Fuji X100 Official Promotion Video

The X100 is really a very nice camera for its retro feel and build quality, especially for those guys who had a film rangefinder in the old days. :-D But it's just way too expensive for that high cost to be justified for merely a non-interchangeable fixed lens camera, I have to say, on the other hand. :-(

Update (3-10): A new full-size sample gallery of the X100 with portrait photos is here:-

http://optyczne.pl/3807-nowo%C5%9B%C4%87-Fujifim_FinePix_X100_-_pierwsze_zdj%C4%99cia_z_finalnej_wersji.html

Not bad overall. But as for the colour rendition in particular the skin tone reproduction, I still prefer my K-r over the X100! :-)


Read Also:-

My First Camera

The World First / Pentax First: My (Obsolete) Pentax Collection

The State of Pentax (by Q1 2011)

The photo industry super analyst Thom Hogan (a Nikonian in principle) has recently written a sum-up of the current states of Nikon's product lineups and families of DSLR and camera gear.. See:-

http://bythom.com/state2010.htm

I think it would be interesting to my readers if I write a similar article about Pentax. So, here we go! :-D


PENTAX HAS:

- A second highest resolution APS-C DSLR body with (relatively) "compact" size, i.e., the K-5 (Canon current APS-C DSLRs all have 18 MPs);

- A weather-sealed mid-grade APS-C body with optional weather-sealed lenses (DA* and WR models);

- Stylish entry DSLR bodies (K-r and the old K-x) with various choices of different colour combinations and special cartoon editions of those. There are always more fun with Pentax regarding this! (And they taught me for not liking black cameras anymore! ;->)

- Compact (but rather slow in speed) elegant DA pancake lenses (i.e., DA 15/21/40/70);

- Choice of other bulkier (but yet not really very fast) DA primes, e.g., DA 35 Macro, DA 35/2.4, DFA 100 and etc.;

- Good to better ergonomics for the body and operational interface/menu design, usually;

- SMC coating - superb flare control, excellent colour rendition;

- SP coating for front/rear glass elements - easy to clean and yet sturdy;

- Still the nearly cheapest entry level DSLR body by now (the price of K-r has been reduced significantly already);

- A higher grade 645D Cropped Medium Format (MF) DSLR body - unique in the market for an "entry level" "low-cost" MF DSLR body and system (but there are only two new lenses launched so far for the digital Pentax 645D "system" anyway);

- Some uniquely designed compact P&S DC with appealing appearance and attractive/useful specs, e.g., the latest Optio WG-1/GPS, which people think that it looks like a Casio G-shock watch.


DOESN'T HAVE:

- An upper grade and true professional APS-C camera;

- A 135 Full Frame K-mount body;

- Faster prime lenses with larger aperture values (they used to achieve this for the FA lineup in the old film days!);

- A complete lens lineup that supports full frame nor there is anything beyond 300mm on the super-tele side, neither;

- There is no Tele Convertor/Adaptor that just supports AF nor SDM, in addition;

- Any plan(s) on the future development of the Pentax systems - at least it is not as transparent as it should be, or, there is no useful for those;

- An updated P-TTL system that can perform better;

- Updated flash units with faster recycling time and more updated features and etc. - The two 360 and 540 models are just too aged and now many Pentax people who want better performance and/or value have already gone Metz;

- A true video compression codec and technology for effective video and motion compression for any of their DSLRs ever made.

- A mirrorless system (at least one body + two lens!).


(SUPER) NEGATIVES:

- SDM of those premium DA* to mid-range DA lenses could die at any time and people scare!

- The latest SAFOX IX/+ never focus properly except at outdoor and on bright days!

- The persistent K-5 sensor stain issue!

- Lack of proper QC for both bodies (made in Philippines) and lenses (made in Vietnam).

- Inferior after-sales support: Slow response to issues / Reluctance to admit problems / Inability to eliminate most technical issues for that those become persistent and infamous.

- Pentaxians on Internet still call the "P" of P-TTL stands for Pathetic, owing to its poor exposure accuracy and reliability! >:-(


Last Analytical Paper:-

Pentax' Performance Evaluation Against Forbes' Seven Secrets of (Successful) Companies

First Stereo 3D APS-C Camera! (A NASA Project)

Via: http://sonyalphanex.blogspot.com/2011/03/sony-nex-5-and-nasas-last-space-shuttle.html

It is a NASA project and I think it is quite interesting. As for the lens model used, it is a Nikkor AI 20mm F4 lens. And two are used (of course). It seems that NASA like to use Nikon gear for their space projects, back to the 60s. (If Nikon had a "mirrorless", I guess they would have already used it also!)


All Related:-

http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/search?q=Sony+NEX

http://ricehigh.blogspot.com/search?q=NASA

New Sigma Fast Prime for Pentax Started Shipping

The new Sigma 85/1.4 EX HSM has started to ship. It has the Pentax K-mount version:-

http://www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english/lens/standard/85_14.htm

http://www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english/news/110217_85_14_ex_dg_hsm_Pa.htm

So, when will Pentax/Hoya to announce a new prime lens with a faster speed? What are their plan? Any? Nil?

For old Pentax users, we have our old lenses. But how about new comers and Pentaxians? They have no choice for buying faster new 1st hand lenses, except for searching for all used gear with unreasonably high prices!

Btw, I have my Pentax FA*85/1.4 for long already, I still love my lens, which is really superb in both optical and build quality. But those were the days..



Update: Here is a review of this Sigma prime:-

http://www.dcfever.com/lens/readreview.php?id=4514
(in Chinese, Google English Translation Here)

The lens is not small as you can see from the size comparison against the Canon EF 85/1.8 and the 85/1.2L below:-



As usual, resolution is not a problem for most Sigma lenses. Vignetting is typical for this type of fast prime, especially when near wide-opened. However, the flare control of those Sigma lenses usually sucks, the problem is particularly noticeable if it is compared to the better SMC lenses of Pentax, of which the flare control is usually superb!




Related:-

Search "Lens Roadmap" at RiceHigh's Pentax Blog via Google

Two Yet Unresolved Major Issues of the K-5

See what the PF has told us lately:-

http://www.pentaxforums.com/Good-news-for-K-5-owners

To avoid any reading problem that may arise as a result of deletion of the page later on by the the PF guys for whatever reason(s) of their own as they did it for many times before, I have immediately captured the page for our future reference! :-D =V=



So, the really "good news" is that 26% of the K-5 units purchased in February 2011 in the survey still had the sensor stained. Yep, what a "good news" it is!? :-o >:-(

Frankly and IMHO, for such fatal quality issue and factory defect, I would regard 1% of the defect is simply too much! 26% a "promising results"? My Pardon, Adam?! What?

As for the confirmed K-5 AF lower light out-focusing issue (and actually exactly the same happens to the K-r as well), now PF tells that a new firmware is to be released. I have no doubt about the trustworthiness of this "rumour" as PF is actually very close to official Pentax source (i.e. the Pentax Imaging) to know it. But the big doubt is whether Pentax will be able to cure all those problems simply by a software solution and update. IF Pentax was able to do it, they did it long ago and had done it right for the first time in the beginning. Anyway, I don't think it is purely a software issue, but should be a latent design problem after all.

As for the PF website nowadays, it is not surprised to see Ads are anywhere at their pages. But the funniest thing is that it advertises Nikon and Canon gear at the side bar. Oh, this must be the ultimate goal of the Pentax Forums by now, I bet, i.e., to promote the gear of other more popular and famous brands and to earn more money as possible! :-D (As undoubtedly those C and N gear will have more sales and hence there will be more clicks and then more Ad revenues!)

When we look back when the PF was established and what was told by its founder for its goal and nature, it is really very rather ironic after all! >:-[


Read Also:-

Search for "K-5 Sensor Stains" and Issue at RiceHigh's Pentax Blog (Google Search)

(Alexa) Traffic Ranking of Pentax-Theme Websites

Nearly All "Recent" Pentax DCs are Actually Using the Same Lens!

Yet once again, the lens is the same:-

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1103/11030220pentaxs1.asp



To recall the memory, it would not be difficult to spot that Hoya has been using this "28" to "140mm" lens since the Pentax Optio H90, which was launched back to January 2010, followed by various Pentax DC models like Optio I-10, W90, M90, RS1000, NB1000 and LS1000 and etc.

The lens of this new DC has no SMC neither, i.e., the treasure of a true Pentax lens!

Yet once again, this new Pentax DC has nothing special. It is just too mediocre after all. Really bad! True disappointment here. :-(

The 645D Does "Sport"! ;-p

Came across this post in which the "boxing" photos were taken with a 645D and two Pentax 645 prime lenses:-

http://www.dchome.net/viewthread.php?tid=997822&extra=page%3D1
(in Chinese, Google Translation in English Here)

Most of the photos are really nice and I like the above two most. But in fact, they are actually still photos taken with a studio setup lit by studio bulbs. The girl is not a real boxer but just a model. So, I think we have to wait next time for real world sport photos made by the 645D, if there will be any! I hope that the camera and system would be fast enough~ ;-)

The National Geographic Photo Contest Online

A reader of mine has dropped in an email to me about the following competition:-

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/chasesapphire/



And her entry:-



(URL: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/contests/chase-sapphire/entries/gallery/chase-finalists/#/32453_0_600x0.jpg)

She told me that she is solely a Pentax user and the photo was taken with an *ist DS camera. Below is the additional brief introduction about herself that she sent to me also, quoted:-

"Jamara Knight's photograph and an entire exhibit called Watoto Wanapiga Picha was displayed in galleries in North Carolina and Arizona. The exhibit highlights Jamara's trip to Tanzania where she volunteered with children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. She received a grant and collected used cameras to teach the children photography. The exhibit was a collection of images created by the children and some of Jamara's own images.

She's in second place as of a few minutes ago--voting ends March 10th. Please cast your vote TODAY and help fullfill Jamara's dream of working to better humanitarian issues."

I have quickly browsed through the finalist photos as well as many of the "Editior's Weekly Picks" (Direct links at the right hand side). I found most of the photos are great. If you really like any of them, I encourage you to vote. Do note that voting requires registration at the NG website of the contest. Whilst you can use your existing Google/Yahoo/Facebook etc. accounts to log-in (by passing your login data to the NG server - your consent will be sought), you will still be asked for additional private information before you could complete the registration.

It's always delighting to see some real world photos and support those great photographers. Act now, if you have the time and wish to do so! :-)

Pentax K-r Rilakkuma Limited Edition

1,000 Pieces; July 8th; 94,500 Yen (~ 1150 USD)..

http://www.camera-pentax.jp/k-r/news/20110301.html
(in Japanese, Google English Translation Here)

Whilst I do like the variety of different choices of the K-r with different appearances, I really hope that Pentax should make their DSLRs to perform more accurately and with better/higher reliability than what it is now for those latest Pentax DSLRs, namely, the K-r and the K-5. Just for example I do really love my Limited Gold K-r for its appearance, but its high AF error level and the total unreliability just let me down completely. It is indeed utmost annoying and undoubtedly any user will be too frustrated to get OOF (Out Of Focus) photos under typical indoor environments with actually reasonably adequate illumination.

All in all, what I think is just: When Pentax/Hoya concentrates more and more on the outsides of their DSLRs and lenses and marketing, they should put more efforts and do something more for the inside! Really..


Related:-

Pentax K-5 / SAFOX IX+ Lower Light AF Accuracy Measurbated & Compared

Magnified AF Errors of the SAFOX IX than the SAFOX VIII !?

SAFOX IX Tungsten/Yellow Light Front Focus Issue Fully Investigated

The World's Ugliest Camera! (Feb. 7th, 2011)

K-x Rainbow (Limited Edition)

Practical Solution to the Issue of Few Colour Options of the K-x outside Japan

Star Wars Stormtrooper K2000W LE ?

645D Vs EOS 1Ds Mk III - A Comparison Review

Have a look on this:-

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/pentax-645d-canon-eos-1ds-mark-iii-comparison-15653

Quite interesting..