|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
05-16-2018, 03:19 PM
|
| |
DPR does not say this at all. On the contrary, DPR acknowledged that the K-1MKii exhibited lower noise levels at higher ISOs, just like you pointed out.
The issue is WHY the K-1MKii exhibited lower noise levels over the K-1. According to DPR, it is due to the K-1MKii baking in irreversible filtering at higher ISOs, i.e., applying noise reduction to RAWs.
That's a huge problem, IMO. RAWs are intended to be minimally processed. The K-1MKii is baking in NR into RAWs. Presumably, they are doing so to 1) "justify" the upgrade from the K-1 to the K-1MKii, and 2) mask the absence of dual gain architecture on the K-1MKii and give the appearance that Pentax is keeping up with its competitors.
Let me be absolutely clear: I don't think the loss off contrast/detail caused by the forced NR Pentax is baking into RAWs is hugely significant. What I do find hugely significant is that Pentax is apparently relying on smoke and mirrors by processing RAWs to make the K-1MKii look like more of an upgrade over the K-1 than it actually is, and to trick people into thinking that Pentax is keeping up with its rivals in terms of High ISO performance.
Pentax/Ricoh had been struggling financially, has been slow to release new products (2017 roadmapped 50mm and 85mm lenses come to mind) and had to send a message that inspired confidence in its customers. Baking NR into RAWs to make the K-1MKii superficially look better than it actually is (compared to the K-1) doesn't inspire confidence in me.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
05-16-2018, 02:40 PM
|
| |
If you are looking at DPR's K-1 photos and comparing them to DPR's K-1MKII photos, you are completely misunderstanding the issue that DPR's review has found. DPR is comparing K-1MKII photos at 100 ISO + brightening to K-1MKII photos at 6400 ISO. I.e., photos from the exact same camera and the exact same lens, just different ISO values. The photos SHOULD look nearly identical but they do not, due to whatever the camera is doing to process the higher ISO shots. That's the issue.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
06-27-2016, 05:41 PM
|
| |
If you scroll down to the comments section, someone says something along the same lines and someone from DPReview said that the review is almost finished. That was 2 weeks ago though...
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
06-27-2016, 09:20 AM
|
| |
Anyone see a problem with just putting a thin strip of tape over the part of the K-1 body that gets scratched?
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
06-22-2016, 07:13 PM
|
| |
Is there a way to tell if the lens has already been repaired? I purchased a Sigma 35mm Art via eBay (6th Ave) today and was wondering if I should send it in for the repair before using it. Am I going to have issues because 6th Ave isn't an authorized reseller?
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
06-08-2015, 09:31 AM
|
| |
Thanks for the info. Sounds like Pixel Shift isn't something I'd use very often. I'll probably go with a cheaper K-3.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
06-05-2015, 10:03 AM
|
| |
Deciding between a K-3 and a K-3 ii. With respect to the Pixel Shift feature, how still does the scene have to be for it to work?
Would pixel shift work for:
1) Portraits, if the person is standing still?
2) Landscapes? There's been talk about wind vs. no wind, but I'm guessing that also depends on distance and field of view, i.e., wind hitting a tree far away in your picture might work vs. wind hitting a tree right in front of you.
How long does it take to snap a photo in pixel-shift mode? Is it basically 4x shutter speed? I.e., if you set shutter speed to 1/1000, it'd take 4/1000 seconds (1/250)?
|
|
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
02-07-2014, 10:08 AM
|
| |
I went as cheap as I could get, so if you want better quality stuff you may want to look elsewhere:
Amazon.com: ePhoto 6 Umbrellas Photography Studio Off Camera Flash Lighting Kit TWO Flash Shoe Mounting Swivel Bracket Flash Light Kit With Stands HUB3: Camera & Photo
This gets you 2 cheap but functional stands and mounting brackets for hotshoe flash units as well as 2 silver reflective umbrellas, 2 gold reflective umbrellas and 2 white translucent shoot-through umbrellas.
Amazon.com: Yongnuo Professional Flash Speedlight Flashlight Yongnuo YN 560 III for Canon Nikon Pentax Olympus Camera / Such as: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark, EOS1D Mark, EOS 5D Mark, EOS 7D, EOS 60D, EOS 600D, EOS 550D, EOS 500D, EOS 1100D: Camera & Photo
The Yongnuo YN 560 III is pretty well regarded as a cheap, manual hotshoe flash unit. Since you're going the radio trigger route, you may not need the extra features found in more expensive flash units.
Amazon.com: Yongnuo Upgrade RF-603 II N3 2.4GHz Wireless Flash Trigger/Wireless Shutter Release Transceiver Kit for Nikon D90 D600 D7100 D7000 D5100 D5000 D3100 D3000: Camera & Photo
The Yongnuo 603 radio triggers work well with Pentaxes. The only quirk is that they basically only sell Nikon versions and Canon versions, with different types of cable triggers packed in. The Nikon version of the radio trigger itself is what you need because it is compatible with the Pentax hotshoe and I've heard the Canon version is not. HOWEVER, the cables that come with the Nikon version are not compatible with Pentax. The C1 cable that comes with the Canon version IS compatible with Pentax, but I haven't found any seller that sells the Nikon radio trigger packed with the Canon C1 cable, so your best bet is to buy the Nikon 603 and buy a cheap 2.5mm (aka 3/32") cable from radioshack or something.
|
|
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
02-06-2014, 04:31 PM
|
| |
I've used it a little bit on-body with my K-30. Make sure you're in M mode on the Yongnuo unit itself. Also, make sure your shutter speed on the K-30 is 1/160 or slower. I've noticed that the K-30 doesn't properly communicate with the Yongnuo, so it doesn't automatically set itself to 1/180 when you're at 1/200.
|
|
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
02-06-2014, 03:20 PM
|
| |
Another random Pentax-Yongnuo fun-fact to throw out there:
When using manual lenses on a Pentax body, the in-body pop-up flash will not fire off a metering pre-flash. Therefore, when used in conjunction with a Yongnuo in slave mode, the Yongnuo has to be in S1 mode and the in-body pop-up set to the standard "On" mode (Wireless Mode isn't even an option on a Pentax body when using a manual lens).
Moreover, when using a manual lens + Pentax body + Yongnuo in S2 mode, the Yongnuo will not trigger from the in-body pop-flash.
This suggests that in S1 mode, the Yongnuo will be triggered upon the detection of any kind of strobe. However, in S2 mode, the Yongnuo will only trigger if it detects a pre-flash--it will not trigger upon any other strobe such a standard main exposure flash.
I'd further hypothesize that the Yongnuo uses some kind of set timer to determine how long to wait to activate after it detects a pre-flash in S2 mode. It would appear that this S2 timer (coincidentally?) puts the Yongnuo in-sync with a Pentax body in standard Flash On Mode when the pop-up flash does a metering pre-flash + main flash, but throws the Yongnuo off-sync with a Pentax body in Wireless Mode when the pop-up flash does a metering pre-flash + master/controller TTL pre-flash + main flash.
|
|
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
02-06-2014, 11:26 AM
|
| |
That makes sense--thanks! I assume the Yongnuo was designed to work with Canon/Nikon and Canon/Nikon pop-up must work differently than Pentax. I guess it's impossible to use Slave mode on the Yongnuo without the pop-up on the flash contributing to the exposure. Oh well, already ordered the radio triggers so it shouldn't matter either way.
|
|
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
02-05-2014, 11:05 PM
|
| |
Having now read the Yongnuo manual, I'm not entirely sure why my Yongnuo unit behaves the way it does. S2 on the Yongnuo is supposed to be a "Pre-flash Cancel Mode" that ignores pre-flash information. One would think it would work when the camera is set to Wireless Flash mode? I'd also think that it should fire late when my camera is set to standard flash mode, since there is no preflash? Maybe it's a quirk with the Pentax system or maybe I have a setting on my camera that I need to adjust. If anyone knows the answer, I'd be interested in knowing.
|
|
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
02-05-2014, 10:56 PM
|
| |
Posting my observations, in case it's helpful to OP.
The Yongnuo will ONLY work in slave mode on my K-30 if the built-in pop-up flash is set the the standard flash mode--the left most option on the flash menu on the camera, NOT the right most option for Wireless Flash mode. In Wireless Flash mode, the Yongnuo will ALWAYS prematurely fire because it is firing simultaneously with the TTL pre-flash from the camera and therefore will not contribute to the exposure. It does not matter if Wireless Flash mode is set to Master or Controller--either mode will send out a pre-flash that will prematurely trigger the Yongnuo. Furthermore, the Yongnuo unit MUST be set on the "S2" setting, NOT the "S1" setting. (I'll have to read the manual someday to find out why.)
(Oddly, I don't know if this is common behavior for flash units, but the Yongnuo will actually contribute partially to the exposure if it's set to a lower power setting. At the max power setting of 1/1, it does not contribute at all, but at the lowest setting 1/128 it appears that the flash stays "on" long enough so that it contributes to the exposure though it activates prematurely. This might explain why OP sometimes got the flash to contribute to the exposure and sometimes it did not.)
As for my Metz, the Slave mode only works if the camera is in the Wireless Flash mode and gets the pre-flash TTL information. However, through random experimentation because the manual wasn't helpful, I found out that the "Servo" mode on the Metz appears to be identical to the Slave mode on the Yongnuo, in that it appears to be a "dumb" manual slave mode that activates upon and in sync with the main exposure flash from the built-in pop-up flash.
|
|
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
02-04-2014, 11:09 AM
|
| |
Is there any way to disable the preflash on the camera so that it would be compatible with the Yongnuo in slave mode? Or otherwise mess around with the settings on the camera so it doesn't prematurely trigger the flash on the Yongnuo?
I have a Metz 58af-2 that seems to work fine with my K-30 in slave mode and was wondering if I could buy a Yongnuo to add a cheap strobe to the setup. I'll probably end up buying the Yonguo radio triggers if slave mode doesn't work, but it'd be nice not to have to buy the extra gear.
|
|
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
12-13-2013, 11:01 AM
|
| |
Hi, I don't have much experience in graphic design, so I was wondering what folks around here use to make holiday/greeting cards?
Preferably something cheap/free and easy-to-use. All I really need is something that'll give me some kind of generic Christmas template and import 2-4 photos. And also play nice with my printer (Canon Pixma Pro 9000 mk II).
Thanks!
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-01-2013, 05:34 PM
|
| |
I'm considering buying the DA 50mm F1.8 at its current sale price. However:
I already have an old SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.4. I also have a Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 that covers the same focal range.
I rarely use the manual 50mm because I lack the patience and fine dexterity necessary to manual focus. I only use it for portraiture, when I know my subject will be standing still long enough for me to focus. This only comes up rarely when family members ask me to take pictures of their babies.
So, my question is: how noticeable is the different in image quality between the DA 50mm F1.8 and the SMC Pentax-M 50mm F1.4? If the F1.8 is only negligably worse, I might bite because I'm more inclined to use it because of the auto-focus. Conversely, if the F1.4 is substantially better image quality wise, I might just suck it up and try to get better shooting manually.
Alternatively and on the other side of the spectrum, if the image quality on the 50mm F1.8 is not noticably better than the Sigma 17-50mm, I'll pass on the F1.8 since the Sigma is all-around more convenient since it's a zoom. So any input on the difference between the 50mm F1.8 and the Sigma 17-50mm would be appreciated.
Any input is greatly appreciated!
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-01-2012, 04:27 PM
|
| |
Sorry to revive an old thread, but was wondering if there's a way to override the default behavior of disabling shake reduction when using the timed shutter.
I tried a to take a couple of self pics of myself by holding the camera out with my left hand (you know, the typical teenager-with-iphone self-shot) when we're in situations where I don't have my tripod and I don't want to trust a stranger with my $700 camera and $600 lens...
Obviously not the ideal method of getting professional looking shots, but to me it would make sense to be able to override the default deactivation of shake reduction.
I've also heard of the practice/theory described by Marc--that the act of depressing the shutter button introduces shake that can be mitigated by using the 3-sec shutter in situations where you don't need the shutter activate instantaneously. So I'd think it'd be an odd oversight if it were impossible to activate shake reduction in such a scenario.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
09-13-2012, 01:51 PM
|
| |
Thanks! Just wondering if the lack of warranty card meant that the camera was grey market. Good to know about the extended 2 year warranty.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
09-13-2012, 11:50 AM
|
| |
Hi,
I just received my K-30 (w/ 18-55 kit lens) from Amazon today and can't find any warranty card in the box. Is there supposed to be one included?
I made sure to purchase directly from Amazon and not through one of those third party sellers on Amazon, and Amazon is listed as an authorized dealer.
Anyone else with a K-30 receive a warranty card in the box? What does it look like?
|
|
Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-04-2012, 02:46 PM
|
| |
Quick question, can anybody confirm that the Metz Mecablitz 58-af2 works with the K-30? I looked at the Metz website to check, but couldn't find anything definitive. The firmware history says there was an update released 07.27.2012, but the notes say "Now also for Pentax K-01," so I'm thinking they're a little behind.
Has anyone tried using the 58-af2 with a K-30?
Thanks!
|
|
Forum: Pentax Price Watch
08-07-2012, 12:25 PM
|
| |
| |
|
Forum: Pentax Price Watch
02-28-2012, 10:52 AM
|
| |
Thanks for the info. This may be a stupid question, but does the removal of OS substantially change the build of the lens? Is it safe to assume that the review of the OS version would be accurate as to the non-OS version (excepting the bits about the OS system, of course)?
|
|
Forum: Pentax Price Watch
02-28-2012, 09:54 AM
|
| |
Do you know if the no OS version is being sold under the same model # as the OS version?
I thought that the official review tested the OS on the lens, but the Amazon listing says (in bold) that the Pentax version of this lens does not have OS. So it sounds like Amazon is selling a non-OS version.
|
|
Forum: Pentax Price Watch
02-28-2012, 08:15 AM
|
| |
Amazon.com is currently selling the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 for Pentax for $549.99. The Canon/Nikon/Sony models are still at the $594 post-$75 rebate price, so it looks like Pentaxians get a $44 discount on top of the rebated price.
Amazon.com: Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD Large Aperture Standard Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital DSLR Camera: Camera & Photo
I've looked around and it's $594 at the regular camera retailers at the moment.
Amazon prices are pretty unstable and their return policy is pretty good, so I figured I'd jump on it while it was hot. Lens was well-regarded in the three lens in-depth review, so I'm excited to see it in action.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-07-2011, 10:56 AM
|
| |
Hi,
I'm in the market to replace my K-x kit lens with a new walk-around/travel zoom.
I was going to purchase the Pentax DA 18-135mm, which is going for $429 @ B&H and Adorama.
However, apparently there's a 10% off sale for Sigmas @ Abes of Maine and I was wondering if a Sigma would be a better deal than the Pentax.
Here's the Sigma I was considering (and its sale price):
Sigma 17-50mm F2.8, regular $669, now $587 after sale
Extra focal length on Pentax would be convenient, but I got it covered in a Pentax 55-300. Accordingly, I'm more interested in how the sharpness compares between the two. Any recommendations?
Thanks!
FYI, the coupon codes for Abes are:
DEAL10 - 10% off certain Sigma lenses
LOYALTY15 - $15 off $400, I think
|
