Forum: Pentax Q
06-24-2011, 02:41 AM
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seems to me that most people's concerns about the Q are
(I) the price (which will come down after launch)
(II) the small size of the sensor and the potential negative impact that will have on image quality, particularly noise, DR and control of dof.
Perhaps we should all have a more open mind and just wait and see how this back illuminated sensor performs in reality - I suspect that it could be much better than many fear. The fact that they offer iso 6400 surely tells that they have confidence in its low light abilities.
The bokeh control option may also work well and solve concerns about dof.
Let's not kill this thing before its even hit the streets. It may actually be far more fun and perform better than many expect.
Oliver
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-02-2011, 04:49 AM
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thanks for the advice everyone.
To answer the questions above. I currently use the fa35 as my most common walk around lens. The idea would be to replace that with the da40. I'd then switch to the 21 if I wanted a wider view or the 70 for something closer. As for other lens I also have the 18-55 and 50-200 and the sigma 10-20 which I all plan on keeping for time being as a convenient zoom option across the range if I need it. But most of the time I do prefer using primes.
The only real thing holding me back is that I will be losing some speed if I move to the da primes .
1 stop from fa 35 to da 40
1/2 stop from k24 to da 21
1/2 from m85 to da 70
But on the lure of the da primes is their quality, that they are good wide open and more compact and completely compatible with a modern body.
Oliver
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
06-02-2011, 01:32 AM
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I know that ultimately its up to an individual to make their own choices about what's right for them but I am really struggling to reach a decision over an idea I have in my mind and I was hoping to gather some opinions of wisdom from the forum.
Over the past few years I've built up a collection of old lenses (various k and m and fa primes, mostly) as it was a way an affordable way of getting some fast lenses when starting out on a limited budget. The lenses in question are the k24/2.8, m50/1.7, m85/2, fa35/2 and a couple of old tokina zooms 20-35/2.8 and 28-70/2.8. My current body is a k-x.
All have served me well but I'm trying to come up with a more portable system that will be easier to take out and travel with. In particular, while I do love the build quality of the k and m lenses they are not that convenient to use -- only in m mode with stop down metering, no AF, no compatibility with PTTL flash etc. And neither the Tokina or FA are compatible with automatic CA or lens distortion correction.
Now, I've done some calculations and realized that if I sell them all along with old k100d body it would almost exactly match the second-hand price of a trio of limiteds (da 21, 40 and 70) based on prices at my local camera store. This would then give me a lightweight and compact wide, normal-ish, and tele that along with my k-x could always be with me.
So the question is does this make sense? Would you do it ?
Oliver
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-14-2011, 03:50 AM
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I also have the sigma 10-20 and a k-x and I find that focus is problematic in certain circumstances
a) at the widest angles of view i.e. around 10-12mm focal length.
b) when the object is very close, i.e near the minimum focus distance
c) in dim or unnatural lighting.
I've found that the best way around the problem is either to use live-view contrast detect focus or zoomed-in manual focus in difficult situations or to simply stop the lens down to f11 so that the depth of focus makes everything in focus anyway.
I agree with the other poster that checking for severe asymmetry in the image sharpness is important.
Oliver
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-13-2010, 11:11 PM
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-03-2010, 06:46 PM
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K100d is a truly great camera.
I definitely recommend upgrading the glass before the body.
Pairing it with a good lens such a prime or a higher-spec zoom will definitely produce images of very high quality that rival more expensive bodies for reasonable print sizes, e.g up to 8x10 in my opinon. I've recently upgraded to the k-x but there's not a big difference in image quality unless you're working at iso 3200 or above, or need to print big or crop heavily. Indeed at iso 200, I probably prefer the output from the k100d.
Oliver
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-25-2010, 02:42 AM
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Thanks Alan, given that the camera is immaculate condition (I hardly think that its been used) it does all seem v strange.
Given that its my understanding that there should be a shim under the focus screen, and I can't see one I'm hoping that this is the cause as I could try and fix it with some carefully cut paper (I'm assuming that original parts will be hard to come by).
However, if its 1,2 or 5 on your list then its going to be a job for a trained specialist.
PS thanks for the tip about checking manual focus, I don't have a loupe but I may have a magnifying glass lying around somewhere.
Oliver
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-25-2010, 02:01 AM
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A while back I rescued a MZ-3 from my office where it was going to be thrown away and its been sitting around at home begging to be used.
Yesterday I finally got round to sticking a couple of CR2s and a roll of neopan 1600 into it and put my FA35 on the front. I quickly noticed that the autofocus and manual focus were at completely different positions, suggesting that something is wrong. In particular, the manual focus point is at a far shorter distance than autofocus.
Any ideas what could be going on? (yes, I have adjusted the diopter to suit my eyes!)
Without developing the film is there anyway of knowing whether its the AF or MF which is faulty?
My suspicion is that the AF is ok, but the optical path to the viewfinder is for some reason incorrect. I did briefly remove the focusing screen and couldn't see any kind of shim underneath and I'm wondering if that's the reason?
I'll know more when my first roll is developed but they may all be blurred.
Oliver
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
02-05-2010, 03:08 AM
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I'm looking for a small ball head for a lightweight travel tripod and came across this KS-0 head from the firm Gadget Infinity which is (in)famous for its cactus flash triggers. I'll mostly be using primes or light-weight zooms, mostly likely nothing more than 2kg in total.
First impressions suggest that this is a cheap copy of far more expensive designs.
Has anyone used one?
Junk or good value?
Oliver http://www.gadgetinfinity.com/...t.php?productid=16988&cat=260&page=1 |
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
12-09-2009, 11:26 PM
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Here are my thoughts:
1) from a noise only point of view, a long exposure at a low iso will usually be better than a high iso shot. It will not only look cleaner but will also have a better dynamic range.
2) However, you may only be able to adopt this low iso approach and the resulting long exposure if you have a tripod and/or its a static subject where motion blur won't be a problem.
Often the motivation of raising iso is one of necessity to either get a faster shutter speed e.g. shooting sports inside or getting more depth of field. In these cases you often don't have another option.
I apologize in advance if you know all this already.
Oliver
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-25-2008, 03:48 AM
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Well I'm very happy with my budget and compact set-up of sigma 10-20 (Landscapes, architecture, interiors etc) + FA 35/2 (general walk around, low light, bokeh, super sharp) and DA 50-200 + raynox 150 (head-shots, macro, close-ups).
I find that this covers everything I need with 3 lenses that are not too big or expensive. The exception would be a wedding when you need the flexibility of a mid-range zoom.
While I've often thought of adding a 18-55, 16-45 or 17-70 I really don't want to carry another lens.
Oliver
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-25-2008, 03:39 AM
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Well I'm not sure that its a reflection of sales of the k20d.
In general, most pentax stuff here in Japan (aside from DA*) is very moderately priced in my opinion. For example, a new DA 12-24 can be had for GBP 350.
The odd thing is that Sigma stuff is just as expensive as UK or more so.
I'm fighting temptation to upgrade my k100d which I've only had for 18 months given the prices of k10d and k20d.
Oliver
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-25-2008, 12:49 AM
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Have to say I'm surprized by those figures. Here in Japan at my favourite camera shop in Tokyo the K-m costs
GBP 280 body only
GBP 300 + kit lens
GBP 350 + double lens kit
What's ironic is that a new k20d body now only costs GBP 400 !
Oliver
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Forum: Lens Clubs
07-02-2008, 09:42 PM
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Here are a few portraits from the k55/1.8 and k135/2.5
Still desperately looking for a k or m85 at a reasonable price, hopeful that I'll get one someday.
Oliver
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-10-2008, 08:08 PM
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The sunpak 383 is great value if you don't mind using an auto flash (just set iso and aperture on flash to match camera) instead of P-TTL.
It tilts and swivels, has three aperture settings and manual power settings as well.
Oliver
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-10-2007, 10:08 PM
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Yes, I also thoroughly recommend this lens.
I picked it up in Tokyo a few weeks ago and just love the smoothness of the bokeh -- see examples below.
It's also quite sharp wide open at f/2.5 and seems to work well with my x1.5 kenko TC - making a 200 f/3.5.
It is a bit heavy heavy (500g) but feels very solid and well put together.
You also have to watch out for flair and avoid shutting into sunlight or there is a loss of contrast.
I'm hoping to use for shooting images of bands and sports in low light where the DA50-200 is not fast enough.
Oliver Flickr: Photos from on6702 |