Don
Status: MemberJoin Date: 12th November 2005
Last Login: 30th June 2020 - 15:53
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| Topic / Forum | Comment |
|---|---|
| Warning on the dangers inherent in trying to use SD cards as your "permanent storage" medium! Posted in General Digital Photography Discussion |
Another issue with cloud storage is that the company providing it might just stop doing so with little or no warning! Or you may miss a payment or two and loose access. BTs cloud storage systems have gone through several incarnations which were simply dropped and replaced. I wouldn't trust another with anything important. I did notice Google seem to automatically back up any photos on an android phone to their servers whether you like it or not. The normal recommendation is to keep incremental backups and an off-site backup of important data and schedule to update that too. I doubt many home users do all that though.cloud storage is only for stuff you want to share... I wish like hell companies like apple would have a "social media" folder in thier apps where you could put specific images and ONLY those images would be accessible by apps that have online connections. I have a nas drive with a sharing folder that I use for some projects that require online editors to collaborate on and early on I got burned a few times with stolen images being used without payment so I tend to keep all my good stuff offline and under my control. with apple, they burned me TWICE once with iWeb, and again with Aperture. I agree NEVER trust all your files to a cloud, because the minute they decide to change things on their end... you're likely gonna find yourself buying hard drives to download copies to anyways, or having to port your system or buy new software at thier mercy at some point... |
| Warning on the dangers inherent in trying to use SD cards as your "permanent storage" medium! Posted in General Digital Photography Discussion |
4TB ssd Thunderbolt 3 (4x 1tb ssd stripped 0 raid). 8tb (2x4 tb hard drives in raid 0) usb3 enclosure 4x 4 tb hard drives in a mediasonic usb3 enclosure 16 tb usb raid drive (4x4 tb drives). for photo and video editing, storage and backups locally.. also 8 tb NAS for backup the computer and archived off site storage on 8 tb back up drives. I guess if your data is worth anything to you, spending as much on storage and backups as you do on computers and cameras makes sense... I don't erase the memory cards until I have three copies made on different drives. |
| Flash query Posted in Flash Photography |
on the Pentax k3 you push the flash button on the back dial of the camera body, then hit "Trailing curtain sync" option and the body fires trailing curtain synch. did they remove that option on the k1? (the k3 has built in flash so maybe they took the feature out on the k1?)........Yes that option is removed from the K1 ..no built in flash also on the Godox flash controller, try pressing the sync button TWICE it might cycle between HSS, and second curtain sync... I think it goes from "normal" to "hss" to "trailing curtain"....That is how it works on the Canon version of the Xpro, but if you do that on the Pentax version all you get is the benefit of the exercise... I have just updated to the latest firmware, but no solution. All the printed blurb claims this feature is supported, but I have my doubts......... davekdo you have a second Godox flash with dedicated pentax hotshot? maybe the controller doesn't have the feature but the flash unit used as controller will? just a wild guess.... |
| Flash query Posted in Flash Photography |
Have no idea what the others are saying here... on the Pentax k3 you push the flash button on the back dial of the camera body, then hit "Trailing curtain sync" option and the body fires trailing curtain synch. did they remove that option on the k1? (the k3 has built in flash so maybe they took the feature out on the k1?) this is similar to how the option is chosen on the Sony a7III body.. I haven't tested this on the pentax but you can do it on the sony body with godox flashes so I assume it would work on pentax the same way. also on the Godox flash controller, try pressing the sync button TWICE it might cycle between HSS, and second curtain sync... I think it goes from "normal" to "hss" to "trailing curtain".... |
| Do I switch to another brand? Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
Nearly all my Pentax lenses can be used with AF on my A7ii. Including many that are manual lenses. My Takumar 300/4 is one of those too heavy for adapting that way. The Auto 110 lenses don't support AF either but they can be used if you're happy to ignore the poorer coverage they work manually (unlike on a PK body).what adaptor are you using? I've had no luck finding an AF pk to Sony adaptor. is the one you have Full frame? I do have a Gobe DA-PK to Sony with aperture ring, and a terrific fotodiox macro PK to Sony with drop in nd filters. |
| reviews and video settings. Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
I can see that a few people are getting a bit fed up with the negativity, and I think that everyone has actually been very accommodating in listening to the contrary view. The points that were raised have been raised but there's little point in just repeating the same things, so time now to rest this and move on before tempers get frayed.Thank goodness, multiple postings from someone who cannot tell the difference between an iPhone snap and a DSLR photo is just tedious.there's always that one low life person that likes to take a cheap shot after the bell rings isn't there? |
| reviews and video settings. Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
14 years and 6000+++ posts earns me the right to have an opinion, even if a few stubborn mules don't want to hear it. :) going back to 2005 I predicted the rise of video and stills convergence and started giving Pentax feed back on where the future was going... I transfer images into a folder on my desktop (card readers in my epson proofing printers, and cameras allow up to 5 memory cards to be downloaded simultaniously to my Imac.), batch rename and burn that folder to dvd rw. then run photo reviewer to reject duds. Automator actions (mac program- to die for) takes over from here. I-photo on my networked Emac imports the photos, sorts them, lays out web page and updates my private section of my web page, and burns a disc of html files for customer to proof) My imac then launches PS to batch process the images and import them into Iphoto , then Iphoto is used to sort images and send to Idvd, when customer gets back on thier choices the idvd project is edited and burned. We'll be adding hd video to the mix next year and I movie will be incorporated. We have a 1 day turnaround on the proofs, and have to get things right in camera and be quick about it. print orders are taken and only images chosen for print are carefully edited for printing. (usually these were portraits shot raw/adobe rgb). Customer walks away with dvd album, html cd for sharing, and enlargements for wall/albums. I archive copies for safe keeping. Raw workflow is too slow, and Idvd can't use any other colorspace than srgb. Maybe apples aperture will change everything for us...we'll let you know.I was the first in my area to go full digital. I was first in my area to go full multimedia. I've always been able to predict future trends and be ahead of the curve. decades go by and I realized I had invested far too much time and money into a brand that lacks vision and listens to people that are afraid to look ahead. quoting myself from this forum from 2006, and as early as 2006 I saw the convergence coming: My personal viewpoint on minolta is that they bet the farm on aps and lost. minolta is not truly gone, just owned by sony....the factory, like the land of a conquered nation, is still there, just flying a different flag. I wonder if still and video will one day merge and ALL slrs wil be obsolete... can an interchangable lens, 8 mp hdd 100gig hd camcorder be that far off in the future? I'm constantly pushing my significant other to integrate more and more multimedia into her business. As the ability to combine dvd video, web, print, and music into one package is very apealing to consumers in our market area.so it's not like I'm saying anything new on the subject, only now... I no longer promote the brand as it's a proven bad investment long term. the problem was I got tied into the brand and had too much invested by the time Pentax showed it was unwilling to go where the market was heading. I had started buying Pentax in the 80's. back in the 80's & 90's Pentax's BACKWARD compatibility was a good thing... but in 2019 Pentax's LACK of current technology is VERY BAD FOR BUSINESS. |
| reviews and video settings. Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
Anyone buying a Pentax for its video capabilities is buying the wrong camera, but you know that yet bought one anyhow! What more can anyone say?that was the trapping of having been loyal customer for decades, being tied to a dying brand..... and in the not too distant future, more people will probably find themselves in the same boat.... stuck with worthless older items and forced into a new system anyways whether they want to or not. When I bought the k3, I knew better than to buy anymore lenses, and started saving for the inevitable switch, when the k1 came out... I opted not to buy in.... the transition from Titanic to lifeboat to the Carpathia was planned. I stopped listening to the people who said "This ship is unsinkable" before it sank. have a nice swim. :) |
| reviews and video settings. Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
[quote:3496ace15f="JAK"] "If you really believe...." "IMHO smartphones don't do either very well."... " I'm not aware of "....So your beliefs and opinions are based on what you're "not aware of.... "... lol! do some research... I have done mine.... sales of smartphones are gutting camera sales of all types in the mass consumer market... companies like canon and Sony are seeing d-slr sales plummet as consumers in the prosumer markets switch to mirrorless.... and pro's are losing markets and profitability to prosumers with less expensive gear across the board leading to a shift in lower demand for pro camera gear... So why didn't you opt for that iphone you linked to in preference to that Sony you recently obtained? Think of all the size and weight you wouldn't have to carry. In any event a grand is a lot to spend on an a product you may not like or have much use for and that will be superseded within 12 months. At least Pentax have a longer 'shelf' life. Thank goodness we're not being continually bombarded with new super updated models every few months because Google or Apple have revised their operating system for the umpteenth time. Why can't they get it right first time? Re that Huawei, you'd be pretty stuck with one of those. I've seen the adverts and reviews, LOL, No thank you. Horrible. Surely anyone using phone for photography must have experienced it wanting to update its apps and/or OS leaving you with a something that won't be ready to use for thirty minutes or more. Ugh at the thought of it. Not really a solution at all unless you believe all the hype but it seems many do. I don't recall my ME and MX ever requiring a firmware update. But the latest phones will be on the scrapheap in no time at all.[/quote] I most certainly do use an iPhone for some of my pro work.... the thing about all the cameras I own that shoot stills is this: EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM does stills as well as video equally well EXCEPT the Pentax system.. the only cameras I REGRET buying are the Pentaxes because Pentax is the only manufacturer that deliberately forced me to go out and buy all the same lenses and accessories for a new system from their competitor.... in many situations where I shoot both stills and video, if I have to leave anything behind it's the Pentax that winds up collecting dust because every other camera has dual uses.... why would I want to lug a d-slr and lenses and flash units around and then have to pack a mirrorless with ALL the same focal length lenses to switch to video when the mirrorless shoots both stills and video... even my pro camcorder that doesn't shoot stills, I can justify carrying it becuase none of the other cameras can be set up to record for six straight hours when needed... and the occasional 4k screen grab can be tossed in to a video slideshow of stills and no one will even notice it came from a camcorder... and it does dual purpose on pro sound and can replace or work with the separate audio recorders and pro microphones. every camera has things it does particularly well and some cameras are chosen for certain tasks for good reasons... but as I've said before.... the only thing my Pentax does that the sony mirrorless can't do is be used to hammer in tent pegs while camping becuase I don't care if it gets damaged! and any time it's not being used for phone or camera duties... the iPhone again can be used as an audio recorder, editor an publisher as well as remote control for all the other cameras except for...you guessed it.. the Pentax k3.... so it's a Swiss army knife tool on set for me... |
| reviews and video settings. Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
"If you really believe...." "IMHO smartphones don't do either very well."... " I'm not aware of "....So your beliefs and opinions are based on what you're "not aware of.... "... lol! do some research... I have done mine.... sales of smartphones are gutting camera sales of all types in the mass consumer market... companies like canon and Sony are seeing d-slr sales plummet as consumers in the prosumer markets switch to mirrorless.... and pro's are losing markets and profitability to prosumers with less expensive gear across the board leading to a shift in lower demand for pro camera gear... So Canon definitely needs to step up. Their current mirrorless offerings aren’t good enough for many pros but aren’t cheap enough for many enthusiasts. But it’s always the competition’s fault. Or smartphones. At least, according to Canon.as far as full frame d-slrs competing against mirrorless is concerned... all Pentax's competition in the pro level market are offering pro video specs, leaving Pentax to be slow at delivering one wheeled motorcycles to the market as they ignore video meaning they're offering HALF the features of their competitors. what's the market share for one wheeled motorcycles these days? ;) |
| reviews and video settings. Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
People can’t afford to buy two separate systems. One for photos and one for video. Too costly. Consumer demand is for devices that... like smartphones can do both. Equally well. Companies like canon are hurting because they offer to much diversity in their product lines and every new model winds up cutting into other products sales . Companies like Fuji Oly and Panasonic are fairing better because they can throw as many features into their products without have to compete or gut sales from another one of their own models or divisions. Future for d-slrs is going to be a very small number of companies with very limited products and consumers will likely look for “everything but the kitchen sink” feature list... Because “more megapickles “ to a person who doesn’t want to have to buy a more powerful computer to edit on, isn’t gonna sway the sale as much as “oh it does great video and live streams too?” |
| reviews and video settings. Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
IIRC Pentax was sort of ahead of the game once with the K20D; it was one of the first DSLRs that could sort of do video albeit at only 14 fps...Pentax missed three very important opportunities with video... Q, 645d, and k01.... the Q would be a direct competitor to the action cam sector with a few accessories and better video specs go pro competitor with interchangeable lenses. 645d would right up there with Arri, RED and the likes with a 70mmm film equivalent sensor... (arri Alexa 65) k01 would be a direct competitor with Black Magic Designs but a larger sensor... in all cases the fact that there competitors out there shooting pro video in each class means Pentax had a chance to gather market share with three models with serious video... they chose to be blind to the market. |
| reviews and video settings. Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
There's always a lot of moaning around features, and soul searching about what it means to be Pentax etc. We're all Pentax users, and we all have different use cases and therefore different personal requirements. I don't care that my Pentax has features I wont use, but if they're there they should be good and aligned to others in the market. I don't use WiFi myself, as I process every file that comes off my Pentax (akin to developing int eh old film days) but I'm fine that others use it and have the expectation that Pentax delivers something decent for them. Likewise for in camera HDR or any in camera JPG processing options etc. I'd like to think others could take that stance when some Pentax Users want better video capabilities...agree and would add the following commentary... there is no doubt the Sony hybrid AF system performs equal (being very generous here becuase I'm pretty sure it's no contest win for Sony) or better than Pentax's af.... the cpu power and memory buffers that make recording 4k video possible would also equal or improve upon Pentax's current file handling speeds and burst shooting modes. you can't argue that 24, 30 and with some models 60 frames per second at 6 k resolution (sony ff mirrorless record at 6k and downsample to 4k) at high bit rates is less taxing than 10 fps stills burst mode.... so any upgrades to video specs won't take away stills capabilities but would would only provide the hardware to improve the current stills capabilities... kinda win win for everybody to say "make it better" |
| reviews and video settings. Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
I've been working on a project which includes employing a professional film maker to create a short movie. He is using one of the Sony XT mirrorless cameras. I have no interest in movie making at all, but we have to accept that convergence is one of the main technological trends of which the "smart phone" is the prime example.I'm a filmmaker also. for low budget and personal work, creative experiments etc I use my own gear. for bigger productions I use my gear plus I rent anything over and above what I own. I was a high school yearbook photographer using a Pentax k1000. I've worked on films and been published in many magazines around the world. last year I did shots for a film project using a $80,000.00 Red camera rig. I have used every type of camera in-between. I recently spent approx $20,000.00 switching from Pentax to Sony Mirrorless. here's why: I own three Pentax d-slrs all of them have practically no resale value here in Manitoba Canada For stills photography there is really NOTHING I can do with the Pentax system that the Sony a7III can't do equally or better (except maybe scientific photos for astrophotography the noise reduction sometimes makes faint or small stars disappear). but.. I also own some go-pro cameras... almost anything (again there's a physical size difference in the cameras) I shoot with a go-pro the a7III can shoot albeit with some accessories like underwater housing, or a camera rig cage. I own a drone... again.. if I rent a bigger drone I can mount an a7III to it. I have a professional video camera... again... with a cage, external monitor, and a few accessories... anything my pro 4k camcorder can do, the a7III can also do. I use an iPhone for some shots also again the a7III can do pretty much anything the iPhone can do.. all of the above except the dedicated pro camcorder, goes equally for stills and video.. the Pentax only stills becuase the video specs are unusable really. in every instance where I can use the sony mirrorless instead of a dedicated camera for the type of shot I'm doing there's usually one or two reasons I might go to the trouble of setting up the a7III over the dedicated camera... and it usually pertains to the need to use specialty lenses or accessories to get a better shot.... my drone doesn't have a power zoom lens for example... the GoPro video quality is limited by the sensor and adding a wider or tele lens adapter might make the video too low quality in low light so for a car action scene at night... the a7III might be the smarter choice to mount to the outside of a car... now understanding everything I just said... if you could afford only ONE camera system. and you knew today you might be working on a film set, and tomorrow you might be covering an event and next weekend you might have a wedding... and clients might be asking for video, or stills or both... what system would you buy? lastly... if you, like me, had a huge investment in one system, but then found yourself forced to buy into a whole new system becuase one feature, that all the other companies offer pro level specs for, flat out refuses to acknowledge that this feature belongs on a D-slr... well that $20,000.00 I spent with sony came out of Pentax's pocket, becuase the sale was theirs to lose. I'd rather have spent that money on Pentax lenses and upgrades to maintain system compatibility than buying thier competitors versions of things I already owned Pentax versions of... but at least I know with 100% certainty that my sony lenses I buy for the A7III can be used on pro film cameras like the Sony Venice and with adaptors on things like RED and Black Magic designs cameras. so again... pentax is not only losing sales... they're actually HELPING their competitors by forcing people to switch. even the Ricoh Theta is losing sales to the Insta360 and go-pro fission/max cameras over video quality. and oh... I bought two specialty adaptors that let me use ALL my pentax lenses on the a7III and the only thing my Pentax K3 can do that the sony a7III cannot do is... autofocus Pentax lenses becuase there's not enough interest for any third party to make an AF adaptor from Pentax for the sony. but even so, try manually focussing the k3 in low light vs manually focussing a pentax lens on the a7III with evf and focus peaking... so there's still one thing the a7 will win at... |
| 'Upgrade to K-1' quandary... Posted in Pentax Digital Camera Discussion |
My switch from aps-c to FF involved: switching brands to Sony mirrorless. adapting all my legacy FF manual focus lenses for shooting video on the Sony. one adapter with aperture ring for my aps-c da lenses... adapting my Pentax wr100 for portrait and macro work on the Sony. setting my k3 kit aside more less to be kept as a back-up camera or studio stills shooting. The k3 is as nice as It ever was, even if it doesn't get used as much as it should... no regrets going FF with Sony. the new sony lenses are great, albeit pricey.... but being able to use the old Pentax glass is nice also. would not recommend the sony if astrophotography is your primary interest.... despite the great low light performance and sharp glass available there is a known software quirk that treats some smaller, fainter stars as dust or noise and it removes them... :shock: you can still get great shots, just not accurate enough for astro related work. |
| Go Mobile! Posted in General Photographic Discussion |
I've been lambasted a few times in various venues lol for my perspective on pro video features being a necessity.... for using an iPhone on "Pro" photography and film sets and more... in my arsenal I have a half dozen cameras each designed for various uses and they all get used. it's been nearly a year since my old k3 got dusted off... last time Iused it I had a project to shoot over a thousand portraits to create a mosaic shot for a multi cultural non profit organization... the reason I used it there was simple... I had to shoot studio styled portrait shots from morning to even for several days and the k3 and my ancient but bombproof elinchrom studio strobes were the best tools in my arsonal for that job's specific workflow.... could have done it with my mirrorless sure or the iPhone.... true.. but... on a tripod, fixed manual focus, all day shooting with the battery grip and two batteries, a well sorted tried and true workflow from set up to post production... it was good to see it getting used. most people who scoff at things like drones, go pros, iPhones etc on real sets are doing themselves a disservice. they're locking themselves into a mindset that may not see the future... I see a future where d-slrs will not necessarily die completely , after all we still have people shooting film, using large format cameras and glass plates... but they sure as hell aren't "mainstream" or using modern technology and they're few and far between .... |
| Black background Posted in General Photographic Discussion |
A piece of black velvet fabric taped to foam core works. |
| Tripod feet - spikes or rubber feet Posted in General Photographic Discussion |
Manfrotto had spikes with rubber feet combo that you could spin the rubber foot to expose or hide the spikes. Sacthler tripods and many others have slip on shoes with rubber retaining tabs... given how many options there are, I say buy a tripod that has both, use whatever works for the job at hand. Having said that... I’ve seldom needed to use spikes. A couple times in mountains and streams for nature hikes and once to convince a would be mugger to depart without my wallet and valuables while doing some night photography in the city... |
| light meter app Posted in General Digital Photography Discussion |
According to the notes of the Mylightmeter app ,incident metering requires a diffuser to work. There are no further details about diffuser.Although I have read about a Luxi diffuser for iPhone, but am unsure of compatibility. I have emailed the developer of this app and a waiting for response. Regardsexpodisc was a diffuser lens meant to cover the lens of your camera to use as an incident meter... so I'd imagine the diffuser for an iPhone would be nothing more than a simple piece of white plastic about the thickness and density of a ping pong ball, just a lot smaller. again... not much better than simply taking a standard meter reading off your hand and then opening up a stop and a half from the reflected reading. |
| light meter app Posted in General Digital Photography Discussion |
I tried an app for iPhone years ago and tested it side by side against my Polaris light meter, and camera light meter. my Polaris was one of the cheapest flash meters on the market, but very accurate and reliable over the years. tested against my friends sekonic and accurate to 1/10th of a stop against a light meter that cost three times as much. I can't remember the app I tried but I remember deleting it. it was rubbish. I'm not sure what type of shooting you intend to use this with, but I suspect you'd fare better to get a grey card and learn to read your camera histogram to get accurate exposures for most situations.... or a used light meter perhaps. |
| Why do we need more AF points? Posted in Pentax Digital SLRs |
My Sony a7iii and Sony hdr-nx80 both share the most advanced af systems I’ve ever used. The wide area af with tones af points allow the cameras to track objects, pick out subjects and nail focus in situations where the k3 falls on its face. As a long time pro, who preferred manual focus and back button spot af, I can telll you 100% my camcorder and mirrorless on full af can outperform the k3, and me. Anywhere, any time and under any conditions. Having admitted that... The k3 is still every bit the great camera it always was... An upgraded af system that brings up to. The same league as the class leaders wouldn’t hurt anything but your pride if you find yourself using full auto more than you’d have ever believed possible in the past. |
| 540 FGZ ii - Can it do wireless P-TTL HSS? Posted in Flash Photography |
K3 built in flash can act as controller or fill flash with hss if memory serves me correctly. I’ve always preferred to use the off camera cable kit for hss. If you want radio, you might consider the Godox system. It’s astounding and affordable |
| Godox Posted in Flash Photography |
The newest Pentax flash will work with the AD200 as it turns out because it can be programmed to wireless and a channel number :DWhich newest Pentax flash? |
| Sensor Density...How dense can we go? Posted in Pentax Digital Camera Discussion |
Anyhow, if all things were equal, the main advantage for me in higher pixel count is the potential it offers for more extreme cropping.as a video shooter I can attest that the image quality when you crop in from FF to APS-c on the a7III or the extended zoom function (same thing) on the NX80 there's no loss in quality... I have a custom button set up on my a7III to "zoom in" instantly.... when needed... on event shoots this means my 16-35 is the only lens I need... I think it would be a great feature for stills photographers to have a custom function you set up just like bracketing focus and bracketing EV if you could have the camera "bracket" your cropping based the af sensors... nature and sports photographers would save some time in post that way. |
| K-3ii upgrade to K-3iii Posted in Pentax Digital Camera Discussion |
I think the video specs will improve once Pentax bring out a M/L camera. They have provided head autofocus in live view for a number of years . I am sure they can easily add this feature to an EVF ,should they release a M/L. Don. hang onto your Pentax glass , their may be use for it.here's a screen grab from an untouched file straight out of my pro camcorder.... I light my scenes carefully and try to get the look in camera as opposed to "fix it in post" so this is as intended to set the mood for the scene... I have adaptors to use Pentax lenses with the sonya7III which has the same sensor as my camcorder, so I am hanging onto a few of my Pentax lenses :) :D |
