Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
06-22-2015, 01:08 PM
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DSTE batteries have been fine for the last 2yrs in my K-30 with the same measured mAh capacity minus a few percent compared to the Pentax battery. Most cheapies are nowhere near their claimed capacity, 50% or less.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
06-01-2015, 11:25 AM
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There's a load of impressive K3II pixel shift shots over on Imaging Resource now.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-25-2015, 09:59 AM
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DSTE are good cheapies. That's not just estimated from shots taken which is wildly inaccurate, it's judged by measured capacity.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
04-10-2015, 12:50 PM
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There's no answer to being able to AE-L when using the rear button for AF-L other than the part solutions already mentioned, but I thought I would just mention that I find the option to Cancel AF using the rear button works best for me. That way I can still use the normal top shutter button most of the time for AF, but if I want to lock the focus I just hold the rear button with my thumb while taking more shots on the top button, then release the rear button to carry on with normal AF.
It would be nice if the RAW/Fx button could be programmed for AE-L.
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
03-14-2015, 11:45 AM
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That video is a good way of comparing the sound character but not the actual volume as the video cam clearly has audio AGC working which will level the volumes. Note how the background noise quietens when the shutter is working.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
02-17-2015, 11:43 AM
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If it's the same as the K-30, there are 2 types of sharpening available. Move the back wheel to toggle between S and FS (fine sharpening).
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
02-14-2015, 01:09 AM
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I only found a rocket blower effective on stubborn dirt if I worked out where the dirt actually was on the sensor (top right of image = bottom left of sensor) and used all possible puff energy on that spot from a very close distance. I have used a Lenspen brush to get stuck on dirt moving, finishing off with the blower, but it leaves a bit of its own debris behind I believe but at least it's loose and blows off easily. I've thought of using post-it stickers but haven't yet succumbed to temptation.
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
02-12-2015, 11:53 AM
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One IR sensor works alright indoors on the K-30 from any angle, I suppose the IR bounces off walls. Outdoors might be tricky but a bit of reflective foil worked the one time I tried aiming at the back of the camera.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
01-10-2015, 04:19 AM
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Is it still on the original firmware? There have been 2 updates since and they always state for each update "Improved stability for general performance".
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-10-2015, 12:15 AM
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I've looked back through loads of my 17mm shots with a Sigma 17-50/2.8 HSM and the SRFocalLength was 17mm in all cases, so that lens would appear to be OK at least on a K-30 with f/w 1.06.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
12-29-2014, 02:50 AM
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Get a cheap USB 3.0 single slot SD card reader if you have USB 3.0. My £6 Betron from Amazon flies. I gave up on multi-card readers as most mess up Windows Explorer with a multitude of phantom drives.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
12-26-2014, 12:26 PM
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There are 10 connections in series, all it takes is one or more to not connect properly at the high burst current a DSLR can take and not enough voltage gets through for the camera to work properly. A tiny drop of protective switch cleaner on each contact can work wonders.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
12-24-2014, 01:02 AM
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I just tried mirror up on my K-30 which is on the latest firmware 1.06. The battery was showing full throughout and long after. After about 4 minutes, the slow blinking speeds up and there's beeping for perhaps 5sec bursts, this happens a few times over the next minute and then it runs fast constantly but the mirror stays up throughout. I gave up at 6 minutes as there's no way I would ever have my sensor exposed that long as it defeats the whole purpose. The beeping and faster blinking is obviously just a reminder that you're in cleaning mode. I've never noticed this before because I only clean perhaps once or twice a year and it takes 30 seconds.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
12-16-2014, 11:45 AM
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I'm not going to check mine now, but I did when I first bought it and it was over 5fps. Some settings can slow it down, lens correction for one, and obviously the shutter speed needs to be fast-ish.
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
12-14-2014, 01:13 AM
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I've always wanted one and this is about the only way I'll ever get one, so bring it on!
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
12-12-2014, 11:18 AM
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My SMC K55/1.8 is the sharpest lens I possess for distant landscapes, it beats my 35/2.4, Tamron 70-200/2.8 and Sigma 17-50/2.8. Lovely to handle as well, smooooth.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
12-12-2014, 10:52 AM
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I've had zero issues with the 1 cheap AA adapter I've possessed since the K-30 came out, Eneloops gave me over 1000 shots on one test but more on that later, and DSTE Li-Ions are really good for cheap replacements - better than other (no-name) eBay cheapies I've tried and they measure almost the same capacity in mAh as the Pentax OEM.
All NiMh rechargeables, Eneloop low self discharge as well as the normal type, when freshly charged (in a decent charger) will have a terminal voltage in the region of 1.45v or so. Your K-30 will love 4x1.45v but won't operate below roughly 4x1.18v. If you just fire off one shot after the other just after a charge then you may well get the 1000 shots I achieved, but if you leave NiMh batteries for a couple of weeks (even Eneloops) their terminal voltage will sag somewhat, perhaps to something nearer 1.36v. Their mAh capacity won't have dropped much though, at least with Eneloops and their LSD brethren. You won't get as many shots though, perhaps 4-500 as the camera only responds to terminal voltage and shuts down below approx 4.7v total, and it will get there sooner from 4x1.36v than it will 4x1.45v. So basically, Eneloops last longer than others over a period but they still like a top-up before a heavy shooting session.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
12-04-2014, 11:58 AM
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I use a Marumi CP filter occasionally as it produces results unobtainable any other way, but would never use any other filter for one reason...... it's far more likely to get scratched than the lens is, so if it gets scratched I'll have to buy another!
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
12-03-2014, 12:11 PM
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The only thing not improved on the K-50 (or K-30) vs K100D is the shutter noise, it's hardly any quieter. Everything else is better. Some say CCD colours are truer than CMOS but I'm unconvinced as I use RAW and it's just about perfect.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
11-11-2014, 12:17 PM
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I can't hear any funny noises on my K-30 videos as long as I don't use AF.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
10-21-2014, 11:10 AM
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Bear in mind that all the 'cheap' methods for macro, i.e. reversing rings, extension tubes and Raynox type addon lenses, leave you with more or less only one working distance where it's possible to focus (MF or AF) and also a fixed magnification. A zoom lens with a Raynox is probably the cheapest way of getting a bit more control, but if you want flexibility it's a proper macro lens that's needed.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
10-16-2014, 07:04 AM
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Computer Shopper magazine (U.K.) does great one page camera reviews. Short they may be (about 1000 words), but there's a wealth of useful info and comments proving they've actually used the cameras seriously, in fact their comments are a sight more useful than DPR's for a prospective buyer. Pentax cameras generally get 5 star reviews, apart from the K500, they didn't like the lack of VF AF points.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
10-09-2014, 10:56 AM
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I guess it's the Live View info line as that's in red and blinks if the light is low. It can be turned off by deselecting LV 'Info Display' on the K-30.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
09-29-2014, 10:54 AM
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Sounds like a mixture of the overdone Bright setting and white balance being a bit on the cool side. I tend to use RAW mostly, but have found these settings give nigh on perfect JPG skin tones (and in RAW if RAW converter uses camera settings) in my K-30, which hopefully will be the same as the K-50..............
Natural adjusted to +1 Saturation, +1 Contrast; AWB set to +2 Amber, Daylight set to +1 Amber. Then it's just a case of getting the exposure right.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
09-27-2014, 10:53 AM
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Underexposing causes extra noise if you bring the exposure up in post. Better to use RAW and expose for a little highlight clipping using the blinkies, it'll be recoverable in Adobe Camera RAW and you'll get lower noise OOC. Also, a NR plugin like Noiseware will help to reduce noise but keep detail that Adobe NR tweaks lose.
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