Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 
Log in or register to remove ads.

Showing results 1 to 25 of 300 Search:
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio 10-19-2018, 12:07 AM  
Batteries for Flashes.
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 61
Views: 5,226
For my AA battery needs I have used Eneloops and they are great. They are powerful, last long, and keep their charge for a long time when not in use. They also come in lots of different colors if that's your thing (helps keep track of which set gets used too!).
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 06-30-2018, 11:21 PM  
Pentax 18-270mm vs Sigma 18-300mm lens
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 15
Views: 5,672
Had the DA 18-250 for a couple of years and used it extensively for travels. It had its flaws, but it did the job well. I really grew to like and trust the lens.

This past holiday season I got the Sigma 18-300 and it is indeed much sharper than the 18-250, both in the center and edges and corners, across all focal lengths. I would move the 18-250 for whatever you can and put that towards the 18-300, it should serve you well for a long time.
Forum: Sold Items 12-13-2017, 08:07 PM  
For Sale - Expired: Xmas in July! - DA L 18-50 WR RE, SMC DA 21, Tamron 18-200, SMC DA 15, DA 18-250
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 9
Views: 2,040
Bomp.
Forum: Sold Items 12-11-2017, 04:17 PM  
For Sale - Expired: Xmas in July! - DA L 18-50 WR RE, SMC DA 21, Tamron 18-200, SMC DA 15, DA 18-250
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 9
Views: 2,040
Bump

DA 18-50 sold

Price slash on Tamron 18-200. Let's wrap up this thread before Christmas! :3
Forum: Sold Items 12-09-2017, 09:13 AM  
For Sale - Expired: Xmas in July! - DA L 18-50 WR RE, SMC DA 21, Tamron 18-200, SMC DA 15, DA 18-250
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 9
Views: 2,040
Bump

DA 21 sold.



Santa got a better offer from another house.
Forum: Sold Items 12-04-2017, 03:47 PM  
For Sale - Expired: Xmas in July! - DA L 18-50 WR RE, SMC DA 21, Tamron 18-200, SMC DA 15, DA 18-250
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 9
Views: 2,040
Bump

The SMC DA 15 and the 18-250 are sold.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 12-03-2017, 08:17 PM  
Vintage Pentax 100mm Macro F4 vs Modern Canon 100mm Macro F2.8
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 11
Views: 2,861
Great video! It's refreshing to see a nicely done video from the sea of mediocre ones out there on the internet.

In my experience one thing that modern glass has over vintage counterparts are modern coatings. It would have been nice to see a comparison in some situations involving sunlight, but that may not matter all that much with macro usage (it definitely does with wider angle lenses though).
Forum: Sold Items 12-03-2017, 12:36 PM  
For Sale - Expired: Xmas in July! - DA L 18-50 WR RE, SMC DA 21, Tamron 18-200, SMC DA 15, DA 18-250
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 9
Views: 2,040
Time for a Christmas in July Sale!

Tamron 18-200 - $135 NOW JUST $100!

Pentax DA L 18-50 WR RE - $120 SOLD
Pentax SMC DA 21 Ltd - $235 SOLD
Pentax SMC DA 15 Ltd - $100 SOLD
Pentax DA 18-250 - $75 SOLD

**********

Tamron 18-200 - $135 $100!

Picked this up from the original owner who hardly used it. I estimate it has had less than a hundred clicks run through it. Very very minimal dusts inside, everything is nice and clean. It's basically brand new. This is a solid budget superzoom for travel or general walkaround photography.

Comes with original Tamron top and bottom caps and lens hood.

Pictures!

**********

DA L 18-50 WR RE - $120 SOLD

Purchased as part of a kit, less than a hundred clicks usage. Basically brand new. I just don't need it.

Comes with Pentax top and bottom cap.

Pictures!

**********

SMC DA 21 Ltd - $235 SOLD

I picked this up to see if it could supplant my Sigma 24mm 2.8 AF as my walkaround prime. It could not, but it's still a fine lens (and if I didn't have the Sigma I'd probably hang on to this).
Glass is clean and clear and free from haze, fungus and scratches. Minor wear on the lens cap and body that do not affect operations in any way. To me this is an optically great copy.

Comes with original Pentax caps, square lens hood, and pouch.

Pictures!

**********

SMC DA 15 Ltd - $100 SOLD

This lens has minimal wear on the body, and only very light amount of dust inside that comes from normal operations. As far as optics, it had some softness in the top right corner, so it has been through three different repair facilities, the last one being a Pentax factory itself (I have the receipts for all the work). They fixed the corner, but I'm still pixel peeping and seeing softness in another area. My conclusion is that though it's technically within spec, it's still just on the poorer end of the scale. I'm basically done with this lens. I was going to just sell it for parts but it technically still takes photos, and everything else about it is great (and the starburst capability is still intact!), so it would be wrong to list it like that. Make me a reasonable offer, I don't care, I just want to stop this thing from living rent free in my house or my head. If you're not a pixel peeper, you might just score yourself a great lens for cheap.

Comes with original Pentax caps, pouch, and box.

Pictures!

**********

Pentax DA 18-250 - $75 SOLD

This has been my walkaround workhorse for casual snaps. It has traveled the world and lived a richer, fuller life than most lenses will. Unfortunately I picked up a Sigma 18-300 this past Black Friday, so it's probably going to die a dusty neglected death on my camera shelf. Unless one of you folks comes and gives it a good home! Maybe pair it with an older body and give it as a gift? Use it as a beater lens for your next adventure? Christmas Ornament?! The sky's the limit! It has lots of dust inside, some decent sized ones too, but nothing that affects pictures. No fungus or haze though. The front element has a couple of scratches, again they do not affect the photos. Make an offer on this guy or off to the glue factory he goes.

Comes with Tamron hood (from the Tamron equivalent, still locks in place), top and bottom Pentax caps, a Hoya UV filter (that has also traveled the world) and a rubber bracelet that I was using to stop the zoom creep (the zoom lock works, I just didn't like using it).

Pictures!

**********

All prices are in US dollars. Shipping will be via. Canada Post (which continues on as USPS in the US). This includes tracking and insurance (note: no tracking or insurance for items <$100). I will not list this as a gift or skimp on the declared value for insurance purposes, so please keep that in mind if you are wary of potential duties incurred from this purchase. Unless otherwise told, I will be shipping your order to the main address tied to your PayPal account.

PayPal will be the method of money exchange. I will also accept email money transfers from Canadian buyers with established feedback on these forums. I am located in the Vancouver area of BC, Canada, so if you're in the area I would not mind meeting up locally and doing a cash exchange.

No returns from people with < 3 feedback, so read descriptions carefully and please ask any and all questions before pulling the trigger, but if you have an issue with the item that you have received, message me and let's chat about it to work something out. For everyone else, I'll accept returns within 7 days of receiving the item, you pay shipping.



Thank you for looking. Have a good day. :3
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 12-02-2017, 04:54 PM  
Best macro available for the system? :)
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 44
Views: 2,920
If you're doing food photography, you might want to get a prime that won't make you have to stand a few feet away from the table just to get a whole shot of a plate.

Maybe a prime macro in the 35-50mm range would suit you? There are several options there, but the DA 35 2.8 Macro has gotten great reviews.

Of course a prime in the 90mm+ range has uses outside of macro (portrait, telephoto). If you really want to grab one in that range I would suggest the Tamron 90mm 2.8 as the best bang-for-buck option. Then if that suits you flip it and upgrade to something like the Pentax 100mm WR Macro if you desire a better build.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 11-30-2017, 09:43 PM  
What is the best Macro lens for my Pentax k-30
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 25
Views: 5,041
Time for me to promote the all mighty Tamron 90mm Macro again.

COMPLETE Newbie/Beginner - Question About Tamron AF 90mm Macro f/2.8 Di SP - PentaxForums.com
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-30-2017, 09:42 PM  
Pentax-DA* 16-50 Screw Drive converted lens value increase or decrease
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 15
Views: 2,497
Putting your body in manual focusing mode retracts the AF screw into the body, which lets you manually focus screwdrive lenses without resistance.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-30-2017, 08:06 PM  
Pentax-DA* 16-50 Screw Drive converted lens value increase or decrease
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 15
Views: 2,497
I highly doubt Pentax would render a large portion of their modern lineup obsolete at any point in time.

Catch in focus should still work with a converted 16-50, just put it in manual focus mode.
Forum: General Talk 11-29-2017, 10:04 PM  
Amazon lies about their delivery services...
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 10
Views: 1,899
I've had this happen before. I've even had packages not arrive at all and I would have to get a refund for the item, and a couple of times the item arrived a few weeks after the refund. Maybe it got rerouted the long way?

On the other hand, I've had it swing the other way too, where an item that was to be delivered in a few days arrived early, and sometimes even THE SAME DAY of order.

So all in all I don't let it get to me if something is a little late, but then again I've never been in a "must receive" situation with something from Amazon.

Doesn't Amazon have a guarantee for Prime members? Surely there must be some recourse.
Forum: General Photography 11-29-2017, 05:25 PM  
Caution Street Photograhpers
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 9
Views: 1,550
I think the key is here:



The lazy media production company should have just paid $50 to have an aesthetically pleasing actor to do the jogging instead.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 11-27-2017, 05:35 PM  
Tight fitting Pentax-M 50mm f 1.7?
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 31
Views: 2,125
The most likely causes were identified. pschlute provided a solution (toss it and get another one), and he even provided a reason (they ARE cheap and plentiful). Therefore pschlute was on point.
Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories 11-16-2017, 11:29 PM  
How Many Spare Batteries Do You Have?
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 31
Views: 3,017
I also do this. I've never really come close to running out of all batteries during a shoot. I don't do any video or use live view much though.

If your shoot is a highly critical career make-or-break type of job, get as many spare batteries as you can fit into your pockets.
Forum: Pentax Price Watch 11-16-2017, 08:59 PM  
Sigma18-300 with USB Dock & Close-Up Lens $399 & 4% rewards
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 4
Views: 791
Aw sucks. Oh well, I can wait until Black Friday.
Forum: Pentax Price Watch 11-16-2017, 06:29 PM  
Sigma18-300 with USB Dock & Close-Up Lens $399 & 4% rewards
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 4
Views: 791
I guess the deal is over if the dock is no longer showing under the "includes free" portion on the B&H listing, or is there something else you have to do to activate that deal?
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-13-2017, 10:27 AM  
Travel lens kit
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 13
Views: 2,423
Nice report!

I have found a 3 lens travel kit to be optimal:

- General purpose zoom
- Wide angle
- Low-light prime

Looks like others feel the same.
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio 11-10-2017, 10:25 AM  
Best flash modifier (and a lens advice) for a prom/party event?
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 3
Views: 1,467
For events I've used the fong dome before. Honestly, it didn't perform that much different from a Stofen cap, which is what I use now. Also the 540 FGZ has a fairly weak hinge and might have trouble even supporting the Fong dome in an angled position (at least mine did with the rubber one, not sure how might lighter the plastic fong dome is). So to me Stofen caps are the way to go as they're cheap, light, and compact. Just make sure to test and make your settings right. If you find yourself in a situation where you have a nice big wall to bounce light off, just take off the cap.

As for lenses, I've rocked just a single 24mm on crop (so 35mm equivalent on FF) with a flash for events and gotten great results. 50mm will definitely be too tight to get good group shots, but the 28mm, while kind of wide, should work ok.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-09-2017, 10:49 PM  
What is the most compact/light Pentax zoom lenses?
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 22
Views: 3,846
The Pentax 18-135 is surprisingly compact for a lens that has its zoom range.
Forum: Pentax K-5 & K-5 II 11-09-2017, 12:55 PM  
K5 vs. K-50?
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 14
Views: 8,782
To me this is the one great advantage the K5 has over its K-50/30 cousin (the quieter shutter). Everything else is personal preference and is basically a wash.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-05-2017, 04:36 PM  
The Pentax DA* 11-18mm F2.8
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 82
Views: 10,151
Good call in comparing it with the Tokina. Honestly, anything under 600g would be just fine for me. Making it only for crop sensors probably helps keep the weight down.



I don't feel it's going to be that high. Even the DA 15-30 2.8 is only $1450 new, and that's because it's full frame. I'd say anything around $1000 seems likely. $1200 would be pushing it, while anything under $1000 would be a pleasant surprise.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-05-2017, 12:16 AM  
The Pentax DA* 11-18mm F2.8
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 82
Views: 10,151
I wonder how heavy this thing is going to be. It seems smaller than the 15-30, so it's probably lighter, but the 15-30 is a brick so that's not saying much.

The Sigma 10-20 4-5.6 was a bulky lens but it was surprisingly light, so hopefully this new lens is closer to that, though that seems doubtful since it's an f2.8.

Oh well, the way I see it, the 11-18 will save me from carrying around a da15 and the SamBoRokiTar 10mm.

Finally, something in the Pentax lineup to get really excited about. Unless it's something absurd like $1500, I'll probably buy it on day 1.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 11-02-2017, 10:12 PM  
older Sigma 150-500mm question
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 8
Views: 2,300
I just got a 150-500 recently (non OS) and I am very pleased with the results I get from it using a K-30. I was comparing it online to other lenses in its class (reviews + used prices) and it might be the best 400mm+ bang-for-buck telephoto for Pentax out there.
Search took 0.02 seconds | Showing results 1 to 25 of 300

 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:40 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top