GAS Dear Giary!

Oh no. Now it's happening! A GAS attack!

I made the grave mistake of browsing a randomly selected Pentax lens and its reviews on Pentax Forums.

And the randomly found lens is Takumar 200mm f/3.5 M42 lens.

I don't own a 200mm prime so it would be a fun thing to try.
I haven't shot a 300mm-eq prime so it would be a fun thing to try on Pentax KP.
I don't have M42 lenses so it would be a good starting place.
It's got a preset aperture system so it should be pleasant to operate also on adapted platforms such as Olympus or Panasonic S1.

As an added bonus, I get to run errands in Helsinki. I'm always on the lookout to find excuses to haul my ass there.
 
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Felt incredibly difficult to execute that lens desire. After lunch and some phone interview I suddenly lost the appetite for glass.

I'm feeling I haven't done enough in my job hunt front during the past few weeks but regardless I booked myself a weekend getaway in Helsinki. Not terribly expensive, but still.

This will be it for June, then I'll have a week of wonderful traveling in July so I suppose I can now take this weekend.
 
mike3996 said:
Felt incredibly difficult to execute that lens desire. After lunch and some phone interview I suddenly lost the appetite for glass.
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Made a compromise to myself and instead of spending 200 € on a heavy 200mm lens + adapter, I went for two crappier M42 lenses and an adapter for 120 €. If the shooting feel is good, I can then elect to grow my M42 lens stable.
 
Yesterday I walked 2 hours with the K200D in good light, and the results were good too. Gives me hope about the M42 lenses that I can shoot zone-focused so that there's less pressure on the camera's (incompetent) AF module. I don't yet have any MF lenses on the K system. None of my current lenses have a good MF feel. Soon we'll find out.


For tomorrow's getaway I'm thinking of going light. Perhaps the GX80 and the kit zooms? There's going to be light from the earliest morning until midnight. Maybe dual GX80s since I'm lazy to switch lenses, and I have them. Might make a last-minute decision to bring the "ideal kit" to Helsinki: Leica + 50/3.5 and Panasonic + 35-100.


The desires of mine during this first half of this year have revolved around carrying solutions. I'd love to find an ergonomic backpack that would enable me to casually take my heavier cameras (Pentaxes, Nikon, Panasonic S1) without having to worry about my back aching.

TT Urban Access 13 is a good start indeed but if there was a comfier pack with the smart arrangements. Would love it. And the whole Rotation series still interests me, even though there are some tough compromises made on the whole accessibility theme.
 
With less than two hours to trip launching, I'm fixing to Leica + Olympus here; I have neglected the latter a bit.

But let's have it from the random number gods:

(~) choice 4xLeica+Panasonic 4xLeica+Olympus 6xJust-Olympus
Just-Olympus

Humph. It'll work, it will work! I'll only take native lenses with me; with the weight savings from leaving Leica out I can happily carry the 75-300ii that I don't often take out with me, despite it being a relatively small and light lens.
 
Encountered a killer Olympus deal on the local used markets. E-m1.2 and three lenses for a package deal.

I have the body and the lenses don't interest me too much. But I have a buddy who dabbles with photography, currently in very small amounts, no idea about where it goes in the future.

On one hand, this would be a fantastic opportunity for him to kickstart the hobby with great gear.

But I struggle heavily to even bring this to his attention because I don't want to introduce any poor soul onto the path of GAS.
 
mike3996 said:
Encountered a killer Olympus deal on the local used markets. E-m1.2 and three lenses for a package deal.
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Which lenses?
mike3996 said:
I have the body and the lenses don't interest me too much. But I have a buddy who dabbles with photography, currently in very small amounts, no idea about where it goes in the future.

On one hand, this would be a fantastic opportunity for him to kickstart the hobby with great gear.

But I struggle heavily to even bring this to his attention because I don't want to introduce any poor soul onto the path of GAS.
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Surely, that's up to him?

The E-M1 MkII and a couple of appropriate lenses is a great camera.

I have one, and, apart from occasional thoughts about a Hasselblad X2D, have no desire for anything else.

I say: let your friend decide.
 
It's been a while.

I have postponed and postponed the calibration of my Leica.

And for what? It was yesterday when I somehow got it. I can do it myself. Let's calibrate it for one lens first and then worry about other lenses later.

I chose to calibrate it against the Summilux 50 Asph.

And after half a dozen adjustments with a cheap 2mm hex key I am getting good results. But now I have to decide what to do about focus shift.

di1.4 and di2.0 are live view -focused at 1.4 and 2.0 respectively.
rf1.4 and rf2.0 are rangefinder focused.

I calibrated the lens at 1.4 and at 2.0 there's noticeable softness. This antenna is about 50m away. From my balcony (or indeed, from any window) I can't make tests at very far subjects.
 

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mike3996 said:
And for what? It was yesterday when I somehow got it. I can do it myself.
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Sadly the lens itself won't focus all the way to infinity. This means I can't fix it all by myself.
Luckily, my next trip is about nightscapes and tourist shots anyway, no need to do that stuff.

And due to dark scenery, I'll prioritize for wide open shooting, so I'll make sure 1.4 is bueno.
 
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Nice to see you active again.

As fun as optical viewfinders can be, there is one undeniable value proposition that mirrorless cameras have brough to the table, and that is focus accuracy. There just is no more accurate way of focusing than doing it using the imaging sensor itself. As much as I've enjoyed shooting my D750 these past couple of months, there is no denying that both my Sony bodies produce much more accurate and consistent results regarding focus.
 
The Electric Squirrel said:
Nice to see you active again.

As fun as optical viewfinders can be, there is one undeniable value proposition that mirrorless cameras have brough to the table, and that is focus accuracy. There just is no more accurate way of focusing than doing it using the imaging sensor itself. As much as I've enjoyed shooting my D750 these past couple of months, there is no denying that both my Sony bodies produce much more accurate and consistent results regarding focus.
Click to expand...
Yup, that's the revelation I experienced many years ago when I bought my first mirrorless, a Panasonic G1, and was amazed at the consistency of in-focus eye lashes compared to what I was getting from my Nikon D300.
 
mike3996 said:
Yes. Accuracy is a weak point. But the fun factor more than makes for the deficiencies of a rangefinder camera.
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No doubt for some it does. I've always wanted a rangefinder, but have come to accept that they fit my shooting style so poorly that even if I had the money to buy a Leica, it would be too hard to justify. So far the Sonys have been the best fit for what I do with them, but I do admit the D750 is more fun. Which puts me in a bit of a conundrum.
 
I handled the Panasonic S5ii again in the store the other day. Its grip is sizeable. I am now thinking that S1 is the one to keep because of its magnificent EVF and it's not worth it to downgrade it to a newer body, never a cheap operation.
I hope there is a Fujifilm GFX 50Rii in the pipeline. If such a camera never materializes, the 50R is a good candidate.
 
mike3996 said:
am now thinking that S1 is the one to keep because of its magnificent EVF and it's not worth it to downgrade it to a newer body, never a cheap operation.
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Today one interested contacted me about the S1 and asked for a price check. Turns out, the market value of a used S1 has taken another dive during this year. MPB sells them at 999 € per one EXC body. We agreed that these bodies are fast approaching the most fantastic value deal par none. This also strengthens my resolve to stick with mine. I think I'll pull my FS post altogether. I don't care to sell it for 700-800 EUR when it provides me much enjoyment.
 

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