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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-19-2015, 11:57 AM
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To those of you who actually had some useful information to share, I do appreciate it and thank you.
And for those trolls who couldn't resist being the low-life that they truly are, I'm glad I was able to up your 'post' count a number or two.
Someone asked if the black mark is gone. I don't know. I'd have to put a lens on and process an image. I sold all my lenses. This was a horrible camera and I'd never buy another Ricoh/Pentax product. I was getting ready to sell this camera when I discovered that Precision did a shabby job of fixing it. I posted this as a warning to others who might send in gear to Precision. The camera was in the closet because I was using a far superior camera with much better glass than the Pentax lenses I had purchased, six of them. My neighbor has the same camera and we took off the lens and tried tipping hers in exactly the same manner...and there was no noise.
I was going to sell my K5 and buy an Olympus. I have been using Olympus lenses and they are amazing!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-19-2015, 03:44 AM
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I am aware that Precision's warranty is only 90 days. Let me clarify this sound. when I tilt the camera (gently), there is a noticeable sound of something inside shifting around. My neighbor has the same camera and hers does not make this noise. I do not have a lens on the camera.
If indeed my camera is broken, what I'm questioning here is the competence of the repair. This camera has not been dropped or abused in any way. In fact, it has been sitting in a camera bag, in a closet for the past six months.
I guess I now have a $1100 paper weight.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-18-2015, 05:37 AM
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A few years ago I purchased a K5. Great camera. However, as I photograph in potentially dangerous areas, I like access to my peripheral vision and I went back to using my compose-from-screen camera. Yes, the K5 does have a 'live' feature, but it's not very pleasant to you.
Last year I was out shooting and noticed a black mark on the side of the photos (landscape.) Also I noticed that something inside the camera was moving around as I tilted the camera. The camera was NEVER dropped or banged hard...ever. I had an extended warranty on the camera and sent it in. It eventually ended up at Precision Camera Repair, the go-to for Pentax. I did not get a report of the problem, but talking to a photo repairman, he thought the stabilization mechanics were somehow loose. I got it back and took it out for a session and it seemed to work okay, so into the closet it went as I returned to my screen-shoot camera. Last week I dug out the K5 and as I was lifting it, noticed that noise was again present.
THe repair was out of warranty. Precision told me if I wanted to send it in, repairs would cost me upwards of $370. I can buy a used K5 for less than that. And why would I want to invest that much money sending it back to Precision if they were unable to fix it in the first place???
It's amazing how a $1K+ camera can plummet to being basically worthless.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
09-15-2013, 02:43 PM
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Yes. Zoom Zoom. The RX100 is great but isn't much of a zoomer and I mentioned a few times, I'm all about zoom. I want a second camera for better image quality and I don't want to lug around lenses and constantly change them so I'll be ready with two bodies, two different lenses.
I don't have time to change lenses where I go.
UPDATE
I guess this is a done deal...I just ordered a K-01. I didn't resolve the 'zoom' issue. I'll just have to do the best I can with what I have.
Thanks for all this discussion and I can definitely say this talk was instrumental in helping me decide what I want to do.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
09-15-2013, 08:40 AM
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Thanks for the response.
After posting this I read the full review on the Q camera on our site. Yeah, I know I should have done so before posting. After reading it, I realize the Q camera is not for me.
I own a RX100 Sony and use it all the time for closer images. I agree...a great little camera.
I thought about that Lumix FZ200 (small sensor) and would have probably bought it if it had manual zoom. I really like to compose my images in the camera so I don't have to play around with cropping. As is, I often spend three hours preparing pics after a decent shoot. As is, I have trouble with the RX100 zoom, getting it right where I want it.
I have used a Lumix GH2. It was okay but I was a little disappointed. No doubt the GH3 has some improvements.
Another factor is that I already own some Pentax glass and it seems a shame to only use it on my K5. That's why I thought the Q camera might solve my problems. As I stated, my most recent plan had been to get a K5 II. Lugging around two Pentax DSLR cameras does seem a bit much, though.
I'm not trying to counter your suggestions, and I do appreciate your feedback. I am just explaining further thoughts I've already had and why I didn't pursue some of the options you suggested. I'm definitely not going into Nikon or Canon DSLR as I prefer using Pentax.
I hadn't considered the Pentax K-01 and will do some research on it. Thanks for the lead. It looks smaller and it does have a decent sized sensor, and I could use my Pentax glass on it! The only problem it doesn't resolve is the zoom I require. But still, I'm going to check it out. Thanks again.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
09-14-2013, 04:55 AM
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I got a fresh idea regarding my situation. I have a K5 and wanted to replace my bridge camera and was considering the Fuji X-S1 but hesitated because of the smaller sensor. We discussed this above. I was originally going to sell my K5 and get a K5 II. Then I thought perhaps I would keep my K5 and get an additional Pentax DSLR, a K30, K50 or a K5 II. B&H no longer carries the X-S1 (Fuji) so even if I went back to that way of thinking, it's too late. (I really don't mind because that small sensor size lingers in my mind.) The reason I wanted the X-S1 is for the zoom. And the manual zoom. And the fact I could compose from the LCD. I shoot in a potentially dangerous area (Detroit neighborhoods) and holding a camera to my eye could be seen as intrusive by people in the neighborhood, not knowing what I do. Detroit has 2-3 of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the country.
I don't need the same zoom range on the X-S1 (26X I think) but I do need some good distance. With the K5 1.5 crop factor, I would need some serious long glass to get near that range. I had resigned to bite the bullet (and hopefully not catch one in the head) and go for a K5 II along with my K5, which I have decided to keep. Yesterday I got a fresh idea and I'd like some feedback here.
I never seriously considered the Q series. If I am understanding this correctly (I'm NOT a techie), the Q7 has a decent size sensor, 1/1.7". And it has a nasty little crop factor of over 4x. An adapter is available so I could use my Pentax lenses. A 135mm lens would be a 540mm, a 150 a 600, and that would do me just fine. Does the Q series have decent stabilization? I am currently using a Fuji HS30 for long distance and it really has been a fantastic camera (but small sensor.) Even at long zoom, with slight camera movement, it often hones in and gives me a decent shot, considering the factors here.
How does a Q7 IQ compare to bridge cameras, like the discontinued Fuji X-S1? I won't consider other bridge cameras because I really want a manual zoom and Fuji is the only brand doing that.
Feedback on my latest scheme will be appreciated. I am getting ready to make my move.
Thanks.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-31-2013, 04:28 AM
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thanks. I do expect lens distortion with wide angle and in fact use it in some of my photos. I have the Tamron 10-24mm zoom. I noticed such a drastic difference with my K5 shots compared to the images I get from my bridge cameras. I'm not looking for flat photos with lines aligned to the horizon and vertical lines. I'll be shooting the K5 again and when I get a photo with this problem that really annoys me, I'll upload it here. I do a lot of shooting in Detroit and houses (what's left of them) and buildings are everywhere and included in many of my photos. Flickr: TooLoose-LeTrek's Photostream
Hopefully soon my gallery will be filled with K5 and whatever other Pentax camera I eventually get. It will be really tough leaving the bridge at home because it is really so perfect for what I do, everything except that teenie weenie sensor.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-29-2013, 03:31 PM
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Thanks for the feedback. I read it a few days ago but haven't had time to post a response.
The bridge camera really is so perfect for what I do, but I really want better quality images so I can enlarge them. I've pretty much given up on the idea of the X-S1. As I already said, seeing the comparison of the sensor sizes is something I can't get out of my mind. So I'm going to go it Pentax. I think i'll see if my K5 is more to my liking with the updates and as for a second camera, rather than spend the bucks I don't have, I can spend less bucks i don't have and maybe pick up a K30 so I can have immediate access to two vastly different lenses. I ordered Lightroom 5 today and want to check out the suggestion by Kozlok. I really appreciated hearing from DeeDee who is familiar with the Fuji brand. (DeeDee: Your information really helped me make my decision.)
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-29-2013, 03:24 PM
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Everything looked okay and my camera indicated the update was complete. Thanks.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-27-2013, 05:04 AM
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I've been rethinking my next move and as much as I totally love bridge cameras, when I look at the chart of the sensor sizes...So rather than sell my K5 and buy a K5 II or K5 IIs and a K50, it might be wiser (now that I've updated the firmware in my K5) to keep the K5 and get a K5 IIs. My question now is how the sensors compare in my K5 and the K50. I'm not a techie and I'm trying to get more in-depth information about the sensors. Most of what I read points out it is a CMOS sensor. But how is the new sensor in the K5 II(s) different than what I already have?
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-25-2013, 12:45 PM
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I'm having trouble updating my firmware. I download it just fine and when I try to extract it, I get a msg from the Program Compatibility Assistant telling me that the software might not have installed correctly. I notice that this software appears to be for a 32-bit system and I have a 64-bit computer. Could that be the problem? Also, I get a msg boxing asking me to install a directory from or for the firmware software. I copied it to my memory card which I am accessing through the on-board card reader on my laptop, Windows 7.
I recall trying to update my firmware shortly after buying my camera and when I had problems like this, I just blew off the update.
How can I update my K5 in light of these problems?
Thanks.
Problem solved and I'm out shooting with my updated K5. |
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-24-2013, 03:22 PM
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Thanks for the very rapid reply.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-24-2013, 02:54 PM
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I have a K5 and have never updated the firmware. Do I need to install each one separately?
I have a built-in card reader on my laptop. Will that work for getting the updates onto the memory card?
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-23-2013, 01:15 PM
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Thanks so much for all this useful information. I've wondered why a much cheaper camera with a way smaller sensor could give me less distortion than a much better camera with a significantly larger sensor. If I go with the Pentax solution, I will definitely pick up LightRoom. It seems to handle the distortion problem without much intervention, which is what I need. I already spend hours editing photos after a big shoot and I do that a few times a week.
I must confess, though, that I really enjoy using bridge cameras. They are perfect for what I do, at least the acquiring of the images. However, the Pentax delivers such a better image. If Fuji went to a larger sensor on an upgrade of the X-S1, I would have gone for it, but I spoke with a Fuji technician and he said sales were disappointing on that model and he doubted there would be an upgrade.
I'm thinking the best way to help me decide is to buy LightRoom now and shoot with my K5 and see how it all goes.
Thanks again.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
08-21-2013, 05:39 AM
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I bought a K5 shortly after it was released and when I experienced perspective distortion problems with the camera, and after using the VERY SLOW on-board correction tool, out of frustration and disappointment I put the camera aside and went back to using bridge cameras. I don't have these problems with much cheaper bridge cameras. I am seriously wondering if something might be out of whack with this camera, and unfortunately I do not have any samples to share, though I am planning on doing some comparison photos with my other cameras. Is it even possible that the problem could be in the camera? I really don't have time to spend in Photo Shop making all these adjustments in perspective distortion. I barely have time to go out shooting.
Another problem I have with the K5 is it not firing off a shot after I got the focus confirmation beep. I mostly shoot in aperture mode.
And the focus is not that fast on the K5.
I really like bridge cameras for the type of photography I do, urban shooting in some potentially dangerous areas. But...I want better IQ for enlargements than I can get with my Fuji HS30 or the X-S1 I was considering.
I was thinking of getting a K5 IIs if it improves these problems. After I got my K5, I invested in four other lenses, but unfortunately none of them even get close to the zoom range I have on my Fuji.
Any feedback will be appreciated as I am getting ready to invest in a new camera and I was really excited about getting into the Pentax family.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
02-05-2012, 04:11 AM
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All of this discussion is moot point perhaps because I do not have a burning desire to publish these photos. And I have no interest in giving or selling them to the man who compiled the stuff so he can deface my photos as he sees fit. I was just taken aback a bit when he referred to his ownership of my photos. As best I know, he has no official copyright, and what we're talking about here is found art, collected junk just accumulated in his yard. I'm over simplifying a bit. He had dolls and doll parts, funnels, some wall hangings, all over his yard and I photographed isolated images of various pieces, sometimes creating my own work out of the materials available to me. I visited his 'gallery' often, shooting from a public sidewalk, but one time contacted him and got not only his permission but his vigilance as I took pictures. He liked my photos and whenever I showed them on Flickr, I always not only credited him, but added a link to his own Flickr account.
Does it matter at all that I was (and still am) an amateur photographer and at the time I made the photos had no intentions whatsoever of selling anything?
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
02-02-2012, 04:08 AM
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I only shot ON his property one time, out of many shootings from over his fence, standing on the sidewalk. I can easily figure out what day that was. These photos are not my main interest and while I find them interesting, not ones I want to be remembered as shooting when I'm dead. This man is involved in found art and likes to modify things he finds and I do believe he mentioned his intentions with my photos of his stuff was to create something entirely different, which really doesn't interest me.
Thanks for the feedback on this.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-02-2012, 04:04 AM
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I have this lens, which I purchased to give me more latitude as I do a lot of urban shooting and I notice that I have to adjust many of my photos due to the pincushion distortion, which I think is excessive. I was unaware of this phenomena with this lens and had I to buy it again, I'd pass. I'm satisfied with every aspect of this lens except the above cited. I really don't like spending extra time in Photoshop to fix the limitations of the lens, and the in-camera correction is dreadfully slow. I'm also disappointed that my camera (K5) lacks grid lines which I use for leveling. I know I can buy a different viewing screen but that's not the point. I have owned MANY digital point-n-shoot cameras and have never had the distortion problems this severe as I do with this lens. I think my main problem with it is the TYPE of shooting I do.
Just my fifty-cents.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
01-28-2012, 03:56 AM
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I like to photograph unusual things people place in their living space. A few years back, I met a man who had quite a display of weathered dolls and odd objects in his backyard, in view from the sidewalk. I contacted him and gained his permission to photograph on his grounds. He accompanied me (and watched me like a hawk.) Some of the photos were decent. I do not sell photos but have had some people asking me about prints of some of these shots. In talking to this man at a later time about the photos, he seemed to be indicating that the imagery was his, since he placed the objects in various positions on his grounds. I did not pursue that remark when talking to him. We talked again later and he wants copies of some of the prints, wants to do his own thing with them (he is involved in 'found art' and outsider art projects and sells at a local art flea market.) I didn't follow up with him on this because I am anticipating some conflict on who owns what with my pictures.
We made no formal agreements about what I would do with the photos. I'm curious about your opinions on who owns what under these circumstances.
Thanks!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-25-2012, 05:56 AM
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Here is a photo I took with my Lumix GF2, with no distortion correction. The lines are just the way I want them to be.
Tracks of My Fears | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Had I taken this same photo with my K5, I'd be spending some serious time in PhotoShop getting it to look the way I want, like this.
Yesterday I did engage the in-camera distortion correction and it is making a huge difference, though I must say, it takes quite a while to save files. I haven't shot anything yet with it that I want to post in my Flickr gallery.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-24-2012, 02:24 AM
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I haven't had a chance to go street shooting, but will this weekend. The in-camera correction is the way for me since I compose my shots as I want them and rarely crop. I don't want to have to rethink my shooting habits. I do want to say that I have used the camera in other situations, just bopping around town on foot, and it really is a nice smooth lens.
Just knowing what I experienced is 'normal' helps. I'll report back on the in-camera correction. Thanks again. You all have been very helpful.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-23-2012, 05:35 AM
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Now I'm wondering why I don't have this problem with my Lumix GH2. Perhaps it has to do with the crop factor, the K5 at 1.5X and the GH2 at 2X? Or maybe Lumix has a correction feature installed and by default, on?
Can I expect this same issue with all lenses, Pentax and third party, for this camera?
Thanks for the help on this.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-22-2012, 02:35 PM
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I will try the in-camera correction. The funny thing is I have been using super zooms for a long time and have not had this problem to this extreme. A few of my Canon Power Shot S series (3S IS, S10 IS, S20 IS, and S30 IS (35x optical zoom)) and a Fuji HS10 (30x optical) worked fine for the kind of urban shooting I do.
I'm guessing (and breaking out in a sweat) that the solution is prime lenses or lenses with less zoom range. I don't have the bucks for that solution. I hope the in-camera method works, or at least minimizes it enough so it isn't so bothersome. The lens is very sharp and I was liking it just fine.
As I said before, I don't have this issue with my Lumix GH2 14-140 lens.
Other than one issue I have with my K5 (the memory card lid is too close and the card is really difficult for me to remove...I don't always have a pair of tweezers on me when I'm downloading pics) I am really enjoying this camera a great deal.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-22-2012, 12:27 PM
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I have a K5 and recently replaced the kit lens with a SMC DA 18-135mm lens and I have one heck of a time getting things straight with this lens, straight in the sense of objects I'm photographing. I have been shooting digitally for about nine years and have never had this sort of problem before. Unless I am totally head on straight forward, I cannot get a straight lines. Everything parallel with that line is distorted. I'm talking about shooting at 50-70 meter area. I do realize that any wide angle lines will distort, but I have trouble with this lens throughout the full range. I also shoot a Lumix GH2 and have no problems of this kind with that camera.
Here is a photo I took today. It was from my car, so I would expect 'a little' curve, but I noticed that this has a convex affect at the curb. This is definitely more extreme than any other camera I have used as I am doing exactly the same kind of shooting with my K5 as with the others (11 decent point-n-shooters plus a Canon Rebel XTi.) I was having this same problem also with my 18-55mm kit lens. The problem seemed to arise suddenly.
Could it be my camera?
Here is the photo. Dancin' the Night Away | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
I realize this isn't extreme but I have issues taking just about each shot, never any with my Lumix GH2.
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Forum: Ask B&H Photo!
01-02-2012, 11:42 AM
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Kudos to B&H. I spoke with them this morning and they apologized for the mess up, acknowledged that I am too late for the mfg rebate and said they'd issue me a refund for the amount I would have gotten from Tamron. They'll ship it tomorrow and they upgraded the shipping so I'll have it sooner. I have been a customer of B&H (bought two cameras and 5-6 lenses) and I really appreciate them stepping up to the plate and hitting me a home run, at their expense even.
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