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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-15-2013, 02:28 AM
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Thank you for the replies. The K5 won the race after I tried the K30 also.
First at the time I bought the K5 both came at the same price. Then it came the live view, I was thinking about it but I was convinced fast that I can not use it. If I have a picture on my screen that will draw the child attention immediately.
In this case I shut down the fast review and the focus confirmation beep. In this case is just I rely on the green sign from the focus screen. She comes, looks through the viewfinder, find it boring and go on with her play.
I made all these considerations from the point of view of a guy that stay on the floor and play with child and take pictures at the same time from child level. In the last time I improved the taking pictures from the hipp and without looking in the view finder techniques.
K30 is more noisy when it comes to the shutter noise and in this area won the K5. I do not use the grip and I do not miss it.
What I am considering now is to have a flash without many buttons and no colors. Now I have a Metz 44 and is slightly distracting.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-14-2013, 08:31 AM
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The quest ended up with... K5 and DA35 2.4
What I like about this combo, is quiet, it have upper display that saved me from running bad settings and is fast to focus. The child do not seem so much disturbed by the camera any longer. Possible because now there is no zoom :). The only button she like is the green one and ask me to press it and move the back wheel.
What was new for me is that in Av mode the ISO do not change automatic as in my k100. Moving to TAv is OK but I still do not like it. Tv at 125 with the lens at f4 the iso goes above 5000.
5000 I think is the limit where I feel comfortable with the noise and details lost. Miss the focus and the picture is bad too and the point of interest is full of noise.
What I noticed is that, in artificial light the noise is comparable bigger than in daylight. One picture shot outdoor at iso 3200 has much less noise compared to the one shot in tungsten light and is sharper. the sharpening could come also from closing the lens down to f4.5. Is this normal?
Now I am back in the SW for Raw.
In the past the Pentax camera utility was a good tool for RAW to JPG and I got used with it. What I do not know is how to use it to clean up the pictures... New tool and with a lot of things to go through.
Today I run my PDCU habit just to extract the jps out of RAWs and I was surprised to see that the jps from PDCU came out around 2 MB. I dis a further study on this and I realized that PDCU is purely a waste of time. ...that led me to Lightroom! Well done HOYA! I hope Richoh will put some effort in the SW that the camera comes with.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-26-2013, 02:26 AM
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I went to three locations and only one had both. In Sweden, Pentax is a rarity in the stores.
My impressions:
K5 + 18-55 WR sits good in the hand and feels very solid. Fast focus indoors with good light. I love the upper display. Heavier body than K30 which I see it more like a minus for me.
K30 +18-135 WR good balance of the weight fast and quiet lens. The sound of the shutter is there but does not wake up the dead as with the K100D. A small battery but there is space for AA batteries which I have 2 sets from the K100D and the flash. No real difference in picture quality.
Thinking about the lenses, my feeling is that the kit 18-55 focus faster than 16-45. The 50 1.4 is ok, once is close to the distance can lock but does not follow up easily. The worst one is the Tamron and I thought it is due to the fact that is heavy and the motor do not have the strength to spin it.
The DA*16-50 is out of my sight. It does not give me piece of mind. Coming first out with SDM it suffered from some of childhood sicknesses, a pity for such an expensive lens that got so many complains.
Talking about fast focusing primes, which one focuses faster DA 40 2.8 or the DA 35 2.4? This is just in case I go for the K30 and have some spare for a prime.
Parting from my K100D is out of my scope and I do not intend to give it to the child just now. It have about 50k actuation and still delivers. I think is a perfect camera to learn on and come back to it. Having a 6mp sensor and not much crop possibilities forced me to learn to think of composition before taking the pictures.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-25-2013, 07:28 AM
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Hello,
I need your kind help to decide which camera I should go for. Today I have a K100D with various lenses, 16-45 sees a lot of action, 55-300 in the good days, 50 1.4 is next on line and last but not least is be the Tamron 28-75. When I build up this line I was thinking it will work in low light of Sweden. Latest experience tells, it does not work when in equation comes indoors, north facing windows, and the subject I try to get is my toddler daughter that when she sees the camera runs to get it. When the flash is mounted the little fingers cannot stop fiddling with the green and red lights until I put it away.
Yesterday she was playing nicely with her new train indoors and I wanted to get a photo. Did not work out but instead I managed to distract her. I set the ISO to 1600 with the aperture of 2.8 I got the TV to be 8 for a correct exposed shot. Too low for a child that when heard the first clack was up and running to get the camera and take pictures and see what I did. Thought of changing to 50mm with f2. Quick calculation told me not to do it, that would have improved the speed just marginally and could not solve my problem, @ f2 I would get TV 16 - too slow for a fast moving molecule, and 50 is narrow for indoors.
Calculation wise: ISO @ 128000 - > TV – 125 - decent enough to freeze some action. Underexpose one stop and I get to Tv @ 250 - this sound more like a freezing number.
In Sweden there is Pentax cash back program for K5 II and IIs and K30. The K30 is now ridiculously low price of 4500SEK with the 18-55 DAL lens. The lens kit is non WR and will end up unused. The body only after cash back will be slightly more expensive but must go through the hassle of cash back. The K30 and 18-135 will be down to 7300SEK after rebate and I would like to have that lens for diversity. What do not like the lens is that is very slow at 135mm where I would like to use it. For these I use the Takumar 135mm wide open and it works.
Cashback Sommarkampanj 2013 - PENTAX Photo
Thinking about the conditions of low light brought K5IIs in the equation that have faster low light focus, 14bit raw – I see it useful to reduce the noise and retain details during post processing in case I underexpose, higher dynamic range without fiddling with the menus, one stop in ISO and silent shutter! It does not have focus peaking though for when I use manual lenses. The price is in another league though. In this case I would choose only the body and still will be more expensive that K30 and 18-135mm kit. On the good part there is also the top LCD that helped me a lot while in the K100D the viewfinder notifications are small and difficult to check.
What way should I go?
1. I lean toward the K5 IIs but I have no WR lens - I will not feel comfortable to take it out in bad weather and here is more bad weather than good one... More, leaving 1kg object worth 10k+ into the small hands that mimic everything the father is doing with the camera: lift camera to the eye site, try to carry it around, try to put it around the neck and so on is not comforting.
2. K30 kit with non WR lens - could make sense only when I decide to sell it with a lens attached.
3. K30 with 18-135 - this will be possible to use it outside in bad weather. The bad is that the lens is rather slow.
All advices are welcomed!
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-29-2011, 12:00 PM
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Thank you for the help.
I would love to open it, but now I applied for the home insurance and left it at a camera workshop for the first analysis.
The specialist first opinion, shutter and/or mirror system broken. I will know more most likely next week. Knowing the costs per hour in Sweden of handcraft work, it will be that is out of repair.
Most likely I would have to find a new camera. Just now I am not on the budget to buy a brand new camera. We are expecting the first child to arrive within two weeks. Very bad timing, as I was planning to have it to have the first pictures of the baby.
Looking for a replacement, I am split between the K7 and Kx. There is a price difference. Pros for Kx is the price and the low light performance, Cons: small view finder, loud mirror slap, crop view finder. For the K7 the pros are: big viewfinder, dual control, weather sealing, good ergonomics. On the Cons I am thinking of the sensor that score quite low on all noise charts.
Thinking of small kid and low light conditions the Kx will be the winner if the mirror slap will not wake the kid.
I do not know how it compares the focus accuracy and speed to lock the focus in not ideal light conditions.
The one that fit all my dream is the K5, but I can not justify the cost.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-29-2011, 12:50 AM
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Hi,
Last evening I was trying to take a picture of a wonderful flower componsition. Having the camera on the tripod, I backed up and knocked the tripod down. In the fall I think the first thing to hit was the wall and then the floor. :(
After the fall the camera do not work any longer. When I insert the batteries it slaps the mirror several times without taking any picture and then is totally dead. Can not be powered on. The only reaction is when the batteries are inserted, the mirror slap.
I looked inside and the sensor now moves up with the mirror and first time I look the mirror was stopped somewhere in the middle. The plastic arount the mount was cracked in one place. And at first I did not see the sensor any more in its place.
The lens that took the fall had nothing and it was an old M 50.
Did anybody experienced this? Does it worth to send the camera for repairment?
Any ideas of what can be broken?
Thank you
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Forum: Sold Items
01-23-2011, 03:36 AM
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Forum: Sold Items
01-23-2011, 03:35 AM
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
02-05-2010, 01:42 AM
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Öresundsbron or Øresundsbron
The bridge between Malmö and Copenhagen.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
02-03-2010, 03:57 PM
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Not that I know of... It appeared half a year ago in the front of the house. I belive the owner did not have any more space for it in the house and decided that it can stay outside with other bicycles :)
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Forum: Weekly Photo Challenges
02-03-2010, 03:50 PM
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Temperatures dropped down to -30C and I went out in the morning sunshine. I figured out it was cold when batteries froze in the camera.
I like the ideea of this topic.
After one week things turned, still freezing cold and was time to warm the bones at the sauna.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
02-01-2010, 03:44 PM
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test
Edit :) Working, Thank you for the tutorial !
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
02-01-2010, 03:26 PM
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Efficient way to move in the city :)
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-14-2009, 09:48 AM
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Thank you for answers.
I think I understood. I did not know that "by default" the Pentax RAW add some extra features.
I did a set of tests:
In first picture I compare the Pentax foto Lab (PFL) and Raw therapee without any changes, just as they come out of box. If I look at the screen with Pentax photo browser I can see a image that is over exposed with 0.2 while in photo lab under exposed by 0.3 as I get the picture in jpg.
In the second picture I apply the same correction of 1 stop over expose to RT and PFL with natural and bright. Then I add a correction of only 0.5 to RT that in the end look the same as PFL with one stop compensation.
I got the idea that PFL underexpose since all my pictures I noticed are under exposed 0.5.
But there is still a problem is that between each software I can see a different image.
I think the lesson learned is to have a program that is calibrated with the screen and printer and use only that.
Cheers.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
10-13-2009, 03:19 PM
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Hello,
I need your expert opinions on the processing SW. The time came to make a selection and print some photos.
During the preparation I noticed that the colors of the photoes are different depending on what program I use to open the file.
I have PS CS2, Raw Therapee, Pentax browser, and Pentax lab.
What I noticed is that if I look at the pictures with Pentax photo browser, I have less saturated colors as compared to the Pentax photo lab. In the Photolab I use natural colors, but still is a difference. When I use bright, is very different.
What is the impact on the printed pictures between the RAW conversion with bright mode and natural?
Looking at the same pictures with Raw therapee the colors are little less saturated.
After the conversion I look at the pictures with PS and look diffent, eventhough I choose that the PS do not manage the colors.
If I open the photo for fast browsing with Win viewer is again a diffent color.
From your experience which of this programs is more close to reality.
Currently I gave up "looking" at the monitor and adjust the photo according to the curves. I would like to have more confidence in a program.
Thanks.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-29-2009, 02:33 AM
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this is before B&W
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-29-2009, 02:27 AM
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The original was not very expresfull
You can see it here: Barca_orig
Barca pictures by DragBur - Photobucket
What I did, to the original jpg I applied a HDR: for the grain effect and details enhancement and then I increased the detail factor so everything blends and give the ghosty feeling.
In the link above you will see a the boat only with different processing.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
08-28-2009, 03:44 PM
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Hello,
The summer ended and I have time to study the the summer pictures.
It was this particular one I wanted to share, Thinking about the past.
The boat is there since WWII and today is about 100m inland burried in the sand dunes.
1:1
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Forum: Sold Items
06-21-2009, 05:30 AM
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Forum: Photo Critique
06-19-2009, 06:10 AM
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I was looking forward for a critique. Is the subject too common, the processing is bad, boring... nothing to comment,
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
06-18-2009, 10:27 AM
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Hi Toni,
Estonia is a beautiful place. I have visited the places several times, but this "summer" I had the chance to spend more time in Saaremaa and Tartu.
Tartu I felt it as a warm and welcome city. Saaremaa is a special place, wild and full of surprises. A lot of nature, untouch forest, sandy beaches and beer & sauna together with friends in idilic country side houses hidden in the forest.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
06-17-2009, 11:42 AM
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Thank you very much.
What was missing are the watter lillies to create the perfect mix and harmony, sky water.
I still got some detail of water presence, in the first picture, in the middle, a fish got a breathe.
If you look at the pictures, what do you think, the HDR is disturbing?
What I missed was the polarized filter and a lot of detail is "hidden". Worked out the gamma correction and got the details back. but I had to process the photos.
Is the correction disturbing?
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
06-16-2009, 03:16 PM
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A windy Monday at the sunset I saw the first time The Kaali Meteorit Lake.
On site the view on the lake surface looked as a beautiful Monet. What do you think?
Pictures taken with the K100DS and Tamron 28-75.
#1
#2 Little HDR
#3
#4 Little HDR
Please comment, I am looking forward to improving.
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Forum: Photo Critique
06-16-2009, 02:25 PM
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The Gene of the Stone came to life while walking down the Vilsandi beach in Estonia.
This was taken last year looked to me as the Rising Gene from the Stone.
Picture taken with the 18-55 kit lens and converted to B&W.
Thank you for looking.
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Forum: Post Your Photos!
04-22-2009, 11:11 AM
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I chaged the levels as I just remember that I shot with ½ stop not blow the white.
How does this look now?
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