There is nothing soft about Pentax DSLRs. This is a piece of misinformation put about by people used to over-sharpened pictures found on a certain copier-cameras.

You can either put the sharpness setting on high, or better, leave it on medium and sharpen in your preferred image editor.

Better yet, shoot RAW.

And of course, use sharp lenses. That tends to rule out cheap Sigmas. If you are concerned about sharpeness you will have to use good lenses, ensure your technique is beyond reproach, and get used to editing your images. And, shoot RAW. It's been said before, but I'll say it again; if you want quality, shoot RAW.

Shoot RAW
Shoot RAW
Shoot RAW
If you want quality, shoot RAW.

There's a song in there somewhere.

G

According to the best rumours available, the new camera will have:

1 In-body shake reduction
2 Ability to use new lenses with AF motor in the lens.
3 10 Mpixels
4 SD cards
5 Two-wheel operation like the *ist D.
6 A higher price than current models (this one is pretty certain!)


G

If by an "analogue lens" the man meant any lens other than a DA lens, then of course you can use them on a DSLR.

However, you are going to want something pretty long if you are up in the stands. I doubt that 200mm would be enough. I would suggest you consider the SMC Pentax-FA 1:4.5-5.6 80-320mm, which users seem to be very happy with. I don't own one myself.

For most people, 300mm on a DSLR is about the limit for practical hand-holdability. Longer lengths become problematic.

I can't advise on independents, except to say that you should not buy a Sigma unless you have first verified that the focus is accurate on your camera, and that exposure is correct.

Good luck

G

For those who aren't aware of it, today is Pentax World Day, when all Pentax owners are encouraged to take some pictures and submit them to the PWD (no, it doesn't stand for Public Works Department) website, which is here:

http://pentaxium.webvision.co.za/index.php

A worthy project. I am wondering if the photo of bottles of malt whisky is the work of somebody on this forum.

G

I have a Sto-fen diffuser, which is an expensive bit of translucent plastic which fits over the lens. I also have a Lumiquest pocket bouncer, which is an expensive bit of plastic which bounces light at the subject; and finally I have a blow-up diffuser which is again an expensive bit of plastic which attaches to the front of the flash and has the opposite effect of a professional off-camera flash-gun - it makes you look a bit of a wally.

However, I would say that the wally unit works best (larger diffusion area), and the Sto-fen worst.

I bought the wally unit on Ebay from a gentleman in China. It's pretty flimsy, and the adhesive it came with (to attach it to the gun) lasted about half an hour. Nowadays it is held on with a rubber band - like the Lumiquest.

Nothing beats a good softbox, and if I were again in the market for something like this I would investigate Lumiquest's mini-softboxes for attaching to a flash-gun. The bigger the area of the diffuser, the better.

Sometimes I just pin a white silk handkerchief to the front of the flashgun. It's better than nothing, and costs nothing (assuming you have a white silk handkerchief - they are easily acquired at Christmas time, given a not-too-subtle hint).

G

G

This tiny burst is, of course, what triggers the 360 to fire.

I sympathise with your problems. There is no feedback from the camera to tell you that you are on the right track, but eventually you will find, to your intense relief, that you have at last done everything right, and it all works.

I bought my 360 second-hand, and was on the point of taking it back when it suddenly decided to cooperate. I suspect that my nice camera shelf, with plenty of Pentax cousins nearby, was a more attractive proposition than the dusty shop window in full view of Canon shooters, and other vulgar types.

G

We haven't had 57 users on-line.

Well, you did ask.

G

Screw-mount Takumars only work properly on screw-mount cameras. On a K-mount, with adapter, you have to do your own stopping down.

But if you're shooting portraits, you might be happy to leave it wide open in Av mode. That way it'll meter correctly.

G

I would expect Kayro. If you had never heard of Cairo, as some Americans seem not to have done, you would go for a hard A.

It's why many Americans now make Moscow rhyme with cow. Forty years ago, it generally rhymed with go.

America is very democratic when it comes to language. The majority rules. Sadly, the majority doesn't know much.

George

Whatever you may have heard, Bruff is correct. There is a place in Yorkshire of the same name.

G