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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
01-15-2017, 09:19 AM
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I also have an Asus monitor (MX-25AQ), did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that while the sensor in the XRite is better, the Spyder was easier to use. As I'm no pro, and I was able to get the data color spyder pro for a good deal ($99 @ Hunts photo), and have been happy with the results. It allows for different profiles depending on ambient light, but I've only set up one and it seems to be OK (so long as I edit in the afternoon)!!
At any rate I agree re soft proofing - as I print at home (got the Canon Pro 100 for $50) I used the printer profile and was able to tweak my output via trial and error so it automatically applies around +2/3 stop exposure (or should I say "printer") comp - and my prints pretty well match my screen, though the color temp may need a little tweaking yet (a little warmer than my monitor). Obviously for a lab you'll want to apply to the exported files.
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
12-16-2016, 07:30 PM
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Just happened to scroll down and saw your article on filters too - very well done as was the tripod review!
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Forum: Sold Items
10-31-2016, 01:00 PM
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PentaxForums.com Marketplace Listing
Item for Sale
Excellent Pentax DA* 55 f/1.4
Asking Price
420.00 USD
Item Location
Minneapolis, MN (United States)
Item Description
Selling my like-new DA* 55 f/1.4 lens - this is a full-frame ready portrait making, background obliterating machine. Comes with free DA* signature "painterly" bokeh and weather-sealing for the most creative of shots in any environment, rain or shine! This lens has been gingerly used, comes with the original pouch, hood & caps, and has had ZERO problems with SDM. Beautiful lens I would love to see in the hands of another Pentaxian.
    
Are you the original owner of the item being sold?
Yes
Are you selling or trading this item?
Selling
Item Condition (Key)
Used
Excellent
Shipping Destinations
Other (See Listing)
Shipping Charge
$15 CONUS, $25 Canada
Shipping Services
USPS
Accepted Payment Types
PayPal
Return Policy & Additional Details
Seller must notify of any issue within 3 days of receipt, otherwise no returns.
Please send me a private message if interested in the item!
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Forum: Sold Items
10-28-2016, 08:34 AM
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Sorry, the lens has been sold - good luck!
Dan
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Forum: Sold Items
10-26-2016, 06:56 AM
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The 43 is still available :)
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Forum: Sold Items
10-26-2016, 06:55 AM
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Forum: Sold Items
10-23-2016, 10:18 PM
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PentaxForums.com Marketplace Listing
Item for Sale
Mint DA 15 Limited (SMC version)
Asking Price
360.00 USD
Item Location
Minneapolis, MN (United States)
Item Description
Selling my barely used, minty DA 15 Limited (SMC version, you know, the one with the amazing starbursts??) lens. The DA 15 is an outstanding lens, controlling Pentaxians' minds since 2009 with its compact build, signature Pentax "Limited" color rendition and flare resistance. This copy is in perfect condition, includes original box, paperwork and pouch, and is ready to control your mind!
    
Are you the original owner of the item being sold?
Yes
Are you selling or trading this item?
Selling
Item Condition (Key)
Used
Mint
Shipping Destinations
North America
Shipping Charge
15 in CONUS, 20 to Canada
Shipping Services
USPS
Accepted Payment Types
PayPal
Return Policy & Additional Details
Must notify of issue within 3 days of receipt.
Please send me a private message if interested!
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Forum: Sold Items
10-23-2016, 12:41 PM
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Forum: Sold Items
10-21-2016, 03:12 PM
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PentaxForums.com Marketplace Listing
Item for Sale
Pentax FA Limited Lens Trio - 31, 43, 77
Asking Price
Please see each lens' price below
Item Location
Minneapolis, MN (United States)
Item Description
Selling a set of the 3 Amigos in pristine condition - all include original box, pouch, caps and paperwork - they are the MIV versions if that matters to you. I LOVE these lenses as they have captured some of my favorite memories, but unfortunately need to sell to cover some medical expenses. Priced to sell as I'd rather they end up in the hands of a Pentaxian. I may re-purchase them someday :)
Pentax FA 31 Limited - $750 SOLD
    
Pentax FA 43 Limited - $430
    
Pentax FA 77 Limited - $650 SOLD
   
Are you the original owner of the item being sold?
Yes
Are you selling or trading this item?
Selling
Item Condition (Key)
Used
Like New
Shipping Destinations
North America
Shipping Charge
$15 in CONUS, Canada $30
Shipping Services
USPS
Accepted Payment Types
PayPal
Return Policy & Additional Details
Must notify of issue within 3 days of receipt.
Please send me a private message if interested!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-21-2016, 06:04 PM
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Reading these I thought of DigitalRev's (I know I know...) cheap camera challenge where pros shoot toy/kid/P&S cheapo cameras (see cheapcamerachallenge Archives - PetaPixel) and actually get pretty good shots. Sadly it always seems to take a lot of time, energy and $$ for most, including me, to figure out!! Love TwoUpton's quote from his friend re: a professional's best work isn't an accident :)
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Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
03-14-2016, 05:42 PM
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I have a Clik Elite probody with laptop sleeve that can do double duty - has a side access pouch that fit a K3 + DA* telephoto and you can remove all the dividers and "un" separate the compartments to use as a regular backpack - it also has space for a water reservoir for hiking.
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Forum: General Photography
02-09-2016, 06:45 PM
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I have about 2TB of photos, maybe 1 TB RAW between K30, K3, GR, and EM5ii. Yes, there is a ton of garbage in RAWs but I'm too lazy to cull them after each card is downloaded in my archives. I just go through, pick out the ones I like, edit in LR and export those to a keepers folder. As Digitalis said storage is cheap and every time I'm close to running out of space on one disk the next storage tier gets cheaper. This laziness probably costs me $150 every two years which is OK :)
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Forum: General Photography
02-02-2016, 04:30 PM
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I'm running both systems in tandem right now - what sold me on Oly was the parity with Pentax (in-body SR, WR, quirky brand with cult-like following). Here are my thoughts after ~6 mos with both: K3 w/ primes definitely outputs better quality RAW files vs the EM5ii, but I've come to really value the small size now that I'm traveling with 2 kids. In general, the M43 lenses are about 1/2 the size/weight of the equivalent Pentax lenses, but it seems you also only get about 1/2 the longevity from the batteries due to the EVF. What you can't quantify is the value of the EVF, along with touch-to-focus. I thought these were gimmicky and I would just work around them, but they've become some of my favorite features - the EVF's instant preview of what the sensor sees has bolstered my grasp of what exposure I need for any given shot.
I love the Oly WR zooms and PL fast 50...but sometimes you can't beat the feel of Pentax bodies/lenses and resulting images. I've offset some of the cost of running both systems by narrowing my lens selection for both kits to only include those I shoot regularly, and only buying during big sales/from Japan directly. The only tough part of shooting both systems is that when I go back to my K-3 after shooting with the Oly, it can be jarring to listen to the screw-drive autofocus of the limiteds...first-world problems I guess :)
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
01-24-2016, 08:52 AM
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Quick & easy fix - swap the data (not power) cables on the existing 2 TB drive with the new SSD (just the plug that connects to the HDD) and the system should now boot from the SSD. Home stretch!
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
01-01-2016, 09:12 PM
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I would look for something with USB 3 and UASP (protocol to make transfers faster) - both Sabrent (I have a diff Sabrent dock that works well) and Inateck sell decent ones for $23 on Amazon :)
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
12-31-2015, 01:25 PM
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If you buy a Samsung SSD they come with cloning software which will keep everything as you left it on the old HDD. I got the Evo 500 and am very happy - check UserBenchmark.com for which is the best value. I just got a new PC as well so just went through the same thing. If anything try and go value on the hardware and use the savings to invest in a good IPS monitor.
Re: the old disk, it doesn't matter if you mount internally (save desktop space) or externally - with USB 3 or gigabit Ethernet (NAS Enclosure) you'll only be limited by the speed of the 2 TB disk to access your files. If you want to get a bigger one look around the 4 TB mark - those are the best value now.
Re: Lightroom, unless you want access to PS, the dehaze feature, or want to upgrade all the time its probably a better deal to stick with the one-time license for LR vs a subscription to CC. A lot of the time if you buy anything camera related from B&H they'll give you a discount on Lightroom.
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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
11-28-2015, 06:06 PM
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I was in the same place as you for a long time debating how I'd build my new computer, when my 2 year old son decided to power on and off my poor 8 year old desktop repeatedly until it fried the power supply...anyways he kind of forced my hand, so I just ordered an HP Envy 750-177c w i7 6700 and 16 GB ram via Costco's Black Friday deals...it was significantly cheaper that way and I got the new Skylake chip. I can add a graphics card later but even with LR6 it never seemed to improve speeds whether or not I leveraged a graphics card - it's all about CPU horsepower and RAM. Per BC's note above LR does have better support for nVidia cards...anyways point is you may be able to get away with an off the shelf build and get more for less. Hope this helps!
One more interesting thread from Adobe re graphics card acceleration - probably not worth the effort (at least yet): https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1828580 |
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
07-26-2015, 07:04 AM
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So I just took my GR back to the shop yesterday to see if I could get it fixed (again) after letting it sit for a few months (aperture dial was stuck) and lo and behold it now seems to be working fine again. I like Hakea's idea of using the Oly 40-150 and the GR when shooting outdoors! The M43 system is getting a lot more use now due to the size/weight savings (I also really like the JPG engine combined with WiFi) so I think it might be time to sell off the bulk of my Pentax gear. Maybe I can keep the FA's for a while as I can't seem to match the look on M43 yet but everything else seems about on par so far :) Excited to get the MC-14 (1.4x TC) for the 40-150 at some point and see what that brings! I've actually been spending less time on post due to the EVF and getting it right straight out of the camera more...
PS - Hakea the Pana-Leica 25 is pretty darned good - great rendering although not quite matching FA bokeh and colors :)
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
07-06-2015, 06:59 AM
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Thanks Boris. The grass I meant was actually comparing the fescue of M43 to the grass of Pentax-land :) Maybe I'll try and pick up a used GX7 and 20/f1.7 or something like that...
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
07-05-2015, 06:17 PM
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Wombat, I just did some PP for some Pentax and Oly shots back to back, comparing the output of the 12-40 and Pana-Leica 25 to the FA 43 and 18-135, there's simply no contest, the sensor in the K-3 just blows away the Oly (which incidentally is not too far off from the Nikon 1 in terms of bokeh/image quality). Boris is right on the chunky-ness of the RAW files the Oly spits out. I think I'm going to have to keep running the Pentax and Nikon systems in tandem. While I like the size and level of control the EM-5ii provides over the Nikon, I can't see enough of a difference to make it a definitive win for the Oly. At least I know the grass isn't greener :)
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
07-05-2015, 02:00 PM
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The 12-40 is equivalent to a f4 16-50 or so on APS-C but it's all metal and similar build to the DA* line with weather sealing and constant aperture. In the U.S. it's $800 now which isn't absolutely ridiculous but still pretty expensive, although it's sharp wide open and has gotten stellar reviews across the board...
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
07-05-2015, 01:55 PM
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Great points, Boris. I took the EM5ii + 12-40 zoom out today and also took the pana-Leica 25 out yesterday, will have to see how they look. I did notice the lower shadow detail when processing a shot of my dog with the 40-150 zoom. I was thinking I'd try and keep the FA Ltds (esp the 43 which I use all the time on my K3) and getting an adaptor for the m43 system, using the 43 as a portrait lens due to crop factor. I had a GR but it's not working correctly and Ricoh hasn't replaced it after 2 trips to their repair site, so I was hoping this would at least be a step up from the 1" sensor in the Nikon 1. I am also excited to see what the FF body brings to the table - maybe when it comes down in price a little :)
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
07-04-2015, 09:47 PM
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Thanks for the feedback thus far, gang. I shot a K-30 for a long time (along with a 10 MP Nikon 1 for vacations where size was a real challenge) and was happy with the output. The main reason I upgraded to the K-3 was for the upgraded AF and metering, as well as more direct control shooting stills. The EVF is a good point - it is nice to have a WYSIWYG viewfinder, however I sometimes feel the K-3 has a more organic feel to the way it operates.
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
07-04-2015, 01:56 PM
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Since we have a little guy (2.5 yrs), and we're always running short on room for my DSLR, I recently bought an Oly EM5 ii along with some with the 12-40 & 40-150 PRO zooms, as well as the Pana-Leica 25 1.4, and Oly 17 1.8 with the notion I could potentially replace my larger Pentax setup with a smaller, more portable system that could give me comparable image quality.
As I'd need some of the funds from the sale of my Pentax system to afford the new M 4/3 setup, and I'm coming up on the 30 days I have to return it, I keep waffling back & forth due to my love for Pentax glass (of which I have some of the best examples - FA Ltd, DA*, etc - see my profile if you're interested in specifics). Obviously this crowd is going to be biased towards Pentax, but I'm wondering if anyone has anyone else made the switch to M 4/3 (or tried switching) and some of the reasons behind it?
Some of my gripes about the Oly body are: autofocus (esp. tracking/low-light), high ISO performance, non-intuitive menus on the Oly and overall handling (< than Pentax). Thoughts?! I'd really appreciate any feedback as this has been keeping me up at night!!
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Forum: General Photography
04-01-2015, 11:54 AM
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"It feels so good to get this off our prism!!"
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