[beholder3]

I think it’s guaranteed that Sony is baking lens corrections into their raw files. It’s not like as if the Sony zombie brigade would care.

Yes, it it is not "only" noise-correction/star-eater and CA-correction on Sony. You can't trust vignetting either. Confirmed here:
Problem with Sony RAW files - Vignetting change
and
Peculiar vignetting problem with SONY A7RII and native Zeiss Lenses

Its a little sad for lenses of this price category to work with such a level of faking.

I wonder how many wannabe reviewers take this into account.

[Rondec]

Roger Cicala made this comment a few years ago on his blog, talking about Sony lenses, "We know that Sony ‘cooks the RAW’ at least a bit, doing some in-camera modifications to raw files. I don’t know exactly what or to what degree. They aren’t alone in this, it seems to be the wave of the future to do some in-camera correction for at least distortion. But it appears they are the only full-frame cameras to do in-camera RAW correction at this moment.

What that means, though, is that tests of just the lens without a camera body, like we’re doing here, may be quite a bit different than what comes out of the camera. For example, our tests of the FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA show a LOT more distortion than tests done on a camera body using Imatest or DxO optics; we show 4% distortion where most of the on-camera testing shows 1% or less. This probably means that the camera is processing the distortion out of the image. (It could also mean that the distortion is very different focused up close, where DxO and Imatest work, then at infinity, where the optical bench works.) Depending upon your point of view that may be good, bad, or make no difference to you at all.

The same thing may (or may not) apply to sharpening. If there’s a little sharpening going on in the raw image, then you may think “Roger you said that lens isn’t so sharp, but the RAW images look very sharp, and the report from this other site using Imatest says it’s very sharp, too”. To take it a step further, sharpening may be applied more to the corners and edges, or vignetting correction applied, or other stuff. (Again, I don’t know if it is or not.)

Because so many people struggle with this idea, I’ll repeat what I say over and over: I’m testing the lens alone. (You would not believe how many people ask what camera these tests are done on.) Other sites are testing the image that has been processed by the camera. Since you’re using the camera, their results will look more like your results and you’ll not see much of the distortion in your images. About 90% of you are going to think ‘why would I care’, and you’d be right. What comes out of the camera is more important.

But if you’re a lens geek like me, what the lens is actually providing TO the sensor is important, if only for esoteric reasons. Or maybe not just esoteric reasons. If the lens is inferior, but the image looks better from in-camera processing, you may not be able to manipulate the RAW as much as you would like, because it’s already been manipulated once. A lot of people are very excited about Sony uncompressed raw because they will be able to do more intense post-processing. But uncompressed doesn’t mean unmodified. If the raw is still modified before you get it, post-processing may still be somewhat limited."

Lens Rentals | Blog

He happens to be someone I trust and indicates that he definitely sees some obvious "baking" going on at the RAW level -- way above what Pentax has done with the accelerator.

[beholder3]

Roger Cicala made this comment a few years ago on his blog, talking about Sony lenses, "We know that Sony ‘cooks the RAW’ at least a bit,...

Lens Rentals | Blog

He happens to be someone I trust and indicates that he definitely sees some obvious "baking" going on at the RAW level

Yes, testing lenses with multiple items of the same lens on an optical bench is the one and only robust way to test lenses. I also prefer lens rentals' tests (not the text parts necessarily) over any other internet writing.

[reh321]

Yes, testing lenses with multiple items of the same lens on an optical bench is the one and only robust way to test lenses. I also prefer lens rentals' tests (not the text parts necessarily) over any other internet writing.

My interest is in how the lens behaves on my camera. I use a camera system - I don't care about theoretical stuff, nor about anything that doesn't make it to my file.

[Wheatfield]

My interest is in how the lens behaves on my camera. I use a camera system - I don't care about theoretical stuff, nor about anything that doesn't make it to my file.

Mostly I'm with you on this. The only caveat I have is if they are charging big bucks for a mundane lens that needs software to make it good.

[Rondec]

My interest is in how the lens behaves on my camera. I use a camera system - I don't care about theoretical stuff, nor about anything that doesn't make it to my file.

We have had all these discussions about raw purity and I guess I have no trouble with lens corrections being done to jpegs. I just am pretty negative to the camera massaging the RAW files in that respect before I begin to process it. If the RAW image has already bumped the shadows two stops in the corners to remove vignetting (an extreme example) then I will have much less wiggle room in how much I process my file before I start to see noise enter in than I should without that RAW manipulation.

Obviously there are plenty of people who don't care so probably I am in the minority. But then again, most folks shoot jpegs and don't care about RAW at all.

[Mistral75]

Pentax KP J Limited Black & Gold and Dark Night Navy will be commercialised tomorrow 13 June in Japan (today 12 June at 22:00 UTC).

Source: Twitter

Eight small format pictures (four of each version): Pentax - Google Drive

[sundown]

Pentax KP J Limited Black & Gold and Dark Night Navy will be commercialised tomorrow 13 June in Japan (today 12 June at 22:00 UTC).

Source: Twitter

Eight small format pictures (four of each version): Pentax - Google Drive

Looks very nice

[Spodeworld]

"If the lens is inferior, but the image looks better from in-camera processing, you may not be able to manipulate the RAW as much as you would like, because it’s already been manipulated once. "

I was wondering about this too. Is the image already somewhat compromised because of the in camera processing?



Read more at: KP custom，DFA*85/1.4 CP+ Exhibit - Page 19 - PentaxForums.com

Roger Cicala made this comment a few years ago on his blog, talking about Sony lenses, "We know that Sony ‘cooks the RAW’ at least a bit, doing some in-camera modifications to raw files. I don’t know exactly what or to what degree. They aren’t alone in this, it seems to be the wave of the future to do some in-camera correction for at least distortion. But it appears they are the only full-frame cameras to do in-camera RAW correction at this moment.

What that means, though, is that tests of just the lens without a camera body, like we’re doing here, may be quite a bit different than what comes out of the camera. For example, our tests of the FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA show a LOT more distortion than tests done on a camera body using Imatest or DxO optics; we show 4% distortion where most of the on-camera testing shows 1% or less. This probably means that the camera is processing the distortion out of the image. (It could also mean that the distortion is very different focused up close, where DxO and Imatest work, then at infinity, where the optical bench works.) Depending upon your point of view that may be good, bad, or make no difference to you at all.

The same thing may (or may not) apply to sharpening. If there’s a little sharpening going on in the raw image, then you may think “Roger you said that lens isn’t so sharp, but the RAW images look very sharp, and the report from this other site using Imatest says it’s very sharp, too”. To take it a step further, sharpening may be applied more to the corners and edges, or vignetting correction applied, or other stuff. (Again, I don’t know if it is or not.)

Because so many people struggle with this idea, I’ll repeat what I say over and over: I’m testing the lens alone. (You would not believe how many people ask what camera these tests are done on.) Other sites are testing the image that has been processed by the camera. Since you’re using the camera, their results will look more like your results and you’ll not see much of the distortion in your images. About 90% of you are going to think ‘why would I care’, and you’d be right. What comes out of the camera is more important.

But if you’re a lens geek like me, what the lens is actually providing TO the sensor is important, if only for esoteric reasons. Or maybe not just esoteric reasons. If the lens is inferior, but the image looks better from in-camera processing, you may not be able to manipulate the RAW as much as you would like, because it’s already been manipulated once. A lot of people are very excited about Sony uncompressed raw because they will be able to do more intense post-processing. But uncompressed doesn’t mean unmodified. If the raw is still modified before you get it, post-processing may still be somewhat limited."

Lens Rentals | Blog

He happens to be someone I trust and indicates that he definitely sees some obvious "baking" going on at the RAW level -- way above what Pentax has done with the accelerator.

[Belnan]

Pentax KP J Limited Black & Gold and Dark Night Navy will be commercialised tomorrow 13 June in Japan (today 12 June at 22:00 UTC).

Source: Twitter

Eight small format pictures (four of each version): Pentax - Google Drive

Now we can finally stop complaining about a lack of camera's coming from Pentax.

[RobA_Oz]

Pentax KP J Limited Black & Gold and Dark Night Navy will be commercialised tomorrow 13 June in Japan (today 12 June at 22:00 UTC).

Source: Twitter

Eight small format pictures (four of each version): Pentax - Google Drive

Pretty. Is it a forlorn hope that it isn’t just a cosmetic overlay, and that they’ve actually used the potential extra space around the prism to include a GPS unit, at least? I do like the grips, though, but not, on their own, enough to shell out for the “Limited” edition KP.

[Doundounba]

Pretty. Is it a forlorn hope that it isn’t just a cosmetic overlay, and that they’ve actually used the potential extra space around the prism to include a GPS unit, at least? I do like the grips, though, but not, on their own, enough to shell out for the “Limited” edition KP.

At CP+, I believe what was displayed was just a prism cover - you could actually remove it to expose the normal KP prism housing... So really, just a new color (sorry, I mean two new colors!), a new grip and a piece of plastic to give the prism housing a new shape (while probably blocking the built-in flash when in use). See this PF article. I would not be hopeful that anything's changed since then.

[Mistral75]

CP+ announcement:

• Special customized model of PENTAX KP
• Adopted special coated mount, wooden grip, original top cover

Source: RICOH IMAGING to Exhibit 2 Reference Product at CP+ 2019 Camera and Imaging Show?RICOH IMAGING

Wood-grain handgrip: Ricoh Imaging have partnered with Miroku Techno Wood Co. Ltd, the same manufacturer that produces the wood steering wheels for Lexus.

Special coated mount: Ricoh Imaging have devised a partnership with Japanese watchmaker Citizen to produce a custom lens mount flange made out of their Duratect DLC material, a titanium-based material coated in DLC (diamond-like carbon) that offers excellent hardness, scratch-resistance and smoothness for pleasing lens mounting and unmounting.

The top cover is a clip-on part.

[Winder]

CP+ announcement:


Source: RICOH IMAGING to Exhibit 2 Reference Product at CP+ 2019 Camera and Imaging Show?RICOH IMAGING

Wood-grain handgrip: Ricoh Imaging have partnered with Miroku Techno Wood Co. Ltd, the same manufacturer that produces the wood steering wheels for Lexus.

Special coated mount: Ricoh Imaging have devised a partnership with Japanese watchmaker Citizen to produce a custom lens mount flange made out of their Duratect DLC material, a titanium-based material coated in DLC (diamond-like carbon) that offers excellent hardness, scratch-resistance and smoothness for pleasing lens mounting and unmounting.

The top cover is a clip-on part.

Is this version of the KP going to be available outside of Japan?

[Mistral75]

I'm not so sure. The KP J Limited was just announced on the Japanese website. There is nothing yet on the English version.

APS-Cサイズ搭載ミドルクラスデジタル一眼レフカメラ 「PENTAX KP J limited」を新発売｜RICOH IMAGING

Production approach is BTO (build to order). Release date is 31 July 2019 for orders received until 30 June.

• body colours: Black & Gold and Dark Night Navy
• custom wood grip
• Duratect DLC coated mount flange
• custom top cover
• custom metal hot shoe cover
• specific landscape settings 'PH-mode Yoshimura', supervised by photographer Kazutoshi Yoshimura, are registered in user mode U5 of the mode dial