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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-25-2021, 06:42 AM
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The Canon 600/4 L III weighs the same as the Pentax 560/5.6.
F4 makes teleconverters more feasible.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-25-2021, 03:52 AM
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I'm sure that Ricoh/Pentax will come up with something new or even an updated version of the DA 560 which I consider a great prime lens. The problem is that the new K-3iii made clear the weaknesses of this lens. If it was fucntioning like the DFA 150-450 in terms of speed, AF accuracy and tracking capabilities, Pentax would already being advertising this combo and probably producing-releasing a new batch. I think they have seen that it is a lens that cannot follow the K-3iii advances and that issue must be taken care somehow.
I have tested it against the DFA 150-450 on the K-3iii and I can tel you this. The DFA 150-450 offers great AF-C tracking performance even under difficult conditions. I can track small or faraway flying birds (very small subjects in the viewfinder/frame) into busy backgrounds and have long bursts of shots with almost all of the images in focus. Even if the K-3iii looses focus while tracking with the DFA 150-450 after 2 or 3 frames it will reacquire perfect focus on the subject which is top performance especially for Pentax cameras! With the DA 560 I have to track the subject long enough before releasing the shutter and even then in the same conditions as above it will most probably loose focus at some point and never reacquire it no matter what technique I use (continuous burst, refocusing and small bursts etc). If the focus wasn't perfect on releasing the shutter all the images from the burst will be OOF which is disappointing... Obviously Pentax knows that very well and has to find a solution that is to offer a lond lens that will be a joy to use with the excellent K-3iii and the future cameras.
The DFA 150-450 with the HD 1.4X TC is not a good option for me (and all those who look for top IQ) as the IQ takes a significant hit with the TC and the same happens to the AF-C tracking performance. The only times this combo works satisfactorily is for close subjects up to 10-12 meters away. A new DFA* 250-600/5.6 while could be THE lens for new generation Pentax cameras is out of question from what I've talked with some people who have access to Pentax as it was too complicated to manufacture (the most complex lens in Pentax history) and I don't know what the price for such a lens in Pentaxland would be... If you think it differently the DFA 150-450 on a crop camera is a ~230-695/4.5-5.6 lens which (in papers) is even better option!
For me the best option would be an upgraded DA 560 with a fast AF motor and new focus limiter technology! The lens is excellent optically but needs a boost in its other qualities. If Pentax offered a new version and the possibility to the owners of this tele to upgrade it (like they did with the K-1ii) everybody would be happy and they would remain faithful to their principles and philosophy of backwards compatibility and joy of using older equipment.
Otherwise I see at some point a DFA* 300/2.8 coming with TCs which is a lens that could interest many more Pentaxians than a 500/4 for example, but OTOH not what we consider as a long tele prime.
I don't know we just have to wait and see what happens. I hope Pentax officials may reveal some of their plans for the future tele-lens(es) from Pentax and especially a great (DFA*?) prime which is a necessity if they want to utilize cameras like the K-3iii and future models that they will remain "crippled" and "confined" without a high end solution for those serious shooters that can afford it. Knowing that you have a DFA* 600/4 is very reassuring even if most of us can't afford it. Not having anything better/longer than the DFA 150-450 OTOH is a giant gap for Pentax and surely it will eventually make those nature/wildlife photographers look elsewhere... Just think about a possible new lens roadmap without the DA 560 beast filling the long tele end of the map... :eek:
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-28-2015, 02:05 PM
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Would be interesting to see some sample shots using this combo (two TCs + DA300). Would it result in 588mm @ min. f8 ?
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
02-14-2019, 02:41 AM
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Camera body does the hook, then they pull the money from the bank account with the lenses. All beginners get trapped into this, it works every time (Sony do the same with the A7 series).
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
02-13-2019, 12:49 PM
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Will there be a K3II successor in the near future (blink once for yes, twice for no)?
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
12-22-2018, 04:47 PM
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Ceased listening to anything that website posts years ago
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
11-24-2018, 04:59 PM
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I ran resolution chart experiments with the 1.4X + 150~450mm and posted them on PF years back. I found little difference in resolution between the lens @ 450mm without and with the 1.4X. In other words, if you crop an image taken @ 450mm without the TC & compare to one taken with the 1.4X, there is essentially no difference. So, if you like the idea of shooting @ about 600mm and don't mind losing an f-stop, the 1.4X will work fine. However, you can get essentially indistinguishable results by using the lens without TC, then cropping a bit more.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
11-20-2018, 08:27 AM
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Wasn't life meaningless and empty without a place to talk about a new camera that is not coming?
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Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges
11-02-2018, 05:30 PM
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Last time I had the honor of judging a weekly contest, I didn't have time to comment much. So this time I wanted to take the time, and to thank you for making this a real challenge and having me host it.
SpecialK - fits the theme, and an interesting photo, were the airplanes backlit or did you pp to make them silhouettes?
ramseybuckeye - despite it being heavy machinery, it looks serene. nice (morning?) light and greens on the ground.
rod_grant - it's all about the light in this one, and it creates a certain atmosphere. have you tried a 5:4 crop to remove the branches in the top right? (or pp)
RGlasel - funny play on the theme!
Vaskebjorn - nice simple abstract
mingdie - clean minimalist photo. at least on the light forum background, I would increase brightness and maybe contrast
Hattifnatt - I've always wondered why they used those shapes; if only there was someone walking in the distance
atupdate - pleasant tones, and the extra detail with the objects just outside of the main stage is interesting
jacamar - as if unaligned birds weren't hard enough, plus reflections for good measure
eva - the second monk's gesture is the extra detail needed to focus the viewer and add interest
mocker - clean minimalist photo, I wonder how it would look in black and white
Bruce Clark - golden light, I like it
K1N8 - took me a while to get it, but now I think I do, and the storm clouds add tension. the white tower seems like it could be brightened a bit for more contrast with the clouds
djb47 - almost an abstract
sealonsf - this raises questions which add interest, what are they doing? I like that the subject (second to the right?) is cleanly separated from all others
runswithsizzers - there's a lot of detail in this photo; the brighter chairs in the foreground distract from the posters on the back wall
charliezap - thanks for the full series and the story, beautiful landscape
noelcmn - boat #9 stands out in that nice arrangement, but the background is a bit busy, although I don't see a good way to exclude it from the frame
retsoor - good variety of kayaks
jcdoss - the out of focus cables (?) create an interesting effect, but I'm not sure what to look at between the lamp and the cable
nosliwmit - :)
And now for the final results:
charliezap is the winner
HM - jacamar, eva, atupdate
Looking forward to next week's challenge!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
10-24-2018, 12:04 PM
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Has the dominance of zooms meant the end of primes?
Has the dominance of color photography meant the end of black-and-white?
Has the dominance of 35mm FF meant the end of APS-C, M4/3, 645, etc.?
The popularity of one thing rarely means the end of everything else.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
09-24-2018, 05:44 PM
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Where are the wide primes?
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
07-11-2018, 06:58 PM
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Will be watching to see what other's report about this update. My K-3 has been a rock of reliability and I have no immediate
plans for the DFA50*, so won't update unless something else is hidden in the latest firmware
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-31-2018, 06:59 AM
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so you could simply rename the file and brick it anyway?
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
05-08-2018, 05:51 PM
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So dpr has convinced another not to buy pentax with dubious tests and goal post shifting tactics.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
11-12-2016, 09:56 AM
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Valle Verzasca in Switzerland. If you have a closer look to the last one, you can find Nessie (?) diving down to the river...:cool:
645D with DFA 2.8/90mm Macro and DFA 3.5/35mm
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-16-2014, 05:00 AM
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OK for D-FA* if f/2.8 and 77mm filter... btw i find it a bit long : what if 70-210mm... in Pentax's unorthodox focal ranges tradition ?
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