Early Shooting With a New Lens: Introducing the Pentax HD DA 16-85mm f3.5-5.6 DC WR

Through the generosity of my father I was able to replace my trusty but dusty and worn Sigma 17-70 with the new Pentax 16-85. I will not be providing a full report on the lens yet, it is still FAR too new for me to provide a reasonably accurate or thorough opinion of the lens. Suffice it to say that in just a week or so of use... I think I am going to REALLY REALLY like it.

My first real test of this lens, late evening, no tripod, a local event at the lake, floating lights to help benefit the Make A Wish foundation. However that helps, I think they charged per light or something. Anyway, somewhat challenging lighting, needing to push ISO, shoot with wider apertures, needing steady hands. I had quite a few shots I messed up with poor shutter technique, was having a little trouble relaxing. I think the color rendition is a little warmer than the Sigma and many of my other lenses. There is a richness to the color that I like.

The focusing seems to be quite fast and is super quiet! This is a bit of a problem as I am used to hearing the sound of the screwdrive stopping when the lens has found focus.

This  shot gives you an idea of the bokeh, the rounded aperture really seems to make the out of focus areas nicely smooth.

A little HDR to pull in some drama.

Couldn't decide between the two. They say that the difference between amateurs and pros is the size of the trashbin... guess I am still an amateur.

This was a tough shot, handheld, leaning against a sign f5.6 1/3s at 16mm.

Left for some fireworks that started at 10:00, grabbed this of the ferris wheel on a tripod now.

Amazingly I was able to lock focus on an active firework and got a lot of shots I liked. I mashed up the ones I liked the most into three. They make nice desktop wallpapers.

So, so far so good with the new lens, will keep shooting and try to form a more complete opinion in the next few weeks.

Shoot What is Around You!

Sometimes it is nice to travel someplace different, and get your photographic juices flowing, it is easy, you are seeing something new and just capturing the newness. What is harder is finding the newness in what you see everyday. This is why I sometimes carry a macro lens, but not today, I was planning to shoot stuff further away than the macro will reach. 

I walk around my neighborhood a lot, especially the lake nearby. I am often going later at night or am in a hurry and cannot take the time to stop and take photos, so I deliberately left my camera home.

NOT today! Wahoo!

Determined to capture the beauty around me that I often don't notice (in a hurry, tired etc...) I grabbed my camera as I went out the door to walk my daughter to school and take a walk with my wife.

Today it was totally worth it. Water droplets on some fallen leaves? Notice and walk past usually, today: down on my knees falling behind daughter and wife taking some quick shots.

Cormorants, love these dorky looking things!

Lots of ducklings at the lake, wondering how she keeps track of all of them!

Guess it was portrait time, he posed. I swear he posed!

I have been wanting to get a photo of a red shouldered blackbird for awhile, usually they look like this. Stupid things. Somehow they know when I am about to press the button...

Not all of the ducks are up and doing stuff yet. This duckpile had a rather sullen looking member.

Some poppies along the trail make for a nice splash of color.

At the north end of the lake there is a wooden trail through the rushes and cattails. This year there have been multiple birds hanging out right next to it, and not flying away when you walk by. Better than 2 years ago when there was a red shouldered blackbird that would dive at anybody who got close. I think she had a nest close to the trail that year.

I do not remember these guys being in Utah when I was a kid. Like them, though. A lot. The yellow/gold is beautiful, their call is not so beautiful though, imagine a rusty coffin being opened in a hurry.

Finally got the Red Shoulders I have been wanting. They are so dang dark that I had to fiddle with the files a lot, but glad to have gotten some shots. It was kind of like an itch I could not scratch.

I think this is a female Red Shouldered Blackbird. Pretty little thing!

Not sure what this bird is, but I LOVE the plumage!

Glad I got to get some good shots today, in my hood. All you have to do is look and take some time and you can find beauty all around you. You don't have to travel a long ways to take photos. Even though it is really fun!

Christmas Eve and Day in Utah!

To start with, let me wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Some Dude With a Camera... that would be me. I often am.... sparse with my words and I am maybe not the most engaging guy in the world, but I do appreciate those of you who take the time to drop by my blog. I am often amazed at the places that come up on my gadget that tracks who has been here. You come from all over the world and I am gratified to have such a large audience for my photography. Wherever you come from, you are welcome here, welcome to look around and comment, or run away if my photography doesn't meet your taste. Whatever religion or culture you are part of, I respect that, here where I live we just celebrated Christmas, and are approaching the New Year. Whatever tradition you follow, and whatever holidays you celebrate, I hope they are and have been enjoyable for you!!!!

This is a picture of my home in the Christmas Eve snow it was decorated with, I decided to make a postcard of holiday wishes rather than shovel the snow off the walks. The white balance was very tricky with this, the snow reflects all the light, and with the mixed lighting of different streetlights and the neighbors Christmas lights I had to compromise a bit. I think I may have kept too much magenta, but pulling it down when processing the RAW file in ACR gave me a bit too much green. This was taken on a Tripod, of course, with my Sigma 17-70, I like how the aperture blades gave me a nice star effect with stopping down a bit.

Christmas morning I went to try for a shot that I have been wanting to get for awhile. Although I have been wanting to get it with maybe a little more heavy snow that is sticking on the trees and completely covering the cars I still like what I got. This view is one of my favorites of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. I simply can't get enough of it. Temples are special places in the Mormon Church and having one so close to me is awesome and exciting pretty much all the time.

This was taken at 150mm with my Pentax 55-300 lens. Infinity focus at that focal length is not one of the lenses stronger points but it does OK for a consumer zoom. Next time I plan to zoom in more and put the camera in portrait orientation and shoot a panorama. That will allow me to print it larger and have it be sharper. That lens is REALLY strong in the 200-300mm range as you get out to infinity focus. At the shorter Focal Lengths it does better at medium distances.

For you tecchies, this is a mild HDR just for the added contrast I can get from that process. I can get it pretty close from one shot, but I like the punch that HDR gives me.

Just a few minutes later I shot this house that is just down the street. They do the most amazing light displays for Christmas. I just never seemed to have the time and motivation at the same moment to go and photograph the home. Again, processing this in HDR with three bracketed shots helped to make up for the light and give me more drama and saturation without looking gaudy. Really need to give these folks a copy.

Close to the home I grew up in is a park, it has changed a lot over the years, but I love that the city has kept it up. The last three years they have done a really good job of putting up lights on several trees, and on a small bridge over a creek. This year they added a few trees and rebuilt the bridge to be a covered bridge. They did a good job of lighting it too. These required a bit of work to get the WB correct again. Snow with colored lights is just HARD to figure out!

I won't comment on all the photos, you can tell me which ones you think are better. I like them all!

Thanks for dropping by, and have a happy holiday season!