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Trying out the Neewer NK002 camera and lighting mount for desks.

In this article I set up my desk with a new overhead camera mount rig from Neewer, the NK002. I’ve been using a standard monitor arm with additional mounting hardware to hold my camera for years, but I wanted to see how this mount works in my creative computer workspace instead. Keep in mind that they sent me this mount at no cost with the expectation that I produce a few videos about it based on my standard collaboration terms . The were not allowed to give me talking points or preview anything that I created.  Check out the full video on YouTube :  Check it out on Neewer's official shop (not affiliated).   Or through my links:  Amazon:  https://amzn.to/4g3I2GI B&H Photo: https://bhpho.to/3Ce6I1u   As an affiliate of Amazon and B&H, I earn from qualifying purchases!  Unboxing and First Impressions The main box with accessories. The NK002 comes in a big, solid box. It was shipped with dense foam support around the rails to keep everything prote...

Pentax Lenses: Auto-Focus (AF) Sound Test Roundup

I noticed people in general are interested in how each lens sounds (myself included), so I thought it would be helpful to put together a video demonstrating a set of lenses and how they sound when doing auto-focus (AF). This set is Pentax as it is the brand I use currently. The other benefits of this video is that you can get a feel for how the lens handles and what the focus travel is, if any (some lenses are internal focus).

Here is the video on Youtube (720p version available):

The camera doing the auto-focus is a Pentax K-7 and the one taking the video is a Pentax K-5 using 720p 30fps video mode.

The lenses included in the video:

  • Pentax DA 14mm f/2.8 ED IF Digital Auto Focus Lens
  • Pentax SMCP-DA 10mm-17mm f/3.5-4.5 (IF) Auto Focus Fisheye Zoom Lens
  • Pentax D-FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro WR (Weather Resistant) Auto Focus Lens
  • Pentax FA 31mm f/1.8 AL Wide Angle Auto Focus Limited Edition Lens
  • Pentax DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED WR Auto Focus Telephoto Zoom Lens
  • Pentax DA* 55mm f/1.4 SDM Auto Focus Lens
  • Pentax DA* 300mm f/4.0 ED (IF) SDM Auto Focus Lens

I’d love to do more, but that’s the extent of what I have available…

This was the first time using an external microphone hooked up to my camera (object on the right in the video). For an extremely cheap microphone (I thing it was around $3) it certainly did a great job compared to the on-camera microphone! Really happy with the result there compared to past videos I’ve made with on-camera sound.

Needless to say, lenses that use the screw-drive mechanism are louder than ones that use an internal SDM motor. The DA 40mm f2.8 and DA 14mm f2.8 steal the show with crazy fast focus driving speeds. The DA* 55mm f1.4 SDM and D-FA 100mm f2.8 WR Macro is the slowest of the lot.

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