Best Pentax Videos of 2015

We check them out for you to save you time

By johnhilvert in Columns on Sep 14, 2015

This year over 4000 videos referring some aspect of Pentax appeared on YouTube. Separating the wheat from the chaff was not easy.

We finally opted for our top 20 selections. Many of these you may be already aware of, but we assert there will be as many that you were not aware of.

They deal with mainstream issues such as what makes the Pentax K-S2 so great to operate, how to do high dynamic photography, the charms of the Pentax MX, the 35mm film version. How does one set up a K-3 for everyday use. Others demonstrate using Pentax kit as a video medium or how to do do-it-yourself repairs on a K1000. Still others delve into a forensic view of a 60 year old lens case. There are also wonderful extended commentaries about whether Ricoh lost it or not, this year.

Either way, the common flavour is passion, innovation and making more use of your kit than ever before.

Are there any videos you think that should have been included or given an honourable mention?

First Impression Review: Pentax 645Z

REVIEW, 645Z Tyler Stallman is articulate and charming as he gushes over his experience with the Pentax 645Z in just six minutes. There are well chosen transitions to his photos. It conveys his enthusiasm and experience and makes it hard not to want to check the kit out for ourselves.

Pentax K-S2 Brief Review

REVIEW K-S2 David Hancock provides an engrossing 8.43m take on how the Pentax KS-2 “will spoil you for other brands”. His well-modulated review with samples is easy on the eye as well. He loves the grip and so do non-Pentax users. He sounds a touch besotted, but it’s difficult not to get caught up in this love letter to the KS-2.

Pentax MX Video Manual 1 of 2

REVIEW, TIPS Pentax MX – David Hancock takes a 22.56m tour of Pentax’s late 70s, early 80’s 35mm film legend, the Pentax MX along with samples he has taken. He rates it as the most reliable film body ever made by Pentax. This camera has a well deserved reputation for taking abuse and working reliably regardless. Later he confesses how the camera was in a very sorry state before the review suffering corrosion on the lens and lens mount, he concludes the MX takes “stunning photos” and shows the results of shooting color film 2383 at 1.6 ISO. Compelling results that will have you checking out second hand gear.

Pentax K-S2 Wi-Fi Tethering Tutorial

TUTORIAL K-S2, Wifi Pentax Forums’ succinct step by step 4.47m guides takes you through the mysteries of accessing the camera’s features using a wifi control. Well paced with good close-ups so you can do it all as you watch. Some folks don’t like the background music. We liked its upbeat feel.

Pentax K-3 Initial Settings

TIPS, K3, Ted @ Photouniverse The garrulous Ted from PhotoUniverse shares some of his tips in setting up a Pentax K-3. The guy is usually long on talk over 12m. On this occasion he shows what he’s talking about and we are the better for it. He shares his preference for Domke-gripper straps. Good tips on auto noise reduction levels.

Timelapse with the Pentax 645z and Promote Control

TIMELAPSE Well edited and concise 2.07m example of using the 645Z’s timelapse function on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah to capture the sunrise. The video leaves space for showing how shots were set up to take advantage of the 645Z’s 4K timelapse resolution. Shows off the qualities with some tight audio backgrounds.

Adapter Leica R lens to Pentax camera

TUTORIAL DIY Watch a specialist take apart a Leica ELMAR 180 1.4 R-mount and fit it to a K-mount. Awesomely cool in 2.44m with no background voice just some hurry-up-and-do-it electronic music in the background. The operation is fairly simple, for those familiar with the DIY, but not recommended for those who that lack the manual dexterity. Still, if you want to know how to add a Leica prime to your K-mounts, this is for you.

Ricoh Theta M15 Hands-On Field Test

REVIEW THETA M15 There are many in-the-field camera shoots around. Ricoh’s quirky Theta needs its merits shown rather than spoken about. CameraStoreTV’s demo is about as good as it gets, showing what the product is capable of focusing on specifics with generous well-edited close-ups. 8.24m is quite a long time for this test and yet it moves at a fast pace and the light touch of the presenters nails it nicely.

Deconstructing the Case of a Pentax 300mm F4 Lens Purchased in 1955

LENS CASE COOL, QUIRKY. A perfectly good 60 year old Pentax telephoto lens leather case is presented and then skinned over the next 3.46m. There is no easy way to summarise the awesome coolness of this video. Its forensic flavour will leave veteran Pentax lens owners feeling shaken and some shattered. At least a suppressed giggle will ensue. What is the point of this break-down? Either way, your eyes will not leave this video until they roll-up in your head at the end. Only with a Pentax does this make theatrical sense, sort of.

Pentax MX 1 - Close To The Bunnies Part II

VIDEO demonstration. A candid video of some 2.23m length of bunny rabbits up close taken with a Pentax MX-1. Audio could be less hissy but the user has been clearly patient in setting up the sequence of rabbits furtively checking out carrots and occasionally being shooed away by a raven. So will this replace cat videos? Maybe not, but it’s a masterly application of the MX-1’s video abilities.

Pentax K-3 The New Standard of Performance

DEMONSTRATION Commercially produced showcases of Pentax products are often too slick for their own good. This one, which depicts a model shoot, gets over the line. It conveys how a pro would use a K-3 and apply its features. On the upside it’s well edited and brief at just over 3m. It conveys quite well how the photographer uses K-3’s auto focus, wifi and the buffer of the equipment to manage the look. But, I doubted whether the photographer would continue to use the K-3 after the shoot.

K3 II RECALL

IRONY, COMMENTARY Pentax K3 II owners will be aware of the recent Ricoh recall of their cameras. We see Ed in his busy study, lined with a rebel flag, with his cat idling by, while he binds up his K3 II for posting and having a great rant about Ricoh’s incompetency. However garrulous and good natured Ed from PhotoUniverse frames the event as a major moral failing and almost invites Ricoh engineers to fall on their swords as a result. So theatrical and funny. Pentaxians would understand.

Trip to Mussoorie, India

Video travelog with K30, Pentax’s video functionality is getting more use and interest this year, judging by the excellent travel snippets appearing. The 7.26m video covering a trip to Mussoorie, India is appealing and well edited to a nice sound-track. Some of the white balance could have been corrected but the video made me look up the locale for my next trip.

Moon passing by.

K-3, Supertelephoto, There are many moon pix around, but this one taken with a Pentax K3 and 8" Newtonian AVX Celestron telescope, prime focus with a 2X barlow, making a total focal length 2000mm, gives a very convincing time lapse of what it looks like. All in less than 42 seconds. It’s worth replaying a lot.

Pentax K-S2 Overview Training Tutorial

TUTORIAL K-S2, The longest of the videos at over an hour, Tony Northrop’s training tutorial works well not just for K-S2 users but also other users that want to understand how the various Pentax digital functions works. The various modes shutter, ISO etc are all painlessly covered. I especially liked his discussion on keeping sensors cleaned as well.

Fix Old Cameras: Pentax K 1000 Jammed Transport Addendum

Pentax K 1000 DIY repair. What can you do these days when a Pentax K-1000 has a jammed film transport? This tutorial video offers a step by step approach to correcting the issue of re-engaging the mirror cocking lever only to have it slip and jam again. Even if you are weenie with these repairs, there’s all the fun of seeing close-up how a repair specialist does to keep the 35mm Pentax SLR running smoothly.

Fix Old Cameras: Pentax 67 300mm Lens

DIY Pentax 67 lens 300mm repair. Lens diaphragms can develop guck and get sticky impeding their quick stopping down. This DIY video goes through the minutiae of accessing and cleaning the diaphragm unit in a Pentax medium format 6x7 300mm lens. It shows how to remove the front and rear lens group to access and clean the aperture blades of a Pentax medium format 6x7 300mm lens. Great edification, if nothing else.

DSLR Crop Factor Explained

TUTORIAL, A Pentax Forum tutorial designed to de-mystify the DSLR crop factor and explain what it is and isn't. An issue that often bedevils even the most experienced of Pentaxians concerns the implications of the crop factor. This tutorial clarifies the issue, for now.

Introduction To Hand Held HDR With The Pentax K-3

TUTORIAL HDR K-3, This presentation takes a slow and steady tutorial of some 26m for novices to high dynamic range (HDR) photography. It applies to hand held HDR using bracketing exposures. A Pentax K-3 camera was used and it may have features not present on other cameras. It relies on PhotoMatix Pro software for merging the files. But the principles are common to other software as well.

YOSEMITE, CALIFORNIA | Top 5

Video Travelog, Pentax X-5, Another great use of Pentax video, this time based on Pentax’s all-in-one 26x optical zoom 22-580mm equivalent range. Fortunately there is no over-zooming present. The user’s attention to editing and audio has paid off with this new series of short videos. Its judicious use of timelapse is especially welcome. This one features Yosemite National Park.