[Pentikonian]

I picked up an Amazon Basics backpack as the little camcorder bag I borrowed from work has quickly run out of space. While it's not the perfect bag, I'm hopeful that it will last long enough to figure out what I really want in a bag and what I really want to carry when I'm out.

Also a question while I'm here, many, if not most, backpacks seem to show pictures of the camera being at the top of the bag. I often thought this seemed a bit odd as I'd think that would be a lot of weight up high instead of down at the bottom. Does everyone tend to carry this way or would it make more sense to have the camera at the bottom of the bag? Common backpacking sense tells me to put it at the bottom unless I find myself with a bunch of lenses that weight more than the camera or something...

Only downsides I can see are if the padding at the bottom wears thin, it could damage the camera, if something gets spilled and the bag gets wet and leaks then the camera could get wet and damaged, and that accessing the camera from the bottom of the bag instead of the top might take an extra couple of seconds to get the camera out. Any thoughts on this? I'll probably end up making this it's own post elsewhere later.

If you get the chance to get a pack designed for photography, depending on the size of pack you need, some have openings in the bottom half of the pack so you can put the gear at the bottom and still have relatively easy access. And many come with padding and dividers similar to camera bags.

I haven't been able to backpack for years now, so other posters might have more recent info for you on which are current good packs.

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Last edited by Pentikonian; 12-21-2019 at 03:03 PM. Reason: typos

[SSGGeezer]

I Picked up the big one from the deal listed here that was obviously a returned lens. It is the DA*150-450 and it is amazing so far, (as well as heavy!) Took a shot of my Mother's cat prowling by my rental car, tripod mounted, and it seems to be pretty close to what I wanted, and it was an amazing deal.

[Aaron28]

Pentax ZX-L with FA28-90 and a small camera bag that holds it......put batteries in and the shutter fires so it seems the plastic gear is still working.....look forward to running film through this....have another that currently has a roll in it.....it's a very nice full feature film body but always has the worry of that damn gear

[Gorgarath]

If you get the chance to get a pack designed for photography, depending on the size of pack you need, some have openings in the bottom half of the pack so you can put the gear at the bottom and still have relatively easy access. And many come with padding and dividers similar to camera bags.

I haven't been able to backpack for years now, so other posters might have more recent info for you on which are current good packs.

I wasn't referring to actually going backpacking with this bag, but more to how a lot of the camera backpacks you see pictures of have the camera at the top of the bag. But being a backpacker, I tend to think in terms of backpacking and keeping the weight low instead of at the top of the bag. Easy access is the only real reason I can think of for having the camera at the top.

For actual backpacking, I'll probably look into one of the clips that would let it hang from the front on one of my straps.

[Pentikonian]

I wasn't referring to actually going backpacking with this bag, but more to how a lot of the camera backpacks you see pictures of have the camera at the top of the bag. But being a backpacker, I tend to think in terms of backpacking and keeping the weight low instead of at the top of the bag. Easy access is the only real reason I can think of for having the camera at the top.

For actual backpacking, I'll probably look into one of the clips that would let it hang from the front on one of my straps.

Got it. Have fun with it!

[Gorgarath]

Also another item that also arrived was a Gemini 28mm F2.8 lens. It has an auto setting, but I didn't look close enough at the pictures to realize that despite being listed as for a K mount, that it isn't a K mount. Haven't tried contacting the seller yet, though I should see if they're willing to work anything out. I was rather excited for this one, but it's probably a total bust that I won't get anything out of.
My Phoenix/Samyang 70-210mm F4-5.6 lens also came in though I've not had a chance to really test it out. Did a quick picture inside to verify the lens was working, but haven't been able to take it outside to see how the zoom handles.

I had a bid on a Pentax-A 50mm 1.7 in great condition but had bid on it when I first started looking and didn't realize how hard those were to find. (I also wasn't sure if I wanted a prime lens or if 50mm would actually be as useful as everyone says.) So it was only a low max bid that was still holding as we got a few hours until auction end. I should have just raised it when I checked on it, but I decided to wait until closer to auction end. Then I got busy and forgot about it until an hour after auction and lost at a very low price that was under what I was going to raise my bid to. Thankfully, I still have my Pentax-M 50mm 1.7 that just requires a bit more work to use and doesn't record the aperture in the EXIF (I'm terrible with taking notes so I've generally no idea what I took the picture at) but I'm getting the hang of it and rather like it's results. Maybe I'll check out the camera shop in Philly that I've seen listing some Pentax glass on eBay while I'm in NJ visiting the inlaws. Also let a DA 50mm F1.8 lens slip through my fingers the day after or before, I forget which now.

Sorry, suppose to be a list of acquisitions, not regrets. lol

[kadajawi]

Curious to see if this really gives a boost!

Clock speeds are a bit higher, so that helps. Also, having more cores can help... but it depends on the tasks. Really, in most areas you'll struggle to make full use of the 6 cores/12 threads available on the 3600. It's fast enough for most, and if not, go for the 3700. As I do video quite a bit, that's where I expect to see a nice bump when encoding 4K video. In Lightroom, nah. Perhaps when exporting a ton of photos at once, otherwise I haven't noticed much of a change. And it doesn't look like it's using the cores. The 6 core was more than enough.

There's a reason why I didn't go for the 16 core.

[pepperberry farm]

from Amazon, a 10w UV lamp for yellowed lenses:








thanks to steamloco76 for pointing this lamp out...

Yellowed Thorium Glass Lens FIX- Cheap (under $20US), Fast EASY - PentaxForums.com

[MJSteele]

I picked up an Amazon Basics backpack as the little camcorder bag I borrowed from work has quickly run out of space. While it's not the perfect bag, I'm hopeful that it will last long enough to figure out what I really want in a bag and what I really want to carry when I'm out.

Also a question while I'm here, many, if not most, backpacks seem to show pictures of the camera being at the top of the bag. I often thought this seemed a bit odd as I'd think that would be a lot of weight up high instead of down at the bottom. Does everyone tend to carry this way or would it make more sense to have the camera at the bottom of the bag? Common backpacking sense tells me to put it at the bottom unless I find myself with a bunch of lenses that weight more than the camera or something...

Only downsides I can see are if the padding at the bottom wears thin, it could damage the camera, if something gets spilled and the bag gets wet and leaks then the camera could get wet and damaged, and that accessing the camera from the bottom of the bag instead of the top might take an extra couple of seconds to get the camera out. Any thoughts on this? I'll probably end up making this it's own post elsewhere later.

Obviously Lowepro Camera Bags are at top of the line in my opinion can find many great deals though on ebay...
Also Manfroto has some new lines of camera bags worth checking into...

[kadajawi]

Obviously Lowepro Camera Bags are at top of the line in my opinion can find many great deals though on ebay...
Also Manfroto has some new lines of camera bags worth checking into...

I like my Tenba Cooper a lot, however that's a messenger bag (that doesn't look like a camera bag... which was crucial for me). Also, since I'm mostly carrying mirrorless gear, weight is not a problem. Size is though, because my new notebook won't fit


As for backpacks... how about Peak Design? They look quite cool, seem to be really practical... I almost bought the Everyday Messenger.

[Canada_Rockies]

I Picked up the big one from the deal listed here that was obviously a returned lens. It is the DA*150-450 and it is amazing so far, (as well as heavy!) Took a shot of my Mother's cat prowling by my rental car, tripod mounted, and it seems to be pretty close to what I wanted, and it was an amazing deal.

Lenses don't get much sharper than that!

[Liney]

Theres a great little fresh produce market in the centre of town with other types of shops around the outside. We were in picking up some nice cheeses for the holiday period, and I stopped off at the local camera store to have a look at their "clearance" table.

Picked up a Vivitar MC teleconverter for $10, the glass is fine but it looks like there are some issues with the electrical contacts so I'll have to use it in manual mode for now.

By the way, does anyone know what each of the signals are on the seven contacts on a PK lens?

[Pentikonian]

Non-photo necessary stuff - shave soap, alum blocks, replacement razor blades. Inbound sometime after Christmas.

[Liney]

Non-photo necessary stuff - shave soap, alum blocks, replacement razor blades. Inbound sometime after Christmas.

Sounds like a man after my own heart, never mind this new fangled mechanical stuff the best shave is from a single wet blade

[Pentikonian]

Sounds like a man after my own heart, never mind this new fangled mechanical stuff the best shave is from a single wet blade

Not steady enough for a straight razor, sometimes twitch and nick myself as is.

I had to go back to DE shaving. Cartridge and electric of every type irritated my lower neck so bad it looked like I had chemical burns after shaving. Tolerated it for the sake of "convenience" for 37 years. Switched back to DE a couple of years ago, and irritation stopped first shave.

Sometimes, old ways just work best for some of us.