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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-16-2018, 01:29 PM
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My gosh that is some super sleuthing h4yn0nnym0u5e. That was a pretty expensive bit of glass back in 1986.
Unfortunately for me the opportunity to buy this lens will set me back just over half of its original value ~$380 which is quite a lot for a large heavy manual focus lens with unknown output quality of photos - or maybe I'm just a bit tight with the money :P
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-15-2018, 11:58 PM
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Thanks both. From those links I was able to find 1 further page which gives a little bit more info on it.
Sigma MF 100-500mm F5.6-8 APO Zoom-Tau Multi-Coated ? Pentax-Fremdobjektive
Have to assume it can't of been much of a hit if there is so little info about it. From the sigma history page it seems to have been there first attempt at zoom lens beyond 300mm (minus a 350-1200mm released in the same year), something they don't do again for ~10yrs and by then their lenses have autofocus. The 2.5kg weight of it along with what must of been an astronomical price at launch may have put people off though.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-15-2018, 02:44 PM
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Nope the title is not a typo, I happen to have stumbled onto a sigma 100-500mm lens and wondered if anyone knows anything about it.
It is a manual focus (Push/pull type) K mount and I believe has an APO designation. The lens doesn't appear in the lens database and even the internet seems not to know about it. I may get the opportunity to buy this oddity however given the lack of information I have no idea what a fair price for it would be or what kind of performance to expect. If it's cheap enough I may suck it and see regardless but suspect even old glass with this reach wont come cheap.
Anyway - does anyone know about, seen or used this rather mysterious lens?
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Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF
01-21-2018, 07:15 AM
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Finally managed to get it to work :D Apologies for the odd sizes i guess thats because it's dependent on the crop/actual pixel dimensions. While Flickr doesn't seem to have an issue with displaying them all the same size/ratio this forum clearly does.
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Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF
01-20-2018, 04:55 PM
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Well having got the K-70 for Christmas i've now actually had a bit of time to play around with it and i have to say I'm absolutely smitten with it. I've tried it with the 100mm f2.8 WR macro and a newly acquired 55 - 300 PLM and have been blown away with the results (with the Camera lens combos anyway, the person behind the camera still needs some improvement  ). Here are some of the better ones, may add more as i edit / upload them.
Iberian Azure Winged Magpie having a bath
Comorants chilling lake side
Nesting White Stalks
Windsurfers waiting to take to the water
A cool cat
Little Egrets and Spoonbills taking flight at sunset
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Forum: General Photography
01-20-2018, 03:26 PM
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It's cool to see just how many things people are doing with their photos!
It does seem that everyone is slightly different but getting them printed out and using them as PC wallpapers appear to be the most popular. Never really thought about printing them out and putting them in an album (really not sure why - seemed to stop doing that as soon as I went digital). As a linux user i'll have to have a search and see what wallpaper changers i can get my hands on.
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Forum: General Photography
01-20-2018, 03:34 AM
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Question is in the title really. Once you've taken your pictures and edited them, what do you do with them?
I love going out and taking pictures and do enjoy editing them but I dislike the fact that they then stay locked away on my computer, some destined to never be seen again. For family holidays I usually end up making a photobook and I've just opened up an Instagram account and re-accessed my forgotten about flickr account, which I intend to drip feed photos onto, but after nothing. Thus I thought what better way to get answers than to ask a bunch of fellow Pentaxians.
So.... what do you do with yours?
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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
01-12-2018, 10:18 AM
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I would like to nominate this photo
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Forum: Pentax Price Watch
01-11-2018, 03:32 PM
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That's a shame. The only thing I can really say is i got my order in a timely fashion but maybe I'm lucky?
I went off the fact they're an authorised Pentax reseller and are generally well recommended online. That said their website really could do with updating. The general feel I get from it is that they'd rather you ring to confirm stock before ordering (not that I did that) however that's not the norm nowadays and nor is it ideal.
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Forum: Pentax Price Watch
01-11-2018, 10:20 AM
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If anyone is looking at picking up the Pentax 55-300mm F4.5-6.3 HD DA ED PLM WR RE Lens i'd recommend taking a look at the current offer from Bristol Cameras. £300 (with offer discount) including postage and a Kenko 58mm UV filter thrown in for good measure. Cheapest i could find anywhere for it so picked it up :) They do seem to have decent prices on a lot of their Pentax lenses as well.
Aware that isn't with Park Cameras, so sorry for hijacking the thread Cerebum, but thought someone might be interested.
P.S - additional thought. Maybe we should spark up a thread for Pentax Sales / Offers in the UK?
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
01-07-2018, 03:49 PM
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So glad i found this thread, I'd completely ignored these settings on the K-50 and only came around to wondering how to use them as I've just moved up to the K-70.
I thought having a setting for birds in flight would be very useful so thought id set up U3 for that purpose (since U3 is closer to Av and TAv which I use most). Even on the first outing with U3 set, and only the 3rd outing with the camera itself, I found this incredibly useful and wishing i'd bothered to use these much sooner. Not quite sure what to use U1 and U2 for yet (perhaps a macro setting for use with the Pentax 100mm f2.8 WR???) but will set them up as and when i find a use for them.
Aware this is an old thread but thought i'd comment on the off chance it helps someone who has yet to use these.
Also FYI - for those interested, U3 is set to shutter 1250, F7, TAv mode with spot focus, centre weighted and ISO ranged between 100 - 3200.
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Forum: Pentax Price Watch
11-24-2017, 04:12 AM
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they've got some decent deals on all the camera bodies too - now just to decide whether to go for the K-70 (£499 plus DA 50mm f1.8), K-3ii (£649) and KP (£799) lol :)
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Forum: General Photography
10-19-2017, 07:52 AM
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Thanks for the rundown of K-3ii advantages over the K-70. When put like that it does highlight its premium standing. Hopefully it comes up on offer somewhere or receives a price snip due to the announcement of its successor before i have to pull the trigger and buy. As someone else mentioned though i imagine either is a fairly big step up from a K-50.
Thats good to know, both that they can be used handheld and the potential second hand price.
This is very good to know should i manage to get the K-50 back in working order. Looks like this lense along with the "Bigmas" are the only realistic choices for this kind of tele lens, along with the far more expensive pentax 150-450. I'll do some Internet window shopping and see what prices I can find these at :)
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Forum: General Photography
10-18-2017, 03:41 PM
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Thank you all for your suggestions and recommendations. I will definitely be upgrading to a K-70 or K-3ii, which one I have yet to decide on. As I'm working outside my home country for a short while I'll keep an eye on prices and if I find either at a good price I'll pull the trigger.
I'll also attempt the DIY fix for the K-50 - it's already knackered so can't really make it too much worse. If the fix is successful I'll keep it and sell the K-r. If it isn't then I'll sell it off as the broken bit of kit it is. I don't like the idea of being without a reserve camera and the K-r, while nowhere near as good as its successors, can still knock out good images.
Finally the tele lens may have to wait for finances to recover from the new camera purchase. When the time does come i'll check out the DA 55-300 or and the big sigmas (50-500 or 150-500)
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Forum: General Photography
10-18-2017, 06:26 AM
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Based on the feedback so far i think i'll be sticking with Pentax :) The untimely demise of anything can shake your faith in the brand which is really whats happened here. Until that point i was happy with things. I think i just needed the reassurance to stick with the brand :) The reasons i went with it in the first place are still valid, solid build and image quality at a good price.
In my mind now it i's a toss up between getting a K-70 or a K-3ii. I will most probably sell the K-r and end up trying to fix the k-50 myself (if it doesn't appear too tricky) - if successful i'll have it as my backup camera, if not i'll flog it off to recover some of the costs. Either way I've lost the confidence in it to run it as my main camera. As Alex645 said its an emotional thing and the niggling worry of another failure would always be present.
I still need to look at more detail into the cameras but each has its pro's and con's. I enjoy wildlife photography but the camera is and will be used for general purpose photography. The superior AF, battery life and durability on the K-3ii would be a big benefit, but then so would the articulating rear screen, the built in flash and the improved live view of the K-70. Then there are things like GPS and WiFi which are both useful neither has both.
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Forum: General Photography
10-18-2017, 02:17 AM
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Completely agree, when i got the lens it was a revelation and still love using it, its my favourite ever lens, even if it does now seem to be hampered by the K-r its attached to.
If i stick with Pentax i'll definitely look more into those lenses.
The K-70 does seem like a good deal compared to the KP, and the K-3ii, i just wondered whether I'm missing some important pieces of information which really differentiate them to justify their additional price tag. Appears in the case of the KP that I may not be.
---------- Post added 10-18-17 at 10:28 AM ----------
Unfortunately i do not have the skills :( Computers are fine but cameras and phones i've had far less success in the past. for example the last tech fix i did was to change my smart-phone screen but it was never quite the same afterwards. Don't think i could live with that with the SLR. The price for the fix in the UK does seem consistent as i contacted a few places and they were all around that mark.
I am considering the K-3ii and if i stay pentax i imagine it will be a K-70 or a K-3ii, since as you and multiple others have already mentioned the KP just doesn't appear to be worth the extra cash. Are there any stand out points which make the K-3ii worth the extra cash over the K-70?
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Forum: General Photography
10-18-2017, 01:51 AM
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I was just about to start looking at tele lenses so no decision made. Aware that doesn't help but it is the honest answer. I guess a rough budget would of been about £800.
Aware a failure could of occurred with another brand but it does frustrate you. I chose the K-50 for the enhanced weatherproofing and durability compared to its rivals when i brought it (it had pretty much just been released), plus the aperture block issue does also seem to be an inherit fault with the camera which Pentax won't acknowledge which doesn't help with the brands feel good factor.
If i stick with Pentax the K-70 is where i was leaning as image quality is meant to be similar, provided I can be sure its not using the same aperture block as the K-30/K-50 and the build quality is good.
I was happy with the K-50 and had no plans for an upgrade and had forgotten how much of a quality gap there was between the K-r and the K-50 so hadn't really looked at the in-depth details of the current Pentax lineup and the similarly priced competition. Starting to do this now but I'm asking the question so i know where to focus my investigation.
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Forum: General Photography
10-18-2017, 12:43 AM
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Hi guys,
Looking for some advice / suggestions. Just as I was about to look into getting a good tele lens my K-50 has met it's end due to the well documented aperture block issue. The £200 to fix it seams ridiculous given the cameras worth and the fact it could happen again even after the fix. I've had to bring my K-r out of retirement but the images I'm getting just don't compare to those from the K-50 and the whole saga has left me feeling rather annoyed with Pentax. This raises the following questions:
Do I stick with Pentax or move to another brand?
If I stick with Pentax which camera do I go for?
Additional info related to aid in question answering. I'm not wed to pentax as I don't have much in the way of quality lenses, I use the K-50's18-55mm kit lens and the 100mm f2.8 macro day to day. I have the FA 75-300mm to cover the tele range but very rarely use it as the quality is poor and an M 50mm f1.7 which gets almost zero use. I like wildlife photography (mainly birds) and was looking to get something far superior to the 75-300 so I could indulge this more. I am price constrained so if I stayed pentax it would be between the ~£600 K-70 (if I know it doesn't have the same aperture block issue) or the ~£800 K-3 ii. The KP is too expensive unless it gets a decent price drop.
Any advice on this is greatly appreciated as I keep flip flopping and can't decide.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
10-07-2013, 10:24 AM
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Firstly well done to everyone who entered, i thought all the entries were good and couldn’t find much fault with any of them. However my top 3 are as follows:
3rd
Chemtech - The image stood out nicely amongst the predominantly colourful competition, very tastefully done.
2nd
D1N0 - I liked the addition you made to the image and i genuinely had a good chuckle when i noticed it. Humorous addition aside it was also a very good edit and one that i would have been proud to have pulled off. Only narrowly misses out on the #1 spot.
1st
Kunju - More 'cooked' than i usually like but the sun and the boat have come out well. However it was the water which really sold it for me, it looks amazing and really pops. I had to keep going back to admire it.
Thank you all for entering and let us now look forward to the Post Processing Challenge #113 :)
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
10-07-2013, 10:08 AM
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Apologies, had one of those weekends where life got in the way, I'm sorting it out now so the tension will be over soon ;)
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
10-05-2013, 12:49 AM
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Entries for the 112th Post-Processing challenge have now closed. Winners to follow shortly.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
09-27-2013, 03:05 AM
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Welcome one and all to the 112th edition of the Post Processing Challenge.
I've tried to find an image which has a bit of scope for some nice touches and decided upon this scene from a quaint little fishing village in Portugal. This was taken with a Pentax K-r using a Pentax FA J 75-300mm lens, a rather odd choice given the scene but this photo chance surprisingly snuck up on me :) As usual, there are no rules for this challenge and no restrictions on the post processing liberties you may take.
 
This challenge ends on Friday October 4th at 24.00 hours GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).
PEF:PostProcessingChallenge112-PEF
JPEG: PostProcessingChallenge112-JPEG
Good luck and happy editing :D
**********************************************
Information for the next host:
The MediaFire website is: mediafire.com
The log in name is: pentaxchallenge @ yahoo.com
The password is: postprocessing
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
09-27-2013, 02:40 AM
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Wow thank you! There was some great work in this one so wasn't expecting that. PP 112 will be with you shortly so stayed tuned :)
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
09-21-2013, 07:54 AM
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Just happened to stumble across this post and the PP challenge and thought it would be a brilliant way to learn and get to grips with Darktable - my preferred PP software on Linux. So after much tinkering, failed attempts and discovery of before now unused modules i finally managed to get an image i was happy with, hopefully others approve too. Some great work already posted in this thread by the way - keep it up.
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Forum: Pentax K-r
09-16-2013, 03:16 PM
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I've been giving this a lot of thought, reading a lot of reviews and checking up on prices and i think i will be going for the Tamron 17-50mm F2.8, brought new. Reasons for this are price, good reviews and that when brought new there is a 5 year warranty with Tamron, which put to bed worries of poor build quality and repair costs. I was toying with the idea of the Sigma 17-70mm C due to its rave reviews but just wasn't sold on being able to adapt to having to rotate 'the wrong way' and it just cant match the tamrons price or warranty, it is also quite new out so there arent really any on the 2nd hand market either.
Typically then when i went to buy it from Wex it was out of stock! This has led me to trawling the web and a various well known auction site in the hope of getting this, or one of the other lenses, at a good price 2nd hand in the meantime. Typically no such luck thus far but was rather surprised at the difference in price between getting a DA 17-70mm or a DA 16-45mm new and the price they go for 2nd hand here in the UK. The downside/upside of this web trawling has led to a mild case of LBA and have already picked up a very cheap (£7 inc postage, or approx $11), but completely unneeded, lens which i will obviously need to put through its paces when it arrives :p.
Thanks again for all your help and advise and i will eventually give an update when i have the new lens and whether i feel it was the right choice.
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