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now I can't upgrade to a K5...

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pedroboe100 said:
Very nice! Being both a professional oboist and a K5 user, I find this post very amusing. Tell her to keep practicing. This oboe should last her a few years, but as she gets older and better at it, she will want a pro model, and by then, they will cost over 10k! (and if played daily, they last about 5 years).
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... and I thought photography is an expensive hobby! :D

Lee
 
Indeed, but the arts and photography are similar disciplines. You are the protagonist, and have unlimited opportunities to create. Furthermore, with talent, training and perseverance, you could become a professional, in which case, the "instruments " would eventually pay for themselves. If anything, they make us better citizens and keep our kids off the streets.
 
fotobert said:
Oh Mike,

if it's not an oboe, then it's a keyboard or a guitar.

I am so lucky to have my K-5 already, but still saving my money for a portrait lens. Would you recommend the Tamrom 28-75?
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Hi Albert, thanks for the comment... we now have two pianos, (including one baby grand), two clarinets, a tenor saxophone and a trumpet as well as the oboe. I think that's everything for the moment :-)

The Tamron 28-75 is my favourite 'people' lens. The focal length range is a bit unusual on a crop-sensor camera for normal use – it covers the range 42 - 112mm (FF equivalent) which is about standard to medium telephoto. For portraits, small groups and other events which require people shots I find it perfect and the constant f/2.8 is a real bonus... you won't get 85mm at f/2.8 anywhere else for that price. And it only needs to be stopped down by 0.5 - 1 stops from wide open to make it very sharp. if I lost all my gear and started from scratch that would be the first lens I would replace.

Best wishes
--
Mike
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/mikeward
 
Douglas Film said:
I think you made the correct choice, the obo will retain its value better than the K5. To have the beautiful girl play music is priceless.
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Thanks very much Douglas; as you say the oboe makes more sense from a purely commercial point of view as it will hold its value. And we might just get quite a lot of pleasure out of it over the next years.

Enjoy your new toy when it comes!

best wishes

--
Mike
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/mikeward
 
Many thanks Wallace. yes being objective the K7 is more than enough camera for me; even the noisier high ISOs aren't really an issue at the sizes I print - at A4 I can make a nice clean-looking print from an ISO 2000 shot if I shoot RAW and use careful noise reduction. the IQ is miles better than I used to get from pushing 400 ASA film by one stop to 800 which produced grain the size of marbles. But being objective is hard to do when you want new toys!

Best wishes
--
Mike
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/mikeward
 
Brentliris said:
Take's alot of hard work and dedication, physical stamina to play the oboe. If she's up to it then both you and your daughter have hit the jackpot. Congrats..
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Yes it is surprisingly hard work; I can't even make an oboe squeak without going purple, and playing long high phrases requires breath control and stamina that take a long time to develop. She's been playing for three years now and is starting to sound quite good... hence the upgrade.
Brentliris said:
Enjoy your renewed K7 it must have a speciel good karma glow around it !
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:-)

Best wishes

--
Mike
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/mikeward
 
pedroboe100 said:
Very nice! Being both a professional oboist and a K5 user, I find this post very amusing. Tell her to keep practicing. This oboe should last her a few years, but as she gets older and better at it, she will want a pro model, and by then, they will cost over 10k! (and if played daily, they last about 5 years).
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She will be delighted to know that a professional oboist has had a look! The instrument is a Howarth S20 which seems to be the best 'intermediate' level instrument around with the full range of keywork, and a much nicer sound than the beginner instrument she had for a while.

Nobody told me they wore out after five years... gulp!

Thanks for your comment,

--
Mike
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/mikeward
 
Come on, are you more important than she is ?

The K-7 is about enough for even a professional, how is that with her instrument ?

I suppose the joy and quality of her sounds depends a bit more on the 'gear' than your pictures do.
 
Howarth makes great instruments and I love their people, they are the nicest. Michael Britton is someone that I see regularly, as they come to NY often.

About the longevity of the instrument, I wrote that if they are played "daily", they will last 5 Years. But this only applies to an instrument being used and abused in a professional environment (much like cameras?) We have a ridiculous schedule where I work, me and my colleagues actually buy instruments on a yearly basis! . Plus this mostly applies to wood instruments. I can't tell if your daughter has a wood or plastic instrument. It all depends if she takes it seriously or not.

Interestingly, what makes an instrument being "worn out", is not what one would normally think. The mechanisms are actually very well made and today, pads and springs are of higher grade. The real problem is that, as the instrument gets played regularly and hard, the bore expands and contracts and the dimensions of the inside of the top joint are very small and are critical to both tuning and response of the instrument. Unlike a violin, you have a mixture of water and wood and is never a great thing. The top joins crack very often, although that is not a big deal, it can be repaired. The real problem arises when the dimensions inside the top join start to change form the contraction/expansion process, mixed with thousands of instances of the instrument being cleaned with a swab (some people use a feather for that reason). Of course, what I am describing, is akin to a "time lapse" film and this can be a very long process. but the result is that once the dimensions in that top joint have changed, the instrumen feels "blown out"

I appologize if this sounds like a lecture!

But you can see the parallels regarding durability.... my cameras look almost brand new. Yet, every time I see a photographer on the street with their Canikons, I can tell the equipment really get lots of abuse....
 
Many thanks; that was very interesting. (As a lecturer myself I am very happy to be on the receiving end!). yes the instrument is wood - and sounds much nicer than the plastic ones - but based on what you describe I think it will last a while; a half hour practice a day (well, most days) doesn't quite match your punishing schedule.

Interestingly though the process of ageing you describe probably explains why son no 1 (a keen clarinettist, here doing the Arnold clarinet concerto no. 2)...



... recently had to have the cracked top joint on his Leblanc instrument replaced after about six years of regular use.

Thanks again for your comments.
Best wishes
--
Mike
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/mikeward
 
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