|
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
10-31-2020, 02:27 AM
|
| |
Many grasshoppers don’t come off as the most intelligent in the insect kingdom, however this particular species has an odd behavior that made them particularly difficult to photograph; you see these grasshoppers will adjust themselves so that they are obscured from your vision. There will be several of this grasshoppers and as you approach you will notice that they all went to the far side of the stems so that you can only see their feet as they hold themselves directly opposite of you, or they purposely hide behind a leaf, so you walk around to the other side and you watch them all hide from you again. You get to close they fly/hop away. This was frustrating as they are a very vibrant insect, that I wanted to get a good shot of.
To get this shot I had to slowly get as close as I could trying to not scare them all off, then hold still and wait for one to show itself/ hop towards you, then with some patience and very slow movements, I was eventually able to get this shot.
Haven’t researched enough to get the species name, but I have seen them several times and they are just so deliberant with their hiding behavior, that they seem like a totally different animal to all the other grasshopper species I’ve seen in CO.
|
|
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
07-29-2020, 01:58 AM
|
| |
Took this with my first camera & lens I ever had.
|
|
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
06-24-2020, 02:21 AM
|
| |
This is an HDR of a brick wall of a school, in which I used several different HDR custom renderings from Photomatrix, I then made choice selections from these different renderings to create a composite picture, and put the composite picture through a kaleidoscope filter, using Paintshop Pro.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-29-2020, 03:10 AM
|
| |
Forum member gofour3 posted, the same reference I was using for the serial numbers. So the leaded lens is supposed to be serial numbers underneath 20000.
comparison images have been taken, though it looks like the images have been removed, as the links appear inactive now. Like post number 385 in the link posted by gofour3.
I did try to research this farther on my own years back, and was speculating if this was connected to RoHS 1 which is a set of standards passed by the EU, that many other non-EU members decide to follow to one degree or another, taking their lead from the EU, and hoping this would facilitate trade between their countries and the EU. It’s a fairly broad restriction on substances deemed to be harmful. And it specifically calls for restricting lead in the use of photographic products such as camera lenses!
Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive - Wikipedia
read under, “Examples of product components containing restricted substances.”
Anyways, I thought I had read an article that spoke directly to Japan banning certain lead products in response to the EU’s passage of RoHS 1, but I’m having difficulty locating that source.
Sorry I don’t got some great links to original source documents. :(
And it would be great if links to a photo comparison could be obtained between the low serial number 43’s and the newer 43’s.
I got one of the old black velvet low serial number 43’s, but I do not have one of the newer ones to do some comparison shots or else I would do it myself.
|
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-28-2020, 02:46 AM
|
| |
Saw this thread and thought I’d chime in. Congratulations on your acquisition! To my understanding there is not a difference in quality between the, “ASSEMBLED IN VIETNAM” and the, “MADE IN JAPAN”, though there may have been a higher rate of defective lenses coming out of the Vietnam factory just because it took them a bit to get everything ironed out from when they first started up.
However there is, to my understanding, quite a bit of difference between some 43’s and other 43’s. This is because they have different glass!
Now in case you don’t know, creating a lens of exactly 43mm, was chosen because that would be a true, “normal” millimeter length for, “Full Frame”. Over 43 and it technically becomes a telephoto, and below 43 it technically becomes a wide angle lens. Making a lens of exactly 43mm though was difficult, but Pentax decided to demonstrate their prowess at designing lenses by making a lens of not only exactly 43mm, but also made it a lens both great in its rendering and small in size, (this was the main problem of making a lens of 43mm as most optical strategies for creating this millimeter length, called for a bulky lens, and then here comes Pentax with this virtually pancake 43mm lens).
Now when the 43 was designed, it was designed to use leaded glass! Leaded glass has numerous optical advantages, so it was commonly used in lens designs. So the 43 was being produced with leaded glass, to rave reviews. However Japan passed a law that prohibited the use of lead for certain applications, (such as making glass and I believe paint). With this law change in Japan Pentax was forced to make their next run of the 43mm lenses with non-leaded glass! They also had to switch to nonleaded glass for every other design that called for leaded glass, including the 77mm! Now the 77 though it was designed to use leaded glass, when later productions used nonleaded glass the optical design survived fairly well, without a huge amount of difference being noticed. However to my understanding, the 43’s optical design did not survive as well as the 77, or in other words the 43’s optical design working correctly was very dependent on the leaded glass that was called for when it was initially designed.
This could be a reason why a lot of people believe the made in Japan lenses are better, as many of the made in Japan lenses, that were designed to be used with leaded glass got created there with leaded glass, however by the time they went to Vietnam all those lens designs that called for leaded glass were no longer being made with the leaded glass, so you never get a Vietnam lens that uses the intended leaded glass, while many, (but not all) of the made in Japan lenses were created with the intended leaded glass.
You can tell if you have a leaded version of the 43, by:
#1, its serial number, (I forget the cut off number for when they switched to nonleaded glass, but that information can be looked up).
#2, if you have the original aluminum lens cap, the leaded version will have black velvet instead of green, and the word Pentax will be printed on the front of the cap in black lettering, rather than being engraved into the metal.
#3, I believe all the leaded versions have visible screws on the side of the focusing ring itself, while the non-leaded versions do not have screws on the focusing ring.
Hope something I’ve written here is interesting!
|
|
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
05-17-2020, 01:36 AM
|
| |
A nice shot showing off the legendary 31mm!
|
|
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
04-23-2020, 03:11 AM
|
| |
This is a rusted Zippo lighter, the image on the lighter is of a derrick reaching up into the skies with the words, "DOZIER OIL" written beneath.
|
|
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
03-31-2020, 08:53 PM
|
| |
Don't get too much rain where I'm at, yesterday was the first day it had rained in a long time, and I got a shot of a rain cloud rolling in over the Wet Mountains. It was edited today, didn't do too much to it, just used Digital Camera Utility 5, before resizing.
|
|
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
02-16-2020, 04:24 AM
|
| |
Taken with my dual spectrum converted K-X camera at somewhere about 630nm - 660nm.
Instead of, color swapping the image, I took away the Aqua colored foliage, and left some of the natural orange warmth of the land and sky.
I'm pretty sure I assumed correctly that monochrome didn't strictly mean black and white.
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-29-2020, 03:47 AM
|
| |
Yeah, I think they're pretty pricey, 58mm is about $70, from Kolari, which seems to be pretty close to the current pricing standard for other reputable hot mirror filters, (of course I always wonder if there's some $8 cheapo filter from China that will get me just as good of a result) :hmm:
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-25-2020, 08:02 PM
|
| |
Kolari Vision has contacted me back, they believe it’s oxidization of the filter. They have offered to replace the filter for me, as this filter is covered by a lifetime warranty.
Apparently there’s no way to really fix it, in fact Kolari Vision, said even trying to wash it off with water might just make it worse. Kolari Vision has updated this filter to have an AR, (antireflective) coating on it, that should protect the new updated filters from this type of oxidization.
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-24-2020, 04:28 PM
|
| |
Okay I have contacted Kolari Vision, I gave an email with the photograph, with the same details that I posted here, I'll let you know what their responses is when I hear back from them.
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-24-2020, 03:59 PM
|
| |
Haven't contacted them yet. I think I might send them out an email, so they can see the photograph
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-24-2020, 03:12 PM
|
| |
Hi, wondering if anyone can help me out here, with identifying what type of marks these are on my filter, and what would be the best options for attempting to remove them.
I’ve tried removing the marks by rubbing a microfiber cloth wetted by distilled water, but these marks show no sign of being affected by this, when the marks get wetted, they look like they go away, but as soon as the water dries the marks are back and as noticeable as ever.
The filter is a 58mm Kolari Vision Hot Mirror filter. This is the old version of Kolari Vision’s hot mirror filter, meaning this is uncoated glass! This does mean that I don’t have to worry about damaging any antireflective coating when attempting to remove the marks.
For anyone that doesn’t know a hot mirror filter is used in order to change a infrared/full-spectrum camera into a, “normal camera” that only picks up visible light, I have a infrared camera, and in order to take non-infrared photos, (a.k.a. normal photos) I have been using this hot mirror filter.
I live in a dry, low humidity environment so I don’t think it’s should be mold, as I’ve never had mold before on any filter or lens out here where I live.
I do know that some hot mirror filters are made out of types of glass that can somehow degrade, I’m not sure if these marks are symptoms of this or not, I believe it is made out of a nonstandard glass, but I didn’t think this was a lens filter that needed to be carefully sealed to avoid breakdown like some of the more exotic hot mirror filters on the market.
Any idea what these marks are or how best to attempt to remove them?
Thanks for any help.
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-09-2020, 01:22 PM
|
| |
OK, I don't know why it uses the shutter twice for one press of the shutter release button to take one photo, but only for the first shot if the drive mode allows for consecutive shots.
I'm guessing if you put it into Interval Shooting mode or Interval Movie Record mode it would be fine except for the initial capture?
---------- Post added 01-09-20 at 01:40 PM ----------
Two long shot ideas I would try is to go into Button Customization change the setting of the Preview Dial. The Preview Dial has two settings optical preview or digital preview, whichever one it is set to, switch to the other one and see if that changes the behavior.
The other thing I would try would be to go into the custom menu to page 5 to enable and disable controls and change it to type 2,(type two disables more inputs then type one) then push the lock button which will be on the top of the camera and while the camera is "locked" see if the camera is still exhibiting those double clicks.
The idea is to see if any of these elements by changing or disabling them are the culprit which is causing the double click to occur. As a button with a messed up contact, (like not properly disengaging) could be the issue.
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-08-2020, 09:47 PM
|
| |
Okay here's a question for you, what happens when you stick it into HDR or continuous shooting mode, if you go in HDR mode with 3 exposures does it click 6 times? Or does it only click twice on the first exposure? Or does it work correctly and you get 3 clicks for 3 exposures when it's in the HDR setting set for 3 exposures?
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
01-08-2020, 08:56 PM
|
| |
The M.UP is used to avoid shake induced from the mirror flipping up, sometimes when the mirror flips up it can cause very small vibrations that can induce some blur, when this is activated it separates the mirror coming up and the actual image capture so that they do not coincide close together.
This M.UP can create 2 clicks, and being in live view also can create 2 clicks as one click is the camera coming out of live view before the picture is taken
I'm trying to think if there's any other setting that would induce 2 clicks, the only one that's coming to mind is if you're in continuous shooting mode, so when you press the button it is taking more then one photo. Is only one picture registering when you get two clicks? If you getting 2 separate images it's probably because you're in continuous shooting mode. Also HDR mode would cause this
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-18-2019, 09:56 PM
|
| |
Keep shutter speed, twice the frame rate. So if I shoot at 30fps and keep the shutter speed at 1/60th that should be ideal right? That’s the setting I’ve been using, on all 3 of my Pentax cameras, (K-x, K-01, 645Z)with a tripod, and I’m still seeing these artifacts, I thought it was from the line skipping.
|
|
Forum: General Photography
11-18-2019, 02:29 AM
|
| |
I had my blue-and-white K– 01 stolen along with my silver 20–40 lens.
Having stuff stolen is just horrible.
Best of luck
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-17-2019, 11:40 PM
|
| |
On the subject of, expectations for the upcoming camera, anyone expecting 4K?
Now as far as I know, Pentax spokespersons have said that they are not going to have a focus on video, which is sort of nice way to say, “don’t expect a camera that’s competitive in the video department” regardless the new camera may still have 4K.
My understanding is, that the Sony sensors, come bundled with video support.
This is what Pentax has been using. Other manufacturers write more extensive programming and add a bunch of extra hardware to equip their sensors to record videos at higher Mbps and support different codecs. Pentax has just been using the bundled low Mbps video, that come with the Sony sensors.
But I believe that Sony is to start, or have already started having sensors that will come bundled with 4K support. When Pentax uses one of those sensors, they should be able to have 4K without actually putting any real money into video. The bundled 4K support would probably not be the best, but it still would have to have a higher Mbps rate than any Pentax DSLR camera currently, by a lot.
That seems like a good way to look at it.
Oh, I have enough selection in K-mount lenses, to support the fields of view I would want for video in both full frame and crop.
The footage from Pentax cameras have too low of a Mbps rate to survive, what I consider standard video post processing and editing. Pentax video is basically like editing a JPEG, compared to editing a Raw photo, but even more pronounced. Also fine textures, like a gravel driveway, tend to vibrate with a static of sorts caused by the extensive line skipping that is employed in the video capture, Panasonic and Sony are offering cameras that have full sensor readout which effectively eliminates such artifacts.
|
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-16-2019, 02:24 AM
|
| |
When I bought my first Pentax camera a K-x, in body shake reduction was a huge selling point for me.
Never cared for DNG raw format, as its point of existence seems to be to guarantee a, “standard” as if PEF and other camera manufacturers native raw formats somehow don’t qualify as legitimate standards. The worry that the technology to enable you to read PEF and other raw formats would become lost to the sands of time, but DNG will survive forever. Seams belittling to a lot of the raw formats that are very well established by major camera makers.
I understand maybe if you have a really small camera company, why you would want a generic standard rather than a proprietary file format. But for a major camera manufacturer like Pentax they should feel justified in staying with their own well established, and well supported PEF format.
[Unless there is some other reason for DNG that I haven’t heard of. If someone knows of another reason for DNG other than to be a less proprietary and more generic standard I’d be curious to hear about it.]
My expectations for the K2, is that it like its predecessor, will have completely underwhelming video. Or at least it has better because I am going to be purchasing a Sony A7 III, and using an adapter for my Pentax lenses. I will be purchasing the A7 III just for its video capability, so it would be horrible if the K2 was the first Pentax camera that actually had real good video.
[If anyone has any information that would suggest that the K2 is actually going to have high-quality video let me know before I buy the Sony!] |
|
Forum: Monthly Photo Contests
11-14-2019, 04:06 AM
|
| |
This is a composite between 2 photos the main one is of the structure, the 2nd is of the sky which was taken with a HD Pentax 90mm, at 1/160 and at F22. I had to replace the sky in the shot as the original sky looked artificial appearing as if it had been created with the gradient tool in Photoshop. I made sure the replacement sky was taken at the same time of day as the main shot, with the correct angle of light, so it could fit in organically. Use of Photomatrix and Topaz Labs’ Re-Mask were used in the creation of the image.
Thanks for looking!
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
03-13-2019, 08:28 PM
|
| |
Shake reduction is disabled in several camera settings, including mirror up mode, remote control mode, timer mode, etc. but regardless of the settings, I have never gotten the 90mm to show any signs that it is using its shake reduction. I can use the 28-45mm, have it using its shake reduction and without changing any settings put on the 90mm and get nothing from it, so it can't be a camera settings or else it shouldn't be working on the 28-45, unless there is some setting that only applies to the 90 and not the 28-45 but I've tried tons of different settings and they all work as expected and explained in the manuals with the 28-45 So not unless there is some hidden setting that disables shake reduction on the 90mm but not on the 28-45, but I can't find any such setting listed in the lens or camera manuals.
---------- Post added 03-13-19 at 09:38 PM ----------
They are both supposed to work with the camera and the 28-45 does as expected and explained in the manuals. The 90mm lens that I have does not. I have never even gotten a flicker of a sign that it was even attempting to use its shake reduction feature. As I have mentioned up above, I can have the SR working on the 28-45, then changing no settings put on the 90 and get nothing so if it is a setting it would have to be a setting that only applies to the 90mm, but I can't find any mention of any such setting in the manuals.
I've tried both "1" and "2" in the C menu and there is nothing that I can find in the manuals. Everything works as I think it should with the 28-45 and nothing I try works with the 90mm. This makes me think it is a bad lens, but I have had it verified by two parties that it is apparently working when they test it on other cameras.
|
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
03-12-2019, 10:57 PM
|
| |
Help! I have a 645z with a 90mm macro lens, which cannot use its shake reduction feature!
I have both the 90mm and 28-45mm lenses which both have shake reduction built into the lens. With the 28-45mm it works fine and works predictably with the settings, including options 1 and 2 in the C menu, and then when I put on the 90mm I get nothing, the shake reduction icon always displays, “off”, every picture I take with it says the shake reduction was off in the EXIF data, the shake reduction does not turn when the shutter button is halfway depressed and option 2 is selected,(this is supposed to activate shake reduction to stabilize your view through the viewfinder).
I assumed that the 90mm lens needed to be repaired; I thought this was a very evident conclusion, so I had it sent away for repairs for over $500 and have now had 2 separate parties that have given the lens a clean bill of health.
But after the repair and months of shipping it back and forth, I still get nothing from the lens!!!
So now I am wondering if it could possibly be the camera body?
I had assumed it was the lens because the camera body does fine with the 28-45.
If anyone has any ideas of what I could try before I send the camera and lens away for repairs it would be appreciated.
The only idea I had to explain why one lens is working and the other one not working was dirty contacts. I have tried cleaning the contacts on the camera and lens thoroughly to no avail. Additionally the 28-45 when you power on the camera makes a minute chirping/buzzing noise, this is normal behavior and it is supposed to be present in the 90mm, but it is not. All other functions of the 90mm work, (which would be the focus limiter switch and the manual/autofocus switch),
So I am bamboozled by it, any ideas anyone?
|
|
Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
03-02-2018, 12:52 AM
|
| |
This thread is for question suggestions, and I don't want to derail the thread at all, so I'll just make a quick reply here to the above comment that was directed towards me, and try to refrain from engaging any farther with this.
In my post I said, "…developing a motor that is even quieter than the DC is only going to be a practical benefit to video".
The DC motor is already low noise, you are not in danger of spooking the wildlife with the noise that is created from the DC, nor are you in danger of disturbing the guests at a wedding, (unless for some reason there's a void of ambient noise). I've shot wildlife and wedding and my experience with the DC motor, as far as I am concerned, does not produce enough noise to be a practical concern in regards to shooting wild life or weddings.
Going from a lower noise motor like the DC, to a virtually silent motor like the PLM, is however a huge benefit to videographers, as even the noise from the DC motor is enough to be picked up with mics that are mounted directly to the camera or are internally integrated.
It's possible that you could bother guests, with the sounds of your DC lens focusing, or spook wildlife, however I believe most people that are familiar with the noise levels that are created by the DC motor would agree that these would be rare occurrences/conditions, therefore I will stick with my original sentiment that the practical benefit of developing a quieter motor than the DC, like the PLM, is of only real practical benefit to videographers.
I would agree that quieter is nicer for photographers, but as for actual practical concern the difference between the DC and PLM, is really only going to be felt indispensable by, (mostly amateur) videographers, rather than the overwhelming majority of photographers.
|
