|
Forum: Pentax K-01
02-27-2021, 03:06 AM
|
| |
Pentax has not catered to those seeking light weight and full size. My wife, for example, finds all weather sealed steel bodied cameras too heavy. The only camera she will carry is a Fuji. From my point of view the K-01 is the right technology in the wrong package, and judging by historical outcomes I suspect the sales and marketing teams at Pentax would agree.
Obviously, following from my previous post, I am picky about camera bodies. I have been on the lookout for an upgrade from the GX10 for over a decade, and my view is that Pentax needs to start modelling cameras to fit bigger hands. Nobody thought it was a good idea to miniaturise piano keyboards, or paint brushes, so where did camera makers get the idea that they should miniaturise photography hand grips?
In sci-fi world there is a camera that would work for both my wife and I. It is not fancy or technologically brilliant. It is conceptually as simple as wrapping the K-01 in a range of body sizes: tennis racket makers do not expect one size to fit all, glove makers do not expect one size to fit all, so where did DSLR makers get the idea that one size can fit all?
To make the K-01 a market leader Pentax probably just needed wraparound K-01 battery grips (small/medium/large); was there an opportunity missed? Does that opportunity need remain missed forever?
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-01
02-26-2021, 02:34 PM
|
| |
Yes, I have gone down a dark alley - I agree the left hand is with the lens. The right hand is on the body grip.
For me, the right hand needs to comfortable support the camera. I find the K3 corners are too small and sharp to hold for an extended time, or its hanging in the air off my fingers with my index painfully curled to find the shutter release - either way its too small. I find the K10D handgrip too shallow causing my fingers to squeeze harder and eventually cramp. I find the bulky and rounded GX10 just right because my palm and fingers are all relaxed when supporting all the weight and all my finger tips are in the right places. When I look at the K-01 its shape represents everything that I struggle to hold steady unless its a point and shoot with a weightless mini lens.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-01
02-26-2021, 12:18 PM
|
| |
I use one hand for the focus ring. It is easier to change a camera than it is to change a person ;)
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-26-2021, 10:34 AM
|
| |
Are you referring to COVID, which emerged through genetic changes, and became an invasive pathogen cast into an established social system? Brr..
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-01
02-26-2021, 09:49 AM
|
| |
I feel the camera world needs an ultra lightweight K-mount camera, and that probably means mirrorless. For this reason I want a K-01.
I have never held a K-01. Photos of it make me think the designer was on drugs. K-mount means sizeable lenses; and the camera/lens needs to be useable in combination. If the lens is forward heavy, then the body needs a proper hand-grip. Decades ago, Fuji sensibly added an eyepiece to their mirrorless cameras to solve the lighting issue.
Show me a K-02, with the weight and technologies of K-01, but wrapped in the shape of a proper camera with a handgrip and an eyepiece. I would probably be tempted by such a camera, but if Ricoh tried to charge the same price as a camera with mirror and pentaprism then I'd walk away because lightweight, fewer parts, simpler mechanics should mean lower costs.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-25-2021, 05:03 PM
|
| |
It may be subjective, but standing back from technical details and just looking at the forum suggests the most enthusiastic Pentaxians have had a GX10/K10D - is this the model that actually hooked most of us? Are Pentax owners who never used that model more likely to drift away?
As it happens I have a GX10, K10D and K-3ii. The K3 has many extra features yet I have not put the GX10 away - more testing required, but if it were not for the video options I probably would have sold the K3 already.
In this decades-long debate it seems widely assumed is that Pentax was the leader of Samsung, but perhaps it was not as simple as that. We overlook what Samsung may have brought to the table, and what Samsung perhaps took off the table when the two companies parted. Clearly the companies diverged either during or immediately after the GX20/K20D. There is a widespread bias against Samsung throughout that time with reviews falsely claiming the GX10/GX20 had lower ISO range or other weaknesses, when in reality we know they shared the same components with the same capabilities.
Here we are admiring the unique qualities of the GX10/K10D, and perhaps we need to set aside the bias and consider the possibility that we are pining the loss of Samsung's unique technical contributions? Perhaps the vivid and smooth CCD optimisations observed in the K10D are a Samsung intellectual property, and maybe some clever software hacking can copy it back from a K10D to a K-7?
Samsung-Pentax co-developments:- GL1 / DL2 has a pentamirror, which is rare for Pentax, and in my case is clearer than other pentamirrors/pentaprisms.
- GX10 / K10D products diverged with each having their own ergonomics and Samsung dropping Pentax PEF.
- GX20 / K20D ... no experience on my side.
- K-7 ... is the last Pentax to feature a Samsung sensor, and perhaps by this time Samsung was only a supplier?
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-25-2021, 10:04 AM
|
| |
Indeed. I suppose its possible the DL2 was repaired/serviced at some point, but it still defies the expectations handed down by theory.
Edit: Example JPEG from this camera trying to show what comes from the "low spec" 6MP sensor, which looks finely detailed to me. I cannot find my tripod so this is handheld.
 |
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-25-2021, 09:56 AM
|
| |
There is an option in the menus to turn on the "F step other than A". 4x AA batteries is not light though, and it might be heavier than the main camera if there is a need to carry spare batteries.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-25-2021, 08:24 AM
|
| |
This conversation has prompted me to double check.
In my case the DL2 pentamirror is definitely brighter than the K10D pentaprism of the same age (both date from 2006). I wish my observation was not the case, but it is irrefutable on my end :(
I also wish I could speculate that the K10D has had a dirtier life but I have personally overseen its use from new, and always stored it in a clean case. In contrast, my DL2 has been cleaned because there were insects living inside when I received it, but there is no way I could accidentally have cleaned a pentamirror.. maybe the insects cleaned in there?
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-24-2021, 01:26 PM
|
| |
That is the theory, and I was surprised..
A pentaprism is a solid glass, and so the light that penetrates is consistent and supposedly clearer. The pentamirror is a mix of materials including air. The theory that I read is that these other materials discolour, and that the air inside the pentamirror gradually becomes dustier. That is what I read. Maybe it holds true for Canon pentamirrors.
The history of my DL2 is that I bought it for spare parts, and before stripping it for parts I tried it out - what struck me about the DL2 was that it was not at all dark. In fact the view was brighter than my pentaprism cameras. DL2 development was strongly influenced by Samsung and maybe they introduced something into the mix. Maybe Samsung-Pentax experimented with newer materials? Maybe the DL2 is better made? Maybe it will worsen with age, and its only 15 years old..
I use the same 18-55 lens for all my cameras, and I am trying to verify that the results are different... it will take me some time, but mine comes from a K10D so perhaps its not new enough to make a difference? :(
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-24-2021, 04:53 AM
|
| |
Maybe you missed this, but it is possible modify your Pentax lens mount to support Nikon lenses. I have tried buying a ready made one, and failed, but the first example was done with careful use of a file.
Adaptist - Home |
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-24-2021, 02:06 AM
|
| |
Fair enough but the K100 has a CCD, and the K-5 has CMOS. There are strengths and weaknesses to each.
Any lens produces its best results when paired with a sensor upon which every light-sensitive element captures light in the same moment and where minimal light is lost between those elements. Is it possible to reduce the MP setting on a K-5 to gain an equal comparison of the two technologies? (I will post later with my findings on K3 vs K10 vs DL2)
The greater the magnification the more the eye needs to be distanced from the glass. I find the Pentax x1.2 magnifier is a good compromise because its a small magnification and a sizeable pad, but I would like to try some bigger magnifications because I wear spectacles that bump into small viewfinders.
---------- Post added 02-24-21 at 02:17 AM ----------
With almost every DSLR, tweaking the MF will generate a reassuring sound and flash a red square in the viewfinder - they call these features AF points, but they serve as a digital substitute for a physical microprism in MF mode. Like a mouse click, these features provide an assistive feedback to confirm we have achieved something.
I have four Pentax cameras. One of them is an *ist DL2, which is a later 6MP camera that displays no AF points in MF modes; using a vanilla DL2 without upgraded viewfinder requires extra squinting and more effort to focus because tiny variations in sharpness and softness over time, without a reference point, messes with human perception. I sometimes look way, rub my eyes, and try again. I am pretty sure that using a vanilla DL2 for a whole day would give me a headache.
The desire to assist the photographer find their desired focus is why 1970s SLR makers added a microprism. Adding one of those to a DL2 transforms the camera.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-23-2021, 04:40 PM
|
| |
Can you explain why?
No matter what sensor is in the camera, the photographer is looking directly down the lens via a viewfinder and mirror - and any technology that helps reduce squinting and eye strain is a good thing.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-23-2021, 04:36 PM
|
| |
sRGB can store a few more shades of magenta, and Adobe RGB can store a few more shades of turquoise. It's very unlikely you would see a difference on a screen but printers tend to support Adobe RGB.
The RAW file is a lossless representation of all the light detected by the sensor. The JPG is a lossy translation, meaning some information is not stored and cannot be retrieved. Some post-process edits that are possible from RAW data will be impossible from JPG data. The benefit of JPG is convenience.
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-20-2021, 06:38 PM
|
| |
If you are looking at a used flash then beware of voltage. Some vintage flashes can apparently dump over 200v into the camera and fry a modern DSLR. I have just bought a multimeter to test a vintages flash; if it comes out around 6v it should be safe to hook up to a camera. Even if it passes my lab test I would put it on a cheap DSRL before letting a K3 anywhere near it.
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-20-2021, 06:29 PM
|
| |
Or the courage to take a file to your Pentax lens mount. Apparently with some DIY you can mount anything, although figuring out which bits to file off may require owning a few different cameras :confused:
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-20-2021, 06:19 PM
|
| |
How "mostly blue" are we talking?
If its off-colour then, and if you are lucky, then it could be an incorrect white balance setting. My guess would be a manual setting that is compensating for now-obsolete indoor lights; in 2006 the incandescent types that burn hot and produce a warm yellow colour were still common. LED lights are much closer to natural sunlight.
Does the blueness happen when using AWB (automatic white balance)? Have you gone through each menu and reset to factory defaults?
If it is a hardware fault then hopefully it is just the playback; does the image still look blue when viewed on your PC?
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-20-2021, 03:29 AM
|
| |
Same here - it was absolutely dead, not even displaying the empty battery icon.
In my case it was benign. The fault was that the copper contacts had corroded or become dirty, and the copper contacts had become squashed - both effectively disconnecting the batteries. I scraped all contacts lightly with a screwdriver. I also folded a thin USB cable in half to create a loop, and used this to pull the internal contacts up. The camera works fine now!
While investigating the causes of a dead *ist I discovered there is also an internal battery that can fail. On earlier models the internal battery is accessible from a slot on the bottom of the camera. Mine is a later model and not sure it has an internal battery, or where to find it.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-19-2021, 08:28 PM
|
| |
Humn.. Has anyone tried using LiFePO4 batteries in a camera designed for AA batteries? Apparently LiFePO4 are lighter to start with, and because the voltage is roughly double a standard AA they can be combined with dummy battery for even lower total weight.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-12-2021, 04:04 PM
|
| |
That sums it up. There are always new outstanding photographs being added in the "The Six-Megapixel Club", and some photographers value lightweight cameras for being lightweight. For others a wide 24MP raw catch-all and a crop in post-production is more convenient. In my case the photos suck no matter which camera I use.
|
|
Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
02-09-2021, 03:57 PM
|
| |
Welcome.
We are not very dissimilar. My wife dislikes all the weather-sealed kit I choose; she would prefer lightweight with video options ... :confused:
|
|
Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
02-09-2021, 03:51 PM
|
| |
Congrats, I am envious. What do you like most about it?
---------- Post added 02-09-21 at 03:52 PM ----------
... and welcome :)
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-09-2021, 03:56 AM
|
| |
I have dropped my GX10 plenty of times. It bounces.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-09-2021, 03:43 AM
|
| |
The problem is I did do that, and each time I did it the menus appeared to be different! ;)
|
