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Forum: General Photography 09-28-2021, 09:49 AM  
How did you become a Pentaxian ?
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 239
Views: 11,127
I walked into a camera shop in Dumfries in the 1960s to replace my Agfa Silette which had been stolen. The guy said: "What do you want with one of those?" and pulled out a black Pentax S1a. "Look down the street through that." I was hooked. A few months later I bought a s/h S3 with 1.8/55 Auto-Takumar, then a s/h 3.5/135 Schneider Tele-Xenar to go with it. Beautiful. The M42 mount provided lots of choice and I strayed into Edixa and Yashica territory acquiring an Edixa-mat Reflex D-L which had interchageable pentaprism and w/l finder with magnifier, and an Electro-X ITS with stepless electronic shutter; but I still hung on my Pentax Spotty which usually had a Schacht Travenar 2.8/90 attached.

With the switch to bayonet I went for the MX which remained my No.1 camera for 22 years with no problems. For B&W I used a Ricoh XR7 which of course took the same lenses, favourites being the K1.8/55, K2.8/24, M2/35 and M2.8/120.

My first digital Pentax was an *istDS which I loved for its handling with the A-series lenses - if only they still made it with a 24MP sensor. Currently using a KS2 and K70 and leaving the K3 in the drawer as I feel it's far too heavy and chunky for an APSC tool. In fact weight and size has forced me to also run with M4/3 for travel and walking, enjoying the Olympus PenF particularly. I also have a Fuji X100F for the same reason. Ricoh need to think carefully about what they're doing imho.
Forum: Winners' Showcase 08-10-2020, 08:05 AM  
July, 2020 Third Place: Sunset over Lake Superior
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 86
Views: 1,799
Sheer 3D impact and well muted colours.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 11-02-2014, 11:44 AM  
Introducing the K-FF, the camera you don't buy
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 114
Views: 12,044
Size matters. I wouldn't want a Pentax FF to be any larger or heavier than my K-7.

It's bad enough the K-7 being larger and heavier than the various FF film SLRs I've owned, apart from the hefty 'lumps' of the 60s and 70s. My S3 and Spotty from that era were exceptionally lightweight and compact, while the MX that served as my front-line camera for more than 20 years was a delightful little gem and is much missed.

My first encounter with a dSLR was the *ist DS, which I still take out on an occasions because it's small and inherited many of the sharp-handling qualities we prized from the film era, and it wasn't overloaded with unwanted and irritating features. I read somewhere on the Forum a while ago that the *ist D series incorporated a full-frame mirror box just in case Pentax decided to take that route. My DS also includes a nice large pentaprism, so it all makes me think that there's no real reason why a FF body needs to exceed the weight and size of the *ist package.

I suspect someone is now going to correct me and tell us why a FF dSLR has to be a lumpish burden.

As I sit here looking at my M4/3 Lumix G5 (to which I've migrated for long hikes) I don't believe Panasonic's design team would come up with anything as big and ugly as Canon's offering if handed the job of scaling up to FF.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 12-14-2012, 03:21 PM  
Sticky: Using Manual Lenses (M42 Screwmount, M , K) on Pentax DSLRs F--
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 246
Views: 371,678
In the days of M42 screw, non-auto tubes and bellows were just about affordable but since there was no direct linkage to the camera body you needed a way to stop down the lens, hence the auto/manual switch. For extreme close-ups it was best to use a twin cable release, which triggered the shutter and stopped the lens down simultaneously without disturbing the critical focus and composition. For this purpose many German M42 lenses were cable threaded. For my S3 and Spotmatic I had a Schacht 90mm and a Schneider Tele-Xenar 135mm both with cable thread. You could buy a small pushbutton that screwed into the thread if you didn't want to mess with cables. If your lens wasn't cable-threaded (e.g. a Tak) you could get a short extension tube with a built-in mechanism that accepted a cable and operated a pusher plate that acted on the lens pin. Reversing the lens you had the same stop-down problem unless you were happy shooting wide open.

In normal on-camera use the auto/manual switch was for checking depth of field. Olympus retained this feature on the OM-series lenses right up to the end - in their case it's a pushbutton and far more conveniently positioned.

Fast-forward to the K-mount M-series cameras, I remember holding off buying the ME Super in the hope that they would eventually fit a stop-down preview, which they never did. The M lenses didn't have the auto/manual switch either, so the outfit's creative potential was limited. Nice camera otherwise. Instead I bought a Ricoh XR-7 as a second string to my MX. I still have them.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 12-14-2012, 03:04 AM  
Sticky: Using Manual Lenses (M42 Screwmount, M , K) on Pentax DSLRs F--
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 246
Views: 371,678
Rad291 referred to his "k-mount Takumar 55mm 1.8" although in a later post he changed it to "SMC Pentax". There's a big difference. When Pentax introduced the K-mount they dropped the Takumar name. All K-series lenses were badged 'SMC PENTAX', including the 55mm/1.8. Although the optical design was the same they differed in other respects - the useful auto/manual switch was deleted, it was given a 52mm filter thread and the K-series 'new look'. I have both versions on the desk in front of me. It's amazing how much chunkier the K-mount SMC PENTAX looks for the same piece of glass.

The Takumar name was revived later for a couple of budget lenses - an insult in my opinion to one of the best-regarded brand names in photography.

I hope rad291, when he gets his K-adapters, enjoys the extra functionality of the screw-mount Tak. Many screw mount lens manufacturers incorporated an auto/manual feature of some sort - switch, lever, button or cable thread - essential for use with tubes, bellows, or reversing ring.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 12-13-2012, 02:14 AM  
Sticky: Using Manual Lenses (M42 Screwmount, M , K) on Pentax DSLRs F--
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 246
Views: 371,678
As there's no such thing as a "K-mount Takumar 55mm 1.8" (the Takumar versions of this lens were all screw mount) I assumed rad291 must be using the usual screw lens with K-adapter.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 12-12-2012, 02:43 AM  
Sticky: Using Manual Lenses (M42 Screwmount, M , K) on Pentax DSLRs F--
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 246
Views: 371,678
rad291...
Have you overlooked the auto/manual switch at the rear of the lens barrel? In 'Auto' the diaphragm remains wide open. In 'Manual' it opens/closes as you turn the aperture ring. You can switch between the two provided the lens is screwed home fully and the tiny pin at the rear is depressed against the flange of the camera body or adapter. Off-camera the switch locks in the Auto position and you can't stop down except via the much fatter diaphragm pin (but there is no actuator/pusher plate within digital bodies so you must forget that). You can test the tiny pin by depressing it with a fingernail to release the switch. Assuming this mechanism is OK, screw the lens into the body firmly and move the Auto/Manual switch to manual and you should be able to stop down using the aperture ring.

I find the 5-to-12 position of the switch awkward given the overhanging top plate of digital SLRs. Much better if it was 20-to-12 so you could flick it with your thumb from wide open (Auto) to your preset aperture (Manual) just before you shoot. For this reason I tend to leave it on Manual and open up to focus and compose, then turn the ring a few clicks - four clicks to f4, six clicks to f5.6 - no need to take your eye from the viewfinder - and take the picture. Leave the mode dial on Av and it meters automatically. Of course, there'll be situations where you need to meter manually and use the 'green button', or AEL button, in which case set the dial to M. I can't speak for what happens on a K30 - I use an istDS and a K-7.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 07-10-2012, 02:24 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
If I remember rightly, one of the excuses for switching from M42 to K-mount was to enlarge the throat for an f1.2 standard lens. But Yashica was already selling a 55/f1.2 in M42 for their TL Electro-X. Chinon also had one, possibly from the same source (Tomioka), so that argument didn't really wash. The K-mount's width would probably allow Pentax to go beyond f1.2, and it would be interesting to speculate how far. As far as the Canon 7's f0.95 'Dream'? Or the f1 Noctilux?

Question is, who really wants this speed of glass, and can they pay for it? Would the numbers justify it? For most people 85/f2 is plenty fast enough, and so is 35/f2. A 'refreshed' 50/1.2 would be nice though. And so would an 85/1.4... Hmmm, dammit ElJam, you're right!
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 06-30-2012, 12:10 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
It looks like you all are. If you're desperate for silent focusing, do it manually - like we used to before A/F came along. Meanwhile please leave the rest of us to enjoy our reliable screw drives.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 06-26-2012, 02:11 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
An MX was my everyday camera for 22 years although I used a second body (Ricoh XR-7) for B&W. Towards the end of the film era when the MX finally needed a service I retired it and bought a Contax Aria (which I regarded as the ultimate film tool for my purpose) and just 2 lenses for everyday. Like most other Pentax users I had gradually expanded my K-mount lenses over the years, but real IQ improvements were down to the film manufacturers. So there was no need to upgrade the camera until it fell to bits.

Before K-mount I'd been shooting with Spotties, an S3 and an Edixamat D-L. I well remember the pain when I had to ditch expensive and perfectly good M42 lenses (Super-Taks, Schneiders and Schachts) and reinvest in K. I don't want to go through that again unnecessarily and I suspect others here would agree.

Nowadays I shoot with a K-7 but all I really want is a new sensor for my istDS which I otherwise much prefer. The sensor is the new film. It would be nice to be able to slot a better one in. Some would go for a sensor specially tuned for landscape, others would want one designed specifically for sport or wildlife. Why should we settle for a non-interchangeable "one sensor suits all" approach?
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 06-21-2012, 02:39 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
Yes, TTL autofocus makes an actual rangefinder unnecessary, but it's the way rangefinder style cameras with their optical/hybrid viewfinders handle that makes the difference, as several people here have remarked. At the beginning I did say "digital R/F type (so brilliantly interpreted by Fuji with their X-100)", so I use the term "rangefinder" loosely. I regard the Canon G12 and G1-X as falling into this category. If you have a specialist need involving long-ish telephotos or fat super-wides it's obviously not for you.

The G1-X is getting there. The Mk2 version, when it arrives, could be close to the ideal everyday travel/walkabout camera with IQ matching the APSC dSLRs. I have a G12 which is great to use but needs a m4/3 sensor. As a stop-gap I've taken to using a Lumix GF3 with 1.7/20 lens. Nice, but annoying without an optical eye-level viewfinder. The 1.7/20 glass might as well be fixed because lumpy slow zooms don't make much sense on this type of camera. In future - for me at any rate - the dSLR will be used for specialist tasks while 'normal' or routine picture-taking will be handled by an R/F style camera with fixed prime or short zoom.

If the K-01 was an attempt by Pentax to stop people like me wandering off down the road into the arms of Panasonic, Canon or Fuji it misfired cmpletely.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 06-20-2012, 01:32 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Olympus all have roots in R/F and are still pursuing it in one form or another. What does that tell us? Silly for Pentax to stay out, especially with Ricoh alongside. R/F provides more degrees of freedom in design, portability, cost and market than SLR.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 06-19-2012, 01:22 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
After a decade of digi-frustration it's high time Pentax delivered what (I suspect) a good many photographers really want.

First, a digital Konica Hexar R/F type (so brilliantly interpreted by Fuji with their X-100 albeit APSC rather than FF). This should have a fixed 24~90 zoom. A second version with a fast prime (e.g. f2/45) would be great for purists.

Next, a digital Contax Aria, FF of course, keeping it nice and simple with all-manual controls and strictly relevant to rapid picture-taking, and continuing the K-mount.

Today I'm putting aside my K-7 and taking the Aria out for a spin - a much nicer tool (even than the MX, my main camera for over 20 years) and so much more fun to use. Don't we ever learn from past excellence?
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 06-02-2012, 01:17 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
The *istDS includes a pentaprism and was, I'm told, designed for full-frame. It's the ideal size and weight for my (not especially large) hands. I don't want smaller thanks. Or bigger. The trend towards bulkier and heavier SLRs is a nonsense. I could do without my K7's extra weight and 'overkill' spec.

The K-01 is a Ford Edsel and belongs in the how-not-to box. Is anyone buying it?
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 02-19-2012, 02:07 PM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
In the "We'll Take Manhattan" film Vogue calls Bailey's FF 35mm Pentax S3 a 'tourist' camera and questions the reduction in quality (from medium format). Bailey replies: "There'll ne no reduction in quality, there'll be a change in quality." In his hands the 35mm format caused an earthquake in the IQ-obsessed fashion mag business.

The same can probably be said in the present-day argument between FF and APS-C.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 02-17-2012, 03:53 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
All this techno-babble... where does it get us? Come down to earth.


The BBC recently screened a documentary-drama "We'll Take Manhattan" about how David Bailey and his model Jean Shrimpton, on a fashion shoot in New York for Vogue in 1962, turned the world of photography upside-down and raised the bar. Ordered to produce medium format images Bailey used instead a Pentax S3 with standard 55mm Auto-Tak and no gizmos. Just shows what can be achieved with the most basic tool imaginable - if you're a genuine photographer and know what you're doing.


The S3 happened to be my first SLR in 1963 when it was superseded by the better known SV which simply added a self-timer and auto-resetting film counter. I remember it as the nicest camera I used until the Contax Aria decades later and, more recently, the Pentax *istDS (even though I also have a K-7). Simple is beautiful, friends.


You can catch up with "We'll Take Manhattan" on BBC iPlayer. Be inspired.
Forum: Pentax K-01 02-04-2012, 03:50 AM  
Do we like it or not
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 212
Views: 20,843
Several posters have said the market wants a digital Spotmatic/K1000. Agreed. Pentax provided one in the *istDS... small, lightweight, gorgeous pentaprism viewfinder, no clutter, great handling. For those reasons I still prefer using it to my K-7 and K-r. All it needs is an updated sensor. It could have become the modern, timeless classic.

The DS is only 25g heavier than the weird and far less useful K-01, and slightly bigger. This is not to say that the K-01 is basically a bad idea. I'm sure it's a move in the right direction but the execution is disappointing. Having to take pics with arms outstretched is poor design. If an eye-level viewfinder is out of the question (which I don't believe) at the very least the rear display should be hinged (if not fully articulated) to allow the photographer to work at waist-level. Making it look like a dSLR when it isn't, is the ultimate stylistic nonsense.

Someone else has reminded us that the rangefinders of the 1970s/1980s set the standard. I still have my Yashica Electro-35 GTN and GX, Konica Auto S3 and Minolta Hi-matic E, all with superb f1.7 or 1.8 lenses. Museum pieces now but a joy to use. Maybe Marc Wotsisname should have taken a long hard look at what worked before.
Forum: Pentax K-01 02-02-2012, 09:27 AM  
Do we like it or not
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 212
Views: 20,843
The general concept is the way to go giving SLR users a highly compact travel companion using same lenses. But to do this without an articulated or eye-level viewfinder is a big mistake, I think, and considerably reduces the appeal. Also backward compatability is a big selling point but the initial blurb doesn't specifically mention a 'green button' function for this. Any such button needs to be ergonomically positioned under the right thumb for rapid use not lost somewhere on the top plate.

Marc Newson, who he? Never designed a camera before but plenty of furniture and suchlike. Are we supposed to be wowed by his name? It's hardly in the same league as the Contax-Porsche collaboration. I'd be much happier hearing it was designed by the Pentax/Ricoh boys. For me Newson's styling lets the side down. Pretty it isn't. And the slab-fronted new 40mm lens doesn't help. The K-01 is going to look more businesslike with the 43 Limited or the 15.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 01-26-2012, 04:24 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
This contains the gripping news that "the new Pentax K-01 mirrorless camera is supposed to be build like a brick, literally - you should be able to place on a table in landscape or portrait position without a tripod."

What will they think of next? My FF mirrorless Contax III (1938) with 50/f1.5 Zeiss Sonnar stands on a table in landscape thanks to a clever flip-out thingee in the baseplate and it's not built like a brick. Have to admit it would fall over quite expensively if attempting same trick in portrait. Much safer and more effective to carry a small beanbag.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 01-11-2012, 12:23 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
Fuji and Canon have stolen a march on Pentax and set the scene for those of us who haven't fancied mirrorless offerings up till now.

The Canon G1X with its nearly APS-C size sensor , non-interchangeable zoom, articulated screen and optical VF will do it for a lot of people. It's 135g heavier than my G12 and a bit chunkier but what the hell. It's what I hoped Pentax would have on sale by now.

Fuji's 16-meg APS-C interchangeable lens X-Pro1 is a dream come true with 3 classic length primes 28/50/90macro to kick off with, plus of course the hybrid optical-EVF. This camera is only 100g heavier than the Canon with standard f1.4 attached.

At long last the camera scene is getting interesting!
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 01-10-2012, 01:03 PM  
Poll: Poll: What do we want from Pentax? Full frame? K Mount? Autofocus? etc.
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 138
Views: 15,098
Fuji and Canon have stolen a march on Pentax and set the scene for those of us who haven't fancied mirrorless offerings up till now.

The Canon G1X with its nearly APS-C size sensor , non-interchangeable zoom, articulated screen and optical VF will do it for a lot of people. It's 135g heavier than my G12 and a bit chunkier but what the hell. It's what I hoped Pentax would have on sale by now.

Fuji's interchangeable lens X-Pro1 is a dream come true with 3 classic length primes 28/50/90macro to kick off with. This camera is only 100g heavier than the Canon with standard f1.4 attached.

At long last the camera scene is getting interesting!
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 01-05-2012, 04:08 AM  
Poll: Poll: What do we want from Pentax? Full frame? K Mount? Autofocus? etc.
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 138
Views: 15,098
I seem to remember they said the same about the old M42 screw mount - that a wider throat was needed for lenses faster than f1.4 - but Chinon still produced an f1.2 in that fit. The Canon 7 had the option of an f0.95 'Dream' lens which attached to a special external bayonet flange around its M39 screw throat. So is it really necessary to abandon the K-mount to get an f0.95 - assuming anyone wants or can afford one?
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 01-03-2012, 03:35 AM  
Poll: Poll: What do we want from Pentax? Full frame? K Mount? Autofocus? etc.
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 138
Views: 15,098
I'm with Aristophanese on this. The poll asks the wrong questions, so I won't be taking part. The desirability of FF depends on size, weight and price. Pentax has come too far with APS-C to abandon it now although it still needs work to reduce size and weight and fill some lens gaps. Besides, it suits most purposes unless you're a wannabee pro. And what are we to do with all those APS-C lenses?

Another attractive option in my opinion would be an APS-C or 4/3 grown-up G12 with non-interchangeable zoom for travel. Follow the Fuji X-100 and top it.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 12-19-2011, 01:34 PM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
Damn! I started off criticising the Sigma 30/1.4 for for being lumpy and too heavy for doing the job of the 43Ltd on APS-C. But if Pentax don't pull their finger out pretty soon and produce something affordable I too will have to take a serious look although it goes against the grain.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 12-11-2011, 05:05 AM  
Pentax Full Frame - An official statement from Pentax (they listened!)
Posted By unfocused
Replies: 3,121
Views: 373,741
Smegpants, I wish you wouldn't keep pushing your Sigma 30/1.4 down my throat. I said at the beginning I want to replicate the performance of my FF 43/1.9 Limited on APS-C. I don't want f1.4 because it's bound to be too big and heavy. And the Sigma doesn't cut it performance-wise, period, although it's obviously fine for your style. If I wanted something that's all-centre it might be a candidate. Besides 28mm is the equivalent 'ideal' focal length on APS-C and Sigma's version (a 1.8) is even more monstrous with its 77mm front end and 500g.

Pentax made an A-series 28/f2 weighing only 215g and accepting 49mm filters but they are so rare I've never seen one. What's Sigma's problem? Indeed, what's Pentax's problem that they haven't plugged this gap in the lens line-up with a modernised 28/f2? The 31/1.8 Limited is frankly silly money and not exactly compact either.

Seems to me like all this dithering over 'FF or no FF' is holding up important lens work.
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