Pentax An Outing and more Q system impressions

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Over here (Singapore), we have a nice small community of Pentaxians who meet up for an outing once a month.
This month (Mar), we took the opportunity to travel to Malaysia which is the country next door for more photo opportunities.

I have found myself caught up in quite a bit of GAS and wanted to really get back to the simplicity of photography.
You know... that feeling that some camera/lens was a 'must have' and one would not be able to get reliable performance or good photos w/o such and such equipment.
Yes, thats what I felt I was getting caught up with and wanted to break away from.
So I opted to bring the Q7 with the 01, fisheye and 06.
This would keep the encumbrance low and prevent me from thinking too much about the gear.

I would also have the chance to try out the 08 wide zoom that a friend had managed to loan from the local distributor for the purpose of letting Pentaxians try out this lens,


First stop, the local wet market.
Due to rapid urbanization and government policy, some aspects of a wet market has disappeared from Singapore.
So an old market provided good photo opportunities (as are all markets in the world)

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Camera was just set to my favourite 'Reversal film' mode.
The 01 prime always proves a good focal length for walkabouts.
In the narrower confines of the market, the focal length worked well, able to give a good working distance w/o standing too far, and able to close in for close up shots.

Dim light was no issue to the Q7 focusing and the 01 with its larger DOF and f1.9 aperture made a lot of shots easy, almost thougthless w/o the need to worry over DOF/Exposure balances which would be a consideration for a larger sensor camera .
 
An old bakery.
A pre-war bakery, with an interesting character to add to it.

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I wanted to capture more of the old bakery and the fisheye suited this role well.


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Some sweet looking treats after the 'chicken' :D


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The oven area was dark, but it wasn't that bad since the Q7 with prime 01 had plenty of DOF at f2.2, keeping ISO to a lower ISO600


So to me, if I were to have a check list of what the camera did so far for the sort of photos taken on a easy trip, the Q system seem to have covered decently, imo.
 
A couple of photos of the buildings around the Johore Bahru old town.

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Pressed the fisheye for 'landscape duty'.
Sultan Ibrahim Building - It was completed in 1940 by the British, just in time for the Japanese to occupy it and use it to plan their invasion of Singapore.


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01 Prime, I just love the Reversal Film mode for the contrast and colors


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State mosque of Johore (previously a colonial building)
 
Orang Asli (native peope - in the Malay language) village.


Got to be one of the highlights of the tour for me.
The kids at the jetty having un-restrained fun bathing/playing is something to remember.

These are taken with the 08 zoom.
After trying it, I got to say that its a wonderful compliment to the Q system.
Its like having a real ultra wide like the Sigma 10-20 ,but so small.
Most other compact cameras only do 24mm or 28mm widest, so this at about 17mm is an advantage to the Q.
With it, there really is no focal length that is uncovered as a system.
I'd wish it was cheaper around the 06 price though.

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IMGP1978 by jenkwang, on Flickr


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IMGP1985 by jenkwang, on Flickr


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IMGP1992 by jenkwang, on Flickr
 
I end the series of shots with some children portraits from the Orang Asli village.

The day was ending and the light was dimming.
This in no way dampened the simple happiness and smiles of the children in the village, and the shots leave a warm feeling in my heart.

If there was a 'to do checklist' for me as a photographer/traveler and camera user I'd list it this way:
1. Captures of places I went and saw - CHECK
2. The sights the activities of people I met - CHECK
3. The small stuffs that catch my attention that I may not see in my home country - CHECK
4. Portraits of the people - CHECK

Its a pretty well covered list to me and all done with a small system that did not encumber me or hindered me in anyway.
If I wanted to, I can easily dispense with the small satchel camera bag I used and use a waist pouch with the lenses in small pouches.
For this sort of short trip or day out, I think the Q as a system is really good.
Not as poor quality or rigid as using a handphone or pns while not going all out serious either with a DSLR/MILC system.
Basically fun.. :)

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IMGP2007 by jenkwang, on Flickr


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IMGP2018 by jenkwang, on Flickr


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IMGP1973 by jenkwang, on Flickr

---------- Post added 04-04-2014 at 09:43 AM ----------

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IMGP2037 by jenkwang, on Flickr


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IMGP2019 by jenkwang, on Flickr
 
Very impressive images and great quality too!! Having played with the Q7 I think it is actually a damn good little camera and produces great image quality.
 
Thank you everyone for the kind words and support.
I really appreciate it.

I enjoyed the trip very much and the Q just made it fun w/o me losing out on any photo taking.
IMHO, its a very un-understood camera, especially as a system.
I am eagerly awaiting the new tele macro for extreme macro shots on my Q7.
Hmm... I might start looking at the 08 lens when it goes on sale too :D





Incidentally, this kit came out a few days after I tried the 08 lens.
Too late for me, since I'm only short of the 08 to have the same lenses as the premium kit. :(
But its a very good deal indeed.
 
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