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PENTAX FF - Spring 2016

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
k-hawinkler wrote:



Yes: FA 43/1.9

Damn; I have just reconfirmed my significant investment in µ4/3rds, with the E-M5 Mk II.

But this FF body, by Pentax, no less (my first money-earning camera was a Spotmatic) is very tempting. Let's see what the price in Australia is.

Thanks Kit.
Could you please elaborate what makes the FA 43/1.9 so special? TIA.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
No, no... this is a modern camera. It even has inferior battery life, probably to make life easier for those who convert from mirrorless :ROTFL:
About 10-15 years behind (it is a DSLR!) and that makes it an antique in the current photography scene. None of you vociferous admirers are going to buy one. It is just a topic for :talk028:

Me: I am with the future and none includes a hybrid camera like a DSLR.

FWIW: Check out the discussion (dprevs) on the new Canon 80D. It is better off in liveview and without the use of the AF module (mirror associated thingy).
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Thanks Vivek. No, not really. I have never owned any Pentax gear.

I already have 4 systems with lots of lenses for each, 3 FF and 1 MFT.
Typically I have several cameras per system, except for Leica I have one, an M9.

So I am not really interested in building a full complement Pentax FF system.
But I would not be absolutely dead set against investing in my further education with the K1 and one new exceptional lens. I am curious about the K1's user interface and IBIS. A really outstanding FF Pentax prime lens would be essential for me as in the end the image quality is the final arbiter. I already have many legacy lenses of Leica M and R and Nikon F type, so don't feel the desire to add yet another type of legacy lenses.

Maybe it's best to rent a K1 with a lens for a week when available. But which lens? Some sort of tele for birding might fit the bill.
Go for it, K-H! :)
 

Hulyss Bowman

Active member
Maybe it's best to rent a K1 with a lens for a week when available. But which lens? Some sort of tele for birding might fit the bill.
Just try the new zoom lenses like the 70-200 or DFA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW OR the 300 f4. With some home work and investigations you'll see how much lenses can be plugged on this body. Pentax is also known for making tremendous pancakes so we might see some FF pancakes soon (f2.5 / f3.2).






I'm an older Pentaxian and I can say that the 300 f4 is a jewel on APS-C. Very beautiful lense. I might have some examples if needed.

This DSLR is a midget : (image courtesy of DPreview).



Also some lenses :

 
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UHDR

New member
that 15-30mm looks too much like the tamron to not think it may be a rebranded lens. but that's no bad thing, it means no risk of minor bugs.

looks like my time with A7r may be over. cant believe there is now a spiritual sucessor to the dpXm series with A7r sensor. let's just hope it doesnt take 30 minutes to process the data before i can take the next shot, lol. :grin:
 
V

Vivek

Guest
A7r : Plastic mount + shutter shock = No need for an AA filter.

K1: Deliberate sensor shake to mitigate moire = No AA filter.
 

Hulyss Bowman

Active member
that 15-30mm looks too much like the tamron to not think it may be a rebranded lens. but that's no bad thing, it means no risk of minor bugs.

looks like my time with A7r may be over. cant believe there is now a spiritual sucessor to the dpXm series with A7r sensor. let's just hope it doesnt take 30 minutes to process the data before i can take the next shot, lol. :grin:
Ho yea, about the last zooms :

Only the 70-200 DA* is Pentax engineering; it is also the only new zoom to be Weather sealed (the star in DA* mean weather sealed). The new zooms even the 24-70 are made by Tamron for Ricoh and there are not bad at all.

I think it was the Ricoh strategy to bring on the market a full "full frame" solution all in the same time. Not like other wannabe brands who launch a concept and the lenses 2 years after.

It is 90% sure Pentax is now working on high end DA* zooms or primes and exotic lenses, as usual. They have plenty of time to do it and users won't rush them.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Thanks Hulyss. In the US:

Olympus MFT 300/4 $2500,
Nikkor FX AF-S 80-400/4.5-5.6 $2300,
Nikkor FX AF-S 300/4E PF $2000,
Pentax FF 150-450/4.5-5.6 $1700,
Nikkor FX 200-500/5.6E $1400.

Hmm.
 
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Ulfric Douglas

New member
Is the K-1 the best-stabilised 35mm-sensored DSLR ?

If so ... I expect Sony to honour some behind the scenes deal and give Pentax the agree time to sell before Sony brings out a similarly stabilised DSLST
 

Hulyss Bowman

Active member
Thanks Hulyss. In the US:

Olympus MFT 300/4 $2500,
Nikkor FX AF-S 80-400/4.5-5.6 $2300,
Pentax FF 150-450/4.5-5.6 $1700,
Nikkor FX 200-500/5.6E $1400.

Hmm.
Pentax SMCP-DA* 300mm f/4 ED (IF) SDM (Imho a better lense than the Nikon PF...) = 853.59 US$

Pentax smc Pentax-D FA 100mm f/2.8 WR Macro (outstanding macro lense, weather sealed) = 384.99 US$

Those lenses are solid metal lenses. There is even a rubber gasket at the end of the lens hoods to avoid scratch on the lens hood and also to put the lenses on the floor when working.

In addition to my previous posts : WR and DA* mean weather sealed. Pentax have a tendency to have very complex lens naming :D

Is the K-1 the best-stabilised 35mm-sensored DSLR ?

If so ... I expect Sony to honour some behind the scenes deal and give Pentax the agree time to sell before Sony brings out a similarly stabilised DSLST
Personally Sony stopped to make proper DSLR after the a850 /a900. This SLT venture was and is DoA big time this is why they ignore alpha mount users and try to push them into E mount. If Sony bring out an Alpha SLT tomorrow with the same or more specs it won't cut Pentax sales. Simply because Pentax camera are just superior in build and Pentax do not have a traitor reputation. Pentax have a limited but extremely good reputation.

I don't think there is "behind the scene deals" between Ricoh and Sony. Ricoh have nothing to envies to Sony or other big guys in photo industry. Ricoh is a HUGE company. I think that if Ricoh want to do something they just do it.

They decided to finance Pentax for the K1 and IMHO it is and it will be a real success.
 
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Malina DZ

Member
What viewfinder magnifications of film or digital SLRs would you think are "best in class"? About the highest I've seen for a full frame DSLR is ~0.76x.
I consider Sony a850/a900 with x0.74 magnification OVF to be one of the best and expected K-1 to be no less than that. Canon 6D has x0.71 mag. OVF, and there is a noticeable difference in brightness and clarity when looking through these OVFs. It's not only the magnification by itself that is responsible for viewing properties, but it'd have been great to be offered an OVF with improved properties such as x0.76 => magnification.
 
I just want to say that you can put together a full Pentax 645z + K-1 + a few lenses for less the price of 1 SL and 1 variable aperture lens.... Hell yes Pentax! I'll wait until the early adopters work out the bugs then I'll pick one up plus the 31, 43, and 77.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
I think all this OVF magnification debate is pretty useless, as it is not only magnification nut also how clear one can see the image. The Sony A900 has a superb OVF and I really liked it but I am confident that the 0.7 magnification OVF of the K1 in combination with great optics (great clarity) will be not bad at all - definitely better than the Canon 6D OVF.
 

Paratom

Well-known member
I just want to say that you can put together a full Pentax 645z + K-1 + a few lenses for less the price of 1 SL and 1 variable aperture lens.... Hell yes Pentax! I'll wait until the early adopters work out the bugs then I'll pick one up plus the 31, 43, and 77.
I hope for Pentax useres that the new lenses are more consistent quality than lets say the 16-50/2.8DA or the 55-135/2.8. When I had the K5IIS and K3 I wished Pentax had a midrange-zoom wich offered anything near the quality of a Leica 24-90, so I think it would not be fair to compare that Leica Zoom with the Pentax midrange Zooms.
In case of the 31 and 43 I think its great how small they are, and they can render very nice, even though the 31 on a digital sensor can often lead to CA. I would choose carefully.
 
I hope for Pentax useres that the new lenses are more consistent quality than lets say the 16-50/2.8DA or the 55-135/2.8. When I had the K5IIS and K3 I wished Pentax had a midrange-zoom wich offered anything near the quality of a Leica 24-90, so I think it would not be fair to compare that Leica Zoom with the Pentax midrange Zooms.
In case of the 31 and 43 I think its great how small they are, and they can render very nice, even though the 31 on a digital sensor can often lead to CA. I would choose carefully.
True about the Pentax APS-C zooms. They did what they could in the Hoya days. Though I would bet if someone compared the rebranded Pentax/Tamron 24-70/2.8 against the Leica zoom they'd be surprised at how well the Tamron performs. Probably wouldn't be better than the Leica, but not much worse either. The 31/43/77 are all lenses with lots of character. They're not Otus corrected for sure, but CA is a non-issue. One click in LR and it's gone, who cares? And for sure updates are right around the corner. But you're forgetting that my point was that for the money you also have a MFD camera and access to the world class D-FA 645 lenses. So....I think my original point still holds water.
 

Paratom

Well-known member
True about the Pentax APS-C zooms. They did what they could in the Hoya days. Though I would bet if someone compared the rebranded Pentax/Tamron 24-70/2.8 against the Leica zoom they'd be surprised at how well the Tamron performs. Probably wouldn't be better than the Leica, but not much worse either. The 31/43/77 are all lenses with lots of character. They're not Otus corrected for sure, but CA is a non-issue. One click in LR and it's gone, who cares? And for sure updates are right around the corner. But you're forgetting that my point was that for the money you also have a MFD camera and access to the world class D-FA 645 lenses. So....I think my original point still holds water.
For the same money you could even buy a used car and a large format camera and a scanner.

I guess the SL is mostly interesting for people who also own other Leica lenses as well (M,R,S) or willing to pay a higher price for the last little bit of lens quality. I dont doubt the Pentax/Tamron to be a great lens but I do doubt that it is up to the Leica SL Zoom in optical quality and in build quality. I would see the Pentax more in competition with Canon and Nikon DSLRs.
 

Charles Wood

New member
PPl I know in US are not starving but fight everyday with the smile to keep the ball rolling. Buying into 4K display solution is probably the least of their problems :) Like in Europe. We all fight the crisis and this year will be even more grey than the last year. So I would like to say that your numbers sound "extremely optimistic", dear Charles :)
Here are a few links that substantiate my numbers. The transition in NA, China/Asia from HD to UHD is happening much faster than the initial transition from analog to digital television. Bluray UHD standards have already been defined with players coming in a few months.

http://4k.com/news/4k-tv-sales-to-surpass-100-million-units-by-2018-5948/

http://press.ihs.com/press-release/...h-strong-overall-lcd-tv-shipments-slow-ihs-sa

http://www.ooyala.com/videomind/blog/4kuhd-tv-shipments-400-yy-q1-2015
 

ggibson

Well-known member
Impressive camera by Pentax! They've really packed in the features at a low price. It's quite a beast though, sitting at over 1kg. And that 15-30/2.8 is over 1kg too.

Despite the appeal of those two, I'll have to stick with my A7 + 16-35/4 that is <1kg combined. Always good to have some strong competition though! I'd love Sony to add some of these features like the Astrotracer (so cool!).
 

kit laughlin

Subscriber Member
@ k-hawinkler:

Only what I have read; the 'Limiteds" (31, 43, and 77, IIRC) have been praised by many.

For me personally, the 45mm FOV is the best of the 'all-purpose' focal lengths, so 43 is close enough. And it's a pancake, pretty much (will sit more shallowly than the leading edge of the grip); not sure about with the hood on.

Re. OVFs: who can remember what the OM1 and OM2 were in daily use? Spectacular, and immersive, is what I recall. And this new Pentax has 100%.

The only downside for me is that the K1 does not have a silent mode; this will likely be a sticking point for me. I have found the completely silent µ4/3rds bodies have let me work in many places a camera with any kind of shutter souund would have not.
 
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