This is for my brother, Roland, who just got himself a Pentax DSLR. "How to photograph birds".

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

My brother, as well as my two daughters, now have or are in the process of getting a Pentax DSLR. That's going to be great for when I see them or talk to them. I will be able to talk photography to my heart's content. You know, when I get started talking photography, you can't shut me up!

Anyway, my brother asked me the other day about how to take pictures of birds. I'm not great at photographing birds, and where I live (Mojave Desert) there aren't many birds. Of course we have the "Road Runners" the occasional humming birds and plenty of black crows. Other than that, most bird species have more sense, than us humans, and they stay away from this giant  litter box that is the desert.

Ironically, my brother is a "snow bird" and instead of spending winter in frigid Montreal, he and his wife migrate to southern Texas each winter. They stay near McAllen Texas which is second only to Arizona for its number of birds that can't be seen anywhere else in the country.

Since I don't do birds, I found this great article about bird photography and I'd like to share that with him as well as all the readers of this blogsite. The author uses Nikon equipment, but everything he explains can be applied to Pentax shooters as well...well almost everything. For the photographers that do birds, maybe you can contribute more in the comment section. We all need to learn, don't we?

How To Photograph Birds:
---------------------------
By Nasim Mansurov
http://mansurovs.com/how-to-photograph-birds

Copyright - Nasim Mansurov

Bird photography, especially wild bird photography can be quite challenging. There are many articles on the Internet that cover everything from “bird photography tips” to “the art of bird photography”, but I found that many of them are not detailed enough and do not contain as much information for an amateur bird photographer. After several years of photographing birds, I decided to write this “How to photograph birds” guide and include everything I know about taking good pictures of birds. Since most of the bird photography nowadays is done on digital, the instructions below would work great for digital cameras. If you are still shooting film, just skip the parts that do not apply to film (such as RAW format, etc). Parts of this article also apply to birding or bird watching, so if you like birds and just want to be able to approach and watch them closely, read the Locating Birds and Approaching Birds sections only.

Note: This guide will work for any DSLR camera, but since I am a Nikonian, I will only cover settings for Nikon DSLRs and provide detailed information on Nikon lenses that are best for bird photography. This guide could be used for any type of wildlife photography, but I will be concentrating on fast-moving birds and birds in flight, so if you are taking a picture of a fast-moving animal, feel free to use the same camera settings. Continue to read this article on this site: Masurovs

Copyright - Nasim Mansurov

My hat to Nasim Mansurov for a great job of explaining this specialty photography.

Thanks for visiting,

Yvon Bourque

DPReview finally publishes the Pentax K-5 Review. Yeah! 83% with the Gold Award, "Best APS-C DSLR" Nikon D700 - 80%, Silver Award.

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Click on images to read DPReview's conclusions.

  

What does the Barnes & Nobles new Nook Color has to do with the Pentax K-5 and K-r?

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

What does the Barnes & Nobles new Nook Color has to do with the Pentax K-5 and K-r?  Well, almost nothing except that my e-books are readable on the new Nook Color.

Actual picture of my K-x e-book as loaded on the Nook Color.

Our upcoming Pentax K-5 and K-r e-books are loadable on the new B & N Nook Color. It should also be loadable on the iPad and the Amazon Kindle (just black and white) but for some unknown reason, the formatting is bogus. I know it works on the Nook because I just purchased one.



As you can see, you can expand the view (Zoom in and out) with the slip of your fingers.


Below is an excerpt From GIZMO review of the Nook Color. See the full review here: GIZMODO's review:

It's really easy to read compared to the iPhone and much less costly than the iPad at $249.00

"Caught between two worlds, the Nook Color is an undeniably interesting, if somewhat conflicted device. It's not quite a tablet, but it's more than a simple ebook reader. It can do things that an e-ink reader simply can't—even if it doesn't always excel at them—but it's nearly as cheap at $250. At half the price of the Tab or iPad, if you're looking for a super portable tablet thing that's primarily for reading, it's hard not to give the seriously capable Nook a long look, even if you might wanna wait 'til the B&N app store opens and it gets its first major update early next year for maximum goodness."

 



Image from my subscription to National Geographic.

Enlarging the image by sliding my fingers apart, like on the iPhone.

The internal memory is 8 GB but you can use a Mini-SDHC card, which are now available with up to 32 GB. So, in practice, the Nook has unlimited memory. You can save as many e-books, magazines, songs, pictures, etc, as you want with additional memory cards. Loading my e-book PDF file was easy, I just download it from our website. You can download a sample of the e-book for the Pentax K-x here, in PDF format and try it for yourrself. You can try it on any device you own and let all of us know if it works or how you made it work.

The Nook Color does not work with 3G or 4G , just Wi-Fi, but once you load a book or file, it's there for good, without needing the internet.

I am diligently working on my upcoming e-books for the Pentax K-5 and the Pentax K-r.

Thanks for reading, and let everyone know if it works on your device.

Yvon Bourque

The latest Adobe Camera Raw 6.3 - Pentax K-5 & K-r

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

Greetings,




The latest Adobe Camera Raw 6.3 update includes support for both the PENTAX K-5 and K-r.  In addition, this update also adds a bunch of lens profiles: all Limiteds and all DA*s.


It can be downloaded at http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4917

Christmas time, a time to reminisce

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Hi Pentaxian friends.

Christmas time, a time to reminisce

Yvon Bourque
__________________________

A few years ago, while looking for old cameras and other junk at a flea market, I came upon a photography book. I looked at it, not with the intention of purchasing it, as I knew it was old technology. I just wanted to see how they were writing about photography some fifty-plus years ago. This was an ancient book, especially when you look at today’s technology.

I just wanted to see how they were writing about photography some fifty-plus years ago.

Although the principles of photography like aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity haven’t changed much, everything else has. The digital cameras are astonishing in comparison. ISO up to 51200 are possible with the new Pentax K-5. Continuous shooting at up to 7fps with the K-5, and faster, are common with advanced amateur to professional DSLRs. Lenses are now designed by computers and with the glass used along with the multi-coating; some lenses even out-resolve some of the current sensors.

Although the principles of photography like aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity haven’t changed much, everything else has.

DSLRs are lighter, more precise, dust proof, moisture resistant, and if we convert their current prices to film cameras of fifty-plus years ago, they cost about the same or even less. Technology has no doubt brought the world’s most popular hobby to new levels. What hasn’t changed is the enthusiasm and passion photography generates.

I did purchase the old book, “How to make Good Pictures” at the flea market, not to learn how to make good pictures, but because it reminded me how photography unites family. You see, while perusing through the pages of the old book, I noticed that it was given to a “Father” on Father’s day in 1952. It read “To my “Darling Husband” on “Father’s Day”- 1952 Love, Jeanne & Boys.

I still have this book and I look at it from time to time, reminiscing on my own journey and how photography has always been a part of me, how it has and still unite my own family..

Reminiscing on my own journey and how photography has always been a part of me.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Canon replacing mode dial with a new design, similar to Pentax K-7 & K-5.

Visitors to this page also like "Recommended Reading" on the right column. Email: brqyvn@gmail.com Hi Pentaxian friends.

Canon offers locking mode dial upgrade for 5D Mark II, 7D  Read whole article here: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10057-11067

Canon has announced a service upgrade for the EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D that sees the camera's mode dial replaced with a redesigned locking version. The new dial, which is similar in design to the one on the EOS 60D, includes a centre button that, when pressed, allows the dial setting to be changed. Otherwise, the dial is locked in position to prevent accidentally changing the exposure mode while the camera is carried.

So the design of Pentax on the K-7 and K-5 was indeed a great innovation.  It's nice to see Canon following and stealing great ideas from Pentax.  I take it that copying Pentax's design is the greatest compliment from Canon.

Thanks for reading.

Yvon Bourque