting a keeper with only one or two frames. I've also found that taking a test shot will point out things that I've forgotten, or just didn't notice, and that the histogram will allow me to do a much better job of correcting my exposure, or any other detail that I didn't immediately notice. And yet, there is nothing like holding a camera that your hands have known for 38 years. -- Larry Colen l...@red4est.com sent from i4est -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
Re: A few words about the love of Good Equipment...
On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 10:02 AM, Darren Addy pixelsmi...@gmail.com wrote: If you will indulge me... With all of the emphasis these days on digital and Image Quality, it seems that many have forgotten (if they ever even lived at a time when they could KNOW it) what a satisfyingly tactile experience photography was. ... Digital capture, image quality, and a superb, tactile experience in using a fine camera and lens are not mutually exclusive. Buy the right equipment: you get it whether you want to use auto-focus ... automation or not. -- Godfrey godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
