Ah! here comes the long focal…

[nicolas claris]

Hello everyone

Sorry to be off for a long time, but I've been busy…

I own you some promised reports about preceding shooting, they'll come!

But for today, I wanted to share with you a nice surprise.

I received yesterday from Pentax a 300 mm (equal to 255 mm as it is a lens built for the 645, not the 645D) loaned for a shoot that will happen in a few days (yes I will report this one too….

So this late afternoon, I was typing some emails when looking (for inspiration?) thru the window I saw a large workboat motoring on the Garonne river… I love workboats!
So I jumped into the secret place where I hide my gear, plugged the 300 mm and shoot 3 pics.
This is one of them :

Pentax 645 D - smc FA 645 300 mm f/4,0 ED (IF) - 1/640s - ƒ5 - ISO 200
Distance of target = 500 meters / 1640 feet (according to Google Earth)

The defect between the blue top and the white board is a paint defect, nothing abut the lens/camera : )
100% Crop:

100% Crop:

​

I am amazed by the DOF…

 

[nicolas claris]

100% Crop:
[IMG]http://mnclaris.free.fr/forum/Pentax645D/_NCL2088_LR_PhareBalises_1000-crop3.jpg

100% Crop:

100% Crop:

​

 

[Asher Kelman]

Nicolas,

What a treat all the way round! You have a magnificent reach with this, (essentially), 390mm lens, your clients get better pictures and we're all thrilled to see this stellar combination in real use. How many other MF digital cameras can boast such long lenses right now?

Nicolas Claris: Work Boat on Garonne River

645D 300mm Pentax lens
(390 mm Equivalent as 645D lens)
​

This is my favorite and incidentally the series of such rich colors reminds me of a picture you showed of colored leather samples to be used in upholstery of the cabin seats. Could you be enticed to process it with that in mind?


So how heavy is this compared to the Canon 1Ds and a 400mm f 4.0 lens? Is there any hope of IS?

Asher

 

[Michael Nagel]

Nicolas,

The amount of detail is amazing. Reading your lines I can sense that there is fun.

What 300mm lens do you have? The FA* (f4.0) or the the FA (f5.6)?

Best regards,
Michael

 

[nicolas claris]

Nicolas,

The amount of detail is amazing. Reading your lines I can sense that there is fun.

What 300mm lens do you have? The FA* (f4.0) or the the FA (f5.6)?

Best regards,
Michael

Hi Michael
it is the smc FA 645 300 mm f/4,0 ED (IF)
Yes, good fun ; )

 

[nicolas claris]

This is my favorite and incidentally the series of such rich colors reminds me of a picture you showed of colored leather samples to be used in upholstery of the cabin seats. Could you be enticed to process it with that in mind?

Bonsoir Asher
This is a crop of the 1st image post in this thread… I don't understand your request about processing…
The image you refer to is, if I'm not wrong:

belonging to this thread: http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5336

So how heavy is this compared to the Canon 1Ds and a 400mm f 4.0 lens? Is there any hope of IS?

1.5 Kg for the body + 1.5 Kg for the lens = 3 kgs! not very light but… stable thanks to inertia!
This shot was handheld at 1/640s…

I have no idea of Pentax plans about IS… would be great though : )

 

[Asher Kelman]

Thanks so much for finding that picture, Nicolas. It's seared in my brain as representing our individual possible choices for creativity and originality, even if we start with the same materials. The leather is only a "potential" for the hands of workman! There's no guide as how to use the colors.

The similarly brightly colored electrical boxes on the boat are merely meant as guides to functionality. Beauty is happenstance but still there.

Asher

 

[nicolas claris]

Dear asher
thanks for your comments…
Life is colored! not B&W, you know my feelings about that…

 

[Asher Kelman]

Dear asher
thanks for your comments…
Life is colored! not B&W, you know my feelings about that…

What's so remarkable about color pictures that work is the natural harmony of nature. Humans however can create too much distracting color noise. Your leather samples give us a rare look at nature and man together, presenting a memorable beauty with no sense of the disruption we see too often in man made objects melanged against each other.

This is one of the rare pictures that I want to see again and again, as it's, to me, at least, optimistic about human imagination and dreams.

Asher