|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
02-23-2018, 03:18 AM
|
| |
I watched the review, and his comments about Pentax marketing are about the only thing he says that is observation, rather than speculation. Even so, Ricoh sells enough to make sufficient profit to encourage the company to keep making them. Marketing isn't just about advertising, as anyone who knows the theory will tell you.
|
|
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-23-2011, 03:44 AM
|
| |
Fear not. No hair will fall out. No children will mutate. No goldfish will glow. How radioactive are they? Consider that nuclear radiation was first detected by placing radioactive ores onto photo paper. After long exposure, the paper became fogged. Now consider that these lenses were designed to sit VERY VERY CLOSE to very sensitive film. And they don't fog the film any. See?
Producing such lenses now is prohibited, not because of what the materials would do to users, but because of risks to production workers. Sleeping with such a lens nestled against your body will expose you to less radiation that will eating a banana. Don't sweat it.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
03-30-2017, 02:34 PM
|
| |
Ricoh's goal isn't to make Pentax huge, so if that's what you're expecting you'll be disappointed. As long as new products keep rolling out, though, we have nothing to worry about.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-15-2016, 11:52 PM
|
| |
| |
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
08-09-2016, 08:23 PM
|
| |
Most complaints about this were from folks moving from the K-5 or K-5Iis. And yes there is more noise at a given ISO. However, what the complainers do not say is that the grain is much finer due to the higher number of pixels and thus cleans up very nicely in Lightroom or other software.
I shot the K-5IIs and K-3II side by side for some months. My initial reaction was that the K-3II had some problems, particularly with noise. However, I was using the same Lightroom processing on the K-3II as I did on the K-5IIs. And since they are NOT the same sensor that turned out to be the problem. Once I developed a new preset for the K-3II sensor it became clear I was getting better images from the K-3II and the K-5IIs was sold. The lesson I learned is that the sensor must be developed for and a different sensor will require different processing to get the best results from.
|
|
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
07-29-2016, 03:07 AM
|
| |
I see that you live in Prague. Then Fomapan would be a no-brainer for me. Foma films are much cheaper than Ilford and Kodak when you live in Czechia and can yield some very pleasant results. I have had a few films with production faults (scratches) in them, but when taking pictures with an old Mamiya, it somehow fits the look. At other times such scratches can be a nuiscance. Still - you can shoot much more if you stick with Foma films. BTW, Bé Foto, Janovského 5 is cheaper than Skoda Foto.
I like the old-fashioned look of Foma films, here Fomapan 200 Creative:
 With Mom and Dad by Lars Holte, on Flickr
Camera: Mamiya C330 Professional
Lens: Mamiya-Sekor 65mm F3.5
Exposure: 1/500 @ F5.6 (Y2 filter and rubber lens hood)
Film: Fomapan 200 Creative dev. in Compard R09 Spezial
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-27-2016, 10:57 PM
|
| |
Fling the UV filters over that iron fence, RLG. :-)
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-27-2016, 09:07 PM
|
| |
Those filters weren't designed to protect in that manner though.. if they shatter they will probably end up scratching the front element anyways. Just make sure your lens is wearing a lens hood for protection and it will be OK.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
07-01-2016, 01:41 AM
|
| |
Get the D FA 24-70mm F2.8. I don't think there's anything more versatile out there at the moment, unless you need a more compact option, in which case the D FA 28-105mm is great at the cost of slower aperture.
|
|
Forum: Pentax Full Frame
06-30-2016, 09:22 AM
|
| |
| |
|
Forum: Pentax Full Frame
06-22-2016, 11:33 PM
|
| |
I think the deal is about the 24mm of the DFA24-70 versus the 28mm of the DFA28-105. For landscape anyway, you may never use f2.8 (because of the narrow DoF of FF @ f2.8), and the 28-105 is cheaper and more portable which may be an important criteria for long walks or hiking. If you know you are never going to buy a wide angle lens, buy the DFA24-70 for its 24mm, but if you know you are going to have a ultra wide angle lens, then buying the 28-105 makes more sense.
|
|
Forum: Pentax Full Frame
06-22-2016, 09:13 PM
|
| |
The D FA 24-70mm is probably going to be your best bet thanks to its versatility, unless you want to go wider with the 15-30mm. The latter would be my recommendation if you just wanted to focus on landscape/architecture and didn't need a walkaround lens.
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
06-22-2016, 10:20 PM
|
| |
Shutter operator died on work:([*]
|
|
Forum: Pentax Full Frame
06-21-2016, 11:49 PM
|
| |
Well the trees appear a number of metres forward of the white building. Given this, and that the shot is at F6.3 the trees are not going to be sharp. Remember, that on a full frame camera you get shallower depth of field at every f stop.
If you want the building as well as the trees sharp I think you needed to be shooting at F11-F16.
Howie Be
|
|
Forum: Pentax Full Frame
05-30-2016, 03:08 PM
|
| |
I think that if anything will disappoint, it'll be the corner performance and vignetting of certain legacy lenses, especially zooms. The general sharpness seems fine though!
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-30-2016, 05:42 AM
|
| |
Should you travel to Prague in near future, you could get this lens a little cheaper, see here (the shop is in the center of Prague): https://bazar.fotoskoda.cz/b960048409-cz-asahi-pentax-13525-smc-13525
3900 CZK equals to approx. 144 EUR.
(Funny that I got this lens from Japan myself and paid much more (plus transport, VAT and customs)). C'est la vie...
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
05-20-2016, 11:17 AM
|
| |
Everything is good in the crop mode. Like a K5IIs on super steroids.:D
I just had this thought earlier.....unless you have a super long lens and can get very close, shooting wildlife usually requires cropping if you want to get a detailed look at the subject. Since you can frame it and crop as you shoot, this is just an added time saver to what you would probably do anyhow.
Most of what I am shooting now is ready to process without additional cropping. Like this one. If you are going to use a FF for birds and such, you had better have a long lens and be almost invisible as you stalk your subject. Here, I sit at my desk and fire away! :D
This was 1/100 handheld @500mm ISO 3200. If you can get some light and shoot at ISO 800 or lower you can get some very nice results, even with the Bigma.
 IMGP0645-800K1 by James Williams, on Flickr
Regards!:)
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-21-2016, 04:27 AM
|
| |
I have two slim polarizers (CPL) in 49mm mount that I use without any issue on my Pentax-M 20/4, one branded Fotga (not very good) and the other one branded Nisi (good quality, no color cast). Try googling "NiSi 49mm WMC CPL Filter Ultra Thin Waterproof Multi Coating Polarizing Filter".
Cheers!
Abbazz
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
10-09-2013, 12:57 AM
|
| |
Press AF mode button and turn rear wheel.
If you are in AF-C or AF-S modes there will be different options to choose from.
|
|
Forum: General Talk
09-12-2012, 01:08 AM
|
| |
For those that are new members/don't remember, Pentax Forums hosted a Holiday Giveaway Contest at the beginning of this year, and some absolutely outstanding literature came out of it. I learned an incredible amount about photography from this event, and I thank PF for putting it on - I think all those that participated are better photographers because of it. For a complete listing of all the articles, please visit here.
My article is Making the Most of Long Exposure Handhelds.
Anyway, during the voting phase of the contest, I was surprised one day to discover an interesting message awaiting me in my inbox:
 Quote: Hi Heie,
I recently came across your excellent guide to long exposure tricks and thought: Yes, every photographer should know this. Since I'm an editor of a photo magazine, my second thought was: I want to show my readers this article.
Let me introduce our mag: c't Digital Photography is a quarterly magazine, now in it's third year ( www.ct-digiphoto.com). We publish extensive Workshops, reviews and guides and our main focus is US and Canada. The German edition is called c't Digitale Fotografie ( www.ct-digifoto.de) and we sell more than 40.000 copies of each issue. If you have any questions about the mag - feel free to ask.
Your article would fit perfectly to our next issue (out September 2012, deadline July) and I kindly invite you to be part of this issue as an author.
What do you think? Is that an option for you? I'd be happy to add you as an author for c't Digital Photography.
Thanks, So all while deployed to Afghanistan, and after many months of editing and being a huge pain in the ass to the editor (my perfectionism and OCD have few limits lol), his patience with me has given way to the final publication!
The Article's Cover Image Used
Attachment 140294
First Page of the Article
Attachment 140293
The Magazine's homepage can be found here, with this edition's publication here.
This is the cover of the magazine:
If you look at FREIHANDFOTOS OHNE ZU VERWACKELN on the left, the TRAINING is my article.
Yes it is only in German for the German publication, however I thought you guys would like to see 
-Heie
|
|
Forum: General Talk
03-07-2012, 11:21 AM
|
| |
like my grand pa' would say "back in the day's, the director didn't give a shit about the brand as long as the picture were good and the client happy (and the compagny was earning money)."
If your friend cannot get that, no offence but, she's an idiot.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-03-2012, 06:01 PM
|
| |
1) You get paid for shoots, which means you are a pro. Yet you never thought to review your shots during your whole day's worth of shooting? Not too pro-like.
2) You shoot all day at ISO 100 but the camera is actually at 3200. You never cared to check the shutter speeds which would have screamed faulty? Not too pro-like.
3) You check every 3-5 shots that your ISO is set at 100, but you don't check anything else? Yes, destroy your Pentax, I am sure Canon/Nikon will bring you so much more joy.
|
|
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
05-27-2012, 08:47 PM
|
| |
Welcome to the Duplo DA21ltd give away contest :)
Contest dates:
Contest starts now and will end on June 10th at midnight CET.
Contest Rules:
Two rules only to be in the run for the price.
1) To enter one must post one and only one landscape image that in the best possible way convey the message of balance between the raw power of mother nature and her fragility.
2 The image does not have to be captured within the competition period, but a recent image is preferred and you must be the one having captured it.
3) An explanation of why the price should go your way - it can be brief or long winded, but it really must be there.
4) The in my opinion best combination of image and explanation will result in a win
5) any post containing a contest entry should me marked; Contest entry - "Tittle of image"
Contest Price:
My copy of the DA 21mm ltd as seen below, including lens pouch and a new V+W 43mm UV filter to mount inside the lens hood when shooting stuff risking to damage the lens elements (i.e. helicopters taking off at close range:o ).
Why all of this and what makes this lens so special:
Well as I leave Pentax behind for a while, I found that my DA21ltd simply had too long a history with me to just be sold off.
If have travelled the world, endured blizzards, dog sledding and arctic winters in temperatures well below -40C, it has travelled eastern Greenland in a wooden schooner and even saved my face from a nasty hit by a rock from a helicopter taking off (which I was supposed to shoot images off as it took off). It is the lens that is responsible for some of my personal favourite landscapes, people, mountaineering and travel images, not to mention my first premiere collection PPG entry.
It is worn, it has its quirks and would probably not mind to stop by Pentax for a service round up, but it is also the proof that the limiteds can stand up to years of hard pro use, travelling and arctic conditions and keep on shooting.
What I came to realise going over all the images captured with it recently (a selection of favourites are HERE), was that it in so many ways has been a huge part of my development as a photographer, being my primary workhorse and lens.
What I hope to do with this give away, is to find it a new home where it will continue its journey and perhaps even be part of another photographers appreciation of the raw, powerful, fragile and fantastic nature that surrounds us all.
That way I am in a way able to pay a little something back to an online community from which I have learned a lot.
Is all of this not a bit silly?
Probably is and it is a used lens even - but hey, it is a chance to win a free lens with a fun history to it - so as silly as it may strike you, it cannot be all bad, can it? :)
Anyway, I hope this contest will see at least an entry or two, would be a bit embarrassing if it does not :o
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-08-2012, 09:25 AM
|
| |
Your copy is sharp in the centre wide open. It is the focus that is slightly off; focus is past the centre of the image (you can see the red band in the upper part of the image, which is slightly further away from the sensor, is sharp). Always use manual focus when testing lenses. No AF system can resolve the lens optimum resolution; ie it will tell that the image is in focus even when it is slightly off. This error is usually covered by DOF but obvioulsy not when wide open. The lens is just fine. CA and edge softness is typical for this lens. Particularly at wider setting.
Most of the fussiness you claim in your test at apertures wider than F:5.6 is actually DOF related. At such close focusing distances you should use a flat subject and careful manual focusing, and if necessary, focus bracketing.
|
