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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
10-03-2016, 04:58 AM
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That's allowed too (it's just a rebadged K20D).
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-31-2013, 02:40 AM
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Nice, first K-50 sighting in the wild. :) And he's very proud and flaunting the camera right at you!
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
08-10-2013, 06:02 AM
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The DA 16-45 is really nice for landscapes.
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Forum: General Talk
12-05-2012, 11:22 AM
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Well as much as I loved my old W60, I finally managed to wear it out last summer... scratches and gouges everywhere and towards the end of my trip to florida last august it started to overexpose everything... sooooo... well.... say hello to my new little friend! :)
The "Iron Man" camera! =D
Pat
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Forum: General Talk
12-04-2012, 11:59 AM
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Congratulations. It's an amazing lens, small, good IQ, and at its price a very good general telephoto. I love mine and still use it instead of the 70-200/2.8 frequently.
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Forum: General Talk
10-25-2011, 08:52 PM
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Two reasons for me. First, I am very particular when it comes to ergonmoics of electronic devices. Second, if I'm going to spend $1000 of my very limited money, I want the gadget I'm buying to be perfect. For me, playing with a friend's K-5 would be enough, but I don't know any other Pentax owners other than the folks here. I will drive to New York when it's time to make the buy unless a used one shows up on the local Craigslist by some miracle.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
10-24-2011, 08:16 PM
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I don't want to get all the way into it but a few years back one of my relatives had the living shiz beat out of him for no reason beyond the fact that his mugger decided it would be fun. He did what you're supposed to do, remained passive and surrendered his wallet and they still hurt him. He now carries a weapon (actually a couple) and anyone who does mess with him is in for a surprise.
Bad people around here don't just rob convenience stores and gas stations in the middle of the night anymore. They don't just take the money and leave you alone. They bust into your business, your home, your car, and they pistol whip you or even kill you just because they feel like doing it. I guess it is drugs most likely, Oxy and meth are huge here, or maybe it's organized crime's influence, but the criminal element in this town has definitely gotten bolder and far more violent these past few years. (I wish they'd just all smoke some weed. At least pot smokers are generally mellow people, unlike meth, Oxy users...)
Used to be someone broke into your house grabbed your Christmas presents from under the tress and scrammed while you were out, but petty theft is definitely giving way to something a whole lot more violent. I keep trying to talk my parents into leaving, but they keep saying it's like that everywhere now. The sad thing is? I suspect they are right. Mayberry just doesn't exist anymore, sigh...
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
10-24-2011, 04:58 PM
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I miss how it used to be in Massachusetts: they were legal to carry, but if you used it, it was a truncheon you'd have to be able to justify the use of. I could live with that.
(The NRA wanted more guns and even knives, but a gal couldn't carry a *stick,* which is actually useful defensively in better ways. Especially if you have some training. I ended up carrying mine anyway a while, (They don't search girls so much.) but even in Texas they were made *so* illegal and I'd already had *so* much police hasslement that I ended up being like, 'It actually *would* be easier to go buy a pistol, ' (And in the interim, going with something less-legal and mostly less-reassuring, but smaller.)
Kind of the opposite of what Jodokast says: they want to dictate everything about my own body but reserve the right to shoot anyone with extended magazines should they so feel like it. :)
Politics aside, sticks really are the thing, though. The ideal solution for photo security would be some kind of stick you can shoot with, or fight with, in a pinch. Some kid was saying to me recently, 'I want a sword-cane,' and I was like, 'Unless you intend to murder someone when they aren't looking, I'd just go with a regular cane.' :)
But, yeah, Mags, especially with all the meth around these days while the cops drive up the price of weed, no messing around when it's about sex, hate-crimes... Or someone's on meth, It's for keeps. . ( People on crack made bad decisions, but they did it *slow.* These meth-heads seem to make bad decisions *fast.* Slow pursuit and be gone or whatever. (Hitting em hard in the leg works great. ) (Also don't carry more weapons than you can retain.)
And, don't think with weapons. If it comes to that, someone's bound to be having a bad night, and it's a good chance that's you.
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Forum: General Talk
10-25-2011, 01:56 PM
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I am totally with you on the handling. I am disabled and if I can't handle it then I can't use it. I need the know how it feels before I put down my money. I knew I wanted the K-r but I needed to know I could hold it and use it. When I bought my zoom I brought my body to the store to make sure I could handle them both. In both cases the only factor was if I could handle it not about my willingness to pay more or my lack of knowledge. I never handled any other camera when I made my purchase because I had done my research and determined the only factor that would have made me rethink my choice was my ability to use it.
I am in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and the two stores that have been great at putting up with me (:)) and relieving me of my cash are Don's Photo and Henry's. There is also another store in town called Independant Photo and I used them before my disability (and in my 35mm days) but I can't climb the stairs to thier second floor location.
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Forum: General Talk
10-25-2011, 01:30 PM
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I like to hold a ${THING} in my hands before I buy one, whether the final purchase is on line or over the counter. No matter how many times you look at pictures of it, or how many reviews you peruse, or how many times you pore over the technical specifications, you cannot tell how it's going to feel in your hands until it actually *sits* in your hands... And, if you find packing something up to return or exchange to be a royal Pain In The A** like I do, then doing the online purchase thing drops way down in desirability...
Some folks are fine with online, others prefer hands-on. Just one of those YMMV things, not necessarily anything to do with our level of understanding or desire to pay more...
Jim (camera was bought by wife as gift, in a good store - Rockbrook Camera in Nebraska. Lenses have been bought both in person and online...)
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Forum: General Talk
10-25-2011, 06:00 AM
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Forum: General Talk
10-25-2011, 02:09 AM
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Bernies Camera in Pgh Pa. Lots of good old camera gear and very good service they folks are great to chat with also.
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Forum: General Talk
10-21-2011, 02:07 PM
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Just stay away from Delaware in the U.S. the only two camera shops we have here are 100 miles from where I live and neither carries Pentax. Also, none of the shops in Philadelphia carry Pentax anymore. If I want to hold a K-5 before I buy one, I have to drive to New York and visit B&H in person.
Thank goodness for the Internet, I suppose.
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Forum: General Talk
10-21-2011, 12:37 PM
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If you end up in the Gothenburg, Sweden, area, the best is Scandinavian Photo (Ågatan in Mölndal), that caters for pros, enthusiasts and amateurs, all treaded with great respect, and very knowledgeable staff. And yes, most of them handle English well enough! Just helped me with my K-5 problems (got a new one without any charge!). You can buy from Scandinavian Photo over the net, too, and their web site is (mostly) in both English and Swedish.
In Scotland I guess Ffordes is the best - I have found their prices decent, and knowledge unsurpassed. They deal mainly in used cameras and lenses, but have new gear, too! Most trade is over the internet.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
10-21-2011, 12:36 PM
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"Personal protection" pistols are more likely to be used on family and friends than on outside attackers, and that's a fact. Especially when the owners have had zero training in firearms use. I'm a trained killer (i.e. ex-soldier). I was on a .45 ACP marksmanship team. I've also trained on and used and owned other personal weapons. And those I've retained are kept broken-down in separate double-locked containers in very secure places. There is NO WAY that I would carry those in public.
Why keep them? Habit. A couple were inherited from ex-police relatives. But I certainly don't see them as useful for personal protection. Every now and then we take them out for target practice. I think in USA, it's good to know (to KNOW! to be TRAINED!) how to handle firearms. And to know (to KNOW! to be TRAINED!) when and when not to possess and use them. Untrained gunowners are like untrained dogs, only worse. We license dogs (and cats!) and handguns should be more restricted.
Possession grants one a sense of power, a delusion of adequacy. Oh yeah, the Equalizer! Being unarmed and vulnerable forces us to keep our senses honed, to anticipate and avoid trouble. If you've gotten yourself into a situation where firepower is the only recourse, you've made some serious mistakes. Pulling a weapon just compounds your f*ckups.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
10-21-2011, 09:36 AM
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Varkie,
It depends on the state. Most states issue some form of permit for a concealed weapon (Illinois excepted). In some states this means only a firearm and in other states it can be any form of legal weapon. Vermont does not issue any permits and all citizens legally allowed to own a firearm are permitted to carry it. At least one state allows open carry of a firearm without permit but if it is concealed you must have a permit. As to the permit process, it generally requires being fingerprinted and having a background check run at both the state and federal levels. In other words, you are checked out by the state police and the FBI. I have had concealed weapons permits in both Florida and Georgia. In Florida until just recently if you were carrying a concealed firearm, say under a jacket, and the wind blows the jacket open so that others could see the firearm, you could be arrested for openly carrying a firearm in public. This was just changed. Also some states have a "shall issue" policy which means if you apply for a concealed carry permit and you pass all the background checks, the state must issue you the permit. Other states like California have a "may issue" policy. This means that if you apply for a permit and know enough important people, are a politician or Hollywood star, you can get a permit but if you are the average person on the street, good luck because you "may" or "may not" get a permit. Only Illinois denies it's citizens at least some avenue of self-protection with no process at all for any concealed weapon.
Now for the really screwy court ruling. In any city/state that requires registration of firearms with the police, convicted felons are exempt from the registration requirement. This is because a convicted felon cannot, by law, own a firearm and if he/she were to register it, they would be incriminating themselves which is a violation of the 5th amendment.
Oh and regarding Tazers, again it varies by state law.
You can go here for more information.
CW
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-19-2011, 01:17 PM
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I thought I might post the page from the user manual so that people can see what I read....
Sorry about the quality chaps, it was taken on my first compact digital camera, an old samsung.
I tried numerous different companies for the DA 55 300mm, and it almost sounds like contempt down the phone, It's as if the word "Pentax" alone is reason enough to take the *iss.
In a weird coincidence Jessops who originally told me "Sorry, dont stock anything, never will" seems to have done a u-turn, and getting hold of one wasn't any trouble at all, with a price of £279, and I didn't have to go and get it either.
In fact they were extremely helpful, or should I say the one person I dealt with was helpful, the manager was only concerned about selling the next Nikon to a new customer.
I did like the look of the Hoya 58mm HRT Circular Polarising & UV Lens Filter - Only £51.99 - SRS Microsystems I also saw this on amazon and thought it seemed to good to be true, B + W 58mm Clear Glass Filter Multi Resistant Coated: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
and also this one, B + W Circular Polarizing Slim Filter 58mm with Multi: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics but the price's are all over the place, anything from £45 to nearly £70 for the same CPL.
Has anyone ever heard of a company called Fotodiox, I only ask because a lot of people seemed to have purchased a kit they make, and the majority reckon there really good, but three filters for under £8, I can't see it myself.
Sorry chaps, but it's taken me three hours to get this posted,.... 6 year old, wash, bed time story, etc etc .... now i've done a refresh and seen the new post's.
mattb123, & rawr, would I be right in saying both of your pics were taken using the 55-300? also would you mind if I ask what camera you used please.... any filters involved?
thanks all,
sadsack
"tried to do a quick reply but kept on getting a token error, whatever that is".......
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-19-2011, 12:25 PM
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No complaints from me about the DAL 55-300 either:
Scarlet Honeyeater w 'Orange Marmalade' grevillea
I am even seeing it new on eBay for about $230USD. A bargain lens. I can live without the quick-shift focus and metal mount. I also use a $5 hood off eBay.
Lightroom and DXO Optics Pro also recognise the lens and have profiles for it, fwiw.
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Forum: General Talk
10-05-2011, 04:24 AM
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I use a Panasonic DMC-FS15 as a point-and-shoot camera and it is nothing short of brilliant. It also does a lot more that just point-and-shoot. I have also recommended other non-DSLR point-and-shoot Panasonic models to friends who are similarly impressed. It is my opinion that Canon and Nikon are only interested in professional DSLRs because their so-called point-and-shoot cameras are below par when compared to Panasonic products and other manufacturers too.
Alan.
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Forum: General Talk
12-13-2008, 06:23 PM
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Well, since you ask. I'll paste my reply from another thread......
I wanted a small pocketable point-and-shoot for those occasions where I did not want to lug the other gear.
It was a toss-up between this and a Panasonic LZ8, and the Nikon S550 was tempting for the size. I ruled out cameras that did not use an SD card. The Nikon did not have optical image stabilization, and the Panny was a bit bulgy due to the AA batteries. So, I decided on this camera after reading a few reviews.
I spent a couple lunch breaks just examining the features and how they interact (some features are limited or absent in certain modes), and went on one outing to have a real-world test.
I have mixed feelings about it.
*Pros:
Compact.
Substantial feel.
Can produce nice images.
Red-eye reduction seems to work well.
Looks like decent editing software (which I've not used).
*Cons:
Has difficulty focusing, particularly in low light, and when digitally zoomed. Digital zoom on any camera is crap so I'm not too worried about it here.
Somewhat slow operation. The screen blanks out for 2 or 3 seconds (or an additional second or two if using flash) as the image is being written to the card. You can't change settings or do anything while this is happening.
Obvious barrel distortion at the wide end of the zoom.
*Quirks (May be good or bad according to your preferences):
Battery charges through the USB cable only, either from your PC's USB or a wall socket. This is convenient, yet it ties up your camera while charging. I got just under 200 shots in the real world, but over 450 at home when testing it. So, your mileage will vary greatly depending on how you are shooting.
Although there is a manual mode (M), you can only choose one of two apertures at whatever focal length you are at. These are normally the maximum and minimum available apertures. Though these choices really are sufficient, control freaks may be disappointed.
Continuous shooting is available in 2 modes, "continuous" and "shutter capture". "Continuous" is what most people think of but only about 1 shot per second (pretty slow). "Shutter capture" is a snappy 6 shots per second for a maximum of 5 seconds for a total of 30 shots. This is great performance - except the images are only 640 x 480 pixels, barely 4 x 6 inches at full size. The screen blanks out during all the shooting.
Exposure bracketing. This can be a great feature as it gives you three exposure choices. However, the difference is only 1/3 of a stop each way which is not very noticeable. It should be at least 1/2 stop (or more) either way to be useful, as editing software can adjust 1/3 stop easily. Also, the camera takes 3 shots in a row and the LCD will be blank during all of it, about 9 seconds.
The self-timer has some neat options such as taking 2 consecutive shots at a time (so you don't have to run back to the camera to "do" another one), or motion-detection that waits for everyone to settle down. However, once the shot is taken, the camera reverts to the normal mode. If you want to take a series of nights shots on a tripod with the self-timer to minimize blur, for example, you will have to set the self-timer each time.
Movie mode has a high-res option, yet at a reduced frame-rate so it may appear slightly choppy. You can zoom while filming, which is a plus. But, I can't get any sound when played on my desktop PC, though it is audible when played in the camera or on my laptop.
The user manual is on a PDF file. However, there is a dedicated "mode" on the dial that is a help guide. There is a printed quick-start quide to get you going, and as most the options are pretty straight-forward, you should not have a big problem operating the camera.
For a basic camera, I think it is OK, with a few good features. For anything advanced, you might think it is missing a few features. If it had a viewfinder, I would probably give it another star because the blank screen would be less of an issue as you could still accurately frame the subject.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-19-2011, 09:46 AM
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I had this same behavior with an older non P-TTL flash (AF220T) -- always fires the first time, but very sparsely after that. If I put it in X-sync mode on my K20D, it fires correctly every time. Since I paid $20 for the flash, I'm happy that it works in any mode at all. :)
Hope that helps.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-18-2011, 10:15 PM
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I suggest resyncing the connection before heading out so that the communication channel is set properly. It might be as simple as one or the other getting set to the wrong channel somehow. You have 25% chance of getting it right if you don't do the sync routine. It only takes a few seconds. - Camera off
- Flash off
- Mount flash
- Turn on Camera
- Turn on Flash
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-20-2011, 04:47 PM
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I just use a water dampened cloth to clean my cameras on the rare occasions that i clean them. It works for me.
I have no idea what is used at the factory, but I would hope that the equipment is coming off the assembly line clean anyway.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-20-2011, 05:26 PM
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What Wheatfield said. But if that didn't work, diluted regular kitchen detergent with toothbrush will do wonder. Alcohol is great for lens mount contacts, not for rubber though.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-20-2011, 08:13 PM
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Not from experience with cameras--but have you tried glycerine.
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