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Forum: Pentax Q
04-03-2012, 07:13 AM
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Yep, I too ordered from amazon.co.uk. But there's a hitch: you HAVE to stay in Pound Sterling as a foreign buyer. Amazon.co.uk asks you if you want to "conveniently" continue your purchase(s) in your home-currency (i.e. EUR). If you do so, they will apply the amazon-rate (try it - you can always click the back-button); the official rate plus 3% "typical credit card rate" (using the oanda.com currency converter) is way lower (in case of the Q, staying in Pound Sterling and letting the banks/credit card companies handle the transaction, saved my appr. EUR 30,-). Shipping from the U.K. though is extremely cheap, it was appr. EUR 3,50 from the U.K. to Austria (though mysteriously they used the Austrian post as the seal on the parcel indicated, so maybe the product was dispatched from their Austrian depot anyway applying the lower U.K price; shipping speed was also suspicious: ordered on Tuesday and had it at may office on Friday). Might be different in Belgium though...
Rule of thumb when ordering from amazon.co.uk: always stay in Pound Sterling!
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Forum: Pentax Q
04-02-2012, 11:31 PM
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These pics weren't done with the Q's FE (it was the K10D plus the 10-17 FE), but they show the ideal setting for the use of a fisheye: round things...:
:)
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Forum: Pentax Q
04-02-2012, 02:48 PM
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I ordered my Q from amazon in the UK and had it delivered to Austria. It came with two power cords: one UK connection with 3 contacts and then the Continental European plug with two contacts. So it came with added value (OTOH a generic power cord will set you back 2 EUR, so nothing too bad). In case of a malfunction you'll have to send the camera in anyway regardless of where you bought it (only the purchase date counts). Was like this with my other DSLRs (My K10D was bought in thE U.S., and was serviced under warranty in Germany). Yet buying with a reputable dealer has its merits too: fortunately, I got my K-r from Tekade and was able to send it back after two unsuccessfful shots at trying to repair the frontfocus by Pentax service; TEKADE even credited me some EUR and I finally got a bargain K7 from them (mint condition demo-ware K7) for less than the K-r kit... The Q on the other side is flawless out of the box, no issues have been reported (a kind of "first" for a pro-Pentax...).
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Forum: Pentax Q
04-01-2012, 03:55 PM
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Wasn't sure at first... But after the price cut (got mine from amazon.co.uk - was cheaper than in continental Europe) I went for the Q. VERY happy and IQ much higher than I dared to expect (I use a K7 otherwise) and the camera just feels right in my hands, I compared it to the Fuji X100, and the Q felt just right when compared to the bulky and yet too light Fuji. Take a look at the Q-samples I posted on my Zenfolio site! You'll love the Q!
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-28-2012, 12:22 AM
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Hi Jeeza,
A mere question: Just how do you do these "planet" shots technically?
Regards,
Stephan
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-25-2012, 03:52 PM
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I really appreciate the hi-contrast BW mode of the Q, its fantastic. This time all pics (on my Zenfolio site) were shot with the standard zoom on my trip to Chile (in a small town called Penco, except for the first pic of the ship Huascar in Talcahuano, the world's oldest museum afloat).
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-18-2012, 04:04 PM
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GBP 329 = USD 520 = EUR 380. The EUR-GBP ratio is still quite good in the EU.
In the US, Amazon charges USD 590,- for the Q which is EUR 430,- (but we'd have to add shipping here and especially customs). But I just checked the German Amazon site and the single-lens Q is now down to EUR 445,- (still a lot more than in the UK), the 2-lens set at EUR 649,- (UK: EUR 520,-). I got me the 2-lens set and saved some 70,- EUR by buying from the U.K. instead in my home market (forget about the 3 EUR shipping fee).
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-18-2012, 03:38 PM
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Keep an eye on amazon.co.uk! There the Q is currently at £ 329,- with the 01 prime. Just remember to stay in U.K. currency when ordering from them because they slyly offer you to switch to EURO in the course of the ordering process. Deny this friendly offer and stick to the English Pound as Amazon has its own creative exchange rate which will set you back appr. EUR 30,- for the Q. Let your bank/credit card supplier do this for you (you can check the actual rate at oanda.com's currency converter, don't forget to add 3% credit card surplus in the drop-down menu on the converter website). Shipping from the U.K. is cheap (was EUR 3,- to Vienna/Austria) and fast - I ordered Tuesday and held the Q in hands on Friday. Besides, amazon.co.uk offers a nifty tracking service I haven't encountered on the German Amazon sites yet. And since we are all in EURO-land, no extra taxes, customs etc. apply.
P.S.: the box I received came with 2 power cords: one for the UK and one for continental use (OTOH you can buy such a cord at any electronics dealer for a EURO or two). Pentax unfortunately no more adds a printed manual, all you receive is a multilingual CD plus a useless quick-start guide (o.k., might be useful for absolute beginners).
Srecno in lahko noc!
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-18-2012, 01:24 PM
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7 reviews on amazon.co.uk, 7 in German on dot.de and 5 more in English on ...dot.com. Most of them rave reviews.
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-18-2012, 04:57 AM
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Hi!
On my way home from the office, I did some test shots with my new Q plus standard prime 01 in mediocre as well as in rather low light conditions (all jpg and ISO 125 - ISO 640 plus my standard PP in PSE, this is luminance, very light Neat Image NR plus light NI-sharpening - practically the same as I do with my K7 images). I've downsized them to 800x600 for my Zenfolio site, but added some 100% crops that all may be downloaded in original format. Example:
Overall, I like this little spy camera!
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-14-2012, 12:09 PM
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I just tried the Konica-Minolta converter. The Q can't focus (neither M nor AF) with that piece of glass. Everything stay either blurred or very blurred. The flange-distance might be the problem (very small on the Q, huge on the Konica-Minolta bridge camera for which this specific lens was made). Its a pity because its an extremely well made lens. Its going back tomorrow.
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-14-2012, 12:03 PM
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Thanks!
I checked ebay and there are some obviously tempting lenses (c-mount), but the wide ones are extremely expensive, the most expensive I've seen was appr. EUR 1300,-... Can you use *any* type of c-mount lens? I had the impression that are different types, but as I've posted before, c-mount land is completely foreign to me.
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-13-2012, 02:32 PM
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Here is what Pentax service advised me to do:
"Thank you for your enquiry.
Please try to create/rename a folder with with a name which has a different format than date. Then the camera should save all photos in there."
What I did was choose PENTX as folder name instead of day (Pentax service wasn't relly clear about this, but directed me in the right direction). Now all pics are in one single folder. Happy about this! Now I'd like an electronic level with the next FW update.
;-)
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-13-2012, 12:12 AM
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I am still on firmware 1.0 and can't find such an option. The manual doesn' help either. I'll do the FW-update today and check back. Thx!
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-12-2012, 11:42 PM
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Reviewing first test shots on my Q, I found out that the camera puts images taken in a new folder whenever you turn the power on. This means that I end up with 30+ folders after a da of shooting. This kind of ridiculous. Is there anything I missed (how to disable folders). On my DSLR (K7), all my images show up in a row sorted by date and time taken, which makes reviewing, deleting etc. much easier. Hopefully, the next firmware update will fix this.
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-12-2012, 01:14 PM
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;
WOW! I am definitely impressed.That is something for those "the Q is a mere toy gadget" whiners!
;)
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-11-2012, 03:31 PM
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Then you'll have to hurry!
:)
I just ordered one of the Minoltas (plus a Hama step-up ring). There won't be too many around any more considering the Konica-Minolta camera business nowadays... Concerning the C-mount option, the adapter-ring isn't that expensive, but the choice of lenses is HUGE and confusing and I have absolutely no clue about the quality (there are c-mounties on E-Bay for almost nothing and as expensive as EUR 1400,-).
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-11-2012, 11:13 AM
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I think the step-down option will always lead to lower quality, a step-up should be better. In fact, I just found a decent deal for a Konica-Minolta wide angle lens (used to be EUR 120 until being discontinued) for EUR 29 plus a Hama step-up ring (40,5 -> 43mm) at EUR 11. And then there is this which is making me curious:
43mm 0.45x Weitwinkelkonverter: Amazon.de: Elektronik
:)
P.S.: Here is a pic of the very slim wide-converter by Konica-Minolta:
http://geizhals.at/eu/115265 |
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-11-2012, 08:56 AM
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I am happy with the Q's 01 prime lens, its just a little narrow sometimes. For going wide there would be the 02 zoom option (a bit large), the toy wide (quality issues), the fish eye (its a fish eye...) or getting a step-up ring for the prime 01 from 40,5 to 43/52/56... and combining it with a wide converter. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of set-up or could recommend a good wide converter for the prime?
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-11-2012, 02:31 AM
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Cullmann Lagos Vario series:
The Lagos Vario 100 is tiny and carries exactly 1 Q with 01 standard prime (too small for the zoom), 1-2 spare batteries, 2 spare SD-cards and a tiny mini tripod. Its very compact and the ideal travel companion when you are on limited space (aircraft). No space for an extra lens though (maybe for a pancake...).
Then there is the slightly larger Lagos Vario 130 and the Lagos Vario 200 which will take an extra lens.
These cases are very stylish, come in black, grey and brown - a colour tone reminiscent of old red wine, two soft seperators and an SD-pouch, carrying strap etc included:
CULLMANN Foto | Video
(enter Lagos Vario in the search field)
Amazon.de: Cullmann Lagos Vario |
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-10-2012, 01:43 AM
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For me - after thinking about the possible K01 market - the K01 looks like an entry level K-mount for those users you described. For seasoned DSLR-Pentaxians the K01 IMHO has little added value as its more or less the same size, the same IQ, the same weight. Besides, it is much lower speced (just one example: I personally like the two IR sensors on the front- and backside of my K7 and on the Q). Since I own a K7, a K01 would be a more-or-less duplication with some downgrading to my current set-up. The Q OTOH is a perfect companion as an carry-anytime camera when the K7 gets to large, bulky and heavy (in German: a "immer dabei"). I wouldn't call the Q it a failure, I'd call it a surprise or an ugly duckling that has grown into a swan since its launch. What bothers me on this forum is that the forum-owners keep dissing the Q (in the comparison with the decisivly larger, hardly pocketable and seriously flawed Fujifilm X10 - "white orbs"! - they go on calling the Q a "toy", which it is surely not).
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Forum: Pentax Q
03-09-2012, 05:31 PM
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Thats also my set as of today (the Q came today...): the hardly pocketable K7 for hi quality photography and the tiny Q for good (air-)travel photos. My Ricoh GX200 is up for sale now (although its an excellent camera at base ISO). The Q is a wonderful camera with many pro features (it has IR sensors at the back and front side, the K01 has only one at the front). I got my double lens set for EUR 480 which I find quite reasonable (waited for the price drop which happened to happen in the UK this February - check out the UK dealers like amazon.co. uk or warehousedirect). The Q prime lens set is now even appr. £ 50,- cheaper than the Fujifilm X10 I was also looking at, but backed away as I found out about the Fuji's obviously unsolvable IQ problem "white orbs", size - too big - and weight - too light for my likings-). Concerning the K01, I don't really know who the target audience is supposed to be. Pentax DSLR users (K5/7) can't be meant because the K01 is a few steps down from the K5/7 being almost the same size and having the same IQ. It might make for a good back-up. The K01 might also appeal to people moving up from a compact being used to framing via the screen and who are afraid of OVFs and complex DSLRs.
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Forum: Pentax K-r
03-23-2011, 04:18 PM
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Forum: Pentax K-r
03-22-2011, 04:15 PM
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You have to get the AA adaptor for the use of AAs (ONLY Eneloops!), but then things grow wild: 1000 pics and more are usual. If it weren't for the frontfocus-bug of the K-r which makes it a no-go for me, I'd go for it (esp. for the Eneloops)...
;-)
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Forum: Pentax K-r
03-22-2011, 04:08 PM
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That is why I am returning my K-r. Hoya-Pentax doesn't give a s**t about her customers. Waiting 4 months for an aknowledgement or even a fix for a Beta-Problem(!) is too much. Point.
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