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Forum: Sold Items
07-02-2019, 06:50 PM
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Ughhh - so tempted but I would lose $$$ on my K1 kit and I just don't have the disposable income. But what a killer deal, someone should jump on this!
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Forum: Sold Items
06-13-2019, 09:22 PM
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Fantastic deal. My favorite digital camera I've had the pleasure of using.
Good luck with the sale, I guess it will go fast!
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
02-21-2019, 09:41 AM
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I have an MZ-3 which I really like. It's not the most robust, but it is light. Viewfinder is good but not remarkable. Pairs great with the FA limited primes, and while they are 'rare' they are not too expensive if you find one (I got mine at KEH in EX+ condition for around $60).
I wanted an MZ-S, but the differences in performance considering the differences in price didn't appeal to me. If a good one pops but I would grab it though, as I wouldn't mind something that feels a little more robust (and I'd love to have a 135 film camera with a vertical grip!)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-31-2019, 09:01 AM
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Yeah, it's really a shame. I would be very likely to pick up the new 35 f2 even if it just had WR, but as is I do not see a reason for add it to my kit.
The K1 really needs some small WR primes. I love the system with the FA limiteds for travel, but I would love to see something like Fuji's F2 WR series (which honestly rather tempt me for travel kit, but I hate maintaining multiple systems and prefer FF).
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
01-30-2019, 09:13 AM
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Of course, and as you will learn, what chemistry you use to develop the film, what speed you shoot it at, and how much you agitate during development will probably have MORE impact on the final image than the film stock itself. The most important thing is to get comfortable with a film stock and play with it, learn what you like and don't like about it, and then once you have a strong sense play with other stocks.
Personally, I almost exclusively shoot FP4+ as my standard. 400 speed films like Tri-X and HP5+ are VERY flexible and you can easily use them for 95% of applications. I would choose whatever is more affordable/easier to acquire. I would recommend HC110 as an 'easy to deal with' one-shot developer for either film. D76 is the standard, but works best if you are doing bulk or in a community dark room, as once mixed it only stays active for around 2 months (if refrigerated). I live in a tiny apartment and my fridge is full, so I always use one-shot developers :-)
If you are interested in HC110 as a developer, there is a wealth of information about it here (Kodak HC-110 Developer - Unofficial Resource Page). You should probably rate the film a little below box speed, like 250ISO or 320ISO, as a 'standard' (but you can do all sorts of crazy things, which is one of the fun parts of working with film).
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-25-2019, 12:45 PM
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Personally, I've rarely (never?) found that I got anything useful trying to use two radically different camera systems simultaneously. I guess it depends on what you are after in your images, but I would just stick to the 645z and make a conscious decision to focus on only one of either wildlife or landscape at a given time.
If you are willing to buy and resell something and don't need to make massive prints, you might want to look at fixed lens superzooms (like the Nikon P1000 or Panasonic FZ2500). They will be much more compact and run circles around trying to manual focus a 400mm on a 50D (or, for that matter, autofocus a 400mm on a 645z).
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
01-14-2019, 03:05 PM
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If your budget is tight, I would look at original K3's. I've seen good bodies go for $350-400, and it would be a considerable step up in operation, handling and resolution.
Personally, when traveling I think less is more. Only bring telephoto lenses if you plan to use them. When I travel with the K1, I often just bring the 43mm LTD. I just did 10 days in London and brought the 31/43/77 kit and... used the 43mm 70% of the time (31mm 25% of the time, 77mm wildly underused at around 5% of total shots.).
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Forum: Sold Items
01-13-2019, 11:04 AM
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
01-09-2019, 12:20 PM
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I haven't used the Pentax 67 in particular, but I shoot a lot of MF and I would agree with the above - if you are working handheld, you've got bigger factors than mirror slap that will be impacting your image. If you are working on a tripod and after the absolute peak possible performance, I think it is a good thing to have.
I've never seen someone actually show a side-by-side of the same images taken with and without MLU. I kind of suspect that, even if visible, it wouldn't be so until you were hitting pretty big enlargements.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
01-08-2019, 10:41 AM
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Pentax is extremely well equipped to go to 54x40, as almost all of their lenses cover the format. It is quite obvious that Fuji intends to stay with 44x33, and since they are pumping out lenses that do not scale to 54x40 I doubt they will be looking to jump 'up' in format anytime soon.
This would positioned the 645z replacement as more of a budget/field alternative to the $40k+ 54x40 Hasselblad and Phase kits. I likely wouldn't be able to afford such a camera myself, but I would be very interested in buying into the 645 system if it existed (also assuming they keep an OVF). But if they go this route, I do not expect the camera to be anywhere near as cheap as the GFX line, which will likely disappoint a lot of people.
But the issue is lenses. There is more money to be made selling lenses than bodies, and Ricoh/Pentax is not even close to keeping pace with other manufacturers in that regard. It may not matter much in practice, but it doesn't help keep them in the news. I'd love to see them drop a 'full frame' digital body with a new 75mm f2... Would definitely get some headlines!
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Forum: Sold Items
12-03-2018, 02:07 PM
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Wish I needed another K1!
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Forum: Pentax Price Watch
11-16-2018, 11:54 AM
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Nice! Scored an MZ-3 I've been looking for in EX+.
Warranty takes the concerns off of the plastic gear problem, at least for the first 12 months!
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
11-05-2018, 08:49 AM
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For the combination of price, usability and size, it is hard to better a Canonet QL17 in the fixed-lens-rangefinder-category (as long as you don't mind shutter priority or full manual). Internal meter only works in auto-mode, though, which can be annoying. It's my go-to 35mm travel camera.
Don't worry about going meterless. A small handheld meter is better than any built-in meter, and once you get the hang of it you can often judge exposure by eye. I think learning to go meterless helps make one better at using any camera, as you start to think about what the camera is automatically doing and can therefore make judgements about if you like what it is doing or not better :-)
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
10-10-2018, 08:50 AM
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Panasonic G85 / GH4 is a good option and can be found quite affordably now.
If you only need 1080p (which is probably all anyone needs for blogging) I would look at the GH3 which can be found for a couple hundred bucks.
I've shot video with a lot of mirrorless cams and small cinema cameras, and for the mixture of quality and usability the Panasonic GH series is really the best. For specific things (lowlight, matching with a cinema camera) the A7s series is better, but for vlogging I think Panasonic takes the cake.
LX100 is also a very good camera, albeit less flexible/usable.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
10-02-2018, 08:04 AM
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The Sigma 35mm is technically better wide-open (and it is 1.4 instead of 1.8). The 31mm has some vignetting and loss of corner sharpness at widest apertures. But the 31mm has, I think, loads more character than the sterile perfection of the Sigma Art series.
Stopped down to 2.8 I doubt they are significantly different. If you need silent focusing and corner sharpness wide-open I suppose the Sigma is the way to go - but the size, feel and character of the 31mm would absolutely be my choice (or rather - it was!)
I don't have a Sigma 35mm to compare with but I have shot it before (on Nikon). Personally, I think FA Limited lenses are one of unique pleasures of the system and I would lean towards them. Aperture rings also make them cross compatible with mirrorless cameras (and Canon EOS) which is important for me as I use them on multiple systems.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-28-2018, 10:23 AM
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I would probably go for a prime to compliment the 28-105, since I don't think the non-DFA* lenses are really going to be optically better (just larger/faster/$$$).
For street/landscape, I think it is pretty hard to beat the FA 31 ltd. Was a key reason to move towards a Pentax kit for me and I feel like anyone who has invested in a K1 should give it a shot! Prices are high new but if you keep your eye on the used market there are some good deals. FA 35 f/2 is a much cheaper alternative (I haven't used but it gets strong reviews).
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
09-28-2018, 08:48 AM
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I prefer primes, but if you want a simple solution the obvious one is the 28-105. No wide apertures would annoy me, though - so personally, I would probably take the 28-105 and either the 77 ltd or the Sigma 35mm, depending on what focal length you prefer as a standard. The 77 is usable as a general walk-around, albeit a little longer than one might like - but it's light, small and sharp. The 28-105 can cover everything else and has WR if you think you'll be exposed to the elements much.
I think that generally speaking when traveling, less is more. I never take a tripod unless I know I am going to have extensive time dedicated entirely to photography- when I do I find they mostly sit in my room. For a trip like this, I would probably take the 43mm + the 100mm DFA WR Macro, just so I have a WR and telephoto option.
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Forum: Video Recording and Processing
09-25-2018, 10:06 AM
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Happy K1 owner here.
I work professionally in film/video, and while I haven't messed around with the K1 seriously - I think even with low/no budget you can get much better options. A used GH2 will blow it out of the water and can probably be found for $200 bucks or less.
5D MKII with Magic Lantern is a substantially more flexible option. GH4 shot on 4k and downres'd to 2K will absolutely destroy it.
I mean - I am sure it is usable if you are OK with heavily compressed 4:2:0 8bit and almost no customizable options. But I don't really know why one would when there are so many better cheap options floating around.
The K1 is a camera designed for photography, and for that, I think it is the best bang for buck currently on market. Honestly, I think they could have just left video off altogether, a la the Nikon DF, and put something else where the REC button is.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
09-25-2018, 08:55 AM
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Hopefully by releasing a 'full' 645 sized sensor in the 645X (or whatever it will be called). With any luck with SR and pixel shift (something that in my view no other manufacturer has gotten right yet).
Pentax has a big advantage over the recent Fuji / Hasselblad offerings in that it has body/lenses that can accommodate a larger sensor, and much, much lower prices than Phase and Hasselblad MFDSLR's. But unless they can find a way to amp up lens production it's going to be hard to get much of a foot hold... I think the people dropping this kind of dough on a body are likely after modern lenses as well.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-21-2018, 08:43 AM
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Yes - limited quantities were produced but it has a small cult following among Leica shooters. I've read there are 800 in silver and 1200 in black (although oddly it is the silvers I tend to see for sale).
It is identical optically to the Pentax-FA 43mm, but lacks autofocus and has Leica M mount + accessory viewfinder. The lens is actually slightly larger as they essentially need to put an 'adapter' on the back to match the registration distance of the SLR version. I think most people use the Leica or Minolta 40mm f/2 which are very similar in focal length and aperture and generally available cheaper, although they perhaps lack the special characteristics of the 43mm...
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Forum: Pentax Price Watch
08-30-2018, 08:28 AM
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Optics are identical to the FA 43mm ltd, with a longer barrel to keep the registration distance the same.
It's expensive because it is a collectors item with limited production, targeted at Leica shooters... You can find lots of articles about it on the web, rangefinderforum.com, etc... It has some cult following although I think most M-shooters probably go for the more common and cheaper Leica 40/2 or identical Minolta M-Rokkor 40/2.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-23-2018, 12:22 PM
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With the lovely exception of:
31mm ltd
43mm ltd
77mm ltd
100mm Macro WR
(Honestly, major reasons that attracted me to the K1 in the first place!)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-22-2018, 12:18 PM
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I'd probably do:
Option 50 K50 + 50mm 1.7 + GRII
28 / 50 covers most needs
Reasonably lightweight/compact (but no need to go all the way to just GRII since you have a car)
Back-up in case of unforeseen damage/theft/loss/failure
Or I would do option 2 - just because I always find I end up happier with primes than zooms (and 15mm is probably plenty wide).
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Forum: Sold Items
08-02-2018, 03:08 PM
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Oh man! I got one of these earlier this year and it is a fantastic lens... and this is a great price.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
06-22-2018, 10:28 AM
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The FA* and F* 300mm is F4.5, while the the DA* is F4 (and has SDM instead of screw AF).
I have the F*4.5 and it is a remarkable lens, light weight, fast focusing, extremely sharp and pleasant rendering.
The DA* is a different design than the F* and FA*, with 8 elements in 6 groups instead of 9 elements in 7 groups. It is full frame compatible according to Ricoh, but I've never used it.
I find the build of the F*/FA* lenses superior to the DA*, and I don't particularly trust the SDM. I suspect someone here has shot all versions and can better advise.
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