Here is the latest interview article with Hoya's CEO by the Japanese Nikkei financial news:-
http://business.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/topics/20091002/206120/?P=1
(in Japanese, login is required to view the full article, registration is free)
Via the PentaxForums and photofan.jp, the excerpt is as follows:-
HOYA's CEO, Suzuki revealed his idea for Pentax digital camera department:
"Don't think keeping (the Pentax digital camera sector) in the HOYA Group forever,
Let it merge with other companies, or independent is also OK "
It is further mentioned that the K-x will be the turning point between success or failure of Pentax (the brand) and the sales result will change the faith of Pentax! (What? The K-x is the last chance given? And, K-7 is not the main project with key concern?)
Hence, the stance taken by the CEO and Hoya about the whole Pentax camera business is clear, that is, it is a business that can have or not to have, which simply means it is just a "don't care". So, where are commitment and determination then?? (None actually, I'm afraid, very unfortunately..)
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
The Nobel Prize for Physics 2009
Yesterday the instant headline news in the media has been about the award of the Nobel Prizes and the winners of this year's prize for Physics are the "Father of Fibre Optics" and the Inventors of the CCD Imager:-
Hong Kong News Headlines - South China Morning Post (SCMP.com)
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0910/09100601nobelprize.asp
The CCD imager is the heart of all digital cameras whereas fibre optics and electro-optical electronics and devices are the bases of modern communications which the Internet is built on. Both are very important to our life and actually the two things are two of the most important hobbies of mine for decades - I have been a digital photographer since the Year 2000 and an Internet user since 1990.
As a Hong Kong people, I feel extremely proud of Professor Kao of being awarded the Nobel Prize finally, after so many years of his invention and his huge contribution to the Mankind. Personally, I was the student of Professor Kao back to 1990 and there were occasions that I chatted and discussed things directly with Professor Kao face to face in person and what I must mention is that Professor Kao is an extremely modest, friendly and polite person with good open-mindedness, despite that he has extraordinary foresight and rich technical knowledge in engineering and research.
I think Professor Kao must be one of the most respectable persons in my life and I had learnt a lot of things from him which are much beneficial and useful to me. Undoubtedly, I feel extremely proud of once being a student of him, in addition of being a Hong Kong citizen for having such a great Hong Kong and Chinese scientist and engineer.
Update (10-9):
Here are some latest touching news and reports about Professor Kao and his recent life and family:-
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/event/fc/20091007/hknobelkao.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091008/3/eliy.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091008/4/elgu.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091008/4/elgv.html
(all in Traditional Chinese)
Despite that Professor Kao now has the Alzheimer's disease, so that he has almost forgotten what fibre optics is about, he has yet remembered much about his wife and many things about their life and marriage.
I'm glad to learn that Professor Kao still has good health and an enjoyable family life and he has received much support from his family even though he has the disease. But life is life and that's life and everyone has to face it no matter how. In fact, we have to face all the difficulties in our lives, as long as we are still happy and to face all those bravely and positively and family is actually the most important thing in our lives which cannot be replaced by anything.
My all the best wishes and blessing to Professor Kao!
And for me, without the best support and pardon from my wife, I think I cannot spend some more time in writing/maintaining my blog of which the time is somehow "squeezed" from my family time. So, I would like to also thank her here publicly with this opportunity! (my lovest, if YOU read this.. :->)
Hong Kong News Headlines - South China Morning Post (SCMP.com)
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0910/09100601nobelprize.asp
The CCD imager is the heart of all digital cameras whereas fibre optics and electro-optical electronics and devices are the bases of modern communications which the Internet is built on. Both are very important to our life and actually the two things are two of the most important hobbies of mine for decades - I have been a digital photographer since the Year 2000 and an Internet user since 1990.
As a Hong Kong people, I feel extremely proud of Professor Kao of being awarded the Nobel Prize finally, after so many years of his invention and his huge contribution to the Mankind. Personally, I was the student of Professor Kao back to 1990 and there were occasions that I chatted and discussed things directly with Professor Kao face to face in person and what I must mention is that Professor Kao is an extremely modest, friendly and polite person with good open-mindedness, despite that he has extraordinary foresight and rich technical knowledge in engineering and research.
I think Professor Kao must be one of the most respectable persons in my life and I had learnt a lot of things from him which are much beneficial and useful to me. Undoubtedly, I feel extremely proud of once being a student of him, in addition of being a Hong Kong citizen for having such a great Hong Kong and Chinese scientist and engineer.
Update (10-9):
Here are some latest touching news and reports about Professor Kao and his recent life and family:-
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/event/fc/20091007/hknobelkao.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091008/3/eliy.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091008/4/elgu.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091008/4/elgv.html
(all in Traditional Chinese)
Despite that Professor Kao now has the Alzheimer's disease, so that he has almost forgotten what fibre optics is about, he has yet remembered much about his wife and many things about their life and marriage.
I'm glad to learn that Professor Kao still has good health and an enjoyable family life and he has received much support from his family even though he has the disease. But life is life and that's life and everyone has to face it no matter how. In fact, we have to face all the difficulties in our lives, as long as we are still happy and to face all those bravely and positively and family is actually the most important thing in our lives which cannot be replaced by anything.
My all the best wishes and blessing to Professor Kao!
And for me, without the best support and pardon from my wife, I think I cannot spend some more time in writing/maintaining my blog of which the time is somehow "squeezed" from my family time. So, I would like to also thank her here publicly with this opportunity! (my lovest, if YOU read this.. :->)
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Six Years of AA Battery Pentax DSLRs
After six years of AA battery driven Pentax DSLRs, since the *ist D, I have plenty of NiMH batteries and chargers in my home! They are of different makes and models, to name a few, those includes Mitshibishi, Panasonic, Sony, Sanyo, GP, Super and so on.. And, I just wonder how much money and time I had been wasted in sourcing a better AA rechargeable solution.
I own four models amongst those AA Pentax DSLRs, namely, the *ist D, *ist DS, K100D and now the K-m. Out of my original expectation, my 7th Pentax SLR body is not the K-7, but the K-m, despite that I was one of the first people who pre-ordered! :-(
Now, thanks to Pentax and their infamous battery issue, my house is still full of those Ni-MH batteries so that I can save the Earth and protect the environment so much! ;-) Anyway, these batteries are useful to me as I have so many remote controls in my home (dozens of - I'm a gadgetaholic, I admit) and also there are just too many other small devices and toys that need AA batteries..
What I want to mention in this blog entry is about the best and the worst Ni-MH batteries and models I ever bought and own. Maybe I mention about the best chargers first, they are those made by Panasonic, highly recommended. Another tips of mine for selecting chargers is that do NOT buy "quick" chargers that charge too fast (say, 15 minutes or something). Those chargers do NO GOOD to the batteries, nor the charging quality is really good. Cooling fan actually doesn't help much. The cooling fan can blow away the heat *outside* the batteries. But how can they get the heat *inside* the batteries Away?
Well, the worst battery I have ever owned is the Sanyo 2500 mAh NiMH (early model, which Sanyo advertised heavily everywhere and claimed to be the highest capacity NiMH created and made ever!), which IMHO is just a Piece Of Junk. In fact, this battery has been "crowned" as "King of Self-Discharge" by photohobbists locally in my city, which it will discharge to nothing usable just after one to two days it has no power at all after that. Really POJ or maybe even just a POS! Indeed, this name of "King of Self-Discharge" is really so exact and is best describing this ever crappy Sanyo rechargeable model, which was with only 100% hype, and solely.
What is the best battery then? Eneloop? Nope.. It is usable but not the best battery I own. Lately, I have found and bought four new Camelion AlwaysReady new-type LSD (Low Self-Discharge) NiMHs and I do find a difference.
When used in my K-m, the AlwaysReady show clearly that it is just superior to the Eneloop. It is more powerful and my K-m is now ever strongest (the motor torque is different, as that can be heard obviously). As what Camelion claims, the AlwaysReady recovers much faster after high drain, or even "short circuit", whereas the Eneloop does recover slower according to my own experiences. With freshly charged batteries, after high drain (say, put the K-m into the Continuous Hi frame mode for five shots), the Eneloop will show "half-depleted" momentarily but the AlwaysReady is still able to maintain its power level, with a green battery symbol. If the batteries are already shown as "half-depleted", further draining the Eneloops will make my K-m shut-down. In contrast, with AlwaysReady, it can still sustain the power until it cuts off very transitionally, but not suddenly (unlike the Eneloop). Even when the battery symbol has just become red (empty), the AlwaysReady can still do a few more shots before the batteries "die", which has never been possible with the Eneloop.
So, the Camelion AlwaysReady is what I highly recommend for all Pentax users with our AA battery driven DSLRs. Finally, there is a better solution to the problem, although it is not offered by Pentax! Combined with Pana's chargers (not too "quick" but reasonable in charging time, say, two hours something), the best result can be obtained. I do not recommend Camelion or those common GP chargers that are widely available though, as I have recently read cases of explosion of both on local press and in another local photo forum. Panasonic is the brand that I mostly trust, with best performance, reliability and safety (although their offers are usually not that cheap).
I own four models amongst those AA Pentax DSLRs, namely, the *ist D, *ist DS, K100D and now the K-m. Out of my original expectation, my 7th Pentax SLR body is not the K-7, but the K-m, despite that I was one of the first people who pre-ordered! :-(
Now, thanks to Pentax and their infamous battery issue, my house is still full of those Ni-MH batteries so that I can save the Earth and protect the environment so much! ;-) Anyway, these batteries are useful to me as I have so many remote controls in my home (dozens of - I'm a gadgetaholic, I admit) and also there are just too many other small devices and toys that need AA batteries..
What I want to mention in this blog entry is about the best and the worst Ni-MH batteries and models I ever bought and own. Maybe I mention about the best chargers first, they are those made by Panasonic, highly recommended. Another tips of mine for selecting chargers is that do NOT buy "quick" chargers that charge too fast (say, 15 minutes or something). Those chargers do NO GOOD to the batteries, nor the charging quality is really good. Cooling fan actually doesn't help much. The cooling fan can blow away the heat *outside* the batteries. But how can they get the heat *inside* the batteries Away?
Well, the worst battery I have ever owned is the Sanyo 2500 mAh NiMH (early model, which Sanyo advertised heavily everywhere and claimed to be the highest capacity NiMH created and made ever!), which IMHO is just a Piece Of Junk. In fact, this battery has been "crowned" as "King of Self-Discharge" by photohobbists locally in my city, which it will discharge to nothing usable just after one to two days it has no power at all after that. Really POJ or maybe even just a POS! Indeed, this name of "King of Self-Discharge" is really so exact and is best describing this ever crappy Sanyo rechargeable model, which was with only 100% hype, and solely.
What is the best battery then? Eneloop? Nope.. It is usable but not the best battery I own. Lately, I have found and bought four new Camelion AlwaysReady new-type LSD (Low Self-Discharge) NiMHs and I do find a difference.
When used in my K-m, the AlwaysReady show clearly that it is just superior to the Eneloop. It is more powerful and my K-m is now ever strongest (the motor torque is different, as that can be heard obviously). As what Camelion claims, the AlwaysReady recovers much faster after high drain, or even "short circuit", whereas the Eneloop does recover slower according to my own experiences. With freshly charged batteries, after high drain (say, put the K-m into the Continuous Hi frame mode for five shots), the Eneloop will show "half-depleted" momentarily but the AlwaysReady is still able to maintain its power level, with a green battery symbol. If the batteries are already shown as "half-depleted", further draining the Eneloops will make my K-m shut-down. In contrast, with AlwaysReady, it can still sustain the power until it cuts off very transitionally, but not suddenly (unlike the Eneloop). Even when the battery symbol has just become red (empty), the AlwaysReady can still do a few more shots before the batteries "die", which has never been possible with the Eneloop.
So, the Camelion AlwaysReady is what I highly recommend for all Pentax users with our AA battery driven DSLRs. Finally, there is a better solution to the problem, although it is not offered by Pentax! Combined with Pana's chargers (not too "quick" but reasonable in charging time, say, two hours something), the best result can be obtained. I do not recommend Camelion or those common GP chargers that are widely available though, as I have recently read cases of explosion of both on local press and in another local photo forum. Panasonic is the brand that I mostly trust, with best performance, reliability and safety (although their offers are usually not that cheap).
The Colour K-x Can Now be Ordered Online Internationally?
Just see the translated page of Rakuten (a large Japanese gadgets online shop):-
http://en.item.rakuten.com/j-pre/k-x-lkorder/
Try it out yourself, maybe you can order your preferred colour out of the 100 colours of the K-x! Good luck!
Some more remarks:-
1. I don't know if they would accept international orders, especially for the colour K-x, but it *seems* to be.
2. The sold price is ¥59,829 (no tax required outside Japan), which is roughly equal to US$650 and is in line with the price sold at B&H and Adorama. But then you can get a customised colour combination.
3. If you fail to order the special coloured K-x but you still wish to have one, you can think of painting your Pentax bod(ies) yourself and here is the solution!
http://en.item.rakuten.com/j-pre/k-x-lkorder/
Try it out yourself, maybe you can order your preferred colour out of the 100 colours of the K-x! Good luck!
Some more remarks:-
1. I don't know if they would accept international orders, especially for the colour K-x, but it *seems* to be.
2. The sold price is ¥59,829 (no tax required outside Japan), which is roughly equal to US$650 and is in line with the price sold at B&H and Adorama. But then you can get a customised colour combination.
3. If you fail to order the special coloured K-x but you still wish to have one, you can think of painting your Pentax bod(ies) yourself and here is the solution!
Plenty of K-x Full-size Samples, Production Firmware
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbdb/
Just view the above album and you can find them all! Outdoor and indoor, low ISOes and high ISOes, including 6400 shot (an example here - Warning: Large file, click will download!).
Well, what I would say I am not impressed with those samples. Colours are odd and many of the images are not sharp (blurry and with low resolution). Moreover, purple fringing has now come back as a more serious problem, see this example (Warning: Large file, click will download). I just hope that it is just owing to the "user's errors" or he is just a really "bad photographer" (as those defensive but offensive Pentax fanboys always talk about and I'd better use their usual terms! LOL..). But anyway, I think it is unlikely to be the case. It seems that the IQ of the K-x isn't that great at all, so far from all those full-size original K-x sample photos that have been posted.
But one thing is for sure, the noise control of the K-x is excellent. Just see how little noise the above 6400 shot is. I am sure it will blow the K-7 out of the water too easily in this regard.
As far as other IQ aspects, I am afraid that the K-m should be far better. So my humble recommendation is that if you just want a *Pentax* DSLR as a photographic tool, get the K-m now as the price has started to drop and as long as the remaining stock lasts.
Just view the above album and you can find them all! Outdoor and indoor, low ISOes and high ISOes, including 6400 shot (an example here - Warning: Large file, click will download!).
Well, what I would say I am not impressed with those samples. Colours are odd and many of the images are not sharp (blurry and with low resolution). Moreover, purple fringing has now come back as a more serious problem, see this example (Warning: Large file, click will download). I just hope that it is just owing to the "user's errors" or he is just a really "bad photographer" (as those defensive but offensive Pentax fanboys always talk about and I'd better use their usual terms! LOL..). But anyway, I think it is unlikely to be the case. It seems that the IQ of the K-x isn't that great at all, so far from all those full-size original K-x sample photos that have been posted.
But one thing is for sure, the noise control of the K-x is excellent. Just see how little noise the above 6400 shot is. I am sure it will blow the K-7 out of the water too easily in this regard.
As far as other IQ aspects, I am afraid that the K-m should be far better. So my humble recommendation is that if you just want a *Pentax* DSLR as a photographic tool, get the K-m now as the price has started to drop and as long as the remaining stock lasts.
Is this Price of the DA 21 Real?
http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-21mm-Limited-Digital-Cameras/dp/B000FZ2VXY/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1254739325&sr=1-18
Amazon lists only 1 unit of the DA 21 left and they ask for (US)$1,052.13 for this unit! What? Is it real or just an error?? But anyway, this price is insane!
But anyway, for anyone who selects the item and then purchases online, they would possibly pay this cost, which is almost doubled the selling price of the same lens at B&H.
In my city, the current street prices of the DA 21 are all at around at (US)$550, whilst back to July, it costed only $420. There has been an increase of $130, or by 31%, within two months! Crazy enough?
I guess Pentax/Hoya has almost forgot that their DA lenses are APS-C cropped afterall. All of the wide angle DA primes and zooms cannot be used on Full Frame (see this Illustration). Btw, recently there has been a rumour talking about there will be a Pentax Full Frame DSLR by the end of next year and I do believe a Full Frame Pentax DSLR body will still come later if they can survive. With the old prices, I still have some hesitation to invest just because of this FF compatibility concern. Now, I would almost forget to get any new DA lenses from now on, for those silly new prices being asked and also for the poor QC of the DA Limited lenses I experienced as well (even when I once had the implusion to buy one).
Amazon lists only 1 unit of the DA 21 left and they ask for (US)$1,052.13 for this unit! What? Is it real or just an error?? But anyway, this price is insane!
But anyway, for anyone who selects the item and then purchases online, they would possibly pay this cost, which is almost doubled the selling price of the same lens at B&H.
In my city, the current street prices of the DA 21 are all at around at (US)$550, whilst back to July, it costed only $420. There has been an increase of $130, or by 31%, within two months! Crazy enough?
I guess Pentax/Hoya has almost forgot that their DA lenses are APS-C cropped afterall. All of the wide angle DA primes and zooms cannot be used on Full Frame (see this Illustration). Btw, recently there has been a rumour talking about there will be a Pentax Full Frame DSLR by the end of next year and I do believe a Full Frame Pentax DSLR body will still come later if they can survive. With the old prices, I still have some hesitation to invest just because of this FF compatibility concern. Now, I would almost forget to get any new DA lenses from now on, for those silly new prices being asked and also for the poor QC of the DA Limited lenses I experienced as well (even when I once had the implusion to buy one).
Monday, October 05, 2009
Practical Solution to Dark Blindness of the K-7
(Source: http://pentax.photoble.net/?exif=091004009)
Wow! What a practical solution to the dark blindness of the K-7! No more worry about the super high noise of higher ISO speeds other than the base ISO speeds of 100 and 200 only! No more worry about the K-7 of being a "Daylight DSLR"! No limitation of such forever!!
I believe it does work. Just try it out yourself if you're really pissed off by the problem! It can also be used for taking movies! Really great idea and much useful! Thanks, guy! You're really so clever and what a really simple *solution*!!
Colour Ranking of the 100 K-xes
The above is a Japanese ranking of different 100 colours of the K-x, as at 12:30 p.m. of 10-2-2009. (Source: http://pentax.photoble.net/?exif=091002001)
Guess what are the most popular colours and what are the least popular ones? Go figure it out yourself! :)
Update (1-7): Here is the Official Ranking Page:-
http://www.camera-pentax.jp/k-x/#/ranking
Well, now people like the Panda most and then the Fire Engine next.. ;-)
The Definitive Guide to P-TTL Flashes
Since the prices of the original Pentax flashes have gone up like rocket (not only lenses), I think it's time to learn more about other options. I have found the following guide about Pentax P-TTL flashes, for both original branded and 3rd party options, highly recommended:-
http://pttl.mattdm.org/
(The Guide is being updated from time to time)
Read Also:-
Which Flash Units are Safe for Pentax DSLRs?
P-TTL Vs TTL - A Technical Brief
P-TTL Reliability
http://pttl.mattdm.org/
(The Guide is being updated from time to time)
Read Also:-
Which Flash Units are Safe for Pentax DSLRs?
P-TTL Vs TTL - A Technical Brief
P-TTL Reliability
Saturday, October 03, 2009
"Highly Recommended"
When the test pictures and data all show that the JPEGs are ridiculously soft and images are super noisy (ISO 400 is already too terrible!), the DPR guys yet still "highly recommend" the camera. Really amazing! I have no more to say and better to leave my this blog post almost blank!
Still lucky that they post many of their test results, go judge yourself. Just remember pictures won't lie but people will! (Although people can still carefully select the pictures and manipulate the data!)
p.s. Also think about why it has taken so looong for DPR to "finalise" and publish their K-7 review, in particular.
Still lucky that they post many of their test results, go judge yourself. Just remember pictures won't lie but people will! (Although people can still carefully select the pictures and manipulate the data!)
p.s. Also think about why it has taken so looong for DPR to "finalise" and publish their K-7 review, in particular.
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