Zelco lamp for BBQ and Macro Photos?

For a few years in the early 80's I shot hundreds of small tools and devices for a popular catalog company. Anyone that's done this type of close-up and macro photography knows that there's no single lighting set-up that works for all items. Consequently, in addition to my custom built infinity table, giant softbox that floated above the table using a series of pulleys, speedlights under the table to pump light up through the plexiglass, I was always looking for everyday items to help modify or provide spots of light to illuminate a particular demanding product.

Having bought the Zelco LED BBQ Light for my outdoor grilling several months ago, I realized this compact light source would also be great for providing well focused and easily directed supplemental light...if I still was shooting small size product photography.

I'm pretty sure that Zelco probably never thought about this lamp being used for photography lighting, but after fooling around with it a few times over the past month, it confirms my belief that there really are no set rules in what tools you use to light a scene. Sometimes you need to think out of the box when it comes to photography. Also, if this light source were marketed as a specialized photography device, it'd probably cost more than the $49 I paid Zelco. Best of all, now I can use it for both my grilling and shooting pleasure!

(Click on any thumbnail to see a larger image file)

Watches are like lenses - you can't have too many

A current "show your watch" thread on dpreview, and the fact that my wife just returned from a trip to Switzerland and surprised me with a new Mondaine watch, prompted me to take this photo of a few of my time pieces. I've always had a fondness for watches in the same way I have for cameras. They're both basically devices that serve only one purpose, yet it's interesting to see how different their form and function can be.

The watches in this photo, from left to right, are: Mondaine, Hamilton circa 1950, Movado, Ebel, and Avalon by Citizen.

Having shot hundreds of small products for a catalog in the early 80's, I realize how difficult it is in taking a photo of multiple items, each with their own reflective properties. This was just a quick photo and not intended to be a masterpiece. As the other photo shows, I shot this outdoors under natural light (overcast morning) and used a Photoflex 32" White/Translucent LiteDisc to diffuse the light and control the reflections, as best as I could. Photo shot with K20D and FA 100mm Macro.

(Click on the thumbnail to see a larger image file)

Marc Andreessen Interview

Charlie Rose interviewed Marc Andreessen last night (February 19th). Pretty fascinating conversation that covered topics including his views on Facebook, social networking and his current work at Ning, as well as the future of mobile web. He also spoke passionately and convincingly about what newspapers need to do. If you want an insight into where the internet is going, this is a great interview. Marc studied at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), and is credited with creating Mosaic, the first graphical Web browser, the foundation upon which Microsoft Internet Explorer is based. Marc was also a founder of Netscape.

White K2000 Shipping in U.S.

I thought some of our Pentaxians, in the US, might like an update on the White K2000 special edition model (includes white body, white 18-55mm lens, white 50-200mm lens). We started shipping this item two weeks ago. It's available only at our pentaxwebstore.com, and to Sam's Club members through their website.

Although I'll be accused by some that I'm trying to promote sales, I just want to clarify that we only brought in 500 units, and sales are going very well. Keep this in mind, if you're considering buying one for yourself or a loved one.

I also saw a few posts that folks were interested in seeing how a black lens looked on the white body. Therefore, I've posted photos showing the camera with a 40mm and 70mm Limited lens. And, please don't ask me to take pictures of more lens/body combinations. Use your imagination!

Lastly, I am not sure how many of you know about the special offer that's in these white K2000 kits, as well as all black K2000's we're selling in the states. See the last two photos in this thread, where I photographed the front and back of this "PENTAX Visa Prepaid Card Offer". This offer is being made exclusively to customers that purchase the K2000. It's not promoted or advertised, like a national rebate on a number of different products. Think of it as a "personal" thank you for buying the camera, and we thought it would be a nice surprise when you open the package for the first time. As a kid, I loved to see what toy was inside the Cracker Jack's box.

The attached photo is sharp enough so you can see what savings you'll get if you purchase any of these items. The terms are also stated very clearly, but I would suggest you read them carefully before deciding if purchasing the K2000 to then buy another item to get these savings makes financial sense to you. Also, to avoid any forum-frenzied confusion, you can only submit the original printed offer card to qualify for this program. No photocopies will be accepted. In other words, only folks who buy the K2000 are qualified to get the savings. And, notice we are not using rebate checks for this particular promotion. We're doing this limited offer to test the effectiveness of using VISA pre-paid cards, which you can use anywhere except to draw cash from an ATM machine.

Hope this post has been helpful, and I apologize for its length. But I wanted to make sure we were clear on the status of this model, as well as how this new promotion works.

(Note: Click on any of these thumbnails to see a larger image. Star Wars figure courtesy of my grandson)

Conversation at the Summit with Jay Maisel

I have always been a great admirer of Jay Maisel's work, and was fortunate to attend one of his workshops many moons ago. In this video, he shares his thoughts about what photography means to him and why he always carries a camera with him. Although Nikon sponsored this conference, I thought Jay's message was well worth a listen to.

Valentine's Day Flowers

It's a terrible day in Southern California to celebrate our President's Day Holiday in the US. Rainy, windy and cold. Not being able to venture outside for long, this is a quick study with some Valentine's Day flowers two days later. I was only interested in capturing colors and reflections to create a mood. Photographed with K20D and DA* 300mm lens. Shot in RAW and processed with CS3 to create jpeg's for this Blogger post. Click on the thumbnail to see a slightly larger file.

A Few More DA 15mm Test Shots

As a follow-up to last Sunday's Harry the Pelican post, here are some new photos taken with the DA 15mm Limited lens. All photos shot with K20D in RAW and converted with CS3 to jpeg's for posting here on Blogger. Photos have not been cropped, nor have I applied any corrections for CA, distortion, etc.

DA Limited Lens Case

We just received initial production pieces of the DA Limited Lens Case. I thought a few Pentaxians might like to see some detailed photos of the final product. The case should be available for sale in the next week or two at the pentaxwebstore in the US, as well as any dealers that choose to carry the item. The case measures approximately 9"(L) x 3.75" (D) x 3" (H). It comes with 4 padded dividers that have velcro tabs. Retail price is $49.95.

Photos shot with K20D and FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

(Note: As we sourced this product in the US, from Case Logic, I don't know if other Pentax subsidiaries will carry it.)

A few people have asked if you can use this case for the FA Limited's. As I only have a 31mm Limited with me, I posted a photo below showing this lens in the case. Not sure if the photo does a good job of showing it, but the 31mm is too big for the case. Very tight fit and too much pressure on the zipper to close the case. Sort of like trying to fit a size 10 foot in a 9 shoe!

"See-thru" Pentax PZ-1

For many years, Pentax has made "see-thru" clear camera samples. These samples were fully functional. They were used primarily by sales and marketing in promoting a new model to key accounts, the press and for demonstration purposes at trade shows.

I was recently given this clear sample of the PZ-1, a very popular SLR that we made in the early '90's. These clear samples were made in very limited quantities, assembled by hand, and consequently they were far more expensive than the actual production piece.

Click on any thumbnail for larger file.