Pentaxian. Anymore Pentax owners out there?

dinneenp · 01-02-2013 02:30PM

Great value Sigma 30mm f1.4 if you know anyone in the USA or going there on holidays
for €211!

TPD · 01-02-2013 02:35PM

AnCatDubh wrote: »

These older non premium brand lens can be mighty fine.

I've been meaning to find out - when I put one of my older lenses on my camera and turn it on, it asks for a focal length. I leave it at whatever is set already - from memory, the choices are between 30 and 50, millimetres I think. Is there any way to figure out what this should be, from the lens? And what will it effect if set incorrectly? I'd imagine I couldn't focus within the same range, but I'm not sure.

Mountainsandh · 01-02-2013 04:13PM

are you sure you can't scroll ? I have a manual 50mm, but I'm pretty certain from memory that I also could select 55mm, and I've a 75mm and I don't remember having a problem selecting that either (maybe I just chance it in something else every time, haven't used that lens in ages, it's so heavy !).

I just select what my lens is, so 50mm for my 50mm lens.

I think I skipped that a few times, and it didn't really make a difference for the focus, but my 50mm can't focus to infinity anyway, so maybe it's not as noticeable.

TPD · 01-02-2013 04:15PM

I can scroll, but being unsure what it should be, I never bothered changing it from what was selected by default. I never thought to set it to what the lens is

But then how would that work for a telephoto lens?
They've all worked with whatever setting I picked anyway though.

Mountainsandh · 01-02-2013 08:20PM

I'd say the fact it's a telephoto would be no problem, my 75 goes to 105mm I think (I never remember they're such unusual lengths), but I always set it for the lowest length.

I'm just a happy self taught/teaching amateur though, the wise men here might set you and me right.

AnCatDubh · 01-02-2013 11:33PM

TPD wrote: »

I've been meaning to find out - when I put one of my older lenses on my camera and turn it on, it asks for a focal length. I leave it at whatever is set already - from memory, the choices are between 30 and 50, millimetres I think. Is there any way to figure out what this should be, from the lens? And what will it effect if set incorrectly? I'd imagine I couldn't focus within the same range, but I'm not sure.

IIRC, the request for focal length is stimulated by a manual lens being attached when you have image stabilisation turned on your body. So, go old school and turn off your image stabilisation when you are using an old lens - problem solved :eek:

But if you do want to do the manual lens plus image stablisation thing I think it works as simple as put a manual 50mm lens on then set the focal length to 50 on the display. If a 35mm then pick 35 or the nearest that you can get to the focal length that you've attached to the body.

I had asked elsewhere a couple of years ago about what happens when you attach a zoom and as I understand the response I got, technically you *should* be setting the value on the camera display at the focal length that you are going to use within the zoom. If you have a 100 - 300mm manual lens and you are going to shoot at 200mm then you should set your camera body display to 200 - and, not zoom; or zoom but turn off the camera and back on resetting the value or do it through the menus. All of that presupposes that you want to use image stabilisation. If you'd not be too bothered with image stabilisation then turn it off and have the convenience of being able to zoom at will without worrying about when technical calculation is going on inside the brain of the camera that may be ill informed by your selection.

I'm not sure what happens technically if you zoom while the setting is incorrect (you set it to 100 with your 100-300mm lens on but zoom to 150, 200, 250mms and continue to shoot). I presume the technical calculation which is enabling the image stabilisation to happen is therefore incorrect and thus your image quality of the final image will be compromised. To what extent it would be compromised, I don't know or understand. I can't say that i've ever noticed any differnce if an incorrect value was selected.

So, I think you can easily do image stabilisation with your primes and your dial should allow you to scroll through a great range of focal lengths - if there isn't an exact match, you take the nearest that you can find. However, it is more difficult to do image stabilition as it was intended with your manual zoom.

I think that's the jist of it but open to correction.

TPD · 20-02-2013 12:15PM

Speaking of lenses on the cheap... I'm fond of taking shots of the moon, and would like to try solar photography etc. and would like something a bit longer than my 200mm. I've been looking at 500mm mirror lenses, but apparently they have a whole range of problems - a phoenix 500mm 'normal' lens was recommended instead. Has anyone tried something like the following?

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/500mm-1000mm-Telephoto-Lens-Pentax-Digital-SLR-Camera-/200837177035?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item2ec2d41ecb#ht_2260wt_992

I'm curious with this lens, will it allow infinite focus? As the lens attaches with a T-mount. Any I've attached with a m42 to K-mount adapter can't focus all the way.

Heading to the states in a couple of weeks with two nights in Yosemite national park - would be great to have this to play with when I get there!

Reading comments has led me to this...

http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-650-2600mm-Definition-Telephoto-Digital/dp/B001GKPOJK/ref=cm_rdp_product

dinneenp · 22-02-2013 10:42AM

Hi,
I’m heading to Belgium for 5 nights at the start of April. Brussels and Ghent are full of big squares with grand tall, old buildings.
I’d love to have a wide angle lens for the trip (I have a 17-50 but having 10mm would be great).

If anyone has one and is willing to swap a lens for while I’m gone I’d appreciate it.
I can loan you one of my lenses in return, pick from
Pentax 100mm macro f2.8
Tamron 17-50 f2.8
Sigma 30mm f1.4
Sigma 70-200mm f2.8
Cheers,
Pa.

AnCatDubh · 23-02-2013 10:51AM

TPD wrote: »

Speaking of lenses on the cheap... I'm fond of taking shots of the moon, and would like to try solar photography etc. and would like something a bit longer than my 200mm. I've been looking at 500mm mirror lenses, but apparently they have a whole range of problems - a phoenix 500mm 'normal' lens was recommended instead. Has anyone tried something like the following?

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/500mm-1000mm-Telephoto-Lens-Pentax-Digital-SLR-Camera-/200837177035?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item2ec2d41ecb#ht_2260wt_992

I'm curious with this lens, will it allow infinite focus? As the lens attaches with a T-mount. Any I've attached with a m42 to K-mount adapter can't focus all the way.

Heading to the states in a couple of weeks with two nights in Yosemite national park - would be great to have this to play with when I get there!

Reading comments has led me to this...

http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-650-2600mm-Definition-Telephoto-Digital/dp/B001GKPOJK/ref=cm_rdp_product

I've no experience of them but I do recall reading a bit about them and I think the quality suffers greatly at the cheaper end of the spectrum. That doesn't mean they won't be any good, just what your expectations of good might be may need to be redefined. But you never know you might get something half reasonable from it. You might also get something with quite endearing aesthetic qualities.

I'm also thinking a trip to yosemite which is a trip of a lifetime for most so €100 or so may be money well spent and most of all give you some additional fun (apart from running away from the bears :eek:)

One other consideration is that i'd imagine those lens will add significant weight to your setup. Have a good sturdy tripod on hand to steady.

And finally, if you were really serious about getting Adams-esque results then you'd probably find better rental availability in the states. A bit of research here might get you sorted. Meh..., you might spend the €100ish on a rental and not have anything to take home at the end of it but the quality of what you take in the meantime should be good.

Enjoy the trip.

dinneenp · 23-02-2013 01:23PM

Today is World Pentax Day so get snapping

zero19 · 28-02-2013 12:55PM

Has anyone got a Q10? I've been looking at the Q now that it's quite a bit cheaper than it used to be but I wonder if I'd be as well off spending extra on the new model, really just want something pocketable to have on me when I'm not carrying the K-R.

robbiecfc · 01-03-2013 03:51PM

Another Pentaxian here in Cork. K-5 and a few primes (FA31 f/1.8, FA43 f/1.9, A50 f/1.2, Super Takumar 55 f/1.8, Helios 44M 58 f/2, FA77 f/1.8, Vivitar S1 90 f/2.5 Macro) :-)
K-5 has a KatzEye focussing screen and O-ME53 magnified viewfinder.
Started off in Dec 08 with a K20D and DA16-45 from SRS, picked up a DA55-300 a couple of months later with a FA50 f/1.4, tbh at the time I don't think you could have got better bang for buck anywhere, cashback and low prices at the time meant I had an outfit that had a range of 16-300 with a fast fifty in the middle for £1100 or something.

Then I fell into the trap of getting some Takumars, at one stage I had
S Tak 28 f/3.5
S Tak 35 f/3.5
S Tak 50 f/1.4
S Tak 55 f/1.8
S Tak 85 f/1.9
S Tak 85 f/1.8
Auto Tak 135 f/3.5
along with the modern travel kit of the two DA zooms and the plastic nifty fifty.

I converted the Taks to Ks then so
K24 f/2.8
K28 f/3.5
K28 f/2
K30 f/2.8
K35 f/3.5
K50 f/1.4
K50 f/1.2
K55 f/1.8
K135 f/2.5
and sold the 85s for my first Limited, the 77, followed by the 43. A couple of Ms and As arrived and disappeared, did not like their build compared to the Taks and Ks (A50 f/1.2 excepted, it really should be classed as an A* or manual Limited) and after 3 attempts of finding an A50 f/1.2 that was sharper than the K50 f/1.2 I passed that along.

Last year I took a partial diversion from prime land and got myself a FA*28-70 f/2.8, amazing lens really, every zoom should have the power option :-) and it had fantastic contrast but it was a bit too conspicious for me so it found a new home in Finland last month. Also had a DA15 f/4 until a few weeks ago but that was traded up into the FA31 (finally :-), been lusting after one for what seems like forever) and I stumbled upto a mislabelled Vivitar Series 1 90mm Macro on the bay last week :-P, has a bit of fungus but is sortable and even now it is stupidly sharp.

Reckon I'll get something from Zeiss next, the Distagon 25 T* f/2.8 would fit nicely into my lineup and from what I can make out suits my personal shooting style. Trick now is to find one for reasonable value :-D

Mountainsandh · 01-03-2013 04:27PM

Hi Robbiecfc, welcome ! Nice to have another Pentaxian closer, they all seem further off ... I'm in West Waterford.

Dineen, my wide angle is 10-17mm I think, but I'm going to the States at that time and really want to have it there, so I selfishly can't help you this time

.
Sorry... I have visions of wide angle desert road shots near Flagstaff, going to the Grand Canyon too !

And that brings me to my question for TPD and others if you know the answer, my first stop in US is San Francisco, very quick 2 days stop. I've been looking online but all the camera shops I see seem to stock only the other brands, anyone has an idea where to look at Pentax stuff in SF ?

I'm thinking of trying to get a nice, compact and light tripod there too, so I could use it for that trip, and if it's nice it might replace my very cheap current tripod, any suggestions ?

The advantage of my current really cheap one is that it's very light, and very tall (I like that), but it takes a good bit of space to carry, and is a dinosaur in terms of tripods.

TPD · 01-03-2013 04:34PM

Mountain, I sent an email to a camera shop in SF enquiring about renting a 10-20mm, but haven't heard back. I found the site fairly easily by googling 'pentax lens rental san francisco' and following links on yelp.com. But with no response a few days later, I'm not sure how reliable they are..

I decided to go the other extreme and look for a super wide rather than super zoom while in the states :pac:

Tripod-wise, I'm going to see if any of the relatives have one knocking about. If not, I'm going to get the cheapest I can find and leave it behind me when I return.

robbiecfc · 01-03-2013 04:53PM

Mountainsandh wrote: »

Hi Robbiecfc, welcome ! Nice to have another Pentaxian closer, they all seem further off ... I'm in West Waterford.

Dineen, my wide angle is 10-17mm I think, but I'm going to the States at that time and really want to have it there, so I selfishly can't help you this time .
Sorry... I have visions of wide angle desert road shots near Flagstaff, going to the Grand Canyon too !

And that brings me to my question for TPD and others if you know the answer, my first stop in US is San Francisco, very quick 2 days stop. I've been looking online but all the camera shops I see seem to stock only the other brands, anyone has an idea where to look at Pentax stuff in SF ?

I'm thinking of trying to get a nice, compact and light tripod there too, so I could use it for that trip, and if it's nice it might replace my very cheap current tripod, any suggestions ?

The advantage of my current really cheap one is that it's very light, and very tall (I like that), but it takes a good bit of space to carry, and is a dinosaur in terms of tripods.

Easiest to put a post in Pentaxforums.com, someone there will set up right on Pentax shops.

muppetkiller · 04-03-2013 03:08PM

Does anyone own the K-01 ?
It's going for only 305 euro on amazon.com with the 40mm so unreal bargain at that price.
http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-K-01-40mm-Lens-Black/dp/B00740MR78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362409630&sr=8-1&keywords=k01

robbiecfc · 04-03-2013 03:12PM

If you already have a few lenses, sell the 40 for €120 or so and you have a 16Mp mirrorless cam for €180 :-)
Serious bargain.

dinneenp · 05-03-2013 08:02PM

I'M PLANNING A PENTAXIAN PHOTOWALK.
Before I post a separate thread I'm
Going to try to pick a date and location that suits as many of us as possible.
1. Where do you live? Mightn't be relevant if people are willing to travel far distance.
2. What location would you like for the Photowalk? how does Galway suit people?
3. Any particular dates that DON'T suit?
4. Any specific dates you'd prefer?
We can take it from there then
1. I'm living in Galway
2. Sligo, Athlone (could be most central location but is it goo location for a Photowalk?, Galway, Limerick, Dublin)
3. Last weekend in March might be free, besides that not free until May probably!
Cheers
Pa

zero19 · 20-03-2013 09:13AM

New arrival!

Bluefoam · 20-03-2013 09:38AM

zero19 wrote: »

New arrival!

Great camera, I have it with the 01 & 02 lenses. Waiting for the full wide angle to be released.

AnCatDubh · 20-03-2013 01:22PM

zero19 wrote: »

New arrival!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8239/8573458867_9533ca1ffb_c.jpg

How sweet. Jealous big time :pac:

Enjoy!

TPD · 23-03-2013 07:39PM

I was buying some earphones on Amazon and needed something to bring the price over 25 pounds to qualify for free shipping... Ended up buying the sigma 70-300. After a wide angle I'll stop spending for a while...

muppetkiller · 10-04-2013 09:21AM

Just a heads up the K-01 is now only £299 on amazon.co.uk with the 40mm pancake lens !!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pentax-Compact-System-Camera-Pancake/dp/B0073TGL8G/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1365585364&sr=1-1&keywords=K-01

AnCatDubh · 23-04-2013 09:48PM

An interesting gallery. Rebeca Saray.

645D

http://500px.com/rebecasaray

via @pentaxian on twitter.

lots of post so won't be everyones cup of tea, but yeah...... i'd like a 645D

Mountainsandh · 23-04-2013 10:10PM

on the opposite end of the scale, just bought myself another old 50mm for cheap enough on Ebay.

I had an m42 mount one with adapter that couldn't focus to infinity, but also of late the aperture ring has become really hard to turn, so I was longing to use it but couldn't.

So I went for a Pentax SMC-m F1.7 50mm, and I'm excited, the reviews are great for this lens... I paid a bit more than I should have for it I think, it came to 100 e or so in total, but according to seller it is spotless, comes with caps and hood, so I thought this time, I'll go all fancy and fungus-less

. Moving up in the world...

Bluefoam · 10-06-2013 10:46AM

New pinhole/lens cap lens on the way + Q7 camera body which will have a bigger sensor. Its good to see that they are developing the Q system. I'm still waiting for a wide angle lens & have made the decision to buy the fish eye once I've gotten over the summer holidays...

Link....

Also a k50 DSLR body in the works

AnCatDubh · 22-08-2013 09:23PM

The K30 being discontinued - a tribute http://www.pentaxforums.com/news/pentax-k-30-discontinued.html via Pentaxforums.com

K50 and 500 - the replacement(s)

Anyone got the K30?

Thing is [generally this applies], being discontinued doesn't mean the end. Probably just its new beginning on way to being legendary for whatever reason (brillance, quirks, difficulty in use, ease of use, tendency to underexpose/overexpose, etc....).

Only thing I kinda bemoan on the entry level kit, and Pentax have followed suit with the Canon/Nikon brigade (i think) is the dropping of the top lcd display. My first pentax dSLR was the *ist DL. 6MPx of goodness in its day (still gets a lot of love from me and regularly gets shaken out - its small profile, to me, is just brilliant) and immediately the top lcd became a good friend.

Ok, so to some it may be nothing special and its functions may be replicated in the viewfinder, but just to be able to glance and know that you are in the right zone with your settings (or not as the case may be) without raising the camera to your eye is, imho, a killer feature. I remember picking up an entry level other brand dSLR (you don't have to guess too far) and immediately thinking how awful. Sorry yes these are the things of flame wars of the school yard but it was true (for me). Yeah, I know, a $1 lcd times 500,000 cameras = $500,000 reduction in cost of production to Pentax but ffs, its $1 to you and me and Pentax I think are generally really good in the value stakes.

End of moan. I still love them.

The link above is a nice visit if you have a K30 which all of a sudden becomes nostalgic for you. On the bright side, it means you have joined the non newbie club so welcome to that.... and you can dream up a weird initiation ceremony to the K50 or 500 owners

Its Pentax so for those subscribed to this thread - all's good.

Bluefoam · 22-08-2013 10:45PM

They have to give you a reason to upgrade to higher end equipment. If you need that feature you need a more professional end camera (in theory). The k50 is still a great camera.

dinneenp · 23-08-2013 10:35AM

Bluefoam wrote: »

They have to give you a reason to upgrade to higher end equipment. If you need that feature you need a more professional end camera (in theory). The k50 is still a great camera.

I own a K-7 and plan to upgrade to a K-5 soon. Although the K-30 is meant to have better focusing I like the top panel lcd and the extra external controls.
I find the easier functions/controls are to access the more you think about them and use them.

TPD · 23-08-2013 05:09PM

Recent enough K30 owner here - seems the only difference with the K50 is 2 stops higher ISO? Trying not to be biased, I think I prefer the angular look of the K30.

Pentaxian. Anymore Pentax owners out there?

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