Crossed polarization techniques

Hey Folks, Has anyone on this list experimented with cross-polarization flash techniques? Basically, you put a linear polarizing sheet in front of your flash, and a linear polarizing filter in front of your lens. Orient the two filters at 90 degrees to each other. With this arrangement, light

Working with my K10D Raw images

Hey Folks, I've been happy as a pig in the sun working with Pixmantec's RawShooter, which does a bangup job with my RAW files from my *istDs. Now that I've bought a K10D, I've discovered that the raw images from it are not supported by RawShooter. I've verified at the Pixmantec forum that neither

Working with my K10D Raw images

Hey Walter, Godfrey, Perry, et al. Thanks for the leads on Lightroom. I'm going to download the beta. I suppose this version will expire in February, then I'll have to buy it. I have the impression that Adobe bought RawShooter specifically to kill it; I'm not sure this is the case. By the way,

Extreme depth of field technique

Hey Folks, A general photography question I'm a big fan of David Attenborough documentaries. Starting with his series, The Private Life of Plants, occasionally his film team uses a spectacular technique which I simply do not understand how they achieve. It is like an extreme hyperfocal

Extreme depth of field technique

Hey Rob, Indeed! That's it! But I guess I won't be doing it anytime soon, myself! Alas. The effect, by the way, is really extraordinary and far beyond what you'd expect from just using a stopped down ultra-short focus lens. Really remarkable. B Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species

SD memory cards for *istDs, K10D

Hey Folks, I currently use 1Gig and 2Gig SanDisk Ultra II memory cards in my K10D and my wife's *istDs. Do the newer 4Gig (and 8Gig) cards work in these cameras? By the way, I've been field testing a new 80 Gig Jobo Giga One, and although the interface is somewhat remedial, it gets the job done

Power converters and transformers

Hey Folks, A trip to Australia approaches. My K10D battery charger works for the 120V, 60 hz power here. Australia uses (I believe) 240V, 50 hz. Does anyone have a recommended source for whatever I need to use my USA charger in Australia? Barry Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species

SD memory cards for *istDs, K10D

Hey Godfrey Thanks for your help on the SD memory cards. I updated my wife's firmware from 2.0 to 2.02, so it should be able to read the bigger cards. Barry Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species Specialist Global Invasive Species Initiative The Nature Conservancy V: 530-754-8891

Power converters and transformers/Summary

Hey Folks OK, I have to admit I'm slightly confused. It seems that some of you are saying that all I need is the converter to fit my USA plug into an Australian socket. I've written the above paragraph very carefully, since double entendre is so easy, and seeing the response I got when I

Power converters and transformers

Johns right. All you need is a plug adapter. I used my Australian K10D battery charger in the US Canada with no problems at all. Also if you look at the label on the unit I think it says it works between 110-260V BTW which parts will you be visiting? Cheers, Dave Hey Dave, We're flying

Lithium-ion batteries for istDs?

Hey Folks My wife photographs with an istDs (which used to be mine), while I use a K10D. I'm having some battery problems with her camera (sometimes the NiMH rechargeables seem to hold only enough charge for about 50 shots, especially if the batteries haven't been used for a while). I think

Lithium-ion batteries for istDs?

Hey William, That's really interesting that you say that your istD was prone to battery induced glitches, because I was observing behavior this weekend I'd never seen before. I'd put fairly (but not completely) freshly recharged batteries into the camera, and it would light up with the display

Pentax SLR lineup

Hey Folks, I use a K10D with satisfying results. Last week I learned for the first time about the K20D. Yeah, I've been out of things! But I'm really intrigued that I can't find any information on film SLRs on the Pentax web site, or at the major vendors. Has Pentax stopped making film SLRs? I

Long macro lens

Hey Folks, My wife is becoming increasingly interested in photography of flighty, skittish, and sometimes dangerous animals, such as butterflies, reptiles, and snakes. I realized that the ideal lens for her would be something like a 200 mm 1:1 macro. Even better would be if it were autofocus.

Long macro lens

Hey Folks, Thanks for the suggestions. I'm thinking that the Sigma 180mm F/3.5 sounds interesting. It is a bit pricey, but so is gas 1)My current macro of choice is the Tamron 90mm, which is usually the lens that lives on my camera. I'd really be looking for a longer lens than just a 100mm.

Ist DS vs Ist DL

Hey Folks, To date, I've been strictly a film user, doing natural area photography with a specialization in botanical macro work. I've been toying with getting a digital body, but the *ist D has been out of my price range. However, the *istDS and *istDL are reasonable purchases. Does anyone here

RE: Ist DS vs Ist DL

Hey Folks, Thanks for the comments. I have looked at the reviews on dpreview.com, and saw surprisingly few feature differences between the Ds and the Dl. It baffles me that such minor differences would merit a new model. In any event, could someone explain to me the difference between the

Pentax fish-eye

Hey Folks, I'm in the market for a good fish-eye lens for my ZX-5n. (Well, really, it's for me.) I'm looking at buying either a used Pentax 17/4.0, or perhaps a Sigma 15/2.8. Does anyone on this list have comments about either lens? I tend to stick with Pentax lenses, but if the 17/4.0 is

RE: Pentax fish-eye

Hey William, Regarding the use of the Pentax 17/4.0 fisheye, you said not to stop down any more than necessary. Why is this? Does diffraction set in early? I'm quite curious! I do macro work so always focus manually. What matters to me is the quality of the optics. I like an extremely deep

k 300mm f4

Hey Folks, I just noticed a K 300/F4 lens in excellent condition in a local store. My wife does bird photography and this lens might be a nice lens to bridge the 200mm and 500 mm lenses I have that she uses. Yes, it is very manual, etc., but does $350 seem to be a reasonable price for this lens?

Unloading more stuff

Hey Folks, Recently I posted a note saying I was unloading some of my film gear, having gone digital. I've found takers for everything except for a single ZX-5N body. (Anyone interested?) Anyway, I just found I still have 14 pre-paid E-6 mailers that I bought from BH (or perhaps it was

A sad event, a happy resolution, and a flash for sale

. Cheers Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Carnivorous Plant FAQ sarracenia.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.

K-7 or K-x

, the 2- second delay (to minimize shutter shake) are the only features I consider crucial. I’m planning on shelling out the extra cash for the K7, but if the word on the street is that the model is a dud, I’d like to know about it! Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Carnivorous Plant FAQ sarracenia.com

K-7 or K-x

Hey Adam, What do you mean by The K-7 is tops over ISO 800, but the K-7 is the model to go for if you don't need the best high ISO performance possible? Was that supposed to read The K-x is tops over...? In my work, I am fanatical about getting the sharpest image I possibly can, so I almost

K-7 or K-x

Hey Larry, Thanks for your comments. I am unfamiliar with any water resistance features on the K-7, but it has any, it would be a huge plus. I do a lot of work in wet conditions, and while I use a rain hood when I can, accidents DO happen. Indeed, while I was on this recent trip, a VERY well

K-7 or K-x

Hey Adam, Well, after this rainstorm, my camera certainly was malfunctioning for a while. When I turned it on, it would instantly record an image, then the stop-down DOF preview feature would engage several times. Hmmm...now I think about it, these are features associated with the shutter

K-7 or K-x

Hey Charles, Hmm. I might have just been unlucky. I was certainly very happy when it returned to normal! Barry Indeed, while I was on this recent trip, a VERY well aimed, massive raindrop at the lead of a major thunderstom cracked into the back of my K10. I blew the water out, but

K-AC50 AC adaptor

Hey Folks, I'm looking at buying an AC adaptor for my K7. The manual says I need a K- AC50 unit. I cannot find this at the usual venues (BH, Adorama, Amazon). Meanwhile, the D-AC50 is readily available, which is built for the K-10D. One person on Amazon says he uses the D-AC50 for his K-7,

K-AC50 AC adaptor

Hey Folks, Thanks for this information. It was really helpful Barry -- 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.

K10D sensitivity for least noisy images

Hey Folks, I just got my K10D---my istDs is now in my wife's ownership! What's the skinny on the best sensitivity to use if you want the least noisy images? I know my (er, my wife's) istDs works best at the native 200 sensitivity, but what about the K10D? I'd guess 100, but is there a

Shake reduction---how is it accomplished?

Hey Folks, Can anyone 'splain to me how the K10D actually achieves the shake reduction feature? (And I don't mean how do I turn it on...heh heh) From the perspective of a former astronomer, I'm just curious of how this is being affected. Is the sensor somehow hooked up to some kind of inertial

Re: Shake reduction---how is it accomplished?

Hey Godfrey, Thanks. Very interesting. Since I have a rule of thumb that I almost never take a photograph with my camera off-tripod, I guess shake reduction will probably not be something I'll use much. Cheers Barry There are horizontal and vertical movement sensors that feed to a

Uh what happened to the *ist DS

Hey Folks, A while ago I asked about the differences between the *ist-DS and the *ist-DL, and got a set of great answers. I decided the *ist-DS was more attractive to me because of the pentaprism (instead of the pentamirror). Viewfinder brightness is a matter of importance for me in my macro

Re: Uh what happened to the *ist DS

Hey Folks, I see the Pentax *ist-DS (body only) is available at dbuys.com, which has a good (8.96) rating from resellerrartings.com Any comment on this venue? I'm scared. Barry Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species Specialist Invasive Species Initiative The Nature Conservancy V: 530-754-8891

Film for my digital camera

Hey Folks, I've ordered an *ist-DS from Buydig, and will see if my experiences are easier than Shel's. It turns out that I really need to hit the ground running with this digital camera (I've got a very limited time to get a bunch of images together for a book I'm working on), so I apologize

Re: Film for my digital camera

Hey y'all, Thanks for this information. It was much as I expected, but it is good to hear. I've ordered two 1Gig Utra II Sandisk cards. Now my next task will be to keep this camera out of my wife's hands so I can in good conscience deduct this camera purchase as a business expense! This, and

Re: It's Here and It Works!

Not fair! I want mine too! Waaa. Barry Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species Specialist Invasive Species Initiative The Nature Conservancy V: 530-754-8891 http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu

Re: It's Here and It Works!

Hey Folks, Well, yesterday afternoon my *ist-DS arrived as well. Yee haw! I'll have to contact buydig.com because the two batteries were not in the box. A minor inconvenience, but still... Last night I spent some time playing with the camera, of course. Since I haven't gotten my memory cards

Selecting the digital sensitivity

Hey Folks, I'm now learning how to think digitally with my *ist-DS. The thing that perplexes me is setting the sensitivity. I'm used to shooting with Velvia since minimal grain and nice saturation are important to me. What sensitivity do people use? I'm no stranger to taking 15 second exposures

Re: Selecting the digital sensitivity

Hey Folks, Thanks for the speedy comments re: sensitivity. So my follow-up question (and then I'll try to get some work done today!)is there any reciprocity failure issues with digital detectors? I'd think the detection was fairly linear with long integrations (exposures), but I'm guessing

Firmware question for new *ist-DS owner

Hey Folks, I've been playing with my new *ist DS over the weekend. I'd love to show you all the fabulous photos I've been taking with it, but they've almost all been of my toes or the bookshelves as I've worked my way through the manual. So far it's all very sensible. So could someone explain

Problems getting Velvia into my *ist-DS

Hey Folks, So, this weekend I did my first serious work with my new *ist-DS. The results are pretty good, considering it was my first time out. I am used to shooting Velvia on film cameras; with my *ist-DS the results I liked the most were obtained by setting the exposure compensation to -0.5 to

Re: Problems getting Velvia into my *ist-DS

Were you shooting RAW or letting the camera produce a finished file? Hey Rob, Call me silly, but I've parked my camera's imaging option to shoot RAW and don't expect to shoot at anything else. I never know if an informal candid shot I take will turn out to be one I'll fall desperately in love

Tongue operated shutter release

Hey Folks, So, when I'm in the field with my ZX-5n taking botanical photos, my camera is on a tripod, my left hand may be holding a shade cloth or diffusion screen, my right hand may be holding my flash connected to the camera by a cord. I operate the shutter using the shutter release cable (I

Re: Tongue operated shutter release

Hey Godfrey, Why not just get an extension cord for the remote switch and click it with the same hand that's holding either the flash unit or shade cloth? any three-contact telephone headset extension cord from Radio Shack would do for the CS-205. Someone more talented might be able to do

Non A-lenses on *ist-DS

Hey Folks, When I'm using my old lenses that do not have an A setting, like my SMC 200mm F4, on my *ist-DS, I gather that the crippled mount only allows me to shoot with the lens wide open. Is it true that I can't use this lens in my *ist-DS at F22, because the lens doesn't close down during

Re: Non A-lenses on *ist-DS

Hey Folks, Thanks...I'm itching to get home tonight and try this work-around. I was shocked when I ran into this problem on Friday...I couldn't believe that Pentax would abandon its old lenses. Barry Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species Specialist Invasive Species Initiative The Nature

Re: Non A-lenses on *ist-DS

If you want stop down manual metering, set the *ist-Ds to manual hold in the DOF preview. The Lens stops down to taking aperture and the metering bar graph turns on. Adjust the shutter speed or aperture ring until the graph centers release the DOF lever and shoot. Both work well as long as your

Re: Photo Bio Suggestion?

A name I don't see listed here is Ralph Eugene Meatyard. I happened to open a book on his work years ago (OK, it was because he had a weird last name), and was immediately amazed. His work is so weird, so creepy, looking at his photos is like looking at a book documenting ghosts are real. You

FA 28-200/3.8-5.6 AL [IF]

Hey Folks, I'm thinking of getting this autofocus zoom for my wife. She's not hugely picky about image quality, and this looks like it might be a good general lense for around the neighborhood? KEH has one for a bit under $200, excellent plus. Any comments on it? She'd be using it on both a

Re: too many 50's?

Is the M 50/1.4 lens is comparable to the FA 50/1.4? My old M50/1.4 is starting to die, and I'm thinking it's time for a replacement. I usually use it reversed, stacked on another lens, and I'm quite fond of its properties. Barry Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species Specialist Global Invasive

Re: too many 50's?

Is the M 50/1.4 lens is comparable to the FA 50/1.4? My old M50/1.4 is starting to die, and I'm thinking it's time for a replacement. I usually If you're using it reversed then you must be using it wide open. How is the lens failing so that it can't be used for that purpose? You don't have to

Used gear

Hey Folks, Is it kosher for me to ask here for a list of sites people look at for used camera gear? EekBay scares me, but I regularly look at KEH. Is there some other site I should visit? Barry Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species Specialist Global Invasive Species Initiative The Nature

Re: Used gear

What are you looking for, Barry? BH Photo sells used gear, as does Tamarkin NY. Sometimes they have decent gear at decent prices available. Godfrey Hey Godfrey, Alas, most of the BH gear is for larger format than 35mm/digital. I'm not really looking for anything in particular, just something

A photo posted for comment

Hey Folks, Since it is common for folks to post photos, I've put one of my own new images up. This came off my first roll with my new *istDS (ok, I'm still not used to thinking digitally). I'm writing a book on carnivorous plants and wanted some photos of seeds of a Federally Endangered

RE: A photo posted for comment

manual focus Tamron with 1:1 without extension. It's my favorite lens. Barry Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species Specialist Global Invasive Species Initiative The Nature Conservancy V: 530-754-8891 http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu -Original Message- From: Barry Rice [mailto:[EMAIL

Re: PESO: Perth Pano (Whoops, wrong link)

Hey Dave, What technology did you use to take this? I assume something more sophisticated than stitching several images together. Very cool. Very cool indeed. Barry Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species Specialist Global Invasive Species Initiative The Nature Conservancy V: 530-754-8891

50mm/F2 lens worth a CLA

Hey Folks, I just found an old pentax M 50/2 lens. I've already got a Pentax M50/1.4 and an F 50/2.8 macro. This 50/2 lens is in good shape, but would need a CLA before it would be even sellable. Is there any compelling reason to keep this lens? Any secrets about it, like oh, man this lens is

Re: 50mm/F2 lens worth a CLA

Hey Folks, OK, I guess I'll probably tear the thing apart just to see what's inside it. B Barry A. Rice, Ph.D. Invasive Species Specialist Global Invasive Species Initiative The Nature Conservancy V: 530-754-8891 http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu

2 GB SD cards for IST DS?

Hey Folks, I have a relatively new (6 months old) *istDS. I would like to buy another memory card for it. I usually use the SanDisk 1GB Ultra II, but I was wondering if there are any problems with using 2 GB SanDisk cards, i.e.

Battery chargers

Hey Folks, I'm planning an 8-day-ish trip to Glacier Montana, during which I'll be car camping. I know that my *istDS will eat up my rechargeable AAs in a fraction of this time. I'm looking at options, such as bringing lots and lots of batteries, etc., but I'm wondering if there is a good AA

Re: Battery chargers

Hey Dave, et al., Hmm. So in your experience, do the AA rechargeables become exhausted more rapidly than CR-V3s? Barry G'day Barry, Why not forgo chargers altogether get a few sets of AA lithiums or CR-V3's? If the trip were longer I could understand using rechargeables, but for

Book with photos taken with Pentax gear

Hey Folks, By the way, I'm terribly pleased to mention that a book that I wrote on carnivorous plants is just about ready to hit the stands. Every photograph of mine in the book (i.e. the vast majority) was taken with Pentax bodies---a SuperProgram, ZX-5n, and *istDs. I've got a descriptionof

Time for a new macro purchase--possible duplicate posting, oops

=I1AP5RPZPWJ7QN   Cheers Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Sarracenia.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.

Time for a new macro purchase--possible duplicate posting, oops

Hey Brian, Thanks for your input. You answered what was perhaps my most critical question. Good to see that Tamron has graced Pentax with a dedicated model, instead of just Canon and Nikon. How does the focus on the AF Tamron feel? Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Sarracenia.com -- PDML Pentax

RE: Time for a new macro purchase--possible duplicate posting, oops

Hey All, Thanks for your comments on the Tamron and Pentax mid-length macros. This was very helpful information. Cheers Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Sarracenia.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please

Recommended microphone for K7

Hey Folks, I'm finding the movie function pretty fun on my K7, as it is a great way to document botanical sites that I research. However, wind noise is pretty bad. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good microphone? Cheers Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Carnivorous Plant FAQ sarracenia.com

Memory cards for K7

Hi guys, I've been asked to do some videography--certainly something not in my comfort zone, since I normally only photograph plants! Anyway, the highest volume card I currently use on my K7 is a 16gb 30MB/s Extreme SanDisk. I'd like to get something more like 32gb cards for this event. Can the

Videoing a theatrical performance

assume that using the native sensitivity setting of 100 would be best? Any other suggestions or tricks? Look, I'm a scientific plant photographer, so this is out of my comfort zone Cheers Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Sarracenia.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net

Using a PocketWizard

support for the flashes is dreadful. Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Sarracenia.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.

Using a PocketWizard (better post)

/B00BBQ8IDS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8; colid=22I5NPVQK4MNXcoliid=I15S8ALYOTK51Upsc=1 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=pocketwizard+plus+xN=0InitialSear ch=yessts=ps The online support for the flashes is dreadful. Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Sarracenia.com -- PDML Pentax

Tamron P/KA adapter

someone 'splain to me if this is something I can use to bring my extremely cherished 90mm back to life? I think it is a generic mount that needs some kind of Pentax add-on? Cheers Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Carnivorous Plant FAQ sarracenia.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http

Tamron P/KA adapter

the UK. But I'm wondering if there's a new technology--that's the source of my curiosity regarding the M43 mount. Barry Rice, Ph.D. Carnivorous Plant FAQ sarracenia.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML

Tamron P/KA adapter

, and the green button position moved on these two bodies. I must have been stupidly hitting the wrong button when I was trying to get the lens to work with the adapter. THANKS SO MUCH! Barry Rice, Ph.D. Carnivorous Plant FAQ sarracenia.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http

Tone Curve in Lightroom

a matter of taste? Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Carnivorous Plant FAQ sarracenia.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.

K7 AC power supply in a K3?

model number, but again, supplies 8.3V, 2A Cheers Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Sarracenia.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.

Fool question about Pentax 21mm f/3,2

the aperture is entirely set on my camera, right? (I have K3 and K7 bodies). Cheers Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Sarracenia.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

AF220T flashes for postage money

) and it will be yours for the cost of priority mail shipping--you could paypal me for the shipping. Right now, I have a couple AF220T flashes Cheers Barry Barry Rice, Ph.D. Sarracenia.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from