First Movie

The weather at Wimbleball SC on Sunday was fantastic, apart from the lack of breeze, that is. But it was a good opportunity to try out the video rig, while shooting stills with my Canon kit at the same time. Some observations:

• Shooting video is not the same as shooting stills!
• Trying to do both at the same time was a nightmare
• Just with the LCD viewfinder (and no shoulder mount) the camera can be held quite steadily in the normal SLR shooting position, ie held up against the face with right hand on the grip and left hand under the lens. It's not a particularly heavy camera, so I may find the shoulder mount isn't really needed.

Post-processing was interesting. I got the stills out of the way first using my normal workflow (based on Camerabits Photo Mechanic). Then I looked through the video clips (all 66 of them) individually to see which ones to use.

I started doing the edit using Adobe Premiere Elements (PRE) and after about half an hour was still having problems deciding which settings to use! I took the easy way out and edited the whole thing in Windows Live Movie Maker (WLMM) in about an hour, including sourcing and adding a cheesy music soundtrack. There's no doubt I will have to take time out to master PRE (roughly speaking, if PRE is a DSLR then WLMM is the camera on your mobile phone - it seems to be excellent for quick-and-dirty video editing but lacks PRE's bells-and-whistles.)

I need to add some info to the video when the results come out, then I will post it to YouTube

Video Time!

Having tried the K-7 a few times in video mode, holding it at arm's length and squinting at the rear LCD screen, I have decided that it's time to get serious about video, which means buying some proper kit.

After a lot of research I have come up with the following video outfit:

• Opteka shoulder mount
• Seagull LCD Viewfinder
• Adobe Premiere Elements 9

I went for the Seagull LCD viewfinder rather than the LCDVF product, because the Seagull has a dioptre adjustment for spectacle wearers.

OK - the kit has now arrived. The shoulder mount seems very well made - nicely machined and anodised alloy parts, and it screwed together very easily. Once slight snag - the tripod screw which secures the camera to the mouth reaches the end of its travel before the camera is tight on the mount. A couple of layers of gaffer tape on the mount sorted that out, and also introduced an element of padding for the camera to bed onto.

The mounting frame for the Seagull LCD VF is now on the camera, weighed down by a couple of books, and I will now wait for "hours" as advised by the leaflet before attempting to clip the viewfinder to it.

I will install Premiere while I am waiting...

Starcross Steamer (Again)

The annual Starcross Steamer pursuit race was the first major gig I did with the K-7. last year. I went to this year's edition last weekend, and once again we were blessed with breeze and sunshine. I used the K-7 with the 50-200 alongside my Canon 40D, with 400 prime and 70-200 f4 & 1.4tc. Quite pleased with the results, but a Northerly breeze always makes it difficult to get shots with the sailors properly illuminated.

This may be the last entry in the blog before I re-focus it on video work. The plan is to use the K-7 as the heart of an HD video rig. I have ordered all the bits and will report as I go along about how it's all coming together.

18-55 Lens First Outing

I took the K-7 and 18-55 lens to Sidmouth this afternoon and took a few tourist shots. Overall, quite impressed. Sharpness is acceptable across the frame, but there is a bit of colour fringing at the edges as can be seen on the extreme crop, of the post in the top right hand side of the frame.

Extended Trial!

Pentax UK have very kindly allowed me to extend the trial indefinitely, so the blog will live on. I have recently purchased the other kit lens for the K-7 (18-55 f3.5/5.6 DA AL WR, so I can now cover the whole range from 18 to 200. I'll be trying out the new lens in the next couple of days and will post a quick report. I now have 50mm covered by 4 lenses so a little comparison will be fun. The lenses are: the 18-55 just bought, the original 50-200 DA WR that came with the camera, a 50mm SMC Pentax-A f1.7 and the old Sigma 35-135 f3.5/4.5.

I intend to use the K-7 as the basis of a DSLR video rig, so more on that later.

The Last Gig?

Last year I was hoping the first Fotoboat outing for the Pentax would be the Bloody Mary, at Queen Mary Sailing Club, but I was prevented from getting there from Devon by the snowy weather. This year there was no such problem. The temperature was almost into double figures, there was a good breeze and the rain held off. At the end of the event we even had some low winter sunshine.

You can see a summary of my experience with the Pentax in the post before this one. I think it's now time to find the box and get in touch with Pentax.

The Bottom Line

I've had the camera for about a year now, so it's a good time for a summing-up:

The figures:

• Events attended: 20+
• Frames shot: 5-6,000
• Published images: (local and yachting press): 31
• Total images sold (retail and editorial): 75

The good points:

• Rugged, weather-sealed construction and compact size.
• Adequate image quality under most conditions.
• Acceptable burst speed and AF performance.
• Very flexible to set-up and customise via menus.
• Good use of legacy lenses eg 50mm f1.7.

Not so good points:

• Noisy images at ISO 400 and above.
• Some controls can be fiddly to use and too easy to operate accidentally.
• Video is very hard to use for a spectacle wearer; cannot focus on the subject and the viewfinder (rear LCD screen) at the same time although that will be the same for all DSLRs, not just the K-7.

My main regret is that I haven’t had the chance to use the K-7 with some good Pentax glass, like the 300mm F4, which is also weather sealed. The sharpest lens I have used on the K-7 has to be the SMC 50mm f1.7 which came with my old K-1000 about 30 years ago!

And the bottom line –

If I was starting from scratch in this field of work, without the current investment in Canon equipment (especially lenses) would I consider the K-7? Certainly, although by now I would be more likely to be looking at a K-5.

An Indoor Job

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by a friend who plays in a local jazz quartet (Take 4 - http://www.take4jazz.com/Take_4/Welcome.html) if I would take a few shots of a gig in a local put, for use on a new CD sleeve. The lighting was pretty grim and it was a very cluttered environment, so I concentrated on close-ups, using the K-7 on ISO 1600 with the old 50mm f1.7 lens. This is the shot they used on the CD cover.

On the Kayak Again - and a Pavlova

The weather on Sunday was perfect for another outing on the Kayak, on the Exe estuary. We were also on neap tides so not too much current to worry about. Plus, Exe Sailing Club had a Sunday afternoon race so there was plenty of subject matter. You can see some of the results on the club website at http://www.exe-sailing-club.org/.

But the picture of the day was taken after racing. Club member Tony Brewster had pledged during a Help for Heroes fundraising evening back in March to have a pavlova made for post-racing tea. Yesterday the plan finally came together and the pavlova, made by Sandra Sydenham, was fantastic! I just managed to get a shot of it before the hordes scoffed the lot. It was in the unlit kitchen, shot at 1/8 sec so I guess the anti-shake was working!

The on/off switch is now so stiff I prefer to keep the camera switched on all the time just in case it seizes up completely.

A Pentax-only Mission

Last week from Thursday to Sunday, Exe Sailing Club (my club) hosted the national championships for the RS500 and 800 classes. On the first three days I shot with the usual combination of Canon and Pentax and you can see the results on the Fotoboat website. On the last day, I was rostered for duty as safety boat crew, so I only took the Pentax, so as to be best prepared to do rescuing if needed. It was a blustery day with quite big waves, but very little sunlight. Most of the time the camera was on ISO 400.

There were plenty of opportunities for photos as boats came past us going upwind, but looking at the PC screen that evening I was disappointed by the number of dud shots. I don't know if it's the speed of the AF, or the lack of contrast making life difficult for the AF, but many of the shots were a good deal less sharp than I know the camera is capable of producing. The images here show one which I accepted for the website and one I rejected. I think you will be able to tell which is which.

Perfect Conditions

When the conditions are right, there are few better sailing venues than Lyme Regis. Last week the 505 class held their national championships there, blessed by four days of great breezes, building waves and not a little sunshine. I was there on the Friday and enjoyed one of the best day's shooting this year. I was using the usual setup - Canon 40D with 70-200 f4L plus 1.4x extender and 400 f5.6L, and the Pentax K-7 with 50-200 DA WR.

The best shots of the day were undoubtedly taken with the Canon, particularly the ones shot with the 400mm lens, but some respectable results from the Pentax. I would love to have the opportunity to use this camera with some better quality glass!

The on-off switch has now become very stiff through salt water ingress. I expect (hope?) the seals are keeping it out of the camera's vitals, but in places where it gets trapped it must be doing some harm.

At the Olympic Venue

I had a day at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta yesterday. This was not a great day to be there, with low cloud, mist, rain and high winds. High winds is OK but the rest we can do without. I was out on a press boat shooting with the usual combination of Pentax K-7 and Canons. The Pentax got very wet indeed. At one point I changed the ISO up to 800 (yes, it was that dark!) and button remained stuck down, so that all rear wheel adjustments changed the ISO instead of the aperture. I think dried salt water must have made the button a bit sticky. It's now been rinsed in fresh water and seems to be OK. The picture shows Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes, who represented GB at the 2008 Olympics.

First Problem

I was out today at Teignmouth, shooting the last day of the Lark national championships. Not a spectacular day - rather cloudy and a light and very shifty wind. I was using the usual combination of K-7/50-200 and Canon 40D with a variety of lenses: 400 f5.6L, 70-200 f4L with 1.4 extender and Sigma 10-20.

Towards the end of the afternoon I noticed in the K-7 viewfinder "F - - -" which seemed to indicate an indeterminate aperture setting. I guessed the problem was the connection between camera body and lens. After detaching the lens and wiping the contacts on both camera body and lens, the problem was solved.

Too Wet?

I spent nearly 7 hours on the water yesterday in Lyme Bay, in a small, very wet RIB in quite large waves and 15-20 knots winds. The occasion was the 2010 Albacore National championships. I used 3 cameras: the K-7/50-200 which I kept inside my jacket when not in use, and two Canons: the 40D, with 70-200 f4L/1.4 extender and my old D60 with the 400 F5.6L. These cameras stayed inside the waterproof bag when not in use.

I got some nice shots from the K-7, but the sheer amount of solid water coming over the boat and spray in the air got the better of me in the end. All my available lens wipes were just sodden and keeping the lens clear of water droplets became increasingly difficult. A whole series of shots at the finish of the last race were ruined through water on the lens.

Pleased to say though that all three cameras survived the ordeal and out of the 1000 frames shot in total, I got some reasonable shots.

I also had a go at shooting some video of the leader rounding the wing mark, but the up and down motion of the boat made it a very unpleasant watch!

Showing it Off

I was at Netley Sailing Club, on Southampton Water, yesterday for the RS Tera National Championships. It was the hottest day of the year so far (pushing 30 degrees) and it took the sea breeze a while to get going. I took the opportunity to wander around snapping the surroundings and chatting to people.

Giles Barclay, another Canon user, was interested to see I was using the K-7. He had a go with it and was impressed by its compact size. The picture on this post was taken by Giles.

Once we got afloat it was quite a fun event - you can see the pics on the Fotoboat website. I used the K-7/50-200 alongside the 40D with a range of lenses: Canon EF 400 f5.6L, Sigma 10-20 and Canon EF 70-200 f4L with 1.4 extender. I found the Pentax viewfinder noticeably brighter than the Canon's, something I haven't commented on before.

Beer at the Weekend

I went to Beer Sailing Club last weekend for the RS700/800 open. Another lovely day with a building sea breeze - enough for some close racing but not enough for really exciting photos.

I used the K-7 with 50-200 in conjunction with the Canon 40D/400 f5.6L. In a small RIB (4m) with fairly choppy seas the smaller, lighter Pentax was much easier to handle than the Canon. But I wouldn't sacrifice the 400's image quality and reach just for ease of handling!

Nearly Very Wet

I paddled out to the Exe safe water mark to photograph Exe SC's bank holiday race yesterday. Quite a long way, into the wind and I was glad to tie up to the committee RIB and climb aboard for a breather. Took my shots, and set out back, now with both wind and tide behind me. For a bit of sport I decided to go over the Pole Sand, through the breaking water. Great fun until I was swung broadside by the fierce current then rolled by a wave! Luckily the water was only a foot or so deep but the kayak was completely inverted and the camera bag submerged. But the bag (Watershed Ocoee) was securely tied to the boat and stayed totally waterproof. The paddle was also tied on, so no dramas there.

Wet at Last!

Last weekend I went to a cold, grey, wet and windy Chew Valley Lake to cover the latest round of the RS200 South West Ugly tour. This was a great opportunity to put the K-7's weather proofing to the test. I was on a small RIB, and the combination of spray and rain provided enough "weather" for the 77 seals to resist. At least the spray was fresh (Bristol Water's finest drinking water) and not salt water. I kept my hand over the end of the lens hood when not shooting, and the deep hood proved useful for keeping off all but direct rain when shooting straight into the wind.

Going back into the clubhouse at lunchtime provided another test - with a sudden rise in temperature and 100% humidity everything steamed up instantly. Once I had towelled down all the kit, everything was still working fine - as expected.

Two snags are worth reporting. Firstly, when using the camera with gloves on it was all too easy for my right thumb to hit the Live View button, which lost me a few shots. Second, I lost more shots than usual through poor focus. This appears to be because I had the AF switched to 'S' (single shot), where 'C' (continuous - equivalent to Servo mode on Canon) would have been more appropriate. Read the **** manual!

The Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace

The show took place over the weekend 6/7 March but as I was shooting for Dinghy Sailing mag I didn't post anything until the mag had come out. It's the May issue, now out, the one with the Scorpion on the front cover (one I took at Looe in 2005).

I used two cameras for the show shoot. The Canon 40D with the Sigma 10-20 lens and Speedlight 550 EX flash, and the Pentax K-7 with the 50/1.7 for available light shots. One of these made the contents page of the May issue - those huge stained glass roundel windows at Alexandra Palace are a camera magnet!

I went up to the organ loft to get a general view of the show, which needed the 10-20 lens so used the Canon for that. The aim was to get a shot with blurry moving people which I partly succeeded in doing (1 sec at f/32 was the slowest I could get).

RS Event at Chew Valley Lake

This weekend (13 March) I went to the RS 6,7 and 800 Winter Championships and Musto Skiff open at Chew Valley Lake SC. Great weather - sunny, not too cold and a bit of breeze. I was shooting with two bodies - the Pentax K-7/50-200 combination and the Canon 40D. I used a variety of lenses on the Canon: 400 f5.6L, 70-200 F4L with 1.4x extender and Sigma 10-20.

The results can be seen on the Fotoboat website. They are a reasonable representation of the event but nothing really exciting as the breeze didn't get much over 9 knots.

I tried a bit of video and have posted a clip below. As a spectacle wearer I find using the back screen as a viewfinder quite difficult, as I don't have the necessary depth of focus in my eyes to see the subject directly and the screen at the same time. A monopod might be useful to prevent too much up and down movement. As with anything, it will take some getting used to but I think mixing stills and video work is going to be difficult.