Vivitar 28-210 Macro Zoom Test Shots

2007-12-27


I sold this lens to another Pentaxian for cheap, roughly $30 just for the lens. And I sold it with a 72mm polarizer and a 72mm UV filter. Though the lens is not very sharp wide open, I can attest that with proper stop down on apertures, it is a reasonable zoom lens for the money.

If you see the lens under $50, I would recommend it as a outdoor zoom lens that one can practice on manual focusing. The lens comes in the heavy side and its minimal focusing length is about 7 to 8 feet on the focal zoom range from 28mm to 200mm and it is not quite usable for indoor shooting. But for outdoor with flower and longer distance to object and the use of 210mm focal length, the zoom is quite usable and the zoom ring is great for manual focusing. One caveat noted with the zoom ring is that it is heavy and can slide zooming in and out without a zoom lock and it may be difficult to use for some situations that need a tilted angle. If you hold it in your hand, that is not an issue but it is impossible to use on a tripod with a tilted angles and remote as you need to hold the zoom ring to prevent it from sliding.

About metering, I use Manual mode with stop down metering in my K100D, with limited testing on the lens, I find the needed adjustment of +0.3Ev to +0.7Ev adjustment on Av aperture and in Manual mode, I adjust the timing to yield the equivalent Ev compensation.

Overall, I would have little complaint about the lens if I buy it again for $50, an inexpensive lens for practicing manual focus.

ABC Wednesday -- Wonderful Pair

2007-12-26
Photos taken with Pentax DA 50-200 Parrots taken with pentax da 50-200
Parrots taken with pentax da 50-200Parrots taken with pentax da 50-200Over Christmas weekend, my family visited Oakland Zoo and my kids had a lovely time in the zoo and we bought the annual pass for the zoo. I can't wait for our next visit to the zoo. More pictures can be seen in this flickr photo set.

ABC Wednesday
Last week ABC Wednesday is on
Violent Moments

Merry Christmas from Hin

2007-12-18
Merry Christmas from Hin


Merry Christmas to you all

I am grateful all year and as the Christmas Holiday approaches and I reflect upon all things that have happened this year, I find joy and excitement that fill my heart to the deepest void that I sometimes have with doubt, uncertainty, grudges, and despair with struggles.

Thank you for visiting my blog page and share with me on my learning experience with Photography. There has not been any down moment for me after I purchased my Pentax K100D in March of 2007 and my love of photography has been a wonderful experience with deeper appreciation of my surroundings in visual imagery and renewed energy in the quest for knowledge. In the Holidays, I will reflect upon this learning blog for the great blessings from Him on His birthday and expect what is to come in the new year and my new endeavors with a more focused purpose in the passion that the Almighty has blessed upon me.

ABC Wednesday -- Violent moments

Photos taken with Pentax FA 50 f/1.4
Korean lunch with pentax fa 50 f/1.4


Korean lunch with pentax fa 50 f/1.4
Letter 'V' gives me the most problems and hence some old photos for the post. My little one has some violent moments while enjoying his pot stickers in a Korean restaurant.

I have been leaving a comment to Mrs. Nesbitt asking the whereabout of WalksFarWoman as I have been missing her in all recent ABC Wednesday events since her 'S' post in late November. Her blog in wordpress.com has been deleted and I can't find her anywhere in BlogCatalog or MyBlogLog, and Technorati profile. She is my best friend in the blogging community and a greatly admired writer that I always look up to for inspiration and insights into life with a positive attitude in her poetic writing. I truly pray that she is well and I dearly miss her tonight in posting my 'V' post. I am asking all who knows about WalksFarWoman to make a sincere prayer for her. Much thanks for sharing my concerns of my dear friend.

ABC Wednesday
Last week ABC Wednesday is on
Ultrapod II tripod

Warning on Bower M42 adapter

2007-12-14
Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 converted to K mount
Bower adapter with clip removed

M42 converted to K mount

I don't need any mounting and dismounting for my M42 lens anymore as I turn them into a K mounted lens. And the RED dot in the adapter will work just like any K mounted lens.

I think I can no longer recommend the Bower adapter anymore as an alternative choice to the genuine Pentax adapter as the clipping mechanism gets worn out easily that may get you a stuck adapter permanently onto your K100/10D bodies.

Though the Bower adapter shares the same mechanics as the genuine adapter, it has a very fragile clipping plate with a small screw that are worn very easily and I got my adapter stuck on the K mount socket in K100D body yesterday night. Ouuuch, but luckily I found a way to free the dislocated clip in the stuck adapter along with the tiny screw that you are likely to lose when it gets warn out. If the screw gets dropped onto the floor, you may never found it again as it is quite small for the naked eyes to find it on carpet.

And I make the change yesterday night to remove the clip in my bower adapter, and use my 2 bower adapters to mount onto my M42 lens turning my M42 lens into a K mounted lens. Cool, you may think! And yes, I heard about other people doing that. I did that last night without choice after the clip fell off from the adapter and got stuck in the K100D body for 20 minutes.

Here are the new use of my bower adapters, after the clip is removed, and it changes any of my M42 lens to a K mount

Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 converted to K mount
Bower adapter with clip removed
M42 converted to K mount
Warning: one has to be careful in the setup as any abrupt turn on focusing and aperture ring can unmount the lens unintentionally as there is no longer a locking pin mechanism in locking the K lens in place. A small hole can be drilled on the M42 lens simulating the receiving hole for the locking pin. I have not done the final step involving drilling on the M42 lens' base and I will report back on the success or failure if I manage to find time for experiment.


Related:


Praktica MTL5 -- my 1st film camera

I manage to get some shots of my 1st film camera -- Praktica MTL5 along with my Prakticar 28-70 zoom f/3.5-4.8. Two of my brothers got me this film camera long time ago when I was a teenager starting out with interest in photography. I still remembered one particular night that my 3rd brother Antonio drove me all around Macau and Taipa island for a night shooting of Macau.

I used my K100D with Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 to make it a complete shoot on M42 lens shooting M42 lens -- all in hand-held snapshots with manual focusing and stop down metering. First three shots are done with Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 and the rest are done with Prakitcar 28-70 zoom.


Praktica MTL5 + Prakticar 28-70 f/3.5-4.8 MC zoom
Praktica MTL5
Love the contrast look
Praktica MTL5
My favorite shot
Praktica MTL5
Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 wide open
Praktica MTL5Please don't go shop crazy for these lens as the Prakitcar 28-70 is really hard in focusing with a short focusing ring. I am dumb founded today in using it on shooting the Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 & SuperTak 35mm f/3.5. All editing in post processing are done in Picasa with minor tunning on 'I am feeling lucky', 'shadow', 'highlight' and light adjustment

Related:

ABC Wednesday -- Ultrapod II Tripod

2007-12-11
Ultrapod II with Vivitar 28mm f/2.5ultrapod ii with Schnieder 135mm f/3.5 and a flash
I highly recommend this inexpensive mini-tripod with Ultrapod II that I purchased from REI for $15.00. It is very small and lightweight. It surprises me in being sturdy to stand very stable on tabletop for my Pentax K100D and my most heavy lens with Sigma DL 75-300 and a flash.

Ultrapod II with Sigma DL 75-300
ultrapod ii with Sigma DL 75-300
Ultrapod II with Schneider 135mm f/3.5 and
Eyetek Digital DS328AZ

ultrapod ii with Schnieder 135mm f/3.5 and a flashAnd the Ultrapod II comes with a Velcro strap that allows me to tight the tripod and camera onto a fence or tree trunk or any other lengthly object for securing the gear in place. Though I have not tried the Velcro strap, I am very pleased with the little tripod that is very handy for putting it in backpack along with my other camera gear.

Ultrapod II with Velcro strap
ultrapod ii with Schnieder 135mm f/3.5 and a flash

ABC Wednesday Last week ABC Wednesday --
Model Trains



Impressions & Notes
  • Well built and sturdy
  • Very portable and perfect for table top and desktop
  • Sturdy enough for both point & shoot and dSLR.
  • I find it a bit awkward to mount camera on. I usually have the legs collapsed althogether and use the leg to screw in the tripod mount of my dSLR bodies
  • Ideal tripod to shoot camera and lens that are for sale. The tripod helps to provide a better angle to the camera gear.
  • I highly recommend this tripod
Related:

Photography Passion with Target

2007-12-04
Flying Seagulls with Praktica 28-70 f/3.5-4.8 MC zoom
Flying Seagulls with Praktica 28-70 f/3.5-4.8 MC zoomLord God, I humbly ask of You
The strength to do Your will;
I give to You my talents now
Your purpose to fulfill.
-- Cetas

I am looking for a purpose why He has placed such a strong passion in my life with photography and I am committed more than ever to find out what I can do as a photographer for Him. He must have his plan for me as a photographer. I don't know what I am about to do but I am committed using my passion in His work.

Too many people make a mistake
by burying their talents
-- Our Daily Bread

I am still amateur in photography and one can quiz me on any photography related techniques and background and I will fail miserably in the test. But I do know one thing; when I am behind the viewfinder of my Pentax or the LCD in my Fuji and Casio, I am a person filled with joy and energy I never find in myself.

Panning Night Scenes with cars using Pentacon 50mm f/1.8I thought of the reason why I like photography so much and I relate my passion to how much I love people's faces in smiles and their daily lives captured with feelings and emotions that the Almighty have blessed upon us. I love people and I wish I can be the person who can offer hugs and comforts to others in times of needs, despairs and perhaps another pairs of ears to celebrate in the Lord for the wonders that He has created for everyone of us to enjoy from the warmth and brightness in the morning sun to the beautiful galaxies that we ponder upon every nights in the dark sky above us. Thank you Lord for placing a passion in my life and I give to You my talents now and Your purpose to fulfill.

ABC Wednesday -- Model Trains

Photo taken with Pentax FA 50 f/1.4
Model train taken with Pentax FA 50 f/1.4
Model train taken with Pentax FA 50 f/1.4
Model train taken with Pentax FA 50 f/1.4
Model train taken with Pentax FA 50 f/1.4
Model train taken with Pentax FA 50 f/1.4
Picture was taken in San Leandro Historic Railway Society with a train show on December 1st and June 1st and this great museum has weekly schedule open to the public. I thought my older boy would love to see the moving trains but he happened to be more into the cookies but he kept me in great company in seeing the train show. I enjoyed the model train show very much and the museum has great display of history and artifacts related to train and railway operation.

I can't wait to bring my younger boy to see it on June 1st as the weekly opening will not have 15 model trains replica of new and old trains running in the track for display for the public to enjoy. More pictures unorganized at the moment can be seem in San Leandro Train Show. My younger boy was sick again in the weekend; otherwise, he would have a blast with the moving trains like myself. My older boy loves to play with things and he is not someone enjoying things that he can't touch but my younger boy are mellow like me in observation with great appreciation to things we see.

ABC Wednesday Last week ABC Wednesday --
Flying Seagulls
 

About

Welcome to Hin's Photo Corner, this is my learning blog on photography, blogging and advertising. And I hope you enjoy your visit. For contact, please comment in blog post or email me directly hintheman at gmail.com.

 

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