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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 02-25-2021, 01:32 AM  
K-3 III "online touch and try" CP+ event open for registration. I'll attend.
Posted By kwb
Replies: 47
Views: 7,195
Well, I'm out of the session and it was an interesting experience though unfortunately I was only able to ask two questions due to time. (Sorry for those who made suggestions in this thread or in PM.) BTW we were kindly asked not to record the session so I didn't.


The first 5 minutes or so was the talk by the rep where we would just listen.

  • We were able to watch him handle the camera (later he'd demo responding to our requests), and once in a while the rep switches to what seemed like a cellphone camera looking into the OVF.

  • He showed us the actual view of K-3III OVF and K-3II via cellphone camera, and indeed the former was considerably larger but I couldn't tell if that was brighter.

  • He demonstrated burst shooting, sounded fast, and that was it.

  • He spent some time talking about new user interface, which I enjoyed, kind of unexpectedly (he made a good job).
    • As an example, when you do RAW conversion in camera using current cameras, many icons (WB, custom image, EV, Clarity, Skin Tone, Digital Filter, Shadow Correction, that kind of stuff) will obstruct the picture itself. Try it on your own.

    • In the new interface, all of these icons are neatly on a single column at the right side of the screen (there are still many icons but you can scroll that column to select whatever you want) and the obstruction is minimal. I don't do in-body RAW processing, but I have to say the new way is impressive.

    • He also showed how touch interface is implemented in info screen as well as menu. As far as I could see, in general using touch interface makes things faster (e.g. "just tap the icon on info screen" VS "press down/up and left/right a number of times to reach the icon I want to use").

    • Scrolling by swiping looked smooth, that might be aesthetic but is important.


Then there was a Q&A. We were asked to be mindful to others to give everybody opportunity to ask questions, given the limited time. This, combined with the fact that we had to type in chat window instead of talking, made it a slow and somewhat awkward experience.
  • I asked if the face and bird recognition thing (Wakashiro san talked about that in the new video) only works with Auto AF Points, and if it's possible to focus-track the recognized subject. The rep couldn't answer and they had to find and grab Wakashiro san (which took them 30 seconds or so but I was feeling that the clock was ticking), and he said that face/eye/bird recognition could be used with Auto AF Points and Zone Select. The rep moved on to the next question even though Wakashiro san didn't answer about the tracking.

  • Later I wrote "I'm not sure exactly how the stopped down metering works in Av and TAv for M lenses, could you please explain". I should have written "Pentax K and M series lenses" or "lenses older than A series" or something, because the rep interpreted "M lens" as Manual lens. Anyway, he mounted 50mm F1.4? or 50mm F1.7 manual lens, I couldn't tell exactly which lens that was, and he started showing me how he can enter 50 as focal length. I retyped "about stop down metering." I heard Wakashiro san saying something like "in Av and TAv!" in the background, maybe he understood what I meant, but the rep didn't. But at that point the time was already up, so I gave up and thanked him.

Of course others asked questions too. The ones I remember are:
  • "Please shoot in burst until it reaches the maximum frames" or some such. The rep said he wasn't sure how many frames could be shot (with the mode he was in?), he just burst shot for probably more than 1 second but less than 2 seconds (that's how I felt), not sure if he stopped because the buffer was actually full but I wasn't able to hear that the camera was slowing down, the shutter seemed to be very quiet. He repeated this twice. Not sure about the speed of clearing the buffer.

  • "How are the AF points displayed in the OVF when you use the joystick?" The rep showed the OVF view. Think about small black square instead of red dot indicator.
    • When a new AF point is selected, a small black box is displayed at that position and is illuminated by soft red light for a fraction of a second. After the red light went away, I thought that the black square stayed (didn't disappear), but I'm not 100% sure. AF points that weren't selected were not displayed in this demo.

    • He moved it as far as he could, and it agreed with the AF area coverage diagram in the new video (New K-3 III video from Ricoh: OVF face, eye and bird detection is coming. - PentaxForums.com).


  • "Show us the top LCD". Looked nice.

There were other questions but I cannot remember.
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 01-21-2021, 11:34 PM  
K3 III Vol 9
Posted By pschlute
Replies: 67
Views: 10,640
Not quite the same. The new camera will be able to switch from P to Tv or Av or TAv or M without moving the mode dial off the P setting. The K1 can shift from P to Tv or Av mode only.

I found the Hyper-P mode a great new invention when it was introduced 30 years ago. I used it a lot on my Z1 film camera. Today I use it rarely, but there will be situations where it will come in handy.
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 12-24-2020, 07:53 PM  
Does The Future Of Non-Smartphone Photography Lie In "Specialization"?
Posted By vector
Replies: 32
Views: 2,299
My experience trying to convince friends and family who want better pictures is that they literally can't be bothered if it means they have to put in time and learn something. Photography while art is also quite technical and people can't be bothered. They would rather wait and buy a new phone hoping that it will somehow improve their photos than actually learn. Sounds harsh but it is my experience with friends and family on this topic.
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 12-12-2020, 04:32 AM  
[New video Oct 27] New information about upcoming APS-C flagship model
Posted By Mistral75
Replies: 1,603
Views: 119,289
SAFOX 13 is pretty much a SAFOX 11 / 12 on steroids with the addition of assistance AF points. What will be the most important thing, and remains undisclosed as of now, is the improvement in performance of the tracking algorithms, in particular how and how much they will take advantage of the new 307,000 pixel RGBIr metering sensor.
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 10-26-2020, 09:02 PM  
[New video Oct 27] New information about upcoming APS-C flagship model
Posted By stevebrot
Replies: 1,603
Views: 119,289
I would have liked to see automated AF fine adjust...oh, well...


Steve
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 10-03-2020, 03:55 PM  
New K-New? Who Knew?
Posted By stevebrot
Replies: 484
Views: 50,115
Perhaps to be paired with a new DA-C series of video-centric lenses with in-camera support for T-stops and both aperture and focus pull?

Steve
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 10-03-2020, 02:45 PM  
New K-New? Who Knew?
Posted By Mistral75
Replies: 484
Views: 50,115
A K-mount mirrorless camera? Hmm... It reminds me of something but I can't exactly remember what. :hmm:
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 09-25-2020, 03:55 PM  
Product Stories of New APS-C (Directory)
Posted By stevebrot
Replies: 112
Views: 14,730
Hmmmm...I was wondering how much effort they put into video and clean HDMI out...Hmmmmm...and K-cup support...Hmmmmmm...and full tethering...Hmmmmmm...and direct wi-fi to FB...Hmmmmmm...

So much they have not told us to potentially not like. ;)


Steve

(...holding out for built-in laser sight...)
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 09-04-2020, 01:08 PM  
Product Stories of New APS-C
Posted By house
Replies: 501
Views: 50,330
Ideas such as top model or flagship are wrong (despite being used by Pentax). The words should be meaningless to anyone actually interested in photography. The question should be which camera fits your use case and preferences. Pentax will have 4 cameras? Each a bit different and can all do most things but you pay for different priorities.

The GRIII is more expensive than the KP but lacks a lot of its features. It makes sense but which is the flagship? Meaningless question.

The arguments for not having a moveable screen are weak in that pentaxofficial piece. Not having one is a great idea however. Viewing it as a removed feature is mistaken. The fixed screen of the Leica SL, 1DX, d6 is a FEATURE.

Its like thinking its a bad restaurant because the portions are small.
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 08-11-2020, 06:54 AM  
R03010 = K-new was registered by FCC on 27 July 2020
Posted By reh321
Replies: 238
Views: 30,771
To my ears, Pentax was never so consistently clear in their thinking; I also do not believe they are as inept as that implies - leaving a major vacancy in their line for as long as been since the last K-3ii left their warehouses. I believe their executives originally planned to make the K-1 the 'flagship', with the KP filling in the line for those who preferred a little less, but the K-1 is too slow in "FF" mode and too small in "APS-C" mode, and the KP has all the shortcomings people have repeatedly recited over the past couple of years.

Looking at their output, at least one body per year, then a big gap, is also strange. Perhaps all of Ricoh's resources were concentrated on the GR-3 for a period of time, but I don't feel that it explains it either. Listening to what they have said in their meetings with Adam, I believe that either something totally unexpected happened, or they changed course at least once.

In any case, I am perfectly happy with my KP, and I hope that K-7/5/3 shooters will be equally happy in the next few months.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 08-09-2020, 09:17 AM  
Tony N. bashing mirroless for sports/wildlife, asking for hybrid OVF
Posted By stevebrot
Replies: 26
Views: 2,836
I am sorry to read that Tony suffers from the same problems I do when using an EVF. :(


Steve
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 07-27-2020, 02:27 PM  
Pentax said in video it would use new gen apsc sensor
Posted By Mistral75
Replies: 119
Views: 11,832
Hi there! :)
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 07-23-2020, 11:10 PM  
Why you don’t really want a hybrid viewfinder
Posted By JPT
Replies: 36
Views: 6,812
You might be thinking at this point, “Who is JPT to tell me what I want?” but what I want to do here is just think through the implications of a hybrid viewfinder and why I think it is very unlikely to be in any camera soon, including the imminent APS-C flagship.

To define a “hybrid viewfinder”, what I mean is a viewfinder with all the functionality of a traditional SLR OVF, but which can switch over to a full EVF mode at the user’s command. I think that is what most people understand by the term. If we are talking about more sophisticated information (peaking, histogram, etc.) overlaid on a traditional OVF, I don’t include that. I mean the OVF is blacked out and totally replaced by an EVF, and you switch between one and the other.

I explained in another thread a while ago that Ricoh said in an interview with a Japanese magazine a couple of years ago that a hybrid EVF is possible but is difficult because it would rob light from the OVF. I think this is a pretty critical problem, but for the sake of argument let’s assume that they succeed in making one whose OVF is as good as existing SLRs and whose EVF is just as good as competing mirrorless cameras. I still don’t think it would be desirable for users.

If you go out of the way to choose a Pentax DSLR over the mirrorless competition, it is reasonable to assume that you have a preference for shooting through the OVF. With a hybrid viewfinder, you would have a camera with a split personality. You could shoot using the OVF, but if you wanted to use some of the EVF-enabled features, such as content-aware focus or magnified live view, you would have to switch to your less preferred display mode. Some examples:

- Shooting birds - You want the immediate, natural view of the OVF, but the AF is not able to detect animal eyes, so you are in a dilemma of which mode to use.
- Portraits - You have a preference for the OVF, but to use eye-AF you need to compromise and switch to EVF
- Focusing old lenses - You want to use manual focus lenses in a traditional way, but the only way you can achieve sharp images is using the EVF, which is not the way the lenses were intended to be used

You can already see this in reviews of recent Canon (90D, 1D X mIII) and Nikon (D780) DSLRs, whose main improvements are to transfer live view technology straight over from their mirrorless cameras. Reviewers are already commenting that to get the most of the new features, you need to switch to live view. This approach will inevitably lead people to mirrorless models as they conclude the OVF has little use. Conveniently, both companies will now happily supply you with a mirrorless system. While a hybrid EVF would seem to make live view more convenient, it would still be effectively two cameras in one. You would always have this jarring moment where you pressed a button and your viewfinder changed characteristics (showing more brightly what the sensor has seen rather than what it sees), your AF points moved and the behavior of the system completely changed. I don't think that would be a pleasant experience, which is why I use the term split personality.

But Pentax’s strategy is now clear. They believe in the superiority of the OVF. So it makes more sense to bring some of this convenience into the OVF and not force users to compromise to get new features. DSLRs have extra sensors that can help them understand the scene. More advanced developments of the AF and metering sensor could give the camera all the necessary information to achieve eye-AF, animal AF, focusing aids. A more advanced overlay could display much more information in the OVF - maybe peaking or some other manual focus indicator, a histogram, little green boxes around eyes and so on - but without leaving your preferred viewing mode. Even without these, the fact that the new camera has a bigger, brighter OVF and a much-improved AF sensor is going to make it easier to use.

So I’ve lost all interest in the idea of a hybrid viewfinder. It would gain Pentax some short-term bragging rights for being the first (and last), but the novelty would soon wear off as users woke up to the reality. I’m fully expecting the new APS-C camera to have a “normal” OVF, but hopefully one that can achieve some features previously thought to be limited to mirrorless cameras.

Sorry for the long post. I hope it made sense. I guess videographers would disagree, but I’d argue the DSLR architecture is just not made for video, so it will always be a bit of an afterthought.
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 07-22-2020, 09:24 AM  
Meet the new flagship
Posted By reh321
Replies: 765
Views: 88,228
You have the right to feel that way, but some of us disagree. My wife thought at first that my "'silver' KP" was my "Super Program", and I felt very good that she was confused.
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 07-13-2020, 04:26 AM  
New video with our thoughts on PENTAX
Posted By OoKU
Replies: 81
Views: 10,635
On July 16th, we will release a video with our thoughts on PENTAX on our website.

■Thursday, July 16th 19:00(Tokyo time) "What the PENTAX cameras of the future will value"
*The URL of the page will be announced on the day of publication.
Twitter
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 07-09-2020, 03:58 PM  
Pentax K-3 II successor on September 2020
Posted By monochrome
Replies: 977
Views: 101,064
I think what happened is the decided before release of the KP that FF (K-1) would be their only full-featured (Flagship) camera. Most of their recent lens development has been FF lenses. KP is an enthusiast camera with fewer features targeted for smaller size and use with the comparatively tiny FA Limiteds.

Customer response in formed them they made an ill-chosen business decision, so they started development of a clean-sheet, Flagship-featured APSC camera. Any new tech will show up in the K-1ll replacement. Conspiracy is so much less likely than a simple business redirection.

As I recall, it takes 4 years to develop a new camera. If they started in late 2016 from a clean sheet - based on the spec’s for (hypothetically) the design brief for a future Sony sensor . . . . . .
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 07-09-2020, 12:42 AM  
Pentax K-3 II successor on September 2020
Posted By reh321
Replies: 977
Views: 101,064
For me, “delays” is a conscious reaction to the time since the K-1ii was released and to the lack of any product ‘on the K-3ii shelf’.
Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service 03-11-2016, 03:12 AM  
Sticky: Pentax Repair Facilities (Wordwide listing)
Posted By Adam
Replies: 159
Views: 55,856
This is a growing list of Pentax repair/service providers. Feel free to post any additions!

Australia
Canada
Central America
France
  • PM2S (Authorized to perform warranty service - must contact dealer first)

  • PHOX

  • Nikken Techno France (Authorized to perform warranty service - must contact dealer first)

Germany / Austria
Greece
  • Inlens (Authorized to perform warranty service)


Hungary

India


Lithuania

  • Vilbrafoto (Authorized to perform warranty service)


Latvia

Poland
Portugal
  • Reflecta (Authorized to perform warranty service)

Japan

Spain
Netherlands
  • PM2S (Authorized to perform warranty service)

New Zealand
Norway

Singapore

  • apds (Authorized to perform warranty service)


South Africa

Sweden
  • Kameraservice (Authorized to perform warranty service for all of Scandinavia)

Switzerland
Vietnam
  • Tixiai (Authorized to perform warranty service)

UKUS
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 05-15-2020, 03:19 AM  
HD Pentax DA * 16-50mm F2.8ED PLM AW is the second one.
Posted By Mistral75
Replies: 924
Views: 90,734
That's the polite Japanese way of avoiding to say no. :)
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 05-14-2020, 09:43 PM  
New APS-C is
Posted By Class A
Replies: 1,045
Views: 85,878
"1.05x magnification on the optical viewfinder just like a K-1."

What do you mean "just like a K-1"?

Such a viewfinder magnification is unheard of for an APS-C camera!

For some, an important perk of an FF camera is the higher viewfinder magnification. Now the same (probably not quite as bright) experience is available for APS-C users. That is remarkable!
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 03-06-2020, 01:15 PM  
What’s stopped me from getting a K1
Posted By stevebrot
Replies: 136
Views: 10,494
You might add that you have no need to shoot a larger format?

Almost all folk choosing a K-1 want the 24x36mm FF format and have that desire for any number of reasons. In many cases, the desire is expressed as a "need". Those who don't need or at least strongly want to move to 24x36mm should not do so. Put another way, if you were interested in the larger format, but put off by the bulk/weight, you would be looking at mirrorless FF options from another maker. That said, those interested in a feature set upgrade from the K-5 in APS-C might be well-served by the KP or perhaps by the coming K-new model. Those wanting a significant upgrade over a K-5 in a lighter package should seriously consider the K-70.


Steve
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 05-04-2020, 03:13 AM  
Have you experienced pressure to switch systems?
Posted By BigMackCam
Replies: 116
Views: 8,891
This post has made my day :lol:

Ricoh should call their forthcoming Pentax APS-C flagship the "K-47". That way, when someone asks what you shoot, you can say "A K-47" :lol:
Forum: Pentax DSLR and Camera Articles 04-28-2020, 07:12 AM  
The Pentax Battery Level Indicator -- What it actually shows
Posted By c.a.m
Replies: 3
Views: 2,981
(This article was posted previously in the Pentax DSLR Discussion forum. It has been edited slightly for readability.)

The Pentax Battery Level Indicator -- What it actually shows

Summary

The Operating Manuals for various Pentax cameras provide scant information on the meaning of the Battery Level Indicator. The analysis reported here has determined that the indicators on the Pentax K-3 II, using an original D-LI90 battery, represent the battery charge levels shown in Figure 1, which has not been documented in the manuals or other Pentax literature.

Importantly, the findings reveal that a ‘3 bar, full’ indication can be illuminated at as low a charge as half-full, while the ‘2 bar’ indication is not nearly “close to full” as stated in certain operating manuals.





Introduction

Many Pentax cameras implement a battery level indicator, either on a top-panel LCD, a rear information screen, or both. Typically, the top LCD indicator illuminates up to three segments or 'bars', depending on the charge state of the battery. The indicator in the rear screen uses colour – commonly, green, yellow or red. By themselves, the battery indicators provide only a coarse qualitative cue of the state of the battery's charge. Furthermore, operating manuals for various Pentax cameras do not provide any details to guide a user to accurately understand the battery level or how many shots are left.

Operating manuals for certain older cameras, such as the K-30, K-50, and K-5 II, provide a brief description of the Battery Level Indicator. Unfortunately, more recent manuals, such as those for the K-3, K-70 and K-1, omit such information entirely, so those users have little insight into the meaning of the indicator. There doesn’t seem to be any evidence that the implementation or precision of the battery indicator have changed over the years, so it likely functions similarly across the older and newer camera models. Therefore, it is assumed here that the information that is available in some manuals may be applied generally.

According to the Operating Manual for the K-5 II, the LCD indicator represents the following 'battery levels':

- 3 bars: Full
- 2 bars: Close to full
- 1 bar: Running low
- no bars, but illuminated: Almost empty
- no bars, blinking: empty, or end of useful charge.

The following analysis quantifies the four battery levels and relates the state of battery charge to the indicator status. This study did not intend to analyze the number of shots possible from a fully-charged or partially-discharged battery. Also, the scope of this article precludes a thorough description of battery ‘fuel gauge’ implementations or an analysis of the dynamic discharge characteristics of the Pentax battery under various operating modes.


Li-Ion Battery Discharge Characteristics

As shown in a post by PF member @AstroDave (Some Pentax D-LI90 Battery Charge/Discharge Measurements - PentaxForums.com), and illustrated in various manufacturers' technical data sheets, the voltage across a Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) cell decreases with its discharge state; the more energy drawn from a battery, the lower its voltage. A battery’s State of Charge (SOC) is defined as the fraction of the maximum possible energy charge present in a rechargeable battery, commonly expressed as a percentage. For example, a fully-charged battery has, by definition, an SOC value of 1.0 or 100%; a battery that is discharged halfway has an SOC of 50%.

Estimating a battery’s SOC accurately and precisely is difficult because few relevant parameters are measurable while a battery is in use. A simple scheme may measure the battery’s voltage to infer the SOC, but the relationship between voltage and remaining capacity is not strictly linear. However, under typical discharge conditions, a healthy Li-ion battery exhibits a roughly linear, sloped voltage-capacity profile across most of its discharge cycle until it is nearly exhausted. The voltage decreases approximately proportionally to the SOC over most of a discharge cycle, so the SOC may be inferred from the measured voltage. Using the open-circuit (no-load) voltage (Voc) generally provides more accurate results than the closed-circuit voltage (Vcc, i.e., under operating load), which is affected by a cell’s variable internal resistance and the circuit’s operating current.

SOC estimates based on Vcc can have errors of 10% or more, especially at the ‘tail end’ of a discharge, but this may be an acceptable trade-off for this practical and relatively simple method. Using Vcc is suitable for determining the relative state of charge, but is not appropriate for measuring the battery’s actual capacity in mAh.

The Pentax D-LI90 battery consists of two cells, almost certainly type 18500, from an unknown manufacturer. The battery has a specified nominal voltage of 7.2 V (3.6 V per cell), a maximum charge voltage of 8.4 V, and a typical end-of-discharge cut-off voltage of 6 V. A new, fully-charged battery in its relaxed state will show an open-circuit voltage of approximately 8.4 V. It has a rated capacity of 1860 mAh.


Image files contain battery voltage data

Unlike the Exif data for most other camera brands, fortuitously the Pentax Exif data include three tags related to the camera battery (Ref: https://exiftool.org/TagNames/Pentax.html)

- BodyBatteryVoltage1 (‘V1’)
- BodyBatteryVoltage2 (‘V2’)
- BodyBatteryState.

The battery voltages are interpreted in volts, while the state is registered as an integer that is encoded as follows:

1 = Empty or Missing
2 = Almost Empty
3 = Running Low
4 = Close to Full
5 = Full

This information may be readily extracted by using an Exif reader application such as ExifTool or ExifToolGUI. Typically, the battery information appears in the Makernotes section of the Exif structure.

It is not known at which pick-off points in the camera the two voltages are measured, or what parameters they actually represent. Lacking a design specification or model to relate the two voltages, this study used Voltage1 to characterize the discharge profile, assuming that it measures the operating closed-circuit voltage.


Transition Levels for the Battery State

The basic methodology in this study involved looking at the Exif data in hundreds of my existing image files, in particular sets of images that included sequences of many tens of images taken at short intervals during single photo outings or lens focus-calibration sessions. ExifToolGUI was used to scroll through the files while looking at the battery tags in Makernotes. Stable transitions in BodyBatteryState and their associated battery voltages were noted, i.e., Full --> Close to full, Close to full --> Running low, etc. Some 20 such discrete transitions were identified. Each set of similar 'transition voltages' was averaged to find a valid value pertinent to each battery state.

Across the images, three D-LI90 batteries had been used arbitrarily in the camera: date stamped 201805, 201509, and 201207. The two older batteries are believed to be satisfactorily healthy despite their age. A battery grip was not employed.

In addition, the study also examined two special sets of image files, in which controlled battery life tests had been performed on a single battery (dated 201805). Besides incorporating the image files from these two tests into the broad Exif inspection, they were used to establish the value of Voltage1 at full charge (7.46 and 7.45 V) and full discharge (6.0 and 5.9 V), which are key parameters in this analysis.

The voltage transition points are indicated in Table 1. Assuming the linear discharge profile mentioned above, the state of charge was determined as follows:

Full charge: V1max = 7.455 V (average 7.46, 7.45)
End of useful charge (EOC, i.e., empty): V1min = 5.95 V
State of charge (SOC) = 1 - ( (V1max - V1) / (V1max - V1min) )





Corroborating Tests

One of the special test sets, called 'Series 3', was used for a different methodology to relate the battery state indication to the state of charge. Series 3 started with a full battery and achieved 370 shots before the battery was depleted. The number of shots associated with each Body Battery State was determined from the Exif data, and their percentages give an estimate of the SOC divisions. For example, as shown in Table 2, 47% of the images had a Battery State of 'Full', which correlates well with the estimate determined from the overall image sets. While the findings do not agree perfectly across the two methodologies, they are reasonably close.





To further validate the methodology and corroborate the findings, another dedicated battery discharge test was conducted using continuous video recording segments. Recording was started with a freshly-charged battery. At various times, the recording was stopped, a still image was taken immediately, and the open-circuit voltage was measured on the extracted battery using a digital voltmeter. The recording test was continued until the battery indicator was observed to transition solidly to ‘2 bars’.

The pertinent data from this test is given in Table 3, while Figure 2 shows the open-circuit voltage and BodyBatteryVoltage1 (V1) as function of operating time. Of note is the full-charge V1 voltage of 7.49 V, which is about 0.5% higher than the values seen in the other two series (7.46, 7.45 V). This suggests that the battery had achieved a slightly higher full charge.

The transition to 2 bars was registered at a Voltage1 value of 6.74 V, compared to the average of 6.67 V and a maximum reading of 6.71 V seen in the main data set.








Conclusion

The overall findings are summarized in Figure 3. The vertical bars indicate the Voltage1 values associated with each battery state, while the maximum state of charge (SOC) of each state is given above each bar.




In summary, the Battery Level Indicator on the K-3 II, using a genuine Pentax D-LI90 battery under normal operating conditions, indicates the following battery charge status:


- 3 bars: battery is charged 100 – 50 %
- 2 bars: 50 – 33 %
- 1 bar: 33 – 15 %
- no bars, but illuminated: less than 15% charge remaining.

If a user sees 3 bars, the camera has at least 50% of the battery charge remaining – it’s not below half. Two bars indicate at least 33% charge – still good for perhaps a couple hundred more shots under modest battery consumption. A single bar could mean as little as 15% battery power remains. No bar means that there is still some 'juice' left, but the camera will shut down soon, especially under power-hungry functions such as Live-View – so, it’s time to swap batteries.
Forum: General Photography 03-28-2020, 10:41 PM  
Pentax 100 - Relentless Commitment to Image Quality
Posted By JPT
Replies: 10
Views: 1,251
Last November Ricoh held a series of 100 year events at their Tokyo showroom location focused on Pentax history and giving some insight into how they work. I wrote some reports, but there was one I wrote and didn’t upload due to a kind of quality control mentality. I wasn’t sure if people would be interested in it because it was largely focused on JPEG presets and image processing - quite geeky.

Since a lot of people are stuck at home, I figured I might as well post it now. The title was . . .

Relentless Commitment to Image Quality

The talk was given by Terauchi-san of Smart Vision’s product development department (I didn’t catch his given name). He works on image processing, white balance, noise reduction and pixel shift technology. Interestingly, he was wearing his Pentax workwear while speaking. It seems that they don’t make these anymore and the older staff who have been working there for years hold on to them and wear them daily, while the newer staff don’t wear a uniform. So if you went to their office, you’d be able to see who the Pentax old-timers are.

The first camera he worked on was the K20D and he has had a hand in every camera since. This talk was mainly focused on the custom image presets - how they were developed and what each one is suited to. He was accompanied by another person from sales called Ando-san. He was mainly there to pose the questions and make some comments about his personal use of the cameras.

I do think there is a cultural difference in how users in other countries (at least the ones active on the internet) and Japan think of RAW and JPEG. Of course it is a generalisation, by my sense is that Japanese users are more likely to use the in-camera features and the Pentax provided software to get the results they want. In any case, Ricoh/Pentax clearly sees it as an important part of their job to ensure that the JPEG output from their cameras is as good and configurable as possible. Also, it's worth noting that the Japanese press tends to focus on JPEG when evaluating cameras.

The importance of the K20D

There were some interesting comments about the K10D and the K20D. They realize that the K10D is seen as the more significant camera by the outside world. However, it’s clear that the K20D is seen internally as an immensely important model. It’s just that the changes were on the inside rather than the outside. In particular, this was the camera that introduced the sophisticated Custom Image function for JPEG shooters.

The K20D was the first Pentax DSLR I had, so I was not aware that the cameras before that lacked Custom Image. Looking back, the catalogue did make quite a big deal of it on p.13-14.
http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/japan/products/catalog/pdf/k20d.pdf

The development cycle
Terauchi-san shared some of the process that they use to develop the colour profiles for each of their cameras. They use a process of setting adjusting the parameters, shooting samples, evaluating images and going back to tweak the parameters. This cycle repeats until they get it right. What counts as ‘right’ is an image description that matches the Pentax identity. He didn't say how long this takes for a model. It would seem to be at least several months, but usually less than a year.

I say “usually” because he mentioned the K-1 was an exceptional case. Delays in development gave them a chance to do the testing process over the period of a whole year, taking in all seasons. He seemed to be especially proud of that.

Characteristics of the different profiles
The main part of the presentation was an explanation of the different presets and how to use them. It was nicely illustrated with his own examples. Incidentally, all of the engineers and even sales people I have met at Ricoh/Pentax are keen photographers themselves and often show their own photos.

I won’t go through all of this, but there were some interesting cases he showed when custom image setting can produce great results, such as using cooler temperature to make running water look more fresh, and using the “miyabi” custom image setting to bring out colours in a sunset.

I had always wondered about the difference between the natural and flat profile. He explained that natural is designed to still contain the Pentax signature image character, whereas flat does not. He likened it to lightly seasoned or completely unseasoned food.

Regarding the settings, a lot of the content is explained on this page.
Give further expression with PENTAX "Custom Image" | RICOH IMAGING

Some more advice about using settings (including JPEG parameters) is on this page, which seems to be new.
When you are lost, the answer might be there on your camera screen | PENTAX official

Usability
He didn’t talk at length about this, but it seems that the engineers and designers are constantly struggling with the issue of how much to expose the parameters for quick setting. It's a balance of allowing maximum customization and not slowing down or confusing users with too much complexity. This results in some of the functions being quite well hidden in the menus. They talked about settings I didn’t know existed because I had not gone that deep into the menus. I got the impression the interface for JPEG image settings is being worked on for future cameras, but it was just a passing comment.

Noise reduction
The main point discussed here was their policy of not cleaning up the image so much that detail is lost. The new part for me was how much they focus on the impact of noise reduction on bokeh. He showed samples of what aggressive noise reduction does to bokeh in an image of a plant and they go to great lengths to ensure that the noise reduction built into the cameras does not do that. He commented on how ridiculous it is to invest in lenses with great bokeh and then destroy it with crude noise reduction, showing us an example of an image retaining some noise but nice bokeh. Then he brought the image back out to remind us how pointless it is to fuss about residual pixel-level noise in such large files.

Pixel shift
Not much was said about this, but he explained how it works. This was nothing you can’t see from existing material. He explained that they refused to call it a “high resolution” mode, because they felt it was misleading, and that led them to the term “Real Resolution”. He showed a very convincing image comparison showing the effectiveness of motion correction working on running water.

In conclusion
So that was what I got from the event. One thought that occurred to me was what they said about the K-1. It’s clear that when a product is delayed, they don’t just sit there waiting for the delay to be solved, but their perfectionist mentality kicks in and they work on refining the details to make it as good as possible. It’s worth remembering as we wait for the new APS-C camera to be released. What we eventually get will probably be better as a result of waiting.

At the beginning of this post I mentioned some other events that I covered before. Here are the links to those threads if you’re interested.

About the FA Limiteds
The FA Limited Development Story (also a little DA Limited) - PentaxForums.com

About Pentax history in the 80s-90s
Pentax 100 - Little-known information about brand history - PentaxForums.com

Talk by the designer TKO
Pentax 100 - Talk by the designer TKO - PentaxForums.com

I hope everyone stuck at hope stays safe and finds some ways to not to fixate on the public health situation all the time.
Forum: Post Your Photos! 12-30-2019, 11:55 AM  
Landscape some nacreous clouds today (pixelshifted, against all odds)
Posted By sealight
Replies: 28
Views: 1,343
this morning sunrise came with a colorfilled extra- some nacreous-/ mother of pearl- clouds, or polar stratosphere clouds, to use the scientific term...
the capture itself I had to take heavily underexposed, because to my experience elsewise the colorful highlights are easily blown out...I even dared to try pixelshift, against all odds, since it was quite windy ...
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