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11-04-2010, 05:50 PM   #1
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Why Pentax don't need a swivel LCD screen

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Pentax don't need a swivel LCD sceen because they already have this accessorie: http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/manual/90_degree_Mirror_Adaptor_and_Adaptor_II.pdf

Had problems to find a good photo of it, so I've borrowed this from the marketplace where a copy of this high tech invention was sold some two years ago.



So a SMC covered mirror at 90 degrees in front of the lens. That shouldn't cause that much quality losses. Point the camera straight up and you could shoot over the head of crowds or shoot flowers without bending your back...like with a swivel screen.
So now we know why Pentax has no DSLR with swivel screen
Maybe I need to get one.

Though it does smell a bit of peeping Tom.
I am pretty sure I've even seen 3rd party copies of this great invention, so there must have been a market???

11-04-2010, 06:02 PM   #2
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Won't fit on all the lenses, cumbersome, and tricky to adjust are a few reasons it does not replace a rotating LCD.
11-04-2010, 06:09 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by SpecialK Quote
Won't fit on all the lenses, cumbersome, and tricky to adjust are a few reasons it does not replace a rotating LCD.
You see that little ?
11-04-2010, 09:05 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by SpecialK Quote
Won't fit on all the lenses, cumbersome, and tricky to adjust are a few reasons it does not replace a rotating LCD.
I would think it might possibly degrade IQ a bit also.

11-05-2010, 10:43 AM   #5
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I can remember that a company used to advertise a similar device in the magazines way back in pre politically correct times ( sometime in the 1970's ) by showing a man taking crafty pictures of a young lady in a short skirt.

Try doing that now! ( that type of advertising I mean, not the perving ! )
11-05-2010, 11:50 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Douglas_of_Sweden Quote

Though it does smell a bit of peeping Tom.
I am pretty sure I've even seen 3rd party copies of this great invention, so there must have been a market???
Heehee. Yeah, actually, these were kind of a fixture of Spiratone ads and such in America, at least, ....I don't recall if I've ever actually seen one, but they were commonly advertised as a novelty item for 'candid photography,' (or peeping Toms,) I never heard of one made by a major manufacturer before, actually.

But, I grew up in an age of very clever, or would-be-clever gadgetry being a big part of the photo-hobbyist spending budget. As a kid, I was given many 'special effects' things by well-meaning relatives. I mostly gave them to hippies who were kind to me when fortunes turned a little later in life. I never really understood who thought those mirror adapters would fool anyone but the person you were *not* photographing, but there really was kind of this thing about the aforementioned 'Candid Photography,' (ie, 'it's more real if you're unobserved.' ) I think I was influenced in the opposite direction by some of that hype, actually, to a more interactive way of photographing people.

People's reactions have changed, though. It used to be that if they realized they were being photographed, the biggest problem would be that they'd mug and jump around, nowadays, people tend to be more inured and guarded. Closed-off, even.

But, I've always been fascinated with the second *after* someone feels they've been photographed. This is one reason I've always liked slow winders, and the noisier the better, in some ways.
11-06-2010, 02:00 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Douglas_of_Sweden Quote
So a SMC covered mirror at 90 degrees in front of the lens. That shouldn't cause that much quality losses. Point the camera straight up and you could shoot over the head of crowds or shoot flowers without bending your back...like with a swivel screen.
So now we know why Pentax has no DSLR with swivel screen
First of all congratulation for the document you found!

And yes, a swivel LCD in certain conditions is very useful!!!

Maybe the K3 will have one? They'll probably make a new body so maybe there's a chance for that!

11-08-2010, 06:57 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lloydy Quote
I can remember that a company used to advertise a similar device in the magazines way back in pre politically correct times ( sometime in the 1970's ) by showing a man taking crafty pictures of a young lady in a short skirt.

Try doing that now! ( that type of advertising I mean, not the perving ! )
I miss the John Cleese Ads.
11-08-2010, 09:18 AM   #9
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You see these (Pentax made ones) on Ebay from time to time. Someone should get one and do a hide behind a brick wall test
11-09-2010, 04:21 PM   #10
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There are still a lot of these being sold on eBay with different size adapters for the lens.
Some are being sold as the same size for the lens so as it would not be noticeable and becomes an extension of the lens..used for spying or corner shots..
Mostly made by Bower or Spiratone.
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