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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 03-04-2024, 02:15 PM  
Pentax K5?
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 22
Views: 1,030
Wheatfield gave you good advice.

I will say on the plus side that you will see a pretty nice bump in image quality. I went from a KX to a K30 (Kx is same sensor as your Kr, and K30 is the same sensor as the K5 and K5II), and it was a really great upgrade in IQ (*see comment below, though). If you can find a K30 with a repaired aperture block, it would be a good step up. If you can swing a little bit more money, a brand new KF won't have the aperture block failure problem, and an even bigger jump in IQ.

That said, at base ISO, at screen size (assuming a 1080 monitor), the Kx and Kr actually do OK and the IQ upgrade is sort of small. What I really like about the newer bodies are things like the bigger, brighter viewfinder, better controls, nicer rear screen, focus peaking, battery life, and better at high ISO. Also, the extra megapixels are nice if you have good lenses and want to crop heavily. If you only have the kit lenses, those will hold you back and a better choice is to upgrade lenses first, and then body. As you can see below, the lenses make a much bigger difference than the body for IQ.

One more thing, if you find a K30/50/70 with aperture block failure, you can swap the solenoid from your Kr into the newer body and solve the aperture block problem (assuming you are handy with a soldering iron).

Here's a Kx shot with the kit lens. It's an alright photo, but a little bit soft.

mod-6491


Same camera, but a Takumar 55mm prime
Super Tak! (EXPLORED)

and
IMGP5140


And a DA40mm Limited
Still water sunset


And the same 40mm Ltd on my K30
IMGP8798.jpg


DA40 Limited Daylight WB
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 02-18-2024, 06:43 PM  
New to Pentax and can't find answers to a few questions in the manual
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 20
Views: 1,062
One more comment, Pentax WR is LEGENDARY. Get a WR lens, and don't wait for the rain to stop.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 02-17-2024, 05:05 PM  
New to Pentax and can't find answers to a few questions in the manual
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 20
Views: 1,062
Do you have focus peaking on? From Pg. 64 in the manual:

While focus peaking is displayed, the histogram and highlight alert are not displayed.

So turn focus peaking off. Then go into the C4 menu, and go about halfway down to Monitor Display. In that submenu, go halfway down to the Live View sub-submenu, then into the Shooting Info Display

Set "current display pattern" to 1. Then go down to L1 customization, and turn on all the checkboxes.

Voila. You will have a level, and highlight blinkies, and a histogram and the grid guide if you want it.

You can set 3 different sets of Info Display in L1, L2 and L3. Access the different modes through the Info button repeatedly push the Info button to cycle through. One press brings up the Info menu, multiple presses are required to move through the L1, L2 and L3 displays.

I have focus peaking as one of the boxes in my Info menu so I can turn it on or off there. then press info button a few more times and it cycles through L1, L2 and L3 giving you whatever info you want in each.

The thing you set for Digital Preview is useless. It basically takes a picture and shows it to you. You can also just take a picture and just chimp the screen using the review button.


With all that said, the highlight and shadow recovery is very robust with this sensor. Just shoot at -1/3 EV, use Av, and fix it post. Manual mode is too slow for me.
Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF 02-17-2024, 10:00 AM  
K-70 for a year. Features I wish it had that we will never get.
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 18
Views: 988
The Green Button is one of the MOST useful parts of Pentax.

Start by reading this guide:
How to use/meter Manual & M42 Lenses on all Pentax DSLRs (K-1, K-3, K-5, K-30, etc) - PentaxForums.com

One of the key points: "ensure that the green button is configured to Tv Shift in M/TAv Mode"

Then shooting in M mode, when you set your aperture, push the green button and the camera will basically set your shutter speed. You can also set the green button to P mode, and it will set ISO and shutter speed per the program line. I have mine set so I can use TAv mode with manual lenses and just get auto-ISO. There I have the green button set to give me the P line.

Also, make sure the little cartoon for the 4 ways switch and Focus Point on the right of the rear screen shows the 4 buttons as ISO, Shooting Mode, AWB and Flash, if not, hold the OK button until it does. Then push the top button for ISO and then your rear dial will be ISO.
Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF 02-15-2024, 08:05 PM  
K-70 for a year. Features I wish it had that we will never get.
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 18
Views: 988
With the 3rd dial, you can set it to control ISO. So if I'm in M and set the 3rd dial to E-Dial, I get aperture on the back, shutter speed on the front, and the third dial is direct control of ISO. I think there is no limit to how you can re-arrange them, but that's how I like it.

If I'm in Av, I get Aperture in the back, ISO in the front, and then E-Dial controls exposure compensation, so basically directly controls shutter speed but only if I've taken direct control of ISO. A press of the green button and I'm back in regular Av mode with auto on ISO and Shutter.

In P mode, it works per usual but the 3rd dial is an ISO override whenever I want. The front or rear will take control of shutter speed or aperture, but set the other back into Auto. So it's like a super-HyperP with the ability to choose ISO on the fly.



One more point; on my K70, in M I have shutter speed on the front dial, and aperture on the back dial, but if I push the top button on the 4-way, then my rear dial changes to ISO. You may have to hold the OK button for a second to switch from focus point mode to whatever the mode is called when the buttons do other stuff.

As other have said, if you want M with Auto-ISO, just click over to TAv.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 02-14-2024, 10:16 AM  
K-70 : where's the zoom mode ???
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 24
Views: 921
As others have said, the 14mm is not a zoom lens. It will never be a zoom lens. You can crop the photos from it to be sort-of-like a zoom, but you will lose quality. If you crop a lot, you will lose a lot of quality. If you want a zoom lens, I suggest starting out with the Sigma 17-70. You can get one used very cheaply. Use the 14mm prime for when 17mm isn't wide enough, use the 55-300 for when the 17-70 isn't narrow enough. The lenses are interchangeable because different lenses are good at different things.

If you have a little more money, the Pentax 16-80 is a better lens than the Sigma I suggested.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 02-05-2024, 04:20 PM  
What Lens for Venice with a Pentax k70?
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 33
Views: 1,287
Thank you for your kind words. Some of my favorite images ever were captured with that camera. It really gave me the true love of photography.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 02-04-2024, 10:27 AM  
What Lens for Venice with a Pentax k70?
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 33
Views: 1,287
I was in Venice in the early 2000's with my very first Pentax, branded as an HP618 photosmart (same as Pentax EL-200).

I second the idea of getting up early. I toured the city at 5:00am and it was one of the most fun travel things I've ever done. Image quality wasn't amazing on that camera by today's standards, but I still love that camera.

76 Venice.jpg by Kozlok1, on Flickr



73 Venice.jpg by Kozlok1, on Flickr
Forum: Pentax K-3 III 02-02-2024, 02:18 PM  
will lens work on k3-3
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 9
Views: 795
I have one on my K3III and it focuses just fine in live view or viewfinder. Never been back for a firmware upgrade either that I know of, but also bought it used.
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 01-04-2024, 06:03 AM  
Topaz Photo AI and the DA15 Limited: A Match made in heaven?
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 7
Views: 910
No, not at all. This is really my first foray into 3rd party sharpening.






Point well taken. This wasn't really an exercise to do things perfectly, just an experiment to see if my beloved 15mm could be improved in the corners. What we need now is a masking system so we can improve the corners without affecting the already-sharp center.
Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing 01-03-2024, 07:04 PM  
Topaz Photo AI and the DA15 Limited: A Match made in heaven?
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 7
Views: 910
I acquired Topaz Photo AI during the holiday sale, and I had played around with it a bit. Today, I decided to see what it would do with the DA15 Limited. I've always loved my 15, but admittedly, it has (very) soft corners. I tried out the Photo AI to see if it would fix the corners, and I am kind of wowed by what it did. I'm going to try it with my K3III to have even higher resolution images, this is was just a test case as an image I've always loved, but was disappointed in the corners. It also added some contrast and pop to the colors, which I probably could replicate in Lightroom, but still...

Comparison looks better on Flickr on the full images than here on the forum or in my tiny jpg comparison shot.

Comparison.



The full images.




Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 11-27-2023, 09:38 PM  
Tips needed for focusing in low light
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 25
Views: 785
One thing to know is that the autofocus works best if it has a high contrast element to focus on. If you can find an edge with both bright and dim at the distance you want the focus to be at, then focus there, and then immediately switch to manual focus, and then don't touch anything. More reliable yet is to use manual focus and live view with magnification.

Note that all of the images ramseybuckeye posted have at least some edge where very dark and comparatively light edges appear. These are ideal autofocus targets. Put the autofocus target right in the spot that has both light and dark right at the autofocus point.

Another thing to remember is that the center autofocus point is the most sensitive one. It's OK to use the center point to focus and then recompose to move the camera to where you want the framing to be. You can half-press the shutter button, hold, and then recompose and then shoot, or turn off the shutter button focus and just use back button focusing, or again, focus and switch to manual focus without again toucing the focus ring.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-15-2023, 07:10 AM  
Any new KAF4 lenses in the pipeline?
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 75
Views: 2,531
My personal guess is the next lens we will see is a PLM version of the 50-135 and/or a 35mm prime with modern optics.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 10-01-2023, 07:26 PM  
Question about 55-300 PLM I just got off eBay
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 24
Views: 1,109
Are you sure you're not closer than the minimum focusing distance? Start with something about 6 feet away. It will focus to 95cm, but give it a little bit of space to work to make sure it's not the min focus distance that's the problem.
Forum: General Talk 09-13-2023, 02:30 PM  
The Pentax Gnome is about to be retired if ....
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 3
Views: 420
Our travelling Nifty 50 also went missing along the way.
Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF 09-07-2023, 09:08 PM  
K-70 noise vs. K-30
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 14
Views: 1,274
I upgraded K30->KS2->K70. In general, I find the K70 to be much better from a noise perspective at a given image size. However, if you zoom to 100%, the K70 appears noisier because you are pixel peeping much smaller pixels.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 08-13-2023, 01:26 PM  
I Thought It Was Settled - But Now I am Torn Between Two Lenses
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 35
Views: 1,443
Why do you own both lenses? Because LBA. I have the Sigma 17-70, the DA 16-50, the 18-135, the 16-50, and I still have a copy of the 18-55 around somewhere. I also have primes that cover the same range, and I have the Sigma 18-35.

Each one of them is slightly better at one thing or another.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 08-12-2023, 03:56 PM  
I Thought It Was Settled - But Now I am Torn Between Two Lenses
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 35
Views: 1,443
Years ago I went to Disney World with only the 18-135 and my Sigma 30/1.4 for indoors. It really is a perfect travel kit for when you are mostly outside. These days I use my 16-85 quite a lot more. It's enough better in the mid range that I prefer it over the 18-135 consistently. I also tend to tote around either the 55-300 or the 50-135, so I don't really need the long end as much.

If you already have the 31 Ltd. and the 18-135, take those and be happy! You won't miss the f2.8 aperture of the 16-50 with the 31 in the pocket.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 08-08-2023, 05:48 AM  
21mm HD FA vs 21mm HD DA
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 14
Views: 1,328
If you are shooting on a K1, obviously you need the D FA. On APS-C, I'd think the cost and size differences would mean more than any IQ differences. Both are center-sharp from wide open, both a little soft in the corners wide open.

One distinct advantage for the DA lens is it has nicer starbursts and handles direct sun backlight significantly better. The DA is truly a champion in backlight situations, while the PF review of the D-FA concludes "Flare and ghosting below expectations for a Pentax lens"

On the other hand, I think the bokeh from the DFA is superior by a large margin. It also has a silent focus motor.
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 08-04-2023, 03:20 PM  
Is it too hot for photography?
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 11
Views: 969
For the Pentax? No. For me? Yes
Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories 08-03-2023, 09:45 AM  
Peak Design Slide - trust issues
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 36
Views: 2,244
I think I'd rather trust a BlackRapid strap. Every time I put mine on I make sure the little screw on connector is tight. You can also get a secondary strap for it that connects to the normal strap anchor points in case the screw in one fails. For something so precious, that's what I'd do.

Extra Secure - Camera Strap Safety Tether II - BLACKRAPID
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 07-11-2023, 07:15 AM  
DA 16-85 WR,show us what it can do.
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 1,626
Views: 241,974
Took the 16-85 to a Renaissance festival. Caught this shot which I think displays this lens' strengths: Nice and sharp, great color, decent bokeh for a zoom. If I'm taking photos while doing stuff, this lens is usually on the camera.

K33A2706.jpg by Kozlok1, on Flickr
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 07-11-2023, 07:03 AM  
Sigma 70mm F/2.8 DG Macro EX - Is Lens Hood Essential?
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 8
Views: 523
I have the hood and I hate it so much that I bought a rubber one that screws on. Even then, I don't mount it often because the front element is so deeply embedded anyway. Also, I've found it's reasonably flare resistant. Not a DA15 for sure, but not a horror show either.
Forum: Vintage Cameras and Equipment 07-09-2023, 03:29 PM  
beginner question...
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 11
Views: 562
There are focusing screens for digital cameras that have the split prism spot in the center. They aren't common, though, as they can affect your autofocus and metering if memory serves me. Just learn to check for the little green hexagon in the viewfinder that tells you you have focused correctly.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 06-19-2023, 09:24 AM  
Not happy with my DA 35mm 2.8 Macro Ltd. - Sharpness
Posted By Kozlok
Replies: 8
Views: 887
It looks like focus is off to me.
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