Roadtrip with a 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

I'm currently down in Hatteras NC (OBX) with a 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Hyundai was kind enough to loan us the car for a one week review, and our first thought was, "let's put some miles on this puppy." So we filled the tank in NJ and 13 hours and 481 miles later we were at the Seaside Inn. And the tank wasn't empty! We averaged nearly 42MPG and stopped for everything but gas - food, ice cream, bathrooms, photo ops. I don't think I've ever driven a car with that much range.

In any case, one of the bags was filled with camera gear, a rolling case from jLab (no, I've never heard of them either) that I poached from Groupon for like $30. Score! The bag's got the following:

• Panasonic GH2 with 12-35 F2.8
• Nikon 1 V1 with 10-30, 30-110, 10/28, and 18/1.8 lenses
• Panasonic LX-7
• Pentax Q with 5-15 and 01 Standard Prime
• Pentax K-01 with FA43
• Merlin Steadicam 2
• Switronix TorchLED light
• small reflector
• chargers, batteries, memory cards
• Apple Macbook Pro
• Apple iPad
• the kitchen sink

The Panasonic LX7 and Nikon 1 have gotten the most use so far; they are just so small and convenient that they always end up in our backpack. The review is for NewMotor, a digital publication, so the highest resolution that we're going to need is for an iPad with Retina Display, 2048 by 1536 pixels. The LX7 and Nikon 1 will be able to handle that no problem; heck nearly all digital cams will be able to handle that.

I feel a bit guilty about bringing the Pentaxes along, or to be more precise, about leaving them behind. They're both great cameras but a luxury for this project. I guess that it's one of those things where if you've got a big bag you'll be sure to fill it. I think I'll bring out the FA43 today; that lens needs a workout...

The New Normals

Back in the 70s (when having a big bushy mustache wasn't ironic), the standard kit of most budding photographers included a SLR without the "D" mated with a fast 50. It was F2.0 if you were on a budget, F1.7 if you ate cheese sandwiches for a week, and an F1.4 if you just got that big promotion.* With some change rattling in your piggy bank, you'd save up for a moderate wide around 28mm and a short telephoto of around 105mm and Bob was your uncle.** The fast 50–the normal–got the hardest workout, as it was pretty close to your actual vision and useful in a lot of situations.

It's in the Bag, Baby Photo Edition

Heading out soon to photograph my friends' precocious little one year old. This is what I'm bringing:

Pentax K-5 with grip
K-01
DA21mm F3.2 Limited
DA70mm F2.4 Limited
FA31mm F1.8 Limited
FA43mm F1.9 Limited

That's it. I was going to bring the DA* zooms but then I looked at the photos I'd taken six months ago and the DA70 and DA21 got the most keepers. I'm bringing the FAs for a little workout. My wife will be shooting the K-01 (currently with the FA31) and I'll start with the K-5 with the FA43.

For lighting, I've got a Metz 58 AF-1 in the bag, but we'll probably use the CFL softbox more. It's an 85watt bulb that puts out as much light as a 400 watt tungsten without the heat.

It's in the Bag, Mummer's Parade Edition

I'm a firm believer in starting the New Year doing what you want to do all year. For me, that's taking photos, writing, and eating homemade pizza. I didn't get a run or motorcycle ride in today, but there are only so many hours in the day...

I hemmed and hawed this morning—should I go to the Mummer's Day Parade or shouldn't I? Should I stay home and write or venture out into the world? In the end, the cat decided for me, striking another cute pose and tempting me to take another cat photo. Enough! Enough cat photos. I've got gear that needs a workout! Let's go.

Pentax cameras (K-5, K-01, and Q) used for RoadRUNNER Story

A bit of shameless self promotion here...actually it's as much about Pentax cameras as it is about me, because Pentax has a lineup of cameras that fits my needs to a T. The Feb 2013 issue of RoadRUNNER Magazine is out, and the cover features a photo that I took with a Pentax K-5 with the DA70mm F2.4 Limited lens.

Deadlines

There's nothing like a deadline to focus the mind. I've got one looming, so I better step away from the blog. But before I go, some picture for an upcoming story - a motorcycle trip from Las Vegas to Sturgis SD. These are from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado:

Pentax K-01 with DA 10-17 Fisheye Zoom

Pentax K-5 with DA 70mm F2.4 Limited

Family Candids with the Pentax K-01, Focus Peaking, and Manual Focus

In some ways, capturing candids of family members is really hard. The low light of most houses forces you to push the ISO and open up apertures, which slices down the depth of field which in turn taxes AF systems. And the truth is, some family members can get downright ornery when you point a camera at them*, especially when you blind them with the AF assist light or, worse yet, flash. Fast-moving toddlers makes things even harder. On the other hand, capturing candids of family can be really easy. I've been bringing a camera of some sort or other to family for twenty years now, so most family members are more or less desensitized to my photographic presence. But the low light, moving subject issues still remain, and some cameras are better at it than others.

Pentax K-01 shoots a Sony

Went to PhotoPLUS a couple of months ago to speak to manufacturers about cameras for motorcycle touring. Sony chose to show off the RX100, a camera most of you know about and might even drool a bit over. Here's what they had to say:



Shooting video in a convention center (Jacob Javits in NYC) is horrid. Let me count the ways - poor lighting, noisy, crowded, etc. This year I brought the K-01 with the FA31mm F1.8 mounted on a Vanguard CF monopod (Elite) with Manfrotto 701HDV fluid pan head. I also had a Sennheiser MKE400 mic and Switronix TorchLED mounted on the hotshoe via a v-bracket. I wish that I had a boom mic. I wish I had more lights. I wish I had other people to operate the gear so that I could ask more questions. But you do what you can when you're essentially a one man show.

Overall, the K-01 did just fine. I only needed web resolution and the ability to edit and upload via my iPad, so the K-01 got the nod over the Panasonic GH2, whose AVCHD files can be cumbersome to deal with on slower systems. My biggest gripe is the lack of audio monitoring, which is especially difficult since the K-01 doesn't even provide levels on the display. So it's totally spray and pray. I'd also love focus peaking while recording, not just before. With just these small changes, the K-01 could be a much better video tool, especially because you can use lovely lenses like the FA31.

Pizza Stone

One Man's Quest for a Low Noise Camera

Like many other photographers, I’m on a quest for less noise, particularly in quiet, intimate, low light settings. But it’s not the ISO and the shadows that I’m concerned about, it’s the racket that a camera makes when shooting. You don’t notice that cameras can be loud, attention-drawing things until you get to a situation where discretion is advised and expected. Like a baptism or wedding or some other ceremony. If you take a picture with a loud camera in those situations, be prepared for a bunch of swivelheads to look at you disapprovingly. My style tends towards the looser candid/street/decisive moment, so noise is important to me, and I’ve got strong opinions on the cameras that I’ve used these last couple of years.

Takin' the Pentax K-01 to the Streets of NYC

Man I love New York, just the pure unadulterated energy of the place. It just hums with life, with hope, with heartache and with dreams.

Pensativa

NYC with the Pentax K-01

Olga

Well that's it, more or less, from the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC - www.americanphotomag.com/modelshoot/photo_contest/65/abou....

I've got other shots that I think are good, and I'll be posting them at some point, but likely more randomly instead of the big bunch that I just did. I'll close with this shot of Olga, in between poses. There's something ambiguous, provocative photo that I like. Can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's because it is between poses, a moment not meant to be captured.

Coming up next - Pentax K-01 and Q try their hands at street photography....

Read about the day - whatblogisthis.blogspot.com/2012/11/photographing-models-...

untitled, for now

From the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC - www.americanphotomag.com/modelshoot/photo_contest/65/abou...

Read about the day - whatblogisthis.blogspot.com/2012/11/photographing-models-...

untitled, for now

From the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC - www.americanphotomag.com/modelshoot/photo_contest/65/abou...

Read about the day - whatblogisthis.blogspot.com/2012/11/photographing-models-...

Olga

From the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC - www.americanphotomag.com/modelshoot/photo_contest/65/abou...

Read about the day - whatblogisthis.blogspot.com/2012/11/photographing-models-...

alexandra elizabeth parker

From the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC - www.americanphotomag.com/modelshoot/photo_contest/65/abou...

Read about the day - whatblogisthis.blogspot.com/2012/11/photographing-models-...

Olga

From the American Photographer Model Shoot in NYC, 2012. Read about the day - whatblogisthis.blogspot.com/2012/11/photographing-models-...

Photographing models with the Pentax K-01

Followers of this blog (both of you) might surmise that I went to the American Photo Model Shoot in NYC, courtesy of friend and fellow photographer Stephen Harris. Fellow photog Don Hoffler joined as well, and after a light breakfast, we got to shooting in a cool, spacious former warehouse space in SOHO. Hardwood floors, brick walls, tall ceilings, very 19th century industrial and very cool. American Photo, Sigma, and Unique Photo were all there, along with pro photographers Kevin Ames and Lindsay Adler who spent the day generally being really cordial and helpful, walking the floor, manning the Sigma SD1 station, and giving informative and inspiring speeches. I always enjoy hearing other photogs talk about their process and how they arrive at photos. There's always something to learn.

dionusia patricia