Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 
Log in or register to remove ads.

Showing results 1 to 25 of 33 Search:
Forum: General Talk 11-20-2016, 02:15 AM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Just got a new gaming PC. Will obviously also work just fine for photo and video shenanigans. Got some sweet parts for cheap thanks to a relative that works in IT.

Here's the main bits:

Intel i7-6700K 4.00GHz Processor
GTX 1060 6GB Video Card
DDR4 16GB RAM
SSD 225GB
HDD 3TB

And a used and older (but still very decent) 24" monitor (HP ZR24w).
Forum: General Talk 11-06-2016, 07:16 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Thanks!

I have the AF version. Screw drive, so it's noisy, but at least it as AF.



Thank you! I took it as a good sign. :)
Forum: General Talk 11-05-2016, 02:19 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Sup guys, been a while. Career changes for the past couple of years kept me away from photography. I even sold most of my lenses to help fund some ventures.

But now I'm settled and looking to get back into photography, so I hopped on to the local Craigslist to see if there was anything worth picking up and to rebuild my lens collection again. And there was! Someone had just listed a Sigma 24mm 2.8 Super Wide II AF for $80 Canada bucks, so I picked it up and did my first photo walk in a while. Felt good man. :cool:
Forum: General Talk 04-30-2015, 01:56 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
I got some nice flash and lighting equipment recently at a camera swap meet.

2x sturdy 12' light stands
1x Lighting boom with reflector clamps
1x Manfrotto umbrella adapter

The light stands are awesome! Not air cushioned, but super sturdy. They're kind of large and probably unsuitable for daily transport around, but perfect for a studio. Because they're a pair, it would be trivial to just get a bar and a roll backdrop of some sort.

The boom is also great and versatile, and something I've been looking for recently.

Lastly, the Manfrotto umbrella adapter is solid. Almost TOO solid. It's completely aluminum so it's super sturdy, but that also makes it kind of heavy (it's over 400g on its own, sans flash or anything else). When placed on the end of the boom, it causes the boom to sag a bit, so I might want to find a lighter alternative to it.

Still this was all obtained on the super cheap, so I'm not complaining.
Forum: General Talk 02-11-2015, 02:17 AM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
My local camera store just had a deal on these Canon Collector's Edition Accessory Kits - $29.99!

Canon Collector's Edition Accessory Kit

Came with a mug, cleaning kit (lens pen + rocket blower + cloth), shirt, Canon neck strap, and this book:

EF Lens Work III: The Eyes of EOS by Canon Review

Everything else is a bonus to me, but the book is really what I was after. It is glorious! The first half is basically a presentation of all the Canon lenses (up to 2011, since that was the publishing date). The second half is basically an in-depth photography textbook that focuses on the basics of optics etc. I wish Pentax had a book like this.

I'm going to try and offload the extras on Craigslist since I don't need them. With a little bit of luck I might break even on this whole thing. :p
Forum: General Talk 11-09-2014, 10:47 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
It has been a while since I've gotten anything worthy to share.
Forum: General Talk 04-28-2014, 08:23 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Picked up a couple of new lenses the past couple of days.

I got the Takumar-F 70-200mm f4-5.6. at a camera show this past weekend for $10. Takumar-F 70-200mm F4-5.6 Reviews - Non-SMC Pentax Zoom Lenses - Pentax Lens Reviews & Lens Database I was looking for a zoom with an aperture ring to use for my K-Q adapter.

The copy I have is in good condition, but the lens overall is pretty garbage. If I came across this thing again I don't think I would pay over $15 for it.

I also got another DA 10-17mm fisheye through the local Craigslist listings.
Forum: General Talk 02-20-2014, 12:37 AM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Going down the camera rabbit hole . . .

Bauer 88 G 8mm film camera - The lens is a 12.5mm f1.9. The film winder works, as does the shutter. All of the dials on the right of the body work. The only dial on the left doesn't (stuck, and nothing I do will make it move). Film housing opens up easily, and it's nice and clean inside. The battery had leaked, so I threw it out, and scraped out the crystallized gunk inside the battery compartment with a screwdriver. No signs of corrosion.

Rodenstock-Eutelon 37.5mm screw-on adapter (front and back caps)
Rodenstock-Ronagon V 0.5x screw-on adapter (front and back caps)

2x Viewfinder adapters (one for each of the screw-on adapters above)

1x UV filter
2x ND filters (I think. They both say "Bauer Grau 4x" on them)

Kuli lens brush
Badass wrist strap
Badass leather case that fits everything


I had no idea what all this was worth, and the whole package wasn't quite in sandwich rule territory, but I went with my gut. The whole package just looked so nice. Ebay tells me I'll at least make my money back.
Forum: General Talk 01-31-2014, 07:31 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Nice snag today at the Salvation Army. Bought my first non-Pentax camera gears.

Minolta Maxxum 7000
Minolta Maxxum 50 1:1.7 (crossed XX)
Minolta Maxxum 28 1:2.8
Minolta Maxxum 70-210 1:4

The 50 was attached to the body. The 28 and 70-210 came with lens pouches. All have filters. There are a couple of other random bonus filters including this mysterious HOYA 49mm multivision filter. This all came in a bag that had some more random junk in it.

The 50mm has such super oily blades that they only open and close with force, so that's probably not worth anything. The 28 and 70-210 look to be in good working condition though, as does the body.

Anyhoo it was all for $50. While that's way over the sandwich rule limit, I rationalized it by saying to myself that I was applying the sandwich rule to each individual item. :D FeeBay says I will make my money back + later on.

They had a bunch of good condition Adaptall stuff too, but I know nothing about Adaptall stuff so I passed on it. I'll spend some time learning about that stuff this weekend and maybe go back there next week (though if they're worth anything I doubt they'll still be there).
Forum: General Talk 01-23-2014, 12:21 AM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
I now own a Tamron 90 Macro again.

It's the 172E model, which is the one that precedes the current Di (272E) model. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see the difference:

Variations of Tamron 90mm Macro lenses

It performs just as well as the newer version (I owned the 272E version for a while).

It will be nice when the weather warms up so I can take long outdoor walks to take pictures of plants and bugs.
Forum: General Talk 12-01-2013, 09:51 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Been a while since I've participated in this thread.

Couple of acquisitions in the past couple of weeks:

- Pentax Spotmatic SPII + Takumar 55 1.8. Excellent condition on both. Not sure if the metering needle works on the SPII, so I have to test that sometime. I don't know if the Takumar is one of the radioactive ones.

- Pentax DA 10-17 Fisheye. I'm so happy with the 03 Fisheye for the Q that I went and sold my Sigma 10-20 so I could have a fisheye for the big camera.
Forum: General Talk 07-10-2013, 12:23 AM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
That's a serious knife! 0_0
Forum: General Talk 06-25-2013, 08:02 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Got a nice score through the local Craigslist listings today.

Pentax MZ-S
Pentax FA 28-200
Pentax FA 17-28 Fisheye

All working

$200

I managed to snipe this while browsing the listings at work. Got an immediate reply, met up with him a couple of hours later.

We actually sat down and had a good chat for a while. The seller is now a Canon shooter. He knows the value of the items, but he was just looking to offload them quick with no hassles since he's leaving this Friday with his girlfriend to go teach in South Korea, possibly forever. I told him about my journey into photography through Pentax, and he was happy that the lenses and camera are going to a good home.

The camera was purchased by him back in 2004 for $1200. It works, according to him, but since I lack batteries and I have no experience with film cameras I have no way of knowing. It is super clean inside the film compartment. The mirror has some dust, and I'm unsure what the sensor looks like since I have no way of powering this on and making the mirror flip up. I will consult the film camera sub-forum to see the best way I can get this camera cleaned and tested.

The lenses are in good shape. Zooming could be smoother, but AF is smooth and accurate and the glass is clean.

The 28-200 is fairly mush at all apertures and focal lengths, but still serviceable. I'm probably going to just give this away. One thing in its favor though is that AF is lightning fast on my K30, seemingly faster than my current fastest focusing lens (DA 70). Not sure why it's the case, but that might make it decent for some sort of action use.

The 17-28 fisheye is super fun. I recently got a Sigma 10-20, so I don't know how this lens will fit into my lineup. It will probably live with me for the summer, and then we'll see after that.

(picture looks like crap because it's from my phone)
Forum: General Talk 06-21-2013, 09:30 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
The difference between men and boys

is the price of their toys

:)

(Saw this on a random sticker once. It's been stuck in my head since - because it's true!)
Forum: General Talk 05-30-2013, 10:16 AM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Yep.

(Only got the Q and the 01 Prime. I put the Tamron 17-50 in for a size comparison)

Battery is charging. Can't wait to take it for a spin!
Forum: General Talk 05-13-2013, 12:42 AM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Ugh, gotta let this out.

A local wedding photographer was selling off his DA* 16-50 and DA* 50-135, as he was completing a move to Nikonland. The lenses are fully working, in excellent condition, at an excellent price. I bit.

I've never had SDM lenses before. First impressions: the quiet is nice, but I'm used to the can opener sound of the screwdrive. I can see where the quiet would come in handy though. They are recent models based on the serial numbers, so I have confidence in the SDM.

The DA* 50-135 just SLAYS. What an amazing lens. I can't wait to use it. Even if I get to use it only a few times a year, it will still be worth it.

On the other hand, the DA* 16-50 is less impressive. Don't get me wrong, it's a great lens, but I also own a Tamron 17-50, and the DA* 16-50 does not match the Tamron in wide-open sharpness, though stopped down they are equal. The DA* is also bigger and heavier. Over the course of a full day of shooting, I'm sure that will come into play.

I'll have to make a decision about whether to keep the 16-50 and ditch the Tamron, or vice-versa, since I'm not going to sit on two wide-normal f2.8 zooms. One one hand, it's nice having the DA* dynamic duo. On the other hand, I'm just not 100% happy with the 16-50 (the 50-135 will remain firm in my grip).

Thanks for reading about my latest foray into LBA land.
Forum: General Talk 05-07-2013, 05:46 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Fountain pens aren't my thing. I write left handed. This means when I write, my hand brushes against the text I've just written. This makes ink that doesn't insta-dry a no-go, since it just ends up smearing all over the place.

But I'm kind of anal about the pens I use too. I always have a pen with me no matter where I go, and I've gotten good at keeping the same pen straight from opening it all the way until the ink runs dry. As was the case with my notebooks, I used a number of pens over the years until I found a pen that works the way I want it to.

At first I used to buy really fancy metallic pens for school, but I would always lose them. I decided to just settle on one kind of pen, the black ink Pentel RSVP fine tip pen. I went through a few boxes of those. A couple of years ago my mother received a few boxes of cheap pens that don't have any manufacturers markings on them. They were branded with a company name, and were to be given out at an event. I tried out, and lo and behold, they were amazing. I took two boxes for myself.

I've given a few away, and we moved offices and I lost a few then, but I still have a couple dozen or so left. I'm running out though, and I'll probably move on to another pen style when this supply finally runs out.

I did treat myself to an Apollo Space pen recently. It's nice and blue, my favorite color, but it's also $10 a pop so I suspect it's probably a one time only thing.

Yay pens.
Forum: General Talk 05-07-2013, 04:00 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Haha, yep! Look for my massive sale thread in the marketplace, coming soon. :D
Forum: General Talk 05-07-2013, 01:39 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Oh it was nothing special, just a thank you for speaking my thoughts to Jim. It was signed by his assistant. :p



Having used dozens of different notebooks and organizers over the past decade for school and work, I've settled on the basic Moleskine as my go-to notebook.

My favorite ever notebook though was this 200 page spiral-bound notebook I got from a Korean dollar store. The spiral was big enough that I could keep a pen nestled within it and hooked to the top ring via the little tab on the pen. The pages were nice and smooth, and the lines were small, which is what I look for since it allows a lot of content to be jammed into each page. That's the sign of a crappy notebook: If the lines are spaced far apart. Lots of pages mean nothing if you're only fitting in half a page worth of writing in each one. And that's why Moleskines are good too: Lots of little lines, edge to edge, no fancy decorations or embellishments in the corners (those are the WORST kind of notebooks).

This Pentax notebook looks solid. There are 25 lines per page (compared to 32 in my Moleskine) but the Pentax notebook has two ribbon bookmarks, and a little stretchy fabric loop to store a pen in. It also has what looks to be about 1.5 times the amount of pages. The pages have no markings or anything except for the single ruled line going down the left side.

Yay notebooks.
Forum: General Talk 05-07-2013, 12:08 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Hey, remember this past December (and onwards) when Jim Malcolm, the VP Exec for Pentax Ricoh Americas was taking phone calls from random Pentaxians? Well, I was one of them. I took my call on December 21 if my memory serves me correctly. Jim was a pleasant fellow, and we had a great chat. He even added me on LinkedIn afterwards. One of his marketing staff took my address afterwards because I assume they wanted to give me a little gift.

However, time passed, and nothing arrived, so I just assumed they forgot. No big deal, since I enjoyed talking with Jim and providing my thoughts on Pentax to someone with the power to make changes.

But lo and behold, this arrived for me at work today:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b8v9uoqg1ih666l/20130507_115339.jpg

It's a sweet little leather-bound notebook, a 2gb flash drive, and a card with a message, all branded with Pentax.

Kind of cool. :)
Forum: General Talk 04-28-2013, 02:09 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
So the camera show today . . . I told myself I would only buy "small stuff" like lens caps, filters, those kinds of things.

Walked out with a Tamron 90 Macro (box, pouch, everything), *ist DL + 18-55 WR, and a lot more random junk that will probably go into a box on my shelf and never come out. Damn camera shows.

The Tamron is near mint, and the seller (normally a bit of a hard-baller) sold it for only $270. I will take it. And the *ist DL with the 18-55 was only $100 total. I put the Tamron onto the *ist and proceeded to take pictures. The *ist DL is such a fun camera.

I did also find an official Tamron lens hood for my DA 18-250 for $2. Shame on Pentax for charging $60+ for one of these things.

I've spent way too much recently, but there are too many good deals to be had, so I know I'll make money in the end. Thankfully the end of the month is approaching, because the wallet is nearing "the red zone". I'll take stock of everything I have this week, decide what to keep, and unload most of it. In the meantime, help. 0_0
Forum: General Talk 04-27-2013, 12:37 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
That is exactly what I plan on doing. There's a camera gear swap happening tomorrow, and I'm going to buy buckets of front and back lens caps, cheap filters, step up and step down rings, etc. All the stuff that is normally $2 on FleaBay but takes a month to get here because it's coming from China.

Anyhoo, by a stroke of luck, I snagged a good deal off Craigslist last night. $100 got me:

Pentax Hotshoe Adapter FG
Pentax Off-Camera Adapter F (x2, one BNIB)
Pentax F5P 3' Sync Cord (x3, one BNIB)
Pentax F5PL 9.5' Sync Cord

Picked it up today, everything is in excellent condition, except for the things that are brand new in boxes, which are new.

I could have gone out to a dinner last night, instead I stayed home like a loner, and I was rewarded with a good deal. Lonerism for the win!
Forum: General Talk 04-26-2013, 09:47 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
DA 70 Ltd arrived today!

Serial number is 0008250. Does this mean it's one of the first 10,000 off the lot?

It is kind of old-looking, and it needed an AF adjustment of -5, but otherwise it's performing as I expected.

"Velvet is a great material to use for lens accessories!"

said no one ever. Except for some random Pentax industrial designer who somehow managed to get the final word on the bloody lens cap and lens hood design. Tiny fibers keep falling onto the front element, and it's driving me nuts!
Forum: General Talk 04-10-2013, 11:30 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Yea I did some more testing today, and at -6 AF adjustment it is performing a lot better. But Prime sharp? I dunno about that. :p I'll take it for a proper spin this weekend and see, but if I had to leave it as it is now, I would be okay with it.
Forum: General Talk 04-10-2013, 04:15 PM  
Your latest acquisition
Posted By EarlVonTapia
Replies: 27,136
Views: 2,082,963
Good job. The DA 15 is a crackler. :)

My Tamron 17-50 arrived yesterday. I bought it through this site from a user with no feedback and only 11 posts, but the price was a steal so I took the risk and trusted THE POWER OF THE FORUMS. All is well.

It's butter soft wide open at 17mm, but that's not unusual for a lens, and also I suspect that the focus may need some slight adjustment. Otherwise, it's great.
Search took 0.00 seconds | Showing results 1 to 25 of 33

 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:55 PM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top