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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 03-06-2024, 09:10 AM  
I want to support Pentax, but…
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 250
Views: 8,162
This is the thing I was thinking about, too. Used gear has allowed me to stay with Pentax and these days I'm about the only marketing they have in my city.
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 11-16-2013, 03:34 PM  
The K10D Club!
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 8,422
Views: 882,380
The K10D was the camera that finally convinced me to retire my film cameras and go digital. Though it's ancient in technology terms, I still find it a very satisfying camera. I don't really mind that it's at its best at lower ISOs. In film, I used to shoot Velvia 50 and Kodachrome 25, so I just look at my K10D as the digital equivalent of shooting those types of film and just accept the limitations that go along with that. I like that its size and weight are a good match for my larger zooms. It just feels right.





Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 12-22-2023, 12:00 PM  
Vivitar 70-150 P/K mount lens compatibility problem with Pentax K7
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 17
Views: 557
You're right, 35mmflmfan...it looks like the guard to me, too. It's not an un-common problem. I have an older Vivitar Series 1 90-180mm zoom that had this same issue. Some people cut down the guard, but I opted to simply remove it. It was pretty easy as I remember. I'm no handyman so if I can do it, ANYBODY can do it. :lol:
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 12-11-2023, 02:29 PM  
KP or K-1?
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 29
Views: 1,275
The good news is that there's not really a wrong answer here. I think you'd like either camera, but since you're wanting to use your FF manual glass as it was intended, maybe the K1 is the better route to go. It's a bit bigger than the KP (and your K5), but to me it's not a huge deal. I will say that since I got my KP, I do tend to reach for it more often than my K1, but that also varies depending on what I'm shooting.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 12-07-2023, 07:40 AM  
Pentax-A 35-105mm F3.5 and LX focusing issue (or is it?)
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 6
Views: 446
This is a dumb question, but the lens didn't accidentally get into close-focus mode, did it?
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 12-05-2023, 12:11 PM  
Anyone else needing/wanting high quality FDA F4 zoom lenses?
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 30
Views: 1,110
I wouldn't mind having some high quality F4 options. It's not really a need for me, but I've certainly been leaning that way. I have a good 80-200 f2.8 zoom by a third party maker, but it's so big and heavy that I only carry it on special occasions. I'd love to replace it with the 60-250mm f4 or the 70-200 f4. I know it's not quite what you have in mind, but lately I've been shooting with an F 24-50mm f4 zoom that I really, really like. I picked it up for $25 in a bargain bin and although it's not the same as the 24-70mm f2.8, for me it's a great trade-off in terms of price and size while still giving great image quality and being roughly in the same zoom range.
Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment 12-05-2023, 01:16 PM  
USPS to lauch a set of stamps in honor of Ansel Adams
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 32
Views: 1,899
Those are cool! I'd love to have a set of those. Back when I was first starting in photography, Ansel had an exhibition and lecture here in Oklahoma City. I was touring the exhibition while waiting on the lecture and was amazed at the prints. I tell folks that it made me feel like no matter what I do, no matter how long I live or how hard I try, I will never, ever be this good. I was moving from image to image next to an older gentleman who finally leaned over and said, "Makes you feel like going home and throwing out everything you've ever shot, doesn't it?" I laughed and agreed. Those prints were pretty danged amazing.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 12-04-2023, 05:52 AM  
My marvelous collection of M's
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 34
Views: 1,259
Thanks you guys for posting your lens collections. Now I don't feel as guilty about the size of mine. :lol:
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-30-2023, 12:05 PM  
What is your "Pentax Limited Lens" collection?
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 206
Views: 4,594
I only have DA Limited lenses so far. I have the 70mm, the 21mm, and...as of about 9:00AM this morning...a 15mm which I've yet to see. :) I'd like to add the 35mm Macro in the not-too-distant future.
Forum: General Photography 11-30-2023, 12:19 PM  
What about your own photography this year has surprised you?
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 51
Views: 1,687
At first, I was going to say that what has surprised me most about my photography this year is learning how weird my tastes are. :lol: But then I saw Sandy's and others' posts about how few pictures they'd taken and I thought, "Oh yeah...that, too." I haven't been shooting as much as I would like, but that's been the case for a few years now. I think it started with being locked up during the pandemic. I just haven't quite gotten back to normal yet. This also kind of ties into learning how weird I am because what I've done to try and offset not going out to shoot as much as before is to start carrying a camera with me and shooting anything and everything that catches my eye. I've tried to adopt a mindset of, "Don't think, don't pre-judge...just shoot!" And that's where the weird part comes in. I've taken pics of the reflections on cars in our parking garage, dried paint on the sidewalk, the stairwell, chairs in the break room...just weird stuff. My pics aren't doing that well in the competitions at my camera club, but I didn't really shoot them for that. I'm just trying to scratch my inner itch and so far, it's working. As luck would have it, my brother sent me a link to a video this morning that addresses this a bit. Give it a listen, if you want, but beware. There's a few words that are NSFW.














You Tube



Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-28-2023, 11:26 AM  
How do you clean your optics?
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 48
Views: 2,306
The ideal is to clean your lenses as seldom as possible. A little bit of caution will go a long way in this. I use lens hoods on all my lenses and I have lens caps (or OpTech lens hood hats) that go over the hoods. When I'm not actively shooting, the lens cap goes back on immediately. For years, I cleaned my lenses similar to what someone else described...first, while holding the lens pointing down, I'd use a blower to get off any loose dust. Sometimes, if you don't point the lens down, the dust just settles back on the lens surface. Before the days of rocket blowers, we used to have to buy a baby ear syringe to use as a blower. If there's any dust still left on the lens, then use a soft brush to try and remove it, again holding the lens facing down. Once you've got all the dust off, you can work on any fingerprints or smudges that may have gotten onto the lens. The technique I learned was to put one drop of Kodak Lens Cleaning solution on a folded lintless tissue. Start in the center and wipe in ever larger circles until you reach the edge of the lens. You shouldn't have to rub hard at all. Just gentle swirls to cover the entire front of the lens. After that, take a clean tissue and again starting in the middle, work in circles as you did before, but this time dry everything off. The last step was to give the lens a huff of your breath to re-lubricate the coating, then wipe that off with yet another clean tissue. These days, I handle things more like Sandy said. I'll use a blower and/or brush, depending on how dirty the lens is, and then use a micro-fiber cloth for anything that remains. I'll often still give a little huff of breath to help lubricate things. Both of these techniques have worked extremely well for me over the years with both my professional and personal gear.

Years ago when I was first starting out in tv, I was a studio camera operator at a local tv station. Our directors and engineers used to get in fights all the time because the directors didn't think the cameras looked as good as they should have so they kept blaming the engineers for not shading them correctly. I knew that a dirty lens could cause a loss of contrast so one day I took the tele-prompter off one of the cameras so I could see the front of the lens. O...M...G! It's a wonder they could focus that thing at all, it was so dirty! They used to use these cameras to shoot commercials, too, and would sometimes smear Vaseline on a piece of clear glass and put it in front of the lens to get a soft focus effect. The problem was that in the process they also got a million fingerprints on the front of the lens. I thought I'd help out so I brought in my lens cleaning kit one day and proceeded to clean the lenses on all the studio cameras. Later that afternoon, I got called into the engineering department. My boss, along with the head of engineering and the entire engineering staff, was waiting to talk to me. Being the new guy, this freaked me out to no end! The chief engineer said, "We heard you were cleaning the lenses on the cameras today. Is that right?" I told him it was. He said, "You can't use just anything to clean those lenses. They have special coatings that can be damaged if you use Windex on them. You may have done thousands and thousands of dollars worth of damage." I said, "That's not what I used." The chief asked what I used, so I gave him my whole procedure that I lined out above...Kodak Lens Cleaning solution, blower, brush, lintless tissue, and a final huff. There was a long silence before he said, "Oh...okay then" and let me leave. It was clear that neither he nor any of the engineers really knew how to clean a lens. :lol:
Forum: General Photography 08-31-2023, 09:02 AM  
How Pentax and its most common kit lens saved me as a photographer
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 50
Views: 5,082
I think it may boil down to how a person uses their kit lens. If you're shooting at the extremes of its focal lengths and/or aperture range...eh, yeah, you might want to get used to disappointment. But if you stay in the mid-range of things, you can get decent results. I'm a videographer in my regular job and we shoot Lumix cameras. My department provided us with great lenses...the M4/3 equivalents of a 24-70mm f2.8 and a 70-200mm f2.8. My wide zoom developed a problem, but I had stories I still had to shoot, so I started using one of my personal lenses...a 14-42mm kit lens that I bought for $50. No, it didn't perform as well as my $900 lens, but it got the job done and nobody noticed an obvious difference in the images I was getting even though the two lenses were wildly different in price and ability. Would I want to use my $50 lens for all my shoots from here on out? Uh...no. I like having good glass. But if needed, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up my cheap lens and carry on with what I need to shoot. You've gotta use what you've got.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 11-23-2023, 06:28 AM  
Buying advice for a beginner in photography
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 73
Views: 2,650
If it were me, I'd go for the first kit you mentioned. The 35mm macro sells for around $200 used so you'd essentially be getting a K3 w/battery grip and 2 kit lenses for about $250. That's a great deal and an excellent package for a new photographer. Even if you just tossed the 2 kit lenses in the trash....uh, don't do that, btw...you'd still be left with a K3 w/grip for $250. The bodies alone are selling for more than that, especially with as low of a shutter count as this one. If you go with this package, don't give up on the kit lenses without giving them a decent try. I have one of the earlier 18-55mm lenses and it's given me some surprisingly good pics.
Forum: Pentax KP 11-03-2023, 05:00 AM  
KP - a great travel camera
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 34
Views: 4,130
I'm having a bit of this same issue. I bought a KP to use as a back-up to my K1, but I find myself reaching for the KP more than I anticipated. It's a great camera that seems to hit a lot of sweet spots on size, feel, image quality, and high ISO performance. In the hand, it reminds me a lot of shooting with my LX, which I loved. Pentax should think about updating the KP and bringing it back.
Forum: General Photography 10-06-2023, 09:33 AM  
Poll: Does your camera separate you from your life? The Best of PF Oct. 4 poll
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 40
Views: 3,345
Since this poll and thread started with something I'd posted elsewhere, I'm going to chime in. I think folks are missing the point a bit. The question should be more along the lines of, "Is it possible to give two things you're absolute undivided attention at the same time?" The answer is, "No...you can't. It's impossible." For some context, the instructor who told us to leave our cameras home every once in a while had been a photographer for National Geographic for most of his adult life. It was his job to try to shoot pics that would capture people, places, and events and make them real for his viewers. So he gets the value of taking pics of these things. He must enjoy it, too, or else he wouldn't have been doing it for so long as his main job and teaching it on the side in his spare time. And he most certainly wasn't saying not to shoot your kid's ball games and birthday parties. He was just saying that every now and then it's not such a bad thing to "cleanse your palate" in terms of experiencing life. See things with a slightly different mindset now and then. I was discussing this with one of the other videographers here at work. He used to teach photojournalism at a local university and he said he used to talk about a similar thing in his classes, except he called it "distancing". It's when looking through a viewfinder at a scene can cause a degree of detachment. This is not always a bad thing because it helps insulate the photog if they're covering some ghastly crime. But the effect is real and very common, which is why he addressed it in his classes. He did bring up a good point about this though. Viewfinders on video cameras were almost always black and white. Could the lack of color be contributing to the effect? Is there less of division if the photog is seeing the scene in color? We didn't have a good answer for that, but I could see where black and white might make things more abstract so the effect might be more pronounced in videography, as opposed to still photography. We both work on a travel show, so like my instructor, it's our job to try and capture events, attractions, and businesses to a degree that will make people want to get up off the couch and go visit them. But at the same time, we both have a list of places we want to go back and visit...but this time without our cameras because we were there, but we weren't really there...if you know what I mean. In my post that helped lead to this thread, I mentioned leaving my camera at home while I took my wife out to eat for her birthday. What I didn't mention was that before going out to eat, I took her to a petting zoo that I'd shot for work. I must have made it look fun because, when I talked to the owner, he said they'd gotten a huge response to the story, plus my wife had been bugging me to take her ever since the story first aired. And I wanted to go, too, but this time I wanted to go as a customer...not a photographer. I wanted to pet the bobcat with both hands, not just one. And I didn't want to have to think, "Is that llama going to spit on the front of my lens? Should I be using a protective filter?" :lol: Uh...in interest of full disclosure, I DID take a camera to the petting zoo. Just a small one on a wrist strap, but it still was a bit distracting. That's why I decided to just leave it at home when we went out to eat later. And of course we saw the most awesome clouds on our way home. It was like God was telling me, "Don't make a habit of doing this, kid." lol Or maybe he was rewarding me for trying. Who knows? :)
Forum: General Photography 10-11-2023, 07:49 AM  
Poll: Does your camera separate you from your life? The Best of PF Oct. 4 poll
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 40
Views: 3,345
When I was growing up, my mom used to shoot home movies of a lot of things we did. Birthday parties, vacations, ballgames, school plays, everyday life...you name it. My siblings and I used to love to get out the movie projector and watch old films of our childhood. As I'm typing this, I can see in my head two of my best buddies and me standing around my younger brother's crib. We're all wearing dish towels around our necks, no doubt so we could pretend we were Superman or Batman. :lol: I cherish those old movies a lot and my mom did a wonderful job of preserving our childhood memories...none of which include her. Oh...we all remember she was there, but you couldn't prove it by the movies because she's not in a single one of them.
Forum: General Photography 09-27-2023, 01:02 PM  
Poll: Bring a camera everywhere in case you run into Bigfoot? The Best of PF Sept. 27 poll
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 14
Views: 3,289
Although I carry a camera with me much of the time, I took a workshop years ago where the instructor encouraged us to leave our cameras at home every now and then. He said, "As photographers, we tend to put a camera between us and every major happening in our lives...birthdays, holidays, family reunions, vacations. It's fine to photograph those things, but every once in a while, put down the camera and just be in the moment. That will lead to fuller lives, which will result in better pictures." I thought about that and the conversation in the other thread about this, so I decided not to take a camera with me when I took my wife out to dinner for her birthday this past weekend. Of course, on our way home we saw the coolest clouds I'd seen over the city in years! :lol: My wife took several pics with her phone, but I just enjoyed the moment. This conversation also reminds me of something a speaker at our camera club once said. Someone asked him, "What's the best way you know to find great pictures?" He said, "Leave your camera at home. You'll see them everywhere." :D
Forum: General Photography 10-04-2023, 04:57 AM  
Poll: Bring a camera everywhere in case you run into Bigfoot? The Best of PF Sept. 27 poll
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 14
Views: 3,289
This is off-topic, but I'm a videographer in my regular job. Year ago, when I was still a smoker, I was shooting my reporter hiking a trail at a state park. In order to get a variety of shots, I'd shoot my reporter and her guide as they would walk past, then I'd run up ahead of them to catch them passing by again. Then I'd run ahead again, scramble up a slope, and shoot them walking the trail down below. This went on for a long while with me leap-frogging them to try and stay ahead. Afterwards, back in the office, I heard my reporter laughing in her office. I went in to see what was so funny and it turned out that she was screening the hiking footage I'd shot. She said, "Listen to this." All you could hear was me huffing and puffing. She said, "It sounds like Darth Vader shot this!" :lol::lol::lol::lol:
Forum: Sold Items 09-30-2023, 04:43 AM  
For Sale - Sold: Pentax-F 24-50mm f4 Zoom Lens - Full-Frame. Now with Free Shipping
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 15
Views: 1,563
True! I picked one up about 6 months ago for a great price at a camera show, not really expecting all that much. It turned out to be pretty awesome. Now it lives on my K-1. A great lens for the price. Someone looking to expand their FF kit on a budget ought to snap this up.
Forum: Pentax KP 09-30-2023, 04:51 AM  
It's 2023, Would you buy a KP today
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 118
Views: 6,524
Would I buy a KP in 2023? I would and I did! It's a great camera that punches above its weight. The only drawback is how high the prices have remained for used copies so if you found one for a great price, I'd hop on it. Those high used prices also mean that if you bought the KP a good price and after using it a while decided it's not right for you, you could probably get your money back out of it. For me it kind of hits a sweet spot on size, price, megapixels, and image quality.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 09-26-2023, 11:04 AM  
Niche Camera Maker
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 47
Views: 2,956
True. The cameras...and these days the post-processing...are just tools. If we're going to complain about manipulation, we pretty much have to say Ansel Adams wasn't a "real" photographer, don't we?
Forum: General Photography 09-20-2023, 05:21 AM  
Poll: Do you carry a camera bag everywhere? The Best of PF Newsletter poll for Sept. 20
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 42
Views: 3,071
I don't carry a camera bag everywhere, but I do take a camera. It's varied over the years, but currently I have a Lumix LX-100 that I carry on a wrist strap. Some days I take pics...some days I don't. I tell people that I keep my camera with me "in case I see Bigfoot". :lol:
Forum: General Photography 09-13-2023, 04:23 AM  
Poll: Is photography like fishing? The Best of PF Newsletter poll for September 13, 2023
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 28
Views: 3,032
I like this. Maybe it's why many refer to taking photos as "shooting pictures". :lol:
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 09-13-2023, 04:21 AM  
Who Does/Doesn't Post Process Their Digital Photos And To What Degree?
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 124
Views: 5,632
This very true and something to keep in mind when a person submits pictures to be judged in some way at almost any level, whether it's on a "for fun" forum like this one, an official photography contest, or if they're being submitted for publication.

For me, the debate about straight out of the camera vs post-processing partially boils down to whether the photographer thinks the art is in the seeing, the processing, or a bit of both. I consider Ansel Adams and Ernst Haas both to be photographic artists. Ansel was very much a...well, I started to say post-processing person, but in reality his manipulation often started before he even tripped the shutter, whereas for Haas the art was much more in the seeing. How the image was post-processed wasn't that crucial or extensive. Is one more artistic than the other? For me, the answer is, "No...they're just different."
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 09-01-2023, 05:15 AM  
Teaching a beginner photographer- advice about important concepts, tips to focus on
Posted By TaoMaas
Replies: 38
Views: 1,605
I think I'd concentrate on teaching him a few compositional things. That might be the quickest way to improve his pics. Today's cameras can get the exposure pretty close and they can also do well on focusing...but it's up to the photographer to decide how to frame the shot. Keep it basic. Rule of thirds, don't put the horizon in the middle of the shot, when someone is facing a particular direction leave extra room on the side of the frame their facing....things like that. With the technical stuff, I think I'd try to make sure he understands when his shutter speed is going to be fast enough for him to hand-hold his shots easily...and when it'll become an issue. Other than that, maybe give him the basic idea behind how the choice of aperture affects the background of a shot. Since he's going to be traveling, it might also be helpful to show him how to use his surroundings to help stabilize his camera...bracing against a column or street sign...resting the camera on the back of a bench...etc. I could be wrong, but I suspect he's more interested in making memories, rather than art, so he really only needs to know how to quickly take decent shots.
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