Follow-Up: The K-01 Goes to Events

It's in the Bag: Pentax K-01 + DA*16-50 F2.8 + Metz 58 AF-1, originally uploaded by john m flores.

So can the K-01 as outfitted in the picture above work at an indoor event? In a word, no. Not without some struggle. Some things that I noticed:

- the AF assist light of the Metz does not work on the K-01.

- Face Detect AF is too slow and unreliable in a dynamic environment like a cocktail hour. People can put their SMILE face on for only so long while the camera seeks focus

- AF of the DA*16-50 is too slow in low light with the K-01.I've had much more success with the DA Limited primes, but I prefer zooms for events where.

The K-01 took many nice shots. The problem is that it also missed many. At the end of the evening I resorted to mounting the DA21 to the K-01 and the DA70 to the K-5 and shooting without flash (the podium was lit). I had to push the ISO but that turned out ok. Still, it's nice to have some nice fill flash and to drag the shutter. Ultimately, the K-5 (if the Flash metering can be depended upon) is a much better camera for events.

Don't get me wrong - I've been pushing the K-01 to do things that it probably wasn't designed for. We must remember that it's an entry-level enthusiast camera. I still like it a lot and it will likely find its way into my messenger bag much more often than the K-5.

At the end of the day - and I've said this before - the K-01's IQ at this price point is hard to match, and it works great with my DA Limited primes. I can easily see this camera on the short list of recommendations for people stepping up from a point-and-shoot and really interested in IQ.

Platinum Minds

Platinum Minds, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Via Flickr:
These are just some of the students ("Scholars" as Platinum Minds like to call them ) that participate in the Platinum Minds program. You won't meet a more articulate, motivated, civic-minded group of young men.

Platinum Minds helps bright students from inner cities and other tough environments stay focused on education and get exposed to opportunities in the broader world. Good group, good kids, good cause.

It's in the Bag: 2012/04/30

It's in the Bag: 2012/04/30, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Via Flickr:
Shooting another non-profit event tonight. Tight quarters during cocktail hour, so I'm bringing the slimmest bag I own - a LowePro Midtown 160. I've got a Stealth Reporter D400AW, but it's much deeper, and I'd be spending much of the cocktail hour saying, "Excuse me."

The non-profit I'm helping out is The Citizen's Campaign. A New Jersey based group, they work to get normal, non-elected citizens involved in the political process. I made a video for them last year that explains what they do:




Inside this little bag is the K-5 with grip and DA*50-135 F2.8, the K-01 with DA*16-50 F2.8, a Metz 58 AF-1 flash, a DA70mm F2.4 and DA21 F3.2 Limited, extra batteries for the camera and flash, memory cards, and gels for the flash. Oh, and an iPad too.

This bag reminds me why I chose Pentax - I'd be hard pressed to fit a similary Canon or Nikon kit in this bag (2 cams and 2 zooms and 2 primes and a flash). Micro Four-Thirds is smaller, but they don't have the fast zooms yet. They are getting there though, if the reports of the Olympus OM-D are to be believed.

No kit is perfect though. Pentax AF and flash lag behind Canon and Nikon, and thhe K-01 stumbled at the last event, struggling with AF, and flash exposure. But I'm giving it another chance tonight to see if improved technique and tweaked setting can make up the gap.

To be honest, if I shot events for a living, I'd be shooting Nikon. But my needs vary, and my choice of Pentax is tuned to my needs and preferences.

Wish me luck.

It's in the Bag: Pentax K-01 + DA*16-50 F2.8 + Metz 58 AF-1

It's in the Bag: Pentax K-01 + DA*16-50 F2.8 + Metz 58 AF-1, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Via Flickr:
Helping out a non profit tonight (Platinum Minds) at their annual fundraising event. Platinum Minds helps bright students from inner cities and other tough environments stay focused on education and get exposed to opportunities in the broader world. Good group, good kids, good cause.

I produced a video with them last fall. Used the Panasonic GH2.



I also took photos at their Entrepreneur Leadership Conference. Used the Pentax K-5.



I'm curious to see how the K-01 performs in this kind of environment. Initial tests of low light AF and flash have been very promising. Hope to take advantage of Face Detect AF as well.

Don't worry, the K-5 will be there as backup. And I'll probably squeeze in the Panasonic GH2 if it will fit in the bag. And I've got a friend volunteering as second shooter. We've got the bases covered.

Needs More Sleep

Needs More Sleep, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Via Flickr:
Pentax K-01 with DA35mm F2.8 Macro Limited and Metz 58 AF-1 flash and a serious lack of sleep. I've tweaked the photo in post, chopping the vibrance, pumping the contrast, and adding a dash of vignetting. I need to take more portraits of people that aren't me.

The eyebrows have it

The eyebrows have it, originally uploaded by john m flores.

I've done some work for non-profits, and I was just asked to shoot a big fundraising dinner for one of them again. Last year, I had sold my Pentax K20d and replaced it with a Panasonic GH2. I didn't have a flash for the GH2, so I borrowed my wife's Pentax K-x, mounted my Metz 58 AF-1 and hit the road.

It was a challenging night. In the dimness of the cocktail hour, the K-x struggled to find focus. The Metz has an AF assist light, yet the K-x still struggled. I got good shots but never wanted to struggle like that again.

Enter the Pentax K-5, or so I thought. I haven't used it much with the flash, but those times I have used it the performance has been inconsistent. It's still a work in progress.

Enter the Pentax K-01. I could mount the DA*16-50mm F2.8 and Metz flash to it for the cocktail hour and use the DA* 50-135mm F2.8 on the K-5 for the flash-free speaches during dinner. Not only that, but the K-01 has Face Detection AF. And the cherry on top is the rear LCD - keeping the camera away from my face will enable me to have some eye-to-eye contact with subjects. Could the K-01 actually be a killer event camera?

To test, I sat in a dark room with the above-listed setup and used the only subject available at the time, moi. One of the results is here. It's pretty cool that the K-01 identified my face and locked focus nearly every single time. In complete darkness. Let me say that again - IN COMPLETE DARKNESS. What's also cool is that Flash metering is very accurate, and just as importantly, consistent. This setup may do the trick quite nicely.

The only nit to pick is that when you view the files at 100%, the focal plane is the eyebrows, not the eyes. So on this tight crop shot at F2.8 you can count every single hair on my brows if you are so inclined, and if you have time left over you can count my eyelashes. The actual pupils, however, are a touch soft. Just a tiny hair though. Can be sharpened in post if needed. So close to awesome though....

Follow-Up: The K-01 Goes to Events
Samples: K-01 Shoots Events

Move to Amend - Princeton Junction NJ

Move to Amend - Princeton Junction NJ, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Brought the GH2 to it's first indoor event, a political meeting at a local library. As with most places of this ilk, the lighting is mostly poor dim fluorescent and the room colors a mix of drab and more drab.

The night was spent at ISO1250 mostly and the GH2 was mated to the slow but image stabilized 14-140 kit lens. I also had the Metz 50 AF-1 flash for a short spell.

Overall, the results were meh. Ok, but nothing special. Some of it has to do with the setting - it would be hard to get anything real nice in this poorly lit monotone room. But if my memory serves me, the Pentax K-x has performed better in similarly drab situations - the extra ISO and the faster 2.8 glass probably helping a lot.

And the flash - still a work in progress. Not as "set and forget" as the Pentax is, which is kind of damning with faint praise.

I suspect that my results will improve with more experience and faster glass, but we may be bumping up against the limits of this camera a bit...

Flash Cat

Flash Cat, originally uploaded by john m flores.

Via Flickr:
So, Nate, if you don't mind, I'm going to take some flash photos of you while you snooze, and share my impressions of the Metz 50 AF-1.

I have a Metz 58 AF-1 for Pentax and have been very happy with it. It is my first proper flash, so maybe glowing praise is to be expected.

Stepping down to a physically smaller camera (the GH2), I thought that it was only appropriate to step down to a physically smaller flash as well. The 50 AF-1 is not only smaller than its kin, it's cheaper too. It the savings worth it? In a word, no. At least in my opinion.

The step down is size is also a step down in usability, as the 50 has a less sophisticated display and fewer buttons to controll settings with. Now in many cases, a reduction in buttons may actually aid usability, but in this case, it just means more button presses (and combo presses) to get the same thing done. Now that may not seem like a big deal, until, of course, it is. Like in the heat of shooting and you've got to fiddle faddle to get it set.

As far as actually quality and performance, the 50 seems just as good as the 58. Mind you, this is not after extensive shooting, but it is a first impression.

The other thing that annoys may not actually be the flash's fault. On the GH2, I can't get the focus-assist lamp to fire. The GH2 has it's own focus assist lamp, but it's tucked in the corner and gets blocked by longer lenses. I can turn it off, but that in turn doesn't send the right signals to get the Metz to turn its focus assist on. Panasonic, are you listening?

I've also played a little bit with off-camera flash, and I'm not sure if I've got it to work. Again, this appears to be a shortcoming of the GH2, not the Metz, as the 50 does have a slave mode where you can select group and channel. Some more investigation is necessary.

Now you can resume your full-fledged cat nap...

Hello. Kitty.

Hello. Kitty., originally uploaded by john m flores.

Via Flickr:
Nate's looking at me thinking, "Is that the GH1 that you just bought?" Why yes, Nate, it is. I'm still working to get the hang of it. 90% of it is practically identical to the GH2, but it's that 10% that needs some sussing out. It's wierd taking a step back to an older model, but it was hard to say no to at the Facebook clearance price of $299.

"So what's the difference?" Nate asks me telepathically.

Well, Nate, I'm glad that they moved the control dial to the rear of the GH2; on the GH1 it's on the front at the top of the grip and hard to use on a body this small. Conversely, the video record button is on the rear, precisely where the rear dial is on the GH2, and I've accidentally pressed it more than once, so now it's been disabled. And it's a minor nit, but the menus is a sickly pale pink - who's idea was that?

"Anything else?" Nate asks, holding back a yawn.

Not yet, little guy. I haven't used it enough to form any usesful impressions.

"Well, I'm going to nap. Snap away. I'll ask you later about that big thing you have attached at the top."

The Citizens Campaign Celebration of Leadership

The Citizens Campaign Celebration of Leadership, originally uploaded by john m flores.

The Pentax K-x got another workout - shooting The Citizens Campaign Celebration of Leadership dinner. Honored guests included New Jersey Governors Brendan Byrne and Tom Kean along with their sons Tom Byrne and Senator Tom Kean Jr.

The K-x mated to the DA*50-135 did an excellent job as usual as the evening's speeches were given, but the camera did struggle in the low light of the cocktail hour. The biggest bugbear was AF in low light - even with the Metz 58 AF-1's focus assist lamp on. Makes me wonder if the more advanced K-5 or comparable Canon or Nikon models would perform better....

Slice

Slice, originally uploaded by john m flores.

My adventures with the GH2 continue, now with the addition of a Metz 50 AF-1 flash. I'm no strobist, but I do like to supplement available light with on-camera fill, preferably bounced off of some diffusing surface. I had good luck with a Metz 58 AF-1 on my Pentaxes, so I thought that I'd stay with Metz and maybe even get some off-camera interoperability, and start down the slippery slope towards full strobicity...