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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-16-2022, 09:15 AM
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Regarding road vibration - I want to start using my motorcycle to get to places for landscape photography that I can't get with a car. Any thoughts on protecting my gear from road vibration? Should I put it in a backpack, or cushion it somehow?
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-14-2022, 03:54 PM
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I've had a 15mm IRIX blackstone for 11 months. Took some great photos with it on my K-1 and KS-2, but suddenly, it will not focus anywhere near infinity. It was in the top case of my motorcycle on a short trip when I discovered this.
Tried the calibration procedure, but even that will not get the lens to focus much past 5 or 6 feet. I have contacted IRIX, but I wondered if anybody else here has experienced this?
Frank
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-27-2021, 03:28 PM
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Taken last week on the Ottawa River, Petawawa, Ontario, Canada.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-12-2021, 01:43 PM
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I (the OP - LOL) have a K-1 and a KS2. Use the K-1 for most of my serious stuff. Most of my wildlife photography is from a blind, on a tripod. so hand holding is not required
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-11-2021, 12:26 PM
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Thanks everyone. I didn't delve much into the medium format/FF focal length debate. But I think the DFA 150-450 is a good option. KEH and MPB have none, nor any DA560s. I imagine they are pretty rare on the used market.
Another thought (which could fire a debate) What if I bought a used Canon 5D Mk II for about $500 and a used long Sigma or Tamron for that? Then I would also gain better video capability than I currently have.
I know, it's sacrilege, on a Pentax forum, and I could be starting a trip to the 'dark side', but it's an interesting alternative.
Frank
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-09-2021, 05:03 PM
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I might be coming into enough money to realize my dream of getting a very sharp wildlife lens. Not something at the upper end, like $5 to 10K dollars, but maybe in the $1000-3000 range.
What is available in this price range that is very sharp, at least 400 mm, and usable on my K-1?
Pentax, Sigma, Tamron, or others?
Frank
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
03-05-2021, 09:50 AM
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Yes, it was challenging to stay warm. I shot for about 45 minutes and took 150 photos as the sun rose. Luckily there was no wind. The mirror on my K-1 started to freeze in the up position, so I had to pack it up. My K-S2 kept on going.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
03-04-2021, 05:38 PM
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Took this last month on a cold -23C morning, on the shores of the Ottawa river. Didn't notice the two 'bonus' helicopters until after I got home, on the computer.
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
12-25-2020, 08:52 PM
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That worked perfectly! Thank you so much. Seems simple now that you say it. LOL
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
12-24-2020, 11:20 AM
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It actually WILL focus (the motor isn't broken) but it hunts back and forth and will not lock onto a proper focus. Maybe I just need to recalibrate it?
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
12-24-2020, 11:19 AM
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It works fine in photo mode. Just not movie mode
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
12-23-2020, 01:14 PM
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My 18-50 kit lens failed partially on my K-S2 as well - it won't focus properly any more - it hunts back and forth continually and only will stop and lock up "out of focus" !
I use it like a manual lens now. And not very much, because I have several much better lenses now.
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
12-23-2020, 01:00 PM
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My K-S2 gets stuck in Interval Movie Record mode whenever I use it for a time lapse. All other movie modes get greyed out on my screen and I can't get out of it. (see photo) Even removing the battery does not reset it - I have to do a hard reset of all my settings. Does anybody else experience this? Any tricks to reset without losing all my other settings?
Frank
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Forum: Pentax Price Watch
12-23-2020, 12:50 PM
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There's a small on line store in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada called the Camera Trading Company (We Sell Used Cameras, Used Lenses, ? Camera Trading Company) that sells used equipment and they have quite a few old Pentax lenses and some cameras - mostly film cameras.
They are going out of business in January and items can be bought at even better than normal prices. I just bought a D-FA 50mm f2.8 macro lens. They have a few digital era lenses, but mostly K, A, and M lenses.
Check them out!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-23-2020, 10:06 AM
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As it turns out, the camera seems to be the issue. It is doing the 'focus hunting' with my other lenses, but it is much more subtle with the screw drive lenses.
Does the focus work fundamentally different in live view than with the viewfinder? What kind of things should I test to narrow down the problem, and what possible fixes are there?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-20-2020, 01:09 PM
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I mainly use back button focus and center-only, but I've tried most other combinations. I'll try cleaning the contacts - rubbing alcohol on a swab?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-20-2020, 11:47 AM
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I have a K-S2 that's about 18 months old, with the 18-50mm kit lens. It's not a bad little lens for snapshots and family outing photos, and I especially liked the quick and quiet focus - until now....
It has just starting, 'acting up', hunting in and out of focus, and often settling slightly out of focus.
Is the lens now garbage? Anything I can do/try to fix it?
Frank
---------- Post added 08-20-20 at 11:48 AM ----------
I should add that it's not the camera - it works fine with other lenses.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
03-22-2020, 11:31 AM
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I have had a KS2 for over a year, and use the sensor cleaning on shutdown, which gives a very noticable vibration and small sound like da-da-da when it shuts down.
Just got a used K-1 that is in very nice condition (<6000 shutter count) and I put the same sensor clean (vibrate/shake) on shutdown. BUT - I can't hear or feel anything when I turn the camer off.
I know the shutter is much more silent on the K-1. Is the sensor clean function just quiet, or should I be concerned that it's not working?
Frank
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
12-03-2019, 07:49 PM
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
12-01-2019, 11:41 AM
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Sure, if anybody want this lens (bag of lens parts) for parts, they just have to pay the shipping and it's their's!
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-28-2019, 05:28 PM
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Well, I made an attempt at repair of the lens, but unfortunately what I now have is a zip lock bag full of parts.... I got a proper pin spanner off amazon, and got the outer ring of the front element off, but could not loosen the outer element for the life of me. So I thought, well it's basically worthless anyway, so I proceeded to dismantle the back end. Mistake - when I took the first plate off, 4 or 5 little electrical contacts and springs flew out at me, and I new I was in trouble. I went a little deeper, and eventually started twisting things and got the front barrel off with a twist and pull (which might have worked, had I done that first!) Anyway, here are a few photos of the remaining mess. Now I'm going telephoto lens shopping, I guess....
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-23-2019, 06:17 AM
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Ok, so I was doing some deep bush landscape photography yesterday, and put my Pentax FA 100-300 zoom in my pocket near a creek, bent over, and flipped it into the water. Didn't notice it for about 10 seconds then scooped up the floating lens. Took it home, shook it all out, left it on a heat register all day to blow warm air over it. Then used a blow dryer to dry it out as best as possible. Problem is - there is significant beaded water between at least the outermost lens and the one beneath that.
I am going to try to remove the outer lens and dry these two out, but am quite leery to get into it. But it I don't, it's pretty much useless anyway. I highly doubt a dessicant will pull all this water out, because it must have seeped in around the lens thread.
Any thoughts or other ideas? Any expertise on lens disassembly I can tap into? (This is the F4.7 to 5.8 silver plastic 100-300 zoom lens)
Frank
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-20-2019, 08:15 AM
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Thank you all for the ton of information on this subject. My question has been well answered!!
I fully understand the purpose of getting the best quality lenses you can, and that a fast lens gives you more options for shallow DOF and higher shutter speeds.
But, it also highlights how crazy this can get if you spend $1000 for the latest and greatest F1.4 prime when you already have a $150 F1.8 prime that is really really sharp. $1000 to gain 1 F-stop? I'd rather use the money on some other gear....
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-18-2019, 09:41 PM
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I know we all lust after these F1.4 and 1.8 lenses, but I have a silly question I haven't been able to find the answer to:
If you have two lenses, say an 50mm F1.4, and an 18-50mm kit lens with a F4.5 maximum aperture, and you set both at 50mm and F8. Is the same amount of light going to the sensor from each lens, or is the 'faster' lens allowing more light at F8 than the slow lens?
In other words, is F8 at a given focal length, the same sized hole, regardless of the maximum aperture of the lens? Or does the faster lens still let more light through, because it has a larger front element?
Something I've been pondering, mainly because I have realized that shooting group portraits you can't get away with wide open apertures any way, so the value of the fast lenses seem over-rated to me.
Frank
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
11-18-2019, 09:33 PM
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Took this in my back yard. Caught this little fellow grooming his head, but it looks like he's covering his eyes!
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