Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
06-28-2019, 10:15 PM
|
|
PKtether works OK but I can't seem to get a live preview for focusing, composition, etc. It only shows the last image captured. That seriously limits its utility to little more than a fancy intervalometer and cable shutter release.
|
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
06-23-2019, 05:46 PM
|
|
Found it, the PC/AV port allows access the the images via a special cable which I believe I have. I wasn't sure if that could be used to control the camera but I assume that it can. I will give it a try.
|
Forum: Flashes, Lighting, and Studio
06-23-2019, 02:34 PM
|
|
Yeah, I have the same problem. I was thinking of getting my K5IIs modded for astrophotography but I also want to be able to view and download the images. To my horror I discovered that it has no usb capability. I have a Mobi Pro somewhere but I haven't used it in several years so I'm not sure I can find it. I'm not sure that's an entirely satisfactory method anyway but If i can find it I'll give it a try. Other than that I will probably just get a dedicated Astro cam.
|
Forum: General Photography
01-24-2019, 07:35 AM
|
|
Well, it obviously doesn't prohibit endorsements, but it does require disclosure. Personally I always assume that such endorsements are paid and weigh them accordingly. As a somewhat conservative person I question the necessity of the government even stepping into the space except when there is obvious fraud. YMMV
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
11-27-2018, 05:14 AM
|
|
Awesome! I was hoping someone would do something like this. Now if it would only talk to ascom, but that might require a separate driver for the Pentax.
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-22-2018, 08:20 AM
|
|
3200 iso is about the most you'll want to use anyway but the K-5 is a great astro camera and the K-5IIs is even better if you can find one within your budget. I think you'll find that the 2x teleconverter with do more harm than good in terms of image quality and extension tubes do nothing for astro as you are working at infinity focus rather than close up. I would suggest that you join up with the Astrophotography group here on Pentax Forums. The folks there are knowledgable and helpful.
|
Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-04-2018, 08:36 PM
|
|
I don't remember setting anything special, but on my K-1 when I press the "OK" button, in the center of the 4-way controller, it activates live view zoom. The 4 directional buttons control the position of the window and the rear wheel controls the amount of zoom. The rear wheel normally controls aperture whether in live view or not until the zoom is activated. I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for...
|
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
06-30-2018, 05:25 PM
|
|
I kind of fell off the map the last couple or 3 days; I've been a bit under the weather. Feeling a bit better now but my main computer has died and I will have to replace the motherboard. Hopefully I'll be back in august though I might pop in from time to time during July.
|
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
06-01-2018, 02:34 PM
|
|
After sitting out for a couple of months I have decided to rejoin the fun. My first offering is a new entry in the front garden. With the group's permission I will post any astrophotos on the day after they are actually taken because the processing is typically complex and time consuming and they really aren't finished images until that is all done.
|
Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
05-06-2018, 05:36 PM
|
|
I've been doing astrophotography for about 3 years. I started with just using short exposures then I moved up to OGPS-1. After that I learned about stacking software with allowed me to extend the effective exposure time by combining multiple images. I final got a proper equatorial mount and I have never looked back. The OGPS-1 can give some remarkable results if everything is set up right but it's not a substitute for a tracking mount, not even close. The biggest shortcoming I had with it was that often the center of the image might be sharp but the further out from the center you get the more trailing you will see. I enjoyed the OGPS-1 and I still own it. The same functionality is also built into the K-1 but I rarely use it. For occasional casual shot It's fine, but for even semi-serious astro-imaging it just isn't adequate.
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
04-26-2018, 08:11 AM
|
|
Well, despite the title of your post, I'm not going to try to convince you. It sounds to me like you're happy with what your have and there are few if any compelling advantages for you to upgrade. When the time does come to upgrade the body, you may very well wish to pt for a premium APSC body again and that's great. The old adage applies here... If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I went full frame primarily for astrophotography. I liked the high iso performance and high dynamic range of the full frame sensor and I intend to upgrade my body to the K-1 II as soon as they start accepting bodies for upgrade. For most ordinary shooting there is probably no compelling advantage other than the ones you've already mentioned and there are in fact advantages to the smaller size and lighter weight of the APSC format.
Just the fact that you've asked the question means that you've started thinking about it and may even be having a bit of a tug o' war with yourself. :) Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated!
|
Forum: General Photography
03-10-2018, 10:37 AM
|
|
Clearly the 15-30 and the 24-70 as Charleston is rife with landscape and architectural opportunities. The 85 and the 90 are largely redundant and less likely to be useful anyway. The 200 might come in handy so I'd probably take it. In your position I would probably take the 2 wide angle zooms and the 200 along with a lightweight tripod and remote release, A Flash could be useful if you have room.
|
Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
03-03-2018, 08:13 PM
|
|
I shot the full moon on the first but have not yet had time to process the image. I shot some pretty awesome mountain landscapes yesterday while at a softball game but those images are still on the memory cards in the camera. I haven't even touched a camera today. It's a dismal start and doesn't look to improve soon so I will be sitting out this month. I'll continue to shoot and post images in my flickr photostream for those who might be interested.
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-02-2018, 10:10 PM
|
|
My most accounts the Pentax DFA 100 has a slight edge in image quality but I can't say first hand. I decided on the Tamron for 2 reasons.... first it was at the time about $100 less and second it has an aperture ring. That may or may not matter to you, but I'm old school (old a lot of things, actually) and I like having the ability to go "off the grid" so to speak. I do have a couple of film cameras and it would be nice to be able to use the Tammy on them... if and when I ever get around to using them.
|
Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-27-2018, 06:06 PM
|
|
OK, off topic, but I love that image of the windmill with picket post mountain in the background!
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
02-27-2018, 05:38 PM
|
|
Well, that could have happened with any brand. By all accounts the K-1 has a very rugged construction but a fall hard enough to crack the case would likely damage any camera. Perhaps it might be possible to send it to the Canadian repair depot since it's not a warranty repair. Perhaps a second opinion might be worthwhile. Precision does have a reputation problem to overcome but by many accounts they have improved over the last few years.
|
Forum: Photographic Technique
02-26-2018, 06:07 AM
|
|
Interesting that the new K-1 Mark II has dynamic pixel shift technology using the shake reduction system to cancel out small movements in handheld images. I will be fun to see how well it works. I doubt that it will help much in situations where the subject is moving and the camera is still.
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-25-2018, 07:33 PM
|
|
I have the 28-105 that I use on my K-1. I'm not sure if I've ever had it on the k-5 IIs. I can say that is a very nice lens and you can't go wrong with it if the focal length and range suit your needs. It's also not a lot different in price from the 18-135 and it is full frame compatible when you do decide to jump on the K-1 train. My only complaint is the lack of a hard stop on the manual focus ring when you reach the min and max of the focal range, and I wish it had an aperture ring.
|
Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-25-2018, 02:40 PM
|
|
To the lower right of your post there should be an "Edit Message" button. If you need more than a simple edit, inside that dialog box is a "Go Advanced" button.
|
Forum: Post Your Photos!
02-25-2018, 09:45 AM
|
|
Red is just abut the most difficult color to deal with. Everything else can be perfectly exposed and the reds will be blown out. Rendering of the color itself can be difficult, often appearing orange or sometimes even purple. The color specific hue, saturation and luminance settings in your post-processing software can be of great help. But, having said all that, I don't see a lot wrong with your image as is.
|
Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
02-25-2018, 08:25 AM
|
|
Well, I'm 6'3" and besides, it collapses to 2 ft or less and when the legs are shortened and the center post lowered it is very sturdy, but to each their own. That's why there is such a variety.
|
Forum: Pentax Camera and Field Accessories
02-23-2018, 08:30 PM
|
|
It may be a little heavier than what you're looking for, but I love my Benro Adventrurer TAD28A. It's sturdy enough for a K-1 with a 70-300mm zoom and it extends to nearly 6 feet. It travels well enough but I probably wouldn't want to take it backpacking.
|
Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
02-23-2018, 08:19 PM
|
|
They repaired my K-50 when the aperture block problem cropped up. Had it back to me in a week and it hasn't missed a beat since. About a year ago I gave it to my grandson and he's still using it.
|
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
02-22-2018, 02:07 PM
|
|
Just some tweaks to the user interface would be welcome. It feels really clunky.
|
Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
02-22-2018, 05:34 AM
|
|
If it's true, it's about damn time!
|