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Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF
08-08-2016, 02:10 PM
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Well that didn't go entirely as planned. Firstly, a fox scared off the badger and then Dxo Optics wouldn't open the RAW file as the K-70 is a currently unsupported camera. I'll post some 1:1 crops tomorrow but, in summary, the jpeg processing makes a decent fist of noise reduction but manual processing will get better results. No big surprises.
I'm unwilling to learn SilkyPix so used the version of ACR that comes with PS Elements plus Topaz Denoise to get the following:
1/6s F2.8 ISO 102400
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Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF
08-05-2016, 11:03 AM
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Yep, exactly that. Basically, I couldn't see what I was doing. Too dark to see anything through the OVF and LV was just a mush of static. The distance scale on the lens is not much use at around 4m either.
Weirdly, it's not obvious from the picture where the focus point is. In daylight that lens would give a narrow DOF at F2.8 which would be clearly visible on the Astroturf. This looks more like a high F number that is diffraction limited. I guess things work differently at ultra low light levels.
Yes, this was jpeg straight out of the camera. I'm kicking myself for not pulling a RAW from the buffer :-(
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Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF
08-05-2016, 09:59 AM
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Lots of interest in the low light performance of the K-70 so here's a quick, opportunistic snap from last night with a 100mm WR macro
Handheld 1/6s, F2.8, 1SO 102400!
I can't stress how dark this was. I could see something moving and could tell it was a badger and not a fox but that's all. Focusing was 'random manual' mode - lots of shots with minor adjustments. I didn't want to scare the critter with the focus assist lamp (which seems very bright compared to K30).
The image is as soft and grainy as would be expected but I'm amazed it picked out the colours at all. To the unaided eye this was 'rods only' night vision. The little light there was came from an LED streetlamp some distance away.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-30-2016, 08:35 AM
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First test of the K70 Pixel shift feature with 100mm 2.8 lens. Tripod mounted shot using available light. Cropped and rescaled for upload.
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Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF
08-31-2016, 09:41 AM
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Good idea saving the working settings as U3!
I find the auto focus via wifi extremely useful as it effectively gives touch screen focus selection. Really handy for wildllife traps. I can see myself using wifi much more than I thought I would.
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Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF
08-11-2016, 09:25 AM
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For several years I've used my K30 (together with a Sigma 150-500 and DIY solar filter) to take pictures of sunspots. Today I tried the K-70 using the Pixel Shift feature. I wasn't expecting much as I assumed the resolution of the lens was the limiting factor. However, the results are WAY better than I ever achieved with the K30 - not sure how to explain this.
Looking forward to trying the moon next!
Below is a 100% crop (after much stretching of levels in PP)
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Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF
09-02-2016, 12:40 AM
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The composite modes on the K-70 are great. To a large degree they can replace both intervalometrs and extreme ND filters.
I do hope someone publishes a pinout for the remote soon though as I miss messing about with DIY triggers
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-31-2016, 03:03 PM
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I'd second this. After extensive testing with my K30 I decided there wasn't much to choose between the In-body or In-lens stabilisation. On my K70 the In-body wins hands down and it's going to be the same for other newer bodies. I'd also recommend hi-speed shooting as any stabilisation system seems to be a bit 'statistical' - the micro-movements in the IBIS system are inconsistent and pictures taken a fractions of a second apart vary widely in sharpness.
I probably will upgrade to the 150-450 as the IQ is definetly there as well as the weatherproofing. Every time I reach for the credit card though I see reports of unreliability and cumbersome handling............. just can't get past that at the moment.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-27-2016, 01:39 PM
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My lightweight walking choice is a compact camera (Canon G7X for me) on a belt strap plus a Pentax DSLR with 55-300 on a sling. It really depends how you are traveling - if driving then I'd take them all and pick one or two for each day trip.
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Forum: General Photography
09-06-2016, 02:17 AM
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A low cost approach would be to open up the Wifi API's for existing cameras to app developers. I have Pentax, Canon and Panasonic apps on my phone and all three suck. The video is correct - camera manufacturers haven't got a clue about modern usability best practice.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-02-2016, 09:58 AM
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Received mine from Srs Microsystems this afternoon but haven't had much chance to play. First impressions are favourable. If I really squeeze the grip on my K30 I can feel some flexing. This doesn't happen on the K70. The shutter is marginally quieter than than the K30 but still loud by modern standards. Lots more functions but the same number of controls will probably mean more menu diving but the three User slots will go some way to offsetting this. The Android app works well but is not intuitive. You can select focus point on the phone touch screen which is very cool, IMO.
It's the first time I've used an articulated screen and it's a revelation. This and the Wifi phone remote are going to be great aids to composition. Proper mirror lock-up too!
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
06-19-2016, 03:28 PM
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Not sure I agree with this. Pentax quote shutter life on the consumer grade cameras as 100K so it would make sense to build the rest of the camera to broadly the same spec. After all, my budget MV camera from the mid-80's still works fine.
Just checked my fully functional K30 and it has 26,913 actuations since it was born on April the 9th 2012. I would hope to at least double that before encountering any problems.
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