Hin's Photo Corner

I finally find the time to test my copy of Vivitar 100mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro on K-x. First some product shots on the lens mounted on k-x. The lens goes well in style and offers superb manual focusing for macro shooting.



It feel great in buying this lens back after I sold a similar lens with Lester A Dine 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Dental Macro. I was wrong about the Lester A Dine in the past regarding bad 1:1 pictures. All bad pictures with exception on purple fringing/CA are my faults in not using it correctly when focus distance is past the 1:2 margin. I simply can't hand-hold shot beyond 1:2. The DOF is literally razor thin when I am in between 1:2 to 1:1 in focus distance and it is beyond my ability in hand-holding. No matter how hard I try, it ain't working for me in hand-holding.


Some flower close up test shots mostly in 1:2 to 1:3 distance wise when I could still manage to hand hold. Beyond the 1:2 marking, I would have liked the help with several aids:

• A macro flash ring light to open up the DOF while keeping the shutter not too low
• A mono-pod to try out
  
• A tripod that can collapse lower to the floor
• Some railing support that can be used with the tripod
  
• Some means to keep the flowers still from the wind
  

I am happy to rectify my past LBA remorse into selling too soon. At the moment, I don't want to visit my rational (the evil) part of my LBA mind as I do have overlap with Sigma 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Ex DG Macro


Related:

• Berkeley Botanical Garden with Vivitar 100mm f/2.8 Macro
• Vivitar 100mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro by Kiron Purchase
• Missing My Lens With Color
• Lester A Dine 105mm f/2.8 Macro Ring Light Flash
  
• Difficulty in 1:1 macro with Lester A Dine 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Dental Macro
• Lester A Dine 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Dental Macro purchase
• Pentax A 50mm f/2.8 1:2 Macro -- a regretted lens to sell
  
• Pentax K 100mm f/4.0 1:2 Macro -- a regretted lens to sell
• Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG 1:1 Macro
• Tamron 90mm f/2.8 1:1 non-Di Macro
• Hin's Camera Gear

I have been asked a number of times if my Pentax K-x White is easy to get smudges with frequent use. I think it is about time for a timely user report.

I have been using my white K-x for over three months. And I changed lens frequently from primes to zooms. I have used my Pentax K-x with AF lenses, adaptall-2 MF lenses, and lately on M42 lens. When I took product shots of my K-x with Tokina 400mm prime, my K-x body is as good as new in the product shots. It is quite good in resistance to dirt and smudges. The build material is of a glossy type that has a smooth surface.


I recall one time that I did clean it up on a vacation trip in Disneyland and Seaworld of San Diego. I did use baby wipes which was readily available in my car. I won't recommend baby wipes as it seems too wet. A moist paper towel would have done a similar job.





FAQ on Pentax K-x White

• Would I choose white if I had to make the purchase again?
  
  • Absolutely Yes! I love the white color in K-x.
    
    
• Are you concerned on smudges?
  
  • After three months of frequent usage, I have less worry and I don't consider smudges a problem for my K-x white
    
    
• Do I get more attention than a normal black dSLR?
  
  • I don't think I have encountered any significant differences.
    
  • When I ask strangers to help my family take group shots, people feel comfortable with my white K-x.
    
    

Accessories:

• I have purchased one of the OpTech neck strap and I like it over the stock neck strap from Pentax
• I am looking for a screen protector, I see some mentioning about Acmaxx 2.7" screen protector for K-x
  

Related:

• Pentax K-x White Arrival
• Pentax K-x and Tokina SD 400mm f/5.6 on Bird
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

I have been trying out different M42 lens on my Pentax K-x. Results in the final images are good but I find that K-x does have some minor glitches with M42 lens when compared to Pentax K20D.

• I can't use Av mode on M42 lens like K20D. I found myself under-expose by a big factor as in 2 to 3 stops. I have not found if the difference is consistent so that a simple +Ev compensation will make K-x work with M42 lens in Av mode.
  
• For consistent metering, I have to use M mode together with either green button or (+/-) button for metering. I prefer the use of (+/-) button as K-x's green button location is awkward to access in the field. The (+/-) button is more natural for me to use.
  
• Ev compensation is omitted in K-x. This is unlike K20D which allow Ev compensation even in manual mode. I get spoiled with Ev compensation so that I can set a preset compensation adjustment for consistency with an M42 lens.
• I do miss the red focal point overlay for focus reference
• It is difficult to see bottom of viewfinder especially in bright daylight setting. The green hexagon is not bright enough to view in K-x. I rely mostly on the beep which is unsettling in the shooting.
  

Results are quite good when I tried my Pentax K-x with Vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8 from Kiron in M42 mount. In some of the close up, I used the Cosina 1:1 matched macro adapter which works like diopter with +3 to +4 magnification.












Impressions & Notes

• The Kiron zoom lens is great in terms of sharpness. It is not too big and works well in K-x.
  
• The close up works in the 70mm end and I think it is about 1:4 in magnification. With the diopter, it is roughly around 1:3
• The catch-in focus is absent like many M42 lens.
  
• Metering is center weighted and I have not tried the trick with aluminum foil to see if matrix metering and catch-in focus can be resumed in this m42 zoom on K-x
• As mentioned, I used M mode and green or (+/-) button for metering.
  

Related

• Vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8 from Kiron
• Pentax Genuine M42 to K Adapter
  
• Kiron 2x matched multiplier
• Cosina 1:1 matched macro adapter
• Pentax K-x White Arrival
• Hin's Camera Gear

I am so glad to get a copy of this flash from my good friend SOldBear. He sold me his flash with both wide and tele-adapters, which usually sold separately. And my friend gave me a wonderful discount. I normally see this in $40 to $70 range. To me, it is well worth the money. It can't replace the more powerful PTTL as in the Pentax AF540. But one thing is for sure, its recycle time is much faster in this flash and it is easier to handle.

I am still learning to take flash pictures. With the AF280T, I mainly use it in close distance as in 5 to 10 feet and I use the auto flash setting and exposure seem decent and it works quite reliable on K-x.




The flash has both adjustment for swivel and bounce features. In terms of metering mode, so far I have only tried the Auto mode and rely on the flash internal sensor. Unfortunately, the flash does have one drawback in its simple design as it only has two settings as in the Auto Green and Auto Red settings where the green setting goes for less power and the red setting goes for higher power. It would have been better if it has power strength setting to adjust from to 1/16 to full power or the like.


I am yet to explore more with the flash. It seems a good low budget auto flash to go with the AF540 flash as a secondary flash.


Notes:

• Pentax Flashes online PDF menu from butkus.org
• In indoor setting, I mostly set ISO to be fixed in 200, 400 and 800
• In Av mode, I estimate the focal distance
• I check against the back panel, adjust ASA to be the same, and examine the distance range in the Green Auto and Red Auto mode.
  
• I dial in the aperture suggested in the scale for starter
  
• In bounce position, I usually have to adjust with trial and error on aperture counting about 2-3 stops in loss of lighting in bouncing instead of straight on flash.
  

Related:

• Pentax AF540
• Sunpak auto 422D
• Spectra Light Diffuser
• Lazy Eyes with Pentax AF540 PTTL flash
  
• Hin's Camera Gear

I got this Rikenon lens that came with Ricoh xr-p as a package. I got carried away with my excitement on 35mm film camera with Ricoh xr-p that I bidded up two other similar bodies that I was supposed to gift to friend. Long story short, I have got two dead bodies on Ricoh xr-p film body and both have similar shutter problems.

I tried out the this lens on Pentax K-x White. The lens has Ricoh P pin and the aperture ring has the P selection for programmed mode in Ricoh xr series of cameras. The lens works fine on Pentax digital bodies without any pin stuck issue as I have explained in my earlier post about Rioch P pin

Safe if

• P pin tip is found a rounded ball-head type
• P pin is small and that when you use your thumb to glide over the pin, you don't feel it sticking out upon pressing it down
• P pin is found retractable

When mounted on Pentax K-x, it works as a Pentax K manual lens. I have to use green button for stop-down metering. There is the undocumented observation about K-x in working with green button on K lens, it has an extra mirror slap that goes with stop-down metering operation. So far, I have not found a clue why the mirror slap is required in the metering.

In actual use, the extra noise does bother me a bit as every green button will have the extra noise on the mirror slapping. I ran few test shots on the lens with stop-down metering, they are not too bad. The lens is all plastic but I find it resemble closely the lens from Cosina.

I saw this bird facing backward from me and I had my Tokina SD 400mm f/5.6 at the time with Pentax K-x. I carried the gear with my mono-pod from Dolica left in my trunk. I set up for the shooting while struggling with an lighting problem. The morning light is to the left and most of the bird appearance was under the shadow in back-lit setting.

Upon focusing, the bird turned around facing towards me and seemed not bothered by my appearance. This was an odd encounter for me in the park as most birds would have disappeared into another tree and nowhere to be found in the viewfinder.


I thought it looked like an American Robin though I wasn't sure. I went to stay with AF.A and only use single shot with catch in focus enabled for my manual focus prime. I set f-aperture to be high in f/7.1 and f/8.0. My iso setting is perhaps a bit high in the 400 and 800 range. Shutter speed is in between 1/400 to 1/1000 sec. I was preparing for a flying moment but the bird stayed still for minutes and I was the luckiest photographer that morning.





Impressions & Notes

• I went too high on the ISO settings, I would have tried lower ISO as in 400 and 320.
  
• PF/CA is found on the branches at close examination, not too bad for the Tokina prime
• Sharpness is great in the setup with K-x. Lots of details of the bird under the shadow are retained. A kudos to K-x for shadow detail.
• 400mm at 15 to 30 feet shooting distance can still crop the bird in horizontal orientation and I do two things to avoid the cropping. I moved back a bit from the bird and I used vertical orientation.
  
• I wish I have the red focal point for a point of reference to the eyes of the bird as I try to nail focus on the eyes
• The K-x viewfinder is smaller and dimmer than my Pentax K20D. I can't see the hexagon in bright daylight. I can only count on the beep and catch-in focus in make the shutter release for the shot.
  
• Unlike moving objects, I prefer to use of AF-S as I can count on the catch-in focus. With AF-C, I lose the catch-in focus and I can't re-compose the shot after focus lock is obtained.
• The A setting in the Tokina SD 400mm f/5.6 is big plus as a stop-down operation will surely move the focal point causing slower reaction to the scene

Related:

• Pentax K-x White Arrived
• Pentax Long Lenses and TC
• Tamron SP 500mm f/8.0 adaptall-2 (55BB) mirror lens
  
• Tokina SD 400mm f/5.6
• Pentax F* 300mm f/4.5 on Terns
  
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

I was having a bad day in photos as I have mounted a Tamron 75-250mm f/3.8-4.5 adaptall-2 (104a), a cheapo zoom, and I naively mounted the Tamron 2x TC adaptall-2 (01f) on it while hiking in the weekend. The combo is an absolute DOG in shooting birds due to slow speed, lost of light with little contrast, and CA is apparent everywhere.

I was supposed to try out the 2x cheapo 150-500mm zoom on birds and all birds were not close enough but rather way out in the sea. And the sunset with low clouds lured me to try sky shots instead. But the rig at hand was not matching for landscape shots. I should have dismounted the TC to shoot at 75mm to 135mm with the zoom. A big mistakes on my part as the scene is much more dramatic than I shot at. In some of the shooting, I changed to BW with Infrared filter in Pentax K-x to hide the CA/PF.

I noted the sunset with spectacular sun rays streaming through the low clouds in the stormy weekend weather. In keeping pace with my family, I only managed to take few shots and not having time for the proper setup. I shot all in the shortest focal length in 150mm.










Sometime, life presents me those precious moments that I am not prepared for. In hindsight, I should have brought in another lens and TC back home.


Notes

• The zoom lens does fine to outstanding without TC. With the Tamron 01F 2x TC mounted, it is quite poor in CA/purple fringing especially in the long end.
  
• The combo is pretty much hand-holdable but very difficult to get focus on moving objects. I changed from AF-A to AF-C to by-pass the catch-in focus and it is still difficult to handle as I can't have quickness and precision at the same time.
  
• Contrast is poor in the combo, maybe something wrong with the 2x TC.
  
• I should have tried Pentax-F 1.7x TC at another time

Related:

• Tamron 75-250mm f/3.8-4.5 adaptall-2 (104A) and K-x
• Pentax K-x White
• Tamron 2x TC adaptall-2 (01F)
• Purple Fringing Keeps Coming (mostly Tamron)
• Hin's Camera Gear
  

Purple Fringing has always been bothering me. When I see a scene with interesting lighting, I always don't remember a thing about CA/purple fringing in the result image. I can't see it coming upon review of the images at the scene. I should have known better. I have various Tamron zooms and though some of them are my favorite, they are not immune to purple fringing and CA. Many people rely on post processing to clean them up. I rather not have them in the first place. I have used both Tamron and Sigma zooms and primes in various focal lengths, I seem to get much less from Sigma. It begs the question why I have more from the Tamron brand. I am planning in a distant future to upgrade my zoom to the latest Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 and I surely hope it does better than other Tamrons in terms of CA control. And I hope there is better alternative in the Pentax Brand with similar pricing. The Pentax DA* 60-250mm f/4.0 will be ideal but it is out of my comfort zoom for pricing.
For some pictures, I can have my quick fix in turning it into a black and white photograph but i can't do it to all photos as the color in the sunset in the reflection is what I want to capture in the scene.




Related:

• Purple Fringe with Tamron 70-300mm Di LD Macro
  
• Tamron 75-250mm f/3.8-4.5 adaptall-2 104A
• Tamron SP 70-210mm f/3.5 adaptall-2 19AH
• Tamron SP 80-200mm f/2.8 adaptall-2 30A
• Hin's Camera Gear