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Forum: Digital Processing, Software, and Printing
1 Day Ago
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Since Ricoh Pentax promote their idea of making new film cameras, I've been thinking about reducing the film cost more than Ricoh think of reducing with a half frame camera.
My idea is to use a film camera with a macro lens to "scan" digitally captured images after those digital images have been selected (as pieces of fine art that deserve to burn some film rolls in the process). Doing so would add film grain to digital images, as if those images were directly captured with a film camera, but without the inconvenience of shooting directly with film such as:
- possibility to see and select images before using a film frame to capture them
- no need to shoot uninteresting images just to finish a film roll before developing it, e.g. we can wait until we have 36 digital images we want to scan with a film camera before the scanning session takes place
- need only one lens for the film camera, for instance, a manual macro lens
Is this a good idea or a crazy idea?
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
21 Hours Ago
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For me, as I learned to work around most limitations of my K1&II, no matter what the specs of a K1 III, they wouldn't be a "game changer" because the camera is only one part of the equipement, the second part is the lenses. If Ricoh makes a K1 III and I still have the lenses, I'd certainly buy one for the improvements, keep my K1 II as backup and convert the K1 to IR or B&W. Speed is where a K1 III could improve the most. For the other things on the K1, Ricoh could improve the firmware (e.g. extend possible choices in the info menu, electronic shutter in HDR and bracketing, some limited focus stack function in live view, 4:3, 5:4, 7:7, 1:1 aspect ratios in liveview, display of hyperfocal distance). Last week end I was shooting with the K1 and I couldn't understand why not all of camera settings can be selected in the info tile menu.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
1 Day Ago
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There's a lot of headroom between 33 and 5000 focus points. Personally, I seldom use other than center point via OVF on the K1, because the space between OVF AF points is such that it often requires re-framing anyway. And, all 33 OVF AF points cover about 1/3rd of the frame. If I need more AF points, I use live view CDAF which hunts for finding the right focus plane, doesn't work is the subject moves even slowly. GRIII has on-image sensor PDAF and it seems to work without hunting. Ricoh already has the MILC tech.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
2 Days Ago
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Looks like the Pentax K1 II successor will a half frame film camera with zone focus.
---------- Post added 23-04-24 at 08:24 ----------
K1II is adequate for more things. No further expenses needed until it breaks, no other purchase can beat that in terms of the cost per additional image taken (cost = 0$, or only the cost to recharge the D-LI90 batteries).
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
4 Days Ago
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Strange. Would Caravaggio have loved using a camera (Pentax or else)? Maybe yes, maybe not.
Painting is additive, photography is subtractive process. What's possible to do in painting isn't easily possible to do with cameras.
Some light/shadows and perspectives used in paintings to produce pleasing visual effects aren't found in the real world.
If Caravaggio was given a Pentax K3 III monochrome, he may have said "Wow, this thing is really cool, I get the image in 1 second that would have required me a week of painting on canvas". Or he may have said "Wow, this thing is really cool. What's a pixel? What's electricity? Did you say "WiFi"? Can you get this little machine to output the image on a 8 x 8 feet gesso coated canvas?" :confused:
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
4 Days Ago
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While it's understandable that the young generation is the main target audience for such half frame film camera, the places where Ricoh publish such informative interviews and videos are places mostly crowded by aging digital fans who have already been shooting film in the distant past and grew their photography with digital. I'd have been less surprised if Ricoh would publish about their film vision and projects in websites and places mostly populated by film photography fans, which is the right target audience. There are communities that shoot almost exclusively film and they haven't heard much about the Pentax film projects, vision and new upcoming film camera products. PR error?
Publishing about Pentax film in social media where youngsters are with their smartphones , YES!
Analog/film specialized shops, YES! Articles film photography magazines, online-offline, YES!
Digital Photography Review (DPR) site ???
OTOH, promoting film projects and upcoming film camera to folks wanting to shoot digital and/or expecting some new digital stuff with low interest in film photography, kinda produces the effect of a cold shower. I don't see how promoting film stimulates sales of digital lenses (revenue++). On the contrary, I've seen folks who disappeared or sold some K mount gear after Ricoh announced they were going film.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
4 Days Ago
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That's also what I thought afterwards.
---------- Post added 20-04-24 at 23:12 ----------
That's what happens when content lands in the wrong place. Feedback on the same interview content would be more balanced when posted at film enthusiasts place.
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Forum: Pentax Medium Format
4 Days Ago
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Do those full frame lenses cover the 33x44mm sensor ?
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
6 Days Ago
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First, I see a general lack of interest for photography. I go out taking pictures. Ten years ago, I remember seeing fifty people pulling a DSLR out of their bag to take pictures. Now, even with 200 people around me, I am the only one pulling a camera out of my camera bag, and nobody around even taking picture with a phone. I've been to 3 cameras shops recently, I was the only customer, the shops were empty. I search photography events, nothing, except there is one small club with approx. 15 members doing black & white film development, that's for a city of 180 000 inhabitants. Who's going to promote photography in society?
---------- Post added 18-04-24 at 16:22 ----------
The industry relied on folks like Ansel Adams and others to get people interested in taking pictures, later film camera clubs, TV ads. As people needed a 35 film camera to take family pictures, they would see a Pentax or Nikon or Canon advertisement on TV, they would go to a shop and buy a basic kit, some of them would eventually upgrade to a better camera, buy more lenses. Now, TV ads disappeared , young people from the general public don't see TV ads about cameras, and they don't land on Pentaxforums, DPReview, Petapixels because those websites reach such a narrow slice of the enthusiast market, that they aren't visible to the general public. Family and friends have no clue about DPReview, Petapixels, the chance that they get exposed to information about cameras & lenses is extremely low. No camera ads on TV, no path to lead new people who aren't into photography towards websites where camera manufacturers present their products.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-12-2024, 11:32 AM
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I'm think from the standpoint of a CFO, who can allocate his corporate budget based on competing prospective growth and profits of each group and division. Pentaxians think like regional sales managers, I'm not, I'm putting cameras expected to grow 0% in competition with other activities such as modules for electric vehicles (EVs) and AI robots (or whatever..) expected to grow 30% a year in the next 10 years. Even if the Pentax camera project makes money, investing money into cameras isn't as attractive as investing the money into AI robots. On the other hand, if the Pentax camera division of Ricoh was actually a standalone company like Leica AG, they would have no other choice than invest in making more cameras and more lenses. If Pentax was standalone business, they wouldn't be competing with AI robots division. It's obvious in the financial report of Ricoh: they have copier and such divisions clearly identified at the top, representing the largest revenue contributors for Ricoh as a group, and Pentax/GR activities are put at the bottom of the list in "Others". Pentax camera don't even have a category of their own in the financial reports, tells how strategic Pentax is for Ricoh.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-12-2024, 06:38 AM
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As customer, we typically compare the cost of buying a new Pentax camera model with the cost of switching: selling Pentax cameras and lenses, and buying a new camera and similar lenses from competition). In my book, provided the camera specs are competitive, Pentax could hike from $1000 up to $2000 on the initial price of a new Pentax FF body over competition, and still sell. Then they would gradually drop the price over the years and keep selling to folk who are more price sensitive.
But I'm afraid Ricoh doesn't compute and make decisions on a per project projected cash flow. I think, like most established large groups with tight financial controls, financial controllers size budgets based on accounting aggregates of all products together, past , present and future. Paying forward outside of the financial control budget requires executives to step up and make the decision to override financial accounting, as a strategic decision, accepting short term losses to gain a strategic edge in the future. I am not sure how strategic is Pentax for Ricoh. I think that Pentax management has been handed over to accountants who just cut expenses to match current sales, without new cameras.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
5 Days Ago
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I think, as you pointed out earlier, sensor technology reached a point of diminishing returns. The market changed a lot in the last 10 years. Phones took a large part of the entry level camera market. But despite obvious changes in the market and technology, camera manufacturers kept increasing specification at increased prices. I don't see how manufacturers hope to convert a young mobile phone users into an ILC customer with cameras what cost $3000.
People have different needs and wants, but for me most Japanese cameras look the same: crammed with features, built with cheap plastic and user interface like the ones found in industrial factory automation computers. Maybe , it's time to take 10% of the R&D budget spent for increase sensor speed from 20 FPS to 30 FPS, and use that money to make nicer user interfaces, and flippy screens that don't feel like it's going to break after using it 20 times.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
6 Days Ago
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Previous years were troubled by Covid, plus a year or two of mixed bag recovery. But as far I can go back in time, I don't recall a year as slow as this [2024] year.
So far in 2024, almost nothing new, beside a few new products that a just an extension of the old digital boom paradigm: more specs, more video, more frames per second, with more cheap plastic lens barrels and more entangled camera menus and user interfaces that sometimes don't make any sense.
For me, only three brands stand out right now:
- Hasselblad: efforts on simple, no non sense user interfaces, some nicely designed unique stylish designs (eg. 907x)
- Leica: same approach, focus on quality designs, simplicity, color science , top notch lenses
- Ricoh: original GR III concept, fixed lens , tiny camera, with unique OOC presets.
Even the design of the 645z is something that set that camera apart from any other, solid comfortable grip and nicely rounded box sharped design. Strangely, Ricoh didn't seem to leverage the unique 645 design style, via offering product upgrades in that line. I'd happily buy a 645z kit because I like that design, but the lack on continuation (it seems) put me off.
Fuji: retro style X series cameras, X100, good ideas. Product finish and materials still on the cheap end of the spectrum.
Others: Sony, Canon, Nikon, uninspiring.
If camera industry want to get our money, it'll need a shift paradigm, IMO. Invest in product design, hire some people who know something about tactile user experience, choice of quality materials, not just computer scientists. Also, promote photography as graphical art, not just key pouring more money into marketing of hardware to keep selling more gear. If camera-lens makers stay on the same track , this industry will keep sinking deeper and deeper.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
6 Days Ago
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Despite what you point out here, and the mobile phones, I am under the impression that camera industry players kept repeating what they have been doing for the last 20 years. When facing declining sales, they just downsized, reduced event budgets (the events that get people in touch with photography...) , like a wild deer frozen caught by surprise not knowing where what to do where to go.
Ricoh is the only company had the idea of making a film camera for young people, but hey! not too fast! we shouldn't rock the boat, we cut costs as well. Who will make more film rolls then? and the chemicals? and the labs? And so who will make young people interested in photography and cameras? Customers aren't falling from the sky just by magic.
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Forum: Photographic Industry and Professionals
6 Days Ago
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Pentax has some of it, but I am not sure if they are aware of that strength and investing in that direction.
I love my K1, but still, despite the simplicity of the design , some of ways it operates don't make sense, still room for improvements.
I know this forum doesn't like T&C Northrup, but I agree with points he makes in this video review of the 907x at 2:30:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuwNcQyp0fA |
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-16-2024, 02:51 AM
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Sorry, but film photographers aren't great examples of optimist characters; they never stop talking about their negatives.
---------- Post added 16-04-24 at 11:59 ----------
In the video, TKO says they want to work on both on digital and film (both format), "this is the new challenge",
Of course, pursuing both film, digital , GR and so on, with the small resources Pentax has, must be a big challenge.
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Forum: General Photography
04-11-2024, 10:12 AM
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Directional light and shadow can certainly contribute to 3D render subjects.
First time I read an article that mention lens field curvature as source of 3D effect. It's a good article.
I had noticed this wow effect looking at images from Ryan Brenizer ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenizer_method ): the subject is in focus and placed within a background perspective which gradually falling out of focus away from the spherical surface of focus. Rotating the camera for capturing stitched images, while the lens focus distance remains constant, creates a gradient of focus tangential to a spherical surface. This gives a special look to images that can't be easily reproduced in any other way, even with AI or computational photography.
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
04-14-2024, 04:26 AM
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Emotional frustration due to things not working takes its toll on logical thinking. Take a deep breath, investigate when could have gone wrong with either lens or camera.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-14-2024, 09:08 AM
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If so I don't buy.
To b accurate, in the Pentax principles communications, they stated they are committed to the future of SLR photography, still visible here: PENTAX PRINCIPLES | brand | RICOH IMAGING . A lot of people miss-read and remembered "DSLR" instead of "SLR" , probably due to what we people unconsciously want or expect . SLR is what Ricoh are going to do, after the first compact film camera. That's what they said so far. Ricoh will probably focus efforts on what most trendy now: mirrorless GR and Pentax film (SLR) cameras.
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-14-2024, 04:21 AM
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That actually works at both ends of the age pyramid. It is well known that some of us become like kids again (at least in their heads) as we age, kids with lots of life experience :lol: . As for the price range, for many retired pensioners, pension allowance isn't much higher than student pocket money.
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
08-14-2016, 06:14 AM
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Forum: Pentax K-1 & K-1 II
08-07-2016, 10:20 AM
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Playing around with filters, and waiting for sunset. Gmunden Schloss Ort, Pentax K1, DFA24-70 + ND32. Did not have a grad ND; so here was also an experiment with the black card method that someone posted in Pentax forum some times ago.
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
04-13-2024, 02:03 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
04-11-2024, 04:44 AM
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Low cost (<$500) and reasonably good: Tamron SP 70-200 2.8
Optically best, premium ($2000): Pentax DFA*70-200 2.8
Cheaper ($1000), good, smaller, lighter weight: Pentax DFA 70-210 4.0
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Forum: Pentax News and Rumors
04-10-2024, 01:12 AM
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Sounds realistic. Stock prices of most electronic companies (PHLX index) increased 4x over the last 5 years.
I'd be very satisfied if Ricoh would fit Pentax K3 III tech (BSI sensor, UHSII, USB3/USBC charging, better AF module, better AE sensor), into a full frame body while keeping K1 concept (e.g. top dials, moveable screen, pixel shift, astro). I would't mind if Ricoh would not redesign the K1 body and buttons, keep all dials identical and same display size in order to minimize work. If Ricoh managed to make it work for the K3 III released in 2021, this shouldn't be too challenging to make it full frame by 2024+ time frame no ?
I believe owners of Pentax K3 III (and special limited series of it , silver , jet black etc.) or Pentax K3 III monochrome should not have much to complain about Pentax because the Pentax K3 III is fairly up to date, even if not the latest specs, it's got 4K already, touch screen, quick AF, uhsii and so on... No only the K3 III is fairly up to date, but Pentax apsc shooters also got new star lenses (HD DA" 11-18, and 16-50) that are top notch. But the situation isn't the same with Pentax full frame, it's much more backward tech, still HD video, usb2 and 33 AF points dating back to the K3. I have only full frame lenses, and need all the resolution and image quality that full frame delivers, so I've decided that I wouldn't buy the K3 III and again the same apsc lenses that I used to have before I switched to full frame. That is why, from my personal standpoint, I'd like to see Ricoh move the needle forward on full frame.
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