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Forum: Photographic Technique
09-03-2021, 07:14 PM
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Hi barondla and thanks.
Sadly, I haven't been doing any daylight photography this last year. Been spending my camera time this year working on stars and such.
If I remember right you had a K-01 converted to FS. Hope your enjoying it.
Still glad I had a K-1 converted since I still have plenty of FF vintage lenses for Vis and IR + a few that pass UV.
Read you had a couple enlarger lenses to use for UV, I've had decent UV results with mine.
Don't know if I would have a camera converted for strictly UV, would be to limiting for my use unless I was focusing on something specific - forensics, plant studies, etc
Also, it would limit combining UV and Vis using the BG bandpass filters.
If you're enjoying the FS K-01 and just want a larger sensor, then I would look at staying with FS conversions. Definitely a higher cost in filters but so much more versatile. Been using astronomy specific bandpass filters this year with no need for a different camera, just a few different filter size adapters.
And please post some of your UV work, it might inspire me to venture out into the daylight again. :)
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
07-07-2021, 06:45 PM
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Kolarivision used to have a descent list of lenses and performance on their site.
I've had good luck with most of my M - FA series lenses, the DA 15, 40 & 70 plus the 18-55II. Don't have any other digital era Pentax zooms to compare.
Most of my Sigma DC or DG suffered hotspots at some point.
The Pentax F 35-70 and F 80-200 have given me great results and with the A50/2.8 & M100/4 macros are now my primary travel kit for IR.
Oddly, all of my Lensbaby interchangeable optics have performed well too.
Love using the IRchrome. Surprised me, as I usually don't like faux color but this filter dose produce much like the old aerochrome.
For UV, I found a Steinhiel Cassarit that transmits down to 340nm and the Lensbaby Soft Focus optic does well at 360nm.
Ultraviolet Photography - is a great resource and has a list of lenses and filters that have been tested.
There was also a member here "kds315" who has done extensive research in UV light and photography, I refer to his private site often when trying to understand more about this spectrum. One of his PF post here: Ultraviolet and animal vision photography - PentaxForums.com
You might pm him and definitely look into his site, wealth of knowledge.
I don't know if it is the normal eyestrain from using the lcd with a hood on the K-01 or if it is something psychological or perhaps instinctual but I find photographing in UV with this setup tires my eyes very quickly. UV IR Optics carries good quality UV and IR cut filters. Most UV filters, even if they block the VIS suffer from IR contamination so stacking these two together will give you a cleaner UV setup.
Have fun!
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
07-06-2021, 10:11 AM
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I hear you on that, my eyes don't perform like they did 40 years ago either.
Can't even read or do fine focus chores at work without glasses AND a good direct light source :(
Still try to do this exercise at least once a year though just for the fun and refresher.
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
07-06-2021, 09:23 AM
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720 and higher are my preference with the 850 narrowband being my favorite.
Look for lenses that don't suffer from hotspots or flaring.
If you plan on doing UV, do some research first.
I had to look hard for lenses that are good at transmitting UV, glad I did before I threw money at different lenses and filters.
Some good old vintage lenses with decent transmissions can still be found at a reasonable cost.
Also with various light sources and a regular lens you can try UV or IR induced visual fluorescence.
It's all very rewarding.
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
07-06-2021, 08:58 AM
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For me, the brilliance and clarity reflected by a mirror is one of the best developments in camera evolution.
Perhaps I was fortunate to have had a professor that mandated this challenge once a month for a whole year:
Shoot 24 frames in two hours: daylight/nighttime, outdoor/indoor, or any combo you choose.
Any subject matter - series or individual frames is photographers preference.
You can use any lens, aperture, shutter speed or film speed / iso you like.
You can hold the camera anywhere from a hands height off the ground to an arms length above your head and point in any direction or angle you choose.
Now for the rules:
You can't use the same focal length lens you used for the prior 24 frame session.
Camera must be in manual or bulb mode - no metering, no AF, no priority modes (Av, Tv, etc.), no pre composing or focusing through a viewfinder.
Looking over or around the camera is fine. Having a lens with a focus scale helps drastically but isn't necessary.
Camera may not be held or used in any position in the area between your shoulders and from the top of your head to base of your neck.
ie. If you want to take a shot from eye level directly behind you, you must crouch down enough that the camera is still held above your head.
1st session choose one negative that's good enough to print or process and work with it.
2nd session choose three shots and then 6 or more for every session after for at least a 25% success rate.
We work so hard at learning how to make our cameras capture what we are seeing both visually and in our minds eye.
This exercise teaches us how to see what our camera is seeing.
Example: If we have a wide angle of approximately 60° shooting down from arms length on a group of flowers at f8 and then straight on from 12 in/ 30cm at waist level and f2.8 - how would each image look? Now if it is a 50mm lens?
These assignments turned out to be some of my favorites and have stuck with me through the years.
Give it a try. It's actually fun and you'd be surprised at the number of good shots you'll get that are uniquely different from what you had envisioned.
---------- Post added 07-06-21 at 09:06 AM ----------
Thanks for the read and history, very informative.
Never gave any consideration to the use of a solenoid let alone the life span or function ability due to different material compositions.
Good to learn something today.
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
07-06-2021, 07:56 AM
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So it primarily affects our DA/DFA style lenses then, or any other without an aperture ring?
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
07-04-2021, 09:03 PM
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After going back and reading a lot of the post, I find it interesting how quickly the mirror/less debate came up and lengthy it became. Never occurred to me that a mirror, or lack of, had anything to do with how I feel this camera performs or the images it can create. Have never advocated the K-01 was a good camera because it was mirrorless or that any successor should remain to be.
I currently shoot with both a modified and unmodified K-1, an unmodified K3 and my trusty 6x7, unmodified of course. Relegated to the shelf with dreams of resurrecting use are my K1000, C330, RB67, Cosmorex (first self bought camera in the 70's) and Exa (parental gift pre Cosmorex.) All have mirrors and interchangeable lenses. All gave me satisfactory images. In fact, MY K-01 is the ONLY mirrorless camera I have actually ever seen in my life and yes, I do live a very sheltered life. :)
I was very inspired by those who posted with creative ways to add a mirror and OVF without having to change much in the cameras shape, function or simplicity. Thanks for the creative thoughts, if I were more adept in that field I would try some adaptations myself. Possibly with more learning I might give it a try.
View finders, or lack of, seemed to me to be the second most discussed topic. I'll be the first to admit that of all the frivolous extras a camera might have, a good viewfinder is the one I prefer the most. I'll find ways to adapt external lights, remote shutters, even franken-lenses but a good viewfinder can make photography fast and dirty, which at times I really enjoy.
My personal preferences are mirrored (with or without prism) - straight through optical and lastly EVF/lcd (eh?, the electronics tires my eyes quickly.) I would love to see a different option for the K-01.
Still, it is only an extra that makes using the camera easier but I don't perceive how it has anything to do with the basic functions a camera does or the quality of images it can produce. If we know the approximate FOV for our given focal length, the DOF for our choosen aperture and the shutter length for our desired affect at set aperture, a viewfinder, to me, isn't a necessity.
With dwindling camera sales from all brands, the resurgence of vintage film cameras & modified digital imagers to bring creativity and satisfaction back to ourselves in counter of overly influenced (known and unknown) collaboration from production and processing engineering (I'm not opposed to it but I do acknowledge with such, someone else has helped influenced the image I'm creating), I feel as Pentaxians, we each should be giving Ricoh our personal, positive feedback for every item we've known under the name, from every incarnation of the brand. We should also keep expressing how to better those items that fell short for us as users. In these times it's commendable that Ricoh has been dedicated to keeping the brand name going, a name with a vast amount of history that can inspire new products from old ideas.
Keep your thoughts coming, please.
---------- Post added 07-04-21 at 09:14 PM ----------
I have,'t paid attention much, but waht is the "Dark Image Syndrome"?
does it have to do with the sensor or other electronics?
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
07-04-2021, 07:31 PM
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Thanks, it is a full spectrum using a semi-apo filter for uv/ir and light pollution cut. Also along with an aperture mask to help eliminate the wretched ca this little scope produces.
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Forum: Sold Items
07-02-2021, 06:18 PM
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
07-02-2021, 06:04 PM
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Turns out the K-01, like the K5 and K1 have about the perfect pixel size for use with smaller focal length scopes and astrophotography. Plus the weight and size is ideal for midrange tracking. I started this thread to commend to K-01 for being a good basic camera without all the bells and whistles. Believe it still holds true. Ricoh should revist and perhaps market it as the K-02 Astro.
Taken with a modified K-01 and lowly less than $180 achromat. 2min exposure, f6.6.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
05-24-2021, 08:02 PM
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Don't know if this would help but might be worth a try for your existing Sigma. #5 yellow filter with manual WB.
I have a short achro (non apo) scope that suffers terribly from purple fringe. Several astronomers have told me the problem is a combination of the glass along with aperture ratio.
Stopping down the scope by 1 stop seemed to help and the combination with the #5 yellow filter has made purple fringing very minimal and easy to manage in post with no loss of sharpness. There is still a bit of cyan fringing on bright objects but the purple is mostly gone.
I also have a Tokina 400/5.6 SD which suffers the same fringing against contrast. Have been using the filter on it stopped down to 6.3 for astro with very good result on cutting the CA. Need to try it in normal daylight myself to see if there is a difference there.
Apparently it is a common problem with some of the Panasonic lenses also and is used by that crowd.
Don't know the filter size of the Sigma but you might be able to give this a try for little expense to see if it helps.
I was also told the nm cutoff of the #2 & #3 light yellow longpass filters is still to low to help and that #8 is strong enough to still leave the yellow tint and harder to clean in post but images will still remain sharp.
Let us know if you give it a try. Perhaps I can motivate myself for some daylight photos and respond back to this post if/when I get some results.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-04-2021, 10:05 AM
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Very nice. I'd been curious of the Burnside myself. I still have many of the optic swap lenses but have never tried one of their fixed mounts. Might spark my LBA again :)
The Twist60 mounted on a 44mm tube turned out to be a great creative for macro/closeups with the separation of fore to back grounds, looks like the Burnside might excel there also. If you give it a try, please post some results and have fun with the new lens.
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
11-27-2020, 06:47 PM
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Absolutely true, should have mentioned that :)
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
11-20-2020, 03:45 PM
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The only advantage I see In the K-01 being an MILC is the size and weight sporting a K mount.
(I would consider a GR series if they were to support interchangeable lenses,)
I can easily fit the camera, and 15, 40 & 70 limiteds in a coat pocket for a quick outing.
What I really like is the quality aps-c sensor and simplicity for manual shooting, not so many bells and whistles to work around.
I think the idea of a modular flash, ovf or evf on top of the camera is a great idea and would be easy enough to implement.
Size and weight does have it advantages though. The setup for these shots with my K1 or K3 would be a lot more extensive,
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Forum: Pentax K-3 & K-3 II
11-20-2020, 03:08 PM
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Greetings and looking forward to seeing some shots from your scope.
I found the standard T to K adapter is 10mm for the 55mm distance mentioned by DeadJohn.
Seems to work fine this way on a 102/f6.5 (660 fl) scope and .8x reducer flattener making it a 528 fl @ f5.2.
I have found that doing prime focus without the reducer, I do need to add approximately another 60mm of extension to allow enough in travel on the focusing tube to achieve infinity focus.
Have fun and enjoy those starry nights.
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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
08-16-2020, 07:31 PM
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This is the main reason I switched to digital, I loved working in the darkroom.
Live in a rural enough area where overnight means 3-4 day lead time and expedited = 5-7, so even getting chemicals became a chore.
How about any schools in your area. Our regional community college doesn't offer photography anymore but oddly both our middle and high schools do, both film and digital formats. They are always appreciative for donations of supplies from paper to mat boards. You might be able to work a trade with a few students.
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Forum: Pentax Mirrorless Cameras
08-16-2020, 07:19 PM
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Interesting and thanks for posting. I started this thread because I like the simplicity of the K-01. Didn't receive mine with the XS but do like using the 15, 40 and 70 on it. The M20/4 and K30/2.8 also fit this camera wonderfully. Couldn't care less about it being mirrorless or having an EVF. I do miss having some sort of viewfinder and guess I would appreciate a turret or even the old rangefinder style of a basic optical view through with different size squares to represent different focal lengths.
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Forum: Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
08-16-2020, 07:06 PM
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Don't know if you would still be able to find one, back in the early 2000's Epson made a flatbed scanner with a film insert for 35mm, 6x7 and 4x5's. Model was 3200. When I was shooting 6x7 it was reasonable to scan at 1200 dpi and get good 20x24 inch prints from the scans.
Not sure what Epson would have now but with film resurgence it might be worth a look.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
07-24-2020, 08:36 AM
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In my style of shooting I see a real advantage for the hybrid VF described by the OP.
When shooting UV or IR (because of the density of the filters) I have to use a hood over the LCD/LV to achieve focus.
Ergonomically the K1 would be much easier to hold if I could switch the prism VF for visible to invisible light photography.
I doubt I would pay extra for such though, as Pentax already offers both EVF (LV) and OFV with the camera.
Agree whole heartedly. When shooting strictly with the hood in LV I find my eyes tire much quicker than when using true light through the OVF.
If I would like to see any changes to the OVF it would be the split prism focus screen reintroduced and that is just a remanence of my age.
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Forum: Pentax K-70 & KF
07-21-2020, 07:21 PM
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I have them on about 99% of the time for a reason not mentioned yet, protection of the filter threads themselves.
When using ND, IR or any other filter for a creative effect, fighting to get a filter on because of a dinged thread ring can easily bring the joy away from using that lens anymore.
Extra glass will affect the image a little, the UV portion usually wont help much unless you are shooting with a triplet and film or FS conversion ( which I admit I am guilty of using that combo :) ) but UV filters are a cheap insurance to help protect the threads for using other filters. I find it's easy enough to remove them when a higher quality is desired.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
07-09-2020, 07:04 PM
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The samples from the link GUB provided look very good for that lens.
I haven't tried the Soligar 400 but do have Soligar 35 and 135 in M42, both provide very good images.
I've also purchased from the forum member you are referring to with good responses to my inquiries.
If you message him, he might be willing to send you a few shots taken with the lens.
The Soligar looks to be about the same weight as the Tokina.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
07-09-2020, 06:09 PM
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+1 for the rental idea. I don't rent often but it is cheaper than laying out for a lens you might only use a couple of times.
I have the Tokina SD 400/5.6 which is decent. MF and light enough, easy to use on a monopod and can be hand held in a pinch. Some CA wide open, found a good UV filter will cut CA a bit. These aren't that expensive if you can find one. Thought about the Soligar, as it should be similar.
Another thought - Pentax FA300/4.5 with Tamron 1.4 AF TC combo. AF is slow but very light weight setup and easily hand held with MF when needed.
Find the image quality of this combo isn't any worse than the Tokina though a touch darker when trying to focus.
Enjoy your trip and post some photos when you get back.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
06-26-2020, 07:03 AM
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Welcome and enjoy the new K-50.
Hopefully others with more knowledge will join in for info on uploading photos, never had any problem myself with PS jpg.
Look forward to seeing some pics.
And WATCH yourself, the forum is a great place to stimulate GAS (gear acquisition syndrome). I've been eyeing the 35/2.4 for a couple months now and keep trying to hold off since I already have a couple of 35's (A 2.8 and M42 3.5) but AF and the reviews here sure make it tempting.
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Forum: General Photography
06-26-2020, 06:32 AM
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Remember being taught both Sunny 16 and Looney 11 plus to make variance for geographical location.
Going to college right on the coast ours was about f11 or f8 due to atmospheric haze and high clouds too.
One fo my favorite exercises in both beginning and journalistic photography classes was "Get the Shot."
No metering, no visual focusing (use hyper focal scale), no viewfinder, and no forward facing shots with camera held in the area between shoulders and top of head.
Decided to go back to that a bit this summer and sure enough, living in the Eastern Sierras, Sunny 16 has been right on.
PS.
I was wondering about proposing "Get the Shot" as a technic challenge here on the forums as a way to help new digital users learn to see how their camera sees.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
06-20-2020, 11:34 AM
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Wow, picks up very nice detail in the petals.
You should post these shots under the lens review section for this lens.
Feel others might enjoy who don't necessarily look at UV threads.
Thanks again for the images.
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