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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
07-23-2009, 05:15 PM
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Well your local pentaxian-journalist here. I have been using almost 100% K-mount gear for almost 9 years as a photojournalist working for many newspapers, both daily and weekly along with magazines and other reports.
I am now starting to do video for the web with the K7! Still getting the swing of these video things, but it's coming along. It’s been years since I shot video seriously.
As for why not many, well partially it is availability of gear. I have to mail-order almost 100% of my gear. No local shop really stocks anything pentax anymore. And yes I am about the only guy out there using the beloved k-mount (at least in the Baltimore-DC region) I am known by many for being the lone-silver lens on the sidelines (FA* 300mm F2.8) but occasionally I still get "I didn't know they made those," or... "Wow, they are still around"
As for Pro-service... Pentax is coming along with PPS, as I have gotten a repair done in under a week (I did pay out the teeth for overnight shipping both ways though) I just started using their "loaner" program too, very fast if needed. They 2-day shipped me a body and lens, only problem is that they do not have anything really long and fast, or even the new 60-250 F4! WTF right? Like I said it’s coming along, but it does have room for improvement. At least the staff in PPS is friendly!
Why pentax, it’s what I grew-up on and have always loved. Granted I do have to use something else like Friday for the AC Milan vs. Chelsea FC soccer (football) match I am barrowing a friends 400 F2.8 (c@non) and using it on my rebel xti body (he is using his Mark II's :( and the rebel I got a long time ago for free) I need it because its end-zone only shooting and a 300 just don't always cut it. However I am remoting a K20 and a K10 behind the goals and will still use my K7 and another K20 w/ a 300 and 50-135 on them
Links to some of the latest work (not all is online)
Explore Baltimore County: Historic Senator Theatre sold at auction to Baltimore City
YouTube - Senator Auction 7/22/09
Explore Baltimore County: Junior League of Baltimore to cut ribbon on new home
Friends of The Senator Theatre
»The Catholic Review Online | Catholic newspaper, Archdiocese of Baltimore, world and national Archdiocese news, CNS
Explore Baltimore County: Towson Times 2009 Lacrosse Player of the Year
Towson University to Host 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship - Official Web Site of Towson University Athletics - TowsonTigers.com
Explore Baltimore County: Towson Times 2009 Lacrosse Players of the Year
Explore Baltimore County: County's 911 center getting $14 million upgrade |
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
11-11-2010, 08:28 AM
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Ok, For thoes who know me its easy, To all others, I am a freelance Photojournalist working for a verity of newspapers and Magazines. Ranging from Daily, weekly, monthly and Quarterly.
Shooting everything from Grip-n-grins to fast action and features.
I use 2 bodies (one with a short lens, other with a med-tell normally (think 16-50 and a 70-200) Sports I use a 300 F2.8. Face it Pros do use Pentax, Always have just like the kmount a bit better, what I started with and what I have kept. Yes I have used Pro Nikons and Canons (pool equipment and rentals), Just always migrate back to Pentax, Combined with the fact of my investment I just have not seen the overall need to switch (Till this past spring when I was looking very closely at getting a D3/nikon system, Held off till photokina and till production of the K5, and am very glad I did.
If you look at my history I have always had Higher than average frame counts because of this.
My original *ist-D has around 120K, my K10's both have about 75k/ec (Have 2) my K20 has about 80K and my K7 has almost 90K
In reality my K5 only has about 9000 on it but by the end of this week I will hit 10K as its High-School Sports Semi's and Finals so I'm shooting games 3-4x/week
Also in part to the high count is the fact that the K5 does more FPS in general and WAY more FPS in AF-C mode (averages about 4FPS in AF-C Focus Priority, About 5fps in AF-C Shutter Speed Priority... Side Note this is WAY cool and both are rather accurate.
I am getting more keepers, both because of the AF speed/accuracy but also the Higher ISO makes all the night games I shoot so much better, I can shoot larger DOF and Faster Shutter speed, both insuring less blur (motion/focus)
One last reason is that I am using the K5 more and more over my K7 which I always have w/ me but the results are just that much better.
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
11-10-2010, 10:23 PM
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Ok After almost 10,000 Shutter count and about 3 weeks the K5 is holding up well.
Things I like:
AF speed
ISO/noise (Esp at/above 3200 till 12800)
Auto WB
Jpg Quality
DR is AMAZING!
Things I dislike:
no 1/250 xsync
Things I HATE:
Progressive Buffer (Higher ISO, smaller the Buffer) at 12800 I get 5-6framesn (In both jpg or RAW)
No Voice-memo (The damn thing has a mic, hell my Point and shoots can do this, Come ON!)
Things I expect to see fixed in soon to be released firmware update:
Buffer
Proof the Camera is better than the lens: My 16-50 AF speed/lock-on sux on it compared to any other lens old or new
Good Battery Life. Huge Files, Buffer Sucks! (OOPS Did I already say that)
DXO has it (the sensor) tied for 6th place really with only the D3s really beating it in the 35mm-ish size arena, Amazing
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
10-24-2010, 06:20 PM
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Quick update after a full weekend including 2 sports game (one afternoon, one evening/night under lights) and other various assignments:
AF Speed: AMAZING, both with SDM and in-body (screw) drive. Fastest Screw-drive motor to date I think. Lacks alot of hunting and small corrections that haunted prev pentax's Fast in low light too! Only problem was a little bit inside with my 16-50 (a known problem child of the lens line to begin with)
AF Accuracy: Much better in AF-C than any other Pentax. Both in Focus-priority and Frame-Rate Priority (yes it has this cool new CF mode)
The AF point mode 5 or 11 is dissapointing for sports I think, Eliminates "rule of 3rds framing
FPS: AMAZING, in both AF modes (see above) its fast, I estimate in AF-C I average 4+FPS in most situations. I am also finding that the FPS-Slow is a tad too slow, but useful for shooting w/ flash indoors etc
High ISO: WOW, Im shooting night/indoor games iso 11000-12800 at 1/500sec @ F4 with less noise than iso 5000 (k7)overexposing by 1/3stop @ISO 5000 and 1/320ish @f3.2. Shot a few @ 51200 that looked on par with my k7 @6400, usable, but not pretty
Buffer: The only Dissapointing thing here. Granted with the improved AWB accuracy and great noise handling i will be shooting more JPG for the papers again, but the buffer at high ISO SUCKS. At 12800 I was averaging only 5 frames before a 1-sec-ish pause would allow another 1-2 frames (Note this is with JPG's! its about the same with RAW too) All corrections turned off, using a Sandisk x-3 30mbs card. In lower ISO I was getting about 8-10 before it would slow. (JPG's are 4-star, 16mp) average size=8-10mb
Flash/PTTL: Much better so far than My k7 or other Pentax's IMHO Still no Nikon but getting there
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Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II
10-20-2010, 07:35 PM
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I Shoot for every publication that hires me (ok, mostly just the local guys) and depend on that for 95% of my income (odd jobs cover beer and fun $$) However that said:
Got a K5 Monday, threw it "into the fire" Tuesday and WOW
I have shoot with every mid-top level DSLR Pentax has made and even a lot of the top Nikons etc and the K5 is the best of all Pentax DSLR's for IQ and AF so far. Its easly on-par with the likes of the D300s (sorry haven't done enough with a Canon to compare.)
AF is much faster and locks on faster than any pentax DSLR I have
Flash is better too, but still not as good as Nikon IMHO.
ISO is AMAZING 1600 looks like 400!
Shot side by side with my K7 and past same outside body, its like a whole new camera!
Tomorrow I will be putting it threw the sports test shooting indoor high-school volleyball (no strobes allowed) so this along with Friday-night lights (High School Football) will be a true test of its low-light AF, AF-C speed/accuracy and High ISO.
Will report back soon
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