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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-14-2009, 03:37 PM
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Pentaxor you make a valid point.... but I'm already well on my way to paying off my investment via paid work...
: )
good points though..... somewhere down the road I may switch up my K10 for a K20 or a K7 just because....
Paul
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-14-2009, 11:34 AM
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Some asked what lens I was using.....
I was using the new Nikon 50 1.4G AF-S...
calibrated to the camera, at f 1.6 its almost sharper than my 24-70 I use at 2.8
The lens is phenomenal... Nikon should be slapped though for making it plastic and not adding in the faster AF-S there zooms have....its really slow to focus... I would have gladly payed the extra money for that
Here is a 300% crop of a shot I took while I calibrating the lens... at 1.4.....
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-14-2009, 11:25 AM
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I thought I might get flamed a little.... I guess noone ready where I said: Pentax was my first love and I was still keeping the system around..... its right here next to me on my desk....
Tarsus/Rondec - I was not comparing to make a fair comparison but to say this is what I had and now what I jumped to I was not trying to put the camera's on an equal playing field.... because there isn't one and I payed 800 for my K10. over 2-3 years ago..... its probably worth only 100 now or even less than that... I went back and forth with this in my head too... about Crop versus full frame.... seriously until you actually shoot one in real situations... you can't make any kind of qualified statement about the noise.... test files and downloadable images from websites are completely worthless..... as soon as I opened up the camera I took it to the hardest place where I kniew the camera would have to work.... there is no comparison.... to be able to just sit at ISO 1600 as a standard mode of operation changes the game for the kind of shots you can pick off....... to also have a camera and lens setup that can pick off shots fast ( not saying Pentax can't its just not fast about it ) in almost total darkness is also a game changer as well.......
For example take the shot of the group in a row guys and girls...Im using a 50mm lens at 1/25th a second which is 2/3rd a stop under exposed according to the camera meter.... and in order to pick this shot off I still had to sit the camera at ISO 8000....... the IS / low ISO deal the Pentax offers is very useful for still shots where you do not need to make them fast but it prevents its own problems......
THe Nikon has a few tweaks that bug the hell out of me, this is why I said in certain situations I will use my Pentax.... the Nikon is mainly my event / wedding / party camera and my Pentax is my outdoor walk around general camera.... on the other hand one of the great things about the Nikon is those two custom function buttons that strut the front of the camera, highly useful in fast situations....
I did not post this to get flamed, or to anger anyone loyal to Pentax, I still love Pentax but I found myself very turned off by the K7's noise, and the KX well its just not the kind of camera I'd want to take into an event... sometimes you don't care about what a camera offers.... at the very least I know my Nikon will keep up with the pace I need to use it for the paid work I do....
I just wanted to update this thread because it was a well viewed discussion a few months back...
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-13-2009, 03:36 PM
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I thought I should update this thread with my decision....
after I posted originally and I was still on the fence Canon announced the 7d and I seriously looked at that camera, I also thought about harnessing my Pentax glass and just taking a risk on the K7 but in the end... I decided to go with the D700 and still retain my Pentax system as my backup and I am glad I did...
There is like a 400 percent difference in performance / quality between the two and how well everything works....
I still have my Pentax system and will continue to use it for the right situations....
Here is some samples with the D700 and the new Nikon 50g... at this point my camera had not been calibrated yet so I did not find out till later the lens was backfocusing slightly....
Not a shot here under ISO 6400....( a few are 8000 ) I Printed these out to a few 5 by 7's and even 8 by 10's and was astounded..... jpgs straight from the camera, I cannot even imagine what I could have done with a RAW file..... I would say if you expose right an ISO 8000 jpg from a D700 looks like a pushed ISO 800 shot from a K10... that is friggin nuts!!
I still love Pentax though just for the kind of work I do I needed the beast.... Pentax is still my first love and I will keep it till it croaks.... : )
ISO 6400
ISO 6400
ISO 8000
ISO 8000
ISO 8000 made for a pretty drop dead gorgeous 5 by 7 print, the girl was in love with it!!
Paul
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
09-21-2009, 09:39 PM
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great shot...
and this is just a humble suggestion... not in any way a slight...
the eye closest to the ground seems to be picking up the light from the ground... maybe dodge the top ( her right ) eye up some.. to even out the effect?
Just me
Paul
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-15-2009, 03:38 PM
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I must have been the first to stumble on this....
Online Photographer Reviews K7
I have not even read it yet, but I thought I would give everyone the heads up!!
Paul
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
09-09-2009, 10:50 AM
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
09-09-2009, 10:46 AM
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Hi everyone, its been quite some time since I last posted here... I spent most of the Labor Day weekend hanging out at the beach to shoot for myself for fun and practice...
All shots are with the K10, DA 18-250, jpg setting ( saturation boosted all the way up, sharpness set to normal, contrast -1 below normal )
They were all brought into photoshop for various processing ( mainly levels, dodging, and tonal contrast, and some subjective weathering )...I pushed the photos deliberately...
The 18-250 is a pretty good all around lens.... perhaps the only thing I don't like about it though is I think it misses focus a bit, but overall its a pretty good lens... the image quality is probably weakest at the telephoto end at any fstop... but is generally ok.. the key as usual is to hit the focus... I'd see the sweet spot is around f8, f11 at the far end... I've made 12 by 18 prints at that size and they look great...
Anyways here are some photos:
Thought the lines in the photo created some unique dynamic tension, the arch of the armrest juxtiposed with the curves in the gravel
Definitely the feel I had going for when I shot it......
As I was walking behind these two guys, I saw the svelte figure of the girl and did a quick hip shot, I rather like how it turned out..
The decisive moment?
Something equally entertaining and annoying about South Florida ( depending on your cultural taste )
One of the things i like about taking photographs of complete strangers is the feeling of getting caught, or even the subject being partly aware you are shooting them... in this case the boy and his father were about 10 feet away from me I zoomed in and framed them using the mounted seat on a rented bicycle and selected a focus point to the right so that I could aim the camera away yet snap them.... then I had the problem of processing the image to draw attention to them.. and this is what I ended up with...
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-29-2009, 08:40 PM
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Cool
Well I am a fan of your work and check your site regularly... so thats why I was asking... is there a particular gallery on your website that showcases the K7?
Thanks man!
Paul
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-29-2009, 12:27 AM
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Chris,
I'd be interested to hear how you enjoy shooting with the D700 coming from your Pentax background...
I'd also love to know which lenses you use for Nikon...
Paul
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-21-2009, 02:26 AM
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WHat does "BD" mean? Barn Door?
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-20-2009, 03:09 AM
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Since I've talked about some wedding stuff on here
I wanted to introduce you to a guy that dominates the high end wedding cinematography market down here in South Florida, seriously I cannot believe his stuff is not all over Canon's website... his starting price goes for something above $5,000.00 I believe which is something you might hear of for a photographer but for a videographer??? Kind of unheard of... but I think worth it....
Recently he has completely replaced all of his high end video equipment and shoots with nothing but the 5d mark ii and L glass, and he uses various stabalization and tracking stuff to very well, but I cannot believe all of his stuff is done with the 5d... its really sick!!
Ray Roman Blog
Here are links to some of the other videos also shot with the 5d:
Ray Roman Blog Michelle & Andrew’s Highlight Reel
I was talking with him tonight via facebook and says he can't even believe canon killed their own video camera line with the mark ii, he says its video is friggin incredible!! I asked him if the sensor heats up and he says its no problem after hours of shooting...
but anyways... the video is true art so enjoy!!
Paul
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-17-2009, 10:11 PM
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Kunik - if those are the conditions you shoot in well then I can see your point about the K20d being ok, there is like 1000 points of contrast for the camera to hone in on the picture you are showing me...
I am referring more to that in between lighting that is always present at every wedding... like for example when the bride is coming down the aisle with her dad in a high top ceiling church with window light... but not enough ambient light to land on either therefore no contrast..
I should also point out I don't have a Pentax flash I actually use manual flashes as I find them more consistent so I have no guide beam to work with just strictly the whim of the camera or manual focus, in the shots above they are dancing in near darkness.... and I missed many shots because my camera would hunt quite a bit....
Paul
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-17-2009, 07:30 PM
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That is something to think about except I don't have the best eyes when it comes to MF, so anything that can assist me is definitely helpful...
When I tested the K7 out at the road tour on Sunday it seemed much faster in situations where my K10 would just die and hunt for awhile.....
I guess I should ask do you find you are switching to MF often with a K20 during a wedding? This approach may work well for you but for me not so sure? Because if you are that would not be something I would want to do myself.... unless I absolutely had no better choice...
Paul
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-17-2009, 06:57 PM
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Seriously? I thought the main advantage would be the improved focus system?
I mean if I am aiming it at a dance during a reception and there is no contrast is the K7's updated features not helpful?
Paul
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-17-2009, 05:40 PM
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but I am still a fan of PENTAX, just feeling pushed up against a wall and not certain of what direction to take!!!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-17-2009, 05:35 PM
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My solution for the K10 is basically to put a piece of black gaffer or electrical tape on top of the camera where the hot shoe was previously over the hole in the molding: one to prevent dust from making its way in, and two to block light from the top which screws up the metering ( by almost 5 stops if you can believe it ) every else about the camera is fine... I can continue to use it just without the flexibility of flash..
but I doubt the cost to fix it is less than the camera is worth... I've had it for about 2 years now and am at about 50,000 actuations, it has served me pretty well and besides focus ( in low light and some front / back focus issues ) and high iso noise nothing has ever been wrong with it..... the SD dore is cracked as well... and should a job come along I don't want to part with it unless I have another camera... so thus the question: the 20d or the K-7
At the moment I certainly do not have the money to switch over to Nikon or Canon and I am not looking for an excuse to really just being honest about what I want for the kinds of images I want to take...
I searched for awhile for an image I thought would help illustrate my position on having faster glass combined with excellent high ISO ability that would allow a certain type of shot to be captured...
Here is one from the wedding above, despite the blur this actually was one of my favorite images from the day, I deliberately dragged the shutter to let in the background so the image would have some context, I knew that the flash hitting the bride would also bounce slightly off the groom who was moving, but I wanted to see the crowd in the background as well...... Now my point about canon/nikon systems is this.... the extra ISO ability of those cameras would have allowed me to just increase the ISO and shutter speed equally but still keep the same effect and still get a clean image all at the same time.... at ISO 800 and pushed some this image is not clean as far as noise goes... shutter is 1/10th f-stop: 4
The shot before was the same but at 1/60th and I suppose that was ok but the I wanted to bring out the background a lot more, I am a fan of using flash only to balance it with the light already present so very often I use much lower shutter speeds rather than the usual max sync speed so to avoid the whole flash dark background look, I think it creates a more artistic and contextually relevant picture to bring out the background, but this is just me...
Now seriously is someone going to tell me that if I had the 24 L 1.2 II on a 5d Mark II I would not have had more flexibility when taking the photo? I could have opened to f2 ( which is stopped down twice for that lens ) the bride would have been in perfect focus as she was parallel to me, f4 to f2 is already two stops more light difference so my shutter could have been 1/40th now go from ISO 800 to 3200 and I gain another 2 stop advantage all while still getting a clean image, fast enough shutter speed and the increased light from the background I want to set up the shot... this is what I was trying to compare with... Its not just the ISO ability of those cameras, its the ISO ability combined with the fast glass... it opens up a new kind of flexibility....
If we are going simply off screen peeking, there is no comparsion to a K20d and D700 or 5d mark ii ISO 3200 shot... you are paying for that advantage which can be huge in certain circumstances......
DON"T GET ME WRONG I LOVE MY PENTAX but with the increased MP count the noise at the higher ISO's on the K20d and K7 goes backwards compared to what the full frame cameras are offering.........
I'm just saying, I appreciate everyone's fierce defense of Pentax and i would be the first to defend them as well.....
My main concern goes like this:
Pentax offers a lot for the money, but how long will it last and how consistent and reliable is it given that I am forced to use my camera and equipment like a workhorse... no doubt I can take my K10 to the Grand Canyon while my fingers are freezing off and the camera continues to operate but if I invest in say a 16-50 DA* and some idiot accidently lightly hits it at a wedding and my SDM fails what is the point? ( I've been reading about the failures and a couple of times that seems to be the case ) At the very least I know the Nikon while 3 times as much is built like a tank and has 5 year pro service behind it...
My main concern is just pouring more money into a system that is buggy at best... why not just go the extra mile and really pay for something I know there will hardly be a reliability issue about...
Can you imagine the problem that would ensue for a wedding job if I purchased a K7 only to find that in half my shots I was getting a green line ( see busted sensor thread ), or there were hot spots or whatever, I would be SO SCREWED!! My reputation is on the line....
So these are just some of the considerations I am facing now having to upgrade and get a second camera... its almost feels like buying a sub at the local supermarket, already a foot long is 6 dollars, which is a bit much for a sub if you ask me but for only 2 dollars more you get much better tasting meat..... so if your going to spend 6 why not just go 20 or 30 percent more and really get the good stuff, same with the camera systems...
no doubt on paper the K7 wins because it is sooooooooo feature rich but I really just need equipment that allows me to do the job and not necessarily so feature rich.....
Just my thoughts
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-17-2009, 02:35 PM
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Shutterbob that is very frustrating news to hear the K7 is having so many damn issues....
I'd definitely would upgrade due to the better af because that is such a tangible benefit for wedding photography but with all the issues it almost makes the 1000 dollar more D700 seem like a requirement!!
....... sigh....... I'm caught in between a rock and a hard place financially..... but I don't want to spend more money on a system I think will limit me either....
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-17-2009, 01:35 PM
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Thank you all for the comments...
I wanted to point out one other thing I noticed about the K7 that I absolutely loved ( specifically from a photojournalist perspective ) was how silent the shutter is.... very velvet like. I could not believe the improvement there.... this is especially helpful in a discreet environment where you might hear a pin drop... You really barely hear it..... a huge improvement from the K10/K20 to the K7... especially in the context of weddings...
Let me elaborate on my thoughts about considering the jump to a Canon or a Nikon system versus staying with Pentax....
First I'd like to think with the glass that I have, I have almost mastered using the K10d. I've learned to shoot around its limitations. I have a Tamron 28-75, and a Pentax 18-250, and FA 50 1.4... I know the strengths and weakness of each lens pretty well.... my tamron is soft at 75 and 2.8 but ok at 28 and 2.8 but ridiculously sharp at f4... my 18-250 is my tourist lens, but I used it for wide shots.. and my 50 is good at 1.7 and above....
Almost every single time the main problem in shooting a wedding is that unless you are lucky or have a very high end bride who is investing tons of money into her wedding for lighting setup... most weddings are in very low contrast areas especially the reception....
As photographers we all face the same issues and for weddings its no different how to stop a shot, have focus, and low noise for the highest quality image possible...
Brides are pretty sophisticated now, and down here in miami the competition is literally cutthroat.... it is either low end or high end and almost nothing in between... Brides who spend hours looking at Bridal magazines can generally tell the difference between someone who just flashes a frame away versus a photographer who has the best equipment and uses the camera and the glass to make the best use of natural light to capture the ambience...
Here is a sample from a recent wedding I was shooting:
The settings are k10/ Tam 28-70 / f4 / 1/30 / ISO 800 with onboard manual flash diffused to add in fill....
Now I know that I cannot zoom in at 70 and f2.8 with my Tamron because then the results are too soft but I also know that I cannot go past 800 ISO with the K10d... so I set to f4 because I know if the focus hits the picture will be decently sharp I up my flash by a stop and keep the ISO at 800....
Now there is nothing if you were to think about this from a technical point of view wrong with this process. YOu can make the argument that the K10 or K20 or K7 is more than adequate to shoot weddings.....
maybe... but the other camera systems make it easier and you have to think less.... because the cameras are more capable and give you more flexibility... How far would you push your ISO on the K20 or K7? I mean you can always argue that you can fix it in post.... but the idea is to save time not add more work...
Using a D700 or a 5d mark ii I could have easily jumped 2 stops to ISO 3200 ( and maybe even 6400 ) and frozen the action better with a speed of 1/120th to offset camera shake.... the ISO advantage allows you to use a longer lens and still stop the action as well..... Canon rules here because they offer the fastest glass imaginable with the lenses.... If you've ever seen Jeff Ascough's work witht the 24 1.2 II then you'll know the difference between using a system to get by versus having one that allows you to take shots that were previously only available by using a flash.... and thats my point....
I mean if I am looking at different photography sites and I come across 2 different phtoographers and one has a Canon 5d with a 24. 1.2 and another has a K20 with some 2.8 lenses the types of shots available to the different systems is the distance of a lake.. and I think generally with the sophistication of many brides now they can perceive this...
Now don't get me wrong I am not saying there is anything wrong with the Pentax. I absolutely love my K10 and think the K7 is a good step forward... but with all the issues people have been having with it plus the issues with the glass is it the best tool for the best competitive edge in a very stiff market? Thats kind of what I was getting at...
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-16-2009, 08:32 PM
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So as luck would have it about 3 weeks ago I wrecked my K10 pretty good...
It was sitting on top of my desk and I got up caught the strap and sent it into the ground at about 50 miles an hour.... this probably would not have hurt the camera in of itself except I had my flash attached and it landed flash first, therefore ripping off the hotshoe and resulting molding underneath and also ruining my flash as well...
so I was hoping to win a new K7 at the miami tour event... ( that did not happen ) which started off rough because the hotel was not aware of the event... either way got to play with a K7 for a little while with battery grip attached...
Here are my thoughts:
1. Wow, much smaller, but it looks like they engineered it so the grip is basically the same as the K20 or K10, so my thoughts were this is like a mini K10 or K20d..
I did remove the battery grip and felt that the camera still felt good in the hands.. the af button on the back is easy to access... seems like the rear wheel seems slightly more to the left than my hands are used to...
Cameras for me come down to how they feel in my hands.... before I settled on a Pentax I was going to get a 40d.. because I liked simply how it felt in my hands...
2. Lighter camera, I did not notice all that much about whether the camera was better built or not but it felt a lot lighter...
3. I had the new 55 1.4 SDM attached to the camera and we were in a hotel room in shaded light with only half the lighting up, the camera seemed to focus quite fast even with the SDM lens attached.... I should have brought my tamron lens to see how that performed... but i've read from the measurebaters on here that the SDM lenses seem slower to focus and I did not find that much of a problem at all... in a low lit room.... I was pretty impressed with the new focus speed.... this would be the number one reason for me to spend an extra 600 dollars over the 20d... that and:
4. Maybe the K20d and K7 offer 1 more greater stop of noise? Not sure, I could not really tell using a simple LCD ( the new one is great btw ) but 20% views showed a bit of noise...
5. One thing I thought was odd and I am not even sure I was using a production model was that pentax seems to have flipped the focus mode switch from up to down? Why? I think I prefer it in the up....
Anyways with the destruction of my K10d, I'm sure the cost to fix the hotshoe ripping out of the camera is more than the camera is actually worth I find myself at a crossroads... My goal is to jump more into wedding photography but to do that requires a considerable investment in equipment and lenses ( I'd go the D700 / triple play lens route ) and I can't really afford that right now
So I'm at a crossroads of whether to get a K20 or a K7 or just bail from Pentax all together, I have loved my K10 and it has served me well but I think per my goals I may need to jump systems...
Any thoughts are welcome
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-16-2009, 06:36 PM
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Alan,
THese are really excellent ESPECIALLY FOR A FIRST WEDDING.....
In any of the shots posted what was the hightest ISO you went to?
Paul
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
08-16-2009, 03:20 PM
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because I am at the hotel where the event is supposed to be and nothing...
they don't know what I am talking about..
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Forum: Photographic Technique
11-13-2008, 03:15 PM
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Okay I feel a little stupid asking for help...
BUT i need to send my camera in to Pentax or wherever to get my SD slot fixed, it is cracked and for them to run whatever they can on it or replace whatever before my warranty expires end of this month...
I see in my box I have a serial number card, a manual, and a worldwide service thing...
I notice on the Worldwide service foldout there are several USA locations...
Which one do I send it to? Like I notice there is a center in Florida and I am in FLorida if I sent it there would it come back faster? or must I send it in to Pentax USA
Is there anyway I can get expidited service? Like I would pay to have it expidited if it was possible I need it back before end of this month...
Must I call first?
How does the process work?
I feel like an idiot for asking but after reading some stories just wanted to make sure I was informed by what I'm about to get myself into....
Any help would be appreciated...
Paul
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
11-08-2008, 11:40 PM
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Oh those prints will be on metallic paper too
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
11-08-2008, 11:39 PM
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Again, thanks for the compliments....
regarding that last photo its being made into 2 10 by 15 prints for the girl, she absolutely loves it, I am definitely going to do a photoshoot with her......
: )
Paul
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