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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
06-24-2014, 11:59 AM
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An update on my camera, first time I tried a time lapse, it got the flappy mirror after about 500 frames and several times immediately after (fortunately I was close enough that it woke me up). I've done 7 timelapses since without any issue (these are all overnight timelapses, usually 30 second exposures, 500-900 frames) and haven't had it happen in normal usage. I don't know if it's a factor, but the main difference between the first and subsequent timelapses is for the latter is the power source. The successful timelapses have used a regulated external power source during the timelapses (something like http://blog.trafficshaper.com/?p=392, but powered by two D-LI90s).
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
06-24-2014, 12:32 AM
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I've had a similar problems with my 49mm B+W CPLs where the force require to rotate them is very inconsistent. I've been tempted to send them back to see if they can be fixed. My 49mm Hoya CPL turns much more smoothly, but would frequently get stuck on the lenses (aluminum threads) which I found to be a worse problem.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
04-18-2014, 12:39 AM
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I just tried a few shots with a K-5 / PNY 128GB SDXC card, seems to work fine. I upgraded to a K-3 so I don't normally use that combo.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
04-18-2014, 12:27 AM
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I left my K-5 taking a overnight timelapse when the wind blew it over into a lake (I had several liters of water weighing down the tripod, but it wasn't enough). When I found out later, it had been about 25% submerged for nearly an hour (the grip and battery compartment were soaked). It stopped working but I found out a few days later that I could turn it on by inserting the battery when the camera was switched on (it would not turn on any other way). I was able to use it like that with a broken intervalometer the only other side effect. Several months later, it started functioning normally again. If I had done what other here have suggested, it probably would have recovered sooner.
I hope yours recovers too. Keep checking it, even if it looks hopeless.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
03-15-2014, 12:00 PM
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One incident here, first time I tried to take a timelapse. Woke me up several hours in with the out of control mirror. It stopped when I disconnected the batteries. I was able to get it to go out of control two more times by hitting the LV button a few times when just the drained external battery was connected, but not when running on the internal charged battery. It didn't happen the second night with the same setup, except I switched the external power source to a regulated one using two batteries.
Temperature: near freezing
Battery: Internal and External, both genuine
Trigger: External
Cards: Two
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
03-02-2014, 11:03 PM
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Finally tried a couple of timelapses with a K-3 and ran into the mirror flop too. 30 second exposures, temperature was probably near freezing, external trigger, all batteries were OEM Pentax, though some are several years old, both card slots filled.
For the first timelapse, I had one battery in the body, and the second connected through the DC in port. It went out of control after 461 shots. External battery was low, the internal one still had power. I was able to get the mirror to go out of control two more times by toggling live view when it was powered by the drained external battery, but not when it was running off the internal battery.
For the second timelapse, I used two batteries (in series, stepped down to 8.3V) connected to external power and one internal battery. It took about 700 pictures without any issues.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-27-2014, 11:58 AM
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The K-3 is much faster in bracketing mode than the K-5, which is nice if you're taking HDR handheld or of moving objects.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
01-28-2014, 09:37 PM
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I've been assuming they're manufacture dates too. I have 9 batteries ranging from Dec 2010 (for the one that came with my K-5) to Dec 2012 (for the one that came with my K-3). None of them are blank.
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Forum: Pentax Price Watch
01-15-2014, 07:21 PM
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
01-15-2014, 12:20 AM
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I really like the Peak Designs Capture Clip (https://peakdesignltd.com/store/?c=clips) for use with a backpack. If you use that system, it comes with an arca-swiss compatible plate. If you only need a plate, one with an anti-twist design is probably better though.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
01-09-2014, 02:19 PM
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Great questions! I haven't tried any timelapses with the K-3, but the K-5 would require 2 to 3 D-Li90 batteries for an overnight timelapse (30s exposures every 32 seconds, temperatures near or below freezing, usually about 900 to 1000 pictures total). Battery life seems to be much better when using an external intervalometer than when using the internal one (uses 2 batteries per night vs 3 batteries). I found this out after the intervalometer on my K-5 was disabled after an incident with a lake, a windy night, and a failed timelapse. It's fully functional now, but the hour spent partially submerged caused the camera to misbehave for about a month. I haven't tried eneloops or a grip, I just connect additional batteries through the external power port.
The K-3 looks like it burns much more power according to the CIPA ratings, so I expect it to drain the batteries quite a bit faster than a K-5. The K-5 did a reasonable job of compressing RAW files, I'm not sure what the K-3 is doing, night DNG files seem larger than they should, I need to do some testing.
Here's a useful link if you want to connect those zillion eneloops to the camera and don't want to wake up and replace the battery in the middle of the night. DIY Power Supply for Pentax K5 DSLR |
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Forum: Pentax Price Watch
01-03-2014, 04:16 PM
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Here's an attached screenshot from my invoice in case anyone still needs it.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-03-2014, 12:02 AM
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
12-18-2013, 06:50 PM
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That's troubling, it sounds a lot like the K-5 mirror flop issue. On my K-5, it would happen constantly with fully charged batteries in hot weather. I had to send it in to get it fixed.
If it is a battery current or voltage issue it may be more likely to happen with older batteries. My older D-Li90s are three years old which is about the lifespan of lithium ion batteries. They still work great with the K-5, but might not work as well with the K-3 which seems to need more power.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
11-16-2013, 01:39 AM
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Here's my version, not sure if it'll be useful for anyone though. I figure there are probably about 3 people out there with both a Pentax DSLR and a 3D Printer. If the dimensions are off by more than a few tenths of a millimeter it won't fit correctly. I don't use actually use any WR lenses, but wanted a rear lens cap that fits securely (the Pentax caps sometimes come loose, especially with my MF lenses) and I wanted a shorter cap (it's about 3mm / 20% thinner than the standard caps).
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
11-06-2013, 07:25 PM
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Photoshop has some built in tools to automate the averaging, you can load a set of images into a smart object, and set the stack mode to mean (average). It does a good job of aligning the layers too (if you check automatically align source images). A bit more detail about the feature can be found at Loading Files into Stacks (the menu options for this feature are a bit obscure).
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
10-12-2013, 12:39 PM
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I don't have any experience with the WG-3 GPS, but the Nokia charger looks like it could be a good match at a reasonable price ($25, link below). It seems to be similar in size to the camera, so if they put the charging coils in near the center of the camera, it might fit nicely. I have the Nokia charger and it works well with a Nokia windows phone and an Asus android tablet. As Bob said, the camera should work with any Qi charger in theory, though there may be some incompatibilities between some devices and chargers.
Search - AT&T |
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
06-07-2013, 04:49 AM
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I think you should take the night shots, I'd like to see them. If there's nothing to see, you can edit it out after.
I'd also recommend trying out the 5.6 second interval before your trip to see how it comes out. I would turn off SR and the auto-leveling as it may cause the view to shift from frame to frame, though I'm not sure.
Not sure how you're planning to power your camera, but one option could be to power it off the car's 12V if you reduce the voltage and wire up a connector: DIY Power Supply for Pentax K5 DSLR .
I'm not sure how to handle exposure for such a long timelapse. Maybe center weighted metering during the day and manual exposure at night?
edit: actually if the car doesn't show up in the picture, the frame to frame alignment probably doesn't matter
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
04-28-2013, 10:54 PM
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Taking 30 second exposures every 32 seconds with the built-in intervalometer, shooting RAW, my K-5 usually goes about 4 to 4.5 hours before the battery runs out. I'm usually shooting near or below freezing so it should be better with warmer weather.
I also seem to get much better battery life using an external intervalometer so you might give that a try. I haven't done any controlled tests and I can't imagine why it would make such significant difference, but it does seem help a lot.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
12-12-2012, 12:19 AM
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I've been meaning to try one of the Cocoon Grid-It organizers for on the go accessories, but haven't got around to it. They come in a bunch of different sizes.
link to more sizes - Cocoon - grid-it! |
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
12-12-2012, 12:06 AM
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I really like this one for a K-5 (Maxpedition Fatboy GTG):
It fits a K-5 and 4-5 limited lenses and I can strap more on the outside if needed. It needs some custom inserts to work as a camera bag though, and it doesn't work with larger lenses.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
11-05-2012, 07:48 PM
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
06-23-2012, 03:07 PM
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lots of options at McMaster Carr McMaster-Carr
Some of them are adhesive backed and thin. Don't know which type of rubber would work best though.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-11-2012, 10:16 PM
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I have all three, but haven't used the samyang much since I've only had it a few weeks.
Pentax 10-17 : I don't use this much any more, and now that I have the rokinon 8mm, I should probably sell it. It has quite bit of CA, and it isn't very sharp. It's a fun lens to use, but image quality isn't very satisfying.
Sigma 8-16 : It's pretty big and heavy. The image quality is pretty good, CA isn't bad (actually pretty good for a lens this wide) and the center is sharp. I wish the corners were sharper though. I'd go with this lens for architectural shots (because it's rectilinear), but with landscapes it doesn't quite have the look I was hoping for.
Samyang 8mm : Just got this lens so I haven't used it too much. I like the projection though, and I'm looking forward to taking it out backpacking. It doesn't distort as much as the Pentax, and the images don't feel as distant than the Sigma at 8mm.
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