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Forum: Sold Items
09-20-2016, 08:06 PM
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
04-09-2016, 10:52 AM
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The coastal route is awesome, but after driving it once with a need to be somewhere on schedule, I will never do it again without considerable flexibility built in! If you're going to be coastal in LA county, don't miss the Wayfarer's Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes,which has amazing bonus views of Catalina Island at sunset. North of Santa Barbara, I love the grassy plains in Gaviota just before the 101 turns inland. In Cambria, hit Moonstone Beach Drive for the boardwalk, windswept Cedars and rocky beach. Finally, there are great opportunities outside Hearst Castle in San Simeon, but the castle itself is well worth the entrance fee if you have the time.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
02-13-2016, 01:52 PM
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Since it's a package deal, the other items might have an influence on your decision. I have the Tamron 18-250, which I believe is optically identical to the Pentax 18-250 that preceded the one you're considering, and my sentiments are pretty much the same as others'. I think I got an excellent deal, because it gives me great versatility, but there's no denying that it's results are below those of da* and limited lenses in pretty much every way. Now that I have a few better lenses, I find I still use it often, but not when I'm hoping to print something from a shooting session. I guess that shouldn't be a surprise.
I guess another way to put it is that compared to the roughly $500 I've paid for each of my da* lenses, I would say the 18-250 or 18-270 would be a good deal to me for anything less than about $250.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
01-30-2016, 11:07 PM
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Just converted my 16-50 with my K-5iis - very happy it was so easy! In the hope that it can help others, I'm posting with pointers back to the detailed info and with a couple variants on the spelling of the camera at the bottom of this post. I used a different spelling from that used in post #274, on Page 19, by pjm1, so my search on this thread didn't hit it, and I had to comb back through to find it.
Again, the post with the info for the K5 series cameras is post #274, on Page 19, by pjm1, of this thread.
One more note: I successfully skipped the PKtether step. With the two files, develop.mod and 00077681.541 on my sd card, I turned the camera on and was able to transfer the lenseep.lns file to and from the sd card in the debug menu without actually turning debug mode on. Also, at least on Windows 10, I had no problems using the plain, built-in Notepad program (Microsoft calls them apps now) to find the characters to modify. There were four blocks of characters, and three of them contained the "c0" sets to change. Each of the three had four of the "c0" sets to change to "80", so I made a total of twelve changes.
K-5IIS K-5IIs K-5iis K-5iiS k-5iis k-5IIS k-5iiS k-5IIs K5IIS K5IIs K5iis K5iiS k5iis k5IIS k5IIs k5iiS k-5 K-5 IIS IIs iiS iis
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
01-18-2016, 08:41 PM
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I made it to page 15 before running out of time to review the previous tips, so my apologies if these were already mentioned:
1) The most important characteristic of a lens is its focal length (or range), so learn more about that term if you don't already understand it.
2) Metering is a really important function, and can be hard to understand, so study-shoot-study-repeat until you really know what it means for your camera(s) and lens(es).
3) "photography" is really a family of activities. Sports photography is way different than street photography is way different than portraiture, etc. and becoming good at one doesn't make you good at them all.
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Forum: Sold Items
11-22-2015, 09:24 AM
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Is the element separation visible in the objective photo? I can't make it out. Alternatively, do you have a photo taken with the lens that shows the effect?
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Forum: Sold Items
11-01-2015, 10:12 PM
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Forum: Sold Items
07-23-2015, 10:27 PM
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Free bump for the excellent 18-250. If you expect mediocre performance for the combination of big zoom and low price, you will be very pleasantly surprised.
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Forum: Sold Items
05-05-2015, 09:38 PM
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Hi there,
I studied in Nepal many years ago and have been in touch with some fellow classmates and contacts in country since the earthquake. There is concern over the bureaucracy in the capital delaying or even taxing some aid, especially from larger aid organizations such as the Red Cross. Some organizations have been more successful than others at getting money and smaller shipments of supplies to remote areas. I can share some contact information if you're interested.
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Forum: Sold Items
03-31-2015, 07:57 PM
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Bump for a great lens. Surprisingly sharp and awesomely compact.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
03-17-2015, 09:41 PM
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Well, I hope someone who knows both lenses can help you out, but I will say that my experience with the 50-200WR is that its performance is what you should expect from a modern DSLR kit lens - predictable, but not inspiring. It focused acceptably fast on mid-to-long-range subjects in good light, but wasn't as fast or as reliable on subjects closer than a couple meters. Most of my shots were stopped down to f7.1 or f8, and the center sharpness was good in the midrange, but not so good at 50mm and 200mm. I had a couple opportunities to shoot a red-tailed hawk from a hundred meters or so, and I tried every aperture up to f11 at 200mm. I honestly couldn't describe any of them as sharp, and I'm confident it wasn't a focusing or camera shake issue. FYI, all but the first shot here are from the lens.
I wouldn't say it's a bad lens at all, though - color and contrast are very pleasing, and flare and CA are pretty well-controlled for the class. Unfortunately, I have no idea how that compares to the 80-200. If you want to pick up the 50-200 for a good price, keep your eyes open - I'm thinking of letting mine go shortly.
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Forum: Sold Items
03-14-2015, 03:42 PM
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Forum: Sold Items
01-03-2015, 05:39 PM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-30-2014, 12:01 AM
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No intent to hijack the thread here, but I hear you. The Tammy gives me a chance to sample a sharp lens on a camera capable of resolving far more detail than I've had access to previously, but not much else. Having trolled B&H, Adorama, this buy/sell site, and FM for a month now, I realize that I can only afford one or two of my wants in any one lens right now, but if I pick and choose carefully with patience, I can collect most of those wants, one lens at a time, and then figure out what they're really worth to me. For example, with my Olympus gear, I had no WR option whatsoever, but the dust-reduction was so effective I never had to worry about changing lenses at the spur of the moment (in dry conditions, of course). My Canon friend has his sensor cleaned every couple months because of dust build-up, and I can't ever see myself doing that, so I might end up finding that one zoom is my preference for Pentax if it minimizes dust issues from lens changes. Then again, if dust is a non-issue, I can see myself gravitating to a bag full of primes, because it never rains in Southern California!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-29-2014, 02:29 PM
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And if you end up selling off any of those zooms, I'll be waiting!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-29-2014, 02:02 PM
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As the new kid on the block, I can't say I have anything really useful to add to the OP's question, but I can see myself being in exactly the same position in a year or two, and I already went through the same soul-searching related to the topic of my first thread on this board (https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/10-pentax-slr-lens-discussion/283165-look...ns-advice.html). Despite all the great advice and discussion that post kicked up, I ended up wandering in a completely different direction, but maybe the reason for that wander has some value.
I've never made money off photography, although I've been published, shot a wedding and done a couple portrait sessions for charity. After I posted a list of attributes in descending order of importance on my first Pentax lens wish list, I started second-guessing that list, because I realized that my shooting style has been different with every camera I've owned. In short, the camera/lens combo has ended up being a more important factor in determining what I shoot than what I think I'm going to shoot! I'd like to think this is because I've spent time playing around with my gear, figuring out what it's strengths and weaknesses are, and shooting to the strengths. Since I'm starting with a completely new camera that has lots of different capabilities than my current one, I'm going to have to figure those out before I can start tackling the lens question.
So what to do? I found a couple good-looking deals on a used 50-200WR and a Tamron 90. Neither ticks even a majority of my wish list items, but each has one big one (WR on the zoom and sharpness on the 90). I figure I'll play around with them, let them tell me where they perform best with the camera I have, keep a lookout for another good deal to fill the obvious hole on the wide end, and just swap out as money and opportunities arise. If I really need something for an important shoot, I'll look into renting, like I did for the wedding. It's kind of like a speed date with gear. My guess is that in a year, my order of importance in lens qualities is going to be different than it is now.
So if I have any kind of useful advice to the OP, it would be this - if your budget can handle it, and you're okay with changing your mind later, just go for it. Even if you're disappointed with the lens, the option is there to recoup most of the investment by selling it used (which would easily fund a re-purchase of the 18-135 if necessary). Tons of people are happy with the DA* 16-50, and tons aren't. You won't know which camp you're in until you try it.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-19-2014, 07:18 PM
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Call me crazy, but I think it's been a great learning experience for him. He's used the Vivitar Kidizoom thing (which is outperformed by ten-year-old cell phone cameras) and all our P&S's, but he's only taken a couple dozen photos with the E-620, so it's not like I gave him a DSLR. In fact, I've had one or both of my hands on the big camera for all but maybe one minute of his shooting experience with it. The coolest thing has been watching him develop an understanding of composition, lighting, timing, and a simple interest in recognizing moments that he wants to capture. It's kind of like watching someone create art. Plus, he's learning how to earn my trust. Given the build quality of the K-5, he might just be in line to receive a used but still very good camera when it's time for me to think about an upgrade again. If he still enjoys photography, and he's earned my trust.
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-19-2014, 04:09 PM
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Awesome help, everyone! I'm thinking my list of needs and wants really begs for two lenses, which shouldn't be surprising. The 18-135 sounds like it should be part of the kit without question, but I need to decide how much I value a potentially marginal increase in IQ or a bit wider bottom end, or if I'm willing to give up WR. Decisions, decisions...
Just out of curiosity, who started with the 18-135 as their first lens? If you didn't start with it, did it replace (or relegate) any other lenses when you got it?
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-18-2014, 11:16 PM
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Thanks for the quick advice. Can anyone compare the 17-70 options (or the 16-50) optically to the 18-135? It sounds like the 18-135 has quick and reliable AF, but does it have any problem spots (low light or at the tele end)? I'm not trying to find fault with it, I just want to know what to expect. The 20-40 also fits the bill, although I've found a pretty high percentage of my work ends up in the 35-50mm range on 4/3, so I'm probably better off making sure I cover those lengths (45-70?) with the first lens I get.
G'day, Andrew! I was down in your neighborhood back in '09!
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
12-18-2014, 09:28 PM
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Hi all,
I'm relatively new to the forum, and I've spent some time trying to answer my first question by digging through the history and linked review sites, but haven't gotten very far. I apologize in advance if this is an old topic and I just haven't been clever enough in my searching to find answers that help me.
I started the leap from four-thirds to Pentax with a K-5 IIs, and had ordered the 18-135 from Abe's of Maine as my starter lens, but the lens price was too good to be true (I couldn't tell if I would ever actually get a lens - it pays to read their customer service policies before you buy something from them). The current price for that lens on Amazon still seems to be mighty good, but since I've now committed to spending more than originally planned on my first lens, I'm widening my search.
My current kit is an Oly E-620 with a 14-54 most of the time, ZD 70-300, the Sigma 105mm f2.8 macro, a legacy Zuiko 50mm f1.8, and the 14-42 and 40-150 kit lenses. I also have a grab bag of hand-me-down legacy zooms and primes that I use very infrequently. My wife puts some miles on the E-620, and I even let my six-year-old mess around with it occasionally. The 14-54 is an outstanding lens, both in tests and in the real world - frankly, none of the four-thirds sensors can do it justice. For me, the most noticeable improvement over all my other lenses is its AF performance. The E-620's biggest weakness is AF (one of the big reasons I got the K5), but it actually became passable with the 14-54 (using center point only). I know the K5 is a way more capable camera than the E-620, and since I'm going to spend more money than originally planned on my first lens, I thought I'd dig a little deeper and see just how much performance I could buy.
$400-600 is the price range I had in mind, but those aren't absolute limits. The first lens has to be usable for my wife and preferably for my six-year-old on occasion, which pretty much limits it to an AF zoom. I've had great luck with used lenses (the 14-54, Sigma, and 50mm were all bought used), so that is definitely an option. AF and zoom are needs; my list of wants, in descending order, are: optical quality; weather-resistant; focus speed; quick-shift; and zoom range. I'm a little worried that I'll be disappointed if the first lens is inferior to the 14-54, even if it has extra bells and whistles, like WR and a bigger zoom range. I'd like to have something within the month, so I don't really want to troll the marketplaces forever looking for a lens that comes up once in a blue moon.
The 18-135 is definitely still in play, but the first lens to make me have second thoughts was the Sigma 17-70 macro when I read the review here and saw the price. No WR seems to be the drawback. Then I noticed that the other superzooms are in the same price range, and having shot with the Nikon 18-200 before, I started wondering if I hadn't researched enough to know if there was a lens approaching that quality in the lineup. AF speed would worry me about superzooms unless someone can vouch for them. On the top end of my price range, the DA* 16-50 appears to have a great price new at the moment, and it ticks almost all the boxes, but both the Pentax and Sigma 17-70 options seem to have outstanding optical quality, so it kind of begs the question whether WR and perhaps marginally better optical quality warrants twice the price. Then again, I might have gotten the lens characteristics totally wrong.
Oh, and by the way - I was lucky enough to get a hand-me-down Pentax ME body with a 50mm f2 lens just before I ordered the K5, so I've at least been able to test out the camera:
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
12-15-2014, 11:01 PM
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Thanks to all. I look forward to getting to know y'all better.
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Forum: Pentax Forums Giveaways
12-13-2014, 09:39 PM
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
12-07-2014, 05:12 PM
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Thanks, I hadn't even noticed these groups existed on the forum! This is a very big place.
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Forum: Welcomes and Introductions
12-07-2014, 04:41 PM
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Hi all,
I've been a long-time lurker as I waffled over switching brands, but I just took the plunge and ordered a K-5iis to take advantage of the huge discounts right now. I expect to look for advice on the move from Oly, especially for lenses, shortly. For the time being, I added the 18-135 to take advantage of the weather-sealing (I'm pretty excited about this). I'm never an early adopter, I can't bring myself to pay full price for anything, and I've been extremely pleased with my used lens pickups (even vintage OM glass) for that system. The lore of great Pentax glass is exciting, but I haven't been able to start sorting out all the intricacies (especially the naming conventions) yet. I'm looking forward to tapping into all the great information in this community even more now, especially because I'll soon be able to see the rewards for myself!
Ryan
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