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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-28-2020, 10:40 PM
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I've got a Honeywell price guide from August 1975 and it lists a "horizontal" split-image screen (they called it a split image rangefinder screen) as an option for any SP & ES body.
The prefix was "XRF" that was added to the cameras catalogue number. Price was $25.00 extra to the cost of the camera body.
Phil.
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
03-28-2020, 06:49 PM
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And here it is...
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-02-2019, 08:10 AM
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You may not think the added DR, high-ISO, and resolution performance is worth the weight and costs, but some of us clearly do.
The same "FF isn't needed because APS-C is good enough (and smaller/lighter/cheaper)" arguments can be rolled down to say "APS-C isn't needed because Micro4/3rds is good enough (and smaller/lighter/cheaper)." In fact, the argument can be rolled all the way down to say "ILCs aren't needed because smart phones are good enough (and smaller/lighter/cheaper)." However, basic physics proves that larger sensors and larger lenses can produce better images so there's always a trade-off between IQ and weight/bulk/cost.
This really is a subjective Goldilocks issue -- some cameras are too big, some cameras are too small, and some cameras are just right. But every photographer is different -- the vast majority will stick with smartphones, many will end up somewhere in the MFT-APSC-FF spectrum of mainstream ILCs, some will go medium format digital, and a few will insist on 4x5, 810, etc. large format view cameras.
There is no universal optimum format.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-02-2019, 03:05 AM
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Ha ha, that should be a mic drop.
I guess APS-C is at a similar sweet spot the 135 format film was, few decades ago: good enough, convenient, affordable.
With a DSLR like this upcoming Pentax, mechanical issues will also make it faster in terms of FPS (compared to any reasonable K-1 replacement).
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
10-01-2019, 11:51 PM
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That' an interesting point in view of the big push amongst manufacturers being towards FF at the moment - I suspect that there is a lot of a sense among the buying public that bigger is better, and of course it allows manufacrurers to come up with higher absolute numbers of megapixels, which seems to be a lot of what sells cameras these days. I know that in the real world a lot more APS-C cameras are sold, but they are being starved of oxygen in the press and advertising. A difficult one for the likes of Olympus and Fuji perhaps too.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
10-01-2019, 08:02 AM
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I am Mico Samardzija, graphic designer and hobby photographer.
I own Pentax K-1 II for few months, and enjoy using it.
I am living in a bit dry and wild place with lots of hidden waterfalls and rivers.
And some lakes. So I am mostly in nature photography.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-24-2019, 07:22 AM
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Hopefully, it won't, at least not the way the KP "achieved it".
We know that the KP fudges its raw files like the K-1 II does. This is not real dynamic range but good in-camera post processing.
It is OK to like the processing but it should not be mistaken for a real dynamic range advantage. The idea that Pentax can tickle more performance out of a sensor than others is a myth.
I prefer an honest camera like the K-1 over one that takes some post-processing decisions out of the hands of users (like the KP or K-1 II).
I'm happy for others to like the post-processing and if Pentax wants to use an "accelerator" chip again, they should make its effects optional so that everyone can be happy.
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Forum: General Photography
09-19-2019, 03:39 AM
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My comment wasn't intended to offend you. I was asking if you used A7R III after the firmware update because as I said in the previous comment, the af of Sony's third generation of cameras was quite unpredictable in terms of eye af and overall tracking. I'm shooting with A7 III quite often because I have a friend that I go out with who has it. I've shot a lot with it in order to improve my shooting experience with EVFs (training my eyes basically). :D I hated that camera before the af firmware update and after the update it became pretty close to what Sony adverts looked like at the release of that camera.
I still am and I don't buy new things, I just play with new things. There is a difference. I bought EOS R because it helps me, but I have also my DSLR for wildlife. :)
I still defend photographers who go out and practice all day long and improve their technique. I go out as much as I can with a lot better photographers than me and I use a lot less expensive gear than they use. As I said many times, all cameras released in the last 5 years can do the job done with proper technique and experience. For some specific shots you need to work extra and for some situations you may loose certain moments. When you loose more and more important moments due to demanding/difficult subjects, you either get over them, you either go back and practice more, or you go and upgrade your camera, your lens or both. I was out a week or so ago to shoot some birds with 6D (the first model) and I got consistent results because I know that camera very well. I also missed some shots which I know I normally wouldn't have missed them and I remembered why I bought 5D Mark IV. I share my experience without any reason to convert anyone, but because as I told you, I find user experience more important than internet reviews or lab tests. It's not my fault that some people can't forget about camera brands and extract only the informations they need or they think they can use. :)
I had some private conversations with him and he's quite a nice guy, as I'm sure most of people here are. Trust me, if we had this discussion over a beer and with some models posing for us, a lot of what I say or what you say would have had a different impact and understanding. But we have to deal with the shortcomings of forums and hope that our comments are not received in a wrong way. :) It seems we have to work harder and practice more in this regard. :)
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-18-2019, 12:40 PM
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You can disagree with Samsung withdrawing from the camera business, but your disagreement wouldn't have changed anything.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-18-2019, 12:11 PM
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Funny, I was trying moon shots just last night, as the sky was as clear as one could reasonably hope for here in NW NJ.
My tripod does not seem to be up to the task, and I am still a work-in-progress :lol: This is the best I could do with the K 500/4.5 + A 2x-L, but I know "better" is yet to be unlocked...
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Forum: General Photography
09-18-2019, 09:41 AM
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Mirrorless bodies are safer for vampires to use during lens changes.
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Forum: General Photography
09-14-2019, 04:34 AM
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I wouldn't call images taken in studio better. It depends on the client needs... You can control pretty much everything even when you shoot outdoor if you know your job. As long as you have flashes and modifiers, shooting outdoor means that you have an infinite studio at your disposal which I find it more useful than any high end studio. If you look at fashion or sports magazines, the trends start to shift more and more to lifestyle images of sport stars or fashion models doing their stuff in natural environment. Look also at latest commercial of Cristiano Ronaldo for example. There is not such options, to "re-taken many times until getting satisfactory results" because sport stars don't wait for the photographer to take countless images until they get a shot. :D
Commercial sport photographers, the pro ones, also use cameras with fast af, big buffer and high fps because they have to shoot dynamic images on location. A good example of a commercial sport photographer is Erik Valind ( Fitness ? Erik Valind Photography | 347-263-7458 | New York City ). Take a look at the min. 0:13 from the below video and tell me that shooting like that is easy with a K1, with a 5DsR or with any slow fps camera without very good and fast Af.
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Or take a look at these beautiful images of the same guy taken with a fast camera. You can get the same results with a K1, 5DsR, D810? Probably yes, but you may spend additional 2-3 hours to get the same shots because of slow fps and not as fast af.
Erik Valind ? NYC on Instagram: ?Here is the Behind the Scenes look at how I captured those flying sand photos! This was such an insane move I didn?t expect to see it more??
Here is a video where he covers a little the shot from the desert, starting from min. 1:15. :)
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src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vkn0e8hScGU?controls=1" allowfullscreen>
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What I like most from their work is that they use what think is best for a specific shot. A few comments back you said also that pro photographers use flashes and amateurs are using natural light. But if the natural light is good in studio or on location, the pros don't use flashes at all or they use just a reflector to soften shadows a little bit. Erik Valind is such an example of a commercial sport photographer who combines in his work natural light and flashes. Michael Woloszynowicz ( http://www.vibrantshot.com/gallery/fashion-beauty-book3/ ) is another great example of a photographer shooting 80% of the time with natural light. And he is a very well regarded fashion photographer. This guy doesn't need a fast af camera, but his images are printed large and therefore he is using a Phase One most of the time and a Nikon D850 if my memory is correct as a second camera. By the way, for the ones interested, Michael Woloszynowicz has one of the best retouching tutorials I've seen. :) Worth every penny. :)
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Forum: General Photography
09-14-2019, 12:37 AM
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It was the peak power draw with everyone charging their car at night; normally you would have less of course, but common procedure is to have more installed capacity than peak expected draw).
As for the numbers, Germany has 47 million cars (not counting commercial vehicles such as trucks tractors etc. which are another ~16 million), then checked the average power draw per model (most are 3.3 kW but a lot are coming in at 6.6 or 7.2 kW, so I chose 4 kW as a nice round number). So yeah, they *are* worst-case-scenario numbers, I would expect something closer to 60 GW on average or perhaps even less.
what I had as core assumption is that, if people defaulted to charging overnight, that would be a lot of strain for the grid.
I still think that the way forward involves banning intra-city car use and strenghtening public transport systems, a single-person (or even single-family) car will never be, by definition, nearly as efficient as a bus.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-13-2019, 10:29 PM
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Even if Jared Kushner is the person behind this Twitter account, it is still a pretty safe bet that there aren't "plans for any new cameras this fall.". The Theta Z1 was announced in February, just shipping now. The reason other manufacturers are announcing new models now is to get product moving before camera distributors go into hibernation for December and January. The HD DA 10-17 just made it under the wire for hitting peak buying season. When Panasonic announced the S1R late last September (to be available in 2019), they had already been beaten to the punch by Nikon and Canon. As Bugs Bunny used to say "On with the show, this is it!"
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Forum: General Photography
09-13-2019, 03:01 PM
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It's common on every brand. I don't have a problem with the guys who are shooting with cheap or/and with old lenses as long as they don't complain over and over again about their cameras thinking that their camera is to blame for the lack of sharp images or lack of fast Af. :)
I have cheap prime lenses that I shoot with often because they are small and light. But when I have a paid job I use L prime lenses because those lenses make my life a lot easier even if they are big and heavy. :)
Nice image. :) As I see, you also shoot portraits at f2.8 (if I'm not mistaken, that bird image was taken at f2.8) when you want and when you think you have the right reasons to use wide apertures. :) So I'm not alone thinking that shooting wide open has advantages as long as you know what you're doing. :)
Take a look at this image for example. Shooting at f5.6 or f8 would have distracted the viewer from the girl and the image was used by a local store to promote that coat on the model. Therefore, I took the image at f2 with an 85mm lens and even if the background is busy, it's not distracting and advertising text can be added on each side.
This image was taken by my wife at f1.8 with an 85mm lens. It's me in the image at Madrid tennis tournament. I could have used f5.6 to shoot this image because my wife doesn't know how to use a camera and the DOF is tiny at f1.8, but I didn't because:
- I didn't wanted that people around me to be recognizable in this image and in the same time a distraction
- I wasn't moving and because of that she didn't needed eye af; she took 3 images, all sharp :)
This image was used by a local marketing company and I earned around 150$ by giving them the permission to use it in some Facebook adds. :D
This image was taken at f2.8 with an 85mm lens. I used 3 lights with modifiers. Can this image be taken at f5.6 or f8? Sure, but I wanted to blur a little that barn and it looks good printed at 20" size. :)
Someone said above that I don't know how to control DOF and that I don't understand it. :) Here is an image that seems simple to shoot, but it's tricky. :) It was taken at ISO 1600, F5.6, 1/1000s, 600mm. The ones shooting at 600mm and wide open knows and can confirm that is difficult to get the entire head in focus. :)
I always say that is better to use more images than words when people from different countries try to have a conversation. It makes things easier to understand... :)
---------- Post added 09-13-19 at 10:08 PM ----------
He may be, but he used the camera with the first firmware, a year ago. Things have changed in the meantime and the ones who spend more than a month shooting side by side may have different opinions. :) Not to mention that he was shooting landscapes with that camera. You don't need eye af or silent shooting for that. :) From his video it seems that he was dissapointed because it wasn't an upgrade from 5D Mark IV. He should have know that as long as the sensor from EOS R is the one used in 5D Mark IV. :) He also said that he is starting to look at other brands but in the end he seems that no other brand is better for him. For a lot of people this may seem strange given the fact that he is shooting landscapes and there are lots of cameras with better dynamic range and with more resolution and landscape featureas. :D
These guys ( Report: Canon EOS R's New Firmware Makes AF Comparable to Sony's ) tested the camera with the last firmware update, the one that is not yet released and they say that af is pretty good compared to Sony latest cameras. :) But again, I speak only for myself after I bought the EOS R and I was shooting side by side with both of them. Others have different opinions than mine. That's why I tell people to rent cameras before buying them. :D
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
09-13-2019, 09:47 AM
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Without any internal procedures requiring a sign-off on such a statement?
Note that the answer came 21 hours after the question.
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Forum: General Photography
09-13-2019, 12:53 AM
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We're being sold a (currently) unfeasible idea that is not even particularly good for the environment and it's hilarious how many people are buying into it. New technology often has a new set of drawbacks associated to the benefits like MILCs having some pros and cons compared to DSLRs.
To elaborate, in Germany (just quick numbers here) there are ~47 million passenger cars. Electric cars draw, from what I've seen, on average around 4 kW from the grid while charging, being conservative. This might not seem like a lot but we are talking about 180 GW of power for charging the full country. This is a bit less than the total installed power in the country (~200 GW). The problem is that 25% of that is solar and charging would happen overnight, so it cannot even be used. Another 25% is wind, which is also intermittent.
The logistics of transitioning to exclusively, or even mostly, electric cars are not simple at all. Feasible yes, but the underlying infrastructure must be significantly overhauled and grid-level energy storage technologies are not quite there yet to enable renewable-only power generation.
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Forum: General Photography
09-13-2019, 01:15 AM
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The research topics I work on tangentially touch on energy storage technologies & material development, and I can tell you that the field is moving at blazing speeds. A lot of it is working on exotic materials for supercapacitors or batteries and it's heavily focused on the microelectronics side, but large-scale storage is receiving a lot of attention with many companies looking at the research institutions and waiting for a promising development...
Anyway, sorry for the offtopic.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
09-04-2019, 11:30 AM
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That's true, if you discount the fact that Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, and Leica all certainly appear to be focusing very significant percentages of their R&D and development of new camera models into mirrorless, and relatively little or in some cases none into DSLRs.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
09-04-2019, 06:21 AM
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Regardless of sales, camera companies seem totally committed to the MILC transition. All the R&D and marketing energy is pointed at MILC, so it seems like a case of "this is what you're going to get, and you're going to like it".
Pentax/Ricoh would have to spend a lot of money to get into the market in a way that made sense, and then they'd be competing directly with Fuji in terms of the kind of customers Pentax tends to attract. So perhaps it's best for the to stand pat.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
08-21-2019, 05:49 PM
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Why would they stick with it? It was just a stopgap until they figured out on sensor Phase Detect.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
08-06-2019, 02:37 PM
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Their IS system is from the early 90s IIRC, so in-lens only. I
From a customer point of view, if you take a single lens, then the IBIS is slightly worse on a DSLR because it doesn't stabilize the viewfinder (Having a stabilized OVF is surprisingly very noticeable!). IBIS is just far more cost-efficient the more lenses you have. The exception is that for longer tele lenses I'd argue that in-lens is generally the better option.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
08-03-2019, 01:40 AM
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If new mirrorless systems were originally priced at the value they represent there would be no need for the discounts on fantasy prices only those early adopters lacking a brain would pay.
Currently it is just that the market slowly forces the greedy makers back into reality.
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