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03-03-2018, 06:59 PM - 1 Like   #1
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I've been Megabitten

I have been a Pentax owner and admirer for decades, starting with 35 mm cameras and point-and-shoots. Then I progressed to digital which I love because I can process the images on my Mac and produce nice sharp prints (up to 10x8 ins. is as far as I usually want to go) and slide shows with music. I take a lot of photos while on travel including landscapes, flowers,wild life, macros, etc. as well as lots of pics of my family. I am obsessed with "sharp" photos and am seduced by any new Pentax camera which offers more megapixels. I first owned an istDL (6.1 MP), then a K100D (6.1 MP), then a Kx (12.4 MP), and finally a K50 (16.3 MP). I still own the last three bodies. With each purchase I was expecting that the increased MP's would guarantee sharper photos but I did not notice ant significant improvement for my type of photography. I had become obsessed with the number of MP that a camera offered. I had, in fact, become Megabitten. Each new Pentax body I purchased offered extra bells and whistles which I really didn't need. That's why I buy low-end Pentaxes. Even though I buy new camera bodies I continue to use my standard Takumars on them (12-24 mm, 18-135mm, and the 18-250 mm). I'm beginning to think think that the lenses are more important for sharpness that the number of MP's. If this is true then I may as well save money and stick with my K50 forever. I could try to find "sharper" lenses but I think that what I have are more than adequate for me. What say ye learned Pentaxians?

03-03-2018, 07:07 PM   #2
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It's true that the lens is often much more important than the camera. But you should be getting much better image quality from the K-50 and K-x compared to the other two. If not, you might need to work on your technique and/or settings. Also, are you shooting in raw? If you stay in jpeg mode, you lose a fair amount of detail, which does become noticeable with distant subjects.

There's a big jump from the K-50 to the K-70 too, IMO- not just in terms of resolution, but also color accuracy and noise performance.

If you want a really good lens, try the 16-85mm. Pair it with the 55-300mm and that could replace your other two walkaround zooms.

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03-03-2018, 07:12 PM   #3
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I want more capabilities so ordered a KP to replace my K-50. 14 Bit RAW images and 5 axis shake reduction. The 8 Megapixels aren't the important part, the extended dynamic range as well as improved low ISO shooting. I love my K-50 but want just a bit more. Adam has the right of it, shoot in RAW to unlock the full potential of your cameras. Then you can tell if there is a difference.

Last edited by SSGGeezer; 03-03-2018 at 07:54 PM.
03-03-2018, 07:31 PM - 1 Like   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by psoo Quote
What say ye learned Pentaxians?
I'm very much an amateur, but here is what I've learned. In terms of image quality, my largest improvements are due to a. the computer monitor I'm viewing the photos on, b. the lens used, and, lastly, the body, in that order. I shoot mostly in jpeg. The camera bodies are K100d Super, and K-5.

03-03-2018, 08:59 PM   #5
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It is not a one or the other thing.
A poor lens will be poor on any body.
A great lens will be wasted on a low end body.
Any combination will be ruined by poor technique.

One of the three will always be the bottleneck. Generally, amateurs tend to balk at the cost of top quality lenses and go for the attractive bells and whistles of a new body first - as such, the lens is often the bottleneck. But if you put the very best lens on your K-50, it will be the body that's holding you back. Or, quite possibly, you will make the greatest leaps forward by honing your skills first, which is the cheapest of all.

In the end, if you want stellar performance, you need a great lens on a great body used with great skill.
03-03-2018, 09:27 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by psoo Quote
What say ye learned Pentaxians?
The most important element is you the Photographer and your ability to "see" an image worth capturing. The next important element is your ability to compose the scene moving up / down - this way / that way and then enters the lens to help you compose the scene with maybe a prime or even a Zoom to allow you to crop "live" ; moving in and out. Then the Camera takes over to register this scene you have captured and depending on the reproduction you want to view 4 X 6 - 8 X 10 - 40 X 30 prints or TV monitors 75" or larger etc ; you will need a Camera with MP's and the ability to reproduce the scene to your liking. And finally even with Modern digital cameras abilities PP may be required to put some finishing touches on your scene. But again the most important element is you because there is no image to critique without you.


Its all part of them !

Last edited by honey bo bo; 05-29-2018 at 10:11 AM.
03-03-2018, 10:50 PM   #7
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I found all the camera upgrades I did gave me significantly more image quality than the cameras replaced.

K100D -> Kx, more resolving power I could get from my FA*400mm lens.

Kx -> K30, more malleability in the files from 16mp sensor.

K30 -> K-S2, higher resolution due to AA filter-less 20mp sensor.

If you have good lenses, newer better sensors will be able to extract more image quality from those lenses.

03-03-2018, 10:58 PM - 2 Likes   #8
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If you're not planning on printing bigger than 10"x8" you don't need more megapixels.
Better glass is always a good idea
03-03-2018, 11:45 PM   #9
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I love the K-1 but even that is still missing the fast AF oomph that Canikons have
03-03-2018, 11:56 PM   #10
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I went though the same thing your talking about!!!!
I was just not able to get that good sharp photo that I was seeing other photographers getting. Even on tripod (Canon & Nikon shooters)
So I almost made the jump😡 I was shooting the K3 II and was given a Canon 10D 6mgp and there 24-105 (I think) IS zoom, all older stuff
Boy I started to get a few better shots.
I told myself there is no way that that old dinosaur Canon should be outdoing (at the time) Pentax's Flagship. I was still using some older zooms (from the film days) they were awesome back then. So I'm thinking "IT HAS TO BE MY LENSES!!" I purchased a DA 50 1.8 (nothing at the top of Pentax's food chain)
All I have to say after that is "" HOLLY $HIT"" why did I wait so long to get a PRIME??
If at all possible pick up a good copy of a Pentax 35 or 50mm (don't worry about the LTD's yet)
And it will bring back the love of photography, you'll be able to pixel peak all you want!!!
Zooms are awesome and I won't take a road trip without them! And if you have some serious $$$$ to get top end ones you'll get some incredibly shots!
But boy primes are on the cheaper side and you'll see the defence instantly!!
Cheers & happy hunting 😀
You already have enough megapixels
03-04-2018, 12:00 AM - 3 Likes   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by manishved Quote
I love the K-1 but even that is still missing the fast AF oomph that Canikons have
Oh, paaaleeeeaaaase.

Doing about 100 in near darkness. With the notoriously slow 55-300 (non-PLM version).





Get better lenses. Get better at your craft.
03-04-2018, 03:24 AM - 1 Like   #12
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IMHO

and based on my personal experience


the " best " equipment

can be limited by the knowledge of the photographer

and the " worse " equipment

can be enhanced by the knowledge of the photographer

subject to the ability of the photographer to utilize his/her knowledge

YMMV
03-04-2018, 03:34 AM   #13
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Hey Allen, there's no need to shout
03-04-2018, 03:56 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sandy Hancock Quote
Hey Allen, there's no need to shout
moi ???

SHOUTING

no

just emphasizing my point by enlarging small print

[ always said the poet ee cummings would have loved the lack of capitalization in email ( that is if you believe the myth )

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3881.html ]
03-04-2018, 05:44 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by psoo Quote
I am obsessed with "sharp" photos
You must consider your final output.
A 36 mpx file seen on a fullHD monitor, even 4k monitor, means you don't see actual sharpness but interpolation at work. So, with more mpx if you want the best sharpness, resize your file to what is your final output. This way you'll notice some difference, no matter the lense you've used.
With prints do the same: if you have more mpx, actually you can print at a different resolution (approximizing 1dot on paper=1 pixel of resolution). Consider 300 dpi the HQ for print , but , of course, you can print at higer resolutions. BUt here comes the limits of our brain/visus accuracy :there are studies in the net and in some other threads about what is the resolving power of our eyes/brain given a distance and other factors. The sum: 300 dpi is sufficient for most uses (obviusly the bigger the print, the bigger the original mpx count of the sensor).

But yes: sharpness comes from technique and knowledge of the light. Mastering those gives the best results. Some lenses are sharper than others but making a small research on the net gives the idea that many people just sqeeze out of my camera (the model I actually own) much better files than mine and/or postproduce them way better than me. That's the point.
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