I shot the entire rehearsal using Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 with Pentax K20D. No flash is allowed. Lighting is difficult. I have used ISO 400 to 800 and aperture is between f/3.2 to f/4.5. I have difficulty with the motion blur when my shutter speed lags behind the movement. It is a beautiful dance with rich stories behind the emotions in the dance with wonderful music and choreography.

I am thinking of mixing the use of DA* zoom with a faster prime for the formal dance. My most likely candidate is the Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8. With the gain of speed, I will go for a higher shutter speed as in 1/160 sec to 1/200 sec while maintaining my ISO under 800.


Related:

• Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8
• Compare Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 and Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 limited
  
• Pentax K20D
• Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 insanely good
• Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4
• Cosina 55mm f/1.2
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

I get this 400mm old prime along with interesting tower flashes that I want to try out. I got a Sunpak Auto Thyristor 522 andd Metz 60 c-1 that are flash with a tower bracket. The lens are not what I am after. I thought it would be another lens that would weight over three pounds. This 400mm is the lightest in all the 300mm and 400mm lens that I have handled. Now that I think of it, it may be too light. Anyway, I tried it out in a lunch break. Handling is not too bad especially in the ease of focusing. Purple fringing can easily be seen unfortunately. My copy comes in a T-mount that is currently comes with an adapter to K mount


Initial Test Shots














Initial Impressions & Notes

• This 400mm is the lightest that I have handled. Though long in length, weight is not an issue for hand-holding.
• It comes with a adjustable tripod collar. I have not tried if I can remove the collar for hand-holding
• Bokeh is not too bad
• Easy to handle
• It has a preset ring with C <----> O with letter C for closing aperture down while O refers to opening of the aperture blades to wide open
• I find focusing achievable in f/8.0 in good lighting without the need to switch to 'C' in preset ring. With some previous encounter with M42 tele-lens, that is not the case as I always need to focus in wider apertures as in f/5.6 to f/2.8.
• Purple Fringing is easily seen in the test pictures.
• Lost of focus trap will take some time to get used to
• Stop down metering is required like other K-mount manual lens.
  

Related:

• Pentax 400mm f/5.6 choices
• Tokina SD 400mm f/5.6
• Pentax F-1.7x AF TC
• Pentax F* 300mm f/4.5
  
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

Domain Forwarding
I have an headache with all the migration to a custom domain. Things seems to work for both the old and new domain for my blog post

• old: http://techtheman.blogspot.com
• new: http://www.techtheman.com

but redirection to new domain has not been working yet. When I type in the old address, I expect a 301 redirect to the new domain. I bought the custom domain from Blogspot.com and with some reading in this helpful article from Google, it looks like the domain forwarding will be taken care of. It would have been a more pleasant experience had I read all the instructions before the purchase. And I hope in another day or two, the forwarding will happen naturally.

• How to use Custom Domain in Blogspot

w3c html validation
Another biggest headache is to deal with all the xhtml markup errors from Blogspot. The W3C xhtml validator will give hundreds of errors and it takes insane effort to get it down.

p.s: Image from my flickr contact: meladegypsie


Update:

• It takes 72 hours for the domain forwarding to take place. And now every thing works as expected as my old address now redirects to my custom domain.
  

Related:

• Hin's Photo Bog
• Hin's Website
• iweb for small website
  

I have just upgraded Tech Corner to new format. I hope to gather input from readers. Instead of a green color theme, I choose something that I like in read, black and white.


I did try to resurrect the old green format but nothing clicks. In the process, I try to make my own green banner but it doesn't fit the new format well. It is still very much work in progress. I hope you all like the new format and provide me feedback in the comment. Much thanks to my readers!

Update: I have also upgraded the blog to its custom domain. There will be hours of transition where links may be broken. The new blog will live in custom domain with http://www.techtheman.com.

Impressions & Notes

• My version is a manual focus lens with SD label for the glass and it comes with 'A' aperture
• Lens is well built in all metal. The Plastic hood is a bit flimsy but works reasonably well.
• Lens has a built in tripod that can be removed.
  
• Lens is a bit heavy but I find it hand-holdable.
  
• I can't get satisfactory sharp pictures in wide open aperture. Test shots in f/5.6 to f/8.0 seem to do fine in sharpness. More tests are needed to be sure.
  
• I have had high expectation on this zoom lens. While I am happy with IQ and color when stopped down, I feel a bit disappointed on its performance wide open.
  
• Color and sharpness are good when stopped down.
• Zoom ring and focusing ring are good in operation
• I find IQ at 200mm and 150mm seem to vary by noticeable difference on sharpness.
• At f/2.8, I find the need to dial in +1/3 and +2/3 Ev.
  

Related:

• Circus and Baseball with Tokina AT-X SD 80-200mmm f/2.8
• Y! Music Event with Kate Earl
  
• Tamron SP 70-210mm f/3.5 adaptall (19AH)
• Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm first three versions
• Kiron 70-150mm f/3.8 with doubler
• Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8
  
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

I have the Tamron zoom for a long time and I still have it and put it into good use every time that I go for short trip. I normally would not like to bring more than three lens. For serious use on birding, I would use my better prime. For ease of use and lighter weight, I still use my Tamron zoom to a great degree. I use these 3-lens combination for casual traveling

• Pentax 10-17mm /f3.5-4.5
• Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5
• Tamron 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro

to cover a focal range from 10mm to 300mm. And the Tamron zoom is always dependable in terms of sharpness and good close up for flowers.











Impressions & Notes

• Quite good for traveling due to lighter weight
  
• A good range only the Pentax DA 55-300mm will beat.
• The close up for flowers and squirrel always come as a big plus for me in traveling
• Speed is a bit limiting
  
• What is annoying for me is the occasional fringing, mostly purple and sometime green. I see less fringing in K20D as others have suggested, but I mostly avoid it with f/8.0 and smaller apertures.
  
• Another minor annoyance is the awkward switching back from macro back to normal mode. I switch to MF in body and turn focusing ring into normal focusing range and turn macro to normal switch on lens.
  

Related:

• Pentax 10-17mm /f3.5-4.5
• Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5
• Tamron 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro
• Going Green in Blogging
• Pentax 1-Lens Choice
  
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

I shot these DJ shots in a shopping mall where the DJ kindly let me take his pictures while he was serving music in a shoe store. I was using my Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 and Pentax K100D. I was passionate in the shooting as I found the lighting extremely attractive. I wish I had more chances to shoot pictures for people. It was a memorable shoot.

Two years have passed. I still have the same passion in photography that I had before. I continuously find enthusiasm and excitement in the process of shooting people and nature. I am still very much the amateur like two years ago. But unlike the beginning, I am more confused than ever what I can afford to pursue in the passion. I worry too much and I can't follow my heart to do what I would like to pursue in life. I am obligated for financial support for my beloved family. And I am in a state of loss what I can try out next. I always look and quest for shooting better pictures but on the other hand, I lose touch with the purpose in the passion. Is it my destiny to be a photographer? Am I ready to take steps to become a freelance photographer? Would I be able to support my family? Would I get worse in spending less time with my family. I just have too many questions that I don't seem to have an answer with certainty, confidence and comfort.


Related:

• Thoughts on Pentax FA 50 f/1.4
• Pentax K100D
• Hin's Camera Gear