The Best Camera Is The One You Have !!!

On 19th Jan. 2014, I went to the park and was planned on the spur of the moment to take my Niece and Nephew to the park. As you rightly may have guessed, I missed taking my DSLR along.

All I had with me was my cellphone. It has a quite capable 8 Mega Pixel camera, however I had never used for any serious photography.

My nephew and I both have a deep interest in macro photography. He kept saying that if I had carried my DSLR we would have some awesome photos of the flowers that were there.


Turns out, you do not need the most expensive camera gear to take beautiful photos. Yes the sensor on my Phone shooter is nothing in comparison to my Canon DSLR, however I was quite impressed with the results. Pictures on this post are samples of the images taken

 All I can say is that creativity lies in the person who stands behind the most expensive gear and lens or a simple camera phone that you may have with you. All that matters is that you use whatever you have with you in the most creative of ways.

If you own a point and shoot or maybe a simple camera phone, you may own a professional grade camera or a downright obscenely cheap camera, just remember to use it as a tool to best depict your creativity.

As Always, Happy Shooting!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Dee Kay Dee ;)
 

Vintage Lens Review - AUTO EXAKTAR 135 mm F 2.8 Pentax screw mount Prime lens

So far my experience with using my vintage 50mm Pentax lens is great. I simply love the Bokeh and the dreamy look this lens brings to images. Well there are people who cringe at the fact that this lens is not as razor sharp as the Lenses of today.

I agree... completely to these people. These vintage lenses were meant not for today's DSLRs but the SLR cameras that used 35mm film. For me though I love the look these lenses bring and that too at a fraction of the cost (I am not going to make Billboard sized prints anyway)

So now I wanted a portrait lens. Again I wanted something that will let in a lot of light and the F stop should be a low number. Now I Could have gone for the "Canon EF 135mm f/2.8 (with SoftFocus)" Lens. This baby would have set me back approximately 35000 INR. I am still not ready to put in that kind of cash.



On Ebay.in I was looking for a Vintage and manual alternative. I came across a Korean made, Built like a tank, full metal construction lens, which was up for bidding. I finally won it for 2650 INR. Steal deal I would say. The only thing is it does not have Auto Focus and is a fully manual lens. As usual needed an adapter, this time for a Pentax Screw mount (popularly known as an M42 mount) to EF (Canon mount)... I got this on Ebay for only 165 INR. This puts the total cost of Lens + adapter to 2815 INR (Still less than 10% of the Canon lens)

I have received the Lens and it is in very good condition. The aperture ring works perfect and is close to silent with soft clicks. The focus ring is also very smooth. The Glass is clean with no Fungus and major scratches.

First thing I did was put an 85mm UV Filter on. I am still awaiting the arrival of the adapter, so no shots till then. Overall I am very happy with what I have got I will definitely post some shots when I receive the adapter and am able to shoot some photos.

Again I emphasize.... you do not need the most expensive gear to get magical images.

As Always, Happy Shooting!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Dee Kay Dee ;)

Some shots using the Pentax A 50mm F2 Prime Lens

I love the dreamy look this full manual vintage lens brings.
These photos are all shot indoors with direct and diffused sunlight.
I have shot these in Aperture Priority mode keeping a constant ISO100 and F stop at 2.
And yes... they are all untouched (No lightroom / photoshop)

Happy Shooting!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Dee Kay Dee ;)

Vintage Lens Review - Pentax K Mount, SMC Pentax A 50mm F2 K Mount Prime Lens

It has been a long time I have posted on this blog, but I am still shooting with my Canon 1100D DSLR camera and am really happy with the image quality and now delve in the Manual mode more often then when I just got my camera.

The 18-55 mm Kit lens that I got with the camera is a great all rounder and has everything you need to start off with using a DSLR.... at 18mm you get pretty wide angle shots and i would term it as a pretty versatile lens.

But its been a few months and I heard a lot about the "Nifty Fifty" lens and many people saying it should be a part of every DSLR shooter's kit.  Well I did not feel INR 6800 is cheap for a 50mm lens and even though it is a pretty neat lens that Canon sells, I did'nt wanna put cash in for a lens at this point.

I went on the internet to search for cheaper alternates and came across manual lenses that can be used with my camera with the help of a Converter adapter. I decided to purchase  "SMC Pentax A 50mm F2 K Mount Prime Lens" from EBay.in which I got for only INR 1500. (obviously I ordered an adapter as well... the best stainless steel one for INR 499)

All I can say is that this lens does not disappoint. Being made in the 60s - 70s it is built like a tank with metal construction, unlike Canon which is fully plastic. The Lenses inside also have a pretty good quality. The only downer is that the Lens is fully manual which means you have to select the F Stop which ranges between 2 and 22 and the focus is also manual. This for me is not a negative as i love manual settings.

In bright daylight I shoot using the ISO 100 setting and at evening I use ISO 400 and get close to perfect pictures...

After buying this lens I would say that DSLR photography is not an expensive hobby.

If you have not got one of these lenses yet, give it a shot. It will keep you hooked for years (or decades to come)..

Happy Shooting!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Dee Kay Dee ;)

Review on the 2 Free SDHC cards I received with my Canon 1100D

Sandisk Ultra 4GB (Class 6) SDHC

This card was included in the box of the Canon 1100D. This card is quite quick and there are close to no wait times for burst mode as well as when shooting HD (720p) video using the camera. It retails for just about INR400 (as per the price on the packaging)... This card will always remain in my Cam Bag...

Sandisk 32GB (Class 4) SDHC

I know... I know.... the ramble of people saying that a Class 4 card is not good enough, specially for a DSLR... I got this card free as a special offer... it was not included inside the box, but received it separately... So I decided to use it and check to see if it was any good... To be honest, I was surprised... this card works flawlessly.... The only drawback I have is when you have continuous burst mode shots.... it tends to take about a second more to save... I am not a professional who needs to shoot and save photos at the speed of light... so I can live with that... I am an enthusiast who clicks photos on the weekend... or maybe during a trip so I am cool with this lag.... all in all it is a good option... If you need to buy this card it is available for about INR1299.00 (From Flipkart.com as on 09Mar2013)... Not a bad deal really...

Happy Shooting!!!

Keepin' it Real,
Dee Kay Dee ;)

Some Shots... Close ups

Here are some close-ups of Flowers and plants using the Cannon 1100D... These are outside my window. (All these photos are taken with the 18-55mm kit lens that comes with the camera )

Some Shots...

Here are some pictures taken by my new Canon 1100D... Yes fish keeping is my Hobby as well. (Forgive the misty water... need to do a water change)