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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
03-07-2010, 12:16 AM
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Dear Mike,
I think your travel agent is being extra-careful just to stay on the safe side. I haven't taken a single flight without having my camera (with battery) on board as cabin baggage. So don't worry, relax and look forward to an amazing trip!
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
03-05-2010, 11:33 PM
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Hello Mike,
I always fly with my camera bag as cabin baggage with me- perhaps because I'm too paranoid to part with it between airports- and I have never faced any trouble for having the batteries on my camera. Ditto with my cell phone battery. Only once, during security check, was I asked to open my bag and 'prove' that the DA* 300mm in it showing up scarily on the X-Ray screen was actually a lens! But apart from that I've never had any trouble and no one's ever questioned me about batteries.
Except during take off and landing, when all electronic devices must remain shut, you can even use your camera/laptop (but not cell phone, of course) inside the aircraft. I often pull out my camera after taking off and click through my window with no protest from the cabin crew.
Your batteries will not be confiscated, relax!
To your question about the availability of Eneloops, you can find them, or similar batteries in any camera store anywhere in India.
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
02-10-2010, 11:15 AM
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@whatzisnem: You're welcome. He stocks new equipment and is Benro's sole distributor in India. I strongly recommend the Benro lineup of tripods and heads. They are relatively cheap, very well built and as good as any of the big brands (personal opinion).
@Madhur and Sudhakar: Thanks guys :-)
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
02-09-2010, 07:19 AM
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Oh... is that so? I didn't have time to check out Moonlight. Which lenses does he have?
Since you have quite some experience buying from the States, please let us know about the customs duties. Is it true that for items costing <$250 there is no charge? Also, for someone like me who stays clear of credit cards, how does one pay?
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
02-09-2010, 04:27 AM
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@Sudhakar: I forgot to add, you've got to bargain with him! For the same lens, he quoted 5k to me. These lenses are in all probability going to lye with him forever unless one of us picks them up. Tell him that and bargain buddy! Like a pakka Indian businessman, he will try to make the best possible margin off these lenses when someone expresses serious interest.
Cheers!
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
02-08-2010, 11:57 PM
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Gaffar Bhai & Sons
Shop No. 38, 1st Floor, Manish Market,
Opp. Crawford Market, Mumbai - 400001. INDIA Tel : 022 22616768 / 22618461 Email: info@gaffarbhaiandsons.com |
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
02-08-2010, 10:53 AM
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Guys, I happened to walk into 'Camera Shoppe' "central India's largest camera store" on a recent visit to Nagpur. They have a few K mount lenses lying around. I managed to resist LBA with quite some difficulty and thought I'd let you guys know just in case someone here needs any of these lenses:
PENTAX FA 28-90mm f/3.5-5.6
Tamron 28-105mm AF (don't remember aperture correctly, but most probably 4-5.6)
PHENIX (?!) 24mm/2.8 (never heard of this brand, he quoted 5k, but I was suspicious)
There is also a film body onto which the FA zoom was mounted. Those interested may contact Mr. Sattu Varma @ 09823019511. The store's address is: Camera Shoppe, Sita Berdi, Nagpur.
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
01-23-2010, 11:09 PM
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Wow! A pentax lens rental in India! Fantastic! When are you buying an FA* 600 F4?! :P
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
01-23-2010, 09:30 AM
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Man, you're generous! And you have one enviable list of lenses for me to choose from! Let me make my pick now :confused: :D If you're planning to sell any of these (and I am sure you're not planning to part with any of it!) please let me know. And please, can I have your phone number?
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
01-23-2010, 03:46 AM
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Hi Madhur,
Thanks for the links. Ideally I would like to find these within India just to avoid the hassles of paying through wire transfer (I stay away from credit cards), shipping and customs. But I do understand that its really difficult to source Pentax equipment here. Still, have my hopes up and fingers crossed!
Cheers!
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
01-22-2010, 11:54 PM
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
11-04-2009, 11:40 PM
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
10-17-2009, 01:06 PM
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Great images under given conditions Madhur. Especially love the first one. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
10-08-2009, 06:35 AM
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Great images Madhur! Will let you know when I travel on my next shoot. Meanwhile, if you're headed east to Orissa, do let me know. Also keep me posted on your B'lore travels as it looks like most of us here, me included, visit that city often and we could have a get together.
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
09-30-2009, 03:59 AM
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@Madhur: Thanks for the news. I'm trying to find that post in Marketplace.
@Atindra: Thanks a TON for these links :D
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
09-26-2009, 12:54 AM
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Thanks Madhur. I'm saving up for a lens in that price range right now. Pentax's FA* 600/4, apart from being very expensive, is also dated by today's standards. Hopefully, by the time I have enough cash with me to be able to buy one of these lenses, Pentax will be out with its DA Star super tele. Or, I'll settle for the Sigma 500/4.5 or buy the FA* 600.
@Atindra: Does the Pentax 1.7X TC AF with DA* lenses? The Tamron/Kenko TCs are sometimes said to be better than the Promaster, but I'm not sure since I've never tried anything else. However, I do agree that with the Promaster one does increase the chances of getting CA significantly. Personally, I have learnt not to use the TC unless the subject is extremely far and the light is very good. Another minus point of the Promaster is that it doesn't communicate with the body. For example, when mounted with the DA* 300/4, the body still reads the focal length as 300mm and the aperture as f/4. This doesn't hinder metering, but it is annoying when one reads the EXIF data to figure out which images were taken at which focal length. Also, it fools the SR system of the body which thinks that the focal length is 300mm while it is actually 510mm.
All said and done, I have made some fantastic images with the Promaster. Some of these have been accepted by the PPG and only yesterday I made some 12X18 prints and they've turned out fantastic.
All the best with your DA* 300mmF4 purchase :-)
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
09-25-2009, 12:14 AM
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Hi Madhur,
The problem with Takumar 500/4 is that its manual focus, which just doesn't work for the subject I want to shoot with it- small birds.
I do have a Promaster Spectrum 7 1.7X TC which I use with my DA* 300 when I absolutely have to. In good light it is decent and I have learned to 'train' it to lock AF with my SDM lens. It even manages to track focus- but only for a very slow moving subject. I'm looking for a Tamron 1.4X MC4 teleconverter. Ideally I'd love to own the rumored Pentax 1.4X SDM TC that should be launched in the near future.
If anyone here has a Tamron MC4 1.4X TC, or even a Kenko 1.5X TC, I'm interested in buying it/exchanging it with my Promaster 1.7X.
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
09-22-2009, 12:35 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-14-2009, 02:14 PM
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A DA* 500mm f/4 would most probably be priced somewhere around the $4-5000 mark. Remember that Pentax can afford to make it cheaper than Canikon simply because unlike Canikon this lens wont require an in built stabilising mechanism. Also, its going to be physically smaller since it'll be a DA* with an APS-C sized image circle.
And from the best I know, the FA* 600mmF4 isn't 'current' anymore. They've stopped making it even to order.
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
09-14-2009, 01:30 PM
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Thanks Siva, but your statement is self contradictory- there is no such thing as a "good, long, fast lens which also doesn't cost a fortune"! But a 500mm f/4 seems to be the best compromise. Pentax can afford to make an even cheaper 500mm f/4 since, unlike Canikon, (a) it will not require any built in image stabilisation mechanism (b) it will be smaller and lighter since it will be a DA Star with an APS-C sized image circle.
Cheers,
Adi
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Forum: Travel, Events, and Groups
09-14-2009, 08:29 AM
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-14-2009, 08:16 AM
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Btw, someone here said that the Sigma 800mm f/5.6 is available for Pentax. That is not correct. Only the 300mm f/2.8 and 500mm f/4.5 are available and that too without HSM. I just pray that Sigma doesn't discontinue even these. Until recently, even budget 500mm zooms like the famous Sigma 150-500mm were unavailable in Pentax mount. Neither Tamron nor Sigma makes a full line of Pentax-compatible teleconverters and the famous Tamron 200-500mm zoom isn't available with the K-mount.
The point is, if the brand itself is most uninterested in a particular genre of photography- wildlife, action and sport in this case- third party lens makers too will lose interest. And honestly, who wants third party lenses? None of us would buy them without financial compulsions or availability issues. I seriously believe that with its history for tough, capable, ultra high quality and yet affordable equipment, if Pentax makes a comeback in the wildlife-sports scenario, its going to be hard to beat by the others.
Dear Pentax, a DA 100-400mm, as suggested by someone here, is most welcome. Just also let us have a DA* 500mmF4 SDM, at least on order. We love our weathersealed bodies with their tank like build, we love Pentax colours, we love DA* glass and we love inbuilt SR... just give us enough reach :fedup:
Regards,
Aditya
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-14-2009, 08:08 AM
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If I know correctly, the FA* 300mm f/2.8 and FA* 600mm f/4 are no longer available even on order.
Pentaxians can't pay for 600mmF4s? What happened? They used to until recently!
The world is filled with tons of wildlife/bird photographers who buy Canikon 600mm f/4s, 400mmf/2.8s and even 800mmF/5.6s, let alone the much cheaper 500mmF/4s... that's because Canikon still make them! They stay away from Pentax because Pentax keeps these photographers away by simply not offering them any choice!
Also, when I started this thread, I had a hypothetical DA* 500mm F4 SDM in mind. Such a lens would perhaps cost a little more than the Sigma 500mm F4.5... only about four times the price of a Pentax K-7 or a DA* 300... why do people here think that Pentaxians wouldn't be able to buy them?? Wouldn't we have more Pentaxians willing to pay if we offer more choice? By the same argument, we should never have a fully pro Pentax body (full frame or otherwise) competing with the Nikon D3 or Canon 1D series because then they would be too expensive for us poor Pentaxians!!
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-13-2009, 12:27 PM
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You're right. Even I prefer cropping to using my Promaster 1.7X TC. Or rather, I hate cropping less than I hate using the TC with the DA* 300. I really pray Pentax gets us out of this double dilemma soon!
Again, I think I'd still prefer cropping from my DA* 300 over full frames with a 100-400ish zoom. Plus, and extra 100mm really isn't worth the effort/cost for someone with a 300mm to upgrade to. I guess it wouldn't be worth the effort for Pentax's R&D either to work on a new tele that would only be another 100mm longer. We need a BIG, fast and real supertele. We have a great line up of wide angles, macros and portrait lenses. High time Pentax's long lens arsenal caught up.
Cheers,
Aditya
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Forum: Pentax SLR Lens Discussion
09-13-2009, 10:56 AM
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The one category where Pentax seriously handicaps its users is in the case of the Pentaxian wildlife photographer (and I happen to be one). The bodies are perfectly suited for wildlife photographers in every way except that they can manage very limited frames per second rates. But that's something one can manage with experience. What one simply cannot live with is the severe limitation in long telephotos and tele-zooms. The longest available Pentax tele at present is the DA* 300/4- a gem of a lens, but simply not long enough, especially for birds. Sigma's 500/4.5 is the only 'real' big lens option currently in production, but again, typical of such brands' step motherly attitude towards the K-mount it comes without an HSM motor. Also, it isn't weather sealed and is half a stop too slow- something that really limits TC use. And of course, the glass can never match DA* quality.
My question is, can we expect something like a DA* 500mmF4 SDM and the rumored WR SDM 1.4X TC anytime soon? There's a rumor going around about a 400mmF4- I just hope that stays a rumor! Such a lens is neither long enough to meet the requirement of most Pentax bird photographers, nor is the extra 100mm justification enough for a DA* 300 user to upgrade. They say this lens is meant to produce the FA* 600mmF4's field of view on the APS-C DSLRs, but that's a weird reason. The tele-user isn't worried about an identical field of view. A major reason why wildlife photographers choose APS-C is the cropping factor, which is a boon.
Cheers,
Aditya
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