foot in two systems II

The one thing Samsung's nx300 lacks that I need (not merely want) is weather sealing.  Pentax plays that game very well, though the new NX1 and S-glass brings Samsung up to speed.  Buying the S-series lenses is an expensive proposition right now, but hopefully over time that will change.

While checking in virtual back rooms I found a bargain DA50-200 WR zoom and a K200D body.  The K200 has been in my stable twice before, a fine weather resistant camera with one of the last CCD sensors for a dSLR.  I believe that only the K10 and K200 have weather-sealed bodies and a stabilized CCD sensor; Sony went to CMOS in the A700 as did Pentax with the K20.  The K200 sensor was also in my Sony A200 - so I've used it often in the past!

Here's a shot with my first K200 on a moist day in Mukilteo .. probably taken with my first DA50-200WR!

 How could a 2008 camera take such an image?  Clearly this requires two dozen focus points
and serious predictive-AF tracking algorithms?!?  Or .. not.

So today's kit|s consists of a WR Pentax with manual primes and a WR telephoto, and Samsung with its K adapter, 30mm pancake and OIS zooms. Pig or no pig, That'll do!

Samsung's 30mm f/2

Every camera brand has a few consensus picks: lenses or gadgets that every owner must choose or at least consider.  For NX owners the 30mm f/2 pancake is one of these.  Its tiny size, fast aperture and wonderful image quality is unmatched by the several kit zooms that overlap this focal length.  Consider that Pentax has their FA 31mm film lens that is universally praised at around $900, and I picked up the 30mm for $175 (to my surprise and delight).  I cannot compare the FA31 and NX30 as I never paid that amount for any Pentax lens - but I can say with confidence that images with the NX 30/2 are consistently great and fully deserving of its acclaim.  And being tiny it has no reason to stay at home!

30mm f/2 wide open

Samsung has other pancakes at 16 and 20mm.  Those are also convenient and faster than zooms in the range, but for the most part reviews are less consistently positive than for the 30.  None of the pancakes include stabilization, which is too bad.  Perhaps in the future I will pick up one or both but for now zooms, the 30mm and a few Pentax primes will do just fine.

diversion/rant: PJ and the Hobbitses

Sir PJ has done amazing work on the Hobbit trilogy. 
No, that is not a compliment, coming from me!

When I look back on life to see things that shaped me, Tolkien's classics come quite early - before Tangerine Dream (1974), my first really good camera (1972), both Yes and dreams of wilderness treks (1970) -- even just before my first telescope (early 1969).  My sister handed Middle Earth to me in sixth grade, so in 1968 I began my 'unexpected journey'.  I read it countless times over the years, and willingly stood in line three times for opening-night showings of the Lord of the Rings.  I felt several serious disappointments in its execution but overall found them to be good story-telling with insights I hadn't caught on my own (e.g. Saruman being the prime antagonist and not merely serving Sauron after the wraiths' fall at the Ford of Bruinen).  What was done with Faramir was inexcusable and lamely explained away as contrary to the Ring's evil - yet Tolkien himself had no issue with Nûmenor overpowering Sauron both here and in the Second Age.  (yes, go ahead and say it: I am a Fundamentalist Tolkienist!).

I was looking forward to the Hobbit as a film.  When it was rumored as two I was still cautiously OK. Once it reached three I feared that Sir PJ had far more story to tell than Tolkien himself did.  This came true swiftly as Azog failed to die at Nanduhirion and became a major player (diminishing Dain Ironfoot in the process, my favorite non-human just as Faramir was my favorite human in LOTR).  When the childhood tale mutated from a tedious jaunt in failing weather to a life-or-death chase to Rivendell, all I had left was the Gollum scene.  That went quite well, though even there it did not sit right: Bilbo held Sting at Gollum's throat before reconsidering, which would glow regardless of the Ring I'm thinking.  The Great Goblin scenes were silly enough to be in Tolkien's original intent for a scene, but other than CGI gone wild it did nothing for me other than allow me to roll my eyes away from the screen.

The second movie was as ugly as I expected, though PJ was kind enough to allow Beorn a few lines and Bolg to be introduced.  Radagast is insulting, Tauriel gratuitous - and Dol Guldur never captured Gandalf by the way.  Early scenes at the Lonely Mountain was nicely done, up to Smaug chasing dwarves  - then off it went over the top again with molten gold waiting for a lever to be pulled and everything being just in the right place and time.  Ugh.

Now I've watched many snips of the final part in trailer form, and while shocking nothing surprises me in its telling of a story I do not know.  I figured that nothing could be diminished by my seeing them, and I was correct.  Doubtless a few great scenes await, but oh the annoying sideways plots to endure...

What really rankled though was the interviews with Sir PJ, Phillipa and the other WETA masterminds.  They spoke in reverent tones of their treatment of the work, noting with certainty that the Battle of Five Armies was Sauron's first real stroke in the War of the Ring which ties the two stories together so well.  This allowed them to create transitional scenes that would fit nicely into the previous work in the Fellowship and beyond.

That's entirely crap.

• The Sauron that JRR introduced me to was well ahead of circumstances except for Smaug's demise; he was feinting his dissolution when the White Council cleared Dol Guldur, to reappear in Mordor as planned.  Fighting a major war would sorta show too much strength in Tolkien's happy-ending Hobbit book, and that's the ending this movie should have if Tolkien's intent were respected.
• Sauron was not controlling the Misty Mountain goblins in their dreams of conquest; gold and radically annoying Dwarves was more than enough motivation!
• The Woodland Elves must have been miffed at Thorin, but shoot to kill anything on the Mountain?  Oops, teaser.. :p sorry
• Other than High Elves leaving Middle Earth (and Frodo did NOT meet any High Elves in the Shire!) that's about the only 'transition' that could be correct.
• Sir PJ puts me entirely on the Tolkien family's side on the interpretation of events by their father/grandfather and I am relieved that so much extra material was withheld.  PJ and crew's arrogant statements that their work on the Hobbit movies transitions well into the flaws that they  introduced in LOTR?!?  To that I can only quote Thráin: 'this cannot be borne!'

There: I believe I am done.  I can move on without further expenditure of venom or any consideration of this work of fantasy that claims to reflect in any way the Tolkien material that I have savored for over forty-six years of my life.  Please keep these people away from the Silmarillion, Histories of Middle Earth and every bit of mythology, genealogies, botany, languages and other parts of Middle Earth that they might try to use for their gain.  

Ted Sandyman would be proud of Sir PJ and his team.  Oops, one last venomous drop!

learning by doing

I tried out a few nx300 features to see - not read about, but see! - how they perform.
First up was the panorama feature, something I hadn't owned since the Fuji F550.  One can do this with the camera held in either direction, and just release the shutter button when you have enough.  It does lock down most settings, and that needs to be seen in a photo to be understood.

My test shot began on an indoor wall so the nx300 set focus and exposure.. including white balance.  The shot swung left past our kitty and out to the porch.  Duncan is a much fuzzier cat in the photo as he's inside the set focus point, and outside is fuzzy overexposed and mighty blue due to tungsten WB!  These are not surprises, just part of what comes with certain features, and seeing it at its worst will help me use it better in the future.

Another feature I tested is in-camera processing.  Pentax has that down to an art, but we're holding a Samsung now.  I took a fine image of Duncan resting near the crackling fire with the 30mm f/2 pancake lens.  I then went into playback, cropped it mostly square (via touchscreen, quite nice!) and then added vignetting to lessen the distractions and focus on flames and cat.  Nice look and swiftly finished.  I do need to see if I can control vignette settings though, in my haste to try it I did not look for alternatives to the preset value.  Either way it worked well and looks good.

There's plenty more to learn on this camera - and relearn as well!  I took an HDR image early on but now I've forgotten where that setting resides.  Oopz!  Found it: a dynamic range setting of course..

Learning also extends to Lightroom 4, which is a much different game from PS Elements v10.  I may need a guidebook for that, looks more complex than the Sierra Nevada above timberline.. :-)

Holideals

The nx300 received a Thanksgiving-week price cut of about $100 with 18-55ois (and battery and manual and Lightroom CD and Samsung CD and ..?).  Not bad, although my assembled-in-pieces kit still wins out.

 However.. 
Amazon is one of the dealers with that price, at least in some colors.  When that happens it pays to seek barely-used copies in their Warehouse; that's where I picked up my K-5 a few years back, in 'very good' condition.. and it appeared new to me.  Sure enough, several 'used - very good' nx300s available in white for.. er.. $310 and change.  Hmm $[250+60+14-CDs-manuals]= my great deal was just topped, if the two kit lenses are comparable.  For speed they are, but one has slightly more reach and ois while the other impresses by its compactness.  Many users and reviewers praise the tiny 20-50 but with kit lenses each copy stands on its own for quality and value.

Always more deals this time of year.. hard to resist a second copy for my wife.  And 4 days later, the price was $100 higher!

Samsung team photo #1

So here is the NX team for now, and presumably for some time to come.  The non-OIS 20-50 and 30/2 and the 50-200 OIS cover plenty of range and the 30mm can 'do' low light.  This photo includes the K-to-NX and SMC 55mm f/1.8 lens, and a few other Pentax primes could have been included in the shot; I decided to add just one for general scale.  That 30mm f/2 is small.. but really so is the 20-50.  The 50-200 is similar in size to the Pentax DA and I believe it's a bit heavier, thanks to OIS I suppose.  Note that the Samsung lenses are all made for APS-c sensors, and the Pentax primes can do fine with 24x36 film.

NX300 in silver/brown, 50-200 III OIS , 20-50 II and 30mm f/2 - plus NX>K adapter and 55mm f/1.8 Pentax lens.

Recent Samsung cameras do not come with external chargers - not even the NX1!  People are giving Samsung some well-deserved grief for this decision, since charging this way means the camera cannot be used for several hours.  Anyone wiling to spend $1500 on an NX-1 body will likely have a second battery charging or in their pocket, so refusing to include a $10 accessory seems very stingy or insensitive.  No matter, the charger and 2nd battery cost me about $15 elsewhere - so Samsung did not get any extra cash from me for their negligence.

I must say that the NX300 body-only deal I received online feels quite similar.  That company implies with this sale that it only gets bodies detached from the Samsung peripherals - yet it sells the flash for $60 separately.  They could get $120 for the Lightroom CD + license easily enough, another $20 for the battery... suddenly the $500 kit sold elsewhere yields them as much or more parted out.  Curious.  Samsung told me the NX300 only comes from them with LR4 disc battery and flash so I needed to speak with AsTech, who would rather refund my cash than supply me with any 'missing' parts.  I really do just want the body, since I got such a fine deal on the 20-50mm ultra-compact kit lens - but it's unsettling to get such a reduced kit which the manufacturer says nobody should have.

Really though I have most everything I need (though LR4 would be very nice) and I cannot afford to pick up those missing parts right now; perhaps Samsung will be asking around and make things complicated for dealers that are not doing what's expected of them.  I suppose this is a grey-market body as well - but it does the job nicely.  So while it feels wrong it works better for me with a tight budget to buy a little at a time; maybe I'll even pay for the full LR4 license that I did not receive... though it won't be soon.

If I'm not entirely happy, I am quite satisfied - and for now, that will do.

may I, can I - will I Stop?

As vaguely noted in the previous post, a new-to-me SMC 55mm f/1.8 lens is coming my way.  It incubated for several months as I dared to look at 'the K club' posts at pentaxforums, where images from this lens looked mighty good and owners posted a 9.2/10 rating.

pentaxforums.com image

My reasoning is weak: a lens sitting between 30 and 85 should be closer to 55mm than 50.. and oh ys, the SMC-A 50mm f/2 gets poor reviews while the K55 is among the best!  And this was a mere $35 shipped, unreasonably good for this lens.   And how exciting I've just learned a new excu-er reason: 52mm filters, of which I have many more than mere 49s!

Have I not rationalized well? 

All right already, buy the silly thing.  But promise you will stop now!  You say it to yourself, you say it to the dedicated reader of this blog and to any who arrive here by mistake.  Say less, act more - and act in line with what you say.  Please?

In more relaxing news, the Tamron 90mm has sold and all sale threads are closed. The M85 is free of competition from the 1:2 macro.  At some point I shall re-post the KatzEye screen and the 28mm lens whose place is now filled by the nx30/2, so a few more funds may trickle in before the books are closed on the Great Purge of November 2014 :-)

one foot in two systems

I am now in the curious position of owning equal shares in two good camera systems: Pentax and Samsung.  As the NX setup can use adapted Pentax lenses I have kept my best ones  - SMC 17 f/4 fisheye, a new-to-me SMC 55/1.8 and the M-series 85/2 and 135/3.5 primes.  The M series especially was designed to be compact, so on a mirrorless camera they are excellent for both optical and practical reasons.  I have two NX zooms and cannot imaging needing more: though the 16-50 with OIS and power zoom has a few possible advantages over the 20-50 I now have, price will not be one of them!

I have no Pentax body now, and I'm ok with that.  the K-3 tempts, the K-01 and K200d beckon from happy earlier days, but too much fresh tech is about to emerge.  Pentax now knows how to make a WR tilt screen (645z) and Sony makes on-sensor AF and better video possible. These items are here now on the NX300 but I expect Pentax engineers to do surprising things with the new technology.  However they may not make the most of video updates, as they have stated they will focus most of their attention on the still image; I applaud them for it, yet I wonder if they will allow too many simple video features to be found elsewhere.  The NX300's full-time autofocus and decent video results are not easily overlooked.

On the other -foot, Samsung is doing weather sealing now along with their ultra-hi-tech NX1.  The Samsung sensors are now very good in areas they struggled with before, and they too could make more surprises visible soon.  They even have nice pancake primes, in focal lengths that Pentax has not worked hard to keep in place (e.g. 24-30mm).  So the only hard part for me will be deciding which system to buy in a year or two, when Pentax and Samsung are showing others the perils of resting on laurels or proceeding cautiously!

Don't go there.

Wow: competition for camera gear is scarce right now.  I picked up both 30 and 45mm Samsung primes, and no one even offered a competing bid on the 30mm f2 pancake!   Bids on Pentax gear generally come high and fast* until the auction is closed, so this one-bid deal was unexpected.  Is it lack of Samsung dealing, or perhaps our nearness to the holiday hard-sell weekend holding back buyers? *

Quick tests of the NX 45mm show it to be a very nice lens - yet it needs to go back.  For one thing I'm seeing the same old pattern on a new platform, grabbing items without enough thought.  For another, my wife needs medical tests that cannot be paid for in camera gear - so it has to stop.  I tested the SMC 50/2 on a PK adapter on the same scenes and re-learned that it is also a very nice lens, and one that cost about 1/5 the price of the NX45 (even including the adapter!).

So the list looks like this today:
(K for Pentax, NX for Samsung)

• K17 fisheye, NX30, K50/85/135 primes
•  NX 20-50 and 50-200/OIS zooms
• 100-300 K zoom 
• plus a few other K lenses: Hanimar 400mm, JCPenney 80-200, possibly a K28-70 f/2.8-4

And that will be all for the nx system for the year 2014 and hopefully beyond.


*On the Pentax side things also went quiet.  I received one low offer for the smcM85 f/2, and after some thought I have now removed it from the listing.   Selling the 85mm should have brought me more money than the Tamron 90/2.5 macro and hence more satisfaction that I was breaking old habits - but selling it for a large loss proves nothing. Owning the 30 50 and 85 (all f/2) makes sense for both speed and compactness; even with K-NX adapter the latter two are pretty small and quite bright, and focus peaking helps them to do their best work.

making the most of it

A few more K-mount lenses have left the building, so I bought some cheap treats for the NX300.  An M42:nx adapter will arrive soon for the 80-200mm f/3.5, and a leather wrist strap will look good with the auburn faux leather of the camera body.  The OIS 50-200 f/4-5.6 will get more use than the m42 tele I expect.. that is no cheap treat but the stabilized lens is worth owning as winter's gloom envelops the region.  As to additional updates time will tell; hopefully an NX pancake prime or two will come along soon.

Tests have impressed with AF video, and the touchscreen focus-point shift does well.  That feature reminds me of the GF1 micro-43 I once owned, but this sensor is both larger and more fully featured.  So far so good.  I recognize this camera will not compete with a K-3 for features, but for reasons that seem good to me this is quite satisfactory.

sweeping changes!

While selling a few good Pentax lenses to 'trim the fat' as it were, I encountered more than one post in the 'Wanted' section. These were for items I planned to keep, but sale items were not moving so why not capitalize on the available interest? So the DA18-55 wr and DAL55-300mm lenses, the two great kit staples, are now gone. Immediately after that, interest bloomed on the other lenses I had expected to go, and the K-01 swap did not happen as the trade options diminished.  Now I have NO Pentax body, several very nice K-primes, and a Samsung NX300 with K-adapter arriving momentarily - and the sale continues.   Wow.   

So where are we now?

• primes: 17/4, 50/2, 85/2, 90/2.5 1:2*, 135/3.5 
• zooms: NX 20-50 II, 100-300 
• future prime: NX 30/2 pancake 
• future zoom: NX 50-200 III OIS
• primes for sale: 28/2, *85 or 90 above 
• zooms for sale: 21-35, 28-90 1:2 

reading fine print + more comparisons

Well, now I know why the NX300 was such a great price: it's missing box flash and battery.  And registration papers, and manual.. and Lightroom 4 come to think of it!  That was pretty much  stated on the listing but I failed to do my due diligence.  In this case I'm OK as a battery (my 'spare') arrives tomorrow and I can contemplate the flash options for a bit.  I've ordered a spare spare battery now.  I will contact them about how to register and get a copy of LR4 software, and on to Samsung after that.

Re. comparisons - I've boxed up the Pentax K-5 IIs so only the Q can take photos, making it difficult to compare the NX300 to another camera.  On the other hand it's smaller than my 5"-screen cell phone in two of three dimensions, so that's saying something.  The Q is definitely smaller in every way, but given its 1/2.5" sensor the comparison (0.4" against a 1.15" using that math) gets a bit silly.  Silly data is still data though, so there it is.



Well OK, it's pretty bad but the phone in fact can take an image of the two cameras together.  I warned you!

comparisons

Here are two lenses with curious specifications: a 20-50mm and a 20-40.  One is a lot smaller, one is rather faster at f/2.8-4.  Both are optimized for APSc sensors,  both are computer-optimized to do their best given the other constraints noted above.  Both do the job rather better than others from their respective companies.  Neither is stabilized internally nor is geared to closeup work.  One cost me $60 used, the other $680 new but open-box.  Interesting!

Yes, the tiny slow one is Samsung's 20-50mm f/3.5-5.6 II.  It has no OIS because it's designed to be small.  It does have the iFunction button on the side, press it and turn the front dial to control settings like white balance, shutter or aperture or ISO, and such.  The Limited from Pentax is solid, weather sealed and built to their Limited standards so metal and smooth focus are pretty much forced upon it.  It also has a DC motor inside for silent focus.  Both lenses appear to test out quite well and in online tests I've seen both leave their 18-55mm siblings far behind.

Note that the Samsung unlocks to become similar in length to the Pentax Limited zoom on the right, but this is what you carry with you between shots - so it matters.

I do not have the NX300 yet so no test images from the 20-50 for a few more days.  And by the way, camerasize.com shows us the camera-body difference as well.  Same sensor size, and similar sensor quality as measured at DxO labs. The Pentax (Sony sensor) outpoints the Samsung by a bit, but not by much - and the latter adds 20% more pixels to the equation.

http://camerasize.com/compare/#373,394

No doubt the Pentax has more external controls and it's a familiar feel to me.  It has two control dials and numerous external buttons & switches that I would miss.  It has a viewfinder, and while I have managed my Q and a K-01 without major problems I would miss it.  The NX300 has a tilt screen and I have missed that for some time!  Samsung also has WiFi , video-autofocus and the ability to adapt most older Pentax lenses to work manually.  And a larger screen.  Nice.

So how do they compare in my budget?  Glad you asked.  One is a lot smaller, one is 'full-featured'.  Both are optimized for APSc sensors, and scores are similar.  Both are computer-optimized to do their best given other constraints, and both do the job rather better than others from their respective companies.  One is stabilized internally, the other uses stabilized lenses.  One gets 800+ shots per battery charge, the other closer to 400; not surprisingly the factory-original batteries differ in retail price by a similar amount.  Curious though - K.Tuck reports that he had Pentax-like battery life when he tried the NX300...

One cost $650 used, the other $250 used/open box. So camera plus lens = $1330 or $310. 

Interesting, again.  

ch' cha' changes

Apologies to mr. Bowie!
Changes are coming to the kit, big time!
Sorry mr. Gabriel!

So it occurred to me after scouting the K-s1 that a few new features were worth waiting for that it did not have.  High on that list was on-sensor AF and a tilt screen, and others say cameras like it need WiFi options too.  At the same time I find that I'm not at all happy with the photo chaos within my hard discs: I have several programs now (ps elements, LightZone, AfterDark.. others?) a redundancy which actually adds to the clutter!  What to do??

Go shopping?  Really?

Let's talk about Samsung and cameras, and how little I knew a week ago!

• they make very popular phones (we owned some long ago, they were .. OK)
• An electronics giant, at least as large as Panasonic and Sony 
• once partnered with Pentax & supplied K20 and K-7 sensors
• now a big player in compact/mirrorless cams
• use their sensors on their own NX-mount cameras
• a line with viewfinders, and one without

... er that's about it.

Somewhere on the network I bumped into some commentary about Samsung cameras including Lightroom software.  Most LR users really like it as a tool for both organization and  image improvement.  While every camera comes with software to work on images, each company does something different; for example Pentax has a light version of SilkyPix for their cameras.  Well Samsung was giving out the complete v4 of LR with several of their cameras (and now v5) - that's a nice bonus that one can set against the price of their cameras if one chooses.

And so I met the NX300, a slightly-aging camera with LR4 and no finder.  Reviews indicate that it is a large step up from their previous models in several ways:

• sensor with PDAF layer for very fast 'hybrid' focusing
• tip screen for odd angles
• touchscreen controls but with redundant controls elsewhere
• 20Mpixels for more resolution and crop-ability
• decent noise performance at high sensitivities (better via raw, as always)
• multiple WiFi connection tricks like view and xfer via phone
• video with multiple recording options and full-time AF
•  NX300 gets 4-5 stars (yes, out of 5!) in almost every review

  So it has the K-s1 "missing" features, adds many the Pentax cam lacks, matches the 20Mpxl pixel count, includes great software tool to clean up my photo-centric clutter, and it can use my classic K-mount lenses with an adapter.  NX-mount lenses are pretty scarce yet review well and are fairly inexpensive, so if/when the time comes to grab more native-mount gear the pain will be minimal; their 50-200 OIS would be a good choice as it provides stabilization for long shots.

Going deeper into the reviews it seems that Samsung learned many things during their Pentax days, as many of their features feel familiar to me.  Some like the i-function lens control are very much their own though.  Several Pentax features are definitely not here though, so I will have some learning to do.

Checking the dxOmark data shows the sensor to be slightly behind the K-5 series and essentially a match to the K-s1 and K-01.  Samsung made the K20 and K-7 sensor several years back which was well behind the Sony equivalents in several areas; those days are now behind us, it seems.  And its body is smaller than the K-s1!  I confess that a big part of the new Pentax' appeal for me was APSc imaging in a smaller body size.

OK, nice - but what does it cost?
A bit more searching shows $500 is common with the stabilized 18-55 or the smaller, no-OIS 20-50 zoom.  A browse on the Global Auction Site (GAS) found a demo body for $250 * (silver with warm brown 'leather' grip!), $60 for a well-used 20-50 and $14 for a basic PK adapter.

 For $325 I can have this setup:

• Stylish NX300 body w/ a very good 20Mpxl sensor
• 20-50mm DX lens
• Adapted PK 17, 28, 50, 85/90 and 135mm primes
• Adapted PK zooms up to 300mm

I can sell most of the Pentax gear and put a lot of funds elsewhere.. or I can grab a bargain K-01 and have two good systems!  I will miss weather seals and SR stability on every lens by doing this, but both my camera bag and budget will be lighter burdens for a while.

Also of note is that my wife might be happy with the nx300 as she is with the Pentax Q - maybe even more so with the tippy screen.  Small is big for her so Q and NX are nice options.

* turned out this great bargain was truly 'body only' = no lens flash or battery.  Also no CD with Lightroom :( yet the camera is worth keeping at this price especially with the bargain I made on the 20-50 lens.

more 20-40 tests

angled view of test.  I centered my test image on
the brightly-colored recessed books in the middle.

A few more test-shots give comfort that this copy of the LimiZoom has minimal decentering if any, as test images look pretty symmetrical in appearance.  Colors and contrast are great, bokeh marvelous as advertised, and center sharpness is excellent.

Testing up close it's clear to me that field curvature is in play - at 20mm from a foot away, the center of an image looks great but not the sides.  I convinced myself of the issue by shooting a bookshelf with books at the edges pulled forward; by doing this I can have both center and edge books in focus.  Considering this only appears when shooting really close + wide and shooting a flat-plane surface, it is not a real-life kind of image for me; I'll let the Tamron 90/2.5 take care of those shots!

the 90 arrives

We were planning a trip that would be ideal for the Q - more precisely the Q and an 06 telephoto lens.  I bought one at a good price and liked it a lot, but then the trip was called off.  While looking for ways to economize on the larger kit I encountered a trade offer of a Tamron 90 f/2.5 for an 06 zoom.  The deal was made, and now the 90mm macro has arrived!

Since this particular version of the Tamron 90 macro (the model 52E) was unknown to me, I read up on it before making the trade offer. Until now I thought that all f/2.5 models were manual focus, so this must be their first AF model.  I also thought all Tamron 90s were 1:1 macros but this one is 1:2.  So much for my general knowledge of early Tamron macros! :^)  It also lacks the bizarre AF/MF clutch that both Sigma and Tamron think are so clever, which may be true with non-Pentax systems.  That alone makes this appeal to me, as I really dislike the two-step focus change!

So this lens has AF, aperture ring and a limiter switch, and takes 52mm filters.  With the limiter set the lens snaps into focus down to about 1:4 which isn't a bad place to change over.  And it really does snap; focus speed is very fast even with no limit set - but it definitely helps to stop the spinning if it isn't needed.  The image quality is extremely good even wide open so it can be used as a general low-light lens and not merely for good closeups.  And if I feel really bold it can be a 180mm f/5 supermacro with the Vivitar macro/TC attached, though I haven't tried this to say how the results might look.

This serendipitous find allows the 85mm f/2 to find a new home, which will pay off a few items on the lens account.  Like the SMC 17mm before it, I find myself forsaking all-manual lenses for AF/auto-aperture and saving some money in the process.  This along with the F17-28 and DA20-40 are very good lenses so whatever happens I'll be just fine.

20-40 LimiZoom and friends

A quick outdoor test yielded little data of value.  All four lenses produced images with great colors and decent sharpness.  Color fringing was most visible on the 17-28 but its image was also the widest so you gain more view but it's not the best part of the field.  The tests were three wide (18-55@18, 17-28@17+ and 20-40@20, then all four lenses at 28mm; all were shot iso80 f/5.6, shade WB.

The one noteworthy point was between the 20-40 and Tamron 28-75 at 28mm.  Exposure data is shown as identical but the Tamron is darker by a notch; it is clear in the leaves against the tree trunk and especially in the skyline clouds.   The other images look like the LimiZoom, only the Tamron has cloud detail.  These all were jpeg/bright so processing was the same, and focus was obtained on the notch in the left-side tree trunk.  Honestly though, these clouds were moving fast... some changes just happen with outdoor scenes.  I was not planning to shoot these but the sun came out with no early notice, so I used it!

These two shots were cropped by Picasa when converted to a collage so 

more of the scene is visible on my screen for all the images.

DA 20-40 LimiZoom - 1st images

are quite impressive.  Standing on their own the landscape images are very nice.  This copy does not show any large-scale issues that have plagued some users, but more rigorous tests will come soon.  The scene below would look good with a pinhole camera, but the 20-40 certainly caught it nicely!

Lake Sacagawea in Longview - jpeg 'bright' setting on K-5 IIs, 30mm f/8

Colors are great, details are well defined.  Some say the focus is slow, but shots like this are not big-time torture on focus speeds.  Later tests on power lines and back-lit tree branches showed very little color fringing, though I could find it near the edge at 20mm & f/2.8.  At 30 and 40mm I saw nothing of note even wide open.

comparing good lenses

It's easy to pick out a bad lens with a few revealing tests.  Focus is inconsistent, or results not sharp from one side to another.  Perhaps contrast is weak or colors appear warmer or cooler than expected.  Maybe the images are fine but areas beyond focus distract or otherwise detract from the overall shot.

If a lens passes these tests, and you pick up another design, then it gets interesting.  How does one compare lenses that each pass the basic tests?  For most of us, it becomes a balancing act between what else we already own and use, features like weather seals, the weight of one lens over another, compatible  filters, or simple cost.  If a lens costs four times as much but both give great results, was that cash well spent?

I own Pentax' 18-55 WR "kit lens" for foul-weather shooting.  It's a decent lens, can focus close and go out in the rain.  Yes it has more distortion than many at the wide end, and it's f/5.6 past maybe 40mm; these concerns will make a big difference to some, not so much to others.

Other options are available, which brings up the Big Question: if a lens costs several times as much as the 18-55, how many times 'better' should it be?  Faster, smaller, more seals, incredible optics - some combination of these or other factors will be in play.  No two people will weigh these factors quite the same, nor can they quantify  'twice as good' - so like every lens ever made the better / faster / more expensive lens is not for everyone.

I have owned Pentax' 18-135 DC WR, two or three times in fact.  Its specs are compelling relative to the 18-55: more telephoto range, a quiet focus motor, still f/5.6 but not until longer focal lengths.  Good points - yet I sold it each time.  I found issues with image quality above 100mm and did not wish to carry a bulkier, more expensive lens that I only found useful for 2/3 of its range.  I could choose to correct most of its issues in the camera with a speed penalty, or fix them on my computer which also takes time.  Or I could own the 18-55.  Many others disagree strongly that this lens has any more problems than other lenses and is better than most; that's OK as their needs are different, just as their copies are different from mine.

So it comes to this: a Limited 20-40mm zoom has arrived on my doorstep, and tests against my other lenses will commence.  It's a new open-box lens obtained for over $100 less than any price I'd seen, but still cost about six times what I paid for the used DA18-55 - all that for a narrower focal range!  Why would anyone pay that much more for this lens?

Well, it has the weather seals but includes a DC motor.  It's faster at f/2.8-4.0.  Stopping at 20mm avoids the worst of zoom distortions.  Primarily though, it's a Limited lens which means great build and superior image quality.  Until now it also meant primes; this is the first Limited zoom so it's the proverbial odd duck.  Many current Limited users cannot bring themselves to accept a zoom as deserving the Limited label while others have found it too expensive to bother with.  Let's pretend that I replaced both the DA21/3.2 Limited (slightly faster at f/2.8) and the DA40/2.8 Limited (slower at f/4) for less money.  You could say I replaced the 35 Limited too but it's a 1:1 macro, so not quite an even trade - but the Limited primes have no weather seals.

Given its uniqe nature, should the LimiZoom be tested against primes, zooms, Limited lenses only?  That's a problem for pro review websites,  professional users or geeked-by-gear folks; I'll skip that question and just compare it with what I have.  Its 'competition' in my bag comes from the 18-55WR and a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8, with a Pentax F 17-28mm fish-eye thrown in despite its fishiness.  I shall also just let the 20-40 be itself on a solo jaunt or two, unencumbered by the abilities of other lenses.

How do these four zooms compare?
17-28: really wide fisheye view, fairly slow at f/3.5-4.5, compact & light, fairly inexpensive
18-55: weather seals, 1:3ish close focus, ~$100, slow f/3.5-5.6
20-40: Limited metal build, weather seals, 9 aperture blades, DC silent focus, f/2.8-4
28-75: fast f/2.8 = relatively large and bulky, 7 aperture blades

On to the 'tests', at which I'm pretty poor.  I shall try to keep them on common levels re. shooting parameters but I always leave something out that makes a difference.  Oh well...

seeking balance

In the never-ending quest for both optical excellence and cost savings, ... I spent more money?

Wait hear me out, this might make sense!

I found a great deal on the F 17-28 fisheye online.  This lens was cheaper than the K17, has data contacts for FL and exposure data, and actually shoots a smidge wider at 17mm!  This would free up both K17 and 28mm primes, and its small size is nice too.  I lose some close focusing and all focal lengths are a bit fishy, plus its f/3.5-4.5 design is a 'light compromise' especially at 28mm.  Images show better color rendition than the 17.  So the zoom has several advantages... but the prime is really nice too, and the manual lenses have their own special fun about them.

Sadly (perhaps) that wasn't my only deal, in fact it was my third.  Now comes the messy part.

First off I picked up a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 at a great price; I owned this before and liked a lot.  This of course is now a fine fit with the 17-28... but I didn't know the 17-28 was coming when I bought it!  It allows most all my primes to depart including the m85 f/2.  Money saved!  But wait, don't I love my primes?  Isn't the KatzEye screen ideal for primes?  Hmmm...

Then the real deal came along: an open-box Limited 20-40mm f/2.8-4 for well under $700 - generally that's at least a $200 saving.  Add 12 months to pay off w/o interest, so this is likely my best lens bargain ever. Wow!!  Owners love this thing, reviewers dislike it - but what a lens if centering issues are absent!  Hmm, it's a better match to the k17 than the 17-28 -- though the overlap isn't a huge deal.

Having  17, 20-40, 50 and 55-300 sounds nice and minimal, and the 18-55 can go as the LimiZoom is equally weather resistant along with DC motor and nine aperture blades.

Decisions to make while the return-clock ticks on the 17-28 and 20-40:

• 17-28 28-75 55-300?  no wr..
• 17-28 (40?) 55-300?  no wr..
• 17 20-40 55-300?  wr/dc
• 17 28 50 18-55wr 55-300 that I already have?

All good kits, some great lenses, all ... different.

So here I am, not saving money quite yet.  The 17-28 and Limited zoom can go back within 14 days from dates of purchase.  I am now marketing several of my lenses so the decision can be made as other items leave - I cannot lose really.

It should be an interesting ten days or so!

p.s. just to add confusion to the mix, I traded a Q06-lens for an early-AF Tamron 90mm f/2.5, making the M85 slightly more expendable.  It never ends, only slows down now&then...

• Best-guess kit: 17-28fe, 20-40, 50, 90, 135, 55-300

primal group photo

All the primes* sitting at the window, awaiting the K5 IIs' arrival.  

*Sadly the 400mm Hanimar would not fit on the sill :( but it will get its camera-time!

smc17/4fe, vivitar28/2, A50/2, m85/2, m135/3.5.  Coming soon : smcM 28/2.8 vs Vivitar/Kiron 28/2!

The camera arrived soon after, and the 135mm lens had a fine test drive.  This camera comes gently used at ~13k clicks and includes a KatzEye screen implant with split focus and microprism-glass collar to assist with precise focusing, just like the "good old days" - as William Clark once said (from very near here) O! the joy!  The DAL55-300 tested the AF system with good results too, showing plenty of details on Mt Rainier 80+ miles away.  The IIs really amazes with its abundance of fine detail; the absence of a just-in-case AA frequency filter really makes a difference!

reloading, again

Well I'm dSLR free - for a week at least.  The K-50 is an excellent camera but not the step diagonally upward that I had hoped from the K-5; it turns out that I really do use some of those external buttons, most notably the AE metering switch.   One bit of good news from this is that I am now mostly cured of the K-s1 bug, as that newest model has neither AE switch nor custom button to assign that to.  I really like the small size of the K-s1 but really it's best not to retrain myself to work with a poorer ergonomic fit.

The K-3 has dropped in price recently which made it very appealing, but it has many more features than I seek plus a few interface tweaks I don't really want to learn.  In the end I bid the right amount on a K-5 IIs with bonus battery grip And split-image focusing screen.  The win came as quite a surprise, in fact, as my bid was the only one submitted; had this not won I had vague plans of waiting until November for a K-3.  I learned later that another PK-Forum member had been chatting with the seller about the camera, but once my bid went in all conversation had to end.  Perhaps he will get my K-3 in 'revenge'!  :^)  

I have no real interest in the extra bulk of a grip, but since it's coming anyway I shall give it a try now and then. Since it holds a battery and not a motorized film-winder it really won't weigh much, but more bulk is less appealing most of the time. However, the focusing screen breathes new life into my manual-prime lenses, especially the 85mm f/2 speedster.

I need to hide a few sale-webpages from myself now - but my favorite Pentax camera is returning to my hands, hooray!

cutbacks

Well I had not planned for a property-tax bill in October, but here it is.  Given that new reality I felt compelled to visit the KEH buyer (who was in Vancouver WA this week) and parted with some well-liked gear.  Some items they offered little or nothing for, so I didn't lose all my best items - but the DA40 and A50 macro are gone, replaced by an SMC-A 50mm f/2.  Faster and more compact, but no more 1:2 shots except with the Quantaray 28-90; thankfully that lens does 1:2 quite well so no major issues.  Another option is the macro TC which yields 100mm f/4 at the macro setting of my choice!  The offer price for my other f/2 lenses (28 and 85) were not worthy so my kit didn't change much.  They had no interest in the Quantarays so they are still here too.

Despite the low offer for the K-5, I let that great camera go: it needs repair for the mirror-flip which would take longer to fix than the tax bill allows, and may in fact be deemed outside of warranty and cost me more money to fix!

Despite all this activity, the kit still looks good :^)

• bodies: just K-50 for now, plus film bodies and Q
• primes: 17-28-50-85-135 and 400
• zooms: Pentax 18-55 DA wr, 55-300DAL + Sigma 21-35 + Quantarays 28-90 1:2, 100-300 + JCPenney 80-200/3.5  (all of the above lenses except the Pentax zooms work for 36x24 imaging)
• extras: Pentax  AF280T flash, O-GPS1, and -- well, I have a nice tripod around here somewhere...

every 35 years

Sigma has been getting rave reviews for their 18-35mm f/1.8 zoom lens.  It's an amazing accomplishment, and owners speak very highly of it.  It is unprecedented to have a zoom be as fast as this, and it is f/1.8 throughout the range.  Impressive!

I just spent $50 for Sigma's original 'impossible' wide-angle zoom, the 21-35mm f/3.5-4.2.  This one was made around 1980 and was the very first wide-angle zoom of any sort it seems; the answer was to make two sets of elements shift in the zooming process.  It seems they did it so well that they made it several times in manual-focus alone, before moving the design to AF in the mid-80s - it comes labeled as Sigma Zoom, then Gamma and later Gamma-II.  All copies have the PK-A aperture connection for Pentax (odd, was the A setting in play that early?), some have infinity at the far left of the focus ring and others at the far right.  The one I acquired has no Gamma marking and focuses like a true Pentax lens.  Also this copy is a 1-touch focus/zoom (others have two rings) and the hood is attached permanently to this one unlike some others.  Crazy!

Did I mention it's a FFFF (full-frame/film friendly) lens?  Guess not...

Anyway, this could be an ideal video lens with enough depth of field to just set to 12 feet and f/5.6 and ignore that issue.  I spoke of a 28-105 as a great video lens before, but that much zoom was too much and it needed to go wider on the aps-c platform - so this feels like a better fit.  It weighs about a pound though so we'll see if it will do.  What few reviews I've found online from owners speak well of it, but with so many variations it's hard to say if every variant is spoken for.  The pentaxforums site shows the lens but it has no reviews; that says a lot for its rarity!

change of plans but not of heart

I really like the K-s1 in principle and execution, but I cannot manage the cost right now; a few more unexpected expenses make it a bad idea.  As for value the $800 price can't be justified - I can pick up an open-box K-3 for a similar price, and as while wandering virtually I found a K-50 with all the features that the K-s1 may or may not have, for Half the price!  Yes a white K-50 body with under 200 images taken; someone decided it wasn't for them so I shall make it mine.

The K-5 can now be sent off to the shop for the extra-mirrorflip issue that many have experienced.  Mine generally makes the extra mirror flip with a filled battery only while others' cameras were flipping the mirror at every button press or dial turn!

I still really want the K-s1 to succeed, and I like its compact and angular good looks quite a bit.  In a couple of years my finances should be more predictable, and then I shall look around at the market - perhaps that's when the K-s1 will be mine...

rethinking an old relationship

This lens was on the block, even reaching 'sale pending' mode.  But here it is still.  
The old JCPenney 80-200 zoom is getting another chance to show off, and with careful use it is acquitting itself nicely.  Previous tests showed its color fringing when wide open - that's f/3.5 throughout by the way!

However, when you're not deliberately trying to find weaknesses and shooting at decent shutter speeds it does fine work.  I shot my lawn mower at several focal lengths with the shutter speed locked & aperture set at f/4.5, and all shots are good.  I stopped down to f/8, and things improved which is no surprise.

This lens weighs in at just over a kilogram, has a locking tripod collar & takes 62mm filters.  It also has a built-in shade that's quite handy when fighting glare with old coatings.  While 1030g is a bit bulky for my style it's barely slower than an f/2.8 copy which adds nearly half again to the weight - and let's not go into the price difference!  Oh go ahead and gloat: with M42 to PK adapter, I paid about $40 for this. 

But wait!

•  The others have VC/OS stabili... oh yeah my JCP is on a Pentax body.. :^)
•  The others have silent HSM/USD focus - mine's manual focus and very quiet :^)
• The others cover full-frame sensors - the JCP was built before the term 'full frame' was invented! :^D

It's a keeper.

K-s1: what do we know 'for sure'?

On the Ricoh Japan site, we know this -
2014年9月11日までにご注文いただくと、発売日（2014年9月26日）

Other sites say shipping in September, so the 9/26 date seems more likely than the 11th - especially since it's the 12th now and I have no confirmation e-mail :^(  Originally the blue/white/black were supposed to ship two weeks earlier than the other colors, so these might be correct ship dates - for Japan!

 edit.. the translated page says 'Come out in 2014.09.26'

Given that it's hard to reshape a camera body, we presume that the sensor, SR, button availability & layout, and other hardware bits are well-known quantities.  Oddly we haven't heard the shutter fire in any videos, so some of the inner hardware is still a mystery; will it be fairly K-5 silent, or more K-50 'clacky'? 
Edit - Adam at pentaxforums says it's very much a K-50 clack, not a K-5 swoosh.

So what's on 'paper' from Ricoh?

• A new 20.12Mpx sensor (let's call it twenty) for a pinch more resolution and cropping relative to the sweet-16 sensor of past models, a pinch less than the K-3, and reviews (of Sony cams) that show it to be a good performer.  It's noteworthy, a slight positive in my Book (and I'm glad it isn't 24M) so some joy but overall to me: no big deal.
• Size: for the specs this is a small and light camera, like a melded K-x mark II and a K-01 mark II with a few good K-3 parts within.  For me small is good, and my search for a small camera with indifferent small sensor ends now!  That IS a big deal to me, and I'm happy to see it.
• Weather Resistance: nope.  The price I seem to pay for smaller size is battery and WR.  I have a K-5 for wet shots though, so as a primary camera this one is just fine.  The control ring on the back means less entry points for mist on top anyway - and like most intergalactic hitch-hikers I know where my towel is!
• Li-109 battery, weaker and smaller than recent flagship cams - oh yeah this Isn't a flagship!  I can carry a spare, and I did anyway with the K-5 - so another note without complaint.  We film veterans used to go about 38 shots max before having to open up the camera, so making a battery change around 400 shots isn't really that bad :^)
• ISO 100-51200.  Several early reviewers say 102400, implying iso expansion or perhaps early firmware - but again, 'subject to change' applies, and as I type Ricoh says 51200 max.
• AF features are similar to the K-3 with AF expansion and hold functions - BUT Safox IX+ means fewer actual points, and no word on f/2.8 sensors.  Focuses to EV-1 not -3 so low-light skill is not up to K-5ii or K-3 models.  AF-A shows on the rear screen shots, so that's either a menu thing or another firmware question-mark; the switch on the side only does MF/AF and the K-3 choose-which-AF button is not present.
• One control dial.  Yes, a tragic loss - oh yeah some of my best images were taken with the K-01, K200d and Sony A200, all 1-dial cameras.  Worse yet the 2-dialers often find me spinning the wrong one (yes that's on me, I should change the way they operate.  I continue to seek My Answer on the K-5!).  So again, noted but not mourned.
• Settings dial is on the back!  And it lights up!! OK, what's wrong with me, I should be upset and all fired up - but this is fine by me, as I've heard that the lights can be turned off (but do we know that 'for sure'?). I hope I can keep the shutter LED light on though!
• Video is on the power switch and the LED lights red in video mode, green for stills.  This will be valuable to users I know (there's one in my mirror) who take very short videos unintentionally!
• PRIME M-II sensor processing.  This is a mystery that only time can resolve.  The PRIME M came with the K-01/30 intros, but the only visible change is that the video is now accessed by the power dial.  Ah, the 640x480 setting is gone too, maybe that's part of it?  Some day we will know what this means - or maybe not!  The M-II does give us compressed video with good specs, focus peaking (yay!), interval movies (not compressed!) and some other things I probably didn't notice when I owned my K-01.  Video isn't a big deal to me... yet I keep thinking it will become interesting again; in the late '90s I backpacked for a week with a DV camcorder AND an SLR, so video has been big before!  Edit: Since the pipeline went two directions with PRIME M and PRIME II, maybe all future cams will use the M II as the latest and best reunification of the component - that makes enough sense that it could be true!  We also wonder if video bit-rate quality is adjustable now; time will tell.
• The flash is a bit weaker, guide number of 10m not 12.  I often throttle back on flash to keep things more natural so that's noted but not significant to me.
• Full viewfinder, nice screen, and the usual DSLR features like a hot shoe.  Check!
• Green button, Sv, TAv, -10°C operating minimum, and other Pentax special touches.  Hooray!
• Strap lugs holding the strap to the camera, Not jingle-clips like the K-5 models have.  Thank you, thank you!
• Misc. and sundry updates include UH1 and FluCard capability, rotation-axis SR (which allows for AstroTracer with O-GPS1), multi-auto WB from Ricoh and K-3 products, and ?14-bit RAW files.   The ? is because specs show 14 and 12 bits, so that's another unsettled parameter like ISO max.

I think that will do (I don't find fonts worthy of a bullet, so there).  I added a few things that aren't clear yet: ISO range, shutter sound, and in fact everything about the firmware other than a font change.  

I downloaded the spec sheet and highlighted changes from the K-5, and many purple items are in there.  Many other features are on the K-50 but some are not, suggesting the answer to many people's question
"why buy this when the K-50 is cheaper, has two control wheels and WR??".

Or just go with the easy answer - We are not all the same.

---

Edit: the Ricoh page has been updated as of the 19th and more has become clear.  Only 12-bit raw is referenced now, and additions made to include AF adjustments similar to recent Pentaces.  I see playback editing includes moiré reduction, that's new to me but was probably on the K-3.  Also seen now are 'slant correction' along with different aspect-ratio crops, and all the lens corrections and custom images are here.  It's still unclear if saving custom settings is possible now; no C1/C2 setting on dial or USER option seen anywhere.  Like the K-3 it comes with the new Pentax DCU5.x software, still based on SilkyPix but a later version.
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Update.. Photkina 2014 is over, and hands-on reports are better than visual 1st impressions.  Firmware 0.3 was on test cameras and iso102400 was 'available' though no keepers were allowed.  For a camera due out in a week the firmware seems quite unsettled!
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Final edit / K-s1 update, 27.Sep
Given the ever-changing specifications online, and a bill that I did not expect, I have canceled my order.  While examining cheaper options I encountered a barely-used K50 in white for half the price of the K-s1.  Since I have the WR kit lens, and since the K50 has all the items that appear to be removed or unmentioned for K-s1 specs, this cannot be passed up.  Now the K-5 can go into the shop without worry and I have focus peaking and compressed video like my old K-01 but with a real viewfinder.  I hope the K-s1 does well without me, as I shall do without it - and the expense of it.  When Pentax can access Sony's sensor with phase-detect AF points I'll probably go shopping again.

happy ending for 55-300

though a bit sad for the white 18-55mm lens.

The DAL 55-300 arrived, and sure enough only the mount itself was broken in a couple of places - no contact-pin or aperture-lever issues at all.  I compared screw-points to other spare lenses, but Sigmas use fewer screws so the spacing was off - so that left the DAL 18-55 mount.  That's too bad as the white DAL was a fine match to the upcoming K-s1, but I have a WR version on my K-5 that makes it expendable.  I suppose it would be practical to swap my DA WR for a white DAL WR, if any K50 users are up for it; that would be pretty on the K-s1 yet functional on my K-5.  Takers, anyone?

After about a half hour of slow-motion detail work, I now have a fine copy (again) of the DAL 55-300 lens!  How nice.

p.s. I modified my K-s1 preorder to be a black body - far less effort than working in a white lens!

meet the new photo team!

So here is most of the imaging team, including all current manual-focus shooters.  Not showing are the two Quantaray FF-ready pair of 28-90 and 100-300, the two 18-55s (WR, white DAL) - nor is the DAL 55-300 (arrives tomorrow, mount "needs repair").  The K-01 is in a box ready to ship, as soon as someone actually claims it.  This may be the last time either the 40 or 50 is in the same shot as well, and who can say about the fast 28-70 zoom on the far right?

 - - 17, 80-200, 28, 40, 50, 85, K-5/135, 28-70, 2x Macro TC - - 

Aside from the DA40 it's an all-manual shot;

aside from the top corners it's an all-prime shot!

take a chance..

The one shaky area in my kit is/was the telezoom end.  I really like two lenses, the Quantaray 100-300 and the Pentax DA±L 55-300 - and I've owned each several times.  Why?  Well the Pentax lens has more range, faster aperture at tele (f/5.8 vs 6.7) and in some cases includes quick shift; the Q-ray is decently sharp, faster to focus, and both smaller and lighter.  Each has its merits, so I keep alternating.

I just found a mount-damaged DAL for $67.  We'll take the chance that it may be irreparably damaged but hopefully I can rip parts out of another lens for it.  At that price, and the approximately $30 net that I paid for the quantaray: why not own both? :^)

two fast breaks

Once the Great Purge of 2014 ended, I expected to take a break and reason out what to do about the reduced kit.  On the other hand fortune best strikes those prepared (or something such), and as noted in the last post my bid on a 28mm f/2 held up by a whole six dollars!  While it seems silly to buy a 28 after selling a 24 and a 30, those went for more than this Vivitar cost so on at least one level it makes a smidge of sense.  This is the Kiron 'auto wide angle' label, which users have rated decently (though less than the other two at pentaxforums).  It won't be here for a while with Labor Day stopping the mail, but hopefully it will match or outdo the old Rikenon-P that I liked so much before the 24mm stole its place.

The other surprise happened as I breezed past 'Stuff' in Portland on my way elsewhere.  They have a tiny photo section, so I stopped by.  Funny, the two zooms for Pentax are Quantaray 28-90 and Sigma 100-300, the two I already have - and a smattering of 50s.  Hmmm, a teleconverter?  Yes, a 2x Macro TC also from Vivitar, like I had before but at half the price And in like-new condition!  Many folks remove the glass and just use the adjustable tube for variable-ratio macro use - I might join them but first we'll see how the optics do.

Hopefully those two Vivitari will serve me well enough and I can stop with all the dealing - well, that's the plan.

the Kit Reunites

At last I found it, a box with the cryptic label "K+Q DV" that had appeared late in our move, and hence was packed early (about a year ago!).  Inside was the missing K-mount gear, my wife's Q and several old DV camcorders that my dad had tried and tired of.  Since my other boxes were marked "CAMERAS 2" and "Photo", it's pretty clear that "K+Q" was not a helpful hint!

So the Hanimar 400mm f/6.3 preset is back, never knowing that a 300mm Takumar had replaced it for a time (I mailed that out yesterday).  This one is so much lighter than the Tak; the price of fast glass for sure.  My wife's Q is also back, sitting by two X-5 boxes and listening to me rave about the cute K-s1 that's coming - that can't be reassuring!  A few other items of value also return to the light of day, including three film cameras (two Ricoh, one Pentax ME/SE).

Some day I will go over those DV camcorders (that were also replaced by the K-s1), charge some batteries, and try to watch some 15-year-old tapes.  Today is not that day.. but soon.

So here's the gear, post-purge!
cameras: K-5, Q*2, X-5*2, ME/SE film - awaiting K-s1
primes: 8FE, 17FE, Viv28/2, DA40, A50 1:2, M85/2, M135, Han400
zooms: DA18-55 (a white DAL and a WR), Quantarays 28-90 1:2 and 100-300.
for sale: 8FE, A50 1:2 + K-01

Hot flash - I won a bidding 'war' for a Vivitar (Kiron) 28mm f/2 overnight!

it's tomorrow and now.. the K-s1

Yesterday's post ended with the innocent comment about seeing 'what tomorrow will bring' Now we know... oh, boy.

in a surprise move, Pentax announced the existence of a weeklong-rumored camera, the k-s1.  Real specs appeared, and they impressed me especially since it was supposed to be an "entry level" cam.  My spouse looked over my shoulder and said it looked cool.  And so I caved.
Yup, for the first time ever I pre-ordered a camera. 

So first off, what's not really different from my current K-5?

Ricoh-imaging.co.jp's /09/19 ship 

date may mean little in the USA

Equivalent features make up the bulk of things, like TAv and Sv settings, pentaprism viewfinder, Pentax shake reduction, interval shooting and starry sky shots using the O-GPS1 attachment.  The SAFOX IX+ AF module is in essence identical.  And let's not forget top speed of 1/8000 second shutter vs.  -- well, 1/6000s.  No stopwatch needed here!

What will I miss from the K-5 series?  

• Weather seals are the big change - OK so no standing outside in heavy rain: check! * 
• better battery life
• the security of a proven camera
• second control dial is lost - bummer yet not a huge loss to my way of doing things.  
• near-silent shutter will likely go away, and that's a shame.  
• burst shooting will be slower... gee have I ever used it?  And four more Mpxls will do that.

And what do I gain?  Let us see:

• smaller and lighter body, enough that a second small cam could become unnecessary
• a gentle bump to 20 Mpixels, using a Sony sensor with a short but very good track record
• interval-movie function (lost when the K-01 was sent off) and 1080p video for our new TV
• an updated interface that is controversial online - but I will take the chance 
• exciting new fonts and timer/face-detect lights (ok not exciting :) and especially
• new tech from the K-3, like 
1. AA simulation and no physical low-pass filter, 
2. somewhat better video specs (maybe I'll use it now), 
3. focus peaking
4. AF-hold and expansion for better focus tracking
5. multi-auto white balance
6. an HDMI port

For me that's a decent net gain, for my manual primes and how I shoot.  It also gives me better AF-c shooting if I start going for pretty birds, which is in my plans at the new home.  I really enjoyed my k-x a few years ago; this is slightly smaller and massively more sophisticated.  For me, small is good.

So let's do this upgrade!!

- oh yeah, I already did. It's the one on the left. ^D

ricoh-imaging.co.jp

* and I'm keeping the K-5 so weather seals will be available when needed!

wowsa.

A few hours after the last post, I crafted a list of five expendable lenses plus three 'maybe's that I could lose without great pain.  I also put the IIs body on the list.  A day later and all three maybes are gone but three of the others remain!  The IIs and 18-250 are departing and the k-01 is pending sale.

 Swift and radical change, and when it's over very little camera debt will remain on the books.  That's good, as several six-months-no-interest purchases went late and caused trouble.

Curiously though, two that I expected to depart swiftly are still here; no easy explanation other than 'timing is everything'.  I mused about keeping the 30mm if the 24 sold, and that's what happened - for about four hours.  A cheap 28 now is alone on my 'need' list - maybe another Rikenon?

As to what tomorrow may bring, WSS!

so much for the group photo

After unpacking most of our things, I had planned to assemble all the gear in one grand photo shoot.  It would include two Qs, two X-5, K-5 K-5iis and K-01 bodies, a goodly number of primes and several manual and autofocus zooms.  Alas, one box is missing - so the second Q and Hanimar 400mm (along with who knows what else, as that box was packed almost a year ago) is unavailable.

leftish-rightish: Tak300, 18-55wr, Rokinon 8fe, K17fe, A24,M135/200 atop K-01 box, K30, O=GPS1, DA40, A50/2.8 1:2, 
Sigma/Quantarays (18-250, 28-70/2.8-4, 100-300/4.5-6.7, 28-90 1:2), K-5, K-5 IIs, M85/2, Tak105, Q
missing from scene: Hanimar 400/6.4 preset, another Q, two X-5 and ... ?
shot with Nikon 1 J1

Part of the motivation for a group shot is that it's just 2MS (too much stuff) and a goodly amount of it will be leaving soon.  I can no longer justify assembling a great kit that only shoots yard images.  We make plans often to go places and see things, but when those don't happen the gear does nothing but sulk in a corner of the house and call me a gear collector not am image maker.  My plea is No Contest.

The K-01 will be leaving first as the deal is essentially concluded.  A few primes will depart (still debating this one) and the 18-250 plus manual zooms, leaving the 28-90 and 100-300 Quantarays and an 18-55WR to do the zoom work.  Which K-5 variant stays is also up in the air.  My wife will decide whether she prefers Q or X-5 for her shooting, and I will keep a copy of her choice as well.

Pentax has a new camera in the rumor mill, a small-body K-S1; if it pans out for specs I may let both K-5 bodies go and take the small route instead.  I continue to seek the ideal smaller camera (most recently picking up a Nikon 1J1 - 2MS strikes again!) so perhaps the new Pentax can serve all needs at once?

 As I so often say, we shall see.

brokedown

• As in "I brokedown & bought an SMC-M 135/3.5" to complete any reasonable set of manual primes.  The set is currently 8-17-24-30-40-50-85-105-135-200-300-400 but 8 and 105 will probably go, and the 40 is a Limited AF in truth.  After testing the 300mm Takumar against my 100-300 zoom, it could move along also; we shall see.  The AF kit would be 18-250, 18-55, 100-300; that's plenty as the K17 fisheye is like 14.5mm rectilinear, and the 85/2 can fill the 55-100 gap marvelously.  The 18-250 works pretty well for me in most cases, but when times are wet (and they will be!) the 18-55wr is very important to have when the budget isn't certain.

• Also see "I brokedown and bought a Nikon 1 J1" - simply as a scientific experiment of course, it means nothing :^)  This 1" sensor and 28-80ish zoom will slug it out against Pentaces Q and X-5 (in some cases even the K-01 ); the result will be fewer cameras and more comfort about which does what best for me/us.  For $140 in like-new condition, why not learn something... right?