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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
09-09-2011, 07:23 AM
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Thanks. I'll test that theory out.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
09-09-2011, 07:20 AM
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Correct!
And prior to this problem manifesting, turning on the flash would place it in TTL mode by default, and then it would of course switch to the mode relative to the camera. Now it goes straight to MANUAL mode and stays there regardless of camera settings.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
09-07-2011, 03:22 AM
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Contacts are spotless, unbent, etc. Can't explain it other than loose wiring. Good to hear you've had a good run with yours. Maybe that makes like-for-like exchange a viable option.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
09-04-2011, 06:50 PM
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As usual, apologies in advance if this subject has been discussed elsewhere:
BOWER SFD926P DEDICATED BOUNCE-FLASH:
I bought this flash unit via eBay for my K10D about 11 months ago, have used it probably four times since then. Last time I tried to use it, it wouldn't fire. Changed the batteries = no luck. Tested other flashes on the same camera = they work fine. The BOWER's symptoms are that it defaults to MANUAL setting regardless of the camera's setting, doesn't detect the lens or the camera, and just won't fire. The TEST button fires ok, so it's not a blown bulb. This sounds like a simple case of a loose connection, but I'm wondering if it's worth getting repaired, or would I be better off buying another flash? This one cost approx. $125.00, so it's at the cheap end, but I had read good reviews of the BOWER for its price range, which is why I went with it. When it worked, it worked very well!
Has anyone else had problems with BOWER units? Should I repair it, try to get it replaced like-for-like, or throw it in the bin and invest in another brand?
Thanks in advance.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-22-2011, 08:36 PM
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UPDATE:
Well, the puzzlement continues after a weekend shoot at a national park. I used a couple of different lenses and switched between manual and auto focus, and can't seem to pinpoint a consistent issue. It appears that if I manual focus and line up the split-screen - (ignoring the focus sensor beep) - the focus is correct. But if I'm on auto-focus, the sensor is correct and the split screen is wrong.
I guess I have to factor in issues such as various levels of ambient light which could be interfering with correct readings and so on (??), but I'm having a h-ll of a time nutting this one out.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-16-2011, 10:53 PM
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So, not being familiar with shims, what are we talking about? I presume these are thin layers of something. If I were to inspect the screen, would I see them easily?
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
02-16-2011, 08:47 PM
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This has me puzzled. I have a split-field focusing screen on my K10D. I installed it about two years ago and it was lining up nicely, coinciding with the beeps that confirm correct focus. Over time I suspected it wasn't quite lining up as well as before, but I thought that must just be my imagination.
But yesterday I picked up the camera for the first time in weeks and took some shot, and noticed that the split was severely out of alignment at the point when the camera confirmed good focus. The resulting shots show that the subjects were indeed in focus, despite the split-screen alignment being out.
As I said, the screen was originally lining up nicely. It is possible for it to gradually go out of alignment? Can anything be done to correct it?
Thanks in advance.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-07-2010, 08:56 PM
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My 150-500 arrived yesterday. I underestimated its size to some extent - Before it arrived, I was thinking I might need to take a couple of lenses out to make it fit in my sling-bag. HAHA! Let's just say if I was compensating for something, I'd be truly satisfied!
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
11-30-2010, 05:41 AM
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QUESTION: Of those who have battery grips, who has a third-party model (not Pentax) and have you had any problems? For that matter, has anyone had problems with the genuine Pentax models?
I read this thread with interest as I'm considering the pros and cons of a grip. After reading this, I suspect the grip is not for me. As others have said, vertical shooting never posed a problem (It never occurred to me that this was a major advantage of the grip!), and as I carry a bag with me anyway, there's plenty of storage for SD cards and extra batteries.
So if I were to buy a grip, I think I'd be more inclined to go for a cheaper option. But how cheap is too cheap? This model goes for $A54 (Battery Grip for Pentax K20D K10D D-BG2 +2 X D-Li50 B2U (eBay item 120616124662 end time 30-Dec-10 20:02:45 AEDST) : Cameras).
I've bought a reasonably cheap third-party battery-PACK and have had no adverse issues so far, so I'd be keen to know if anyone has actually had a bad experience with GRIP models such as the one in this link.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-29-2010, 08:04 PM
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Enjoy what you do today, analyse what you did yesterday.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-28-2010, 09:05 PM
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Lens. The tax return was promised, so out came the credit card.
Nice shots, SpecialK. Now I'm excited.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-26-2010, 03:42 AM
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Oh goody! I just bit the bullet and purchased the 150-500 yesterday, on the promise of a pretty good tax return. Waiting for delivery at the moment. This would have to be the first SERIOUS consideration of a lens I've made prior to purchase - I've always been quite impulsive in the past - and it's been hard to find a review of the 150-500 that convinces me that I haven't bypassed a better option. I settled on this one simply because nothing else has jumped out at me as a matching option for the price range.
fccwpe, I'd be glad to hear any specific pros and cons you've encountered with this model.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
10-19-2010, 08:47 PM
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Not quite right. Their fortunes turned dramatically at the release of the G3 desktop computer in the early '90s, due mainly to its distinct styling (white and aqua curves!) and built-in internet connectivity (primitive as it was). They gradually built on that minor innovation. The similarity between PENTAX and APPLE is that they were both seminal enterprises in their field and greatly influenced the path of other companies to the point of self-obscurity in the mass-market arena. But all the while, each company held a firm stake in a niche market (PENTAX re. medical optics; APPLE re. CAD and design industries). Neither company was failing in the delivery of quality goods, they just weren't marketing to the masses.
APPLE caught on, and caught up. PENTAX is doing so now.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
10-17-2010, 09:13 PM
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I have a "good business management" book published in the early '90s that cites several example of companies that have failed or were doomed to perish within the next three years due to their failure to cater to the mainstream market. APPLE was one of them.
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Forum: Photographic Technique
08-25-2010, 08:11 PM
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Well, let's give credit where it's due: Modern image-reproduction technology is wholly derivative of the principles of light that have been understood for several centuries. The spectrum - and the process of filtering red, green and blue light - has been known since the 17th century.
How soon we forget! Even the conversion of RGB to CMYK has been actively achieved in colour printing since the early 20th century. Technology simply reacts to science - It never leads it.
(See Newton, Galileo, et al).
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-04-2010, 08:10 PM
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I use AF only when I can control the environment and be confident the focal point isn't going to move too much, otherwise it's just annoying. Case in point:
Last weekend was spent with extended family. I whipped out the K10D to catch a few quick shots of my kids playing around on go-carts. I made the crucial mistake of leaving the lens on AF mode and consequently lost some brilliant moments while my lens jumped back and forward trying to focus on my moving subjects. Later, I put it back to manual, pulled up the ISO and decreased the aperture to extend DOF. Got some nice action shots that way instead.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-30-2010, 08:31 PM
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As far as "muddy" images are concerned, this is usually a blessing in post-production. Usually, the muddier the overall image, the richer the file is in coding for all three primary colours (Red green blue). This gives us wider scope for image adjustment prior to printing. Making an image vibrant is achieved by the PP software removing a portion of coding for one or more colours, so that another colour is more dominant. If your image is vibrant to begin with, that means there's less coding embedded, and therefore less flexibility at post-processing stage.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-27-2010, 08:57 PM
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
06-17-2010, 08:39 PM
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Possible cause of problem:
In the ACTIONS palette, there are two box-columns on the left, one showing a TICK column(far left), the other showing a step-override column. Trace the list of your action's steps to the point where the problem occurs and see if the override box has been selected at that point (you'll see an icon in the box if it is). If so, that's your problem.
Click on the box so that the icon disappears and the box is empty. Play the action again. It won't prompt you to click OK, but should just play on.
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
06-15-2010, 08:30 PM
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I haven't read all posts in this thread, so apologies of repeating thing:
A lot of discrepancy in colour matching between screen and print has to do with the RGB to CMYK conversion. This is especially noticeable if you've enhanced the colours in the Green/Blue space onscreen (The more vivid you make the green/blue tones, the more trouble the printer has matching those tones, often resulting in the tones looking more pink or yellow). The problem is there is no true green or blue ink in printers. Only cyan, magenta, yellow and black. And while magenta and yellow can mix well to create true red, orange and yellow tones, there are no two ink colours that will produce a vivid blue tone. Cyan is the closest thing to blue, but it already contains yellow.
The "cheat" is to convert your RGB image to a CMYK image onscreen if possible (you can do it in Photoshop) and enhance it from there. Colours will adjust within the boundaries of CMYK gamuts, so the screen will show a more accurate representation of how the print will look. Once you've finished editing, convert it back to RGB.
If you can't convert between CMYK and RGB, then see if your program has a gamut-warning setting. This will let you know if your enhancements have pulled the colours past the CMYK gamut as you edit.
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
05-09-2010, 08:41 PM
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I have a "cheapy" umbrella from eBay. I'm quite happy with the results I get. Mind you I'm not a pro and I'm sure there are reasons why an investment in more expensive umbrellas is worth it on a professional level.
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
03-10-2010, 09:43 PM
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Just throwing my two bits worth in:
The problem can come down to nothing more that the store's print-setup. This is what we discovered after many months of experimenting with different monitors, calibrations, etc. No matter what we did, the prints always came out dark. Even testing two versions of the same image with two distinctly different levels of contrast resulted in two absolutely identical prints!
It seems in some cases, these stores' printers are set to pull your image's levels to within their own set margin of contrast regardless of what you do in post-process.
The solution is, as mentioned, to work with a printhouse that provides their profile info, and which aren't manned by pimply moody teens who know nothing more than how to press the GO button on the printer.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
02-04-2010, 09:02 PM
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Yep, in a cramped room or small studio I'm sure I'd get annoyed with the legs.
RE: Height ... too lazy to do a search, but I'm wondering what price difference there would be between a tripod and a light stand that have the same max. height.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
02-03-2010, 09:11 PM
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I have a rickety old tripod that's no good for mounting a camera, but rather than throw it out, I've purchased a flash-shoe umbrella holder ($9) and a tripod-screw adaptor ring ($4), so that I can use the tripod as a lighting stand.
Considering that cheap (and probably useless for camera-mounting) tripods can be bought on eBay for around $20, I'm thinking that it's probably worth buying up a few more, along with the holders and rings, rather than investing in proper lighting stands.
Anyone else doing this? What would I be missing out on, if I didn't use proper stands?
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