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Comment by Mongoose posted on Posting lenses abroad to oneself at 27/05/2007 - 17:16
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2. Fix any obvious problems in the TIF files such as colour casts etc. (In the latest batch I have about 20 shots with a nasty CCD splodge almost right in the centre ). I use Paintshop Pro 11 for this at the moment. It has noise removal, sharpening and and curve adjustment features which I've used to fix scanned slides. I haven't found much of a need for these features yet with my istDS images.
you really want to have fixed such things as colour casts by this point. The likes of Silkypix are superb for this but from the sound of it you aren't going to want to shell out for it based on the amount of photography you do. You can actually do quite a lot in Pentax Lab using its white balance tab. I usually used either the eyedropper to pick a grey area in the image, or played around with the colour temperature and fine adjustments until it looked right. 2. Fix any obvious problems in the TIF files such as colour casts etc. (In the latest batch I have about 20 shots with a nasty CCD splodge almost right in the centre ). I use Paintshop Pro 11 for this at the moment. It has noise removal, sharpening and and curve adjustment features which I've used to fix scanned slides. I haven't found much of a need for these features yet with my istDS images.
Hope this helps
Comment by Mongoose posted on Image processing strategy - still confused at 27/05/2007 - 10:35
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....I expect I would just be charged for the duty rather than be prosecuted for a one-off £120 import.
I didn't ask for the customs form to be falsified and I had no knowledge that it was going to be.
ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law, not saying you would be prosecuted, I don't know, but you would certainly be the liable party.....I expect I would just be charged for the duty rather than be prosecuted for a one-off £120 import.
I didn't ask for the customs form to be falsified and I had no knowledge that it was going to be.
For this reason I never buy anything pricey from those Hong Kong sellers
Comment by Mongoose posted on Buying from Hong Kong Advice at 27/05/2007 - 10:29
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Hiya,
Back to the original point about what happens to Pentax when Hoya finally dumps them..which everyone 'in the know' realises will happen at some point in time.
Here is some real 'left field' speculation mixed in with some hope, bearing in mind I am a Contax & Zeiss fan...
I believe I am correct in thinking that the Contax brand name reverts to the useage of Carl Zeiss later this year (back from Kyocera). Sony/Minolta have a tie up with Zeiss in respect of lenses for their new DSLR's and it looks like they are due to release a full frame DSLR next year.
.....now what Zeiss really need is some manufacturing capacity to make Contax brand cameras.....what if they either bought Pentax, or struck some deal with the owners to make Contax brand DSLR's?, possibly with the Pentax K mount?
maybe I have been drinking too much, but it just seemed like a solution of sorts to two companies problems...
cheers Steve.
whilst it would be mightily cool to have Zeiss glass available in PK bayonet, this doesn't seem overly likely to me. As you say Zeiss already have a tie up with Sony, the more likely course I would have thought would be for Sony and Zeiss to collaborate on that rumored full frame, badge it Contax and put a Minolta mount on it.Hiya,
Back to the original point about what happens to Pentax when Hoya finally dumps them..which everyone 'in the know' realises will happen at some point in time.
Here is some real 'left field' speculation mixed in with some hope, bearing in mind I am a Contax & Zeiss fan...
I believe I am correct in thinking that the Contax brand name reverts to the useage of Carl Zeiss later this year (back from Kyocera). Sony/Minolta have a tie up with Zeiss in respect of lenses for their new DSLR's and it looks like they are due to release a full frame DSLR next year.
.....now what Zeiss really need is some manufacturing capacity to make Contax brand cameras.....what if they either bought Pentax, or struck some deal with the owners to make Contax brand DSLR's?, possibly with the Pentax K mount?
maybe I have been drinking too much, but it just seemed like a solution of sorts to two companies problems...
cheers Steve.
Comment by Mongoose posted on Hoya take over of Pentax goes ahead. at 08/06/2007 - 12:57
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When I made my first move to digital I bought a Sony DSC T3 compact, and I've been very pleased with it. The fact that it took video too was a bonus but not the main reason for getting it. Ironically, though, I've used it far more for video than stills. Hardly HD, but surprisingly good - VGA resolution at 30fps, and very handy for the short clips I wanted to capture.
that's great, and indeed I myself have a Lumix compact which can take a pretty amusing short video clip on occasions. Still I wouldn't for a second suggest that someone who wants a video camera should go and buy one.When I made my first move to digital I bought a Sony DSC T3 compact, and I've been very pleased with it. The fact that it took video too was a bonus but not the main reason for getting it. Ironically, though, I've used it far more for video than stills. Hardly HD, but surprisingly good - VGA resolution at 30fps, and very handy for the short clips I wanted to capture.
There's a big difference between a camera which can shoot VGA video at 30fps and take 5mp point and shoot photographs and a device with which Stanley Kubrick can create "A Clockwork Orange" and then hand it over to our friend Ben for a fashion studio shoot. Particularly if you want it to fit in your current SLR camera bag.
Comment by Mongoose posted on Hoya take over of Pentax goes ahead. at 06/06/2007 - 14:21
I am still sceptical of the feasibility of a device which does both to the standard required. I will not buy a "jack of all trades, master of none" and I'm pretty sure neither will most serious amateurs or pros in either medium.
If it ever happens, I think it's a very long way off yet.
If it ever happens, I think it's a very long way off yet.
Comment by Mongoose posted on Hoya take over of Pentax goes ahead. at 06/06/2007 - 10:54
I agree with Tyr I really don't see video and still photography as competing.
I for one, and I don't think I'm alone, have no interest in video as an art form. As a recording of certain important moments (your child learning to ride their first bike springs to mind) maybe, but not as a replacement for still capture.
there are just too many things you can do with stills which simply cannot be done with video.
So I will never replace my SLR with a video camera. It is possible that I will one day be forced to buy an SLR equivalent which can also take video, but like the camera on my mobile phone this will only be because I can't get the same device cheaper without it.
I for one, and I don't think I'm alone, have no interest in video as an art form. As a recording of certain important moments (your child learning to ride their first bike springs to mind) maybe, but not as a replacement for still capture.
there are just too many things you can do with stills which simply cannot be done with video.
So I will never replace my SLR with a video camera. It is possible that I will one day be forced to buy an SLR equivalent which can also take video, but like the camera on my mobile phone this will only be because I can't get the same device cheaper without it.
Comment by Mongoose posted on Hoya take over of Pentax goes ahead. at 05/06/2007 - 16:19
looks like fortune does favour the brave! happy shooting
Comment by Mongoose posted on 21mm f3.2 - HEADS UP £200 ON EBAY BIN at 29/05/2007 - 11:13
oops, posting in a hurry again
my speling is teribel
my speling is teribel
Comment by Mongoose posted on 21mm f3.2 - HEADS UP £200 ON EBAY BIN at 25/05/2007 - 23:57
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Ok… I have taken a small considered risk and bought the 21mm f/3.2. Thanks for the 'heads up' SMC!
I feel the same way about sellers who can't string sentences together and have poor spelling etc. but this seller has got respectable/acceptable feedback, plus the fact that I want to try this lens out for myself and the fact that my finger started getting itchy when it hovered over the 'BIN' button.
I will keep this thread updated with any future joy/sorrow that results from this (slightly) impetuous purchase
Batty
best of luck, if it comes off it will be the bargain of the yearOk… I have taken a small considered risk and bought the 21mm f/3.2. Thanks for the 'heads up' SMC!
I feel the same way about sellers who can't string sentences together and have poor spelling etc. but this seller has got respectable/acceptable feedback, plus the fact that I want to try this lens out for myself and the fact that my finger started getting itchy when it hovered over the 'BIN' button.
I will keep this thread updated with any future joy/sorrow that results from this (slightly) impetuous purchase
Batty
Comment by Mongoose posted on 21mm f3.2 - HEADS UP £200 ON EBAY BIN at 25/05/2007 - 17:13
I have the feeling that this is a trip of a lifetime and I want to make the most of it. I am prepared to take some risks doing it.