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Forum: Winners' Showcase
04-27-2021, 02:22 PM
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Shot from a boat, multiple frames stitched. ISO 800 1/250s, 28-105mm
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Forum: General Photography
12-14-2019, 07:58 PM
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Pentax K1, Pentax 15-30 and some older Pentax MF and AF lenses. I use the K1 primarily for nightscapes and astro shooting. My backup system is SONY a7III with Sigma Art 24-105 and Canon and Pentax adapters. I use the SONY for shooting when fast AF is required, 4K video and when I'm pretty confident the image will never be printed beyond 30" or so wide. Until recently I owned a Lumix GH4 and several Olympus lenses. Back in film days I shot medium format film with a Pentax 67 and later a Pentax 645N. I also shot large format film for a number years. I was never satisfied with 35mm film quality. That period in my life lasted about two years. I shot Canon digital until the release of the Pentax K5 and then made the switch back to Pentax, shooting the K5, K3, 645D and Z. Now retired I no longer have a need to create mural size images and I've been extremely pleased with my K1. I've never shot a modern era Nikon.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
07-04-2016, 09:36 AM
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Here is a tip that some Pentax video shooters may not be aware of. If you subscribe to Adobe Cloud, you can dramatically improve the image quality of Pentax-captured video. First, before a shoot, in your camera menu settings, reduce contrast, saturation and sharpness. This will improve dynamic range of your captures but the images will look flat and lifeless on your viewfinder or played back from the camera. That is precisely what you want.
Import the clips into Adobe Photoshop CC 2015 (Adobe Cloud version). Highlight the clip as a Smart Object. Under Filters, click on Camera RAW. This will bring up the clip in Adobe Camera Raw. You then have all of the important adjustment capabilities of camera RAW. You can fine tune sharpening, color, contrast, hue, dodge, burn, etc., to a degree unmatched in camera or in other simple editing software.
Once you have the clip to your liking, under File, click on Export, then Render Video. It will take a while! Go have a coffee or beer because a 20 sec clip may take anywhere from a minute or two or ten, depending on the horsepower of your computer. If you're putting together a 10-15 minute video, you could several hours of work ahead of you in grading the clips. But the result will be far better video than you may have thought possible and pretty much a match for any stand alone grading software. Then assemble the various clips in your final editing software for addition of titles, transitions and final output to disc, YouTube, etc.
Also, the latest versions of Adobe Premiere also include Adobe Camera Raw and it works more quickly and efficiently but with a steeper learning curve.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-16-2019, 03:32 PM
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I agree with your comments regarding core video shooting/editing skills. That said, apply those skills to a 4K video shot on a SONY a7III or a Panasonic GH-5, do the playback on a LG OLED display, and you'll know why I have zero interest in shooting video with my K1.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
05-07-2016, 08:59 AM
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Looking closely at the D810 RAW file on DPR, some of the 'detail' I see in the area of the etching and the currency is moire. The D810 file seems to have far more moire artifacts than the 645Z or the K1 (in either Standard or Pixel Shift mode). If you compare the K1 and the Phase IQ 180 files, the K1 is a match. I can see the K1 becoming a sales success in the area of studio and architectural photography, as well as landscape work.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-07-2018, 11:45 PM
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I own both. In terms of absolute image quality, the K1 is simply better, but I'm still able to make 40" wide prints with the SONY that are excellent. I added the SONY to provide 4K video and to provide a FF backup to the K1. My GH4 delivers great video, as well, but doesn't deliver still image quality that I want for a back up, and is poor in low light. All that said, the SONY lacks some key features the K1 delivers including a builtin intervalometer, GPS, pixel shift and of course, higher resolution.
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Forum: General Photography
08-23-2018, 09:02 AM
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Linn designs and markets more than just turntables, including streaming network players. Pentax needs to do more than produce DSLRs unless they want to be relegated to serving only hobbyists. The real issue, unfortunately, is that Ricoh can't or won't, fund the Pentax brand to bring products to market on a timely basis and provide marketing and technical support they deserve.
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
07-05-2018, 07:19 PM
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In the closing comments of their review of the Leica SL, the following comment:
"The SL is among the best-built cameras I've had the pleasure of using, right up there with the likes of a Nikon D5, Canon EOS-1D X II or Pentax K-1."
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
08-18-2018, 03:18 PM
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I recently bought an A7III to augment my K1. I'm perfectly happy with my K1 for the foreseeable future. But after spending time with my SONY, I'm convinced the future is mirrorless. Several of my Canon and Nikon friends have recently switched to SONY. Where I live here in Hawaii, I see more and more tourists with Olympus and SONY gear hanging around their necks. Ricoh/Pentax will be catering to a diminishing demographic if they continue with a DSLR-only product lineup. That comment will make some here angry and defensive, but it's the truth. Pentax owners barely sustain the brand at this point. In my opinion, Pentax needs a FF mirrorless system to go along with the K1II. Upgrade the K1II to the SONY 42 meg sensor, improve video, buffer, FPS, etc. Just as SONY, and Canon and Nikon, offer both models.
Pentax has among the best ergonomics, menu systems, available. It shouldn't be rocket science to develop a mirrorless body that offers superior ruggedness and weather resistance. A mirrorless design should also include a new mount design to allow adaption of third party FF mirrorless lens. It's time to move past the K-mount.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
07-03-2018, 10:15 AM
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The SONY a7III was likely ranked so high for the same reasons it's been ranked high by many other reviewers. It's a combination of AF speed, FF, outstanding S/N and DR, superb 4K video and bang for the buck. Plus you can use any number of various AF and MF lenses with adapters. And SONY has finally improved out of camera JPG processing. I own it, as well as a K1, and they are both excellent cameras for different purposes. And FWIW, the a7III, aside from being an inconsequential 6 megapixels short of the Canon 5DIV, outperforms it on S/N, DR, likely AF speed and 4K video performance, not to mention being about a $1,000 less in cost.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
08-08-2018, 09:23 PM
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Consider a used Panasonic GH4. It's a four year old design, quite affordable used, far better video than any Pentax, records 4K as well as 1080, and has unlimited record time.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
08-07-2018, 06:46 PM
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I live in Hawaii and I've done many helicopter and fixed wing flights. 1/1000 will be marginal and some shots will likely be blurred. I always shoot auto ISO, shutter priority at least 1/2000 second.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
07-09-2018, 03:24 PM
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I own both the a7III and a K1. They each have strengths absent from the other. For landscape, astro, high resolution images for large prints, the feature set of the K1 is superior. The a7III offers IQ that equals or rivals any other 24 meg sensored body available. It also delivers superb video as well as outstanding tracking AF for stills and video. It doesn't offer any of the astro capabilities of the K1, not even interval shooting or time lapse without an external intervalometer. For video and more casual shooting the a7III has essentially replaced my GH4.
I won't try to shame anyone regarding size and weight of travel kits, and suggest a gym membership. It's becoming more and more difficult to travel with a large assortment of lenses and a couple of bodies, now that TSA in the US is requiring camera gear to be inspected just as laptops and other electronic devices. A real PITA.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
07-02-2018, 03:55 PM
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I've owned both the D and Z bodies, as well as the 645N body from film days. When I look back at my D raw files I see a color balance I really like very much. The Z images seem a bit more sterile. Ask yourself what you want to shoot with either. There are no reasonably priced ultrawides for the D/Z. If you want to do any nightscapes, the D is limited in terms of high ISO performance vs the Z. That said, either will deliver more resolution than 645 film unless it's scanned with the very best scanners and by an expert operator.
I actually sold my Z recently, finding for my purposes, including night sky work, my K1 meets my needs.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
06-01-2018, 10:08 AM
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DPR turned the K1/K1 II comparison into click bait and Pentax bashing. It's apparent to me, comparing ISO 12800 images and far above the midrange ISO area, in my opinion, the K1 II not holds its own in real world resolution but generates less noise in the RAW file. Much ado about nothing so far as the noise issue is concerned.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-08-2018, 08:38 AM
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DPR caters to the gear head crowd, first and foremost. Like high end audiophiles who never attend live music concerts to develop a frame of reference, DPR readers tend to be pixel peepers who spend their time online and in front of their computers rather than out taking pictures.
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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
05-06-2018, 09:39 AM
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E6 slide film has a different look than c41 negative film. I'm not sure that you can expect to ever obtain the same exact look. Velvia has limited dynamic range and while very sharp for a slide film, part of its apparent sharpness is a result of its high contrast. It's very difficult to recover shadow detail from Velvia. I looked at the specs of your scanner and it is an entry level scanner with a lower DMAX rating than other scanners that Epson produces. Although I no longer shoot film, I owed an Imacon/Hasselblad film scanner for years, and it gave far better results than several Epson flatbed scanners that I owned. A dedicated film scanner will likely get you closer to the results you're looking to achieve.
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Forum: Video Recording and Processing
05-03-2018, 12:51 PM
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I've never had any illusions that Pentax would ever produce a camera with serious video capabilities. As much as I've used Pentax medium format film cameras and DSLRs, I've always turned to other brands for video applications. Even Canon and Nikon fall behind what SONY and Panasonic have achieved.
I recently purchased the A7III and I'm using my Pentax lenses with it, with a K to E mount adapter. The results are stunning. Shooting at 24 fps, the image is captured internally at 6K and downsized to 4K. Even at ISO 20,000, it yields amazingly good stills and ISO 10000 for video is quite respectable and far better than what I've managed with my Panasonic bodies. Realistically, aside from an occasional need for a high res image file or some night sky work, I really have far less need of a K1. The fact may be hard to accept but the A7III offers a combination of fast focusing, ultra low noise stills as well as superb video, that make it about the best all-in-one body I've ever used. Mileage may vary for others.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-18-2018, 03:27 PM
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Likewise. I wanted to expand my video shooting capabilities as well as being able to use some Canon lenses, without having to get back into Canon bodies. I pre-ordered a SONY A7III. I'm not moving away from the K1 for higher resolution landscape and astro shooting at this point. I don't want to be part of the nonsensical "Pentax is doomed" crowd. However, Pentax would be smart to consider developing a mirrorless body with a 24 meg sensor, with their astro and PS functions, along with 4K video capability. I won't hold my breath.
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Forum: General Photography
03-14-2018, 11:14 AM
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If I recall correctly, the show is underwritten by Canon Australia, hence the use of Canon gear.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
03-13-2018, 01:03 PM
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A used medium format film camera and film/processing may be initially much cheaper than digital medium format but the costs will quickly add up when high resolution film scans are added to the mix. Flat bed scans will not cut it if you're trying to maximize resolution that medium format film is capable of delivering. You will want drum scans or at the very least scans from a Hasselblad/Imacon type of scanner.
Pentax 645 lenses are once again very cheap on the used market. A Pentax 645D is about $2K used, delivers excellent color and ISO performance is very good even at ISO 800 and acceptable at 1600. That would be my choice of the route to take if I planned to get into medium format again, which I don't.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
02-23-2018, 09:21 AM
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I would say a two stop improvement in noise performance is more important than pixel shift improvements to those of us who shoot landscapes/ night sky. If all of your Pentax gear suddenly refuses to do the job for you, sell it and move, stop whining.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
11-05-2017, 01:00 PM
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Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes. My observations have been using primes for comparisons, grading in post, not in the cams, and editing on a 30" 2.5K display and 55" 4K display. The differences were dramatic enough for me that I would never place a K1 1080 clip adjacent to a GH4 1080 clip, much less a 4K clip.
And FWIW, a workstation costing thousands of dollars is not necessary to edit 4K footage effectively. My 2012 vintage Mac Pro with 24 gigs of memory with an upgraded nVidia video card with Cuda drivers and Premiere Pro, works just fine.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
10-05-2017, 11:09 AM
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I owned the 645D, now the Z, and I look back at the RAW files from the D and in my opinion they hold up against almost anything currently available, when used below ISO 800. I've shot wildlife, handheld, with the D at ISO1600 in Zion National Park and the results were excellent. The colors do have a look that are hard to duplicate with the Z. This same opinion is shared with a couple of other photographers I know who have also owned both bodies.
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Forum: Video Recording and Processing
08-20-2017, 05:11 PM
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The K1 is certainly capable of delivering video that is more than acceptable to many people. I certainly see a lot of cell phone video, shot vertically instead of horizontally, that is poor quality when viewed on a conventional large screen set, and inferior to K1 video. I also find the K1 video superior to video clips I shot years ago when I owned a 5Dmk2, and everybody was raving about its video quality at the time. However, SONY and Panasonic have advanced the performance levels of HD and UHD in consumer and prosumer camera bodies beyond anything Canon, Nikon, much less Pentax, are delivering at this point. If I want to shoot video I use my GH4 simply because my K1 won't even come close.
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