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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
03-30-2018, 03:31 AM
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Hi everyone,
thank you for your valuable feedback which helped in balancing my personal issue with Pentax JPEG. Last night I spent some time in the KP section and discovered that I am not the only one hesitating between KP & Fuji because of the JPEG/LR conundrum. I guess deep inside I know that KP is probably the better, longer-lasting and more reliable camera Vs the XT10/20. Reading your replies I also realized my gripe with LR is mostly due to the fact that I didn't really use the software properly, however JPEG shooting is and will still be a major part of my shots because simplicity, because of one less step from a hobby point of view.
I also discovered last night that the KP deal on Amazon canada doesn't apply for EU orders, which challenges my choices since KP here in EU is almost twice the price (999 EUR amz.fr Vs 560 EUR on amz.ca) and I am not spending that much on a camera right now.
Regarding your suggestions about LR, I really wish to thank you for those as they have challenged the way I thought about PP. I probably should have bought and read a LR book back when I started, this would have helped me setup a workflow which would have reduced the perceived weight/annoyance I currently have with PP...
BigMackCam & Jatrax: It is true that I could use scripting/presets to automatically import and process the files, I hadn't really looked into that!
Kozlok : That is very true and is really my goal with the next chapter in my photography. However sometimes, because of kids or poor AF, you end up with 20-30 pictures to sort out rather than the One. This is independent of raw/jpg obviously but I guess inconsciously I assimilated this experience with raw for some reason...
Adam : Thanks for specifying the JPEG improvements, very useful! Sometimes I forget that the sensor and chips in the K01 are 6-7-8 years old...! Has the in-camera processing speed improved in the new generations? Stuff like lens correction, auto shadow/highlights, image filters, HDR? These can add quite a few seconds to in-camera jpeg processing on the K01.
Surfar : Thank you for your input, I'm glad to hear from someone who had a similar approach! I agree about not selling everything but keeping all these lenses would be overkill for me, especially in my endeavour to streamline and work on 1 or 2 focals at most. Plus losing automatics on X mount would probably frustate me, in that case I could as well get old M lenses for cheap and sell the FA/DAs...
What X lenses do you have? The 35 and 10-24 look like they would make a perfect pair to work on composition... On Pentax I'd be looking at the 15 and FA43 which lay dormant in a drawer (or perhaps the 20-40 + FA 50 1.7? )
I checked the XE series, they seem nice result-wise but the body is so small and are not really cheaper than XT. They are however easily found 2nd hand in my price range. I don't really care for video or 24mpx but I'd like to ask how do you feel about losing IBIS when using the Fuji? This is really the main stumbling point for me with Fuji.
Stevebrot : Thanks, really need to get back to LR I guess... I know about the studio shot, it is artificially technical however I do find it useful to evaluate sensors. There is no way indeed I can try these cameras in store! :)
What you write is obviously true, no way but to try them out I guess. Seeing as Fujis have good resale value I could probably grab a 2014-2015 model used along with a 23 or 35mm, play with it for some time and sell it back at no loss a few months later. The same can't be said about KP as I wrote above.
DrawsACircle : Hehe that video is actually the one that instilled doubts and made me post this thread! I love his picture style. Peeking mode looks very useful and having 3 wheels is very interesting. He says it's much cheaper in Sweden, I wish he would share the links! ;)
clackers : I know JPEG won't improve my photos as I've already been shooting JPEG these last few years, I guess what I meant is that I didn't find K01 JPEGs rewarding enough to do my lenses justice and that put me off taking the camera out.
All in all the KP is nice but it seems I will either have to go 2nd hand (though unlike the Fujis almost no 2nd hand KP are available here) or find someone in Canada to get it for me and send it over. Last option if I want to stay with Pentax would be K70 but again I feel it's very expensive over here for an entry level, around 650 EUR with currently no 2nd hand offers. It does fit my budget but I would probably feel frustrated paying that much for it, especially after owning the K7.
So I think my choice might have to do with whatever comes up first on ebay and the local craigslist. The good thing is that I'm pretty sure both KP and XT-10/20 are outstanding bodies, each for their own reasons, so whichever I get I'm sure to notice a qualitative jump in handling, AF, shooting options, ISOs and IQ-whether JPG or Raw-from my old 2012 K01 and 2011 X10.
So in the meantime what's a good way to learn about Lightroom? Any books or courses to recommend? Any Linux alternatives after all these years? I stopped using Windows a while back since apart from games and Adobe stuff 97% of what I do on my desktop can be done freely and privately in Linux...
Lastly if any of you see good deals on EU KPs do let me know! :)
Thanks everyone.
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Forum: Pentax KP
03-29-2018, 02:41 PM
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Amazing images everyone, well done, post more! :)
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Forum: Pentax KP
03-29-2018, 06:32 AM
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Amazing, too bad it can't be ordered from abroad though! :-/
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Forum: Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Other Camera Brands
03-29-2018, 04:56 AM
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Hi,
so I've spent the last week driving myself nuts comparing XT10/XT20, A6x00 and the slightly unexpected KP. I was initially dead set on trying out mirrorless for the WYSIWYG experience which would probably fit my current shooting more than the K7 and K01 I have been using for the last 8 years.
I realized that first of all I shoot for hobby, have far less time now to go over my RAW shots on the PC and that I always felt slightly frustrated by Pentax Jpegs for some reason. There is no doubt that Pentax RAW files are best in class for the price but the time required to develop them actually led me to almost stop shooting : since I was always afraid that the JPEGS would not do my Limiteds justice I would shoot RAW and then leave them as such. Not bad but pictures are meant to be shot and shown...
After discovering and reading about the KP I started having doubts, first because of the pixel peeper in me : the APSC sensor data and ISO look astounding. On top of that the camera seems compact enough yet retains all the ergonomic fundamentals of why I went with Pentax, adds IBIS and all the premium Pentax magic tricks my K7 got me accustomed to (well except the top LCD).
I want to spend 500-700 euros ($600-850) on a body I will actually have the desire to use and take out in order to replace my dormant K01. I want to focus on a single focal length (somewhere between 25-35 APSC) to force myself to get better at composition (currently I have Sigma 10-20, Sigma 17-70, Pentax 17-70, Samsung 18-250, Sigma 30 1.4, FA 43 and DA 15). I really loved the 30 1.4 that got me started in proper photo and then got lost in zooms, mainly because of travels when they were really useful. Then 3 years ago I bought DA 15 and FA43 but I didn't use them much because that was the time I got bored with the mandatory Lightroom treatment in my photography workflow. I still use LR for my truly best shots and the odd printouts but really can't be bothered for 90% of my images, and as such I feel I haven't explored the promised awesomeness of the 43 which is really sad and a waste of money...
I want to stick with Pentax (if only for not having to rebuilt a lens collection, though the Fuji ones look like they're up to the Limited's level) but there is no doubt to my eyes that Fuji's OOC jpeg's are way more accomplished, even though technically the image data that make them up is inferior to the KP's.
Compare the KP, XT10, XT20 and A6000 below :
Studio shot comparison: Digital Photography Review
Based on this and other galleries I looked at and If I wasn't lazy with RAW processing, the KP would be a no-brainer upgrade, familiar and superior on every point except AF (as usual I guess ;) ). The Raw file is amazing, better even than early A7 FF. However the JPEGs are another story sadly and I still haven't found a way to tweak my K01 to pump out truly pleasing files. I fear it will probably be the same with KP and I doubt Ricoh will react or improve the situation since it's been 15 years that Pentax JPEGs have been criticized Vs the competition, and that I guess most of their customers only shoot RAW.
I like that Fuji offers film emulation bracketing, advanced in-camera Raw processing, sustained firmware improvements and other LR-repellent tweaks.:o
So again I would really like to stay with Pentax and this is why I'm wondering what JPEG shooters think about this, have I reached a point where Pentax is not the right system for me any more? Any in-camera magic settings to test out? Or should I simply make peace with the fact that Pentax excels in RAW and Fuji in JPEG and that I have to therefore abandon ship?
I'm looking for impartial, down to earth feedback from those of you who use both systems and please rest assured I just want to shoot pictures again, not start a pointless Raw Vs Jpeg debate. :cool:
Thanks! :)
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Forum: Pentax K-01
03-01-2014, 10:04 AM
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Thanks all!
I won't be keeping the 30mm, I want to replace it with something new and if I really miss it then i'll buy it again, maybe the SDM version next time.
I'm wondering if the quality difference between the XS 40 and the 43mm limited justify the price difference... any thoughts?
Voice of reason : the samsung tamron 18-250 is long out of warranty, any online repair services you can recommend? I could email them sample shots and ask for a quote...
Ron, any recommendable cheaper/older alternatives in the 55-80 bracket? Since I probably (?) will use the FL exclusively for portraits I'm not sure I want to spend that much (600$) without toying around beforehand in that focal lenght.
Appreciate your replies all,
sk.
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Forum: Pentax K-01
03-01-2014, 06:01 AM
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Hi all,
after 3 years of K7 action I've decided I need to change my photography style / gear. The K7's been a trusty companion throughout many travels but it has been gathering dust for the last 8 months (I've settled a bit, city life routine etc...). I was also underwhelmed by the sensor and want to play around with a good one now. I almost bought a K5IIs but couldn't justify the high price here in Europe, and having played around with the gf's Fuji X20 I really enjoyed the small form-factor and how it did expand the possibilities of catching impromptu moments thanks to its small size / carryability.
I will probably return to dslr and buy a K3 in a year or two, until then to play around and reignite my interest I've just ordered a used yet mint (2200 shuttercounts) K01 for 200 euros. I've also decided to ditch my zooms and invest over the course of the coming months in prime primes. Until now the only one I had was the trusty Sigma 30 1.4 which was my first k7 lens and which I really enjoyed shooting with. It is also the lens that showed me what sharpness and composition study means when compared to zooms.
As such I'm parting with my Sigma 17-70 1st gen, my Pentax 17-70 sdm, my Tamron/Pentax 18-250 (which is non-functionnal beyond 100mm, it must have some displaced lens as anything above is blurry/offset ; is this kind of problem serviceable?) and the trusty sigma to fund my future primes buying spree. The only one I'm keeping for now is the awesomely surprising sigma 10-20mm, just for fun.
So long story short I need your opinion on which prime to get first! Do all primes focus correctly on the K01 or are there some issues I should know about? I want sharpness, portability, acceptable AF performance and Pentax colors first.
The only one I am certain I'll get is the mighty 15mm Limited. Now I would like opinions on higher fl, say between 24 and 70mm. There are so many options it is really hard to make one's mind up, especially with such an odd body format as the K01. The only zoom I could consider if it ever comes out would be the sigma 18-35 but at 800g+ it wouldn't make any sense on a K01.
I can't buy all my lenses at the same time so I'd like to know what fellow pentaxians think should be my first one. I usually shoot street, night (I was long obsessed with getting fast lenses but suppose the K01's great ISO perfs lessen the need for very luminous glass) and wide. I want to try my hand at proper portraits. In the end I'll probably keep a 15mm limited, something between 24 to 35mm and a short 50 to +/- 70mm telephoto.
Options I've perused are :
F 28mm 2.8
XS 40mm
FA 43mm limited
DA 50mm 1.8
F / FA 50mm 1.7 or 1.4 ?
F / FA 50mm 2.8 macro
I'm wondering if I should just get the 15mm and start off with that since after seeing the threads and reviews it is pretty clear this is a must have and one I'll surely keep or start with something more versatile focal-length wise...
Thanks in advance for your precious input! :)
sk.
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