What Will be My 10th/Next DSLR/ILDC Body?

Since January 2004, I have purchased nine DSLR and ILDC bodies. Below is the history and summary:-

2004: Pentax *ist D
2005: Pentax *ist DS
2006: Pentax K100D
2007: Canon EOS 5D
2009: Pentax K-m, Panasonic GF-1 (K-7 pre-order was cancelled, deposit refunded)
2010: Pentax K-x, Sony NEX-3
2011: Pentax K-r (K-5 pre-order was cancelled, deposit refunded)

And, some photos of my gear:-



So, what will be my next body? NEX-7/5N? The rumoured Canon 5D III? Or, the Pentax Q (Just!)? :-o Which one? Actually, I just don't know it myself, as I really don't have a crystal ball to tell! ;->

Besides, it is interesting to note that my Canon Full Frame 5D is the only digital camera body that could stop me from buying yet another new camera for two years long, "momentarily"!~ Indeed, no other body could "achieve" that so far! ;-p

Btw, I actually pre-ordered the K-7 back to 2009 at least one month before it was announced and also for the K-5 earlier this year with about 10% deposit money paid. But however, owing to various (unsatisfactory) performance and/or quality issues with the camera and bodies I received, I felt obliged to cancel both orders and opted to wait for the "next"! >:-( So, if I could "successfully" acquire them, I should already have had 11 digital bodies up till now, instead of 9 only. Nevertheless, do note that most of them are still Pentax ones, after all! :-o


Related:-

My 7th Pentax SLR Body?

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

Summary Matrix for Equipment Tests and Reviews

Ten Things that I Want Ricoh to Do for Pentax

DA 16-45 is Still in Production

Every Pentax that sold in the mainland China must have its production date printed and shown on the box. Here is the image of a latest production:-



(Source: http://forum.xitek.com/showthread.php?threadid=925227)

According to the official information published in various different Pentax websites worldwide, only Pentax Imaging is still selling the DA16-45 in the US, whereas for all other countries the DA16-45 is not listed, including the Japanese Pentax product page. So, people are suspecting it was discontinued and only Pentax Imaging (US) has been selling (all) the remaining stock. Now, the above shows that at least the rumoured discontinued DA1645 lens is actually still in production. So, the Pentax DA lens lineup is not dying, as the first DA lens is still being made! ;-D


Related:-

Zeiss Stopped Production of (Z)K-mount Lenses

All Voigtlander K-A Mount Lenses are Discontinued

Made ("Assembled") In Vietnam (A50/1.2 Still in Production, by 2010)

Ten DA/DFA Lenses Officially Discontinued! New Lineup/Format to Come?

FA 35 F2 Discontinued

DA 18-250 Discontinued

Hoya Actually Made SLR Lenses

Hoya actually made SLR lenses in different mounts, including entax K, Nikkor F and Minolta MD and etc. Some examples:-



(Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/garydanton/5769178099/)



(Source: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&item=270310838388&nma=true&rt=nc&si=WJoBecR6IQtD6asTCB%252FpIvX7mVg%253D)

Well, the printed HMC name as seen is not on the filter, but really on the lens itself instead! :-o

Anyway, Hoya is just a name of the past in the history of Pentax, as long as the production of cameras and lenses is concerned.


Read Also:-

Hotax Has NOW Been Rictax! ;-D

Disabling the Forced Dark Frame Subtraction for Long Exposure in K-x

This PF poster reported a success, by using the Debug Mode:-

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/162237-pentax-kx-dfs-success.html

And quoted:-

"I was looking through the firmware 1.02 for the Pentax KX and noticed the keywords DISABLE_BULB_ALG. I gave it a try and it worked. I no longer have DFS using this command. I'm not sure how many things are contained in the algorithm that is being disabled, but definitely DFS is one item as the camera is immediately ready to take a picture with long exposures. I tested with a 1 min exposure and a 5 minute exposure. Definite increases in hot pixels and bloom with increased exposure time, but with image stacking and dithering these are easily eliminated in typical astrophotography (my hobby) image processing. I'm not sure if there are any other effects with this command yet. Still need to conduct more tests."

For how to enter and work with the Debug Mode, see my this earlier tutorial. Do remember to copy also the new file of "SYSPARAM.TXT with the line of [DISABLE_BULB_ALG] in it as instructed, in addition to the MODSET.492 file in the root directory of the SD card. In addition, I think the command line of the [DISABLE_BULB_ALG] should be followed by a Carriage Return character (Enter), otherwise, the command would not be executed.

For other Pentax owners of other Pentax DSLR models, maybe this method would also work. Do let us know about the result if you try, no matter it is succeeded or not. For how to enter the debug mode of many other older Pentax DSLRs, read this report.

Some Pentax Trouble Reports This Week (Tilted K-5 Finder, O-GPS1 Astrotracer Bug, K-5 Old Firmware Bug)

1. This K-5 user reported a tilted viewfinder:-

http://www.dchome.net/viewthread.php?tid=1074731&extra=page%3D1

He said that using LiveView was okay and he was able to get perfectly levelled pictures. But however, with the optical viewfinder, the final pictures were always inclined.

2. This O-GPS1 and K-5 user found a bug on the calculated maximum tracking time limit in the astrotracer mode which is much shorter practically with his telephone lens attached and thus tracing failure was resulted and the errors are shown in photos:-

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=39556416

3. This user's K-5 unit should be defective as the camera just won't shoot when the built-in flash is popped up. But the first responder to the OP pointed out an earlier firmware bug about the conflict between the LiveView and the pop-up flash that would cause exactly the same lock-up. He claimed that the latest K-5 firmware has resolved the problem, though:-

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1036&thread=39558544

4. This FA31 Limited had the light-sealing rubber inside the front glass detached, for two positions. The user said that the lens has been used for five years but it has never been mistreated and actually great care has always been taken for use and handling. The lens has also been put in electronic cabinet of his when not in use, with the relative humidity set at 40 to 55%:-

http://forum.xitek.com/showthread.php?threadid=924645
(in Chinese, English Here (machine-translated))

A photo of the found defects is also attached.

Hair Dry and Repair the SDM! :-o

http://forum.xitek.com/showthread.php?threadid=924386

(in Chinese, Google-translated English page here)

This Pentaxian had his DA* SDM died but which could not be revived after trying every known method including this. Coincidently, his wife was drying her hair using an electric hair-dryer. So, the desperate but annoyed user just got the hair dryer from his wife and blew vigorously to the SDM with hot air. But surprisingly, it was revived! :-o

Amazing and Amusing enough? ;-D


Related:-

Repair a Stuck SDM DIY - An English Guide

1,000 Signatures of the Pentax SDM Petition Online! (Now 1,222 Signatures)

Sigma 150mm/2.8 EX DG OS Macro Will be Available in K-mount

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/755347-USA/Sigma_106109_150mm_f_2_8_EX_DG.html

The arrival date is not yet known, though.

Besides, this lens is a DG lens. So, full frame compatibility is guaranteed, which is the same as those original Pentax DFA macro lenses. But nevertheless, Pentax does not have any full frame body up till now anyway, and not likely in the foreseeable future.


Read Also:-

DFA 100 Macro WR - Brief Hands-on Impressions

Some New Macro Photos to Share (DFA 100 on 5D)

Why Lens Tests Would Not be So Meaningful?

Because of sample variations and test variables:-

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/10/notes-on-lens-and-camera-variation

So, measurbation tests are good for reference to some extents, but then all those variation factors could come into play and affect the final obtained results.

My own opinion is that for every lens, you should try it yourself long enough to see if you are going to love it or not. Do note that not every performance aspect or characteristic of a lens is measurable. So, things could indeed be subjective after all!


Read Also:-

RiceHigh's Subjective Ratings on Pentax AF Lenses on Pentax DSLRs 2011

Remote Control Your Camera Using Android Device

It seems to be quite useful, especially when the interval shooting function is required. And almost all the Pentax DSLRs are supported! The *ist D and the Q are not mentioned, though.

http://www.wegroo.com/photoirmote/photoirmote/



Some of the screenshots can be found at their this sub-page. But before it works, an infrared (hardware) dongle, which is plugged into the phone jack of the phone, has to be built and clear instructions have been provided.

Btw, I might try it later with a Samsung Galaxy phone if I have the time and would report back later if tried.


Read Also:-

The Pentax (Electronic) Cable Switches

DIY Cable Switch/Release for Pentax K-m, K-x and K-r

A Pentax Q Time-lapse Example Video

A 45k-image 3-year Time-lapse Video with the K110D

New FA31 Limited Detailed Measurbation Test

At the Polish Optyczne. As usual, I think the test is professionally done and is good for reference:-

http://www.optyczne.pl/index.php?test=obiektywu&test_ob=235

(Google English Translation Here)