Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
02-07-2018, 04:57 AM
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Any working polar mount is better than astrotracer - usually it is even easier to set-up correctly than the astrotracer. Sure the astrotracer is better then nothing. You can do series or 30s exposures and do miracles with it. It is the classic Pentax lightweight travel compromise solution. Few years ago I went to Tenerife with some astrophotographers. They had their heavy equipment, I had a K-5 with astrotracer. It took me longer to set it up and my photos were not as good, but it did save me some weight.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
02-06-2018, 10:36 AM
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Astrotracer is hardly an option for pro level photography. I like it, because I would not buy (and haul around) a good polar mount anyway. So I can live with astrotracer limitations. But it doesn't stand comparison with the real thing for reliability and exposure length.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-31-2017, 02:24 AM
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I have both. And the DFA 24-70.
Seriously, if you are looking for another lens as sharp as DFA 50 macro, you may be disappointed. I don't think there is one.
The FA35 comes out very sharp on the K-1, I'm very happy with it. If you compare it with DFA 24-70, both on f2.8, it will come out sharper, no doubt. I even don't hesitate to use the FA 35 wide open.
Basically the main improvement of the FA 31 over FA 35 is that it fixes the hexagonal features in bokeh.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
11-01-2016, 09:29 AM
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I replaced both the original hood and cap with more convenient replacements. I use a foldable rubber screw-on hood and one of the modern caps with comfortable middle pinch.
Makes the lens a little less attractive, but that is often a good thing.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
09-23-2016, 05:24 AM
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Here in Czech republic it is quite impossible to see K-1 for sale in shop, even in stores where the Pentax is usually well supplied. The demand for pre-orders was not satisfied yed. I personally know people who already wait for several months to get a K-1 camera. It is not expected to change until 2017.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
09-19-2016, 09:07 AM
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The DA 10-17 FE lens covers the whole full frame sensor when zoomed in beyond 15mm. And it is still available new. I also own the DFA 24-70 and it is superb. But you can also have relatively good Sigma 24-70 if you are after value and not the absolute best.
I still wait for a comapct wide angle though. Would not mind limited aperture, but I want a rectilinear ultra wide under 500g weight. Not available, unfortunately.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-16-2016, 02:45 AM
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I had my K10D converted to IR after I bought the K-5. It took lots of stunning photos since then. It's by far the best thing to do with aging body.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-05-2016, 05:00 AM
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I didn't really like what I got from FA43 on the K-1. But I very much like full frame performance of the FA35 and of course the DFA50/2.8 is simply superb, if you don't mind lack of ultra fast aperture.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
08-05-2016, 04:23 AM
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I still believe you are being plain dishonest in your review. You wrote that K-1 lacks AF-C customization, while there are several options to customize the AF-C behavior. And they do influence the outcome quite a lot. I personally managed to improve my keeper rate in AF-C from about 25% to some 75% just by adjusting the camera and learning how to play on it's advantages.
Also, price-wise the K-1 should be compared rather to 6D than 1Dx. And in that light, it doesn't seem abysmal in AF anymore. On the contrary.
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
08-04-2016, 07:35 AM
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From my experience with the K-1 and the Pentax new HD 1.4x TC the full frame coverage is not guaranteed. Some lenses (like DA14mm) leave little black corners, suggesting that you'd have to use a 1.5x TC to really convert them for full frame.
Even then, the solution is not practical at all. It's bulky, you get often very pronounced aberations and the available f-stop may be smaller than you expected. Especially if near-perfect lens like DFA24-70 is available, it is difficult to recommend hacked solutions based on crop lenses and TC.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
07-28-2016, 05:56 AM
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The main difference is panchromatic vs silver halide. That's the choice you need to make.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
07-28-2016, 05:34 AM
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It's not just that. I then moved the card over to my new Lumia and she also reported problems with the card - though in a more polite way than K-1 did. So apparently faulty cards are quite frequent tehese days. I got this card as a replacement for another card that failed me earlier.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
07-26-2016, 07:03 AM
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I had the same problem when using micro-SD card in an adaptor. Occasionally a picture failed to write. With regular sized SD card the problem is not observed.
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
07-18-2016, 01:11 PM
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This is probably one of the first quantum dot technology screens. Potentially quantum dots can deliver great gamut at lower prices, technically it is not yet mature technology and the color fidelity is not yet there.
If you can access some colorimeter, and calibrate the screen at home it could be a good deal. Otherwise probably not so much.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
07-01-2016, 03:54 PM
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I only tried it in the shop. It was fine, but I did not like the combination of not so wide 28mm start and the f5,6 long end. And I already own FA 24-90 that serves me as a lightweight alternative to the hefty 24-70.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
07-01-2016, 06:28 AM
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If you can afford the DFA24-70, go for it. It is an outstanding lens. From my lens collection, it is only surpassed by DFA 50/2,8 in sharpness and contrast. I never used a zoom lens that good.
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
07-01-2016, 01:05 AM
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My office colleague owns a FA31 and I know how great the lens is. I was not bashing it for image quality. But the fixed lens hood is less than ideal for filter holders, an accessory lots of landscape photographers like to use. I also referred to the high price tag, I'm sure there are cheaper lenses with low field curvature.
However you are absolutely right about the field curvature being very important for landscape photography. It is quite unfortunate that so few tests and reviews ever mention it.
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Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
06-27-2016, 01:28 PM
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I have 3 units of V6, it is a relaible tool. This looks even better. Wow.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
06-23-2016, 02:55 PM
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I still own the K10D, though it is a modified one, with IR filter removed. I had so much fun with it!
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
06-23-2016, 01:21 AM
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The FA31 is a very nice lens for candid shots, even portraits, it's advantages are most pronounced when the picture shows lot of out of focus stuff - bokeh. It's certainly usable for landscape, but far from being a good value for that purpose.
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Forum: Pentax Full Frame
06-22-2016, 03:43 AM
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I'm extremely happy with my DFA 24-70 so far. But I'm mostly using it for shots on wider aperture, where background blur is expected. If you want everything sharp, you need to stay in the f11 - f16 range and take care on proper focusing (not on infinity, but not too close, check with live-view if you are not sure). That's just the deal with high-megapixel full frame camera.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
06-18-2016, 06:34 PM
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I'm currently using a FAJ 18-35, which is small, light and cheap, but has its limits regarding corner image quality. I don't want the 15-30, it is too big and expensive. What I want is a decent f4 ultra wide angle zoom. FF alternative to the excellent DA12-24. Just that.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
06-05-2016, 11:09 AM
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Mine works and I even had it repaired by the local Pentax service center. Though the repair technician told me that next time I should go and have it repaired by Samsung.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
05-30-2016, 07:37 AM
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The Kingston never had problem when used in my windows tablet as memory expansion and the Pretec worked flawlessly for years in the K-5. Both worked in a computer card reader. But both sometimes fail in the K-1. I will continue investigating the problem and perhaps I'll have to return the camera in warranty.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
05-30-2016, 05:58 AM
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I do not have an answer, but I'm also interested in the replies. Currently I have 64GB UHS MicroSD Kingston and an older 32GB Pretec card and the writing is not only slow, but sometimes downright fails. I get a message that "image saving failed" and the photo is lost. :(
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