A New Lens Day

Today was a very special day for me. I just made the acquisition of an smc PENTAX FA 31mm F1.8 Limited film lens, a lens I lusted after for a long time. Why do you ask? This lens is considered to be one of the best lenses Pentax has to offer. It's a very well constructed brushed metal lens that offers sharp, crisp image reproduction, even at the maximum aperture of f/1.8. A truly wonderful lens.

On my way back from the post office on Fleury Street, I decided to stop for a coffee at Le Petit Flore. After having ordered a crème café, I opened the box I had just picked up and installed the new lens on my beloved PENTAX K-5. I also had my Fuji X100s with me so I took shots with both cameras, alternating between each cameras so to not make any of them jealous. Here are some shots I took that afternoon.

"The Iode Couple" ― Fuji X100s.


"Le Petit Flore" ― 1/125 sec, f3.5 at ISO 2500 no flash. ― PENTAX K-5 with
smc PENTAX FA 31mm F1.8 Limited lens.


"Simon Says... Synchronicity" ― 1/125 sec, f3.5 at ISO 400 no flash. ― PENTAX K-5 with
smc PENTAX FA 31mm F1.8 Limited lens.


"Some Benches Are Luckier Than Others" ― Fuji X100s.


 "iDoorstop" ― Fuji X100s.


"4,20m Closer to the Sky" ― Fuji X100s.

Then I headed downtown later in the day. I brought the Fuji X100s with me along with my K-5 and my new 31mm LTD out for its first spin. As I walked in the Cremazie metro station, I saw this woman musician with two kids singing and playing guitar. I took a few shots of her. After she was done singing, she handed me her business card over. Her name is Nadia High.

"High Undergrounds", version 1 ― (Nadia High, singer, song writer, producer). ― Fuji X100s.

"High Undergrounds", version 2 ― (Nadia High, singer, song writer, producer). ― Fuji X100s.
 

"Joey Is a Punk... The Other One Is Just a Dude With a Ramones T-shirt"

Fuji X100s ― 1/125 sec, f4 at ISO 6400.

"Light. Painting." ― Fuji X100s ― 1/250 sec, f8 at ISO 1600.

Then I hooked up with my longtime friend, singer/sax player of "D Sharp & the Blue Moon Devils ― Donovan "D Sharp" ― and so the context to snap a few portraits with my new little jewel of a lens presented itself very candidly. We started out having a bite downtown and then made our way to la Place des festivals where Les Francofolies de Montréal are taking place. Since nothing beats a good old cup of java after a good meal (again?!), we decided to make a stop at Café Dépôt on Ste-Catherine Street. Here are a few portraits of Donovan I shot with the 31mm LTD lens and the K-5. As you can see, this lens is incredibly sharp.

"D Sharp" ― 1/125 sec, f1.8 at ISO 2500 no flash. ― PENTAX K-5 with
smc PENTAX FA 31mm F1.8 Limited lens.

"Donovan" ― 1/125 sec, f1.8 at ISO 2500 no flash. ― PENTAX K-5 with
smc PENTAX FA 31mm F1.8 Limited lens.

So this is what I do while my friend calls his wife ― I take more pictures!

"Calling Up The Wife" ― at Café Dépôt, Ste-Catherine Street.
 1/100 sec, f2.2 at ISO 1250. ― PENTAX K-5 with
smc PENTAX FA 31mm F1.8 Limited lens.


"Close Encounters of the Sweet Kind" ― at Montreal's Francofolies. ― PENTAX K-5 with
smc PENTAX FA 31mm F1.8 Limited lens.


"Front Staged" ― at Montreal's Francofolies ― 1/100 sec, f2.2 at ISO 2000 with flash.
PENTAX K-5 with smc PENTAX FA 31mm F1.8 Limited lens.

"Rockabilly Rules!"  ― 1/100 sec, f2.2 at ISO 6400 with flash.
PENTAX K-5 with smc PENTAX FA 31mm F1.8 Limited lens.

So it was a perfect day in the end. Got a great lens and got to spend some time with my very good friend.

THANKS TO DONOVAN FOR ACCEPTING PLAYING THE ROLE OF THE MODEL!!!