|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-24-2017, 11:24 AM
|
| |
DA21mm Limited. The best lens for street of any APS-C system. Small, light, incredible construction, awesome colours, great rendering. Forget the lens correction profiles... it doesn’t need it; bags of character.
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-23-2015, 03:24 AM
|
| |
The control layout looks like it could bring some real improvements, reducing reliance on menu settings via rear LCD. The grid setting on the right-hand dial is most intriguing. Am hoping that one of the key differentiators will be an innovative hybrid OVF/EVF with information overlay. Live histogram, bright/dark area warnings and/or focus peaking in the vewfinder anyone? :)
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
06-06-2015, 02:44 AM
|
| |
| |
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-18-2014, 11:21 PM
|
| |
Looks to me like a slightly thinner (more pronounced mirror box protrusion), narrower (virtually no left-side hump when viewed from the rear) response to Canon's SL1/100D. One for the very entry-level crowd. Possibly a smaller, but higher-res LCD display on the back?
Not sure what they're thinking in terms of design. The e-dial looks like a straight lift from an Olympus OM-D or Sony NEX. The metal trim (right-side) seems a bit of an afterthought as well. I wonder also, how easy it is to accidentally move that rear mode dial when the camera is gripped?
On the whole though, I don't immediately dislike it. Needs to be bundled with something smaller than the 18-55mm though. Do another run of the 40mm XS and chuck that in instead of a kit zoom, maybe.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-07-2014, 12:10 PM
|
| |
...and it wasn't meant as any criticism Patarok; just trying to express a bit of sympathy and support for our one-man Magic Lantern team. :)
|
|
Forum: Video Recording and Processing
05-23-2014, 11:11 PM
|
| |
Couldn't agree more. As someone who has a foot in both camps (equal interest and requirement for stills & video), it amazes me that this imbalance persists across all Pentax cameras. For a niche camera manufacturer like Pentax it just feels like a missed opportunity. Especially with the 645Z. At that price point surely they could absorb the cost of chucking a video co-processor in there to crunch all that medium format goodness, no?
I'd feel more hopeful about the future for Pentax video if it were that they had just a single model in the line-up that demonstrated they could implement pro - or near-pro - level video (ProRes/DNxHD/CinemaDNG, 10-bit, <50Mbps, 48khz audio). Ditch the entry-level K500 and the penny-pinching feature removal approach therein, and give us a K-02 with an articulated, hi-res screen, a sensor that favours video (a la Sony A7S), shutter angles that are an exact 180 to the available frame-rates (mad that this isn't already available), waveform monitoring in live view (scopes and histograms), audio meters, a decent codec at a sensible bit-rate, a huge buffer and fast SD card interface. Forget everything else. Honestly, for me they could rip out the AF module completely, along with the OVF/EVF, art filters and whatever else.
I know he would say otherwise, and would be sensible in anchoring our hopes to reasonable expectations, but perhaps the best chance we have is in Shodan's emerging PHDK firmware boot-loader for the K-30. While I'm sure he'd say that any practical, reliable applications are still a long way off, I can't help but think that a Magic Lantern style firmware for Pentax might just give Ricoh pause for thought and convince them to review their approach to video (which at the moment just seems to be to make available whatever basic level functionality comes bundled onto the latest Fujitsu Millbeaut processor).
:-)
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-01
06-14-2014, 12:59 PM
|
| |
Third-ed! :-)
Picked up a K-01 just recently (secondhand, at a price too good to pass up) and have been absolutely bowled over by it. It's been said before but, it looks far better and feels much better in the hand than any images would have you believe. Shot it on holiday, strap-free, with just the 40mm XS (really hope that XS lens series gets a reboot at some point) and it was comfortable for much longer than any camera dubbed "The Brick" should have been. Love how quiet the shutter is compared to my K-30. Comfortable, intuitive, stellar image quality and great fun to shoot with.
|
|
Forum: Pentax K-3 Photo Contest
05-10-2014, 03:35 AM
|
| |
| |
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
03-10-2014, 01:39 AM
|
| |
A tenner also from me. You're making really quick progress Shodan and can only imagine that will become even easier once you have a dedicated K30 for testing. Hope a few more members can chip in and help you meet the funding goal.
|
|
Forum: Video Recording and Processing
05-08-2013, 10:57 AM
|
| |
I enjoy the TCS reviews a lot. They always cover an interesting breadth of content (not just Canon/Nikon) and always offer a lot more than just a specs run down. Photography gear reviews that remember to include the photography and not just the gear! This clip is full of great shots that demonstrate the real, practical advantages there are with the K30's weather resistant body. While you might not use it quite like a GoPro, you could use it for a whole range of shots that just wouldn't be possible with a non weather resistant DSLR. Anything involving liquids or muck, basically.
What I would hope though, is that if Pentax is going to start doing a push on the K30 for video on the basis that it has advantages being weather resistant, that they might consider addressing the issue of weather resistant primes in video friendly focal lengths and also issue a firmware update that offers higher bit-rate recording at the expense of maximum clip length. As lovely as Jordan's shots are, the K30's shortcomings are there for all to see:
* 0:23 - 0:27 Jerky pan, consistent with what we've seen elsewhere of the software shake reduction.
* 0:37 - 0:40 Soft rendering on the carabina close-up shot.
* 0:58 - 1:01 Obvious aliasing and false colour on the slow pan across the rock face.
* 1:06 - 1:08 Watch the edges of the frame wobble and distort. Software shake reduction again.
* 1:14 - 1:15 How detail on the trees (branches, leaves) is completely smudged.
* 1:21 - 1:25 Look at how the codec breaks down completely with the fast moving ripples of the water.
* 1:26 - 1:28 Heavy artefacts in the area behind the angler. Look at areas behind either shoulder as he casts.
None of which has anything to do with the effectiveness of the clip or what it's main message is, but if Pentax wants to make a selling point of the K30s video features they need to address some of these issues if they hope to see more widespread adoption by videographers.
|
