Long Time Coming
I have to jump ahead a few weeks in my timeline here to post my first shot with my new camera, the Pentax K-1. I've been a Pentax user for many years, starting with a hand-me-down Pentax Spotmatic 1000 in 1995, I learned a little with that and then got away from photography for almost 15 years.
To cut a long story short-ish, I went in with Pentax digital when I first started getting back in to photography 5 or 6 years ago and Pentax has served me well with good build quality and value for $. But my photographer friends all seemed to be getting outstanding results with their Nikon D800s and Canon 5Ds, etc. and I'm starting to suffer some pixel envy. Finally I'm starting to think about switching systems because Pentax had no full frame camera. Then last year Pentax announced they were working on a full frame, but no release date and in Pentax circles the mythical full frame has been rumored for so long it's become a unicorn. At this point my K3ii and various tricks I've learned are tiding me over but the writing is on the wall. 2016 is BIG upgrade year. If Pentax has a full frame, great I'll check it out. Otherwise it's over to Sony A7RII or Nikon D810 most likely. February rolls around and Pentax announces a release date and full specs for the K-1, a 36MP full frame camera based on the same Sony sensor in the D800. Looks pretty good and price is great so I put in a pre-order.
After a long, agonizing wait, the K-1 is now in my hands in time for a planned trip to Washington state and Oregon with friend and top-notch fellow photographer Kevin Benedict. We spent a couple of days in the Palouse area and then drove down along the Columbia river to Portland stopping at various spectacular waterfalls that Oregon is overly blessed with. This one is Bridal Veil falls. While the comp is pretty straight forward I liked the slightly dreamy atmosphere and the darker forest edges. Using the K-1's "Pixel Shift" feature I found the camera captured tremendous detail while still being able to maintain that dreamy quality. Also used a B+W circular polarizer to bring out the lush green tones.
I know that few outside of the Pentax faithful will care about my backstory here, but it required a big leap in confidence for me to feel finally justified in laying out the expense of a semi-pro system with full frame camera and new full frame compatible lenses, so I felt the need to capture it.
Long Time Coming
I have to jump ahead a few weeks in my timeline here to post my first shot with my new camera, the Pentax K-1. I've been a Pentax user for many years, starting with a hand-me-down Pentax Spotmatic 1000 in 1995, I learned a little with that and then got away from photography for almost 15 years.
To cut a long story short-ish, I went in with Pentax digital when I first started getting back in to photography 5 or 6 years ago and Pentax has served me well with good build quality and value for $. But my photographer friends all seemed to be getting outstanding results with their Nikon D800s and Canon 5Ds, etc. and I'm starting to suffer some pixel envy. Finally I'm starting to think about switching systems because Pentax had no full frame camera. Then last year Pentax announced they were working on a full frame, but no release date and in Pentax circles the mythical full frame has been rumored for so long it's become a unicorn. At this point my K3ii and various tricks I've learned are tiding me over but the writing is on the wall. 2016 is BIG upgrade year. If Pentax has a full frame, great I'll check it out. Otherwise it's over to Sony A7RII or Nikon D810 most likely. February rolls around and Pentax announces a release date and full specs for the K-1, a 36MP full frame camera based on the same Sony sensor in the D800. Looks pretty good and price is great so I put in a pre-order.
After a long, agonizing wait, the K-1 is now in my hands in time for a planned trip to Washington state and Oregon with friend and top-notch fellow photographer Kevin Benedict. We spent a couple of days in the Palouse area and then drove down along the Columbia river to Portland stopping at various spectacular waterfalls that Oregon is overly blessed with. This one is Bridal Veil falls. While the comp is pretty straight forward I liked the slightly dreamy atmosphere and the darker forest edges. Using the K-1's "Pixel Shift" feature I found the camera captured tremendous detail while still being able to maintain that dreamy quality. Also used a B+W circular polarizer to bring out the lush green tones.
I know that few outside of the Pentax faithful will care about my backstory here, but it required a big leap in confidence for me to feel finally justified in laying out the expense of a semi-pro system with full frame camera and new full frame compatible lenses, so I felt the need to capture it.