Focus and Bouquet Parfait are terrific plants with footprints that are wider than tall. Focus has strong myrrh scent with rather formless, smallish blooms in clusters and a nice bushy habit. Focus seems to get a little leaf spot, can't remember if it's anthracnose or blackspot. The foliage is smaller, narrower, the habit more lax. My plant is still less than 4 feet tall, wider than tall, maybe 6 feet wide. Marie Pavie is Focus' pollen parent. Bouquet Parfait has nicer blooms, in my opinion, but no scent whatsoever. The arching canes that stiffer. In my garden, Bouquet Parfait has better foliage, larger, leathery and spotless. I have the two planted in the same bed, so I never notice Bouquet Parfait's lack of scent. Bouquet Parfait, because it's stiffer, is a bit taller, maybe 4.5 feet, with more distinctly arching canes. I'm sure it could be pruned to a compact, denser form, and in fact, it's done that way at the Lens nursery. I'll put more shots up on HelpMeFind. If I were to get only one, I'd get Bouquet Parfait. The clusters are really unique, with lots of substance, a nice combination of blush, cream and a yellow greenish pip in the center. Repeat of both is Hybrid Musk-ish, i.e. fantabulous spring flush, repeat bloom but not like the spring flush. Neither gets as much water as they'd like in the summer. Better irrigation might produce better repeat.

I began my interest in photography with a Pentax Spotmatic 35mm SLR back in 1968 and if someone were to offer me a dollar each for all the 1.5x, 2x & 3x tele convertors that I have thrown away over the years I could take my GF out to dinner tonight..LOL. Over the years I have stayed with Pentax for two reasons. First off, I have shot over 250,000 frames with my original Spotmatic and it still performs well. In addition, while Pentax has always stayed on the cutting edge of technology, often being the first to introduce new technologies they have managed to design their cameras in such a way that we can use any Pentax lens ever made on the brand new DSLR's. In fact, both Nikon and Canon build adapters that will allow you to use the old Pentax screw mount lenses on their new cameras. Generally telephoto lenses are used for taking pictures of distant scenes or objects outdoors, well beyond the maximum limits of a flash unit so we are obligated to shoot under the available light conditions. If we are taking a picture of a stationary object we can easily mount the camera & lens on a tripod and compensate for low light conditions by extending the shutter speed but, if you are taking nature shots of birds and animals shutter speed is critical because the subject is not going to remain motionless long enough to permit long shutter speeds. You may have also noticed that as we extend focal length we loose effective aperture. By example, your normal lens may be f1.2- f2, but if you extend to 200mm the maximum aperture will be in the order of f3.5 and at 300mm it will be f4.5 - f5.6. Every time we close the lens one f-stop we must cut shutter speed in half to get the same exposure. By Example, if you have an exposure of 1/125 @ f2 then stop the lens down to f3.5 you must drop the shutter speed to 1/60 to get the same exposure. Let us assume for the moment that you are shooting a scenic shot in late afternoon with your normal lens and you get an exposure of f2 @ 1/125. That would be a very easy hand held shot but what if you changed to a 300mm lens that has a maximum aperture of f4.5 ? You are losing two f-stops of light so you must now change the shutter speed 2 f-stops so the exposure would now be 1/30 @ f4.5 which is well below the 1/250 minimum for a hand held shot with a 300mm lens. Years ago the big 3 camera manufacturers (Nikon, Canon & Pentax) did not even offer a tele converter but due to pressure from 3rd party aftermarket sources they do now offer them, although they keep them very low key in their advertising for good reason. The main problem with tele converters, and what none of the third party manufacturers openly state is the "light insertion loss". Typically a tele converter will introduce a minimum of 2 f-stops of light loss and some go as high as 4 stops. Now it can be argued that with most DSLR's we can compensate for the light loss by increasing the ISO index. (every time we double the ISO we gain one f-stop), which is true, but keep in mind that for every increasing in ISO there is a loss in image resolution and a significant increase in grain (called noise on digitals). Tele converters also introduce both Chromatic & spherical aberrations which is a color & edge distortion that becomes very problematic when printing enlargements. While on the subject of aftermarket products there is another option needs to be mentioned, that being mirror lenses. While the big 3 camera manufactures do make some very good mirror lenses, there is a long list of aftermarket manufactures that build inexpensive 500mm & 1000mm mirror lenses. Be very careful here because most of the inexpensive mirror lenses have a fixed aperture which is typically f-8. While they will perform marginally well for shooting scenics from a tripod, due to the fact that most birds and animals are most active in early morning or late afternoon those lenses are almost useless for nature photography.

Good Morning Lindsey and welcome to the photography forum. While you state that this is your first post in this forum we certainly hope that you will stick around and become a regular contributor. I was initially trained as a "Still Photography Specialist" while serving in the USAF in the 60's and if I have learned nothing else in my mere 40 years of photography, I have learned that only you can answer your question. Now don't think that I am trying to pass the buck or be a wise guy here. At best a camera is merely a tool through which you can express your personality, providing of course that you use it whereas while sitting on a shelf a camera is little more than an expensive ornament. The key to deciding which lenses or accessories you need is to first begin with what you have and use it often. Use it so often that instead of looking through the viewfinder to see what you can get, you begin to see an image in your mind and you use the camera to capture it. Once you are thoroughly familiar with both the capabilities and limitations of the lens you have you will then know what you want the camera to do and you will be able to determine what lens you need to achieve that goal. The human eye produces an image that has roughly a 90degree angle of view. Regardless of what camera we use, in order to produce an image with the same 90deg angle of view we must use a lens that has a focal length equal to the diagonal measurement of the negative or image format. Your camera uses a Type C image sensor and the "Normal" lens for that camera is approximately 30mm. If we then shorten the lens we get a wide angle view and if we lengthen the format we get a telephoto effect. Your 18-55mm lens is giving you a good beginning range from a modest wide angle to a short telephoto. That telephoto is also an excellent portrait lens. If you could provide some information on what you desire to shoot we may be able to help you decide what additional lenses you may need, but for the moment I would strongly encourage you to thoroughly explore the capabilities of that lens in regard to what you want to shoot. Having said that, there are a couple accessories that in my humble opinion are almost mandatory. Get a good tripod. You don't necessarily need a professional grade Bogen, but do not be lulled into those flimsy aluminum and plastic junky things in you local discount store either. I would look for an all metal tripod in the $45 to $75 range that will hold up to hard use under all conditions for years to come. Keep in mind that when shooting vibration is your worst enemy. The tripod you select must be able to hold you camera steady while outdoors in a mild breeze. Get a remote shutter release. Most modern digitals have provision to use a small infra red shutter release that works like a TV remote. With one of those you can set the camera on a tripod and shoot self portraits or family shots but even more important, when shooting on a tripod in dim light you can use the remote to release the shutter and you don't have to worry about vibration from your finger on the shutter button. My camera also has a small mini jack where I can plug in a hard wire remote shutter release button. If your camera has that feature I would strongly suggest you get the remote cord. (they are usually about $10 on ebay). If I can offer you no other advice allow me to say this. Quite often we see amateurs who have super fine cameras such as yours but in their zeal to amass a collection of lenses the opt for the cheap after market lenses from other companies such as Sigma or Tamron. I don't mean to imply that some of the lenses from Sigma or Tamron are not fair lenses, but they are not nearly as good as the OEM lenses that were designed and manufactured by your camera company for your camera. In the overall scheme of things you would be much better served to have one or two OEM lenses than a half dozen aftermarket ones. I personally shoot Pentax and I have amassed a collection of over 25 genuine Pentax lenses ranging from 16mm to a true 1,000mm prime that is 45" long and weighs 12lbs, not to mention a long list of after market ones, but it has taken me nearly 40 years to put this mess altogether and in the end, the lens I use most often is an 18-55mm.

Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Wed, Aug 19, 09 at 16:21 Food Photo Tips Part 7: Macro, Closeups & Camera Icons Hi again everyone. I'm back with another entry on how to use your digital camera for taking tabletop photos. Today I want to again go over shooting closeups or macro photos, as well as explaining the use of some of those icons on your camera. Icons for MACRO and SUPERMACRO The term macro when used with photography refers to making small objects look larger through the lens of your camera. Point and Shoot cameras have a normal focal range within which objects are in focus, that is, the camera is able to see your subject clearly and record a sharp image. However if you get too close to something the camera is no longer able to focus. By using the MACRO function on your camera you are able to get a closer shot . You may have found that when you try to get a closeup picture of something on a table or even a closeup of a flower, the result is blurred, even though you braced the camera on the table or used a tripod and had enough light. Depending on your camera you were perhaps too close to the object for the camera to be able to successfully focus. Many digital cameras have a flashing focus light which you can see in a corner of the viewfinder or on the LCD screen to warn you that the camera could not focus properly while you attempted to take a closeup photo. You have to then move backward a little or switch on your MACRO mode. Remember that you should always press the shutter button half way to let the camera focus on your subject before pressing it fully. If the light begins to flash as you do that halfway press, then you know the photo will be out of focus unless you change something. Either move further away or turn on your MACRO setting, press halfway again and your focus lamp (that light in the screen corner that flashes) should stop flashing. It should stay fixed and give a little beep to tell you that it now has the subject in focus and you can finish pressing the shutter. Note: don't confuse the FOCUS light with the FLASH symbol because they can both blink. The flash symbol is a red thunderbolt, which if blinking, indicates there is not enough light to take an optimum photo. Examples of using PORTRAIT mode without MACRO when camera was too close to be within focal range, and then the same setup using PORTRAIT and MACRO mode. Some cameras have SUPER MACRO which allows you to get very close to your subject, where in some cases the camera can be placed less than an inch away from the subject. I'll show some examples: Coins in PORTRAIT mode without macro, then with MACRO, then with SUPER MACRO. Here are a couple of cameras owned by forum members with their focal ranges (distances at which things will be in focus.) The Kodak Easy Share DX 6490 - this camera will focus normally from infinity down to 2 feet away from the subject. If you want to get closer than 2 feet to that piece of blueberry shortcake, you will have to turn on your MACRO mode (it may also be termed CLOSEUP mode). The macro mode on this camera will focus from 2.3 feet down to 4.8 inches. So you should get a sharp picture within that range. Canon Powershot SD880 IS - another member's camera. This one can get as close as 1.6 ft in a normal mode setting. Closer than that and you have to turn on your MACRO mode which has a focal range of 1.6 feet down to 0.8". That means you could put the camera a little less than one inch away from your subject. That would be too close for food photography but you can try it at a distance of 1.6 feet and see how it turns out. On my Olympus SP560 UZ the macro and normal settings have the same focal ranges, which is 3.9" to infinity (10 cm to infinity.) So when I want to get really close I use the SUPER MACRO setting which gets as close as 0.4" (less than a 1/2 inch). Good for insects, flowers or miniature items. On the little pocket-size Olympus Stylus 800, the normal focal range is from infinity down to 19.7 inches. If I want to get closer than 19.7 inches to my subject, I have to turn on MACRO mode, which is good down to about 8 inches away. Closer than than I would switch on SUPER MACRO if it were appropriate for the photo. Examples with this pocket camera are the photos of eggs,above. You should be able to use macro in several of your cameras SCENE settings appropriate for a closeup photo , such as PORTRAIT, INDOOR, CANDLE, DOCUMENTS, AVAILABLE LIGHT, CUISINE, but not in pictures where distance is a necessary factor in the photo. (Landscape, landscape and portrait, fireworks, sunsets etc.) Try setting your camera to PORTRAIT mode and prepare a plate of fruit or other food. Set the WHITE BALANCE (WB) and if not during daylight, to the type of lighting you have. If the picture through the viewfinder (or LCD screen) looks dark, then use the EXPOSURE COMPENSATION (EV) button to get a plus factor until the picture through the viewfinder looks good. Take a picture. Then holding the camera in the same position (or with your tripod) switch on the same options plus the MACRO (or closeup) mode. Take the photo again and compare the two. Or better still, take several because its a fact that the more you practise and the more photos you take, the better they will become. If you continually experience blurry photos it might be a good idea to check out your normal focal range in your (shudder) manual under specifications, Macro Mode Shooting", or go online to *one of the websites that does reviews* and look at the specs for your camera model. There you will see the normal focal range (it may be called shooting range or macro/close-up mode) as well as the MACRO range. *A couple of good websites for checking out details of your camera are: Steves Digicams as well as DP Review. But the easy way to check it out is to get close to your subject, half press the shutter and if the focus light blinks, move back and repeat pressing the shutter until you find a distance where the light no longer blinks. That will be the focal limit of your normal range. Closer than that you will need to switch on MACRO. Other reasons for blurry photos are: 1. Not enough light. The camera needs more time to focus in low light and during that time you or the subject have moved. Use a tripod. This is true especially for indoor or evening photos, and when using night scene options on your mode dial. 2. Camera shake. Even though you have strong light your photos are still blurry. You are moving the camera or your subject is moving. Dont move the camera when you press the shutter button. Hold arms tightly to your sides, brace yourself against a wall, rest the camera on a solid object or use a tripod. If necessary, breath out and hold it while you press the shutter! (Remember to breath in again please.) Leaving MACRO for now, I wanted to go over the BUTTON OPERATIONS and THE MODE DIAL to briefly go over what some of those icons mean and what will they do when you click them into action. Heres a typical MODE DIAL, found on the top right of a digital camera When you turn this dial and select a mode, you are telling the camera to change the settings for a certain situation. Some cameras will have some of these icons together on a separate mode entitled SCENE or SCN on the mode dial. Typical mode choices found on the top of a modern camera dial are for :MOVIE, AUTO, CHECK PICTURES (Review), GUIDE, MY MODE, and M, S, A, P for choosing MANUAL, SHUTTER PRIORITY, APERTURE PRIORITY and PROGRAM. The photo shows icons for an older digital camera where some of the scene options were included there rather than in an in-camera menu. Heres what they mean: AUTO The simplest of all shooting modes, the settings are fully automatic. The camera selects what it deems to be the optimum focus and exposure for your still picture. PORTRAIT - suitable for taking a portrait style photo; the camera sets a wider aperture (lens opening) to blur the background a little, so the subject stands out clearly from the background. SPORTS - suitable for fast action shots, in this mode, the camera sets a faster shutter speed to catch moving objects such as people in sports events. LANDSCAPE & PORTRAIT the camera sets the optimal shooting conditions for a background scene with a subject in the foreground. LANDSCAPE the camera will use a small aperture (lens opening) to be sure the whole of the photo will be in focus, from foreground to background. This is the opposite setting to PORTRAIT where the background is deliberately blurred. Blues and greens are enhanced in this setting. NIGHT this is where you will need a tripod because the camera will use a slow shutter speed, meaning that any movement while the shutter is open will create a blurry photo. You can have some interesting results with coloured lights and portraits in night scenes. Do play around with this mode and see what comes out from your inventiveness. SELF PORTRAIT hold the camera at arms length and turn it toward you to take a photo of yourself. A fun mode. MOVIES the camera sets aperture and shutter speed for optimum results for taking movies. You may have to click on the microphone icon in one of your menus to include sound. MY MODE perhaps not seen on all cameras, this mode allows you to save a group of settings of your choice which can be recalled together with one click. PLAYBACK MODE allows you to go back and see the photos youve just taken. APERTURE PRIORITY also seen as AV on a mode dial. This setting lets you set the aperture setting manually while the camera chooses the appropriate shutter speed for that aperture (lens opening). SHUTTER PRIORITY also seen as Tv on a mode dial. This setting lets you choose the shutter speed manually while the camera chooses the appropriate aperture for that shutter speed. These two above settings are semi-automatic in that you have control over one or the other function. For example if you want to photograph sports and you know you need a fast shutter speed and dont want to rely on the automatic sports mode, then you would use the SHUTTER PRIORITY setting and let the camera choose the appropriate aperture. If you want to set a certain aperture setting but let the camera figure out the shutter speed then you would choose APERTURE PRIORITY. You can control the DEPTH OF FIELD, or the blurriness of the background where you want the background to recede and a subject in the foreground to stand out sharply by using a wide aperture setting. We could perhaps go in the next tutorial or so a little into DEPTH OF FIELD because I think many folks would like to learn how to get that beautiful effect of a single flower or piece of cake (!) standing sharply against a dreamy blurred background. PROGRAM MODE With just a little more freedom to be creative than the AUTO mode, here the camera sets both the shutter speed and the aperture, allowing you to adjust other functions such as white balance, ISO. I think this has been very long today so although we havent got much more to cover in the next two or three tutorials (I thought wed finish with ten all together), I think next time Ill go over the FLASH icon and FLASH menu as well as the SELF-TIMER option which lets you jump into your photos. Subjects Id like to mention: Depth of Field and how to make those beautiful Blurry Backgrounds, the important triangle of variables that you need to know: APERTURE, SHUTTER SPEED and ISO, how they work together and how to adjust them..or at least understand what is happening. And oh yes.I have to finish that full sized LIGHT BOX so we can see what results we can get from that! I hope you are understanding it all and if you have questions please ask here or PM me. So thanks for joining me. I'll be uploading the next installment soon. And please feel free to save the pages on your computer. Sharon (Canarybird) :-) (All text and photos copyrighted) Free for personal, non-commercial use Follow-Up Postings: o RE: Food Photo Tips: Part 7 - Macro & Camera Icons clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Mon, Aug 24, 09 at 8:38 Sharon, while I haven't been posting directly to your photo tip threads, I've been following them avidly. I so appreciate all the effort you've gone to to explain in such an easy way so many aspects of taking good [better for some of us] pictures. The last week or so I've been very busy organizing and then hosting our family reunion at a local fancy diner and have not had a real chance to digest the latest installments. The macro stuff interests me very much. I've tried to use my macro recently and found when I did the camera refused to take the picture?? Odd. LOL.. I'll figure it out but I suspect I'll have to dig through the manual to see what the problem is. Your post makes me suspect it has something to do with the camera not being able to focus on what I'm trying to do or the distance, or something..heh.. and it won't fire as self preservation. Smiles. I'll figure it out and then be back to digest more of your post. Btw, I got a tripod for my birthday! Yay.. I relative I had staying with me for a while apparently absconded with my last tripod. Grrrr... Needless to say I'm looking forward to using the tripod to work on some of your 'lessons'. Thanks for all your great work on our behalf. o RE: Food Photo Tips: Part 7 - Macro & Camera Icons clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Mon, Aug 24, 09 at 10:58 Thank you coconut, and good that you have a tripod now. I'm wondering what mode or scene you are using on your camera when you add in the macro factor. Are you in AUTO or PORTRAIT (closeup) mode? If you are in a scene mode such as landscape for example, you can't use macro as well because you would sending two different messages to the camera...a landscape or far away mode such as sport or sunset and macro, a very closeup mode. The other thing, if you are in PORTRAIT mode and adding in macro, the camera should take the picture unless you are too near your subject or it is too dark. Does you focus lamp blink (the dot in the corner of your screen) before the camera refuses to take the photo? If so, that tells you that the camera can't focus at the distance you are from your subject. Move back a little and keep pressing the shutter button half way several times until the blinking stops. Then take the picture. Let me know if that works and if not I'll think of something else. Luck....:-) SharonCb o RE: Food Photo Tips: Part 7 - Macro & Camera Icons clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Wed, Aug 26, 09 at 1:13 Good points Sharon, I'll check it out. I thought I had been in food mode, but maybe not. Also the lack of light is quite possible, I'll check that out too. Thanks. Smiles. o RE: Food Photo Tips: Part 7 - Macro & Camera Icons clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by antiquesilver (My Page) on Sun, Aug 30, 09 at 1:42 I don't remember if it's this lesson or another that you suggested using the Self Portrait Timer setting with a tripod to avoid camera shake. So simple & yet so effective. The tripod part is standard but I don't remember being advised about using a timer before but it certainly makes a difference on inside shots. o RE: Food Photo Tips: Part 7 - Macro & Camera Icons clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Sun, Aug 30, 09 at 5:57 Right on track antique silver. I'm going over the self-timer in the next entry, hope to have it ready for Wednesday for those who have never tried out using that feature on their camera, along with setting up the tripod and some tips on that. The self timer avoids any shake you might cause to the camera when you press the shutter button. A shutter cable release is another inexpensive addition which permits you to press the shutter without disturbing the camera body. Both systems will help you to eliminate blur caused by camera shake. SharonCb o RE: Food Photo Tips: Part 7 - Macro & Camera Icons clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by dirtgirl07 (My Page) on Sun, Nov 1, 09 at 13:54 Hi Sharon, I feel a little guilty not posting about food!! I have a question that you might be able to answer. I'm trying to take photos of miniature paintings (2.5x3.5in) and the varnish creates a major shine on them. Do you think your mini light box and macro would work on these? The shine is similar to that you get off of jewelry and silver. We've even tried scanning them in which does reduce that glare, but not completely. Thanks for any help! Beth o RE: Food Photo Tips: Part 7 - Macro & Camera Icons clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Sun, Nov 1, 09 at 17:28 Hi Beth.... If you're taking closeup shots of miniatures you should be in macro mode. Reflection is always a problem with shiny objects. The light box would be fine as long as you can diffuse the light source by using white tissue or drafting paper and can change the camera angle as well as moving the objects around until the reflected light is not bouncing up into the camera. It will take quite a bit of juggling around to get the angle where you don't see the reflection, but diffusion is just as important. Good luck! SharonCb o RE: Food Photo Tips: Part 7 - Macro & Camera Icons clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by dirtgirl07 (My Page) on Sun, Nov 1, 09 at 18:44 Thanks Sharon! I guess it's going to be an experiment. After posting the question I realized that these were not 3 dimensional either - but flat surface.. That was going to be a challenge on the surface glare. They have to be photographed straight on. The scanned version may have to do, but it doesn't pick up the detail well. Thank you for your posts on the photography - those were great. Your photos are all wonderful looking and after seeing them and a lot of gorgeous blogs, you must have trained a LOT of people. Makes looking at all that food delicious!! Beth