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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
01-11-2017, 07:55 AM
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Yeah, me too. I mean, I was at that point last year. Got a second hand Oly M5 with the 12-50mm and started playing around with it. Then I saw the Olympus cashback offer (in Germany) and thought I might try the 25 F1.8. Then I bought myself the 75-300mm and the 60mm macro for Christmas and just a few hours ago I pulled the trigger on the Panaleica 15mm on 'bay.
In other words, leave while you still can! :D
Edit: Also considering getting a cheap Pen and have it converted to IR.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
10-24-2016, 01:36 AM
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Funny, over the last weeks I also looked at some 43 cameras. There are quite a few people out there who switched and do not miss APSC.
I'm not sure if I will be one of them, but I just bought a second hand em5 with the 12-50mm lens for 380€, I think I can sell the camera with little loss if I decide it's not for me. I will take a good look at Pentax' next APSC model in any case - or maybe get the K1 next year, unless I started to build a 43 system by then.
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Forum: Pentax Compact Cameras
04-30-2016, 11:02 AM
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I do not regret buying my GR, and if you had a somewhat newer DSLR I would clearly recommend getting the GR. Switching from the K7 to a more current body should be a huge step up, I would clearly prefer getting a K3 or another current model.
On the other hand, I did get the GR to always have a camera handy and I really enjoy the simple way of working with the P&S, and while my most important camera still is the K5 and I would rather go without the GR if I had to choose, only you can decide what you need ;)
Ideally I would recommend getting both...
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
03-15-2016, 01:17 AM
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I really love my Jack Wolfskin ACS Photopack. It is a bit bulky and does not store that much equipment (K5 with DA 55-300 and a 3-4 limiteds do fit in easily though) but it is extremely comfortable to carry and has enough space to store some clothes or food for a day of hiking in a separate compartment. If you want to use it as a normal backpack, you can easily remove the divider between the compartments and end up with a lot of space. Basically it's a hiking backpack with some space for your camera and lenses.
I don't have any experiences with the current models, mine is from 2012 - and I don't see a reason to replace it anytime soon.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-01-2016, 01:51 AM
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I, uh, rarely sell my lenses, so no...
The lenses I did sell had usually been gathering dust for a long time anyway, before I finally made up my mind. Same with the K200 I gave to a friend after I got the K5, I rarely felt the need to pack a second body.
I did buy another copy of the Praktika m42 50mm I started out with in the 80s last year - I really had fond memories of the lens and wished I had not given it away when the Camera died back then, but now I hardly use it, I usually switch between the Tak 50 1.4, the A 50 1.2 and the FA 43 these days. I don't have much motivation to sell it though, as I got it quite cheap.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-29-2016, 05:23 AM
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Gah, I just don't know. I never intended to get a FF, as long as I assumed the price would be upwards of 3000€! For the expected price after maybe waiting till the end of the year, I am not so sure anymore.
Of course I don't *need* the camera, but in recent months I took a few shoots with my good old K-5 where I wondered if a higher resolution and less noise would have made a difference.
The problem is, these were wildlife photos done with the DA*300 or macros with the DFA 100. So if I switch to the K-1 I gain ISO not resolution in practice, unless I invest in expensive and heavier glass. Switching to the K-3 I would gain resolution but would not reduce noise...
And then there is a certain nostalgia, I'm old enough to have started with 35mm film, so the FF would be closer to the way I used to work then. Also I suspect I'm being a bit irrational here ;)
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-26-2016, 12:53 PM
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My first m42 adapter was a brandless Chinese product from ebay. It was unusable with the spring but worked quite well without it.
I later tried one with the Hama brand (Quite common here in Germany) which was somewhat more expensive but had a few good reviews on Amazon. It was a tight fit, did easily over-rotate and had dangerously sharp edges - I nearly bled on the sensor!
Now I use the genuine Pentax adapter and would not go back.
So I would really recommend the Pentax adapter (or the adapters mentioned by stevebrot above, never tried them), or be prepared to try out a few of the cheaper ones till you find one in acceptable quality, they seem to be hit and miss.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-30-2015, 01:54 AM
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I voted probably no, but this is a big probably.
My K5 is still working fine and I'm not sure more pixels would seriously improve most of my output. But I am tempted by the lack of an AA filter and improved AF.
Current plan is to wait for the K3's successor (which I do not expect next year) and go for it if it has something spectacular new or get the K3 otherwise.
I might change my mind if my financial situation continues to improve the way it currently does :)
I cannot justify spending the expected price for the FF + new glass, so I will probably stick with APS-C at least until second hand FFs show up for a reasonable price.
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Forum: Pentax Q
10-01-2015, 11:29 PM
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-16-2015, 12:02 PM
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Thanks, but to late. Found the F6 for a good price at Amazon.de and could not resist. ;)
Just got the package, really like the workmanship and how comfortable it handles! Didn't have the opportunity to give it a test drive though, rain proof or not, I kept indoors during the thunderstorm this evening...
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-14-2015, 12:02 AM
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Looks good! Do you have any experience with this waxed canvas in the rain?
I tend to get caught in the rain with my gear quite often (main reason I choose Pentax in the first place, K200 was the cheapest WR camera available at the time) and would not exchanges my good old Crumpler for something less waterproof.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-06-2015, 12:21 AM
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My personal favorite normalish focal length on APSC is 28mm, but it seems this FL is a bit out of fashion on digital Pentax.
In current use I only have the K 28/2.0 and M 28/2.0 which I'd both highly recommend if you like manual lenses and if you can find them.
I'm currently looking for a 28mm Takumar, but got distracted by a 135/3.5 and a Q-S1...
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-02-2015, 10:55 AM
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Thanks for the additional info on the focus calibration! I think I'll try that when I find the time.
I've read about Eric on the forum, but I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic - and I just realized I don't seem to have a location set in my profile...
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-01-2015, 08:14 AM
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Thanks to all who answered my post.
@clicksworth: No, the lens' mount threads are clean and not damaged, I can screw it in till it sits on the body without a gap. In the meantime I tried my adapter on the K5 with another Takumar for comparison and tested the 135 with another adapter on the Q, it's definitely the lens.
@Not a Number: I fear you are right with your suspicion that the lens has been altered. The focus ring goes all the way round, even if it's stiff, and the objects in focus are considerably closer than the last distance given on the scale (60m). I will ask the seller for the history of the lens, though I think he is no photographer himself, wrote he "had the lens checked". Okay, partly my fault I know the risk of buying from ebayers who don't seem to be the original owners.
I will not open the lens until I hear from the seller, in case he is stubborn and I end up sending the lens back.
Damn, cleaning and greasing the helicoid should not be a problem, didn't have to do this before but the descriptions I read sound manageable, but I don't have the faintest idea where to start with calibrating the focus. Maybe I'll just give the lens to someone who knows what he's doing.
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Forum: Pentax Q
07-31-2015, 01:02 AM
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Why did I even pretend to have a chance here? Q-S1 black is on it's way with both zooms. I'd have preferred the Gun-Metal-Red variant, but this one was available on Amazon Warehouse Deals and while I like a nifty design the most important thing are the pictures and in this case a 200€ difference. ;)
Now I got my original Q and a 02 zoom to spare. Hmm, no I will not give away the Q!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
07-30-2015, 11:45 PM
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I recently got a really nice looking chrome-and-black version of the preset Takumar 135 F3.5 from ebay.
The seller offered it as in perfect working condition, but the focusing ring is so stiff I tend to screw the lens out of the mount when trying to focus.
It also does not focus to infinity, the focus ring turns all the way to the end but I cannot get anything into focus further than 20-30 meters away.
I use the original Pentax M42 adapter, so I think I should get infinity focus, and while this is my first Takumar preset I do own a few Super/SMC Taks and some Russian built presets.
Before I contact the seller I'd like to check with the people here who got some experience with that lens if this might be a known issue or if I might be overlooking something.
I think I'd really like to keep the lens, even if I never manage to get it working completely, if only as a really nifty looking collectors item, but I'd like to get a discount from the seller if he sold a defective piece.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
07-27-2015, 02:16 AM
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A 50 F1.2!
Something wider would probably be more versatile, but this is the lens that I just can't let go!
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Forum: Pentax Q
07-20-2015, 12:16 AM
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Did you have to do that? Since last week I have been fighting with myself over the Q-S1 kit with the 02 and 06 zooms - and I just had decided I don't really need it!
Great pictures, by the way. ;)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-01-2015, 02:39 AM
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I own a 44m and a 77k4, the later is a 50 1/1.8 variant of AFAIK the same basic design. In my experience both produce the swirly bokeh, the 44m more often than the 77. Not sure how the matter stands with the 44k.
Personally I don't use the Helios primarily for the bokeh, but for overall "gritty", old fashioned feel of the shots. Not sure how to describe it, but you've probably noticed what I mean in the samples here!
So yes, I would buy a Helios even without the swirly bokeh, it's a lens with tons of character!
The 44-x are older models of the lens, single coated and with a preset aperture. The 44m is multicoated but preset, the 44m-x are multicoated and use an automatic aperture. As I don't own enough samples (yet!) I leave the IQ differences to others.
There are some cheap m42-k adapters available, and the 44-2 is generally cheaper then the 44K, so I'm not sure buying the older Helios and the adapter will be the more expensive solution. And if you got the adapter, there are quite a few interesting m42 lenses out there for you. My current favorite is the Takumar 35 1/3.5, generally not that expensive but the pictures are incredible!
PM me if you want to continue this discussion in German, easier for me to ;-)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-28-2015, 03:26 AM
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If in doubt whether it's the K or M, the lens' size is a good clue. The K28 2.0 looks more like a 100+mm! ;)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-27-2015, 01:10 AM
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The K28 2.0 is very good! I would not sell mine, even for the price quoted by the OP, which is nearly twice what I payed for mine a few years ago on Ebay Germany.
Don't know if the price has risen recently or if used glass is more expensive in the US in general, but I would think long before paying that amount of money for the lens, even if it is one of my all time favorites. A cheaper offer might come along, the lens is rare but not that exotic.
Also, as others mentioned, on APS-C it is not wide angle, but a rather nice normal view. It is of course wider than the DA40;).
To the OP I also would recommend looking for a cheaper model if you are just starting out with vintage glass, I personally like to work manually, but it really isn't everybody's thing.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-19-2015, 01:13 AM
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I exchanged my DA* 16-50 for the DA 15 & 35 macro (later added the FAs as well) and the DA 18-135, mostly because I really enjoy working with primes and use the zoom only for snapshots and when I travel with small luggage. The DA* stayed at home most of the time because it was to big for me and in the situations where I used the zoom I did not need it's excellent IQ. If I*d do professional photography in situations that call for a zoom I'd probably kept it.
On the longer end I don't think I'll ever let go of my DA* 300, this lens is just great, the limited just can't compete at that FL ;).
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Forum: Pentax Q
11-14-2014, 07:14 AM
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I don't own the MX-1, but since I got the GR the Q (Original + 01) sees pretty little usage. I never did a pixel-peep comparison but I have the feeling that would be really unfair to the Q!
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Forum: General Photography
09-19-2014, 03:10 AM
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Like many others here, it seems, I came for the WR and stayed for the glass!
I started dabbling in more serious photography with my grandfathers old Praktica with a Pentacon 50/2.8 in the mid 80s. After that one broke I got my own Camera, a low-cost Cosina with the typical standard zoom. I was glad to have actually found a zoom for so little money - until I got the first shots back from development. I really lost interest in photography at that point. My mother surprised me with a Minolta Dynax at Christmas some time later, and while this was an improvement over the Cosina it did not have the magic of the old Praktica+Pentacon and I only used this for holiday snapshots and the like.
For a long time I did not have the money to easily get good equipment (and to much other interests which were also expensive...), I used the Minolta for snapshots, later replaced it with a HP Photosmart when I decided to go digital, a good camera for the time and price, DSLRs were still to expensive for me and I still had not regained my early interest in photography.
In 2008 I finally decided to give my old hobby another try and began researching entry level cameras. While I still had some good basic knowledge about the technical side, I was quite clueless about the market situation and the available brands at the time - which might have been a good thing ;).
I first looked at the 4/3s, as mirrorless seemed to be a nice technology but was disapointed by the displays and viewfinders of the cameras I handled, so I checked the entry level offers of Canon, Nikon and Pentax. From the technical features I did not find anything that spoke against any of the brands, but I handled a friends Nikon and it felt like a cheap plastic toy to me, and while I did not find a local store carrying Pentax I nonetheless choose the K200 as it was the only model with WR for a comparable price. Not only did WR seem a good idea for carrying the camera in my bagpack while biking, it also hinted at a manufacturer who cared for the small details to me.
Had I done any research about marked position and available equipment, I might have decided differently (considering the frequent comments from Canonikon fans I found since...), but looking back I'm glad I didn't.
I took a bunch of photos with the 18-55 and 50-200 lens kit for nearly a year and found I started to really like my old hobby again, so I looked at additional lenses - after the initial price-shock wore of ;) I got the DA 35 Macro Limited. And there finally it was back, the magic I had experienced with grandpa's old GDR-equipment! My photos again had that something special I had always missed with the consumer-zooms, and with that purchase I really started into photography (and LBA...).
Over the next years I got quite a collection of current and vintage lenses. I'm not such a fanboy (not quite) that I would not occasionally consider other brands, and I'm still curious where the whole mirrorless thing is going, but so far nothing has tempted me away. If I were to switch to another system, I'd not like to go without the limiteds and some of my older lenses (K28/2.0, A50/1.2,...) and I'm not sure about using them with the limits imposed by an adapter, so any alternative should have something solid to offer.
Looking and Canon/Nikon I occasionally saw something I'd have liked (lenses like 85/1.2, 70-200/2.8,...) but in the end, being rational, I decided I would not really have gotten the equipment even if I were on the system, quite often because I could not afford it anyway! Or Sigma/Tamron had a comparable lens to offer.
That's the current situation, I got a K5 in 2010 and am not planning to get a new DSLR body right now, but if I was I'd get a K3. I got a Q last year, when I was looking for a compact secondary and recently a Ricoh GR (Wow!!). I might get a Sigma Merrill second hand as I'm quite curious about the sensor, but I don't see my main system changing anytime soon.
How long will I stay with Pentax? If they would stopped making cameras or exchanged their whole K-line with models that are incredibly inferior to the current lineup I'd probably stay till my K5 gave up at least, maybe getting a K3 second hand for a while. I currently can't imagine a technical innovation tempting me away, there is nothing on the horizon that would be important for me. I don't think anyone has a noise-free IS 100.000 sensor in the works ;).
FF is not a topic for me, neither is video. I'd like to see Pentax develop something in that direction, as these things are important to others, though.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
08-31-2014, 11:36 AM
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Thank you guys, you all make me feel so normal. Most photographers I now in the real world, who are satisfied with two or three zooms think I'm crazy ;).
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