I received my Pentax 50mm f/1.4 last week and I have to say,… “I really love this lens!” The folks at dpreview.com kept praising this piece of glass and I have to agree with them. It stays on my K10D all the time with the exception of yesterday where I had to switch to the 50-200 to get some close-ups of folks painting our church. This lens is definitely a “must-have” for Pentaxians. It is extremely sharp, and at f/1.4 the depth of field is extremely narrow (as can be seen with the picture of the baby shitzu below.) I know that the pictures below are small and that it doesn’t really do any justice to the sharpness of the glass. But trust me… it is sharp!

My next lens is probably the new DA* 50-135 f/2.8. But that’s a little too expensive right now – $999. And I think for what I do so far (which isn’t a lot), my current gear will suffice. I still am pondering between the 40mm and the 70mm limiteds. I think the 40mm is a good choice for street photography since the 70mm might be a little too tight. Anyways, here are a few shots I’ve taken with the 50mm so far. (Sorry, I can’t give you a bigger picture. I absolutely have no more space on my server. Don’t worry, I’ll be buying a bigger one soon.) Enjoy!

Last Saturday I decided to go back and hike up Adam’s Canyon once again.  This time, I was by myself with my K10D two lenses, two bottles of water, a bottle of gatorade and some beef jerky.  I left the house around 7am and headed straight to Highway 89.  I actually got lost and couldn’t figure out where to turn left off the highway to reach the trail.  After 15 minutes, I was there.  The hike was really nice.  Although the first part was really steep, and since I haven’t been running like I should, I found myself out of breath at times.  Luckily there were some people out there jogging (yes, jogging!), and I didn’t want them to see me look retarded and out of shape.  So, I was motivated enough to push through.  I stopped a lot just to take pictures.  The sun was rising beyond the mountains and it was gorgeous (see the pics).  I had my iPod with me and I was listening to it the whole time.  I really don’t mind doing this again.

Here’s a few things I learned after the hike…

- Stretch before the hike.  Even just for a few minutes…  stretch.  Those muscles seem to get tight after awhile, especially on the way back down.  I felt my legs and calves were about to cramp numerous times on the way down.

- Look for routes first before attempting to go through it.  I actually went up a little rocky hill thinking it was the easiest way to go.  But to my surprise, there was really nothing up there.  I know it’s a little hard since it was just my second time on the trail.  But I was really freaking out because I couldn’t find a way to get down and I had my camera equipment on my back.  All I could do was pray.  It was really scary.

- Stop to take a breath and relax! Take a look at the scenery around you and ask yourself if there is a God.

- Listen to David Crowder’s “O Praise Him”.  I must’ve listened to this song at least three times.  I just kept rewinding it to the beginning.  I thanked the Lord at that moment for what He has done in my life – I even got a tear in my eye.  (Yes, it was deep stuff!).

- Praise and Worship.

After our church yard sale this saturday, we decided to hike up Adam’s Canyon in Layton, Utah. The hike itself was not hard at all – except for a few trails full of rocks.  Also, it was really hot that day and two bottles of water quickly ran out.  Luckily, the stream (or creek) was nearby.  It looked clear and tasted clean so why not!