|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
09-05-2023, 05:28 PM
|
| |
I do use two high gamut, calibrated 27" screens, as a Capture One dual screen setup. My highly spec-ed (for 2018) Mac machine is at its limit with handling 2 4K external screens and the 33MP raw files, so it will definitely need an upgrade with the potentially higher resolution sensor of the K1-III.
And by the way, I am surrounded by 4 Windows workstations here in office, so I don't speak out of ignorance when I prefer a Mac, and I don't really care to entertain an OS/hardware war in a camera thread.
|
|
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
01-12-2023, 02:23 PM
|
| |
Their main focus seems to be the iPad app, live sharing and generally serving the needs of professionals. Also remember they need to support both Windows and Mac, and as a developer of shared code for both platforms, I can tell you this is not trivial and there's a lot of code forking. Generally is tough to release new features on multiple platforms at the same time.
Personally I don't care about iPad tethering, live sharing, nor do I need large imports management, but despite several shortcomings I still find C1 the most compelling tool out there. I upgrade every year the perpetual license, and may even switch to a subscription, but what worries me the most is they will never support, say, K-1 III, and that will force me to move back to ON1 or try something else. Learning curve will be steep but oh well, learning and adjusting is part of staying alert and alive.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-12-2022, 11:44 AM
|
| |
Glad to keep the HD FA 21/2.4 in my bag.
Minimal processing as always with this lens, just pulling the highlights a bit.
(Hmm... attachments are butchered to jpeg 85% quality, need to figure a decent way to post photos here)
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-04-2021, 03:15 PM
|
| |
It took a whole month to take delivery, and a couple more days for the rain to relent. Late evening low light was a good excuse - and a tough lens test - to go for a quick series at f/2.4 in the nearby park. At this first glance, colors rendition, sharpness and bokeh all exceed my expectations.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-02-2021, 10:53 AM
|
| |
On this summer's climb of Mount Rainier I took the newly arrived HD 31/1.8. I limit myself to only one lens on hard mountaineering outings, and that is usually FA 20-35/4, but this time I felt I want to try something different, particularly in the low light of the eerie dawns on the mountain. Not convinced 31mm is wide enough I added the dependable 20-35/4 to the bag, just in case. In the end I took a series of great photos solely with the 31/1.8, from evening to next afternoon, not ever considering I might need the zoom. Indeed wide angle zooms are overrated, one judicially chosen fix focal covers a lot. That's why I (pre)ordered the 21/2.4 Limited the moment it became available, not second thoughts.
Oh, and the Samyang? I owned two copies of the Rokinon 14/2.8 (same manufacturer). First I returned with defective electric contacts, second developed the same issue one year later. I cannot afford to be let down by gear in a remote, difficult trip. Pentax is inexpensive relative to the photo opportunities.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-01-2021, 07:16 PM
|
| |
I just preordered it at B&H, and I see Adorama offers it too. Here's to more of the awesomeness of the HD 31/1.8 Limited - a fenomenal lens that became my de facto field lens. When the 21 arrives I will probably relegate the ancient (yet trusty) FA 20-35/4 to exhibition shelf. :)
|
|
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
06-23-2021, 01:47 PM
|
| |
It works beautifully. In these times of deliberate obsolescence, I am not sure what industry, let alone brand, can boast this.
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-02-2021, 09:11 PM
|
| |
I did some astro photo with K3 II and DFA 300/4, 20-40 sec exposure. The results were impressive. I shall definitely miss the integrated GPS... The O-GPS1 is ten years old, and GPS technology evolved quite a bit in the meantime.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-02-2021, 11:48 AM
|
| |
When you buy into limiteds, you buy art. As exquisite as the optics may be, in this age of convenience and performance where zooms have caught up optically with primes, we love limiteds for their ineffable beauty and unique experience. I held off for a long time, especially as I optimized my gear for long tough mountaineering expeditions, but not anymore. I shall get the HD FA 31/1.8 silver edition and will add a K1 II silver just to frame it properly. :D No, I won't take it in the high mountains, it will simply be the wearable jewel for the rare times I walk, not climb or run.
|
|
Forum: Pentax Full Frame
04-25-2021, 09:15 PM
|
| |
FA 24-90/3.5-4.5 as my first «*kit*» lens with K1 was a complete disappointment : flimsy construction resulted in wobbling when extended. There was not a good enough focal length and aperture combination to match the K1 sensor. Is absolutely no match to the DFA 28-105/3.5-5.6 I got to replace it.
|
|
Forum: Pentax Full Frame
09-22-2020, 10:28 AM
|
| |
DFA 28-105mm, while excellent optically on K1II, is an air pump. I often shoot in rainy (think Napali, Kauai) or dusty (like Mount Rainier volcano) conditions, and zooming out sucks in efficiently water and dust. After having the K1 serviced for internal corrosion, and having to clean the sensor way too often, I switched to using in the field a combo of FA 20-35/4 and DFA 70-210/4. The wide angle is not waterproof but its zooming volume displacement is minimal, while the tele zoom is exceptionally well sealed with internal zoom and focus. Now the DFA 28-105 is relegated to standard travel lens.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-09-2020, 12:59 PM
|
| |
I keep a K3II just for wildlife, paired with DA 300/4 and DA 1.4x AW AF. I'm really looking forward to the full frame teleconverter.
Uncropped:
 |
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-09-2020, 12:24 PM
|
| |
After having used the DA* 200/2.8 extensively with K1 and K1II for a few years, I thought I may give it up after getting the DFA 70-210/4. However these two lenses are for different experiences and while I don't carry it any more in the field, the 200/2.8 still is a pleasure to use for portraits and astrophotography. Sharp wide open, beautiful bokeh, excellent handling, decent autofocus, all that defines a keeper.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-23-2020, 12:08 PM
|
| |
After so much waiting and anticipation for DFA 70-210/4 - the glass to absolutely fill the last gap - Pentax hard core zeroed on the next target: why Pentax didn't re-release an DA 60-250/4 instead? Of course assumptions and one test of one sample make up for the whole construction.
Just like others I waited eagerly for the lens, unlike most I actually got it - and find it totally lives up to my expectations. Not only the long end wide open is excellent (better than DA 200/2.8 at f/4), but it is so in the most extreme conditions where internal zoom and focus ensure no water or dust is sucked in. I have no regrets for not getting a de-baffled DA 60-250/4; with the DFA 70-210/4 - Pentax did the right thing.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-05-2019, 12:08 PM
|
| |
Yeah, nothing more obvious than the wide angle gap in Pentax's full frame lens line. :) Until Ricoh finally sees it, I opted for a good copy of FA 20-35/4, a gem of a lens, very good optically and truly portable (like in summiting glaciated peaks with it). I supplement the very wide angle end with a Rokinon 14/2.8: outstanding optics, poor mount tolerances that occasionally lead to electric contacts failure. Oh well, is still more than a gap stopper.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
08-13-2019, 10:16 AM
|
| |
You will experience a big step up moving to K-1: higher dynamic range and richer colours, more consistent exposure and overall better out of the box photos that require little post processing, or so is my experience after using K-1 II and K-3 II for a while (I keep the latter exclusively for telephoto shooting). Probably your biggest decision is what full frame lens to pair the body with: if your photography style is slow and deliberate there's a wider range of options, not so if you need to be light and fast, when only a couple of lenses fit the bill. Also factor in the software support: K-1 II is still notably ignored by the likes of Capture One, MacOS, etc. and you may have to accommodate new workflows like ON1, etc. If you are more specific about your intents and habits I'm sure you will get more targeted advice.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
07-02-2019, 11:03 AM
|
| |
I do trail running photography with K1 II and DFA 28-105/3.5-4.5, with subjects running towards camera and the success ration is remarkably high (>75%). I use AF-continuous with preselected zone area, and tracking is a big improvement over K1 with the same lens. The 28-105/3.5-4.5 is twice as fast than any other lens I tried.
|
|
Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
07-02-2019, 10:47 AM
|
| |
I'm glad to hear it, I really wish for a good Pentax support center.
My experience with Precision is ambivalent: years ago they repaired a body, a lens and did a CLA on another lens on short turnarounds. Last year however it took them 4 months to do a prepaid upgrade of K1 to K1 Mark II, after they quoted me an additional work item for replacing corroded parts near the bottom plate, with which I agreed. Only after I ping-ed Ricoh to expedite the replacement parts shipment, and waited through another round trip to Precision due to infamous broken mode dial, did I finally get my K1 Mark II. Which, to their credit, works splendidly and is a worthy upgrade. And, by the way, Precision waived the additional repairs cost. Best wishes to them, after all.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-19-2018, 11:16 AM
|
| |
I have played with my friend's Vivitar version of Promaster 19-35mm f/3.5-4.5 on K1, and is a decent lens: quite sharp in the frame center and less so and with significant chromatic aberrations towards the edges. It's certainly not on par with my copy of FA 20-35/4 in sharpness, but it also flares more and has less contrast.
Too bad Ricoh chose to outsource lenses to Tamron etc. when they could at least reissue compact and field oriented, Asahi era gems like FA 20-35/4.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-08-2018, 03:41 PM
|
| |
300mm X 1.4 might be overkill for a decent vantage point to an airshow. Especially for shooting planes formation or contrails describing aerobatics, I have found DA 200mm f/2.8 (on FF) is a better option.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
04-17-2018, 05:11 PM
|
| |
I didn't have to clean my K-1 prior to buying the 28-105, but this one is a massive air pump which turned the camera into a dirt attractor, the SR and blower couldn't cope with eventually. Hint: don't zoom frantically in a pouring rain or a dusty environment. Even in the midst of the action, try to stay on the expected focal length. Zoom out (wide) is fine, zoom in should be gentle. :) Humidity by itself does not spot the sensor but it can capture dust and make it stick. I had to do several wet passes in one cleaning session, and while just the blower fixed my latest woes, the jet needed directed precisely to get rid of the more stubborn specks. No other lenses gave me this trouble, be it sealed primes of course (300/4, 200/2.8), nor 100/2.8 macro which also is supposed to displace large volumes of air, neither other zooms (20-35/4). A word on environment: if I really need to change lenses in a dusty/spraying environment, like Mt. Saint Helens or on a boat, I do this blindly inside a jacket used like a bag, my hands through sleeves. Train before trying it in the field.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
04-03-2018, 10:01 AM
|
| |
According to their source at Ricoh, the autofocus implementation was redone from zero. For a long time, since K10D, Pentax didn't commit but to minor AF improvements. Even on K1 the autofocus algorithms were still based on the original K-10D implementation. Which boasted the SAFOX something, a term that harks back to the film era and PZ-1p. Pentax Klub's test concludes there's faster reactivity and better predictability.
This sounds very promising, I will likely send in my trusty K-1 for more than a face lift. :)
|
