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Forum: Lens Clubs
02-24-2024, 06:57 PM
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Trying to find my photography spark again.
FA31 Limited on K1:
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
07-25-2012, 07:50 AM
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I shot almost all of the basketball shots at f/3.5, ISO6400, 1/500. Most of these are at 100-200 mm
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Forum: Lens Clubs
05-13-2010, 01:09 PM
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The FA Limited Wide-Open Flower Challenge
Disclaimer: this is not a scientific test. No tripod was used and the point of focus is almost certainly different for each photo, so I wouldn't want it to be a reference point for sharpness. My intent was to see how each lens would compare to each other when handling the same subject wide open. If anything this will give more of a subjective impression for how each lens "feels."
All three images were converted from RAW with no modifications except a slight bump in exposure.
FA31
FA43
FA77
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Forum: Lens Clubs
09-01-2010, 10:45 AM
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This forum has me convinced. The key to making any lens look good is a cute kid or a beautiful model. I feel so deprived :lol:
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Forum: Lens Clubs
05-08-2009, 07:10 AM
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Great thread idea!
FA77 f/1.8
FA31 f/1.8
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Forum: Lens Clubs
05-29-2010, 11:07 PM
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FA77
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Forum: Lens Clubs
09-19-2009, 09:30 PM
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I was thinking about starting a DA Limited Club to rival the FA Limited one, but I sadly don't own any DA Limited lenses and I thought that would be improper (hint, hint, someone else do it ;))
This should be a great club, too, though.
DA* 200 (I rented this for a wedding. It made me wish I could afford it)
DA* 16-50
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Forum: Lens Clubs
10-06-2012, 12:00 AM
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FA43 film. A shot of my nephew who visited recently.
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Forum: Ricoh GR
02-07-2011, 05:44 PM
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Hey, I decided to take the plunge and try Ricoh's GXR modular camera system and its A12 28 mm f/2.5 unit to compliment my Pentax K-5, so I will be posting my photos here when I receive that in the mail I hope by Friday. I wanted to see if there were any other Pentax users out there who are either using the GXR or contemplating doing so and want to ask me questions when I get the camera. Let me know if you're out there :)
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Forum: Lens Clubs
06-15-2010, 06:50 PM
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FA77
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-20-2012, 04:09 PM
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I own the DA*200 and have owned the Tamron 70-200 and rented the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 II HSM (not the newest version).
Imo the Sigma was a little soft wide open but had the best autofocus. The DA*200 had second best autofocus and at 200 mm was the best all around. The Tamron 70-200 was pretty darn nice in IQ at all focal lengths (better than the Sigma and close to the DA*200), but it had slow AF.
The reason I got rid of the Tamron ultimately was due to the AF and also the size advantage the DA*200 has over the 70-200. It's not like the DA*200 is super light, but it is very noticeably lighter and physically smaller than either of the 70-200 lenses.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
10-12-2013, 05:26 AM
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I know just where I want to use that camera!
You Tube
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In my mind Sony is filling a nice niche with these cameras. Going to give this one some serious consideration, although I think as it will be new tech it will be best to watch user and professional reviews carefully before buying. Would also give the adapter makers some chance to make some suitable adapters for the new A7's. I am hoping at the best it will be similar to the manual focus experience on film but finally achieved on digital.
2014 indeed will be an interesting year for full frame and cameras in general. On the Pentax front I am interested to see what else Ricoh will have up its sleeve for APS-C and maybe maybe maybe even FF. New medium format cameras? Large sensor compacts are getting better and better. M4/3 and APS-C aren't dying off despite FF becoming more affordable-- they'll just need to keep being more creative with their offerings. Canon and Nikon have been sort of silent this year, which probably means they'll have some great stuff ready for next year (Canon 7D Mk II and Nikon D400?). Fuji X has some interesting stuff coming, too.
It really feels like the industry is maturing to a point where there are so many great options from everyone.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
09-07-2013, 06:52 AM
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A lot of unnecessary Pentax hate in this thread, imo. I mean the criticism is probably deserved, maybe not so much the bitterness. Or can we not praise other brands without raging at Pentax?
Fuji X and Pentax APS-C are apples and oranges. I think there are good reasons to own either or both. The usability of the K-5II in a variety of real world situations trumps any Fuji camera out there, but conversely the Fuji has the advantages of mirrorless cameras: an adaptable mount, great sensors in a smaller form factor, which they are starting to match with excellent lenses. Sony is an R&D behemoth these days, but I hope Fuji can keep up with them in their own way. The Panasonic/Fuji sensor partnership could be interesting.
This Fuji 23 f/1.4 is important because it's the type of lens you'd buy a Fuji X system just to use, even if there is the focal length overlap with the X100s. I'm glad that the X system is starting to fill out a bit.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
09-08-2013, 10:22 AM
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Probably selling my V1 for cheap to my sister since I already have the OMD, but I do like a lot of things about it. If it wasn't so menu driven I'd probably be tempted to keep it. The images are somewhat noisy since I took them inside but I find the grain to be pleasing to the eye.
10 mm f/2.8
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
07-09-2013, 10:05 PM
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All with OMD-EM5 and 17 f/1.8
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
06-15-2013, 10:12 AM
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Hey guys! Can I join the club?
This man told me he was a pirate wizard. I told him I liked his hat and asked him if I could take a portrait. This is how he posed.
All with OM-D and Olympus 35 f/1.8 except for the last photo as noted.
Upsidedown Cat wants to be in the club as well.
My favorite photo from a burned down industrial building near my home.
Rented the Panasonic 25 f/1.4 to shoot a wedding along with my Pentax stuff. One of my favorites from that.
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
05-27-2013, 05:34 AM
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This is turning into another Why FF? thread, which is fine. But I think the true answer to this question is that right or wrong people have been waiting for full frame from Pentax for a long, long time. Like a decade long. So long that a lot of the fans of Pentax's full frame lenses, like jsherman999 above me, have said "Enough with the waiting, I'm going to try Nikon for a bit." So long that the first comment on Pentax's Facebook page whenever a new camera comes out is (stupidly I think) more often than not "When is fullframe coming out?" So long that we have a subforum dedicated to a camera system that's only been announced in the most tenuous, dipping-their-toe-in-the-water-so-later-they-can-say-they-were-just-kidding way possible. So long that April Fool's prank of a fullframe announcement got recirculated by rumor sites for what seemed like a full year.
That's a long time to want something, and when you want something that long it takes on a significance of its own. I'm waiting for either Pentax to release a full frame camera or another camera company to release a full frame system that's portable and based around smaller primes (want to give it a try again, Contax? Contax? Are you there?) like I think Pentax can and should do it. If some other company fills that niche like maybe a Fuji or Sony that would be fine. But I really want Pentax to come through and truly connect to its past with a full frame system, partially because of how awesome I think they could do it in their own quirky way, partially because a quest for the holy grail should have an end.
Of course, we might all just end up at the French castle over and over.
You Tube
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Forum: Lens Clubs
07-08-2010, 09:21 AM
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My mother and her mother.
FA31
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
03-25-2013, 04:13 AM
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Too soon for a full frame to come out, imo, but they could always announce it on the same day they come out with another product.
Last fall, there was a rumor on here before a tradeshow (PMA?) that the 24 MP APS-C was being delayed until early 2013 and that a refined K-5 would be released at the trade show instead, and the refined K-5 part of that rumor turned out to be true with the K-5 ii. Going off that rumor and Ricoh's only recently public suggestion of work on fullframe I've been assuming a higher level APS-C camera in the spring and a full frame camera possibly by this fall at the soonest.
Then again Pentax has a lot of holes to fill so it could be just about anything. An entry level camera is possible. Maybe Ricoh's rumored APS-C point and shoot. Etc. etc.
But one never knows which rumor to believe on here so we'll have to see :)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-18-2010, 12:22 PM
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I would think of the DA*200 less as a long portrait lens and more as a long candid snapper for when your DA*50-135 just isn't quite long enough, like this photo I took at a wedding I was shooting.
Also, I'm not sure if this matters to you, but it's my impression that the DA*200 has faster AF than the DA*300, and probably faster than your DA*50-135. Can't say either way, as I've never tried the 50-135 out.
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Forum: Ricoh GR
10-03-2012, 10:13 PM
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From what I've seen just in sample photos of both lenses I've liked the DA35 Macro better as a macro or detail lens. The 50 mm f/2.5 really excels though as a general purpose lens in addition to being a macro lens. The bokeh on the 50 f/2.5 is smooooth and highlights are perfectly circular (unlike the DA35), and combined with good sharpness this makes the 50 f/2.5 a pretty decent portrait snapper. The 28 f/2.5 unit incidentally also has smooth bokeh.
The GXR is very portable, with the A12 28 mm unit it reminds me almost of a slightly bigger Canon G12, which is impressive when you consider the sensor size is APS-C.
I wouldn't call the AF speed fast by any stretch (it seems prehistoric compared to the almost too fast Olympus EM-5), but it gets the job done in most cases. Also consider that RIcoh has some very cool unique focusing features that can be mastered, including a snap focus option that sets the focusing distance at a fixed distance and the shutter (a very quiet leaf shutter, btw) can be snapped almost instantly. Great for street shooting. I captured this shot almost instantly for example:
As for the quality of the A12 primes, I think they are excellent. If they were both in existence for use on the Pentax K-5 I'd snap them up instantly, especially the A12 28 mm unit, which I would argue would instantly become the best Pentax lens option between 20-30 mm.
Where the GXR is getting a little long in the tooth with these units is the sensor performance. The EM-5 I mentioned before, for example, is a M4/3 sensor but with sensor improvements it in many ways has caught up with the larger sensor in the A12 units, and the AF performance of these units could also use a boost in their new iteration. This is why I'm hoping for a refresh of both lensors with the K-5 sensor and an AF tweak. With that they'd be lovely options at their size and performance level.
Besides this caveat, however, I think there is still a lot to love about the A12 prime units. I'd recommend you giving them a try. There's a lot of joy that comes out of using them that doesn't show up in the spec sheets.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-26-2012, 08:27 AM
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When combined with the Pentax Forums interview and other interviews this was pretty revealing. All this imo:
1.) All indications are that K-01 is a one off product, and there will be no more XS lenses. Jeff Carlson also mentioned not seeing any need K-01 type cameras or lenses on any roadmaps he's seen. I think they took the lukewarm (and in other quarters, hostile) response as a sign they needed to do something different.
2.) Sounds like they've got a 645D II in the works, probably for release next year. Probably a good idea, since the Nikon D800 is such a strong competitor they can't just leave the 645D where it is right now. I don't necessarily agree with them going into medium format in the first place, but since they did that they need to support their investment. If they could come out with a few more lenses that would be a pretty solid system for that level of shooter.
3.) (based on comments made to both the Russian interviewer and Adam) Full frame is being investigated and developed, but they don't really seem to have a direction or target product right now. That means soonest Pentax full frame would like show up is a year and a half from now but most likely later (they hinted to this to Adam with their 18-24 months time frame for camera development). I'll guess late 2014.
Like Norm said, if you want full frame anytime soon, buy into their competitors.
4.) Be happy Q fans, Pentax will continue to support you.
5.) Pentax still sees potential in the APS-C sensor and DSLR cameras so expect some more products related to that next year, with more refinements including more AF points. Maybe we'll finally get a professional level Pentax APS-C SLR? I'm hoping some more interesting APS-C products than this Photokina had to offer, or they're in for another bla year. Note to Pentax: building up tethering and a new flash system would help your whole lineup. Oh, and refreshing some of your current lenses, i.e. the DA* zooms, would probably be in order. Doing all this in combination with a new APS-C flagship would make you look like you know what you're doing.
6.) Sorry flip out screen fans, Pentax engineers don't like these.
I would so love Pentax to go full frame in their own way, and like some others I think them pulling this off in a smart way is important to their survival as a company. However, Pentax is also trailing in a lot of other ways that they need to catch up on (such as AF points, flash system, their medium format system, etc.) and if they spend 2013 really building some advances into the system as a whole, seeing where the market is going, and then redefine their direction (such as dropping the K-01 so they can focus on the Q. Probably a good move), I see that all as a good thing.
But Pentax can't just have a year like this one and expect to keep going. The K-30 was great, the K-5 IIs will probably have some fans, but has it really excited anyone about the brand? Has Pentax done anything from a marketing perspective to help their own cause? No, not really. This is where they really need to wake up. Full frame would help (maybe) but it is not the panacea to their problems.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
08-28-2012, 05:28 PM
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I've taken a liking to Kodak Portra 160 and 400 for color and Ilford 100/400 Delta and Kodak 125 PX for black and white.
I have a local lab in town (Iowa City) that is still hanging on called University Camera. It's basically the only lab in the area that still does this sort of thing, and I think even they probably mail out some of the stuff for development. Going to try to take advantage of them being close as long as I can.
When I shoot manual I use my MX. I've been using my PZ-1P a lot lately, though.
Here's a few film shots from the FA Limiteds to tide you over until you can shoot :)
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
07-24-2012, 11:09 PM
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Being a new K-30 owner, I wanted to give it a try for one of the hardest sports to shoot: basketball in a dimly lit gym.
To do so I shot a few games the past few days of local summer basketball league for my news website. These players are a combination of high school, former community college and smaller college stars, all the way up to Division One athletes and players playing professionally in the Europe. The speed and explosiveness of these players takes some getting used to, and you really have to stay focused and know how to anticipate the action to get good shots (I'm still getting better at this.)
To aid me in my experiment, I also rented the very nice Sigma 70-200 EXII f/2.8 with the very quick HSM motor. The HSM motor is very quick by the way, and a great combo with the K-30. I've never really shot with Canon or Nikon, especially their higher end lenses, but the autofocus to me for this combo was very quick and very snappy. Any mistakes or missed shots were more on me than on the camera IMO. I also brought my DA*16-50 which also performed well, and I actually ended up using that more than the 70-200 to capture more of the action near the basket.
Speaking of user error, it took me about a game and a half to figure out the settings on the K-30 in a way that wouldn't cost me shots. I settled on Expanded AF (very handy) + selectable point AF + Continuous Focus + Continuous Focus Priority set to FPS over accuracy. I struggled in the beginning before I found this combo but after I hit that I was getting a lot of keepers.
As for whether the K-30 was better for the K-5 for this type of shooting, I haven't done a scientific test or anything but I would concur with deadwolfbones that the K-30 AF is snappier, more sure of itself. It reminds me a little of my PZ-1P in the way that it snaps into focus and stays there.
Could I have used the K-5 for this shooting, too? Yes. In fact, I did. I was very pleased with the K-30's performance, though, considering the light also wasn't the greatest, especially for being a mid-entry level camera.
Note: I'm not a spray and pray shooter, and I don't think the K-30 would be good for this type of style. If the K-3 comes out with a big buffer and improves on the ground made with the K-30, though, I could see that being a genuinely good sports shooting camera.
A few photos:
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-18-2012, 11:20 PM
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You are correct, they would have to make entirely new full frame lenses if they were to release a full frame camera. They've also made new lenses for the Q, the 645D, and the whole DA line so I don't see how making new lenses would be a problem. It's more a question if they think full frame would be a worthwhile investment for them to pursue, and that's a valid question for them to ask. Maybe their conclusion will be it's not worth it. That's certainly been their conclusion in the past.
Personally I would be equally excited if Pentax released a new batch of DA* lenses, with better motors, that would take full advantage of APS-C sensor cameras and the improvements that they would hopefully then put into the K-5 successor. That would also take an investment on their part, so I'm not sure if they'd think it was worth it. That's why I think it will be an interesting end of the year, they could really go a lot of different directions, and I'm excited to see where they'll go.
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