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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2, Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 Asph.

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Photo of the Day

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2, Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 Asph.

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Photo of the Day

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2, Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 Asph.

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Photo of the Day

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2, Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 Asph.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2, A Winning Bet

Cameras and Lenses: A look back at the 2011 16MP CMOS Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2, a very compact and capable mirrorless digital camera.

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I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I won the 2011 16MP CMOS Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 on a $1 bet, as I had little or no knowledge at all about the camera, its target use and audience, and capability, except that it was one from the series of mirrorless Micro 4/3 digital cameras that I see often enough being listed on auction sites.

My curiosity for the bet was induced by the fact that I am an overt Olympus user experienced with 35mm OM's, LT, IZN, AF, and AM autofocus cameras, E-series Four-Thirds, E-P5, and E-PM2, and a crop of lens adapters for use with legacy manual focus lenses.

The Lumix DMC-GH2, an updated version of the initial DMG-GH1 launched in 2009, which already has a very flexible and high-quality video capability, is HD-capable.

Still shooters, on the other hand, may look forward to the GH2 as having a sensor larger than the format's imaging circle to allow the camera to capture images in different aspect ratios while retaining the same image diagonal.

The camera shoots 16MP images on an oversized 18MP sensor. It has an 852 x 600 pixels wide electronic viewfinder, which enables 16:9 and 3:2 images to be displayed without cropping.

The camera weighs only 385 grams without a battery and has a multi-angle and swing 3-inch touch screen, a 460,000-dot LCD. Compact and lightweight, the GH2 is a joy to use and carry around, made more advantageous with the range of equally compact and lightweight Micro 4/3 lenses.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2, Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 Asph.

The camera's handling and performance, with external controls, buttons, and switches that make it easy to change options without going deep into the menus, are hugely positive. My early trials with the camera include this light patch study, shot during one of my recent street walks.

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Photo of the Day

Prntax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Stopped-Down Metering On The Pentax K-m

CCD Resurgence: Executing stopped-down metering on manual exposure mode with MF legacy lenses on the Pentax K-m / K2000.

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The Pentax K-m (K2000 in the US), a compact digital SLR camera with a 10.2MP CCD APS-C image sensor, was introduced on September 22, 2008. The entry-level camera was fitted with a K_AF2 lens-mount system and was supplied, for the twin lens kit, with the lightweight and KAF2-specific SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 AL and SMC Pentax-DA L 50-200mm 1:4-5.6 ED lenses.

The K_AF2-mount, a follow-up from the K_F, K_A, and K_AF mounts, was Pentax's development sequence for adding auto-focus features to its lenses. The first K_A-mount, for example, allows the lens's aperture opening to be set by the camera body. This enables shutter priority and program auto exposure modes.

The KAF2-mount, however, does not have the aperture coupling lever to tell the camera what aperture the lens is set to, which means that the older generation of manual focus lenses, when fitted to the camera, will not be able to communicate their aperture setting to the camera. Vice versa, the camera cannot put the lens into auto-aperture mode either.

A legacy Pentax-K lens, say the SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4, can still be used on the Pentax K-m digital SLR, both in fully manual mode and stopped-down manual mode, with the proviso of a couple of caveats.

First, for image stabilization functionality, the lens's focal length must be indexed to the camera's lens registry, done on power-up, where the 'Input Focal length' menu is displayed, and the focal length (from 8 to 800mm) is selected from the display bar.

Second, for the stopped-down manual mode, the metering function of the camera needs to be activated to measure the scene and record the aperture setting for the lens before releasing the shutter, and when the shutter is released, set the lens aperture to the reading automatically.

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

This is done by first pressing the 'Green' button, or in the case of the Pentax K-m, the 'Exposure Compensation' button, before releasing the shutter button. When observing the scene through the camera's viewfinder, you will notice a slight darkening of the viewfinder when you press the 'Exposure Compensation' button as the camera runs the metering option for the correct lens aperture opening.

The steps may sound rather complex initially, but once you get the hang of the routine, getting the correct exposure for your shots with the stopped-down metering method is all but a breeze. All the best!

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Pentax Optio W90, Go Anywhere

Cameras and Lenses: The Pentax Optio W90 is a versatile, dustproof, waterproof, and shockproof go-anywhere digital compact for the outdoorsman.

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For the compact enthusiast, the Pentax Optio W90, a vintage 2010 CCD go-anywhere camera with a 12MP sensor and a 5x optical zoom lens with a 35mm equivalent 28mm wide-angle to a 140mm telephoto lens, might just be the right tonic for your go-anywhere outdoors, for just sitting in the rain, or submerged to depths of up to 20 feet for as long as two hours.

The compact minuscule is just as well dustproof and can withstand a drop from four feet onto 5 cm-thick plywood.

The camera has a normal shutter speed range from 1/1,5000 to 1/40 second, or up to 4 seconds in Night Scene mode, a standard ISO speed rating from 80-1600, or up to 3,200 or 6,400 by dropping image resolution to 5MP in automatic Digital SR mode, and a self-timer with two- or ten-second delay. Images are framed and reviewed on a 2.7-inch LCD with a 230,000-dot screen resolution with a wide viewing angle, finished in an anti-reflective coating.

The aperture varies from f/3.5 to f/5.5 across the zoom range. Exposure modes include Green (fully automatic), Program, Auto Picture, and a wide selection of scene modes. Exposure metering is by TTL Multi-Segment, Center-Weighted, or Spot metering, with exposure compensation in 1/3EV steps.

Autofocusing is by a 9-point contrast detection autofocus system, with face detection that can recognize up to 32 individual faces and three pet faces with Smile Capture and Blink Detection to ensure portraits look their best.

Pentax Optio W90

Focusing is possible as close as just one centimeter in Super Macro mode, and down to 10 centimeters in standard Macro mode. Three LED lights around the lens are used to provide illumination in Macro mode shooting.

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Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Photo of the Day

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

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Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm 1:1.4

People and Places: Fantastic colors, superb images, on a sunny and bright start-of-day street shoot at and around Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur.

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An early morning "Start of Day" shoot with the SMC Pentax 50mm 1:1.4, a highly regarded vintage prime lens known for its compact size, superb build quality, and excellent, high-contrast performance. The lens, though, which was in production from 1975 to 1977, is more often wrongly misrepresented as the later version SMC Pentax-M 50mm 1:1.4 (1977 to 1984), which is lighter, more compact, and has almost similar image characteristics.

And just as well, the lens series was not officially referred to as a K-series lens by Pentax, a designation given to later K-mount lenses (such as the M, A, F, FA, and DA series) produced in tandem with later model cameras.

Introduced by Pentax with the launch of Pentax K-series 35mm SLR film cameras, the lens was in production from 1975 to 1977. It is an all-metal and glass 7-element in 6 groups (with SMC coating) 35mm full frame lens, has an automatic 8-blade diaphragm, and an aperture ring with a range from f1.4 to f22.

The SMC Pentax 50mm 1:1.4 is an all metal and glass 7 elements in 6 groups (with SMC coating) 35mm full frame lens, with an automatic 8-blade diaphragm, an aperture ring with a range from f/1.4 to f/22, a compact dimension of 63mm (diameter) x 43 mm (length), a minimum focusing distance of 45cm, weighs 265 grams, and takes 52mm filters.

It is rated for Sharpness at 9.0, Aberrations at 8.6, Bokeh at 9.4, Handling at 9.5, and Value at 9.1 on PentaxForums.

Reviews indicate that images are rather soft wide open at f/1.4, with sharpness improving markedly from about f/2 to f/2.8 onwards, with very good central and edge quality when stopped down. Bokeh is smooth and creamy.

Pentax K-m, SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.4

The Pentax K-m (K2000 in the US) is a compact, entry-level 10.2MP CCD DSLR from 2009, noted for its ease of use, light weight, and fast autofocus. The camera, with built-in shake reduction and good high-ISO performance, is ideal for beginners for its ease of use and automated features.

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