All Forum Comments
Comment by JAK posted on Vivitar 5000 ring flash at 19/04/2012 - 00:27
Perhaps the list was put together by a focus group!
John
John
Comment by JAK posted on 100 things about photography at 18/04/2012 - 23:13
George Lazarette wrote:
Hyper-program mode was introduced on the Pentax Z1 film camera, dropped on the MZ-S, and re introduced on the *ist D.
It involves two wheels, one before and one behind the shutter release. If the camera is in Program mode (Auto aperture AND auro shutter), turning the front wheel changes the shutter speed to whatever you specify, thus automatically changing the mode to Shutter-priority.
Turning the rear wheel alters the aperture, and changes the mode to Aperture-priority. And so on.
It's the quickest and easiest method I know of to change modes.
Nowadays, you can program the wheels to do pretty much whatever you want.
G
It's also on Pentax's that don't have the two wheels George.Hyper-program mode was introduced on the Pentax Z1 film camera, dropped on the MZ-S, and re introduced on the *ist D.
It involves two wheels, one before and one behind the shutter release. If the camera is in Program mode (Auto aperture AND auro shutter), turning the front wheel changes the shutter speed to whatever you specify, thus automatically changing the mode to Shutter-priority.
Turning the rear wheel alters the aperture, and changes the mode to Aperture-priority. And so on.
It's the quickest and easiest method I know of to change modes.
Nowadays, you can program the wheels to do pretty much whatever you want.
G
Pentax describe it as a mode that automatically sets the shutter speed and aperture value to obtain a proper exposure according to a 'Program Line' when taking pictures.
The Program Line is a means of presetting an automatic mode in the camera menu system. In (Menu 3 on a K-5) one of six options can be selected: Auto, Normal, Hi-Speed priority, Deep Depth of Field priority, Shallow Depth of Field priority or MTF priority that uses the optimum aperture setting for a given Pentax lens. It can be overridden with the setting wheel(s) and instantly reset with the green button.
On the K10D it looks to be more limited in its function. More like an AUTO mode that just allows exposure compensation to be made.
John
Comment by JAK posted on (Hyper Program) Mode - P at 18/04/2012 - 22:55
Anybody thought that they may have put the prices up so they can announce a big price reduction, perhaps in conjunction with a new camera release. Supermarkets do it all the time.
John
John
Comment by JAK posted on Pentax/Ricoh putting prices up at 18/04/2012 - 22:28
There's several on eBay presently, but doubt they're giving them away!
John
John
Comment by JAK posted on pka fit teleconverter at 18/04/2012 - 22:25
I wouldn't even know where I could go and see one to try other than perhaps SRS. But that would be a long drive from here! Given I find the K-5 difficult to use in liveview mode, I cannot see how the K-01 would make it any easier, unfortunately, so it isn't something that I'd want regardless unlike, perhaps a FF DSLR or even an updated K-5. I would be curious to see one and who knows what happens on impulse, but that won't happen when there are none to be found locally. Even then I couldn't see that it would be for me.
I really can't see how it can be selling well if there are none around to buy. Still plenty of K-r's though.
John
I really can't see how it can be selling well if there are none around to buy. Still plenty of K-r's though.
John
Comment by JAK posted on K-01 wins design award at 17/04/2012 - 18:17
Yes I remember it. Can't think how or why a skylight filter could affect focussing. Mine's had a Jessops Skylight 1A from the day I got the lens, it just happened to be the first spare filter that came to hand and fitted. Personally I do wonder if the focussing issue is more to do with how the lens is used.
Relying on a long tele lens to quickly focus on the shutter half press in poor light might be beyond the camera's capability to do it reliably every time. I don't use it that way - I do it much the same as I did with a manual lens - use the auto focus (actually the AF button) to get it close and quick shift if necessary, or just try it on auto again until it gets it right. Shooting blindly away when it clearly isn't right sounds like a waste of time to me! I guess that comes from having used ME's etc where you just had to focus it yourself. I never actually bothered about any of the automatic focussing cameras until I got an EOS, quickly followed by a K100D. (Sold the EOS to partly fund the K-5.) I'd had far to many off focus efforts with point and shoot cameras so was well aware of the pitfalls, which still seem to be with us.
Maybe we should be able to rely on technology, but I've yet to see a camera with a built in brain scanner to work out what it is you're taking! With a 300mm lens wide open there's no scope for allowing for focussing errors like there is with a wide angle.
Regarding the polariser, it is reducing the light to quite a low level. Pentax recommended against using a teleconvertor on an 5.6 lens due to lack of light - a polariser would have much the same issue so the camera would be struggling to get enough contrast for the focussing to work.
John
Relying on a long tele lens to quickly focus on the shutter half press in poor light might be beyond the camera's capability to do it reliably every time. I don't use it that way - I do it much the same as I did with a manual lens - use the auto focus (actually the AF button) to get it close and quick shift if necessary, or just try it on auto again until it gets it right. Shooting blindly away when it clearly isn't right sounds like a waste of time to me! I guess that comes from having used ME's etc where you just had to focus it yourself. I never actually bothered about any of the automatic focussing cameras until I got an EOS, quickly followed by a K100D. (Sold the EOS to partly fund the K-5.) I'd had far to many off focus efforts with point and shoot cameras so was well aware of the pitfalls, which still seem to be with us.
Maybe we should be able to rely on technology, but I've yet to see a camera with a built in brain scanner to work out what it is you're taking! With a 300mm lens wide open there's no scope for allowing for focussing errors like there is with a wide angle.
Regarding the polariser, it is reducing the light to quite a low level. Pentax recommended against using a teleconvertor on an 5.6 lens due to lack of light - a polariser would have much the same issue so the camera would be struggling to get enough contrast for the focussing to work.
John
Comment by JAK posted on First outing with the 55-300mm :) at 17/04/2012 - 17:49
2. Always shoot in RAW. Always.
Even if you just want a quick jpeg to upload to ebay? Why? Definitely not Always!
4. Photo editing is an art in itself.
Try photo editing a colour slide.
7. UV filters work just as well as lens caps.
But they don't stop the sun burning a hole in the viewfinder should the camera lens be left inadvertently pointing upwards.??
27. Always underexpose by 2/3rds of a stop when shooting in broad daylight.
Err?
84. Landscape photography can become dull after a while.
Yes, the sun can go in!
86. Never delete any of your photos.
What, even an out of focus shot of my feet taken by mistake??
Even if you just want a quick jpeg to upload to ebay? Why? Definitely not Always!
4. Photo editing is an art in itself.
Try photo editing a colour slide.
7. UV filters work just as well as lens caps.
But they don't stop the sun burning a hole in the viewfinder should the camera lens be left inadvertently pointing upwards.??
27. Always underexpose by 2/3rds of a stop when shooting in broad daylight.
Err?
84. Landscape photography can become dull after a while.
Yes, the sun can go in!
86. Never delete any of your photos.
What, even an out of focus shot of my feet taken by mistake??
Comment by JAK posted on 100 things about photography at 17/04/2012 - 14:58
darkskies wrote:
But one thing i found when I got the lens is that it won't focus well, particularly at longer focal lengths, if you have a UV filter on. If you've got one on, take it off.
I've not found that to be an issue but it doesn't hurt to experiment. f5.6 is getting on the slow side so auto focus might struggle on occasion, especially if the subject isn't particularly contrasty.But one thing i found when I got the lens is that it won't focus well, particularly at longer focal lengths, if you have a UV filter on. If you've got one on, take it off.
I normally use the AF button for focussing and turn it off on the shutter release. I like to know the picture is in focus before I take it! That's possibly a hang over from slide photography days when slides were expensive to waste. A friend of mine prefers to 'machine gun' subjects with a multiple burst of exposures hoping to get a good one.
John
Comment by JAK posted on First outing with the 55-300mm :) at 17/04/2012 - 11:45
It should come with a PC sync cord and 49mm, 52mm and 55mm adapter rings.
Flash has a manual and an auto setting which seems to work just fine. A second hand one shouldn't cost more than £45 top whack. A good bargain buy for macro work.
John