All Forum Comments
You are asking too much (and I know your post is tongue in cheek), but Mowog isn't. The reality is that the cameras he wants are both in existence now - just not made by Pentax. He's entitled to his view on what works best for him, just like all the rest of us are!
Comment by JonSchick posted on No more Pentax for me!... at 10/10/2010 - 21:28
You'll have fun with m43 - my GF1 is a replacement for what was a pretty decent compact (which I sold in part exchange), and I have never once regretted making the move. In particular, it's the ability to do more with selective focus and depth of field that makes such a difference compared to a point and shoot.
Comment by JonSchick posted on No more Pentax for me!... at 10/10/2010 - 21:21
I can understand the lure of 35mm sensor size - mainly in terms of better viewfinder and more control over depth of field.
But for me, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages... not least of which is that you need really top end glass with a larger sensor, so unless your lens collection is of excellent quality (FA Ltds or close) I think the results may not be quite as good as you'd hope. If you have the FA Ltd holy trinity and a few other lenses of equivalent quality then I can understand the frustration.
As for the small sensor camera, I'm not convinced by the "mini SLR" versions. The handling, especially with telephoto lenses, is not wonderful and I reckon you're better off with a small APSC SLR and have done with. However, I'm a delighted owner of the Panasonic GF1, which comes with a nice pancake lens, works nicely with some of my PK primes, and handles brilliantly for lenses at the wide-standard end of the spectrum (in 35mm equivalent terms, I think the camera works well from wide angle to about 135mm but is not ideal beyond that). A sort of Skoda owner's (that would be me!) Leica substitute. My camera, paired with the Olympus 9-18 (equiv to 12-24 on APSC) is still small enough to easily fit in a coat pocket, and is great fun to use.
Whatever you do, I hope it works for you - there's a lot of good equipment out there, all of which is a compromise of one sort or another. The trick is finding the right compromise for you, and it sounds like at the moment, Pentax doesn't quite fit your bill.
But for me, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages... not least of which is that you need really top end glass with a larger sensor, so unless your lens collection is of excellent quality (FA Ltds or close) I think the results may not be quite as good as you'd hope. If you have the FA Ltd holy trinity and a few other lenses of equivalent quality then I can understand the frustration.
As for the small sensor camera, I'm not convinced by the "mini SLR" versions. The handling, especially with telephoto lenses, is not wonderful and I reckon you're better off with a small APSC SLR and have done with. However, I'm a delighted owner of the Panasonic GF1, which comes with a nice pancake lens, works nicely with some of my PK primes, and handles brilliantly for lenses at the wide-standard end of the spectrum (in 35mm equivalent terms, I think the camera works well from wide angle to about 135mm but is not ideal beyond that). A sort of Skoda owner's (that would be me!) Leica substitute. My camera, paired with the Olympus 9-18 (equiv to 12-24 on APSC) is still small enough to easily fit in a coat pocket, and is great fun to use.
Whatever you do, I hope it works for you - there's a lot of good equipment out there, all of which is a compromise of one sort or another. The trick is finding the right compromise for you, and it sounds like at the moment, Pentax doesn't quite fit your bill.
Comment by JonSchick posted on No more Pentax for me!... at 10/10/2010 - 20:59
On the assumption that the K-5 is the same as the K-7, you have two options - both of which are used when the camera is in M mode (Av will not enable you to stop the lens down, even if you change the aperture ring).
Option one = green button, which is on the rear of the camera.
Option two = stop down by twisting the on/off/depth of field preview switch around the collar of the shutter, which will turn on the exposure meter in the viewfinder and enable you to change aperture (on lens) or shutter speed (using e-dial) until you have chosen the exposure you want. In other words, doing it this way enables stop-down metering, and by using the viewfinder display you can also dial in the exposure compensation that you think you might need.
I prefer option two, because once you've got used to it, it is very quick and easy to choose the aperture you want to use in advance, stop the camera down while you are looking through the viewfinder and then manually choose the correct shutter speed before shooting.
I can't comment about the istD, but compared to K100D and K20D, I find the metering in the K-7 generally to be more accurate with M lenses.
Option one = green button, which is on the rear of the camera.
Option two = stop down by twisting the on/off/depth of field preview switch around the collar of the shutter, which will turn on the exposure meter in the viewfinder and enable you to change aperture (on lens) or shutter speed (using e-dial) until you have chosen the exposure you want. In other words, doing it this way enables stop-down metering, and by using the viewfinder display you can also dial in the exposure compensation that you think you might need.
I prefer option two, because once you've got used to it, it is very quick and easy to choose the aperture you want to use in advance, stop the camera down while you are looking through the viewfinder and then manually choose the correct shutter speed before shooting.
I can't comment about the istD, but compared to K100D and K20D, I find the metering in the K-7 generally to be more accurate with M lenses.
Comment by JonSchick posted on K5/7 and M lenses at 10/10/2010 - 13:43
Yup - told you it was "as new"! Glad it arrived safely and enjoy using it.
Jon
Jon
Comment by JonSchick posted on Major clearout! Interesting lenses and other stuff for sale at 08/10/2010 - 21:03
Nice shot - I think you were shooting in challenging lighting conditions and resulting significant dynamic range - getting the eye without completely blowing the white highlights was probably too much to ask.
Comment by JonSchick posted on Eider Duck, Tamron 500mm Mirror Lens at 08/10/2010 - 17:49
Glad to hear all is well. Enjoy them!
Jon
Jon
Comment by JonSchick posted on Major clearout! Interesting lenses and other stuff for sale at 07/10/2010 - 16:30
Subject to payment, the clearout has...cleared out... Thanks all.
And in answer to one or two questions, no I'm not generating £ for a K-5! I love my K-7 so intend to keep it for a good while yet. Just clearing out to get my lens collection down to a more manageable size. It was all getting a bit out of hand!
And in answer to one or two questions, no I'm not generating £ for a K-5! I love my K-7 so intend to keep it for a good while yet. Just clearing out to get my lens collection down to a more manageable size. It was all getting a bit out of hand!
Comment by JonSchick posted on Major clearout! Interesting lenses and other stuff for sale at 05/10/2010 - 21:06
Tamron 24mm lens sold so now only the Kenko AF DG 2X teleconverter is left. Thanks for looking, Jon
Comment by JonSchick posted on Major clearout! Interesting lenses and other stuff for sale at 05/10/2010 - 19:55
Final couple of items left. Both as new. Tamron ADii 24/2.5 boxed with hood (£40) and Kenko AF DG 2X teleconverter boxed with pouch (£70). Going to EBay if they aren't sold by the end of the week. Cheers, Jon
Comment by JonSchick posted on Major clearout! Interesting lenses and other stuff for sale at 05/10/2010 - 16:59
