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Forum: Lens Sample Photo Archive
04-10-2024, 11:30 PM
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Forum: Lens Clubs
02-29-2024, 11:06 AM
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After a three month repair with Precision Camera (including a trip to Japan) I have my precious 16-50 PLM back with me....and it's a great feeling.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
03-14-2024, 01:30 PM
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that's how it is planned.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 III
10-02-2023, 05:59 AM
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I just finished my extended time with the 70-200 f/2.8 from Lensrentals. After the first weekend being a total washout from the tropical storm, I began to think I was cursed when Saturday's game ended up as a forfeit after we drove two hours to Leesburg and the home team didn't show up. But our coach had the boys stick around for about 30 minutes of scrimmage and I got some shots there. Then Sunday we had two full games, so I gave the lens a pretty decent workout with my K-3 Mark III.
I'll offer up some mostly subjective observations:
- As should have been expected autofocus is trickier when shooting with the wider apertures of the 70-200 compared to the 55-300 PLM. My keeper rate was lower, as I was trying to really use the lens to its full potential and typically shooting at f/2.8-4.0.
- But even beyond just shallower depth-of-field considerations it sometimes felt less responsive than the PLM. A little hard to describe, but it seemed to hunt a little more, and just plain miss a little more. I had one sequence of a PK where I took a burst of maybe eight shots, all very much out of focus. I don't recall if I was trying to continuously autofocus with that one. Yes, I did do focus microadjust, and ended up with -4, which I think was a good compromise but I also think that wasn't perfect across the zoom range.
- The lens is sharp, but maybe I was expecting too much especially at the wider apertures. Because I really think my copy of the PLM is about as sharp. Maybe I have a great copy of the PLM. But then again, I'm always shooting the PLM at f/5.6+, which you'd expect to be pretty sharp.
- The 70-200 is very hefty, but with a monopod it's definitely manageable. I don't think I could comfortably hand-hold it through a 90 minute soccer match without it getting tiresome.
- The shallow depth of field, when I nailed focus, was nice. I had a number of images that wouldn't have been has nice with the PLM because of the subject separation.
- 70mm on the short end on APS-C is pretty long. When standing near the sidelines there were some frames I didn't get because the players were too close, and I probably would have with the PLM.
- 200mm on the long end isn't a huge deal, but there were times I missed the 300mm from the PLM.
So all in all, I don't think I'm going to be saving my pennies to buy my own 70-200mm. It was certainly nice, but maybe not $1200 more nice.
(Adding a postscript to this: if I'd had a night game to shoot the differences may have swayed things more in favor of the 70-200. I had good light, and in good light a max aperture of 5+ as with the PLM isn't much of a handicap. At night that drives ISO super high, so 2.8 would be very handy.)
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-29-2023, 03:10 AM
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A few days away from the Salon de la Photo in Paris (5 - 8 October) Fautpaspousserlesiso.com ("don't push the isos dot com" :)), a French-speaking talk show dedicated to photo and video, interviewed many players of the photo market, including Yazid Belmadi, press relations ans sales promotion manager at Ricoh Imaging France. As a result, they published the following podcast on the 28th of September:
Episode 2 : Le marché de la photo en 2023 - Faut pas pousser les ISO
Here below the transcription of Yazid Belmadi's statement (which begins around 1h23min):
Translation by yours truly:
"Last December we announced the launch of a film camera project. Of course, the project is still on track. It will see the light of day in spring 2024 with the arrival of two cameras.
As far as the type of film camera that will be released next spring is concerned, it should, as a first draft, be two compact cameras, high-end in terms of technical specifications but not in terms of price. They will be relatively affordable. It'll be a first draft, two compact cameras, followed by SLRs, of course, which are the cornerstone of this type of cameras.
Since we announced this project in December 2022, we've had a lot of feedback from retailers and potential consumers who have told us how impatient they are to see these products arrive. There seems to be a very strong demand for film cameras.
Our strategy for quite a few years now has been to work with very, very, very niche products, and we're doing quite well. To achieve this, the Japanese management team relies on surveys of Japanese consumers, both within the brand and beyond.
As with the GR series, the project to release film cameras is the fruit of extensive consultation with a number of players in the photo industry, particularly Japanese consumers, since experience has shown us that it works quite well when you make products in response to consumer demand, as they are those primarily concerned."
Note: Yazid Belmadi used twice the expression "premier jet", the translation of which is "first draft". I think that he rather meant "dans un premier temps" (as a first step, to begin with, initially) or "comme première concrétisation" (as a first concrete step / outcome). However I chose not to alter his choice of words.
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Forum: Pentax K-S1 & K-S2
09-26-2023, 02:49 PM
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Just quickly wanted to thank Photogem for his excellent tutorial. My K-S1, bought inexpensively from an eBay seller, suffered from the dreaded ABF. I acquired a replacement Solenoid from a seller in Britain who had taken it out of a K200d. My local (southern Oregon) shop which specializes in the repair of electronic gadgets (everything from iPhones to iPods to various laptops) was willing to have a go at it. I waited with bated breath for several days and... success! The transplant worked! I'm attaching two photos - one of Aaron, the brilliant 'tech' in Ashland, Oregon, who did the surgery/transplant for me (seen here holding the failed solenoid which he removed) - and another photo, of the bud of a Zinnia flower in my garden...
It's great to have the K-S1 fully functional once more!
(both photos taken with my DA 40 XS lens)
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-13-2023, 12:10 AM
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I finally got the courage to try to repair the tiny traces on the board that has the connections that the spring loaded nubs connect to the camera body.
The person who had this and tried to repair it before me put a screw in that was too long and destroyed 3 traces.
Spent about 2 hours just repairing the traces as it is extremely hard to hold single wires strands in place.
The one on the left had to be redone as it desoldered and stuck to the soldering iron when I went to solder the middle one.
Top pic is broken traces.
Bottom pic is the repaired traces. The wire strands are about as thick as 2 human hairs. Four of those traces side by side with the space in between them on the board measure right at 1/16 inch.
The repair was done with no magnification assistance. Thought about it, but it would have just gotten in the way.
Now I just need to clean the left over flux out of the gouge, then fill the gouge with epoxy and also make a supporting metal plate for the back because the board was flexed and cracked, make sure it doesn't interfere with anything, and then glue it to the back of the board.
Nerves are shot.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 III
07-05-2023, 07:45 AM
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I often try to make macro with pixel shift (naturally with tripod). If there is no wind and the subject calm it can sometimes be successful. These days I happened to make a pixel shift photography of a scopion fly with the Sigma 1:3.5/180mm macro lens.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-25-2023, 06:50 AM
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The only issue I have with the night vision mode is that it reverts back to a standard display when you turn the camera off, no way to keep it on full time. Still its' nice to have, but would be nicer to stay on or be able to relegate a custom button to do a one touch on/off with it :)
Edit: I take all that back! In the memory section of the shooting tab, you can check a box that lets the camera remember the nightvision setting and it will stay on after you turn off the camera. There was no mention of that on the firmware update so I thought I'd share it.
NOW I'M STOKED. This damn camera is awesome.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-21-2023, 03:07 PM
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I think there is a bit more to the story than this. I watched an interview about the Monochrome with the head of development Shigeru Wakashiro on YouTube Live the other month. He talked about this topic.
When they considered making the Monochrome, there were objections internally from colleagues who didn’t think it would sell. The reason being that the main use for monochrome is street photography, and enhanced resolution is not a priority for street photography. I hadn’t thought about it before, but I think this may be true for the Japanese market.
What changed their mind was that in the international market black and white is used much more for other genres, such as portrait, architecture and landscape. So they decided to proceed with making it and it was always going to be marketed it worldwide. The survey results were not the only thing they considered.
In fact I heard a similar story about the K-1. The demand for a full frame model had been loudest overseas and that had a big influence on them deciding to go ahead with a full frame camera.
So there are at least two significant products that exist specifically because Pentax was considering the preferences of users overseas. I’m not sure how they go about gathering that information, but they do listen and are not focused on Japan only.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
08-10-2023, 06:29 PM
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Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions! I actually did take the plunge on the Sigma EX DG HSM II 70-200mm (with updated firmware) and have been testing it extensively in both indoor and outdoor swim competition events. So far, it's performance has been up to the task with my K-3 II. The autofocus is silent and super-fast, tracking the target as required.
Even though this was outdoors, I consider this shot representative of my efforts so far, both inside and out; once the focus is established on a given burst at the full rate of 8 fps, I've seen zero misses with focus throughout the burst.
Plus the K-3 II (with the battery grip) and 70-200 HSM II combination's weight is manageable for a day-long outing, especially with a shoulder sling strap.
Cheers, Allan
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
07-25-2023, 01:22 AM
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Hello
I´m an artist from Norway. Trying to learn how to take better photos with my K3.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
07-19-2023, 06:29 AM
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I don't think we need to speculate or hypothesize about this. We can see for a fact that Tamron has produced and still produces a number of lenses for Pentax long after the related lens for other mounts has been discontinued. Pentax will continue to work with them as long as it makes business sense to do so.
Also, Tamron might not be in such a great position these days. They have more competition from Chinese lens makers and at the same time the switch to mirrorless has left them unable to make lenses for the latest Canon cameras. I'm not sure they can afford to turn down business from Pentax.
Finally, typing this post has made me realize that my Mac really wants to "correct" their company name into a female sanitary product. Poor old TamRon.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
06-28-2023, 09:03 PM
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I think the discontinuation of 645 products (and other old lenses recently) is related to them changing production.
Evidence suggests that they are closing the factory in the Philippines and consolidating in Vietnam. So this is an inflection point where they have to decide what to make space for in the new facility and what not to.
So I don’t think it’s a simple case of leaving the machines on for the few people who might crowdfund a 645 camera. That would require keeping the old factory open, or setting the whole thing up in Vietnam and sacrificing some other production they want to do.
Obviously, the discontinuations don’t look great until they start producing something new. I hope we don’t have to wait too long for a camera that can take the place off the K-1 and 645z for landscape photographers.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 III
06-27-2023, 02:16 AM
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Forum: Pentax K-3 III
06-23-2023, 05:28 AM
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Ok, I've got camera and 60-250 back. Working great, no issues that I complained about so it seems service did nice work.
What was wrong:
- K-3 Mk III: replaced eye sensor, replaced SD card ports, replaced lens connectors, calibrated electronics
- 60-250: replaced mount, replaced connectors, repaired electric wiring
Everything works properly, no issues whatsoever. All costs covered by warranty. I am so happy that I ordered 10-17 fisheye I was looking at for some time.
Thread can be closed.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 III
06-22-2023, 06:43 PM
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Well, after a good thorough 45 minute session of cleaning the image sensor and AF sensor, the camera is 100% perfect again. It must have been a microscopic (not literally, but insanely small) piece of something on the AF sensor that was causing the issue. It's weird that it only happened at +200 mm though. But either way, it's good to go again. Problem solved!
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Forum: Pentax K-3 III Monochrome
05-30-2023, 07:55 AM
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Brought my K3M and DFA21 to the parade. It was an overcast morning, versus the very strong Florida sun both participants and spectators usually suffer through. Except for setting white and black points in ACR, and pulling down highlights a bit, I did no other processing. I’ve got more images to look at, but thought a few of you might enjoy these. Cheers, Ned
Memorial Day Parade, Sarasota 2023 | Flickr |
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
05-29-2023, 12:55 PM
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Hi, all:
Glad to be here in a non-anonymous way. I recommended Pentax to my girlfriend in 1981 or so, based largely on hearsay ... but our 37th wedding anniversary is coming up next week, and she still has her K1000. My own first Pentax was a P5 in 1989. (In the meantime, I'd had a 4x5 Crown Graphic, which I still kinda miss ...) I traded the P5 in for an LX after a couple of years. I still have the LX, plus an *ist DL that my wife still uses, a K-30 that's semi-retired, a K-1 Mark II, and a 645N.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
05-28-2023, 02:02 AM
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It's only the silver versions of the HD DA Limiteds that are being discontinued. The silver 15mm was discontinued a while ago and the lack one still exists. Now the same is happening with the 21mm. If you look at the Pentax site they are still both shown as current lenses.
????? / K??????? / ??? / ?? | RICOH IMAGING
But if you go to the store, the silver versions are marked as "Outlet".
DA?APS-C??? - K??????? - ??? | RICOH IMAGING
I think this misunderstanding comes from Pentax Rumors. They are reporting the very old news of the black SMC version's discontinuation as if it is the current HD version. That site is very slopping with fact checking.
I'm not going to link to the Pentax Rumors article, but the more credible report from Japan that this probably came from is here.
HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited ???????????? - ???? ???????
It's worth mentioning that silver versions of Pentax lenses have often had limited runs, including the silver versions of the SMC versions of the same lenses. This is not unusual, and just means you have to hurry if you specifically want a silver one.
---------- Post added 05-28-23 at 09:05 AM ----------
Further evidence that they don't intend to discontinue the black lens any time soon is that they just launched the K-3 III Monochrome and included this lens in all the promo shots.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 III
05-04-2023, 08:38 AM
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Adobe as opened an investigation on the ineffectiveness of its Denoise AI process on K3iii DNG files using a couple of my DNGs that I provided to them. Thanks Adobe.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-04-2023, 01:08 AM
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It's alive, and working. :D
Measured from a working one, ordered, and repllaced all passive components (resistors, capacitors and inductors), the power management IC, and rewired oxidated traces on PCB.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 III
05-03-2023, 04:46 PM
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I just sent a sample K3iii DNG to Adobe for review. I verified that Adobe Denoise AI did nothing to reduce noise in the K3iii DNG. They reached out to me to ask for a sample.
Tom
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Forum: Sold Items
05-03-2023, 02:05 AM
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LORD have merci on my LBA pentaxian soul!
I BOUGHT IT !!!!
---------- Post added 05-03-23 at 02:06 AM ----------
oh uncle, my uncle....
I did it! I got it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-26-2023, 12:26 AM
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Interesting. Printed in Vietnam, while the K-3 III manual was printed in the Philippines. I previously saw a Twitter post that the camera is now made in Vietnam but have not seen the underside label of the camera for myself yet. Perhaps an early adopter can confirm.
I think this is a big story under our noses. We have been wondering why the K-1 III has been so long in coming and also why Pentax made the KF as a stop-gap rather than an all-new model. If the factory operations have moved, that is a big hint as to why. It would make sense to wait until the new factory is ready. If the K-3 III Monochrome is shipping this week and made in Vietnam, that means the factory is ready to produce DSLRs.
It could be sad news for people affected in the Philippines, but on the other hand it could mean we finally see some new cameras released.
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