Forum: Photography Articles
09-14-2008, 04:32 AM
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You'll need a blank CD and CD writing program.
You need to create a CD and label it S-SW55. The disk can have anything you want on it. PPL 3.51 will ask for the disk and once your S-SW55 disk is inserted, it will continue on with the install.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Lens Clubs
12-25-2009, 10:45 PM
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I don't take great photos, not even good photos, but I want to play. Sigma 10-20mm f4-5.6
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
05-14-2009, 02:12 PM
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I would like a cure for cancer, but I suppose then the question would then be, "have you had cancer"?
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
12-24-2009, 05:11 PM
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Remote F on a neck lanyard. Attachment 50151 Attachment 50152
Notch the bottom plastic below the screws and then loop the thread around the top of the battery fence. I used a small piece of tape to hold the thread in place to make reassembly easier. Took about five minutes.
I also keep another remote in my card case.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Photography Articles
03-04-2010, 03:02 AM
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Another method for installing is by just renaming a SD card in a reader with S-SW90. You be prompted for the CD, just click OK and install will proceed.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-13-2010, 05:30 AM
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You need two external flashes to use all the features of the Pentax flash system.
The least expensive way to go is with the Metz 48 AF-1 as the flash you carry around day to day, and a Sigma 530 Super to use it when you want the features or need the power the on board flash can't provide.
The reason you want the Metz AF-1 is that there are only three P-TTL flashes that can disable their auto power off feature, the Metz 48 AF-1, the Metz 58 AF-1, and the Pentax 540 FGZ. You'll want to be able to disable the power off feature because you'll eventually want to use the flash with radio triggers.
The reason you want the Sigma 530 Super is because the Metz 48 AF-1 can only be used as a wireless slave. The Sigma 530 Super can be a wireless master, controller, and slave.
Neither the Sigma 530 Super nor the Metz 48 AF-1 have a wireless manual mode. Besides the range, and the ability to work in more environments, you'll want to use radio triggers to provide this missing wireless manual mode.
The total cost of the Metz 48 AF-1 and the Sigma 530 Super together is about the cost of a single Pentax 540 FGZ, or a single Metz 58 AF-1. As the on board flash doesn't support HSS, a single flash solution leaves out being able to have a shutter speed higher than the sync speed of the camera. The range of P-TTL wireless is extended with the power of the flash providing the wireless. The Sigma 530 Super is much more powerful than the on board flash.
As both the Sigma 530 Super and the Metz 48 AF-1 both will work as wireless slaves, you can use the two flashes with the on board flash as master/controller. This really expands your lighting options.
So what do you give up by going this route? The more expensive flashes obviously have more power, they also have an Auto mode, and in the case of the Pentax, a wireless manual mode and backwards compatibility for use on a film camera. If I had the money, sure, I would like a dual Pentax 540 FGZ setup. I don't so went with the two lessor flash set up. I actually ended up with the Pentax 360 FGZ and the Metz 48 AF-1, but that is just because I found the 360 for less than I would ever find the Sigma 530 Super for.
You can read Matt's guide to get the rest of the details, but hopefully this posts gives you some idea of why the features or lack of features of each flash is important to consider.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
09-29-2010, 11:34 AM
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Around $200 Outex
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-27-2010, 03:38 AM
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I'm just pasting the whole list, includes some lenses not under discussion, just to make it easier for people to find the info in the linked web page Pentax Canada - Historical & Discontinued Lens: Date Introduced
SMCP FA 77/1.8 Limited: Nov. '99
SMCP-FAZ 100-300/4.7-5.8: Feb. '00
SMCP-FA MACRO 200/4 ED: Sep. '00
SMCP-FA 43/1.9 Limited(silver): Nov. '00
SMCP FA 77/1.8 Limited(silver): Nov. '00
SMCP-FAZ 24-90/3.5-4.5 AL-IF: Jan. '01
SMCP-FAZ 28-105/3.2-4.5 AL-IF: Mar. '01
SMCP FA 31/1.8 AL Limited(silver): May '01
SMCP FA 31/1.8 AL Limited(silver): May '01 CIPA:Interchangeable Lens http://www.cipa.jp/english/data/pdf/s_200912.pdf
2009 Interchangable lenses shipped
Japan 1,822,389
Europe 5,797,860
Americas 4,601,940
Asia 3,418,793
Other 453,840
Looks good right, but look at the numbers for just 135 format lenses
Japan 297,357
Europe 1,198,608
Americas 1,281,404
Asia 1,093,213
Other 106,313
Percent wise there is a lot less market for 135 format lenses and when you consider Pentax's market share ...
Japan 16.32%
Europe 20.67%
Americas 27.84%
Asia 31.98%
Other 23.43%
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
07-27-2010, 09:28 PM
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I came across this today on ebay. If the QR plate doesn't rotate with a heavy lens, this would solve the issue of having to remove the mount and thus, if you are willing to use a little Loctite, the issue of the mount unexpectedly working loose. Looks like it has lugs for a hand grip/strap as well. US $39.99, so not too expensive, less than some dedicated QR plates from Kirk, RRS, ...
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-16-2010, 01:35 PM
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Did the dog or cat pee on it?
I tend to hand wash my bags, but if I was going to machine wash a bag, I would take the bag to a laundromat that has front load washers. This tumbles the clothes like a dryer instead of agitating them. This will prevent the straps from getting tangled in the machine and possibly ripped out of the bag or damage the machine. If you are worried that the material on the bag might wear in washing, you could always throw the camera bag in another larger duffel bag to be washed. It might take a number of washings this way though.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
09-12-2010, 07:30 AM
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You might look at the Cotton Carrier holster. My point of choosing it over the B-grip can be seen at about 59 seconds in this video.
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYGU27w4RLE[/YT]
Unlike the B-grip, the Cotton Carrier can be used with a number of belts, padded tactical/photo belts, or your standard hold up you pants, belt. It has a Velcro flap as well as a belt loop. Even though it has a belt loop, I've never used it, instead, I use the easy to get on and off flap. This is a personal preference only, and I have no experience with the B-grip, so this might not actually be much of an issue.
I have a QR plate on my camera and so to use the Cotton Carrier when I'm using a tripod, I attach the Cotton Carrier mount to a QR clamp. I actually just use the clamp to get the camera off and on the Cotton Carrier, instead of the included mount. It's two handed, but it works for me. When I'm not going to be using a tripod I simply remove the QR clamp and mount the Cotton Carrier directly to the QR plate. It really helps to have bought a QR plate with an auxiliary tripod mount in it. I'm not sure about proprietary QR plates, but all the arca style plates I've bought have this, except the little round one I posted above that is in the other thread. Always an exception. :( At some point I'll buy another Cotton Carrier mount so I can just leave the mount attached to the QR clamp. They are $30 each and I have other things to buy first.
Anyway, another option to look at.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
09-10-2010, 02:29 AM
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If I don't have a rocket blower in my bag, I will have a big glob of something in every shot, without fail. As the Rocket blower I bought is a bit large, I have taken to pulling the nozzle out of the bulb and turning it around in the bulb to make it a little more compact for transport. The issue with this, of coarse, is when you want to use it, you have to put it back together, and that can be a pain when you are working out of a bag. I finally decided it was time to find a better solution.
I started with a cheap $3 Ebay Blower.
There are three parts to the front of the blower. By arranging the nozzle in the rear of the plug instead of the front, the nozzle becomes more compact, making the overall bulb more compact.
The nozzle backwards in the plug.
Doing this I noticed I could push the nozzle in and out of the bulb. The only issue being that I could push the nozzle completely into the bulb if I wasn't careful. To prevent this, I added a gaffers tape brake to the top of the nozzle.
Pulling the nozzle out of the bulb for use.
So this is the size advantage for transport. The ebay bulb is smaller to begin with and with the nozzle collapsed, it is smaller still.
So far there haven't been any issues with this, so I'm pretty happy with it. I need to find a small flat hard case to store the bulb in so that it is as compact as possible. I've tried a Velcro tie wrap around the bulb to keep it deflated, and that kind of works, but I really would like the whole thing to be flat instead of bunched up. I should also note that the bulb is still usable when it the collapsed position. I can just grab it to quickly blow off a filter or lens without having to extend the nozzle.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-19-2010, 10:29 AM
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Sensor heat is a function of how long a sensor stays active. To work around the issues heat build up causes, the sensors have to have some type of heat sync to move the heat away from the sensor. This really isn't important for Canon or Nikon because a little more robust heat sink is just a little more space and weight for their bodies. With in camera stabilization that extra weight reduces the effectiveness of the stabilization. Neither the K-x nor the K-7 boosted an increase in SR performance, the first bodies with SR not to do so. That's a pretty high cost, in my opinion, for a feature you are willing to tell people simply to ignore.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
08-16-2010, 01:01 PM
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If you want a sling, you might also consider the LowePro Classified Slings, 100 and 200. They are designed better than the Slingshot series in my opinion. It is hard to beat the Kata 3N1 for its dual strap setup, however.
I think it is better to size a bag for what you normally carry, and add accessory lens cases for longer lenses when needed. Having a separate lens case for your large heavy lens means you can get the lens off of the bag to leave it somewhere when not needed, but still leave them protected. I think the 150-500mm will also come with a case that will work at no extra cost.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
07-13-2010, 02:27 AM
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Intel's X4500, G43/45 chipset, and the ATI 4250 have about the same performance. I don't think you will notice much difference between the two systems you specified even though they seem so dissimilar. Memory over CPU, screen over storage, per price point, has always been my priorities. I also google for known issues and read reviews looking for hardware issues.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
07-28-2009, 01:22 PM
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Slave 2 mode - Set the flash to wireless.
- Set the wireless slider to slave.
- Press and hold the light button until Slave 1 appears on the LCD.
- Press the S button to set slave 2 mode.
- Press the light button to exit the screen.
The flash is now in optical slave mode.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
06-22-2010, 06:05 PM
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You probably should stop thinking in terms of weight and instead focus in on torque. Depending on the lens, a good chunk of the weight can be more than three inches away from the camera body. Once the camera is off axis, even that little two to three inch neck on the ball head introduces torque.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
05-18-2010, 03:27 AM
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You must have the Nikon version. The second flash is triggered by the metering turning itself off. You set the metering to a longer time, 30 second maximum, to lessen this.
This happens with the Nikon version. If you look closely at the green LED on the trigger when metering is active, you will notice the flicker. I think if you hit the shutter when the green LED is lit, everything works. If you hit the shutter during a flicker, you hit the delay and the shutter is closed on the camera.
If you set the camera to 1/3 stops you can get 1/160 sync.
There is a second pin active on the flash triggers. This is needed as the receiver is supposed to wake up the remote flashes when needed. The second pin is what activates receivers and thus the flashes putting them into an "I'm ready" mode. . This second pin isn't active on the sync cord, but then you hit the shutter speed limit as the receiver isn't in its ready mode. At one time I thought I was getting 1/180 with the Canon version of the trigger, but it is the same as the Nikon version, 1/160 is as good as it gets unless you modify the button on the trigger so that it is always at half press.
I've heard on the Canon and Nikon systems all this works very well. On Pentax cameras however, the triggers don't live up to their potential. I personally don't think they should be sold as advertised for Pentax cameras. They really don't work on Pentax cameras correctly.
Thank you
Russell
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-28-2010, 03:08 PM
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Three year extended warranty plus one year standard warranty. It is just is a lot of money for me to spend without a safety net.
I hope it hits the market soon, not that I will be buying right away, just that that is when the clock starts ticking to the time the street price stabilizes. The Sigma 50mm f1.4 is around $500 now, I expect the 85mm f1.4 to be around that at some point.
Thank you
Russell
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