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Forum: Monthly Photo Contests 12-03-2010, 03:06 AM  
Special Event Disqualified entries for 35mm giveaway
Posted By GEli
Replies: 77
Views: 17,646
Finally convinced me to get around to reviewing my lovely LX.

My Pentax LX Review

Disqualified: <300 words
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 12-03-2010, 03:04 AM  
Pentax LX
Posted By GEli
Replies: 8
Views: 46,724
Pros Well built, easy to handle, superb metering, aesthetically pleasing Cons Mirror occasionally decides it wants to remain up (sticky mirror syndrome) Rating 10 Price (U.S. Dollars) 250 Years Owned 3

I can recommend this camera: Yes

Value, Features, Performance & Size
See review

Camera Review
This is easily my most solid camera and the last Pentax body I regularly shoot with. The tolerances in body construction were clearly very low. Though it’s nearly 30 years old now, the seals are still intact and I’ve yet to require a servicing with the camera in my possession. I’ve found my shutter speeds have remained accurate, or at least within the latitude of the films I use, that they also have not required calibration. It’s overall a joy to use.

As my main film camera I've had no issues with scratched film or inaccurate exposure with the in-camera meter. Occasionally, particularly when it’s cold, the mirror will remain up long past when the exposure has finished. This is a well documented issue known as sticky mirror syndrome and which could be resolved by sending my camera in for a CLA, but it’s yet to become a common enough occurrence to merit the expense. This problem does not affect exposure and can be temporarily fixed by wiggling the shutter speed dial around until the mirror decides to come down.

I’ve shot with this particular body in temperatures as low as -50C and as high as +35C with the body performing perfectly in both situations. The battery actually lasts surprisingly long at -50C, with this likely attributed to the substantial battery door helped along by the fact that the battery compartment is often insulated by the shooter’s left hand when holding the camera normally. Even once the battery dies, at higher shutter speeds the camera is still quite operational.

The accessory viewfinders available for this camera are also quite an asset to the LX system. I use the FF-1 waistlevel finder when shooting in the street and find it very useful at turning my LX into a tiny Hasselblad. The FE-1 Waist-level finder is also very useful, particularly in near-ground macro situations where accurate focussing is of great concern.
Forum: General Talk 04-07-2010, 08:02 PM  
Announcing the PentaxForums Million-Post Giveaway
Posted By GEli
Replies: 1,243
Views: 198,564
What an excellent way to drag lurkers like me out of our holes. Free things are wonderful.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 02-27-2009, 10:01 PM  
Fungus bloom
Posted By GEli
Replies: 11
Views: 2,569
If you do opt for a UV treatment, make sure you're actually getting some UV radiation - a window will filter out a huge portion of the UV radiation in the sunlight coming coming through it.

If you're worried about the thermal damage to the lens associated with leaving it in the sun, consider using a UV lamp instead (be careful about skin contact/eye protection, though).
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 02-05-2009, 01:23 AM  
Gotta love weathersealing!
Posted By GEli
Replies: 16
Views: 5,495
Of course, with the 18m long hood on the 50-135 you need horizontal driving rain to get that front element dirty, and even then only if you point it right at the rain ;).
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 02-05-2009, 01:19 AM  
K20D not so clean
Posted By GEli
Replies: 10
Views: 2,108
Ah yeah - anything touching a focussing screen at all will cause massive damage. Most should be cleanable with a blower, and large particles a camel's hair brush. If you get a fingerprint on it, it's all over!

You should take this opportunity to look into a nice split prism screen, though, since you need a new screen anyways.
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 01-24-2009, 05:11 PM  
Pentax buys Panasonic... ehh... Leica
Posted By GEli
Replies: 117
Views: 13,756
Really? Outrage?

Who in their right mind compares an $850 Leica compact to an Optio P+S that'll run you, at most, $350? It's a completely different price range for a completely different camera. Pentax has no alternative to the D-LUX 4. Bunnell might as well have reviewed an electric kettle, as far as "negatively affecting Pentax's business" is concerned.

"Gee, I was going to spend $200 and get a little waterproof Optio P+S for my mum, but now that I've read this article I think I'll get her a grand worth of Leica that's 2x as heavy and not waterproof."

What more, Pentax produces absolutely no competitors to Leica products at all! Disregarding the massive price disparities between the two product lines, you're comparing a series of tiny rangefinders or a single semi-MF DSLR to a lineup of very to moderately compact DSLRs and cheap point and shoots.

Ragging on Pentax's poor marketing decisions is often justified, but this is just ridiculous.
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 01-24-2009, 04:53 PM  
Camera Stores are selling low-priced DSLRs
Posted By GEli
Replies: 30
Views: 5,902
No, it's like the head of the Jeep division showing up to work in a Bugatti Veyron. Sure a Jeep and a Veyron will both get you from point A to point B, but besides both combusting fuel they're completely different methods of transport :p.

I've always found Pentax to be really well represented in my local camera stores (Don's Photo, Photo Central and Henry's). They even keep 3rd party lenses (Sigma, Tamron, etc.) in Pentax mount in stock.
Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories 12-15-2008, 09:09 PM  
Lowepro Stealth Reporter...anyone have one?
Posted By GEli
Replies: 5
Views: 2,802
Did you perhaps intend to link to Cambags.com? The site you linked to is clearly a nasty domain squatter and contains no useful information, but the similar site I mentioned fits your description to a t.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 12-07-2008, 12:55 PM  
LX EV Comp Wheel Repair
Posted By GEli
Replies: 4
Views: 2,020
So the little metal ring labeling the available EV comps on the ISO wheel on my LX has come loose. I managed to grab the metal ring itself before it was lost, but now I'm considering how to reapply it. It appears it was initially pasted on, but recent threads mentioning the horrors of what certain glue vapours can do to optical surfaces has got me second guessing what type of adhesive would be best employed. Cyanoacrylate based glues seem to be out due to their glass fogging tendencies and fragility at low temperatures (my LX regularly sees extended use in -40°C temperatures). Does anyone have any recommendations on what kind of adhesive to use or what to avoid? Any help is much appreciated!
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 12-06-2008, 06:03 PM  
Which film body?
Posted By GEli
Replies: 31
Views: 4,966
DA* glass is designed for an APS-C size sensor and will (usually) vignette pretty heavily when wide open on a full frame camera. It also lacks an aperture ring, so will require a camera body capable of setting the aperture on-body. I don't know that getting a Pentax film camera solely to use DA* glass on it is a great idea. Now, if you have some K/M/A/FA glass…
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-27-2008, 12:38 AM  
Pouch or No Pouch?
Posted By GEli
Replies: 24
Views: 4,300
No pouches, as all my bags are compartmentalized in such a way that there is a padded piece of foam at all sides of every lens and the fit is tight enough without any extra bulk added around the lenses. Should I ever pack them in together without such partitioning, I expect everything will be thrown in some sort of protective casing.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-21-2008, 12:41 PM  
Protecting your favourite lenses
Posted By GEli
Replies: 38
Views: 5,811
No protective filters unless shooting near the sea or in sandy conditions.

To damage the front element of the DA*50-135 with hood on you'd need nothing short of a spear - and if my camera is being threatened by such weapons, damage to myself is of greater concern than damage to my lenses. I can't replace my perfectly in-tact abdominal cavity for $1000 :p.
Forum: Photographic Technique 11-18-2008, 12:48 AM  
2008 Pop Photo Camera of the Year
Posted By GEli
Replies: 30
Views: 8,758
Well, given that their "Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World" list includes all US photographers, I wouldn't put too much stock in any of those top-10 lists they love to build.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 10-11-2008, 12:32 PM  
Some potentially dumb film questions (Pentax LX)
Posted By GEli
Replies: 11
Views: 3,647
As long as the lens is K-mount, full frame and has an aperture ring, you can shoot with it on your LX. I'm a bit confused about the "in every mode" comment, though - the LX only has full manual and Av, both of which work on any lens that meets the criteria above. Not sure about the rest of your questions, but I'm sure someone else will have answers.
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 10-01-2008, 07:46 AM  
Anyone use K10D at debug mode?
Posted By GEli
Replies: 25
Views: 11,259
Are you certain about the heat issues objection? LCDs tend to produce essentially no heat, with the backlight being the only possible source - and even then, in well designed displays this is severely limited by the use of cold cathode fluorescent lamps.
Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras 09-08-2008, 11:41 PM  
Pentax Film Camera Portraits
Posted By GEli
Replies: 41
Views: 13,354
I wub' my LX!



Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 09-02-2008, 12:20 AM  
looking for a decent F2.8 general walkabout lens
Posted By GEli
Replies: 22
Views: 4,175
I generally use my A 28mm f/2.8 as a walking around lens. It turns into a lovely 42mm on my K10D that's perfect for a walk around prime and is acceptably sharp and contrasty at f/2.8. It really shines around f/5.6, but is definitely useable wide open - especially on a crop sensor.

The best bit is it's cheap like borscht (got mine in mint condition for $70). Granted, it's a manual focus lens, so you'll want a split prism focussing screen, but that's a minor expense that will open up a whole pile of lovely MF lenses. Here's the PentaxForum lens review for the Pentax A 28mm f/2.8
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 06-15-2008, 03:05 PM  
Canadians, buy your Sigma Glass soon
Posted By GEli
Replies: 11
Views: 2,499
This was my main reason for picking up the Sigma 10-20mm a month earlier than planned. At least, that's how I justify it to myself :D.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 04-11-2008, 02:26 AM  
Da Lens Prices ! Low Low Low
Posted By GEli
Replies: 41
Views: 7,304
The best price in Canada on the DA*50-135mm is $1100. For the DA*16-50mm, $1000. Green, viscous envy is filling my blood vessels. Any American with money who doesn't take advantage of this is a fool (or someone not interested in these lenses)!
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 04-10-2008, 01:31 PM  
How many pics can we really shoot?
Posted By GEli
Replies: 19
Views: 3,641
On the first issue mentioned - might it be that the file directory on the card takes up a bit of space? Even when empty, drives will report less than their "official" capacitance partially because the file directory will always take up a certain % of the drivespace.

Or it may be the "1000 bytes to a kilobyte" nonsense that marketers dreamt up (read: lied about), when in reality it's 1024 bytes to the kilobyte. I'm not sure if that bull has drifted into solid state hardware, though.
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 04-10-2008, 01:27 PM  
My Dream of a K20D, crushed.....
Posted By GEli
Replies: 10
Views: 2,671
I recently enjoyed a video I found on digg of a DHL delivery man who delivered packages by throwing them from his truck on the street to the front doors of those he's delivering to. National post service is definitely the way to go - at least in Canada they make ridiculously good money and tend to be very amiable while making their rounds.
Forum: Photographic Technique 04-06-2008, 02:04 PM  
Any canadian photo "product" processing companies?
Posted By GEli
Replies: 4
Views: 2,118
Don's Photo does that kind of thing. I can't attest to the quality of the special product-printing, but their prints are stellar.
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 04-03-2008, 08:59 PM  
A Toast to the most tightly sealed DSLRS in their class.
Posted By GEli
Replies: 15
Views: 3,536
Sensible advertising from Pentax? I'll have to keep an eye open (and a lense drawn) in case I should spot a group of horsemen flying through the sky in the near future...
Forum: General Talk 04-03-2008, 08:55 PM  
photographer rights during protests
Posted By GEli
Replies: 19
Views: 3,449
I can't speak of the closed lane (I'd bring glass long enough that you can still shoot even if that lane won't be available to you), but the sidewalk is definitely open public space that you can do what you wish on. There are certain instances where the building owner will actually own a portion of the sidewalk as well, but that's rare, and I sincerely doubt if that's the case that they'll be concerned of a photog wandering down a quasi-public sidewalk when they have a protest occurring in the next lane over.
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