Carpe Lux Seize the Light

I saw this fellow crawling across our driveway the other day so I hurried back inside, gathered the camera and lens, made dinner and ate it, washed up and rushed out just in time to see him/her come out from underneath the car.

The sun, clouds and some creative settings in UFRaw.

This is an image of some old beautiful glass, a Tamron 135mm f/2.5 with Adaptall-2.

My K110D is now up for sale since I just realized that the K-x has completely replaced it in all aspects. And, judging by the first reports, the K-x will be playing second fiddle to a K5 as soon as the price settles a bit. This appears to be as close to a perfect camera as today's technology can make them.

My fishing expedition almost ended with a disaster, there was a Samyang 8mm fisheye on eBay on BIN for almost $100 under the common price. It turned out to be too good to be true and a scam, when I got my money back I bought one from a reputable seller instead. I haven't had much time to try it out for real yet, but it's great fun and a bit of a challenge to use without getting my feet in the image.

I just ordered a new Pentax K-x kit from B&H - it was just $470 (with free shipping in the US). I expect it to replace my K110D while I save up for a K7 (or it's replacement).

Now, the agonizing wait for the delivery guy.

Just when I have discarded the thoughts of getting a fisheye (both the zany Zenitar and prudent Pentax 10-17mm were on the list) and settled for a rectilinear wide-angle lens, I get sidetracked. Again.

I'm one of those guys that can sweat a purchasing decision for weeks - comparing tests, reading online reviews and soliciting advice on forums, but when I decide on what I want, I can't wait another minute.

I just pulled the trigger and ordered a Pentax smc DA* 16-50mm F2.8ED AL [IF] SDM lens from Adorama. $659.95USD was just too good a price to pass up, especially with this weak dollar.

Update 1: UPS should be delivering it any minute now. Opening this box and testing the contents will be a lot like looking at Schroedinger's cat; I don't know if this copy of the lens is a dud (too many have been) or a gem.

Last week, I finally took delivery of a slightly used SMC Pentax DA* 50-135mm F2.8 ED [IF] SDM lens. I got it from an eBayer who was switching brands. As I had the 1.20 firmware in my K10D, a video camera and a tripod, I figured I'd tape the lens while focusing back and forth and then measure the focus speed from the video clip.

Hi, I'm Richie. I bought a new lens today. It's an old manual focus Vivitar, said to be one of the sharpest lenses ever made. It can shave a man from ten feet away. It resolves the unresolvable, cuts the unwary and feels great to handle. Apart from being sharp, it can be defined as being very solid.

I got mine from TraderJim's on eBay and can't recommend him enough. Now and then, he seems to find some old new in the box stock and offers up a BIN or Best Offer auction. It seems he accept offers around $190 USD, I got mine for $240 with fast international shipping.