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12-17-2013, 11:48 AM   #1
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Pentax Forum Grammar Question

Okay, so sometimes I see "Pentax", and other times, I see "PENTAX" in all caps.


Which is the preferred way? Because the capper guys seem deliberate about it. I also see this difference in ads and review sites and other camera talking-about materials sometimes. Just don't want to offend the founding fathers!


Also, when we write about exposure and lenses and stuff do we write "f/2.8" or "F/2.8" or "F2.8" or f/2,8" (with a comma not a period.) I've seen them all here.


Just remembering Mrs. Beasely my third grade teacher and her goddamned ruler. And since everything I put on the Internet gets deposited into the great realm of human history or whatever, forever and ever, I'd at least like to try and get it right.


And I certainly wouldn't want to be sent away to re-education camp by the forum ministers.

And certainly if there are other common terminology mistakes I'd like to know about 'em while I still have a fighting chance for some semblance of personal dignity!

I'm never gonna stop embarrassing myself, but I like to try and keep it to a minimum.




















Last edited by DavidSKAF3; 12-17-2013 at 01:38 PM.
12-17-2013, 11:53 AM - 1 Like   #2
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Pentax/PENTAX is preference. f/2.8 or f/2,8 are both correct. The comma is used in Europe where we North American people use a period to indicate the decimal portion of a number. .
f/ because what the f/stop is is "focal length divided by aperture diameter." And you can tell Mrs. Beasely that most of us don't give a hoot what you type as long as we can make long winded excessively detailed explanations to pretend that we actually know something.
12-17-2013, 11:58 AM   #3
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What he said.
12-17-2013, 12:02 PM   #4
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If you're concerned over the specific notation for aperture sizes on lenses, then don't get any of the new HD Limiteds. They use "1:A Fmm " and "A/F" simultaneously, just to annoy pedants.



12-17-2013, 12:11 PM   #5
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Now I just saw this other guy writing "S.M.C." instead of "SMC"...
12-17-2013, 12:20 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by davids8560 Quote
Now I just saw this other guy writing "S.M.C." instead of "SMC"...
smc - lowercase
12-17-2013, 12:20 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by davids8560 Quote
Now I just saw this other guy writing "S.M.C." instead of "SMC"...
Depending on the age of the Takumar lens, one would read any of the following:
  • Super Multi Coated
  • S.M.C.
  • SMC
so it's probably correct.

12-17-2013, 12:30 PM   #8
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Also it seems people leave off a dash or D when describing a Pentax DSLR:

Kx is a film camera, K-x is the DSLR.

Not K3, but K-3.

Not K10, but K10D.
12-17-2013, 12:33 PM   #9
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what the f?

I am not sure about PENTAX versus Pentax, but the "f" in "f- number" should be lower case,to reflect the result of the formula N = f/D, where f is focal length and D is lens diameter, as in a lens of 50mm focal length, and with a diameter of 25mm, 50mm/25mm = an N of 2.0, commonly called an f-number of f/2. As for periods versus commas, this is good ol' US versus European conventions; they use commas where we use decimal points, as in "f/1.8" versus "f/1,8" over there.
12-17-2013, 12:46 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by asahi Quote
I am not sure about PENTAX versus Pentax, but the "f" in "f- number" should be lower case,to reflect the result of the formula N = f/D, where f is focal length and D is lens diameter, as in a lens of 50mm focal length, and with a diameter of 25mm, 50mm/25mm = an N of 2.0, commonly called an f-number of f/2. As for periods versus commas, this is good ol' US versus European conventions; they use commas where we use decimal points, as in "f/1.8" versus "f/1,8" over there.

What does the N in the formula mean? Just a random Number?
12-17-2013, 01:01 PM   #11
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Ok, now that the grammarians have weighed in, the take away is basically it's all good and in many cases localized preferences. As long as we can communicate, who really cares?
12-17-2013, 01:08 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by davids8560 Quote
What does the N in the formula mean? Just a random Number?
N is the maximum aperture diameter. On a 50mm f/2, for example, N = 50mm / 2 = 25mm.
12-17-2013, 01:09 PM   #13
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"Arguments over grammar and style are often as fierce as those over PC and Mac, and as fruitless as those over Coke versus Pepsi, and boxers versus briefs." - Jack Lynch


"All I know about grammar is its power" -Joan Didion


"Grammar, which knows how to control even kings." - Moliere


(BTW - It's Pepsi and briefs for me! I confess! LOL)

Last edited by DavidSKAF3; 12-17-2013 at 01:36 PM.
12-17-2013, 01:34 PM   #14
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PENTAX, Pentax, pentax - it's all good as long as a full frame camera emerges soon.
12-17-2013, 01:51 PM   #15
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A current third grade teacher would write pentax or Pentax but never PENTAX. If the teacher wrote PENTAX the person needs some serious literacy training.

We have many old farts my age who are what I would call language Nazis ready to argue and correct anything that is different to what they were indoctrinated into. Language is quickly evolving and blogs and texting is having a massive influence on how we write. As far as writing for children goes it is minimalist capitalization and punctuation. While adults might have their fads and ideology about the spoken and written language literacy experts that need to find the best way to get current children to read in a media rich world find that to much capitalization is confusing for children to read. And when my fellow old farts read this and talk about 'in their day' your/our day had TV if you were lucky and maybe a movie once a month and you didn't have so many media choices.

So from a modern literacy point of view with no ideology attached PENTAX is out . In a blog pentax or Pentax is optional as everyone knows what you are talking about either way.
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