Web Analytics RiceHigh's Pentax Blog: Preview: Cantax K5D Full Frame! ;-)

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Preview: Cantax K5D Full Frame! ;-)

Since Pentax have just told the world in the Photokina that they will not have a 135 Full Frame DSLR forever, I have opted not to wait them anymore (as they told us to do so, clearly). I have managed to build my own Full Frame K-mount DSLR model just within an hour, which can adopt many of my old excellent Pentax film glass. Here it is!



More to come! (Modifying procedures, things to note and cautions to take, detailed comments on system accuracies (so far so good!), sample photos with various Pentax lenses and etc.!)

P.S. My special thanks to Steven Lin, who has kindly offered me a helping hand and updated his already excellent blog article on the topic (in Traditional Chinese), for the sake of even more clear instructions on the modifications.


Update:
Compatibility List of Pentax Full Frame AF Lenses on Canon 5D Body

19 comments:

  1. RiceHigh;

    很高興看到您成功轉接了...
    接下來,也很想看看您試拍的片子。

    尤其您那F*及FA*在5d應是令人驚艶!!
    還有那隻魚眼效果不知如何呢!!

    還有,也謝謝您對我部落格文章的推薦,謝謝。
    Steven.

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  2. Anonymous9/10/08 02:22

    Come on Ricehigh, now it's time for you to open a canon blog...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9/10/08 04:12

    Way to go, Rice High. I hope your critical analyses will be directed towards to Canon now. Make it constructive criticism and everyone's a winner.

    Not that it matters for taking pictures but the 5D is ugly, is it not? Yuck.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9/10/08 08:16

    "Critical analyses" is too much honour. Let's say that we hope that his bashing will be directed towards Canon.
    As a fresh canon gear blogger he could have started by a good bashing of their AF in order to make them improve it and so on... but the problem is that this ugly cantax that he'll try to use has no AF... too bad.

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  5. Anonymous9/10/08 12:24

    I don't understand you Ricehigh. You've been so concerned lately by the crucial fast AF issue and now the next thing you do is build a 2000$ non AF camera. What's wrong with you man ?

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  6. You will never understand unless you are going to learn the facts and face the reality.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous9/10/08 19:14

    Oh that sounds like an interesting program. You know what Rice ? You must have contaminated me in a way because deep inside myself, I feel like I'm at the begining of a real promising career as a cantax basher... yes, that sounds little bit stupid and pointless but you know what I'm talking about after all.

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  8. "Pentax have just told the world in the Photokina that they will not have a 135 Full Frame DSLR forever"

    That's not actually true is it? Read your own blog entry. Your lies and distortions of facts destroy your credibilty.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is the 5D about which you write in your K100D review "The worst thing is I have tried the FF brand C 5D is that I found that the images had rather significant corner blur plus obvious vignetting when compared with film SLRs, especially for wider angle lenses are used, including primes, and/or at wider opened."?

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  10. Yes, the first time I tried the 5D was with an EF 50/1.4, 24-105L and a 17-40L on an early production model (which can be distinguished for having a poorer LCD mon). I haven't changed my conclusion up till now and kept that statement in the Conclusion part of my K100D review, as you've noticed.

    However, you should read also my latest test with true Pentax film glass on my 5D (which I bought 1.5 years later), in which I have also mentioned that the performance of those real Pentax glass are unmatched by my Canon lenses on the same 5D body, including primes and the L zoom, see here.

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  11. Someone said,

    "Pentax have just told the world in the Photokina that they will not have a 135 Full Frame DSLR forever"

    That's not actually true is it? Read your own blog entry. Your lies and distortions of facts destroy your credibilty.


    So, will they have one? What have they told us? Any plan? Any development? - ALL NONE and *Negative*! The Pentax senior official and Head of Product Development said himself..

    Well, he also stated that they are "studying" the full frame trend but SO WHAT? *I* am actually studying for a full frame DSLR also for long. The fact is I have been able to make one myself with a K-mount! Pentax/Hoya??

    Of course, anything could happen in this world in the future but what's the chance? Boy, face the reality and accept the official facts..!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I cannot understand that you put up with a Canon 5D. Did you know that "Canon doesn't even use the full-well capacity in its larger-sensor DSLRs efficiently."? See http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t11763.html.

    Also, don't you think the AF system has ill-placed AF points (all in the center) and only one laughable cross-point sensor in the center with all the other ones being too low in sensitive and just horizontal or vertical? See http://www.kareldonk.com/karel/2008/09/19/canon-eos-5d-mark-ii-not-all-it-could-have-been/ (which is about the new model).

    Also Canon joins the MP race instead of focusing on photographer's needs.

    How can you live with such an inferior product and ill-guided company?

    Hint: I hope you spot the sarcasm. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. > I cannot understand that you put up with a Canon 5D. Did you know that "Canon doesn't even use the full-well capacity in its larger-sensor DSLRs efficiently."? See http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t11763.html.

    So, as long as "Efficiency" is concerned alone, I am afraid that you have to use P&S DCs only! They have the highest full well capacity to pixel pitch size ratio and thus are most "efficient" as you want - no doubt!

    > Also, don't you think the AF system has ill-placed AF points (all in the center) and only one laughable cross-point sensor in the center with all the other ones being too low in sensitive and just horizontal or vertical? See http://www.kareldonk.com/karel/2008/09/19/canon-eos-5d-mark-ii-not-all-it-could-have-been/ (which is about the new model).

    So, the 11-point Pentax SAFOX VIII used in most Pentax DSLRs should be way better then? *You* say? And, *what* most *other* people say??

    > Also Canon joins the MP race instead of focusing on photographer's needs.

    How can you live with such an inferior product and ill-guided company?


    Sometimes "Less is More" applies. Sometimes "More is Better" applies.. So when? When quality and accuracy/performance can be kept, of course more is better. In case of the D700, e.g., its AF system has many points but yet system performance has not been sacrificed. For the 5D case, the AF system is of high performance and accuracy, although you may say the AF points are in smaller number. For the Pentax case, the AF is not of high performance nor high accuracy, although it has just a little bit more in number (but yet still far less than that of the high end Nikons and Canons ). Enough said.

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  14. Hi RiceHigh,
    Where can we find more info about Cantax and adapter for K lenses?
    Thank You and Keep a Good Work!
    Cheers.

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  15. e-Bay, I think. There are a lot of those adaptors being sold overthere.

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  16. Hello RH,
    I am about to buy a Canon 5D mark II and i want to know which adapter i have to buy to use my old Pentax glass.
    I own a Pentax SMC K 50mm 1.4 and 1.2, F 80-200mm and a SMC K 28mm 3.5.
    Sold my 2 DA lenses this week.(12-24 and 35 macro)
    I was a bit worried to see somebody write today that you cannot use a cheap PK adapter on the 5D because it's mirror is to big.
    In your chart of usable lenses i was happy to find out that the 80-200 is well suited for the
    5D(5D mark II also?)
    Greetings...

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  17. Hello Eddie,

    Just to remind you that you need to remove the aperture coupler of your K-mount lenses anyway to avoid the conflict with the mirror (for the F lens, it is non-destructive and can be restored later on). Good luck and enjoy!

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  18. Hey there!

    Where is the promised modification instructions? :) I was pondering this procedure for a while.

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  19. Kalujny, read here:-

    http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/2009/01/compatibility-list-of-pentax-full-frame.html

    ReplyDelete