Photography Roundup - 9/03

Summary of photo news, the latest contests, and more

By K David in Columns on Sep 3, 2015

Pentax MX | tianan1558

With school back in session and the seasons starting to change, this is a nice time to catch up on the Forum happenings. For instance, did you know we have an entire thread dedicated to photos of our film cameras? If not, you can check out our gear picture thread here. Grab your Pentax DSLR, take some photos of your film bodies, and share them with everyone else.

Pentax D-FA 100mm f/2.8 Macro In-depth Review

Pentax-D FA 100mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro WR

Pentax Forums released its in-depth review of the Pentax-D FA 100mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro WR lens. Check out our findings, sample images, and thoughts on the lens.

Featured Deals

It's back to school season and the deals all seem to be in detention. This week we only have a few that we're watching.

• Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye for $179
• Deals on Various Camera Bags

Pentax Forums Roundup

Night Time is the Right Time | K David

Official Monthly Contest #109, Night Time is the Right Time, is Open

The September Official Monthly Photo Contest, #109, Night Time is the Right Time, is open for business. This contest's images have to be taken from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise. If you haven't ever taken an overnight photo, grab your tripod and give it shot. Entries are due before the end of September.

Official Monthly Contest #108, "Junk", has Closed

The August 2015 Official Monthly Photo Contest, Junk, has ended. We'll see, later this week, which of our forum members best turned another person's trash into their treasure.

Post Your Ricoh GXR Photos

Post your GXR Photos Sample Image | naughty_boy

Do you own a Ricoh GXR? If so, share some of your photos in our GXR-specific thread. This thread has some amazing work that features the GXR, a now discontinued by still underrated Ricoh camera. Even if you don't have a GXR, there's some fantastic work in this short, but hopefully soon to be longer, thread.

Post your Medium Format Photos

Making Digital Look like Old Film | tc95

Do you shoot medium format? Have you ever wondered if maybe it's worth taking the leap? If so, check out our Post your Medium Format Photos thread for nearly 500 pages of exceptional Pentax medium-format imagery.

Gear News

A Swan | K David

This week has seen a lot of excitement in the camera phone market. Sony, Apple, Motorola, and OnePlus are all releasing phones with some of the best cameras yet to be installed on a phone. There's also some new on the camera drone and film technology fronts, too.

• Motorola's new camera is a massive upgrade over anything it's done before
• Sony XPeria Z5 Updates, including Camera Specs
• iPhone 6S Prices Leak As New Camera Revealed
• Swans Help Create Smoother Camera Drone Videos
• The Future of Film Photography: Instant Toy Cameras and Small-Scale Labs

Good Reads

This week we have a nice, long reading list. This week's list is heavy with photo galleries.

• The Secret, Misery and Bliss of Finding your Signature Photographic Style h/t Bruce Walker
• This Instagrammer shares pictures of life in North Korea
• The 10 Weirdest Cameras of All Time (Congrats to Ricoh and Pentax for appearing a combined four times.)
• The 10 Most Beautiful Towns on the West Coast
• The 10 Best Daredevil Rooftopping Photos
• Tranquillity
• Capturing the Wonder of the Sea in Stunning Black and White
• Father and Son Pose for the Same Photo for Three Decades
• 11 National Parks That Are America’s Best Kept Secrets
• 35 Powerful Prize-Winning Photos From Around The World
• 33 Photos That Perfectly Capture The Raw Beauty (And Brutality) Of Animals In The Wild
• These Shots Of The Aurora Australis Are Bloody Amazing
• These Stunning Photos Show The Night Sky We Can't See Anymore

Interesting Kickstarter

Do You Wood Film is a Kickstarter out of Italy. It's not cutting-edge but shows that film photography still has enough interest to generate Kickstarters dedicated to the art form. This kickstarter is for reusable, renewable, reloadable film cassettes. If you load your own film, are fine with rolls that may only hold 24 frames or so, and are interested in an interesting and environmentally friendly product, check this Kickstarter out. Film photography has always been a wasteful art form (if you're familiar with the term Polawaste, after the extensive waste left by making large-format Polaroid images, you can relate.) This is a nice way to help make film photography slightly less wasteful and your film containers more aesthetically pleasing.

As always, Pentax Forums does not have an affiliation with nor do we condone the product or backers of this Kickstarter. We include this segment in our Roundup series to help readers keep up to date on cutting edge photography products.