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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-08-2016, 05:31 AM
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Hi all,
Just switching lenses and noticed that the HD Limited 35mm macro makes a kind of quiet gear noise/clicking when focussing - I'm sure it used to be silent when in manual focus.
Is this normal? Has something gone wrong with mine?
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Forum: Video Recording and Processing
11-16-2015, 01:54 AM
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I really love the Theta - I love that it exists, I love what it can do and I really like the design, too. That said, the technology doesn't feel quite "there" yet - I'd love to get one to play with, but at the moment I don't feel like I can justify buying one when the image quality isn't quite as good as I'd like. I've been using Google's Photosphere app to take photospheres since it was launched, and that takes brilliant images with a bit of practice - but it takes time. The Theta can take images instantly, but the image quality isn't as good.
Don't get me started on video - the M15 was functional, the S is better, but still very soft. I think this technology has a ways to go.
All the above said, the Theta is still the perfect entry device for 360° photos and video - it's affordable and produces good images. All the other solutions are relatively expensive or require more specialist knowledge and software!
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Forum: Video Recording and Processing
11-03-2015, 02:26 AM
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Thanks for the kind comments, guys! I'll be sure to pass the praise about the voiceover to my wife, who is enjoying all the positive responses!
Grispie - ah yes, the preview wheel does the same thing as the RAW/FX button in video manual mode (possibly be default? I forget if I've adjusted it) - I guess I'm whinging because it's an extra button press that we could probably do without. But you're right - that does work too!
Thanks for the other feedback too!
You're right about the vertical pan - it does continue but unfortunately I hadn't quite shot it how I'd wanted...it was a bit too slow. That said, for the shot of the grave - "and give our lives to" - I wanted the grave to feature strongly, but the other shot I had where I didn't move the camera felt really flat and dead as there's no moving element. The pan revealed the people walking past so added the life that was needed, but I do agree that it doesn't really go anywhere.
Thanks, guys! I really appreciate your thoughts.
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Forum: Video Recording and Processing
11-02-2015, 09:23 AM
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Thanks, CarlosK3 - I considered music but actually it was distracting in the end.
Thanks for the feedback, though!
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Forum: Video Recording and Processing
11-02-2015, 09:03 AM
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Hi everyone,
This is going to be a several part post!
The short film: "Time"
I've recently been getting into shooting video and also recently got a K3ii - my first video-capable DSLR (I've moved to Pentax from an old Canon 30D). A competition from Sony to create a video with the theme "No Limits" seems like the perfect time to put something together and hone my skills a bit - given that the majority of the footage in this film was shot on the K3ii I thought you guys might be interested in seeing it. Disclaimer - there are some shots that were taken with an LG Nexus 4 (smartphone)
I'd love to hear your feedback on it, too. It's my first creative film project and I'm really proud of what I've produced. Any pointers, tips or feedback would be greatly welcomed.
You Tube
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src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LPyuq20i9PY?controls=1" allowfullscreen>
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Full-on disclaimer time - this is obviously for a competition, and stage one relies on getting "Likes" on the YouTube video...if you do enjoy it (or even if you don't) I'd really appreciate it if you'd hit the "Like" button! Thank you! Please excuse my moment of shameless self-promotion!
Technical details and thoughts on Pentax DSLR video - "Time"
So, I'm not at all well-versed with video - this is all pretty new to me.
The shots that aren't from my Nexus 4 (it'll be obvious - the shots from the K3ii have a really nice clarity that the mobile footage lacks) are all from my K3ii using a variety of vintage lenses - I haven't yet got any modern glass. They are:
Cimko 28mm f2.8 (M42 adapted)
Pentax-M 35mm f2.8
Pentax-M 50mm f2
49mm lens reversal mount (although I forget which lens I ended up using out of the 35 and 50 in the end)
Aah, video on Pentax. I've used professional video cameras and briefly used a Canon 5Dmk3 so I had high hopes for the K3ii when I got it. I feel like Pentax are off to a great start with video - but they've got a way to go. What follows are a few of my thoughts from using the K3ii for this project.
+ It's so nice to have headphone and mic jack sockets! That said, the microphone input seems to suffer from being low-gain and if you push it too high you can hear electrical interference from the camera itself. Not the best, but usable if you turn it down a few notches (and boost in post). The internal mic is good enough for audio sync and nothing more - it's very quiet, and very muffled - presumably due to the weather sealing. If you're shooting video seriously you'll have an external mic anyway so this isn't a huge deal.
+ Focus peaking is lovely! Why does it go away when you start recording? Sadface. Also missing in action: Zebra stripes.
+ The software image stabilisation is a bag of hurt - turn it off, way off. When you're shooting video, if you put your ear to the camera you can still hear the soft whirring noises of the sensor gyros, so it does seem to use some kind of stabilisation, but it's by no means on "full-whack" - stick it on a tripod. Or, do what I did and shoot handheld and use carefully adjusted Warp Stabiliser after the fact. I suspect the full-on in body stabilisation is turned off because of the noise from the gyros, but if you're recording from an external mic it wouldn't matter. It'd be nice to have the option, anyway.
+ The video codec is pretty good, really. The reviews led me to believe it was terrible, but it's OK. It's got a fair amount of latitude and is very workable if you get the exposure right first time.
+ Shooting experience is really nice insofar as all the controls are easy to use - I did have one bug whereby defocussing was stopping it recording but I never worked out why. It's not done it since.
+ I love that the shutter button starts and stops recording. On Canon, that's not the case, which is just annoying when you forget.
+ But gosh, my biggest bugbear is the exposure. Why doesn't the LCD show the actual exposure level? Why don't I get any kind of "EV Exposure" meter anywhere in live view? In fact, if you shoot anything other than wide open on the aperture, the LCD is meaningless until you start recording and then you'll have to re-adjust. This is one of those strong "it needs work" kind of things to make it nicer to shoot with. It's do-able, but gosh it's a few extra steps that you just don't need if you're trying to grab a decisive moment. You can hold the RAW/FX button down to do stop-down metering, but it's fiddly and this bit could be made better, I feel.
All in all, I had a really great time shooting video with the K3ii. It's no video powerhouse, but it's very good for what it is and you can get some lovely footage out of it; especially from the old manual lenses. I'll let you know how I get on when my new HD Limited 35mm turns up and if shooting with a more automatic lens is any different.
So those are my thoughts! I've got some stuff about the K3ii I'm going to be feeding back to Ricoh/Pentax in the hope of encouraging some positive change, but nonetheless it's good in the meantime.
I hope the above was interesting, and if you do get a moment and enjoy my video, I'd really appreciate the likes!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
08-03-2015, 07:25 AM
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I've just come back from a week in Scotland with the family - for my wife and my fifth anniversary, we visited a tiny little Historic Scotland property called Inchmaholme Priory. Only reason I mention that is because it's not a hugely well-trod tourist attraction, being reasonably remote and only accessible by boat (12 passengers at a time)
Nonetheless, I was taking photographs of a particularly fine old oak tree and noticed that the couple that had just walked along the path towards us had a familiar looking camera. What are the chances that two Pentax K3 owners (well, one K3 and one K3ii) would meet on a tiny island in the middle of a lake in reasonably remote Scotland!
(For what it's worth, he was a lovely guy. Hello, fellow Pentaxian, if you ever read this!)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-22-2015, 06:40 AM
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Is this your second or third copy of the K3ii that's playing up, now?
Gosh, you've really had a bad string of it!
I've got one - in the affected SN range for the power-off bug, but I've not experienced it (yet). I'm loving it though; even with the potential issue I'm delighted with my choice.
I say stick with the Pentax and push to get it sorted! I've just shifted system from Canon and since getting my Pentax have played with a friends Sony A7S and Panasonic GH4 - neither of them felt as nice to use as the K3ii. (Although the A7S's ISO range is obviously impressive)
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-20-2015, 08:13 AM
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I absolutely love this - I really enjoy Brenizer method shots that don't involve people; I think it's such an interesting effect and visual tool. Great stuff; I love it!
Was this handheld or tripod-ed?
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-20-2015, 05:33 AM
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FWIW, I contacted the UK Ricoh centre (Johnsons Photopia) and they were super helpful and very efficient. She said they'd handled two repairs of this kind so far, but were treating them as priority as they came in. So if you're in the UK, I'd reach out to the repair centre and get it organised; it can't hurt.
I haven't had the issue, but I'm away on holiday in a week - I'm hoping mine will last the holiday without the fault and then I'll get it checked when I get back!
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-15-2015, 02:44 AM
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Interesting, the German response is reasoned, sensible and clear!
This is the response I got from Ricoh UK -
 Quote: Thank you for contacting Ricoh Imaging.
If the serial number of your K-3II camera falls into the affected serial number range we strongly recommend you to contact our service center in the UK and book your camera in for inspection (free of charge) and service (if needed, also free of charge).
Please find the contact details of our service center in the UK at: Repair Process - RICOH IMAGING UK LTD.
If you are in need of further assistance, please respond to this email or call our technical support center.
Sincerely,
Ricoh Imaging Technical Support Well, that just throws a cat among the pigeons! Not expecting service to be a speedy process, I'll wait until after my upcoming holiday to post the camera back to them; in the mean time I'll just have to hope that it remains problem-free.
Edit 2; I've just scoured all the various Ricoh Europe spin-off sites, and the Germans are the only ones being offered a free Flu-card. Those lucky Germans!
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-14-2015, 07:00 AM
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I'm wondering if this is a "feature"/unexpected behaviour that has crept into firmware...do we know if Ricoh/Pentax read these forums, or is there an official way route for feedback about this kind of issue to prompt firmware updates?
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-14-2015, 02:29 AM
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I'm in the UK so it might be different over here; I've reached out to Ricoh UK for comment on what they advise me to do.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-14-2015, 02:03 AM
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I've asked this elsewhere but perhaps it's better here - my SN is in the affected range, but I haven't experienced the power-off issue. Should I do anything?
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-14-2015, 02:00 AM
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Hi all,
Thanks for the helpful responses!
Adam:
It seems that in manual mode with Pentax-M lenses the K3 doesn't seem to show the meter in the viewfinder...I've now got that to appear, but it only shows whilst I am holding the button assigned to Optical Preview. The green button closes the aperture and takes a reading and sets the shutter speed appropriately, but the camera doesn't show the meter even if I half-hold the shutter button. (By the way, the travel on the shutter's first stage is incredibly short and soft; is this normal? I've come from Canon's EOS system and they're all quite strongly two-stage buttons)
In live view, I can't get it to display a meter of any kind, and the live view image seems to scale the brightness/sensitivity to keep it evenly bright. When holding the optical preview button (I can hear the aperture move) it seems to adjust it /to an extent/ but by no means accurately to exposure (i.e. 1" looks the same as 10" and 1/8 the same as 1/100 - it's only accurate within a tight range.)
I've got the viewfinder level disabled, too - thanks for the tip! I'd come across that one before; it'd be an odd photographer indeed that sacrifices his meter for a level...
Na Horuk:
Haha, thanks! It's not so much bravery as just circumstance! I had a Canon 30D and was looking to upgrade; a recent birthday came and my brother in law blessed me outrageously by buying me the K3ii, which was what I was attempting to save for (but was way off buying) - an incredible gift!
The reason I've only got manual K lenses is because I've got a K1000 that I use regularly for film work, so my lenses are for that. I've got a Pentax-M 50mm f2, Vivitar 35-70mm, Prinzflex 200mm and Cimko 28mm f2.8 (M42 adapted to be manual aperture rather than pin-depressed) - all of which are somewhat delightful (!!!) to use on the K3...I say somewhat, because I'm finding accurate focussing a challenge, and the big resolution sensor on the K3 really highlights the various optical, uh, features of the cheaper lenses (the Prinzflex is hard to get sharp, for example, despite being optically "quite good")
I'm saving for some modern Pentax AF lenses now! I'm hankering for some autofocus.
I'd noticed that all modes were AV apart from M with the M-lenses. There are quite a few features that are locked out to me until I get a more modern lens...!
I've also worked out how to get the meter to show in the viewfinder - if I hold the optical preview button (Currently set to RAW/Fx for me) then it stops down the aperture and displays the meter in the viewfinder. Otherwise, it's not active at all. So - slightly fiddly, having to hold another button, but I now have a way of getting the meter to display so I can actually manually set exposure /without/ hitting the green button.
Interesting aside; I assume it's related to the fact that all my lenses are fully M manual, but on metering mode I can only select Spot or Variable, not the matrix mode.
The live view bit has confused me somewhat, especially given that live view in movie mode *does* show the exposure as it'll be saved. Bit of an odd discrepancy. I wish that the live-view could display an EV-unit exposure meter like through the viewfinder; showing how far you are from 0 EV exposure. Is that possible?
To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if the camera wasn't able to understand the metering through the lens; my Canon DSLR always tried to overexpose by a stop or two with the 50mm f/2 - I don't think it understood how bright it would be. Perhaps the Pentax is doing the same! As you say, I can always exposure compensate; it does seem to be pretty consistent.
Thank you for your detailed and in-depth answer; it is much appreciated!
MarcusBMG
That's a great resource, thanks for sharing it.
Yes, I've also found that when I can't rely on autofocus, I've ended up chimping a lot to try and ensure that my results are solid. My first outing with my K3ii I only shot with the 50mm f/2 and was disappointed when lots of the shots were defocused when I reviewed them at home. Something to practice with!
Stevebrot
Aah, interesting - I'd figured that the exposure mis-read would be consistent between the apertures. I'll keep an eye on it and see how it behaves in the real world. Thanks!
Edit: Also interestingly, stop down metering on the K3ii is harder than on my ageing Canon 30D - mostly because my K-mount adapter had a chip that fools the camera into allowing AF and exposure confirm for manual lenses, which at least meant I could shoot relatively quickly once I had compensated for the miscalculation (Canon seem to permanently err towards overexposure) - the exposure confirm for manual focus on Pentax has confused me as it's isolated to the centre spot and seems to be more a "something is in focus" rather than "what you're pointing at is in focus" - challenging!
Thank you everyone! |
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-14-2015, 01:37 AM
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My K3ii is also on the serial number list and also without the power switch problem - it might well be a firmware feature/failure - it doesn't feel like hardware fault.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-14-2015, 01:36 AM
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Interesting aside (no disagreements about Ed there, Bryce K!) -
My K3ii is in the "affected" range of serial numbers, but I haven't experienced the problem. I've reached out to Ricoh UK to ask what to do - any advice from you guys; do you think it's worth getting it checked out?
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-13-2015, 06:25 AM
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Doubly FWIW, Ed at Photouniverse is astonishingly negative about a great many things. I tend to view his videos with a healthy dose of suspicion.
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-13-2015, 05:07 AM
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Hi everyone,
Hopefully this is one of those painfully simple "I'm being a silly" sort of questions.
I've only got manual lenses for my K3ii - I'm very new to Pentax.
I've got the hang of metering in M using the green button through the viewfinder to set exposure, however...
1) Is there any way of getting a light meter / EV scale on the LCD in live view so I can meter manually? OR have the LCD show the exposure brightness (as is common across other manufacturers) - it feels like the LCD tries to unify brightness whatever the exposure settings/doesn't change at all.
2) Sometimes the light meter / EV scale on the viewfinder doesn't seem to change/illuminate and read. Is there something I need to do or set to get the meter to activate?
(P.S. I've done the "enable manual aperture" setting change; it's all working OK - it's just manual metering I'm struggling with this far)
Bonus 3) Am I right in thinking that in any other mode but P, I can't close the aperture at all with manual (M) lenses? It seems like whatever it's set to, the camera won't actually actuate the aperture lever unless the camera is in M.
Bonus 4) The metering I have managed to do seems to overexpose using manual lenses by about a +1 stop...is this normal/expected behaviour? I know my old Canon EOS 30D would always overexposure by between 2/3 and 1 stop, so is this just a similar tendency towards overexposure?
Thanks everyone!
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
07-13-2015, 04:58 AM
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Hi Quicksand,
I've got the II and noticed the same behaviour - I'm new to Pentax and assumed that it was operating correctly, I haven't yet found out a way of resolving it.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-24-2015, 03:42 AM
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My insane brother-in-law broke the laws of reasonable gift-giving and bought me a Pentax K3ii for my birthday this year, so now - in spite of already owning a K1000, I feel like a proper Pentax owner.
I saw a couple of tourists in my home town t'other day, one of them was toting a Spotmatic (at least, I think it was)
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Forum: Film SLRs and Compact Film Cameras
12-17-2014, 07:16 AM
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I've still got three or four rolls of Kodachrome 64 sitting in my fridge...I think it's four.
Sadly - and obviously - no longer able to get them processed in colour, but there's a few places in the UK you can get them processed to black and white (which is what I intend - I very much missed the boat on the last development, to the extent that I only bought them last year). Apparently they make very good, very contrasty B&W shots. Development costs a little extra because they have to hand scrub the remjet backing off...! Fun times.
When I get around to shooting them, I'll post some shots here.
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
12-13-2014, 04:45 PM
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Awesome! Good luck everyone. Happy Christmas all :)
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
12-08-2014, 04:19 AM
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I saw a Pentaxian in Chelmsford, Essex (UK) the other day - walking through one of our shopping centres. By the time I'd clocked the name on the strap, he'd passed me, then I was too shy to run after him immediately...once I'd plucked up the courage he'd vanished, despite me selling the local camera shop (which doesn't stock Pentax, for shame)
This reads something like one of those lonely hearts missed connection posts...haha!
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Forum: Do-It-Yourself
06-19-2014, 06:16 AM
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Thanks! Yes, I think I was fortunate the holes lined up here - it worked one way around, but not the other strangely.
I toyed with the idea of taking the entire mount off (the four screws around the central bit) as apparently this was a series of lenses made for many different mounts with a standard fitting - but for the life of me I couldn't get the screws to turn a little bit. It started to wear the metal heads off the screws - I haven't threaded them, but the screwdriver was damaging the screws more than moving them. I think I'll leave that one well enough alone!
I think my question may have gotten lost at the end:
Is there any downside to leaving this like it permanently? Will it damage the springs on the inside to keep them under tension constantly?
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Forum: Do-It-Yourself
06-19-2014, 03:49 AM
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Hi all,
I've got a lovely Cimko MT 28mm f2.8 M42 lens that is really good and has sharp optics - but rather irritatingly doesn't have an auto/manual switch to allow it to be used on more modern cameras that don't have the lever to depress the aperture pin.
This makes using it on my DSLR a nightmare - f2.8 is lovely to have, but the DOF is too shallow for landscape work, and there's no way of changing the aperture.
I've just had a little fiddle with it and thought I'd share with you my instructions for non-permanently and completely reversibly adjusting old automatic M42 lenses to allow manual aperture control.
This obviously depends on the lens design, but here the fix was quite simple.
This is probably quite a common task - but I thought it might be useful to people who had the same issue/style lenses and wanted to use them to their full capacity on more modern cameras.
There's a Google+ gallery with this information too, here: link!
I've also tried to attach the photos below...
Step 1: The lens as it stands - I've removed the three screws that hold the metal cover around the rear lens element.
Step 2: Remove the metal cover - mine was held fairly well by friction, but using a blob of blue-tac to stick to it to lift it out worked well.
Step 3: Rotate the metal cover by roughly 33°, so that the screw holes line up successfully but the indent for the aperture pin is now in the "wrong" place, and so the pin is covered.
Step 4: Screw the metal plate back down, pressing the pin down as you go. I found it worked best doing a few turns of each screw in a circle to keep the pressure even. There's a slight lift in the metal plate on the side where the pin is, but the screws are tight and won't work their way loose.
That's it! The aperture now works manually without having to have a lever to depress that pin.
My only question would be...are there any downsides to keeping the pin depressed like this? is it likely to stretch/damage the springs inside the lens?
Hope this is helpful!
Mark
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