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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 05-30-2023, 04:21 AM  
Talk Me Out Of Jumping Ship From Pentax After 45 Years...
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 154
Views: 8,501
Sony A7r mk V is a $4000 mirrorless camera, a completely different beast than anything Pentax makes. If you're made of money and can afford the expensive lenses that go with it (assuming you want autofocus) and don't want an optical viewfinder anymore I'd say go for it
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 07-23-2022, 05:09 PM  
Poll: Finalist Voting: "Shoot the boring/mundane/everyday in a creative way" (21mm Contest)
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 37
Views: 4,651
My vote is for 9
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 04-15-2022, 07:56 AM  
There's going to be a Pentax J Limited online event soon
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 315
Views: 37,034
Definitely has some K30 vibes going on
Forum: Pentax Full Frame 04-12-2022, 06:41 PM  
are you happy with switching to FF?
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 392
Views: 44,142
My K-3 was nice for birding but now that I have kids and take mostly people or landscape photos upgrading to full frame has been amazing there's no going back
Forum: General Photography 12-24-2021, 08:06 PM  
Nikon vs Pentax discussion
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 92
Views: 7,103
The point of this thread was to compare the two systems alikes and differences for anyone cross shopping the two. Like I didn't know Nikon had focus confirmation with old manual lenses similar to Pentax until I was learning the camera. The purpose wasn't to compare dogs chasing balls off in the distance outdoors to toddlers indoors nearby running at you or debate if a lens was decentered when just about every Pentax lens I've owned fringed wide open to some degree whereas I'm 4/4 no fringing with Nikon so far. I'm done with this thread too, off to take some pics tomorrow morning with my Nikon, or even my cell phone if I feel like it :) Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Forum: General Photography 12-24-2021, 11:49 AM  
Nikon vs Pentax discussion
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 92
Views: 7,103
Yeah ironically both the Pentax and Nikon color approach aren't my favorite, shooting old Minolta Maxxum lenses on my Sony alpha bodies had amazing colors, but good thing I can tweak those things pretty easy in Photoshop. And strangely the D600 grip felt awful in my hands like made then cramp up, as well as the K10D, but the K-3 and K200D were amazing to hold like the D750.

---------- Post added 12-24-21 at 12:18 PM ----------



I really don't think there was anything wrong with my 77mm, other than it had purple fringing about as much as other reviewers said, especially outdoors in Arizona sun. So I looked through a bunch of old photos trying to find a good 77mm one shot open, because most were stopped down a little to avoid the purple fringing in bright light and I don't really have any awful purple ones left since by now I'd have thrown them out. But here is one you can see is sharp zoomed in, so I don't think the lens is defective or anything, but you can see the photo the couple is holding is quite purple, her eyes brows are purple, the top of his head is purple, their hands are purple-ish, and this is after me trying to desaturate and turn down the purple levels quite a bit: [url removed]
I still like the photo and I think it turned out ok, but I found myself using the 50mm 1.4 much more and eventually got rid of the 77mm for other gear. I also distinctly remember a photo I took where the model was wearing a black and white polka dot shirt and when she wanted to see it afterwards I was so embarrassed that it was purple and white polka dot shirt and she was so confused why the 77mm made it turn out that way lol
Forum: General Photography 12-24-2021, 11:12 AM  
Nikon vs Pentax discussion
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 92
Views: 7,103
I did make a bad mistake with that first photo, I was being lazy editing off the memory card and forgot to save and actually deleted the original file but luckily had the photo open in Photoshop still and was able to screenshot it before my computer realized the file was gone. So I at least saved it with some resolution, but before I lost it the original did appear much sharper and the depth of field is/was razor thin but what was in focus looked sharp especially for the iso it was shot at. The reason I posted that photo is because even though I had just mounted the lens and was just playing with the camera for the first time I was blown away with how I could capture moments so easily whereas before the focus lock would take longer or miss enough to ruin a photo etc, if that makes sense? I have since taken much better photos after actually learning the camera better but I think I'm loading this thread with enough of my family already haha
Forum: General Photography 12-23-2021, 06:16 PM  
Nikon vs Pentax discussion
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 92
Views: 7,103
I did have the Pentax FA 35mm f2 for a while. I found it had erratic focus precision too which kind of ruined an important family photo shoot I had and which was basically the turning point to start from scratch. But even then, I didn't really love that focal length and find 50mm to be a good sweet spot for me. I'd like an 85mm f1.4 on full frame but then it'd be cramped indoors all over again haha
Forum: General Photography 12-23-2021, 03:59 PM  
Nikon vs Pentax discussion
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 92
Views: 7,103
I listed quite a few shortcomings of the Nikon system I have encountered. One less obvious one is Nikon users seem to not treat their gear as well as Pentax users. I had to send a few lenses back when trying to fill up my bag again because they were either flat out not functioning properly or in rougher condition than the photos of their listings. And since many pros use Nikon a lot of the camera bodies for sale are sporting 200-500k shutter actuations so its hard to find a lightly used one

---------- Post added 12-23-21 at 04:20 PM ----------

Also older manual focus Nikon's seem to have grease that hardens with age, whereas my old Takumars, K, M, A lenses were all buttery smooth after all those years
Forum: General Photography 12-23-2021, 03:33 PM  
Nikon vs Pentax discussion
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 92
Views: 7,103
That's way more money lol I spent $700 not $3000 and I probably would have missed it with that expensive combo since it is crop sensor and wouldn't have had room to scoot back to get the shot. I do not miss having a crop sensor with 50mm lens indoors. The Pentax DA 50mm 1.8 I had was very hit or miss with its autofocus accuracy. I owned it and replaced it with the Pentax FA 50mm 1.4 which I loved and maybe would have been great on a K-1 but I decided I was done waiting around for a decent K-1 deal and it was more cost effective to switch systems.
Forum: General Photography 12-23-2021, 03:07 PM  
Nikon vs Pentax discussion
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 92
Views: 7,103
I do use bounce flash when I absolutely have to but I prefer available light and good subject isolation, so the D750 and 50mm 1.8G really is all I needed. I think that combo lightly used set me back $700, the other lenses I bought just to round out the other focal lengths for when I shoot wide or tele, and getting outside with the 105mm 2.5 dishes out amazing portraits if I can get the subject to hold still enough for me to manual focus!

Here's the very first shot I took with the D750 and 50mm 1.8G. I am certain me and the K-3 would have missed this moment:
[Url removed]

The 105mm:


The 28-80mm 3.3-5.6
[Url removed]

The 80-200 4.5-5.6D:


And all of these were shot wide open
Forum: General Photography 12-22-2021, 09:13 PM  
Nikon vs Pentax discussion
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 92
Views: 7,103
It was definitely sharp wide open, but any subject of high contrast would get such a noticeable purple fringe it's either ruin the image or I'd be working on it too long in post and it still wouldn't come out great :(


I get the D750 was much more expensive at launch and sadly I don't have a K-1 to compare but since the D750 is only a year newer in age and they are both advanced cameras I think it is a pretty fair comparison, especially since the major reason the higher cost of the D750 is because larger sensors drive up the cost exponentially. And to be honest the K-3 actually could pull sharper photos at base iso since it had no AA filter and was exceptional with stationary subjects, it was only until my busy toddler came around that I had to look for better autofocus otherwise I'd still probably be with the same gear :)


That is a good thought, using that logic I think I would keep them the way you describe except my thumb rests on the rear dial better than my index finger rests on the front dial so I may have to look harder for the menu to switch them (as another user pointed out to me in a private message that it can be done).
Forum: General Photography 12-22-2021, 03:31 PM  
Nikon vs Pentax discussion
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 92
Views: 7,103
A couple months ago I made the switch to Nikon F mount. My reasons were I felt my K3 and the lenses I had for it just couldn't keep up with my toddler, mainly the autofocus system. Selling off my Pentax gear allowed me to buy a gently used D750 and 4 lenses, and paired with the 50mm 1.8G lens my keeper rate has become insanely good. I also added a manual focus Nikkor 105mm f2.5 lens that is neat because Nikon has a lot of backward compatibility as did Pentax with old lenses. Then to cover my wide and tele ranges I picked up some plastic fantastic lenses at about $40 each that blow my mind optically (the Nikon 28-80mm f3.3-5.6 G and a Nikon 80-200 f4.5-5.6 D). There is basically zero purple fringing with any of these 4 lenses straight out of camera and uncorrected. The only Pentax lens I ever had that didn't do this was the FA 50mm f1.4 but it did have a glow wide open. The 77mm limited was unusable until f2.8 for me, which is crazy a lens that expensive is bested by such an old and budget friendly lenses. These Nikons are all sharp wide open too. There are other interesting things I noticed Nikon does, like the ability to reset the camera or formatting memory cards by holding a combination of buttons. It is weird that Nikon lenses screw on the other direction, that took getting used to. I don't love the Nikon menu layouts in the DSLRs (Pentax is superior there) but the custom menu option with Nikon is neat. If only you could add the minimum shutter change speed to that menu... And I like how both systems allow to customize buttons, but Pentax gave more freedom with e dial customization. I don't like how the front dial adjusts aperture on my Nikon and can't be switched to the back as far as I can tell. The build quality feel of a Pentax camera body was a little nicer too, but I'm shocked how my full frame weighs about the same as my K3 did. I loved the battery door on my K3, but the Pentax K30 inner door tab broke on me. The D750 battery door feels a bit too flimsy like the K30. The lens mounting/dismounting button Nikon uses seems way more robust than the K mount one though so maybe build quality is all a wash. The K3 has a quieter, more sophisticated shutter but I love the typewriter sound of the D750. Pentax screw drive autofocus is noticably louder than Nikon's screw drive autofocus. I love the minimum shutter speed you can select with Nikon, it bothered me a ton that Pentax didn't offer that on any of the bodies I used. But I hate the shooting mode dial Nikon used to switch to burst shooting or timer mode- it is a huge pain to consistently turn that thing while holding to lock button down!

Anyways, these are my observations so far, I may add some more later. I just thought I would start a thread for those who own or have owned both Pentax K and Nikon F mount to add any knowledge or observations they have had about using each system to help those who plan on moving to Pentax or Nikon to help weigh pros and cons of each. Hopefully F mount isn't "doomed" as it seems people are thinking mirrorless is slowly taking over but a pentaprism will always be #1 in my book!
Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service 12-03-2021, 08:09 AM  
KS2 repair frustrations
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 43
Views: 2,975
Sorry to hear about your aperture issues. If you have a lens with an aperture ring try adjusting aperture with it's ring instead of controlling the aperture electronically with the camera. It forces the camera to stop down the right amount and is a workaround but not super helpful if you have other lenses without aperture rings. I used my K-30 this way for a while but my 15mm limited was useless so I eventually got a K-3
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 10-11-2021, 03:36 PM  
Anyone else miss the K200D?
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 1,161
Views: 204,158
That's neat! Never seen one before
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion 10-07-2021, 03:54 PM  
Anyone else miss the K200D?
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 1,161
Views: 204,158
What is that creature in the first pic?!
Forum: Pentax K-3 III 07-19-2021, 10:56 PM  
New firmware and electronic shutter is here
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 136
Views: 10,716
What camera is this update for?
Forum: Sold Items 05-01-2021, 04:20 PM  
For Sale - Sold: Pentax F 35-80mm f4-5.6
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 2
Views: 450
Sale pending
Forum: Sold Items 05-01-2021, 02:15 PM  
For Sale - Sold: Pentax F 35-80mm f4-5.6
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 2
Views: 450
PentaxForums.com Marketplace Listing

Item for Sale
Pentax F 35-80mm f4-5.6

Asking Price
25.00 USD

Item Location
Queen Creek (United States)

Item Description
Lens works great, shows minimal signs of wear, and has minimal dust from age but nothing I can see that would affect image quality. Genuine PENTAX rear cap and a worn Minolta front cap I tried regluing the plastic spring included. Actually bought this lens to cannibalize it for it's metal mount to swap out on my plastic DA 50mm f1.8 lens but when I took some pics with it first I found this copy was better than my kit lens and have kept it for years. Apparently reviews on this lens can be mixed but I must have got a good one, especially with the aperture stopped down a little. Only reason I am selling is because I have Nikon gear which is causing it to sit too much and it's time for it to go to a new home. Here's my favorite pic from this lens: Wilting Beauty | stillshot2 | Flickr

Are you the original owner of the item being sold?
No

Are you selling or trading this item?
Selling

Item Condition (Key)
Used
Excellent

Shipping Destinations
Continental U.S. Only

Shipping Charge
$10

Shipping Services
USPS

Accepted Payment Types
PayPal

Return Policy & Additional Details
No returns or refunds, lens will be packed well

Please send me a private message if interested in the item!
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 04-30-2021, 09:23 AM  
How many AF zoom lenses did Pentax make that end at or just past 200 mm?
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 13
Views: 811
I think the K-50 got a firmware update to support this lens but the K-30 didn't get the update since it is older. Although I think there is a thread on this forum where people found a way to install the K-50 firmware on their K-30s by hacking them to be able to support PLM lenses
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion 04-29-2021, 08:09 PM  
How many AF zoom lenses did Pentax make that end at or just past 200 mm?
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 13
Views: 811
And the non WR version costs quite a bit less which means you might want to contact the seller to clear things up?
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 04-29-2021, 06:56 AM  
HD 77mm f/1.8 LTD!
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 261
Views: 26,313
This!! Had to sell mine because in too many situations it would ruin a portrait that people were depending on with bad purple fringing, that in a lot of cases couldn't even be fixed in photoshop without something looking off. Plus I didn't want to pay $700 for a lens that had to be used at f2.8 and above. My PENTAX A 135mm f2.8 was the same thing, had to be used a whole stop closed down for good results. I do live in a bright, sunny place but strangely my Nikon 105mm f 2.5 and a Nikon 135mm f2.8 AI I tried out are perfect wide open. So I think it's more of a design issue going on and an HD coating is likely not going to fix the problem.
Forum: Sold Items 04-21-2021, 07:26 AM  
For Sale - Sold: Pentax FA 50mm f1.4 Made in Japan with Pentax L39 UV filter
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 7
Views: 1,606
Sale pending!
Forum: Sold Items 04-19-2021, 04:30 PM  
For Sale - Sold: Pentax FA 50mm f1.4 Made in Japan with Pentax L39 UV filter
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 7
Views: 1,606
Bump for another price reduction!
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors 04-05-2021, 07:32 PM  
This is the Pentax K-3 Mark III
Posted By stillshot2
Replies: 636
Views: 59,609
Is it just me or of the name of your camera is Pentax then it should probably have a good pentaprism in it? That's what led me to the K-30 years ago since its viewfinder was touted as better if not at least equal to the competition.
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