|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
02-14-2014, 02:08 AM
|
| |
In Australia - are you in Holland?
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
02-14-2014, 12:27 AM
|
| |
I made a concerning post recently regarding water that got into my Pentax K3 when exposed to light rain. This happened on Sunday - 5 days ago.
On Monday I contacted the camera dealer "Camera House" in Noosaville, Queensland, Australia. (The salesman was Ian Hodgkinson. He has an excellent knowledge of photographic equipment and an encyclopaedic knowledge of Mac computers). I emailed Ian and sent photos of the water ingress on the Sunday. I spoke to him on Monday and he said he'd get right onto it. I expected it would take weeks to get this problem sorted out. - Worse, (and irrationally) I entertained paranoid thoughts of warranty issues.
I needn't have worried. On Wednesday morning, there was a new camera waiting for me. The faulty one had been picked up by C.R. Kennedy (The importers of Pentax) and a new one dropped off. How good is that?
Any camera Leica, Nikon, Canon etc can develop a fault. A professional needs to know that their down time is at a minimum. An amateur isn't going to lose income but there is a frustration factor with a camera being away repaired. - But 48 hours. That's got to be some sort of record.
So there you have it. I had a problem. Camera House and C.R. Kennedy sorted it out immediately. One can ask for no more. I doubt if there would have been as excellent a response from any other manufacturer's dealer.
Before you buy your grey import or try and save a few dollars by buying on eBay, think about this. Sometimes the more expensive option is, by far, the less expensive option.
Can a professional now buy Pentax and earn a living from this equipment? If my experiences are anything to go by, the answer is an unequivocal yes.
Can a professional save money, without compromising quality, by purchasing Pentax? - Again, the answer is unequivocally yes.
Kudos to C.R. Kennedy.
Kudos to Camera House. To purchase anywhere else would appear to be illogical.
Ian Rivlin
PS. I have no professional association whatsoever with Camera House. I am a family physician and am purely an amateur. I have always believed credit where it is due.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
02-08-2014, 10:21 PM
|
| |
Interesting... It could be that when they fit the seals, some may be improperly positioned. If that were the case then the water resistance would be just back to the "pre sealed" state. Out of interest, I've got caught in the rain with older film Pentax cameras and they haven't let water in. At least the K3 still works. Whether it still will tomorrow remains to be seen.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
02-08-2014, 08:51 PM
|
| |
For sure. The camera is only a month old but it's a little disconcerting that this should have happened in the first place. Pentax have always been (in my experience) extremely well made and reliable. Have the new company (Ricoh) dropped production quality standards? It would be a sad day if Pentax lost the very thing that they have always been famous for ie, reliability and high quality.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
02-08-2014, 08:36 PM
|
| |
I went out in light rain with my Pentax K3 today. All the seals were closed on the camera. (I've had a Pentax K7 and K5 for years and know what they can and can't do). After about 15 minutes in the rain, I noticed water getting into the top display. The water was actually sloshing around in the display. The camera still is working after 1 hour but the presence of water in this part of the camera hardly inspires confidence. I'm assuming the camera was made either with a mal positioned or missing seal. Obviously I'll take it to the camera dealers tomorrow and complain but I wondered if anyone else has had this problem? I was using the 18-135 WR lens, which I use regularly on the K5 (in the rain) and have never had a problem. The rain wasn't even heavy. It was what I'd refer to as heavy spitting or light rain. I'm obviously not happy as I was told the K3 was even more sealed than the K5 and K7. I've taken some pictures of the water ingress with my Galaxy Note 3 (even that didn't let water in) if anyone's interested, I can post the pictures if wanted.
Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.
Ian
Queensland, Australia
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-11-2008, 07:10 PM
|
| |
I reckon many people would starve before compromising on their photographic purchases.....
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-11-2008, 06:16 PM
|
| |
I have a K20D with a Pentax 18-250mm lens. Think how big and heavy this would all be if the same effective zoom range were required on a FF camera.
Having been lent a Nikon D300, I can assure everyone that its focus is better (more accurate) and much faster than the K20D. It's exposure system is better too (in many different ways). Finally, the noise levels are slightly better (maybe equivalent to half a stop - not more than this but still better). BUT, ultimately, the K20D is capable of giving FAR better image quality than the D300. If one is prepared to take one's time, really concentrate on getting the focusing right and think about the exposure, then the image quality on the K20D is almost a quantum jump better than the Canon or Nikon equivalent. The reason why this doesn't always show up in tests is that the tester looks through the K20D's viewfinder, squeezes the shutter release, sees the focus confirmation and assumes everything will be OK. - It often isn't and the resulting fractionally unfocused image ruins the camera's ability to provide a magnificent picture.
So my advice to Pentax would be:-
1) 7 or 8 FPS
2) Autofocus speed and accuracy to equal or better the D300 (which I believe is the industry leader, in this respect)
3) Improve the auto exposure so that it copes with dark and difficult conditions more easily.
4) Substantially improve dynamic range and noise levels (yes, this probably will mean an entirely new chip design but so what? If it needs it, it needs it.)
5) Live view must be greatly improved. As it is, it's virtually useless.
6) Provide a movie mode - like the EOS 5D Mk11 (No earthly reason why this would be a hassle) but please maintain autofocus, auto exposure and image stabilization capability during movies.
7) The built in flash (like all the competition) is woefully inadequate - surely some manufacturer can improve on this?
8) Improve the dust removal system. The sensor shaker is not in the same league as the Olympus's E3/500 system.
________________________________________________________
So what do I particularly like about the K20D?
1) Ergonomics are better than any other camera. (Far better)
2) Built in I.S.
3) Superb image quality (capability).
4) Tough, beautifully built, weatherproofed camera.
5) Less expensive than the competition.
6) Compact, for its capabilities.
7) it would be really nice if Pentax made a 15-300mm (ultrasonic, weatherproof) zoom lens that had a wide aperture. (maybe F2.8 - F4.5). This may sound a big ask but a few years ago, their 18-250mm F3.5 - F6.3 lens would have seemed like a pipe dream. One of the big disadvantages with the APSC size is that (effective) depth of field is greater than with FF sensors. Differential focus become more difficult. Having such small apertures as F6.3 increases depth of field further (Often, this is a pain). A wider aperture makes it less important to change to a separate portrait lens etc. Keeping one lens on the camera has huge advantages (apart from not missing shots whilst you're frantically changing lenses, there's less of a dust problem). I have a Sigma 30mm F1.4 , a 90mm Macro lens and a 10-20mm zoom. They rarely get used. The 18-250mm lens covers the vast majority of my needs.
Anyway, many of you might disagree with my suggestions or assessment. Like one of the other writers said - Pentax is a business, not a charity and they must concentrate on what the vast majority of the buying public wants. But as Toyota proved with the Lexus brand, creating a magnificent flagship promotes confidence and loyalties that filter down to the "plebeian" models. If a Pentax K30D (or whatever it'll be called) comes out and has the improvements I have suggested, I'd buy the camera immediately. I expect a lot of other people would too. I would never blow $8000 on a Canon 1Ds Mk3, even if I could afford it (which I can't) but I would be prepared to pay a substantial premium over and above the K20D's price, to get what I consider to be necessary improvements.........
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-31-2007, 05:46 PM
|
| |
Someone should archive these fun posts, because it won't be too long before the specifications (above) are outdated and hilarious due to the antiquity of the technology. I remember seeing a Sergeant Bilko episode once. Col. Hall said to Bilko "Bilko, you've used up all your leave entitlements until the year 1973" - The audience laughed their heads off (it was 1957, at the time). - 1973 is now 34 years in the past...... In 30 years time the camera, described above, will be on someones shelf as an example of what old technology of 2015 had to offer. Mark my words...
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-01-2007, 02:28 PM
|
| |
My Sigma 18-200mm lens's back focus adjustment is fine, the Sigma 10-20mm is quite reasonable, the Tamron 90mm Di might be wrong (it's being serviced at the moment) the Sigma 30mm F1.4 is WAY out. It's still possible to get sharp images but I have to introduce a manual adjustment. It would be so hugely helpful if we could assign a back focus compensation adjustment to a few lenses (say up to 10 lenses). That way, the Pentax K10D could perform way, way better. As we're aware, someone posted a fix (but that was only for firmware 1.10 and it would have only been for one lens). I urge Pentax to make a firmware fix, that would enable back focus adjustment to be easily performed by the user, for specific assigned lenses. Let's hope that the Pentax K12D will have live view and back focus adjust...... (It can't be long before Pentax start using the Nikon D300 sensor, can it????)
|
