Pma 08

jscoby05 · 02-01-2008, 12:56 AM

Well I got to Las Vegas this afternoon. I went over to my hotel, dropped off my stuff, and went over to the convention center to catch the last hour and a half of today. When I got there, I went straight for the Pentax booth. Julie Quarry was giving a presentation. I went straight for the K20D and K200D which were on monopods that were strapped down. I threw my extra SD card into the K20D with the DA* 200mm attached. When I pressed down on the shutter....wait for it.... the AF was fast, way faster than the K10D. When they said they tweaked the AF they weren't kidding. And there was not double check. It was almost instantaneous lock. To give you an idea of how fast the AF was, I have played around with the E3 and the A700. This was faster than the A700 and almost as fast as the E3. I was, to be completely honest, dumbfounded. I only took a couple of shots with the K20D one with the K200D. Tomorrow, I am going to take lots of pictures. I also went over to the Samsung booth. They were being quite risqué. They had some, what appeared to be Las Vegas show girls. So of course I shot a few pics of them. Then I tried out the GX20. The guy at the booth showed me the live view. I have to admit, I wasn't really impressed, but to each their own. It works well, I just like the brightness of the Pentax Pentaprism viewfinder. Anyways, Samsung will be releasing a new accessory that might take Pentax users away. The new GX20 grip is WiFi enabled. One of the other Samsung guys was walking around taking pics and when he shot them, they popped up on a Samsung LCD in the booth. I am really impressed with this feature. I will upload my pictures. If you have any questions for me to ask the Pentax reps, let me know. Aren't you jealous

that I am at PMA and you're not, lol.

jscoby05 · 02-01-2008, 01:09 AM

K20D + DA* 200mm

K200D + DA 55-300mm(This lens seems to be have as good of IQ as the 18-250mm)

nosnoop · 02-01-2008, 01:12 AM

Yes, I am very jealous!

Even though you don't think much of Live View, and some functions does not work on beta firmware, can you check when the camera does the mirror flip to AF? I presume when you half-press or press AF button, it would flip and AF. But going from half-press to fully depress, does it flip again or just open the shutter and expose?

Can you check the difference between Samsung and Pentax? Specifically, does Samsung have the AF Adjust menu in Custom menu? Expanded dynamic range? Any special Samsung feature other than WiFi grip (surprised not mentioned elsewhere!)?

TIA!

jscoby05 · 02-01-2008, 01:12 AM

jscoby05 · 02-01-2008, 01:15 AM

jscoby05 · 02-01-2008, 01:19 AM

Originally Posted by nosnoop

Yes, I am very jealous!

Even though you don't think much of Live View, and some functions does not work on beta firmware, can you check when the camera does the mirror flip to AF? I presume when you half-press or press AF button, it would flip and AF. But going from half-press to fully depress, does it flip again or just open the shutter and expose?

Can you check the difference between Samsung and Pentax? Specifically, does Samsung have the AF Adjust menu in Custom menu? Expanded dynamic range? Any special Samsung feature other than WiFi grip (surprised not mentioned elsewhere!)?

TIA!

The Live View is accessed the same way the digital preview is on the K10D. You turn the on/off switch all the way and it starts. You can only AF with the button on the back. Once AF then you simply press the shutter. What I don't like is you have to twist the on/off switch to bring it up again after each picture taken.

nosnoop · 02-01-2008, 01:39 AM

Originally Posted by jscoby05

What I don't like is you have to twist the on/off switch to bring it up again after each picture taken.

Oh no! Please tell me that this is only due to beta firmware!

BTW, would you please ask if they know anything about the "Rear Converter" on the Road Map?
John Carlson or Ned would be the most reliable guys if they are there.

*Sirfishalot* · 02-01-2008, 01:42 AM

jscoby05,
Can you post a few images taken in the high 21fps mode for us? Not that anyone (including myself) really even cares about the frame rate of this awesome camera. Some high ISO shots (3200 & 6400) would be appreciated too. Thanks alot. Have fun at the show.

JayT

davemdsn · 02-01-2008, 01:54 AM

The C***n WiFi grip also has a USB port so you can save directly to a hard drive. Something like that would be really cool in my book. The ability to shoot wired or wireless to a hard drive or computer without the Pentax Assistant software. One can only hope for such an accessory down the road. Looking forward to getting my hands on a K20.

blende8 · 02-01-2008, 02:43 AM

Originally Posted by jscoby05

K20D + DA* 200mm

Well,

please try again.

My question would be:
Has the DA* 200 a true ring motor?
(and not the simple micro-motor as in the DA* zooms).

freeload · 02-01-2008, 02:50 AM

Originally Posted by jscoby05

The new GX20 grip is WiFi enabled. One of the other Samsung guys was walking around taking pics and when he shot them, they popped up on a Samsung LCD in the booth. I am really impressed with this feature.

You can also use the EyeFi wireless enabled SD card to upload your pictures to your chosen service (or your pc)

Check out Eye-Fi Home

Marcus · 02-01-2008, 05:15 AM

First off jscoby05, this is GREAT coverage! Thanks! Best Pentax PMA coverage I've seen by a long shot.

Did Samsung have anything to say about bringing their accessories to the US?

ricardobeat · 02-01-2008, 05:16 AM

Originally Posted by davemdsn

The C***n WiFi grip also has a USB port so you can save directly to a hard drive. Something like that would be really cool in my book. The ability to shoot wired or wireless to a hard drive or computer without the Pentax Assistant software. One can only hope for such an accessory down the road. Looking forward to getting my hands on a K20.

I don't get the point. The body already has a USB port...

Hmm... I hope Pentax get to launch the same accessory later. Samsung wants to be #3 in the market, they already have a sensor and now a bit of expertise, could they just dump Pentax down the road?

**roentarre** · 02-01-2008, 05:18 AM

First, thanks for these photos!

That Da* 55 has a huge lens hood!! The Da 17-70 f4 is rather large and bulky!

Da* 200 is also tried out there. I am so excited to see these new lenses to be available soon. Exciting!

ricardobeat · 02-01-2008, 05:21 AM

Originally Posted by roentarre

The Da 17-70 f4 is rather large and bulky!

It appears to be roughly the same size as the Sigma, but SDM makes it a little fatter :]