Hot answers tagged pentax
47
No, you don't.
In some circles of photography, the 50mm has reached almost cult religion status. It seems to solve everything from focus problems to technique stagnation to global warming. Ask a question about photography, and chances are, someone will recommend a 50mm lens as the solution ("I want to take images of the space station crossing the sun" "The ...
23
As these camera makers own a smaller market share than Canon or Nikon, they have often tried more radical and innovative approaches than the big two. You can see both Canon and Nikon as more traditional makers with very consistent and proven features in their cameras.
When Sony bought Konica-Minolta's camera division, they inherited the only body-based ...
21
Yes, all Pentax DSLRs accept all K-mount lenses. This includes autofocusing (if applicable), focus confirmation, metering, IS, etc.
The oldest two series, K and M series (database), do not have aperture contacts, and thus do not work with Av and Tv mode. Instead, you'll have to use M mode, but you will get meter readings. It can also suggest a shutter ...
20
There's so many nice Pentax primes — why pick just one when you can collect a whole set? That's why we have Lens Buying Addiction, after all!
In seriousness, based on what you've said, I think the smc PENTAX DA 35mm F2.8 Macro Limited may be the place you should start. But, I've used quite a few Pentax primes, so let me give you the whole tour, as it were.
...
19
Professional cameras such as the Canon 1D Mark IV have dual memory card slots for a variety of professional use cases. I will break them down into three main groupings:
Mirroring of the image across multiple cards for redundancy
Automatic switching to a second card after the first one reaches capacity
Ability to write different file formats to different ...
16
Possibly - but the real answer lies in whether you find yourself limited by your current lenses in available light and portrait situations.
Two stops is a lot of shutter speed and DoF, but I rarely find myself shooting my Sigma 50mm wide open at 1.4. Not because its too soft (its still plenty sharp for me there), but because the depth of field is so narrow ...
12
If you already owned some Sony glass, you'd probably wanted to stay with Sony. As you don't want to stay with Sony, I assume that you don't own much of their glass yet. In this case you are still free to choose whatever brand you like.
First choose the lenses you like. Think about what lenses you want to buy in two or three years. Buy a camera body and a ...
12
I default to the three-star setting (out of four), but I always use RAW + JPEG so I can revisit the choice, because there are situations where yes, it makes a difference. Particularly, when there is strong contrast across color channels, like a tree with red leaves or flowers against a blue sky, JPEG compression artifacts can be surprising visible with the ...
11
1) Power and features. A flash with more power will, of course, allow you to bounce to higher ceilings, go through larger diffuse objects, and do daylight fill-flash at further distances.
Quick feature discussion:
Tilt: Most models have this, save the lowly AF-200FG.
Swivel: Most model shave this, except the AF-360FGZ for some reason. Tilt/Swivel ...
10
On switching systems:
K-r and K-5 have greatly improved autofocus over the K-7 and earlier generations, both continuous and low-light. That said, 7D is class leading in continuous, and it's unlikely either will come close to the 7D's AF.
Since the K-x, Pentax really stepped up their ISO performance. K-r and K-5 look to be stellar. 7D/60D is a bit better ...
9
Canon E-TTL
E-TTL stands for "Evaluative Through the Lens" and was introduced in 1995.
A low power preflash is fired immediately before shutter opens and its reflectance is measured to determine correct flash exposure. Entire frame is analyzed by the same evaluative exposure metering system as ambient exposure, area under active AF point is given more ...
8
If you have trouble with to much sun, a ND (Neutral Density) might be want you want. This gives you the option of having a higher aperture even when there is much sun.
A polarization filter might also be handy. This way you could get rid of the reflections from the ocean. Also you could get that postcard feeling with a more blue sky.
There are many people ...
7
I'm not really here for self-promotion, but I would like to point out that I have put a lot of work into creating a Definitive Guide to Pentax Flash Options (http://pttl.mattdm.org/) website, specifically giving a detailed comparison of features of different Pentax P-TTL-compatible flash options, both from Pentax and third-party (Metz, Sigma, Promaster, ...
7
I use an older Pentax 50mm f/1.7 on my 60D and get spectacular results. I have the exact adapter shown in your post and it works great with barely any play between the lens and body.
The only problem with old glass is that it typically has poor handling of flare so be mindful of light sources and use a hood.
7
To use aperture priority on Pentax dSLR with FA lens, you have to leave the aperture ring to "A" and select the aperture on body.
With aperture ring in A mode, the FA lens will behave just like a DA lens. You can use Av mode and set aperture on the body, shutter time will be calculated according to automatically measured exposure.
With aperture ring set ...
7
No you don't
The number one reason for a beginner to get a 50mm lens is that on Canon and Nikon (don't know about other brands) the 50mm f/1.8 is cheap (the Canon 50 1.8 is the cheapest, smallest and lightest lens they make) - so it's a cheap introduction into the world of fast primes and it's so much better than the kit lens.
You already have a 40mm and a ...
7
As stated here ( and guessed by Dreamager) it is aligned with the lens release button of older Pentax cameras. It's much easier to change the lens in the dark. ( I don't really understand the advantage of the newer orange dots. )
From K-1000 user's manual:
In the dark, when red dots are difficult to see, align the white
plastic bump on the lens ...
7
As you can see from a side-by-side feature comparison, the K-5 has a few advantages — 14-bit processing, somewhat faster shutter, a few more modes on the dial. It has a top LCD screen, and it has a magnesium-alloy body. On the other hand, the K-30 has some improvements of its own. Whether these things are compelling to you is a personal decision, but as ...
6
Well, first things first as a Pentax shooter: look on the used market. I do this all the time (I shoot the Pentax K20) and there are some real gems to be had as bargains. Craigslist is a good place to start, lots of people selling off their parents 'old' Pentax film gear, with lenses attached, for a song and those old lenses can be amongst some of the better ...
6
My advice: get one or more primes. Why? For $300, there are a number of very high quality prime lenses available, particularly on Pentax with its extreme backwards compatibility, and so you're likely to find a pro-quality lens that you'll keep and use for years. On the other hand, at that price point it is very difficult to find a high-quality zoom.
You ...
6
Pentax does make their own extension tubes, but they are not AF-capable. You can get a set of tubes (12, 19 and 26mm) or separate 50mm and 100mm tubes that are auto-aperture, as well as a helicoid (adjustable) 26-46mm tube that requires setting the aperture manually on the lens. If you want extension tubes strictly for shooting macro (and want to stick to ...
6
If you Google "K10D back focus" then you'll find quite a few hits to it. It looks to me that the camera actually focussed behind, so that would indicate that problem and with an f/2.8 aperture, you're not giving a lot of depth to help compensate.
In any case, make sure your K10D is up to date on firmware and have a look at this thread on fixing the back ...
6
SEL or Select mode is a Pentax focus mode that allows you to select which point to focus on out of the available focus points. Auto mode is on the other hand going to select from the available focus points(11 in the case of the K10D) whichever it feels is the best using the TTL phase-matching system(SAFOX VIII) and the subject. A third option is available ...
6
as Itai's answer was very detailed, I will only add some details regarding to Pentax, which at least for me were important when buying my first DSLR:
1) support for AA batteries in Pentax entry level DSLR - some people love it, some hate it ... (I am from the first group :-) ) - currently you can decide as newest K-r supports both.
2) Pentax has excellent ...
6
You have quite a few questions here.
The first that you asked was about an ultra wide angle lens for the Pentax KR.
Sigma has an option in the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens, Pentax also offers the Tamron AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 SP Di II LD Aspherical (IF) Lens. If you are wondering why these two cost around $500, see this previous question:
Why are ...
5
Can't say much about the Pentax. I think Pkaeding offered some good advice regarding keeping/selling it.
Regarding upgrading, I guess there are a few options. First, I don't really think there is much of a contest betweeen the 50D and 60D. Outside of the 60D's slightly cheaper body (being more plastic), it is almost purely improvement over the 50D. The two ...
5
In your sample picture, one can see that the grass behind the child is in focus. There's several reasons this might happen. In this specific case, I think these are the most likely:
The AF system may be out of alignment with this lens. That's fairly common (for any camera and lens) and you'll find a lot of fussing about it online. Unfortunately the K10D, ...
5
A few points that haven't been mentioned about Sony's cameras:
The only way to get autofocus Zeiss lenses1. While Zeiss makes lenses for Canon and Nikon mounts, they're strictly manual focus.
Yes, old Minolta lenses work -- and many are almost amazingly good on digital. Just for one example, there was a recent comparative review of the old (circa 1985) ...
5
I'll add Sigma for completeness.
Sigma fits well with the "smaller camera makers can be more experimental" theme: Their primary claim to uniqueness is that the Sigma DSLRs are using a different type of sensor, the Foveon X3, which has higher per-pixel color resolution than the standard Bayer filter sensor.
A little background:
Almost all DSLRs use a type ...
5
As far as I know, the Pentax-brand tubes rely on an aperture set on the lens, so while they'll work with manual-focus K-mount lenses and most of the FA-series, they won't let you work properly with the D-series lenses that don't have an aperture ring. They are "auto" in the sense that they allow you to focus and meter wide-open, then stop the lens down to ...
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