Luxury Lens Prices!

http://www.pentaxwebstore.com/category/lenses

Good Luck, Ricoh.Imagine.Pentax!! >:-o

Amazon.jp is Selling the K-5IIs at US$730! Replacement Model Coming Very Soon?

See:



@ Amazon.jp

Although the product pics are of a K-5II, detailed product descriptions below and the page heading confirms that it is just a K-5IIs!

Btw, I am happy to see this stop-gap model will soon come to an end, after one year and something, possibly! :-D


Related:

Breaking News! Pentax "K-3" is "Weeks Away" to Come, Said Adam Oest of the Pentax Forums!!

How to Order a Custom Coloured K-x from Japan by Yourself?

My New K-r Gold Limited & Kit! :-D

Ad: Ricoh Lens Choices

http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/products/lens_cmp/

So, it is concluded that the kit lens is junk and should be thrown away immediately! Now, it's time to buy the two plastic wonder primes from Ricoh, or the two old DA/DFA lenses that few people remember and buy now. Go, go, go and act fast and you will be redirected to the Japanese online store of Ricoh! :-o At the end of the day, Ricoh must thank me for promoting them for free! Right? ;-p

Pentax TidBits 8-19

1. DA50/1.8 is on sales, for the US users only, at $120:

http://www.pentaxwebstore.com/product/31909

Btw, is it really cheap? Just compare it with the similar offers from Canon and Nikon! One thing is for sure anyway, the original set price of $249 is just ridiculous!

2. DC Watch has reviewed the DA560, with various full samples posted, taken with a K-5IIs:

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/review/lens_review/20130819_611192.html
(in Japanese)

I am really not impressed with the IQ of this combo. The colour rendition is terrible. Images lack contrast. The broken pixel "sharpness" of the K-5IIs images also look rather odd to my eyes.

3. A Pentax joke posted at the Pentax Forums:

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/general-photography-industry/234141-ricoh-imaging-promises-new-hi-end-rumours-possible-another-company-name-change.html#post2477691

Guys, let's take some humours! :-D

4. Making your own Pentax digital FF DIY:

http://digiphoto.techbang.com/posts/5156-film-camera-in-conjunction-with-cross-generation-smart-phone-low-cost-diy-digital-backs
(in Traditional Chinese)

Now, the Pentax FF dream finally comes true! ;-p


Old Related:

New DA560 Test Review: "Disappointed"!

DA560 Lens Review Published at PF

Recent Pentax Tidbits

1. An original Leica-made Pentax 645 lenses to S body adaptor:



Via: http://info.xitek.com/news/201307/17-128176.html (in Chinese)

Now those FA 645D lenses can be operated on the Leica S body with AE and AF, for compatible lens models, my beloved FA120/4 Macro lens is excluded, though! :-(

2. An original lens case for the Pentax Q 02 and 06 zoom lenses:



Via: http://www.yaotomi.co.jp/blog/used/2013/06/pentax-q-o-cc1332.html (in Japanese)

According to this Japanese shopping site, the price of this lens case is about $44 US Dollars equivalent, in average.

Speaking of buying Pentax accessories at Japan, the official Japanese Pentax online shop contains some of the old Pentax accessories that you would never imagine before that something are still available and could be purchased!


For instance, this little rubber cap for covering the cable release socket of my MZ-S (and also for the 645NII, but not the 645D, which uses the cheap CS-205 which is just the Canon RS-60 clone) melted over time and deformed, I think I would need to buy a new one!

3. New Ricoh GR Review at the IR:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/ricoh-gr/ricoh-grA.HTM

Well, it can be noted that the Image Quality of the camera is not really that good, note the red colour smear and loss of details of all the test samples and crops, even at the lowest ISO speed of 100! :-o

4. New DxOMark results for the K-50:

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Publications/DxOMark-Reviews/Pentax-K-50-review-attractive-performance-but-is-there-any-improvement-on-earlier-iterations/Pentax-K-50-versus-competition

Well, it is proven that the K-50 is just the K-30 inside. As we all knew, the K-50 is simply a repackaged K-30 with a stereo microphone but nothing more! >:-(

The Unbalanced Q - Part 2 (with a K-mount Lens)

(Above: Pentax Q with DFA 100/2.8)

The Q is so unbalanced, when a K-mount lens is mounted. The above is an 135 equivalent 560mm F2.8 Super Tele Macro lens which has a highest effective magnification of 5.6:1, i.e., in 5.6X! Wow, what a Super Fast Super Telephoto and Macro lenses two-in-one it is!

As for that hot-shoe mount Optical Viewfinder as shown also, it is a cheap Chinese made one with an equivalent 135 angle-of-view of 45mm in 100%. So, it matches very well with the 01 prime lens and is very useful under the bright sun. Btw, it costs me only $19 in total with shipping, which is only about 1/10th cost of the original brand model which is to be purchased locally but yet is very difficult to find. And more importantly, that OVF is much smaller in size, otherwise it will be somehow unbalanced and mismatched again! ;-p

Update (1-2): One more gear photo of mine, with a Pentax SMC A 50/2 lens (135 equivalent to a 280mm F2 lens with the Q):-

Related:- 

The Unbalanced Q - Part 1 (with an External Flash)

A More Realistic Approach to Tackle with the Finderless/Pentaxless Trend of Pentax!

Possibly Upcoming New Cameras and Pre-Photokina Leaks: K-3, GRD5, A85, X-Pro2, 3DX, 6D..!

The great Chinese online camera-gear shopping database (somehow shared) has shown all those possibly upcoming new cameras! I've chosen the very popular Chinese gadget website of PCHome.net to show them, which has an Alexa ranking of 359 as at today! For instance, the following are sorted by brand and then sorted by the "latest":-

Brand	Link (Click to Show in a New Tab)	What's Coming!
Pentax	View	K-3, 24MP, APS-C (One shop has started to accept pre-order!)
Ricoh	View	GRD5
Sony	View	A85, NEX-6 (A99 can be found at the "hottest" but not "latest" Tab~)
Nikon	View	D600 and Bundle of New DCs
Canon	View	EOS 3DX (46MP FF) and EOS 6D (22MP FF)
Fujifilm	View	X-Pro 2, XF-1/XP-1 and X-E1

And more.. Just explore yourself for other stuff! :-D

Btw, as a Pentaxian, eager to see some product photos of the K-3? No problem! I'd give you some below! ;-p

More K 30 Colours

The images below are linked directly from Pentax Japan online shop. So, the K 30 will have more colours, at least in Japan.

Japanese Pentax Cash Rebate

http://www.pentax.jp/japan/products/q/cashback.html

5,000 Japanese Yens (about US$64) for purchasing the Pentax Q and SDM/DA* Lenses and 30,000 Yens for the 645D. The period covered is from tomorrow till the end of January 2012.

If you now live in Japan, will you buy the promotional Pentax items just because of this rebate?

C-mount and D-mount Adaptors for Pentax Q

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250894843605?afsrc=1



http://www.ebay.com/itm/310346186038?afsrc=1



Manufacturer's Homepage: http://www.dl-kipon.com/en/


Last Related:-

Pentax Succeeded to Adapt ALL Lenses and Mounts on Earth, with the Assistance from 3rd Party!

eBay Price Charts of K-mount Lenses (Comprehensive, 2005 to 2011)

My special thanks to Blog reader "flomatix", who has kindly provided me an alert about this archive:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ossy59/sets/72157603469902678/

Many K-mount lenses are listed, from the K/M mount, to the A/F/FA and then to the DA ones. Some 3rd party lenses in K-mount are also listed. The official suggested price per lens is also plotted. But do note that all prices are German ones, nevertheless.

An example screen-shot of the charts is shown below. This one is for the FA*85/1.4:-



My hats off to the guy who compiled the plots! I can see the huge efforts involved (and that he paid)! :-o

First Pentax Q User Unboxing Post

The Pentax Q has been on sales yesterday, this is the first Pentax Q user unboxing post on the Internet that I have come across:-

http://news.mapcamera.com/sittoku.php?itemid=11821
(in Japanese, English page here (Google-translated))



The body size is not as small as Pentax has been emphasizing..



Well, the kit prime lens is somehow small:-



But, I'm afraid that the sensor is even smaller!



That guy has purchased all the 3 toy lenses, too:-



The toy lenses are put side-by-side to a DA18-55WR lens:-



In addition, the new Q owner has posted five full size original samples. I am not convinced much with the colour rendition anyway, which looks somehow odd and unnatural. Three of which anyway:-



(ABOVE: First Picture: 8.5mm, f/4.5, ISO 125; Second Picture: 8.5mm, f/2.8, ISO 1600; Last: 8.5mm, f/3.2, ISO 125 - Click to Download/Enlarge)

Btw and after all, the prices of the Pentax Q and ktis/lenses are more expensive than all the other entry level ILDCs on the market. So, does it mean that the Q is not entry level and could provide more superior image quality and results? :-o ;-)


Related:-

Official On Sales Dates of the Pentax Q Kits, Lenses and Accessories

Leaked Pentax Marketing Q&As in the P-Q Pre-Release Press Conference

Heart of the Pentax Q - Sony IMX078CQK Imager

Highlights on the Q Specifications

What is your buying intention of the Pentax Q?

The Pentax Q Announced!

The Real Pentax Deal of the Day!

Amazon is selling K-r twin-zoom kit at only US$660! (via 1001 Noisy Cameras) Whilst this is really a very good deal at this price point, I just wonder if new replacement model will come soon for such a drastic price drop like this! :-o

One Will Never Buy a New DSLR or Any Gear IF..

I see the following sayings at different forums everyday and everywhere on the Net and brand regardless, mostly related to the "purchase" of DSLR bodies but could also for lenses. The mentality and flow etc. are more or less like this:-

- The new model XX is now way too expensive and I shall wait for a (significant) price drop to at least $XXX before I would consider to buy;

- The new model XX is now too buggy and I shall wait for things to settle before I act;

- The model XX has now been marketed for a while now (but then the price has already come down somehow), it has the shortcomings of X, Y, Z and etc., so I would rather wait for the next upcoming model;

- The model XX is now too old (say, it has been there for a year now) and I would not consider to buy such an old model now!

- There have been rumours that the next new model is coming and I shall wait to see what it will be;

- The next model finally arrives but then people have started to complain it is "too expensive" and/or way too buggy and "featureless"! ;-D

- The loop continues and it will never end!! :-o

So, could those people, which are not less in number indeed, buy a new gear of theirs at the end of the days? (not the day!) WHEN Will they ACT?? >:-[ ;->


Read Also:-

Summary of Reactions to Popular Online DSLR Reviews

Silver K-5 and DA Limited Lenses Announced

The last reported Xitek rumour is true and my guess was right, the K-5 Silver is there, announced on 2-8 today:-

http://www.pentax.jp/japan/news/2011/201102.html (in Japanese)

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1102/11020724pentaxk5silver.asp





Btw, I am not impressed with the colour printing and combination of the "new" lenses. They just like B&W photos with the orange colour extracted for the central line mark. Now even the "Limited" word becomes colourless. Too bad..

Update: You can now pre-order those Silver DA Limited lenses online at the PentaxWebstore of Pentax Imaging (USA):-

http://www.pentaximaging.com/camera-lenses/#DALimited20090216135719

The listed prices of the DA 21, 40 and 70 Limited Silver are (US)$649.95, $499.95 and $699.95, respectively.

Update (2-9): The Limited Silver K-5 and DA Pancakes are now on display at the CP+:-



Source: http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/img/dcw/docs/425/820/html/012.jpg.html


Read Also:-

K-r Gold/Brown Limited Pentax Lens Matching

My New K-r Gold Limited & Kit! :-D

To support Pentax' slogan "To be Different", I bought this!



And the unboxing slideshow can be viewed here:-

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v313/RiceHigh/K-r/My_K-r/Unboxing/?albumview=slideshow

Bought it directly from Japan from the Mapcamera at Rakuten. The communications with them were mostly seamless and they do read and write in good English in general, although it took a day or so to answer each set of enquiries. The offered prices are not very cheap, though but I think would be still acceptable..

In fact, they usually followed up matters and responded in positive and practical ways. This is in big contrast to what Pentax/Hoya for their usual attitude, whom never responded or just wrote in vague statements in short form with poor English. In fact, Pentax/Hoya could never live up to the same standard and actually did not even come close! >:-( So, when a local camera shop just communicate and provide services far better than a global "large" company like Hoya, that's just a big joke and what a pity it really is!!

Well, btw, does my new K-r just look quite alike to the two special edition cameras below? ;-D


(Source: http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/pentaxlx/Pentax_LX_Gold/index1.htm)


(Source: http://cgi.ebay.com/Leica-R6-2-Gold-R-50mm-f-1-4-1965-1995-Singapore-NIB-/160369288873?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item2556c126a9)

More to come.. (Lens matching, measurbation, head-to-head shootouts and etc.! :-D) Stay tuned! :-D

Update for New Article:-

K-r Gold/Brown Limited Pentax Lens Matching


Read Also:-

How to Order a Custom Coloured K-x from Japan by Yourself?

What Colour Scheme of the K-r Would You Choose?

(AF) Lens Matching with the Navy K-x

K-5 Limited Silver

New K-5 Review with Full Real-life Samples (Japanese)

http://ganref.jp/magazines/index/1/0/397

(in Japanese, Google-translated English page here) via Information on Digital Cameras.

Well, as before, I don't like the colour rendition and the image softness, which is still existent even at the lower ISO and that's what really bugs me for the lower IQ and field performance of the K-5. As for the higher ISO images, we see more obvious noise this time. The exposure accuracy is not good neither, the reviewer applied EV compensations most of the time.

Speaking of the K-5, Amazon has offered a discount for the standard 18-55 kit set after the "Black Friday" and the "Cyber Monday". Now the kit is just at some cents less than (US)$1,600 and is yet one dollar cheaper than the K-5 body-only offer! On the other hand, there is no K-5 body (alone) offer at the B&H, as it has been run out of stock.

Two Bits and Pieces Pentax News at Japan

1. The coloured DAL 35s are to be on sales in Japan on November 19:-

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20101029_403462.html

If you want to have a closer look on the appearance of those painted DAL 35s, view here:-

http://www.camera-pentax.jp/k-r/simulator.php#090411

2. (Charged) grip exchange service for a new colour for the K-r, K-x and K-m:-

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20101101_404029.html
(See the machine-translated English page for more details.)

As for the cost, replacing the grip of the K-r requires 5,250 Japanese Yens, whilst that for K-x and K-m is just 4,200 Yens. Time required for the job is three working days.


Related:-

How to Order a Custom Coloured K-x from Japan by Yourself?

Mega Poll: Current Pentax DSLR Body Selection Dilemmas!

Since the launches of the K-r and the K-5, I have seen daily at various Pentax forums over the net that Pentaxians have puzzled much about their purchase of a new Pentax DSLR amongst the four models which are currently available for selection, at least for this transitional period. In fact, I haven't seen such a big chaos since Pentax marketed their first DSLR! Some of the biggest dilemmas include K-r Vs K-7 as the price is so close or K-r Vs K-5 as the price difference is so big and so on.. Well, the decisions are always tough! :-o :-[

How to Vote?

If you have to choose between two (i.e., a typical X or Y question) amongst four models, it simply means 6 combinations (i.e., 4 x 3 / 2). Amongst all these 6 combinations, choose the utmost dilemma(s) you would face and then make the decision for voting. Please don't vote in a dilemma that you would never face, e.g., if you are not interested in neither the K-x nor the K-7, then you should not vote in that particular sub-poll.

Okay, here we go and let's go! :-D

1. K-x Vs K-7 (Latest Prices at Amazon are $499.88 w/ DAL 18-55 Vs $1016.83 w/ DA 18-55 WR):

What to be Puzzled About: 12M Sony Vs 14M Samsung Sensor, High ISO Noise Performance difference, different Colour Response and Taste, Lack of Weather Sealing or Not, ex-Entry Level body Vs Mid-level ex-Flagship, Control Interface and Operation differences, Metal body Vs Plastic, Support Cable Switch or Not, Smaller/Lighter or Larger/Heavier Body, SAFOX VIII Vs SAFOX VIII+, 100 Colours Vs 2 Colours, Forced Dark Frame Subtraction for Long Exposure (>30s) or Not, 4.7 fps Vs 5.2 fps, Use of AA Batteries Vs Proprietary Li-ion and so on..

K-x or K-7 Now?
	K-x
	K-7
pollcode.com free polls

2. K-x Vs K-r (Latest Prices at Amazon are $499.88 w/ DAL 18-55 Vs $829.15 w/ DAL 18-55):

What to be Puzzled About: Extra (software expanded) ISO of 25600 (a non-issue to me, frankly), Essentially the Same Sensor, New Li-ion Power with Optional AA Adaptor, Red-Dot Indication for AF Points and Selection, Different Style in Appearance (mainly the cameras' top/head), New Entry Level Vs ex-Entry Level, Slightly Smaller/Lighter or Larger/Heavier Body, 20 Body Colours Vs 10, 5 Grip Colours Vs 12 and so on..

K-x or K-r Now?
	K-x
	K-r
pollcode.com free polls

3. K-r Vs K-7 (Latest Prices at Amazon are $829.15 w/ DAL 18-55 Vs $1016.83 w/ DA 18-55 WR):

What to be Puzzled About: 12M Sony Vs 14M Samsung Sensor, High ISO Noise Performance difference, different Colour Response and Taste, Weather Sealing or Not, New Entry Level Vs Mid-level ex-Flagship, Control and Interface, Plastic Vs Metal body, Support Cable Switch or Not, Smaller/Lighter or Larger/Heavier Body, SAFOX IX Vs SAFOX VIII+, 100 Colours Vs ONE (i.e., in Black Only), No Forced Dark Frame Subtraction for Long Exposure (>30s) or Not, 6 fps Vs 5.2 fps, Support of AA Batteries (with Optional Adaptor) Vs Proprietary Li-ion and so on..

K-r or K-7 Now?
	K-r
	K-7
pollcode.com free polls

4. K-r Vs K-5 (Latest Prices at Amazon are $829.15 w/ DAL 18-55 Vs $1749.95 w/ DA 18-55 WR):

What to be Puzzled About: Sony 12M or 16M Sensor, No Weather Sealing or Not, New Entry-Level Vs New Mid-level Flagship, Control Interface and Operation Differences, Plastic Vs Metal body, No Support of Cable Switch or Not, Smaller/Lighter or Larger/Heavier Body, SAFOX IX Vs SAFOX IX+, 120 Colours Vs ONE, 6 fps Vs 7 fps, Support of AA Batteries with Optional Adaptor or Not, HD Vs Full HD Videos (all in Motion JPEG anyway), and so on..

K-r or K-5 Now?
	K-r
	K-5
pollcode.com free polls

5. K-5 Vs K-7 (Latest Prices at Amazon are $1749.95 w/ DA 18-55 WR Vs $1016.83 w/ DA 18-55 WR):

What to be Puzzled About: Sony 16M Vs Samsung 14M Sensor, High ISO Noise Performance difference, different Colour Response and Taste, New Flagship Vs ex-Flagship, Essentially the Same Body Chassis and Frame, Super Slow CDAF Vs Quite Fast CDAF, Full HD Vs HD Videos, SAFOX IX+ Vs SAFOX VIII+, Black Colour Only Vs Black or Silver, No Forced Dark Frame Subtraction for Long Exposure (>30s) Vs Forced, 5.2 fps Vs 7 fps, practically faster Continuous AF on Continuous Frame Mode and so on..

K-5 or K-7 Now?
	K-5
	K-7
pollcode.com free polls

6. K-5 Vs K-x (Latest Prices at Amazon are $1749.95 w/ DA 18-55 WR Vs $499.88 w/ DAL 18-55:

What to be Puzzled About: After so many technical comparisons above, I just don't even list out any of those between the two this time. We should know there is one very obvious and important difference here, i.e., the price! The K-x kit is only 28% something of the cost of a K-5 one, both with a 18-55 lens. If you just want a new Pentax DSLR body c/w a standard kit zoom, should you get the cheapest or the dearest? :-o

K-5 or K-x Now?
	K-5
	K-x
pollcode.com free polls

Okay, it's Your Take Now! I shall come back to do some analyses and quick summaries a few days after. :-)

A*50/1.2 Vs DA*55/1.4 - What Would You Choose?

Here is a new poll I think to raise. Both lenses are great optically (provided that you get a good copy nowadays for those units AIV (produced in Vietnam)!) and both are actually still in production.

The A50 is half-stop faster but it is just an old MF lens. And on APS-C, its f/1.2 aperture will provide shallower DoF that could be closer to that of a 85/1.4 on 135 Full Frame. The DA*55 is a bit slower but it has AF. It uses SDM, though, which is infamous in accuracy, speed and reliability. The DA*55's focusing throw is long and is no different from a MF lens actually. Furthermore, after the SDM is dead eventually or suddenly, the DA* will be no difference from a MF lens! ;-D

Do note that Pentax/Hoya has never officially suggested that the DA*55/1.4 is anything that is designed for Full Frame (against what I have been suggesting them that they *should* make it clear and then *everyone* will win, since years ago!). In fact, I suspected that the lens hood of the DA* is just incompatible on Full Frame, although as for the lens it seems to be working on FF cameras without any problem.

Both lenses could produce quite good Image Quality on APS-C when just stopped down to f/2 and the bokeh will not be bad (depending on your requirements or simply preference!). The DA* is easier to buy and the A50 maybe available only in US grey market or you need to order it directly from Japanese online shops, like at the Mapcamera. The prices are close enough for both, provided that you can find it!

So, here is the *tough* choice! If you just want to buy a better 50ish now in Pentaxland, what will you choose? I mean genuine Pentax! Not a Sigma or else. Btw, the Carl Zeiss ZK 50 has been discontinued.. Okay, let's go!

Would You Choose the A 50.2 or the DAStar 55.4?
	A 50 F1.2
	DAStar 55 F1.4
pollcode.com free polls

Last but not least, whilst all Pentaxians are encouraged to participate in the Poll, which each vote is made anonymously, I encourage even more that you could reply back and post a "Comment" for the rationale and reasons of yours behind for making your choice - There would be some good food for thought and it is always interesting to see for more opinions and viewpoints of what others think! :-)


Related:-

The Very Different Fates of Two ex-AOC Top Optical Engineers

50mm Lens Shootouts

Compatibility of DA Lenses on Full Frame

A50/1.2 is Now Made ("Assembled") In Vietnam

Where are the Pentax DSLRs and Lenses Made?

FA 31 Limited: Assembled in Vietnam Vs Made in Japan - Case Studies (Part 1)

FA Limiteds: Made in Japan Vs Assembled in Vietnam - Continued (Part 2)