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Forum: Pentax KP
05-23-2018, 07:08 PM
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This is prolly too late. You can check whether the AF module functions at all by putting the camera in MF, then focus manually, eye looking thru the viewfinder while pressing the shutter half way or pressing the AF button (if the camera is so configured), and see if there's any focus confirmation in the viewfinder. If there is, one of the AF points will light up in red and/or the focus confirm hexagon in the readout under the viewfinder image will light up.
edit: if there's focus confirmation, then the AF module is detecting focus and telling the camera.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
05-23-2018, 06:15 PM
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Forum: Pentax KP
05-23-2018, 05:07 AM
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La Belle Province from the Orange Julep
D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 at 105mm and f/8
ISO 100, 0.6s, EV -1.3, processed thru RawTherapee and the Gimp
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
05-23-2018, 03:54 AM
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Grocery store in Park X beginning of January
K-7, ISO 160, 1/25s
Samyang 85mm f/1.4 at f/2.5
processed thru RawTherapee and the Gimp.
edit: For me too the K-7 gave very film-like results, like this, except with vastly better flexibility and convenience.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
05-17-2018, 09:54 PM
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DPR is invested in the cutting edge, where it's less abt what photography is than what it may become. They're for sure always going to be more interested in gear that does fundamental things differently than before. That'll be their answer to why they're so interested in Sony products-- not that the Alphas sell well or that Sony is investing huge amounts into the popularisation of its gear, but that they advance the technology and try to redefine what a camera is and what it's capable of.
One could be crass and say that DPR is just trying to chase the young crowd, but keeping tabs on, and promoting, how the medium and it's tools are changing, that's not ignoble.
If they were a site abt cars they'd be all in for self driving vehicles and would be full of articles abt how the world will change because of it.
Pentax cameras have tended to be the opposite of that. It's all abt enabling the photographer do the same old things better. There's a lot of backwards gazing in its tech. Who else has spent so much effort in keeping it's lens mount backwards compatible, or tries to hold onto the pentaprism? It's not a viewpoint that DPR takes to, and it'll never be very favorably inclined towards any Pentax gear that's a product of that thinking. The best they're going to say is: Yeah it works wonderfully well, but so what; it's just the same old thing.
i mean, DPR seems more favorably disposed to the Thetas than the K dSLRs.
Face it; we're just a lot of old codgers.
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Forum: Pentax KP
05-17-2018, 12:34 AM
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The McD before closing time. i'm getting to like this lens a lot at night.
Test of the D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6 ED DC WR:
ISO 100, f/8, 3s, EV -1.3, focal length 37mm, processed thru RawTherapee and the Gimp.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
05-16-2018, 04:16 PM
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Wow, that's great. Thank you david94903, and thank you everyone for all your input and your time.
Now i sit and mull things over. Well, more accurately i walk around testing my lenses on the K-P while mulling things over.
Curious that, that when just testing a camera and lenses, one doesn't engage the full range of one's faculties as one does when on an actual photo project or assignment. One's abilities for manual handling and precision, and sense of light and shadow, are switched on, but oddly not the creative decision making bits, and one's mind can wander and think abt other wonderful things. Like in my case what it'll be like using a mirrorless body with manual lenses.
My latest finding with my lens testing is that the K-P is still bedding in, as the AF fine adjustments keep needing to be shifted. Either that or light source and ambient temp make a bigger difference than i'd thot: i've moved into daylight testing of the lenses i'd actually use during the day. Can't seem to nail down the microfocus of the D-FA 28-105mm.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
05-16-2018, 04:07 PM
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Well, when it comes down to it, to err is human. To finally get an optically fantastic copy of a lens you've lusted after for years, that's divine.
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Forum: Pentax KP
05-15-2018, 02:44 PM
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Sorry for the size: This is just a test of the K-P and the D-FA 28-105mm with the tripod. First foto with that lens that wasn't a target test, and my first real use of RawTherapee, so at the beginning of its learning curve.
Finding the lens quite nice on the tripod, and otherwise in normal use a kit zoom that happens to resolve quite nicely. Mine exhibits completely average optical assembly. At 1:1 i can read the text on that white notice on the window on the right.
ISO 100, f/8, 1/2s, EV -1, focal length 95mm, processed thru RawTherapee and the Gimp.
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Forum: Pentax KP
05-14-2018, 11:12 PM
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Just to reiterate: i do test my stuff in low light since i shoot a lot in those conditions. i'm sure it all works much better in daylight ambient conditions.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
05-14-2018, 09:22 PM
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The nice thing abt the M42 Taks is that most of them have an Auto/Manual switch, which basically opens the aperture on Auto and shuts it down to the set f stop on Manual, so it's fairly easy to set the f stop, then switch to Man to take a reading. Back to Auto to focus, and back to Man to grab the shot.
That's on a dSLR when the light path is optical and one's using one's eye to focus. Generally one just takes the occasional light reading that way and mostly move that switch back and forth to focus and shoot.
On Auto the pin on the back of the lens shuts down the aperture to the set value, and there's a metal flap in a screw mount body mirror box that comes up to actuate it upon the shutter being tripped.
Dunno if electronic viewfinders and focus peaking will make all that A/M switching unnecessary.
---------- Post added 05-15-18 at 12:45 AM ----------
i guess one reason i like the M42 Taks is that my father had a black SV when i was a kid, and using the Taks often takes me back. i used that SV a lot when i was starting out with cameras. Its 55mm f/1.8 was so-so; think that unit wasn't the height of assembly precision.
i've now got a small bunch of screw mount lenses that're optically good, and would like to put them to regular use. Missing an 8 element 50mm tho.
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Forum: Pentax KP
05-14-2018, 06:18 PM
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hm. i find myself agreeing with the OP as to the K-P's AF. It seems more picky abt which lenses it likes, compared to the K-7 and K-5. i've a couple lenses including the Tammy 17-50 that it doesn't take to, which the other bodies are fine with.
In very low light with lenses it doesn't like, when i press the AF button often it'll sit and think for an instant before starting up the AF motor. Focus accuracy is more off the wider the lens (and thus the smaller the bits are in the frame that i want it to focus on).
And with these lenses in these low light situations it'll also tend to focus on higher contrast transitions that're not directly under the central spot focus point.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
05-14-2018, 05:02 PM
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i'm thankful some folks such as you actually take my points into consideration. i'm pretty laissez faire abt it myself, and am grateful that people voice their opinions and experience, as you have. Thanks to you and lytrytyr now i'm looking at the K-01 seriously.
When it comes to gear i've come to realize that one's own preferences often puts one in a narrow little box which is never a good thing to be forever stuck in.
 Quote: Yes, the K-01 uses a K-mount, it is a different sort of camera, it is not for everyone, but it does take M42 lenses with an adapter (that adds no bulk), is cheap, with in-body stabilization, is mirrorless, with liveview, has focus peaking, and is not M4/3.
In terms of battery life, construction quality, and its Pentax system menus, it is superlative to other mirrorless options. It will operate in greater extremes of temperature than most of the others. It is also a good match with the 18-55 kit lens (about $60 used!) and is a natural with the 40mm pancake.
The K-01 at least deserves a mention, if not consideration. How does the K-01 handle generally? Is it a slow and measured kindo camera, can it be handled off the cuff and quickly and still produce good shots? i read the shutter's louder than the top tier Pentax bodies. Does the shutter noise carry?
i tend towards turtle speed with the dSLR, but like to work fast and unobtrusively with a P&S type cam. Move myself into position first before even lifting up the camera for a peek, and put it down and reposition myself, or walk away, if it doesn't look right.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
05-14-2018, 08:30 AM
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i don't use it much, but i actually have an excellent sample of the 18-55mm WR kit lens that's able to use the resolving power of the K-P ... at least in the center of the frame. Just finished testing the thing. Guess i'll add that to the list of glass i can use with that body. That lens also works well with the K-P AF.
Re: monopods. i use one adapted from a hiking pole (by adding a simple ball head to it, and a large rubber foot from a walking stick), and i highly recommend this kind of contraption over a photo gear monopod. The hiking pole is quite tough and takes body weight which few photo monopods do. Many monopods have max load ratings of a few lbs. The hiking pole doesn't need to be babied: you can really lean on the pole and it doesn't collapse. Also carbon fibre hiking poles are cheap compared to carbon fibre monopods.
edit: i made mine after using my K-7 in the rain with a monopod, and found that the rain made the joint fasteners useless on the monopod. When wet they stopped gripping the tube sections.
But the hiking pole is willowy and vibrates, you say. 1) just hold the foam grip and lean on the pole a bit, and 2) leave the SR on in the camera. It'll be fine.
Make sure you get a hiking pole that extends to the height you want for using with a camera and which has a 1/4" screw on top on which you can install a ball head.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
05-13-2018, 09:18 PM
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For me it's not making do with 1 camera body, but having a second one for different uses. My P&S cams are used where its size and form makes it less obtrusive than a dSLR, plus it looks more informal in use. City streets, cafes at night, summer fests, etc. The G1X absolutely fails at this because i find myself fiddling with it way too much, and holding it is awkward.
Some situations you want to just focus, snap and move on, not hold it up at shoulder height while it powers up from sleep and the lens motors out, then mess with this or that dial, zoom it around a bit, wait for it to focus, hit a few more buttons to get it into close focus mode then reframe if the subject's too close for regular focusing, grab a few shots.
Handling and how much fiddling the cam needs is a big factor in some scenarios.
i find when i pull out my dSLR people take notice, stiffen up, turn away or move off.
Price-wise i'm already sucking on fumes, so partly it's a matter of just minimizing it or else figuring out what i can't live without and then saving until i can afford the features. This is where you folks here and your experience with these cams help a lot.
i know how my M42 lenses handle and how comfortable i am with them, since i've had most of them for decades. Just a matter of adding the practice of pushing the Auto/Man switch a lot. i can guesstimate focus, exposure, where to place myself from subject, pretty well with those lenses.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
05-13-2018, 07:41 PM
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The upside to the price of the gear of course is how much i've saved in film, chemicals and paper in the last 18yrs, not to mention all the fumes i didn't breathe nor how much toxicity i didn't flush into the water system. And, how much time i didn't spend cooped up in a dark little room.
---------- Post added 05-13-18 at 10:46 PM ----------
--My next question would be: how does the K-01 handle? Compared to a K-3-5-7? Compared to the crop of mirrorless IL cams? Anything that slows you down?
How does that LCD fare in the sun?
edit: i've never seen a K-01 IRL, not even at the camera store. Played with the Nex's and Alpha's at the big chain stores so have a clue abt those.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
05-13-2018, 04:30 PM
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Goodness, but you guys have given me a lot to mull over. i thank you for all your time and advice.
i hadn't really considered a K-01. As you say tho, it has most of the features i'm looking for. i'd always dismissed it as just a K-5 without the mirror box and thot of it as a big brick. i see now that it's a bit smaller than the K-P. And i might just have enough left over to go hunting for that 8 element M42 50mm f/1.4 Tak. So add that to the list.
Hm. Add a Panny. i know there's a Nex 7 body available near where i live. Add that. The Fuji X-H1 is out of my price range unfortch. The A6500 also by a little bit, tho i played with one a couple years ago at the local Best Buy, and quite liked it. i can get hold a used A6500 body for around $1250CAD; say $980USD.
i coulda bought a pretty decent used VW for what i'm laying out for camera gear this spring. So far i'm very happy with the K-P and 77mm. Exactly what i needed. Feel spoiled by its IQ and the SR, which last works much better for me than the K-5.
The only downside has been that the Tammy 17-50mm doesn't seem to like the K-P. Both AF and MF are a pain with that combo, or i haven't figured it out yet.
edit: the set of my AF lenses i like to use with the K-P is quite short. The F 35-70mm, FA 50 f/1.4, the 77mm Limited; haven't decided with the F 70-210, the F 35-105, or the F 35-135, tho they all resolve better than expected. My MF primes that i like with the K-P are even fewer; just the SMC-K 50mm f/1.4 and the Kiron 28mm F2.
Makes me want to go looking for Voigtlander glass.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
05-12-2018, 11:56 PM
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i just got a K-P, a 77mm Limited and the K-1 kit lens, the D FA 28-105mm WR; it's rather dried up my resources for the time being even tho only the K-P is new. So, no A7, A6500 or liveview K-1 for me.
Currently i'm using an old G1X with CHDK firmware as my P&Shooter. It can take rather nice snaps, but find it a pain to work with and doesn't turn my crank. Too damned slow and ungainly. Every time i pick it up find i'm itching to have a real lens on the front of the thing where i can work the focus ring myself, make my own guesstimates abt f stops, and still have a LCD which i can take glances down at for framing. That's the whole point for me, have a cam which i don't have to jam into my eye to work it.
i dunno which lenses i'd use on it. Got a few M42 Takumars i liked. A 105mm, a 35mm, 28mm. A bunch of lenses between 50-58mm. Think i'll leave out anything longer than the 105.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
05-12-2018, 04:09 PM
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Actually, i'm leaning towards no viewfinder. You know, a single focal length, manual focus point and shooter. As long as it has focus peaking and is fairly small, i could retire my P&S cam.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
05-12-2018, 03:10 PM
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i've got a bunch of old M42 lenses, as i'm sure many of you do as well, and they don't get much attention. Was wondering if there are relatively cheap, stabilized (i'm pretty shaky), mirrorless bodies for which i could get M42 adapters and put these dusty hunks of glass to good use.
i was looking at the Canon EOS M100, except it isn't stabilized. It's nice and small tho with a good sensor.
You know, something with a liveview screen that has focus peaking. Don't really want to go M4/3 because then i'll have a bunch of even more telephoto glass.
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Forum: Pentax KP
05-08-2018, 01:31 PM
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It's different from the K-5 too. Mushier. i generally don't like mushy, but it does let me squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze off shots when the shutter speed's slow.
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Forum: Pentax KP
05-08-2018, 11:35 AM
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Just got this lens today in the mail from a forum member, and i thank him from the bottom of my heart.
Test jpeg shot with the 77mm Limited. All processing done in the camera. Just resized it to pentaxforums album limits.
me mom
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Forum: Pentax KP
05-07-2018, 11:32 PM
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With the K-7. Time exposure on a tripod.
edit: i remember it was quite cold, prolly around -20C. Don't remember the lens. Exif says f13 at 10s.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
05-07-2018, 03:30 PM
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The last time i saw another Pentax shooter was in highschool, back when the school photography club had a couple of SP1000s available to lend. Even then all the other kids wanted Nikons. That's more decades ago than i wanna count.
The local big camera store, Lozeau, does sell a lot of Pentax gear, or so a salesguy there once told me.
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Forum: Pentax KP
05-07-2018, 10:08 AM
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That's interesting. And thank you for your observations. This would seem to indicate that the release switch at least is spec'd cheaper than with Pentax's top tier bodies. Dunno abt the K-P, but on the K-7 and K-5 the switch is a part of "Upper Flex Circuit -A block" and the whole piece has to be replaced to change the switch. Not having an info LCD on the top plate the K-P switch might possibly be easier to change. Still, desoldering and soldering flex circuits, not my thing.
edit: so, the lesson would seem to be: protect the camera body from the extremes of cold as much as possible while out in the environment.
With my film bodies it was the shutter mechanism that was a problem. That and the film itself getting brittle. With a digital body, switches as well.
FWIW, my practice of keeping the gear in my case as much as possible, under my top layer, has always kept my gear functional in the cold, and that has included various cams not spec'd at all for weather resistance.
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