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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-18-2024, 05:38 PM
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I feel rather sad reading this thread. Not least because it has clarified quite a few thoughts I have had recently especially about Pentax.
Before you shoot me down in flames, let me first say I have been a passionate Pentax user for over 50 years and in the past always defended the brand. Unfortunately I find myself drifting more and more away from Pentax other than when using film. (Not least because, I'm really enjoying the "new to me" Pentax 67ii.) This thread really highlights that. I have always been able to defend/promote Pentax on it's merits (as was). Now much of this thread is about trying to run down other makes to try to justify Pentax.
I wanted a K1iii and have waited and waited. I weakened and got the DFA 21mm as it is one of my favourite focal lengths. I regret it. It's probably a fantastic lens but the K1ii is so out of date that my FA 20/2.8 works as well. I was waiting and waiting for a 645Z upgrade but it has become just too old, slow and clunky and it is going. Why? Well the X-T5 outperforms the K1ii in every respect other than the format. Leaves the K3 in the dust.Yes as has been said, the resolution shows up flaws in weaker lenses but the fujifilm glass is a match for it in performance and a much better range. Using the GFX 100S is a revalation. The quality of the glass is superb and the new prices are must lower than the outmoded screwdrive Pentax ones. Yes, the K3 iii may be a fantastic body but the lens range is not.
I will always have Pentax in my heart and have loved owning and using the cameras all the way from the Asahiflex's. I have still to find any body which handles as well as the LX and that includes the Leica M2, M3 and M6. But in all honesty, Pentax become very much a niche market. So much so that less and less third party brands even think about the Pentax mounts. And as has been said, it is the law of diminishing returns, the less Ricoh invests to keep up, the fewer new users will join the brand. Smaller sales means more expensive developments costs and so it is a downward spiral. Perhaps part of the problem is that Pentax has tried to spread itself too thin tryin to support both formats. Most of the others support FF and all their premium glass is FF. For the APS, they only have budget lenses. Fuji on the other hand has ignored FF so all their premium glass is APS. Pentax has stumbled between the 2 and not produced a decent range for either.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-16-2019, 05:55 PM
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And after the istD series. ;)
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-16-2018, 05:55 AM
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Reading your last post again, this is my "take" on the situation. Chasing the matter further either through legal channels or consumer programs such as Watchdog might give an answer but there is no certainty of it and you could end up with next to nothing.
Most K50's on a certain auction site go for less than £200, mostly around the £150 area. Even "dealer" ones are just over. So if anything £200 is probably slightly more than the value of the camera. If you take the £200, you can get a good replacement K50 and could even be in credit.
Or you could take the money, add £200 and upgrade to a K70. A much better camera which would have 2 years warranty with Ricoh if you bought either through them or somewhere like SRS. Leave it another week or so and this option will effectively shut for you. You would effectively be getting a £200 trade in on the K50 on a camera which is on sale at the moment at £200 off list price. Looking at in in a certain way, you are using a £150 value camera to upgrade to a £600 value camera for £200. Personally, I would happily take that deal.
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-12-2018, 04:03 PM
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With regards to the fault. From what you describe in your first post, it does seem likely it is the aperture block problem. If it is, to repair that is relatively simple and not expensive. The cost of the relevant part is likely to be less than £10 to the repair agent. But they have to cover labour and I suspect they will also service the camera so any repair warranty is not likely to cause issues. That is something you could check with them. As an aside, I have done several and as we are both in the UK, I would be happy to help you out if all else fails.
With regards to the warranty. The wording on Ricoh's website says "All PENTAX cameras purchased through authorised bona fide photographic distribution channels are guaranteed against defects of material or workmanship for a period of twelve months from date of purchase." Now in the UK it is 24 months due to EU rules and that was confirmed by the agent. BUT, there is still the first part. It is likely that at some point JL were a "bona fide photographic distribution channel" for Ricoh products. They are no longer. If the camera was old stock/end of line, it may be that you bought it after JL ceased to be Ricoh agents. That might be why they say it is not under warranty. I would talk to your local CAB. They should be able to give you the number of their specialist consumer help line who are well versed in consumer law and should be able to advise you on that.
The Pentax UK warranty page is here. Warranty policy - RICOH IMAGING EUROPE S.A.S There is no mention of "replacement" that is purely JL. But it is a simple repair. I have attached a pic of the relevant part. In many countries, the local repair agents have fixed this problem for free even out of warranty as they consider it a "design defect". If it gets to the UK agent, I think you can calculate on it being repaired rather than replaced.
As to any recourse from JL if you do not accept their decision, once again your best advice will come from the CAB advice line rather than members of a camera forum many of whom are used to US law and not English law. ;)
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
12-02-2018, 04:48 PM
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Ricoh have "ceased" supplying their products to many retailers in the UK. They have even stopped supplying London Camera Exchange. I suspect in JL's eyes, they cannot give you a replacement if they no longer stock that brand. Also if Ricoh have stopped their supply, they may not be able to get a repair done through them directly.
Not sure how much you have been offered but SRS are still offering the K70 at £395 and Ricoh have it in their store at £399.99. A shame JL are unlikely to send the camera back if they refund because it is quite easy to fix the aperture block problem. But to be honest, if they are offering close to the current "reduced" price of the K70, you might want to upgrade. It is a better camera. You would also then have another 2 years warranty.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-24-2018, 07:20 AM
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Forum: Pentax K-01
11-22-2018, 11:42 AM
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I'm not sure that this is strictly true. The only purpose the the small battery for the RTC is to provide power when there is no other. If a laptop is kept charged or there is a mains feed to a desktop, the clock will keep time even if the onboard cell has failed. In the DSLR or mirrorless, the main battery should provide the time. However, it will be "lost" whenever the main battery is changed. So I really don't think our cameras are doomed for a repair job.
From another post by Not a number:
Many of the Pentax DSLRs use a Seiko "accumlator" (fancy name for rechargeable battery). The accumulator is soldered to the main board and is considered "not user servicable"
MS414GE | Seiko Instruments Inc. Micro Energy Division
If you do some searching on PentaxForums there were some photos posted showing the location of the battery on main board.
Replacement isn't simple due to the amount of disassembly (including un-soldering) one needs to do in order to get to the battery.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-03-2018, 05:10 PM
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A is the Pentax 85/1.4A
B is the Zeiss ZK
C is the Pentax 85/1.8 (K)
As most guessed/knew from the character. ;)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-26-2018, 07:34 AM
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They both work very well with the 1.7 AF converter and the K1. ;)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-20-2018, 02:56 AM
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My understanding is that even with an etching primer or keying the surface with sanding etc, it will fail. It is explained here: Re-Paint Process | cameraworks-uk
"Most cameras we are asked to paint are chrome plated. Chromium is quite possibly the worst substrate for paint. Chrome is excellent at repelling dirt and equally good at repelling paint. Any paint job done on such a surface is guaranteed to fail and when it does, it will reveal the underlying chrome finish, not brass as one would expect on such a camera. Not only will a poor paint job be unreliable but could de-value your camera significantly and in some circumstances, applying paint in the wrong places can cause 'interference', where a moving or sliding part no longer moves freely, due to the thickness or contamination of the paint layer."
I understand there arealso refinishers in Japan and the better ones also say the chrome has to be removed.
I did also "experiment" with camera painting and I can confirm even with etch primer, the paint does not adhere or wear well.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-16-2018, 08:00 AM
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For privacy reasons, his info is not on the website. But email him and I got a reply withing 24 hours, arranged for the work and he sent the address.
As usual fantastic work and service.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-12-2018, 03:16 PM
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Well you can still send it to Robin to do. ;)
I'm expecting my MX back on Monday that he has just finished.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
09-30-2018, 06:01 PM
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Whenever people ask me for advice on what camera to get, I have always told them to "try them" and then get the one that suits them the best. And at the end of the day, you are not "forced" to use the automation. Even on a K1, you could set speed, aperture and manual focus. Then use it exactly as you suggest. ;)
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-15-2018, 06:22 AM
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I will make a prediction. I can't predict what Ricoh will do or even if they will update the K3, though I thought the KP was supposed to replace it. However, I will predict this thread getting ever longer, with everybody saying what they want Ricoh to do and saying that Ricoh are doomed unless they do. Eventually it will stop when Ricoh bring out the "replacement". However as soon as that happens a new thread will be started asking when Ricoh will bring out a replacement for that and how it should be specifically tailored to each and everyone of the posters wishes. :)
A bit like having to have the very latest issue of an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy and wanting a newer one as soon as that one comes out. ;)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-09-2018, 10:06 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-09-2018, 10:05 AM
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Having just got the Pentax 85/1.4 A*, I thought I would do a quick comparison with the Zeiss. And while I was at it thought to include the 85/1.8 SMC and as maybe a quick check against an AF lens, the 77 ltd. K1 mounted on a tripod. All photos taken within a few minutes of each other. Manual exposure and all at F1.8. All straight out the camera. Each photo reduced to 1/5 and then a crop of the flower at "lifesize".
Just for fun I won't disclose which 85 is which for about a week. I would be interested to know how people rate them in order before I do. ;)
First the 77ltd
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-09-2018, 11:17 AM
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Sorry to disagree but manual focus is just a different art. Yes, it's true it slows things down a little and is therefore not as good as AF for certain forms of photography. But in others, it gives you another dimension to control You can put the focus point where you want it and so it can give you more control over the final image. And with some lens, autofocus would be a hindrance rather than a help. The Zeiss 85 is one.
But if you want an AF 85mm, there is always the Pentax FA version. ;)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-02-2018, 12:04 PM
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My latest 3 acquisitions. A very happy bunny. :)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-07-2018, 09:03 AM
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All you are doing is to write to the lens. So the camera does not need to be SDM capable. The K100 and K110 can be used and they are not SDM capable. ;)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
10-03-2018, 01:59 PM
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Not "strictly" true. The spotties work on a balanced bridge circuit. So as the same voltage is applied to both sides, the null or centre point will be correct independent of voltage. However away from that the swing is dependent on voltage. So with a silver cell The needle will move further away for half a stop over or under than with a mercury cell. ;)
Nevertheless, it is a workable situation if you don't mind inaccurate metering. If you wish an accurate meter reading, the best way is a good handheld meter. ;)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-03-2018, 05:23 AM
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From separate places but all within a week. ;)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-02-2018, 02:28 PM
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Hi Haris, One of them arrived a day earlier than I was expecting. ;) lol
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
09-29-2018, 04:16 PM
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One of my MX's
The manual is on my website if you need it. ;)
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
09-29-2018, 02:02 PM
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I too am an old guy set in his ways. But an interesting thought has struck me. Asahi were one of the first to put a mirror in a camera. Until then, there hadn't been a need for them. Thinking back, the original Optio's has a viewfinder but they went out years ago. TLR's went a long time ago. So a whole generation of people has become used to taking photos without a finder. It was the Asahi "Optical" Company who put a mirror in a camera. And for a while even after that, most of the players were about mechanical perfection and glass design. In reality very few or perhaps none of those original companies really had any "expertise" or the ability to produce electronics. Nor have they now. Leica source in their sensors (as do many others). They have been in partnership with the likes of Panasonic for a long time. What has happened and is happening is that there is a coming together of the electronics Industry with the optical one. A mirror was needed with film to compose and focus a camera with interchangeable lenses above about 90mm (35mm equivalent), Below that, you could use a mirror or a rangefinder/viewfinder. That is no longer the case.
Electronics have progressed to a stage where a mirror is no longer needed. If you like it has gone full circle. Pentax dropped the finder from the Optio's a long time ago. Fuji had an optical finder in the X10 and X20 with an electronic overlay. That went fully electronic with the X30. Long before digital, Pentax started going away from dials etc with the Z1. True there is a market for "retro". Fuji exploit it with some of their designs and use dials and aperture rings. Many of the Leica's have very simple menus. But then they don't need AF ones etc.
APS and the other smaller sensors have been without a mirror for a while Even in MF, there is ML. So in reality, I think the mirror will die. If it is not needed, it adds complexity and therefore cost to the design. Another advantage is that with a new mount, you can have a clean slate and design for operation rather than be constrained by compatibility. Nor do you have to rely on menus. As Fuji have shown, you can produce an ML camera with a shutter speed dial and aperture ring, ie traditional controls. So really the only thing you need a mirror for in any format is if you want an optical finder. And in the "overall" imaging market, there is really only a small proportion of those. So yes, I don't think it will happen overnight but I do believe to days of the SLR are numbered. And when it happens there will be some who will continue to use their "old" gear for a long time. Just as a few now still enjoy using film rather tha digital sensors.
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