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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
03-21-2024, 05:03 AM
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As far as I know, there is no true KAF adapter. Pentax does have a ‘K’ adapter, as do some other Japanese merchants {sold via eBay}. The Pentax adapter has a shutter integrated into it; the other ones leave you dependent on the ‘software shutter’; I’m not sure I’ve noticed a clear difference.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
12-27-2023, 03:32 AM
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Well... I'm aboard since the K10d, and I've followed closely Pentax's actuality since then. At this time Pentax was competing with Nikon & Canon, releasing multiple (real) new products every year, rivaling or beating the competition for a fraction of the price.
Nearly 20 years later, we are in a situation where you're excited because in a single year they released:
- K3 monochrome: a nice addition to the line, with as you said little to no equivalent. But it's not a new body, and it's niche in the niche. A new option of a 3 years old body released 2500€ (500€ more than the original), even though it didn't require the amount of work of a new body, far from it. Did you buy it?
- K3 monochrome matte: a different colour and you count that as a second product, come on...
- 50 1.4 HD/SMC: they ran a new batch of a decades old lens. Again, it's a welcome update but you can't call that a new product, little to no R&D involved here.
- GR iii diary edition: again, a new colour and you call that a new product?
Let's be honest, 2023 is one of the worst years of the last two decades. Maybe beaten by 2022? Without doing any research are you able to name a single (real) new product released last year? I don't, the last real new release I remember is the D-FA 21 Limited (2021).
Worse, they are discontinuing lenses (3 this year: DA560, DA40, DA50-135) faster than they release new ones. At this pace when the film camera will be released they will no longer sell lenses for it 😅
Let's hope that they are busy working on the K1-iii, but I doubt it (and I'm afraid to see the price).
Then we have the film project. Niche in the niche of the small niche.
If a friend of yours asks "I want to invest ~5-10k€/$ in photographic gear, what brand do you advice?", what will you answer? Until recently I was recommending Pentax depending on what people were intending to shoot. I would no longer, unfortunately 😕
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
01-23-2024, 06:16 AM
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Again, how could we tell? It's funny but I'm half serious. There's no roadmap any more. No substantive rumors besides the occasional "something's in the works". No leaks from the sources like OoKU. Only that it's been almost three years since the K-3 Mark III and six years since the K-1 II. What meaning does "digital work won't be affected" have when there's literally no timetable or plans whatsoever about digital work? They can claim it's not affected, and all along the plan was to take 7, 8, 9 years to release a new FF camera.
And, yes, we're all well aware that in the 1970s you used to buy a camera once every 12 or 15 years. That's not relevant to this discussion.
---------- Post added 01-23-24 at 08:23 AM ----------
That would be a great idea if their idea for the future of Pentax is a brand positioned in the space between Lomography and Leica. An ultra-niche throwback lifestyle brand that's abandoned all pretense of competing with Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Fuji, etc. Which necessarily would toss much of the current user base overboard, overtly ceding them to other manufacturers.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
11-22-2023, 05:20 AM
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... only outnumbered by the number of armchair experts.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
11-21-2023, 03:00 PM
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Would you ship from New York to California for developing a roll of film?
The cost would be preposterous.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-30-2023, 04:02 AM
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The 400-600 is likely to be very difficult to use and optically poor, plus only usable in very good light. I have read that the FA is optically not very good either.
It seems like your'e after something cheap and to the best of my knowledge the best autofocus legacy Pentax telephoto zoom is the F 70-210mm f/4-5.6 (SMC Pentax-F 70-210mm F4-5.6 Reviews - F Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database).
I had one a few years ago but it front or back-focused so I never got any good results from it, but others say it's pretty good for a slow consumer zoom. Don't confuse it with the Takumar-F or non-SMC 70-200s which are cheaper versions lacking good coatings.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-29-2023, 07:14 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-22-2023, 03:35 AM
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Sorry, speaking as someone who has wanted a lens in this focal length class in K mount for a long time: I can't think of a valid reason to keep anyone from getting one. It is a superb lens to work with.
Pentax K-1 DFA21 f/2.4 ED ASPH Limited @ f/11 ISO 100 hand blended HDR.
Mediocre isn't a word that springs to mind with the DFA21, but there are plenty of lenses in the 18~24mm focal length class for K mount where mediocre would be an apt word to describe their construction and optical performance characteristics.
Pentax K-1 DFA21 f/2.4 ED ASPH Limited @ f/11 ISO 100 + Lee big stopper ND filter, hand blended HDR.
There really isn't anything else on the market quite like it: at least among the plethora of K mount glass known to exist, not without spending even more money and changing systems entirely. There are plenty of lenses that simply aren't worth the money for the level of performance they offer the DFA21 isn't among them*.
Pentax K-1 DFA21 f/2.4 ED ASPH Limited @ f/2.4 [vignetting is exaggerated here, it isn't actually this bad]
Pentax KP - DFA21mm f/2.4 ED ASPH Limited @ f/2.4
The nearest lenses I can think of are the Samyang 20mm f/1.8 or the the IRIX 21mm f/1.4 Dragonfly - which depending upon your perspective, is a downgrade in physical fit and finish as it is only available in the polycarbonate dragonfly version (no blackstone option though both styles still offer weather resistance). Both the Samyang 20mm f/1.8 and IRIX 21mm f/1.4 are manual focus only lenses, however reports I have heard from students/colleagues on Samyang/IRIX are that there can be pronounced variance in regard to optical quality (centering defects) and operational longevity (build quality) with optics from either manufacturer - such complaints about the DFA21 have been remarkably** sparse.
* at least in my estimation.
** Wider angle lenses are more prone to centering defects because of the complexities in their design and also the curvature of the individual elements that make up the lens.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-22-2023, 04:51 AM
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Sorry (not sorry).
Just buy the damn lens ;)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-21-2023, 07:10 AM
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It is a fantastic lens, which you will enjoy very much!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-21-2023, 06:18 AM
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That makes it very hard to dismiss this desire. I credit the da 15 with getting me to really explore and enjoy wide angle photography.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-21-2023, 05:32 AM
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Your argument makes total sense. I think you just justified purchasing one. The alternative is a zoom, the 15-30. If you want compact and great, the 21mm is the only game in town.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-21-2023, 05:11 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-21-2023, 03:54 AM
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No I won’t. Buy it. It’s fantastic! :D
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-21-2023, 03:53 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-21-2023, 02:35 AM
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It is a lot for one lens but that depends on how much use it will see and keeper percentage.
I talked myself out of it last year by buying a FA* 24mm. So far I’m very happy with the results from the lens.
However… there’s still that nagging pull towards the 21 seeing the images and knowing the build quality of the limited lenses :D
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-21-2023, 02:29 AM
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Thread moved to General Photography
No way I will talk you out of the DFA 21mm Limited, I love my silver copy and highly recommend it. It seems to have the ability to isolate a close subject but still leave enough of the surrounding environment around the subject as well. Best on a full frame camera, however it does work well on the APSC cameras as well ( sorry ).
HD PENTAX-D FA 1:2.4 21mm ED Limited DC WR | Flickr |
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-21-2023, 02:21 AM
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If you're willing to do a bit of quality assurance yourself and are fine with manual focus: Samyang 20mm F1.8 ED AS UMC Lens Reviews - Samyang Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database gets a lot of praise and I have seen excellent results from it. The Irix 21/1.4 seems to have similar QA issues and, being a cine-first design, has unnecessary properties, which makes it very bulky in addition to not being optimized for photographic use, e.g. in terms of flare handling.
That said, the D-FA 21 is a wonderful lens, you'll likely not regret the purchase and use it more than you might think. I finally also ended up at with 43mm as my most use compact 'normal', btw.
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Forum: General Photography
06-27-2022, 12:29 AM
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What he's describing could be caused by a number of things that don't indicate a fault... for example, having lens corrections and other JPEG-related settings enabled; using an SD card with poor performance; two-second shutter delay etc. I would advise him to reset the camera and insert a recent, known-good SD card with decent performance; turn off all corrections from the menus; select JPEG as the file type; and see how it goes from there...
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-08-2021, 04:42 PM
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The mini ranger is a bit small. But it can be done, but you won't be able to put a cell phone in the cell phone pocket. Here's my K-1 with the 43 Limited.
The Ranger easily accommodates the K-1 with the 28-105 on camera with lens hood deployed and another lens. Right now I have the Sigma 28mm macro in it.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-08-2021, 05:59 AM
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Sling bag? My four favourites are (in order)
Peak Design sling. The 6L would be perfect for you, maybe even the 3L. I love those bags, so well made, customizable, able to attach a Capture Clip (invaluable for me).
Mindshift Gear Photocross: the 10L would be good for you, although a bit big, it's very rugged and comfortable.
Wandrd Roam : very comfortable, well made, clever system to include an optional laptop sleeve, close in design to the Peak Design but with a definite Wandrd flair. I'll be selling my 10L soon since I can't justify keeping two slings, but I will regret seeing it go.
Moment Rugged sling : another close to the Peak Design in general principles, nice minimalist approach, tough, rugged.
Stay away from Lowepro, that logo screams camera bag, and I've never been impressed by that company's craftsmanship. Manfrotto makes nice products, but they change them every 6 months, so it's hard to track, and they never seem to hold up to the better ones.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-08-2021, 02:47 AM
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You could buy a padded insert that fits the camera and protects it, and put it inside an old nondescript bag.
I plan on doing this for my K-1 using a well-worm army rucksack I own.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-29-2021, 07:49 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-29-2021, 05:17 AM
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I have the FA 20/2.8 for my K-1. If you don’t mind the weight, the DFA 15-30 is a great lens. I rented one but it was more weight than I wanted to carry.
I already had the Samyang 14/2.8, but I wanted an auto-focus wide-angle lens. The FA 20 is very sharp. It is also small and compact. It does have a fair amount of coma, so it is not good for astrophotography. At times it is a little wider than I would like. When I shot film, I always liked the FoV of my 24 mm lens.
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Forum: General Talk
12-17-2020, 01:50 PM
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Waiting to see if you turn into a zombie....
Kirk B.
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