DIY: Adapting the Pentax FA*85/1.4 onto the Cantax K-5D Mark III

Since a Pentax K-mount FF has been rather pessimistic for long and even that the K-mount might be aborted, today I have decided to build my own K-mount Full Frame body myself again, to accommodate my superior and excellent FA*85/1.4 lens, which has been collecting dust for long without a matching FF body!

So, here we go!

Warning: If you follow me to do the following, do it at YOUR OWN RISK!

And, great care must always be taken throughout the whole course:-

1. Put a large white paper on the working desk/table with bright illumination on it;

2. Find a high quality matching-size screwdriver for opening the rear of the lens;

3. Remove the three screws *around* the mount so as to pick out the whole assembly of the aperture coupler protector, as follows:-



4. Remove the five screws *on* the mount for dismantling the mount. Before doing that, do put on adhesive tape onto the gold plated electrical pins and contacts to prevent them from dropping off when the mount is removed:-



5. Pick out the aperture ring coupling ring inside:-



6. Unscrew the aperture coupler and remove it:-



7. Put back the aperture coupling ring and the mount:-



8. Get a quality Pentax-K to Canon-EOS adaptor and put it onto the K-mount lens. Mine is a Kipon adaptor with a programmable chipset and PCB attached:-



9. Keep and store the removed parts safely and properly:-



10. Focus adjust the lens before use, the correction parameter can be either entered into the body or into the memory of the programmable chip of the adaptor, which I choose the latter. This calibration method of mine is used.

Last but not least, other K-mount lenses could also be mounted!




Related:-

Compatibility List of Some Pentax Full Frame Lenses on Canon 5D Body

Compatibility of DA Lenses on Full Frame

K-5D Mark III: DA 18-55 II Converted to a 24-80 FULL FRAME Lens!

When the Focusing Screen Lies - Part 2

Latest Interchangeable Lens Camera (ILC) Market Sharing for 6 Months (Japanese Home Market)

See what BCN reports:-

http://bcnranking.jp/news/1302/130228_24917.html
(in Japanese)



The aggregated sales trend of the top four market leaders are plotted for 6 months, namely, Canon (Orange), Nikon (Yellow), Sony (Blue) and Olympus (Green). Do note that the sales of both DSLR/reflex and mirrorless types are included and added up.

As both Canon and Nikon sell mostly reflex cameras instead of mirrorless, it is proven that DSLRs and reflexes still have a huge market of its type. The market pie is being eaten by the mirrorlesses, though. That's what the result achieved by Olympus has told.


Related:- 

Japanese Mirrorless Market Share 2012 (Up to October, BCN Data)

Higher-end DSLRs Live Longer than the Cheaper Ones!

http://www.petapixel.com/2013/03/24/study-confirms-higher-end-dslrs-lose-value-more-slowly-than-cheap-ones/

Unfortunately, Pentax has no real high-end camera of any for the mass market. But on the other hand the 645D is just too "high-ended" to keep the company alive!

Canon has Taken the Crown Away From Pentax! :-(

..for the smallest and lightest DSLR bodies ever made, wins over both the size and the weight! >:-(

Camerasize.com has updated their database to include the new Canon EOS100D/SL1, in particular, I've checked the following:-

1. 100D Vs K-x:-

http://camerasize.com/compare/#448,229

The overall size of the 100D is a bit smaller, but the weight of the 100D is 30% less!

2. 100D Vs K-01:-

http://camerasize.com/compare/#448,285

The K-01, with the complete omission of the mirror, viewfinder and penta-mirror, has no real edge over the 100D in terms of size and weight. The K-01 is a bit smaller but it is yet 27% heavier than the 100D. The body material used is aluminium+plastic of the K-01 against the aluminium alloy+fibre glass plastic of the 100D. The Canon rules for the materials and technologies for how to cut most weight out of a DSLR body! So, how come Pentax could not give out her crown to some body else?!


Previous Related:-

Canon DSLR Diminished, Leaving Pentax and Others Behind!

DA560 Lens Review Published at PF

The ever most expensive Pentax DA lens has been reviewed in full by the PF:-

http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/pentax-da-560mm-f56-ed-aw/introduction.html

I have gone though the IQ parts of the review. From the test pictures and samples posted, I found that the resolution of the lens is low, flare control of it is so-so, CA of it could be obvious, bokeh of it is not that pleasing, i.e., rough and without good feel of separation which is just odd enough..

Although the PF editor writes and comments in words that the lens is performing good for each of the above departments, I would rather opt to inspect the posted pictures instead as one picture is worth more than one thousand words!

Anyway, you may agree or disagree what I have concluded. So you should decide yourself for what I have blogged. Just go read through the PF review and measurebate things yourself! Yes, I do promote their website this time! ;-D


Related:-

Mounting a (Cheap) Telescope onto a Pentax (K-mount) Camera Body

New Firmware for Pentax Q

http://www.pentax.jp/english/support/digital/q_s.html

• Improved contrast AF performance.
• Improved stability for general performance.

Good job, Pentax! I will update mine shortly.

Update (3-29): The firmware is pulled down from the above Japanese support website without any reason given. Only the following is stated:-

We are sorry to inform you that the software version 1.11 is temporary not available.

It might be the case that Pentax has found something wrong with the released firmware. Meanwhile, if you still want to do the update but yet could not find the software, you can download the updating file from the following alternative official link:-

http://www.pentax.com.cn/service/download.html?id=16

But do bear in mind to do it at your own risk then! :-o

K-mount is to be Discontinued and Replaced!?

The rumours continue.. Read this Xitek post (Google translated).

Well, it is told that:-

1. The source of information is from an old classmate of the OP who is now working at Tokina in Japan;

2. There is a collaboration project in progress amongst Pentax Ricoh and Tokina (This is confirmed via the previous news posted by the PF);

3. The March 27 rumour is not true! (Yes, that poster firmly said it was not going to happen when everyone or at least most/many people believed that on the day before, me inclusive of course!)

4. The real planned time-frame for a Pentax FF announcement will be in the second half of this year of 2013;

5. The K-mount will be discontinued! A new mount will be used for the new upcoming FF Pentax body, which is NOT compatible with the old K-mount!

In fact, in a previous Japanese interview with the Pentax Ricoh Head in the fall of last year, that Head did really disclose that they were considering a new mount and the K-mount might be aborted! But now this new rumour says something that is so close! So, could it really happen?! >:-(

If it really happens and the K-mount is aborted, the Pentax sky is really falling and I am sure that they will die in a very short time and Pentax the brand will disappear!!

What Internet Contents that Could be Trusted BTW?

A Chinese idiom states that sometimes one cannot really distinguish between the truth and the fake..

An alleged boy named himself as Mike (Milan) Svitek as the poster appeared in YouTube yesterday and stated that all the recent Pentax new body and lens rumours "created" by him were all fake!



URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXPo72dpAtQ

But then here comes the questions! IF *everything* read from/on the Internet could be fake and one should be susceptible, for instance:-

1. How come one can know if this little boy is the original poster of that recent Pentax rumour?

2. How to verify this boy's identity and if he is that Mike/Milan Svitek before?

3. Even it is really that person, how do you know if what are being told in the video is true or not. Or if someone forced him to do so, if not he would bear some serious consequences? Btw, I have a feeling that he was being pointed by a gun to force him to say something to correct his serious mistake done! ;-p

4. Will you shoot yourself like that if you really have told a big lie to the world but then you still opted to show your face to the world and then yet laughed at all those stupid guys of being fooled??! :-o

Oh, my bad again for reporting the "fake rumour" anyway! >:-|

Where Came the Countdown?

It was originated from a blog post by the Mr. Blurry Cameraphone-man, whom posted the diagram below at his new Chinese "micro-blog" hosted at the Sina Weibo, a few days ago:-

http://weibo.com/1495193132/zob2Hz9r5

(Update: The above page has been removed.)

So, this is the significant stuff that posted:-



In short, the Japanese words above meant that at 10:00 a.m. on a x7th day (something is to be announced) and that the "secret is highly restricted".

Do note that Mr. Blurry Cameraphone-man is actually the top Chinese Pentax Ricoh official in the mainland China where the headquarters of the company is based at Shanghai, whom I think is indeed 100% authoritative! As such, I firmly believed that this piece of news was really special and the source of information should be very reliable and trustable.

I further read that two posters/followers to his blog responded and suggested that it would be 27th of March and I saw no objection from Mr. Blurry but then he was actually online after that as seen and thus I further assumed that he could silently admit the date.

After all those, I simply decided to set up the counter sooner but not later as I was really much excited and I thought I was confident enough to do so! :-o

Yes, nothing has happened today but we can still wait for the 17th of April to see if something will really be announced by that day.

Still, I think it's yet the big fault of Pentax Ricoh after all! Why? These days we can see worms of hungry and long-awaited Pentaxians who have been so frustrated and have been hoping for something new from Pentax and especially for a Full Frame body that we could get very soon, "finally"! We are all excited! Aren't we? In fact, all the Pentax forums in the Internet have become very hot again (which are all declining since the Photokina of the last year, indeed!) and once again keen discussions were started.

We all have very strong desire with aspiration but why Pentax Ricoh just cannot give us something that we wanted which have been asking for so long?? Why NOT just a bit "earlier" but rather than too laaaaatte??! >:-( Still an APS-C K-5II/s which is based on a 2010 deigned and marketed K-5? Shit and Damn It!!

At the end of the day, I just wonder, what are the management and marketing heads at the PRI HQs are thinking? Do they really want that Pentax the brand to die?! In fact, their management seems to be even worse than the ex-owner of Hoya, whom at least created and marketed something new every year when they steered the ship! >:-|


Read Also:-

Ten Things that I Want Ricoh to Do for Pentax

V.P. of Pentax Canada Forced Mike Svitek to Withdraw All his Posted Contents about the New Pentax DSLR!

(Glen Sealy, V.P. of Pentax Canada Imaging.)

According to what Mike Svitek told lastly, Vice President of Pentax Canada, Glen Sealy, phoned him, strongly requesting removval of all his previous posted contents about a secret Pentax DSLR body tested by him, at Google+ and Twitter.

So, now all his contents are removed but then it seems yet confirms that what Mike told are true, maybe! And do note that the Pentax VP did get / does have his phone number as told! :-)

Pentax Australia has just Confirmed FF!!

@ https://twitter.com/PentaxAustralia/status/316151346644533248

Something "Very Different" is Coming!

Updated: Countdown to the Upcoming Pentax New Product Announcement!

UPDATE: The Counter is RESET! :-o :-(

K-3 FF in 24MP is Being Beta-Tested?

A guy called Mike Svitek has posted and typed these in his twitter and Google+ accounts, as follows and quoted, one by one:-

https://twitter.com/svitekphotos/status/314424040804720640/photo/1

"Testing the Pentax K-3 ... ISO25600 sample blew me away!"

https://plus.google.com/109859150130478662888/posts

Read the earlier one of the two posts made on March 20th:-

"Testing out the new Pentax K-# HDSLR  [ ;) WINK WINK... NUDGE NUDGE ]  with the Pentax 77mm Limited Prime lens ... 1/500s f/11 ISO25600 Custom WB
Contrast has been increased and image was cropped+downsized in DarkTable.

.
.
.

Now that all the formalities are out of the way... I love the tones, the dynamic range is amazing, and the resolution (while being too high for my taste) has its advantages when clearing up some noise. With the combo of the new sensor and processor, there is very little noise to clean up in the first place. It only starts showing up visibly at around ISO6400 (becoming obvious here at 25,600 and pretty bad at the extended range of 102,400) ... As I already stated, this camera sits between its competitors with the D800 and the D4 or the 5D Mrk.3 and the 1DX ... Somewhere between the two classes of each manufacturer.
Sadly, I have to give it back tomorrow... It was a fun ride while it lasted..."

https://plus.google.com/photos/109859150130478662888/albums/5857441102173448593/5857441104907673602?authkey=CKq4_J2Sttm0Gg

A larger version of the above sample in 2048 x 1420 pixels can be downloaded via the "Option" item located at the bottom of the page. This ISO 25,600 image made with the 77 Limited lens is really impressive enough, if it is really true!

And the following additional things are disclosed:-

"BTW: I've known Ricoh representa

tives all my life. That's the only reason why they allowed me to test-run these cameras... There are 10 prototypes circulating around as I understood it, with three different internal variants... This one is D600 meets A99, they make a baby, and then inject it with steroids. ;)"

"I can't wait to see how many new people this will bring in. Pentax users have been on a very slow decline since 2003 when they killed the K1 concept for the second time... 2013/2014 is the time to strike back! Move over Canikons!
P.S. ... Happy Pentax Day!"

"I mentioned the D600/A99 because it has a similar sensor, which I'm not fond of... I find 24Mpix to be much too high. I suggested to them the same sensor as the D4 has, and using their Shake Reduction technology to create a multi-shot composite similar to what Hasselblad has. However, I am a specialist

s so I need the low light performance... the general public should love the new camera, inside and out."

Canon DSLR Diminished, Leaving Pentax and Others Behind!

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canon-eos-100d-rebel-sl1/7



http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/canon-sl1/canon-sl1A.HTM



http://www.photoreview.com.au/reviews/dslr-cameras/entry-level/first-look-canon-eos-100d

Via: 1001 Noisy Cameras.

So, Canon has made my old dream comes true but not Pentax, nor anyone else neither. I might buy that EOS100D btw, it's a little funny *reflex* camera with good build quality on paper (using Aluminum metal alloy for the shell)!

"Sunsetting" of the Google Reader!

http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2013/03/powering-down-google-reader.html

The Google Reader is dying! It's really Too Bad! I have been using this for years now, any suggestion for a replacement? :-(

Copyright Reiteration

I have been noticing that particular people who follow my Blog have been consistently cloning my post contents of the latest and re-posting these, which are actually originated from my Blog, at other Internet places as if they found the contents themselves, *without citing* the original source of the contents, i.e., my Blog! I have commonly seen this happened at the two major Pentax forums from time to time, namely, at the DPR and the PF.

It should be noted that I have been spending numerous hours and am doing my own hard works in the light of finding any Pentax related news and reports as well as writing technical articles that I think should be interested to many Pentaxians. The behaviour of those people who just knew to steal my contents but refused to cite me is really too disgusting enough! >:-(

In this regard, I feel obliged to remind those content thieves that it is strictly prohibited for what they have been doing and it is simply a serious infringement to my own copyrights and I do not want to see such kind of thefts anymore! Still, I opt not to disclose their names and post the links this time but next time I will not hesitate to do it immediately! By then, don't blame me for any name mentioning if it does happen again! :-o

Yet Another Recent Rumour from Japan: K-3/3s April, 645DII June

Read this:-

http://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/K0000416049/SortID=15794099/
(in Japanese)

This rumour is actually a few weeks earlier than what Photo Rumors told us about five new Pentax/Ricoh cameras are to come just on the day before. The Japanese OP seems to know something. Btw, it is said that the K-3/3s is an APS-C body with 24MP pixel count, just! >:-|

Edit: Thanks to "phoenix15" for his/her reply in the Comments section (the 1st one), we have another latest post found at the kakaku forum by the same OP:-

http://bbs.kakaku.com/bbs/-/SortID=15883682/
(in Japanese)

It is told that a lower entry level DSLR model than the K-30 with a 16MP sensor (APS-C of course) will be marketed also, and that the K-3/3s will replace the K-5II/IIs.

So, the above have already made up the four new Pentax cameras that will appear, whilst the remaining new camera I guess would be in the Ricoh brand name.

Last Clearance - Instant Rebate for Lenses with the Purchase of 645D and K-5IIs

See the latest offers here, in US only:-

http://pentaximaging.com/special-offers/

And this is the downloadable claim form:-

http://c758710.r10.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/rebates/1363016044_PENTAX_K5IIsLENS_645DLENS_REWARDS_2013_022613_V2_HR.pdf

So, it seems that Pentax is trying to clean up the last stocks of the 645D and K-5IIs at this moment and that promotion of those FA Limited full frame lenses is obvious. It might hint that replacement of the two models may come shortly and that a new FF body might come, too! Otherwise, they need not to promote those rare FF lenses in their current lineup so keenly! :-D

Rumour: Pentax Ricoh to Announce Five New Cameras Shortly

See what PR has just reported:-

http://photorumors.com/2013/03/10/pentax-rumored-to-announce-several-new-dslrs-and-a-new-compact-aps-c-camera/

The source of information is not mentioned, though. But I believe that the PR should have some insider channel for what they said, as before (and that it was proven for times that they were right, although not always). And yes, PR (Photo Rumors) disclosed PR (Pentax Ricoh)'s secret information! ;-)

Btw, the $2000 US dollars new body *should* be a Full Frame. Otherwise, I can safely declare to the world that Pentax Ricoh is doomed, as it happens that this expensive body be an APS-C body, just! >:-(

And also, will there be any new lenses? I think that there should be at least some, if several new bodies are really to come!

The "Brick Pentaxian" Switched to Canon for Super Tele-photography

The brick owner of the Pentax K-01 and some other Pentax gear, decided and got a Canon 7D and an "outdated" Canon 400/5.6L USM lens to do the job:-

http://steevemarcoux2.com/2013/03/08/from-pentax-to-canon-7d-400mm5-6-l-for-wildlife/

Nice photo, btw!


Read Also:- 

The Pentax Big Guns for Birding!

New K-5II/IIs Firmware V1.03

http://www.pentax.jp/english/support/digital/k-5_2_s.html

Changes to V1.03

• Improved the accuracy of exposure when using AA batteries.
• Improved stability for general performance.

Online Sensor Size Comparison Tool for Different Cameras

@ http://cameraimagesensor.com/size/

For instance, this is what I have just compared:-



http://cameraimagesensor.com/size/#188,167,137,231,190,75,83,133,11,135,a

Enjoy!


Old Related:-

Sensor Sizes Re-visited, including the Latest Rumoured Nikon and Fuji Mirrorlesses

Virtually Compare the Sizes of Different Cameras

MX-1 DxOMarked

Just see what happens for what it is compared against the Olympus XZ-2 and the Q10:-

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Compare-Camera-Sensors/Compare-cameras-side-by-side/(appareil1)/854|0/(brand)/Pentax/(appareil2)/841|0/(brand2)/Olympus/(appareil3)/828|0/(brand3)/Pentax

Well, it tells that the XZ-2 and the MX-1 are actually the same camera inside, as most of the marks are just so close, or just identical! :-o

As to compare with the Q10, the MX-1 actually doesn't have a real edge over that little "crappy" ILDC with a smaller 1/2.3" sensor! ;-)

So Boring in the Pentaxland Recently, What is/are Coming?! >:-(

Feel free to reply in "Comments" for anything you know or want! :-o

New Full MX-1 Review at the Pentax Forums

http://www.pentaxforums.com/reviews/pentax-mx-1-review/introduction.html

Fairly detailed.

Ricoh Files Patent for Their Dumb Bell Camera

http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-02-13
(in Japanese)


Related:- 

Pentax Dumb Bell Camera is Now a Ricoh

The Pentax Big Guns for Birding!

Above: From Top to Bottom: DA560, FA250-600, Sigma DC500, FA400.

There is also a A600 as well (the lower one):-



From these PFC posts (in Traditional Chinese):-

http://forum.pentaxfans.net/thread-134670-1-1.html

http://forum.pentaxfans.net/thread-134602-1-1.html


Who said Pentax is not for Birding after all?! ;-)

Unleash the Local Language Menu of a Locked K-01 Version

http://forum.pentaxfans.net/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=135078
(in Traditional Chinese)

For those special versions that sold in particular countries/regions, e.g. in Japan, the K-01 has only Japanese and English selectable as the user menu language. Someone in Taiwan has discovered that the local language menu can actually be unlocked and unleashed simply via the Debug mode.

What to do is to enter the Debug mode by using the PK Tether. After that, the local language option will appear. Just select it and leave the Debug mode. That's it! You have a local version of the K-01 body after that, then! Is that great enough? Yes, it really is!

If this trick really works, just don't feel hesitate to buy a Pentax camera in Japan where it could be cheap enough for some discounted models. Good luck next time when you travel there!

Btw, if you try this and succeed, please tell us and confirm it here! :-)