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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 12-21-2015, 10:10 PM  
Opinions and experience with the 18-250mm?
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 15
Views: 1,896
It's the worst lens I wish I'd never sold.

I called it my "zoo lens"; I mounted it any time I was heading out in daylight, on an excursion with the family, or just by myself. It is/was strictly a daylight lens, but my copy was dead sharp throughout the range of aperture & focal length. A tad distorted on the long end, but not to the point of distraction.
Forum: Photographic Technique 05-25-2015, 07:52 PM  
Macro Please recommend me a macro lens!
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 36
Views: 4,302
Cheapest option there is. Mount it to an M 50/2 and you've got less than $50 invested.

General Brand Reverse Adapter Pentax K to 49mm AV49PK B&H Photo

Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories 04-13-2015, 08:55 PM  
People and their cameras!
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 2,729
Views: 325,184
My 4.75yo on our photo walk this weekend.
Forum: Post Your Photos! 04-10-2015, 10:30 PM  
Machinery BMW 40 Years
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 4
Views: 916
Hmm. Those appear to be in "slightly" better condition than my '99 740. Even ragged, tired, and in serious need of TLC I absolutely love driving it. Once the boys are out of car seats I'll be in the market for an M series.
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help 03-17-2015, 08:22 PM  
How Can I Practice Flash Photography?
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 24
Views: 3,311
Buy this book: Light Science and Magic
Forum: General Photography 03-07-2015, 01:28 PM  
What Happened to the Photography Industry in 2014?
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 30
Views: 3,630
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

---------- Post added 03-07-15 at 03:00 PM ----------


Actually ... media is just as much about what the image is created upon, e.g. the "recording media". Film, tape, paper, canvas, clay, stone, and yes even digital are all types of media. And for me, size is of significant concern.

I wasn't. Micro 4/3rd is just too small, for me. I'm not thrilled with APS-C either. But the size jump to 35mm just isn't worth the price difference, and the price difference jumping to medium format is currently prohibitive, so I make do in the digital world with APS-C.
I said nothing negative about size of the camera, and if you read my post you'd know I had some very favorable things to say about both its form and its function. The only negative, which is purely subjective, is the size of the media being too small for my own personal aesthetic.

What I did not spend much time saying, but perhaps I should have, is that Pentax, and Canon, and Nikon, and Sony, and Panasonic, and Sigma are all just making more and more complex, ugly, heavy, blobs of black that go ping. They do more and more things "for you" while at the same time making the process of making them do it more complex. That's why I've fallen in love with Fuji, and while it takes a bit more setup effort initially am now rather enamored with Olympus (except for the 4/3rds media).
Forum: General Photography 03-06-2015, 09:01 PM  
Oh my, it's not a phone
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 9
Views: 1,800
Sniper ain't very good at his/her job if you could get that shot.

Here's a good "sniper"...
Forum: General Photography 03-06-2015, 08:58 PM  
What Happened to the Photography Industry in 2014?
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 30
Views: 3,630
I got to put my hands on the new Olympus the other day and I was floored by it - and truthfully very little in the realm of technology impresses me.
Functionally and ergonomically it's every bit as good - or better - than anything Pentax offers. The EVF is smooth - the AF is wicked fast - it feels solid in my hands - the controls are intuitive - they absolutely nailed the articulated screen design and UI integration - it truly is a wonderful tool, and it's rather beautiful too. The only drawback for me is the media size; m43 is just too small for my aesthetic.
Forum: General Photography 02-28-2015, 10:00 PM  
What Happened to the Photography Industry in 2014?
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 30
Views: 3,630
Welcome to equilibrium. The camera craze of the past decade, from my perspective, parallels the same that happened in the mid-70s when the AE cameras hit the market. It just lasted a lot longer this time around thanks to digital processing. The general public is finally realizing that no they really cannot make better photographs with a $5000 dSLR kit than they can with their $500 (subsidized) smart phone. Many don't care to make/get really good photographs - but they never did before either. Those that do really want really good photographs are slowly realizing that it's worth it to enlist the services of someone that can.
This is a very good time to be a skilled photographer, and it's only going to get better.
Pentax' full-frame offering though is rather irrelevant. Likely a good tool, but the game already moved on.
Forum: General Photography 02-19-2015, 09:15 PM  
Is photography only for the rich.?
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 165
Views: 12,268
The expense of photography only begins with the camera gear. Time is the greatest expense, and it never stops sending bills.
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 02-15-2015, 09:59 PM  
Pentax Doomed™!!! Give your reasons why you think this is so.
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 109
Views: 10,773
Pentax is doomed because of threads like this.

And by the way - every time you say "Pentax is Doomed!" God kills a kitten
Forum: Homepage & Official Pentax News 02-05-2015, 10:20 PM  
Pentax Full Frame DSLR Officially Announced!
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 61
Views: 7,620
If it doesn't sport 80MP and give me Hydrogen-Alpha Extreme Sensitivity I'm not buying it. FF is so 2013.
Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom 01-30-2015, 08:52 PM  
B&W Darkroom: Water as Stop Bath?
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 12
Views: 7,133
I use white vinegar diluted 3:1 for 30 seconds then a quick rinse in plain water before the fixer. Super inexpensive and fast.
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 01-08-2015, 10:54 PM  
Metal adhesive recommendation
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 7
Views: 1,325
I have a weakness for J-B Weld Kwikweld.
Forum: Post Your Photos! 12-19-2014, 09:00 PM  
Abstract CHRISTmas spirit
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 8
Views: 969
Interesting. I love the frame, but I do not get an xmas vibe from it.

First, and lasting, impression for me is rosary beads hanging from a rear view mirror out a rain spattered windscreen - and those aren't holiday lights in the bokeh.
Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways 12-14-2014, 07:54 AM  
3 Million Post Giveaway: Confirm your entry!
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 2,853
Views: 133,241
Here comes Santa Claus...
Forum: General Photography 12-11-2014, 09:17 PM  
Where would film cameras be if digital never happened?
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 18
Views: 2,091
I'd like to hear your thoughts expanded on the potential of digital over film. Other than a perceived cost reduction per frame I am not convinced that had digital been absent that R&D into film tech would not be eons past our current capabilities.

I would wager the following however: had digital compounded with the accessibility of computer aided "lab work" not happened the value of professional photography services would still be on the rise. I would even lay this down for scrutiny: If digital image processing software not become mainstream, if today in that alternate reality Photoshop costs $1800 by its lonesome (relative dollars to its debut) and a scanner good-enough for high quality image processing costs $800 then suddenly photography isn't quite as attractive as a pro-hobby to the masses.

It's all moot, because digital did happen, of course, but still I do believe that the landscape of the business of photography would be vastly different than it has become with digital on the scene.
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 11-10-2014, 11:04 PM  
Why the AVERSION to video?
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 182
Views: 12,840
I would echo the sentiment expressed by drypenn, and expand just a weary bit.

I enjoy shooting video. And, cinematography, or videography if you prefer, is not still frame photography. It requires a different form factor & ergonomic set to do it properly. This is why you see elaborate shoulder mounts and other accoutrements to facilitate stable well composed video with dSLRs. And frankly, for the price of the camera, lenses and all the necessary gear I would rather buy a cinematic camera that is already a complete package designed from the ground up to capture video.

Plus, even today, dSLR sensors stuggle (sometimes brilliantly) to satisfy the brutal photonic onslaught of capturing quality video. Somebody, somewhere, sometime in the last five years convinced someone of influence that sensors and image processors had to be able to do everything. That person should be shot.

Have you ever driven screws with a hammer? Sure, it "works", but in order to get that screw set tightly you still have to twist it with a screwdriver and even then it won't be as secure as if you had properly drilled and countersunk a pilot hole before sinking it to the proper torque with a screw driver.

For many of us, it's a matter of being artisanal versus "good enough". Pick one thing, and do that thing the very best you can.
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 10-25-2014, 09:48 PM  
What Was Ricoh Thinking?
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 6
Views: 1,749
Pentax is DOOMED!
Forum: General Photography 10-13-2014, 07:21 PM  
Smart Phone vs. $3400 DSLR
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 22
Views: 2,592
If it were not for the Instamatic (specifically the X-15) I might never have caught the shutter bug; certainly not in 1972. For the record, the myriad photos made of my hamsters using that gem of photographic engineering brilliance were every one a masterpiece!
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals 10-05-2014, 03:56 PM  
Photography Contract and Model Release Form Assistance
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 4
Views: 1,844
Kerrow is absolutely right in his advice. Any advice you receive here is worth exactly what you paid for it, especially mine. Having disclaimed myself, here are my quick observations:
Articles 6, 7, 8, & 11 I don't think are defensible, and invite problems. "do his best" - you have to define that in legal terms or your client will for you.
Articles 9 & 10 are too specific and yet not specific enough.

There is really good info in that document, but it reads more like a "covenant" that you would share with the client to educate them on your processes. Effective contracts, in my opinion, should be as short and specific as possible. Every word and punctuation mark you put into them is subject to scrutiny.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 10-03-2014, 09:28 PM  
Introducing the K-FF, the camera you don't buy
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 114
Views: 12,044
Unless the alleged Pentax full-frame is a mirrorless K-mount with dynamic range that rattles Nikon's rafters and hits the street with a lens stable at least as good as the current APS DA lineup it's going to have a really, really hard time gaining any traction at all in the market.

Aside from the die-hard enthusiasts and otherwise stubborn working photogs that are shooting Pentax with a full kit of A/FA glass going full-frame with Pentax for all intents means investing in a whole new system.

And anyone making that choice needs to step back and honestly answer one simple question: Why Pentax?

I've been shooting Pentax 30+ years. I've got AF FF glass from 28mm to 300mm, so I could "affordably" make the move just by buying the body. But I wouldn't; not for a full-frame evolution of the existing k-mount dSLR model.

But even if I were a candidate, that's not a sustainable business model for Pentax. They need full system adoption and they're already a market afterthought. And I don't believe a large enough segment of the market will be tempted away from Canikony by a full-frame Pentax dSLR.

I'm probably wrong (see below) but I think Pentax going FF now is folly and a(nother) bad business decision.
Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands 09-26-2014, 08:54 PM  
so im switching to Fuji
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 77
Views: 11,125
  1. Smaller kit, so it's lighter, less obtrusive, and more intimate. All three are important to a large segment of the overall photographic market.

  2. Tactile exposure controls. Shutter, aperture, and ISO are all dedicated electromechanical controls that, unlike e-dials and "green buttons", aren't readily susceptible to unwanted adjustment; they stay where they're set.

  3. Mechanical shutter ends at 1/4000s, but the electronic one goes all the way to 1/32000s. That's 2 full extra stops of shutter above the fastest mechanical shutters on the market.

  4. Color rendition. Fuji knows color better than any other manufacturer in the market; I'd wager they know it as well as Pantone. Fuji's colors out of camera are so good that shooting JPEG isn't a workflow handicap anymore.



Stabilization is neato, but has never been necessary to make great photos, though it was more important when signal-to-noise ratios were intolerable above ISO800. Fuji has a long zoom, but they aren't going for the super telephoto market. That's a low volume niche market to begin with, and they seem to be wisely putting their R&D money elsewhere.


Then they'd be just like every other non-Canikon maker, scrapping for single-digit shares in a very overpopulated market. Instead, they have effectively put themselves in a market leader position with solid products that have very broad appeal.

It is all subjective really. Given a blank check to go shopping one time and having to choose a format and a system, I'd choose medium format and either Pentax or Phase. But given what style I know I shoot more and/or want to shoot more, Fuji seems the clear winner - for me - but time will tell...
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 09-20-2014, 09:20 PM  
Full Frame in 2015
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 90
Views: 13,238
Fair point, but one of my concerns - which I really didn't state well at all - is that I don't believe Pentax can competitively sustain production of 4 formats outside of Japan - and since I'm not living in Japan I have to consider that.


The gear isn't frustrating, the lack of leadership commitment is. Your point stands nonetheless. Which is why I'm where I am now. I'm not even considering full-frame digital anymore. When I can make the numbers work I'll leapfrog straight to medium format; I hope I can stay with Pentax when that time comes.


To tool up for FF something has to give. They'll have to shut down some/all APS or Q lines, unless Ricoh is going to dump massive amounts of capital into expanding manufacturing and assembly facilities. Which means entry into a new market means sacrificing shares of an existing market. And Pentax doesn't have much to give up in any market.

I'm not bagging on Pentax cameras; as I said earlier I've been using them for 30+ years. I'm pretty fond of the black boxes of photonic magic I own. But Pentax had a more cohesive product line in 1984 than it does today, and in my opinion jumping into full-frame 35mm won't improve their position.
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 09-19-2014, 10:27 PM  
Full Frame in 2015
Posted By Venturi
Replies: 90
Views: 13,238
I just have no faith that they'll bring anything but yet another predictable black box that goes ping to an already overwhelmingly crowded market. And even if they released a dozen lenses in 2015 to go along with a FF offering it still means re-investing in all new glass to adopt a system that will be completely untested.
A year or so ago the mantra was being the top dog in APS, and I thought "okay, let's see it." But then here comes the Q, which I still just don't get. The 645 program is a worthy niche endeavor, but costly.
And now they are going to turn 180 and jump into the FF game after the market has a 10 year lead? They will either be crushed or ignored. They couldn't even make the K-01 work as a product and that was a no-brainer for Pentax to pull off.

Pentax management needs a fundamental overhaul; they're chasing their tails. I lost all interest in re-investing $5K+ for a full-frame Pentax kit 2 years ago and won't be investing any more in APS either. I'll shoot what I have until it quits on me or my needs justify a system change.
If that offends the fanboi base, that's unfortunate but not my problem. I started shooting Pentax in 1982, and generally like all the gear I have, but the koolaid just isn't very sweet anymore.


It's okay, I don't take the opinion of anyone under the age of 30 too seriously. ;)

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