Pentax Ricoh future

Lol... perfect illustration of why weather sealing is a great feature, and not just for Bear Grylls types! Although weather-sealed or not, pictures like this make me wince slightly....

I shoot quite a lot of my pics this way .... so not too impossible ::

Cameras and sand...that goes against the grain, but impressive anyway.

With a DOF of only a few millimetres it's easy to move the camera when going back to 1x view to compose.

most of my shots ar eon a tripod so while I guess theoretically that could still happen I think I'm probably still getting decently accurate focus.

Guess it depends on what/how we are shooting

tripod there's no probs

It's well known that focusing accurately (at about 25x FL = Lens test distances)is not possible without using a focusing rack. link

At first I thought I would be OK focusing with magnified LV and then moving back and forth on a small Novoflex rack until I found the points fore and aft where the screen went in and out of focus, and then take the centre point, but it didn't change at all going +/- 60mm so I had to try it on the monster link which allows an enormous 15" of movement. I still had to move a long way for the LV image to go OOF.... the 3" screen resolution must not be good enough. That was still a bit messy

What I do now (for lens testing) using a laptop and Eye-Fi card is focus with magnified LV. Put masking tape on the lens focus ring to stop it moving. Take a shot. Take further shots with the rack moved back and forth +40mm +20mm -20mm -40mm.

Pick the best shot say +20mm and then take a further 3/4 shots bracketed in 10mm increments for each aperture either side of +20mm. Pick the best for final comparison. This also picks up any errors due to focus shift on stopping down.

It sounds a lot but it's actually fairly quick because I only focus the lens once for the whole test and then it's just a case of quickly turning the knob on the focus rack and taking each shot.

The distances +40mm +20mm -20mm -40mm aren't really that critical what matters is that the camera is moved a bit between shots. The target could be moved instead which means a focus rack is not required.

I understand now Algi. I didn't realise you were referring to testing lenses - that is a whole different kettle of fish to just using a camera for everyday shots. Thank you for the explanation.

I was referring to everyday use and comparing this with my other cameras (K-m & K-x) which are more difficult to focus manually than the K-5.

Regards
David

Well that's mildly interesting, but the key word is bottom. I think the only thing that can be said with certainty is that having those images buried at the bottom shows the advertising agency gets it.

On the the other hand the main image seen at the top prominently is of the K30 seemingly covered in water droplets; the obvious inference is that it is raining.

I'm open to the possibility that Pentax's dismal marketing track record can be turned around. But I see only the most tenuous evidence of that at this time.

All now gone!

On a whim I went back to have another look, but now the "fun, sand and smiles" has now been completely scrapped in favour of more drizzle. Check it out yourself.

You can't make this stuff up -- LMAO.

Indeed - it does seem like one step forward then one step back. One can only ponder at the reasons for pulling those images.

Does the Poll refer to the K30 or has there really been a K3 announcement???

I have had my K7 drenched in sea water with no ill effect and been out in a rain storm with the D700 with no ill effect. This is also an example of not worrying about the consequences of getting a shot link

I do think that Pentax need to push other features rather than advertise splash proof/weatherproof as the main attraction.

Best regards

In fairness one should probably differentiate between PR shots that publications would use in product announcements and write-ups, and the images ultimately used in advertising campaigns.

Even so getting rid of the beach shots entirely is utterly bizarre; maybe it a cultural thing, a Japanese appeal to photography under extreme Endurance gameshow style hardships

Anyway, to finish off my pro bono marketing advice here’s what I would do; get some creative types to think about how to structure a campaign highlighting the excellent Pentax colour.

The sand shots were good. However, they should have contained a public warning given the market they were probably aimed at.

Its ok to get sand on your camera, but don't try changing lenses until its been washed off and dried.