One of our forum members recently posted a leak from a French Pentax forum about the Pentax K30, which is rumored to be the new intro-level DSLR replacement for the Pentax K-r.  This would seem to be the first rumor which is more than just plain speculation, as a credible photo of the camera has appeared in a French catalogue that has not yet been published.  Our sources indicate that the K30 will be officially announced early next week.

The camera's name change may suggest a departure from convention, as this new Pentax is weather sealed, has additional external buttons, and has two e-dials: a first in an intro-level Pentax DSLR.  On top of that, it seems to have been redesigned quite significantly, meaning that this camera will be much less of a derivative than its two predecessors. Like the K-m/K-x/K-r, however, the Pentax K30 will not have a top LCD.

The launch price is rumored to be higher than that of the K-r: 799 euros for the kit, or some $900 in the US ($700-800 body-only).

The preliminary Pentax K30 specifications are as follows:

• 16 Megapixel sensor (likely inherited from the K-5)
• Full HD video recording (framerate unknown, likely same as the K-01)
• Weather sealed body
• 3-inch LCD
• Uses AA or rechargeable batteries
• 4FPS shutter (will we see a bigger buffer to compensate?)
• ISO range: 100-25,600
• 11-point autofocus
• 100% viewfinder coverage
• 3 available colors

The introduction of weather sealing in a budget DSLR body may make this camera a success.  We remain hopeful that it will launch sooner rather than later!

Discuss the Pentax K30 on our forum

72 Comments   Read more..

As you may know, generic lenses for Pentax and other camera systems have been sold under the Bower, Rokinon, Vivitar, and Samyang brands almost interchangeably in the past.  However, the supply of these lenses in the US has been limited, as there was great inconsistency in which were available and which were not, and when.

Now, it seems that Samyang lenses for Pentax will be much easier to acquire in the US, with the recent arrival of all 4 lenses at retailers!

The currently Samyang lineup includes 4 surprisingly-sharp, manual focus, auto-aperture, budget primes: the 8mm F3.5 Fisheye, 14mm F2.8, 35mm F1.4, and 85mm F1.4.  Interestingly, with the exception of the fisheye, they are all full-frame-compatible lenses.  These lenses are fully compatible with Pentax DSLRs, and work just like SMC Pentax-A lenses.

Read on for more information about these lenses!

14 Comments   Read more..

The SMC Pentax-DA 50-200mm Weather Resistant zoom is the latest 50-200mm lens from Pentax, and it's meant to be part of an introductory kit for your weather-sealed DSLR, such as the Pentax K-5.

The price of this lens went up by $50 following the introduction of Pentax USA's unilateral pricing policy last month, which fortunately isn't much compared to other lenses.  At the new price of $249, is this 50-200mm lens still worth it for outdoors shooters and landscape use, or as a supplement to the kit lens?  Some might say "yes" right away, because at the moment, Pentax offers no weather-sealed version of their popular 55-300mm lens. 

In any case, read our 50-200mm review to find out!

5 Comments  

Topaz Labs, maker of award-winning post-processing plugins (for Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and other programs), has announced today a special weekend-long sale to celebrate Mother's Day.  The coupon code "TopazMoms" will save you 30% off any Topaz program, including the plugin bundle, through Sunday.

Shop Topaz Plugins

We've posted in-depth reviews of the following Topaz plugins, which we hope you'll enjoy reading!  The results from DeNoise are particularly stunning, as it does a much better job of reducing noise than Photoshop.

Topaz BW Effects Post-Processing Plugin   8.4

Topaz DeNoise Noise Reduction Plug-In   9.2

Topaz Adjust 5 Review Editing Plugin   8.2

3 Comments  

Today we present you with an article by forum member JFN which talks about how to prepare your digital photos for printing so that the colors turn out correct, using Apple Aperture.  While not one of our finalist articles for the $1000 giveaway, we found this guide helpful and hope that you will too!

First of all, you need to make sure your computer has the right ICC profile installed for the photo paper you are about to use. In my case I use paper from Ilford, who provide ICC profiles for all their photo paper on their website. Check with the manufacturer of the paper you intend to use, the right profile will give you a better representation of your picture in print.

With the right ICC profile installed, and if your screen is properly calibrated, you can now use the corresponding ICC profile to preview round about how things will look on your printout, by using a function in Aperture called "Onscreen Proofing".

1 Comment   Read more..

Late last year, we kicked off an exciting giveaway for which our members submitted some fantastic photo articles!  The finalists have been hand-picked by a panel of our judges, and over the course of the past month, we've been publishing a few each week.  Now, with all the articles posted, it's time to determine who will be the winner of over $1000 in prizes, sponsored by B&H photo!

Rather than judging these entries, we will now open the floor up to you, our members!  The top 8 articles will win the following prizes:

• Grand prize: $500-$1000 worth of gear at B&H
• 2nd place: $150 B&H gift card
• 3rd place: $100 B&H gift card
• 4th place (5 winners): $50 B&H gift card

Please vote in this poll for the articles you think should win.  The winners will be ranked based on the number of votes.  In addition, one extra vote percentage point will be given to each article for every 1000 views, divided by the number of pages in that article.  So, for instance, if a 5-page article with 10,000 views would get 2% more votes (relative to the total number of votes).

Voting will run through the end of May, and we will announce the winners on June 1st! To help you out, we're providing an overview of the 15 articles. Read on for links to all 15!

Vote Now!

0 Comments   Read more..

4 Comments   Read more..

The smc Pentax-DA 35mm F2.8 Macro Limited is a versatile lens. The focal length of 35mm is close to what is considered a 'normal' lens (like a 50mm lens on a 24x36mm film camera). In addition to this useful focal length this lens also provides macro capability down to 1:1. 

The DA 35mm Limited at the time of writing has 75 user reviews in our user review section, making it one of the most popular Pentax lenses despite its price tag. Its average used price range is $400-$450 and after the recent price hike the price as new is a hefty $699 in the USA.  Despite the high price we find that the lens is worth a second look if you're after a 'normal' walk around lens with full macro capability and with exceptional build and image quality. If you're primarily after the Macro capability our advice is to go for a lens with a lens with a longer focal length, around 100mm or even more, which allows you to put some distance between lens and object being photographed.

We've recently revised our in-depth review of this lens, and we hope you'll find it helpful!

Read our review of the DA 35mm F2.8 Macro Limited

7 Comments