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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10 Hours Ago
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A few things I'd comment on...with 850 Petzval lenses on their inventory I'd say it's a safe bet that IQ can't be all that bad across the entire range, and if it were you wouldn't own 'several' would you?
Soviet cameras aren't even on the radar...I've bought dozens over recent years for their lenses and never found a single one that worked properly, or even at all.
As for your insistence that all this vintage stock is somehow junk, or heading for it, we haven't even started on the late rush of millions more cameras from Nikon, Canon AND Pentax that don't need seals, are a lot more dependable than the older mechanical stuff and better sealed to boot, yet are available, often with a lens, for double figures or barely into three.
Pen S? There are several 'excellent ' copies on eBay UK from Japan (which usually means they are) for around £100/$125 so I'm not sure what the supply issue is?
But you're right, neither of us know and only time will tell - I just know, with a lot of business experience under my belt, where I won't be betting my lunch money 🤑
Oh and MiNT....hmm....half their business seems to be resurrecting Polaroid kit, then they have eye wateringly expensive TLRs that do...instant film, and their latest announcement is a clone of the Rollei 35AF....I bought one once but fortuitously, because it was probably the most horrible piece of kit I've held in my 55 years of photography, the low speed range mechanism was stuck so I was able to return it for a refund.
But as you say, time will tell... ⏰ 😂😂😂
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11 Hours Ago
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Have you checked out the Lomography website lately? Yes there's a lot of plastic fantastic but that's what the younger generation want...easy entry points. But they have everything from plastic disposables to 110 cameras and 35mm up to large format 500 Lomos...as 850 Petzval lenses if they float your boat, but toys they aren't.
As for vintage models in "states of disrepair", yes, some of it leaves something to be desired but the sheer volume of 'stock' - from 50-60 years worth of sales remember (!), more than makes up for that. Just take two sought after examples; the Olympus Trip sold more than TEN MILLION, the Yashica T3/T4 (both of which I owned and were excellent cameras) not far behind it....thats a lot of merchandise to feed the market on top of the other suppliers like Lomography.
It's just not an area I'd personally have identified as a long term profit centre - and if it's half frame as mooted, even less so; that was a niche market even when film was the only game in town, not just because of it's poorer definition compared to 35mm but also the sheer drag of having to hold and support the camera on its side (without any sort of supplementary grip) every time you wanted a landscape shot....which was most of the time!
I think Pentax did great things with the Q-series and the K-01 and it's failure to commit to the mirrorless market I think has been a major business constraint. But we've had this discussion before have we not 😂
I think the noticeable gaps between genuinely new products is to be expected from a niche player like Pentax but ignoring other markets is something they do at their peril, and I don't think a half frame film camera is the best way forward but we'll see.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
14 Hours Ago
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Beautiful part of the world - when it isn't raining! 😂
I lived for a long time on the banks of the Towy just up near Cilycwm. Amazing area for photography. Welcome to the forum.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
14 Hours Ago
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I think it was flooded well before they even started.
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Forum: Pentax Q
1 Day Ago
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Indeed....having watched an eastern European guy modify an M42/Nikon adaptor to do infinity focus on YouTube a while ago, the tolerances he was playing with were tiny. I'll see what K&F come up with but I've told them I can't be bothered to return it...by the time I've paid postage, probably had to do customs documentation and driven to the post office it's just not worth it but I'm determined to get an answer. But I might experiment and see if I can remove the AR mount (the Q end is a moulded part of the tube so I can't do anything there) and see if it's possible to remove a small amount of material with emery paper and still refit the flange.
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Forum: Pentax Q
1 Day Ago
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Actually it's a good point...so far I've only tried a 28mm, 35mm and three different 50s. I have a 135/f3.2 somewhere so I'll dig that out and try it. But again, if the adaptor has known imitations I'd expect them to say so.
I haven't measured the depth because I don't have an accurate means to do so and I'm not sure what I'm measuring against? I guess I'd have to know the flange distance for Konica AR mount and deduct the same for the Pentax Q?
---------- Post added 04-23-24 at 03:18 PM ----------
......which it seems would be 40.5mm minus 9.2mm, so how does that relate to the thickness of the adaptor? I'm guessing it should be 31.3mm thick?
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Forum: Pentax Q
1 Day Ago
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I've got several of their mounts including three for Konica AR to Sony E, EOS M and one I forget. All of them, and the other ones I have for Olympus and Nikon to Sony E mount just fine...the machining is great and they all go into position just fine, as does the Pentax Q one but the latter is the only dysfunctional one in the set...I made the same point you did to K&F, that properly machined to the right length, infinity focus should be a piece of cake, so what this business of maximum aperture is all about I've no idea.
And apart from the negative feedback on the US Amazon site, there's this strange bit of advice which almost sounds as if they know the thing isn't that accurately made...
"Please note: Infinity focus position：the position of the infinity mark 【∞】of the telephoto lens or super telephoto lens is shifted slightly to the positive side to enable focus adjustment even when focus shift is caused due to temperature changes.The shift range is denoted by an L-shaped line, be sure to check the focus through the viewfinder even when you shoot at infinity."
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Forum: Pentax Q
1 Day Ago
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Good tip, I've never bothered using it before but I'll do that front switch setup and make some comparisons.
It's a good point about diffraction - I know it sets in a fair bit earlier on MFT compared to FF and that's only a 2x crop equivalent...do we assume it's a lot worse with a 5.5x crop equivalent?
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Forum: Pentax Q
1 Day Ago
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Ridiculous response from K&F..."for infinity you just need to open the aperture to maximum". Sorry?
Firstly, your advert never said any of that otherwise I wouldn't have bought it - very few lenses are at their best at maximum aperture, secondly if it can barely focus to three metres at an interim aperture it isn't going to focus properly to infinity just by opening the lens to it's maximum, and thirdly even if that worked, why not just make the damned thing to the correct dimensions in the first place? It's not like there isn't a ton of space between the back of any lens and the camera.
So anyway they want a video...as I said, I can't be bothered to return it for the sake of 23, but I'm going to do the video just to make the point. Guess I won't be buying any more K&F stuff then.....
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Forum: Pentax Q
2 Days Ago
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Hmm that's a bummer. There are a few posts out in the ether about Qs refusing to power up but sadly not one of them seems to end on a happy note. Such a shame but at least you've got the Q7 to enjoy.
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Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment
2 Days Ago
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No I wasn't suggesting using standard WD40, it's not even a lubricant per se....what I said was they do a dry PTFE spray that IS suitable for lens lubrication as it doesn't attract dirt.
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Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment
2 Days Ago
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I've successfully cleaned such lenses with 95% alcohol but hydrogen peroxide is the best stuff. Best lubricant is dry Teflon (PTFE)...I think even WD40 does it these days....it doesn't attract dust like grease typically does.
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Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment
2 Days Ago
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As an anti-consumerist I love seeing stuff like this brought back from the dead, and so professionally too! Well done.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
3 Days Ago
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That's interesting...the Pro 100 is around 500 here in France, but what about consumables? It's inkjet I assume - how many cartridges does it use and what's the damage for a full set roughly? And the paper isn't bad at around 0.50 or less a sheet.
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Forum: Pentax Q
3 Days Ago
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Yes I found that review and I've given them the benefit of my dissatisfaction. Sadly I don't think grinding is an option...I know with, for example, an M42 to Nikon F convertor you have meat to play with because there's only one bayonet mount and a flat face for the M42 lens, but on this one of course youve got bayonet nothing sides so I don't know there's anything the grind and of course, unlike an M42 thread where you can just screw the lens in a bit further after grinding (and it'll infinity focus but the aperture settings wont be top dead centre anymore), I'm guessing you'll just create rattling slack because the bayonet only engages in the one position?
I might have a look and see if the mount can be removed from the tube and reset but my immediate question is, how do I know I want the AR mount CLOSER to the camera and not further away? You're probably right since it's the same with a Nikon mount but my OCD won't let it go 😂
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
3 Days Ago
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I'd be tempted to try car polish before getting that aggressive - the sort that cuts the paintwork slightly. Much kinder on plastics than toothpaste and sandpaper.
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Forum: Pentax Q
3 Days Ago
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It's a long shot I know but has anyone ever used one of these?
I bought one that arrived a few days ago so I plonked it on one of my Q's and eagerly attached a handy 50/1.7 Hexanon, only to find focus topped out at.....three metres🙈 despite their site saying it allows infinity focus. I tried four more lenses of different focal length with the same result.
For the 23 I paid for it I really can't be bothered to return it frankly but I wondered if anyone else had ever used one and found the same issue? Oddly the adaptor isn't on any Amazon site in Europe but I found a negative review on the Amazon US site (which also said infinity focus allowed!) complaining about the same thing. It's a pain because my previous transactions with K&F have all been ok.
Apart from being down 23 at least there's one benefit as the first lens I picked up had a dysfunctional focus ring (as in, it wouldn't!) so I had to dismantle it and find the screws to tighten it which I managed to do after some faffing around. One door closes etc...🤔
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Forum: Pentax Q
3 Days Ago
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So just to be clear, is the LCD doing anything at all when you press the power button? Not even the momentary low-level illumination?
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
3 Days Ago
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I'm guessing it depends whether it was a camera made (usually cheaper) for the Japanese market or one for the international market. There are camera brands that, in order to stop grey imports, don't provide any other language options than Japanese on units intended for that market.
Be interesting to see if the OP cracked it?
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
3 Days Ago
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Like it or not, we live in the real world; a world where the average IQ is barely 100, which by definition means there are a lot of stupid people out there. Some people have time for them, others don't. Just the way it is.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
3 Days Ago
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Has anyone at Pentax checked out the Lomography website? You can buy new film cameras in anything from 110, through half frame and 35mm to 120. Dozens upon dozens of them.....small market already extremely crowded.
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Forum: Pentax Q
4 Days Ago
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Ok so two things to try.
(1) The Q WILL turn on with the battery door open, so just try pressing the battery in with your finger while you turn it on, in case it's not making contact properly. You might also check the contacts inside are not corroded while you're at it. If it DOES turn on doing it that way then you need to pack a piece of cardboard or something similar to increase the pressure when the battery door is closed.
(2) The Q WILL NOT turn on if the SD card door is faulty or not closed properly. So open the door, remove and reseat the SD card and close the door firmly. Then try turning on again but do it in a darkened environment and watch the LCD screen as you do so - if the door is faulty or just not closed, the LCD screen WILL dimly light up for a second or so then go dark again (the Q7 doesn't do this; instead the orange card access light flashes if you try turning on when the SD card door isn't shut). If that's the issue then unfortunately I don't know how the camera knows when the door is properly closed but I assume there are electrical contacts somewhere.
Let us know how it goes?
P.S. you might want to check the inside of the door is intact like this (but not full of dust like mine!).
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
4 Days Ago
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That's useful feedback, thank you.
As regards the iPhone images, there is more than one photographer on YouTube making the point that larger prints normally should be viewed from further away to be properly appreciated and so it's perfectly feasible to make decent large prints from APSC, MFT and even good smartphones.
What are you doing your printing on out of interest and does it work out very expensive?
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