SAFOX XI?!

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Removing AA Filters is a Mistake for the Industry, Said IR

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/olympus-e-m1/olympus-e-m1A.HTM

Via Image Sensors World

Quoted:-

"Low-pass filters, the lack thereof, and moiré

There's been a strong move in the camera industry lately to remove low-pass filters (aka anti-aliasing filters or LPFs) from cameras, in pursuit of greater image sharpness. The Olympus OM-D E-M1 is one of the latest camera models to join this trend.

At IR, we feel strongly that eliminating low-pass filters is a bad idea, and a mistake for the industry. While the vast majority of natural subjects aren't subject to aliasing and moiré issues, many man-made objects have the sort of regular patterns that trigger the problem.

The real problem is that once you've got moiré or color aliasing in your images, it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to remove."

"As noted above, these examples don't point a finger at Olympus alone: The same or worse can be found in the output from virtually any high-end camera built without an LPF."

They have their daily life example images to prove that they are right. Of course, as the most basic thing for digital sampling, the Nyquist theorem should NOT be violated!

Camera Name K-3 Accidentially Leaked at the Official Ricoh's Japanese Website!

The following is the Official Japanese PPG (Pentax Photo Gallery), it once shown the name of K-3, together with the name of the "K-5 series", for photo submission under the same camera category! :-o



Via: http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~hu5150/dcl/camera_news/article/pentax/2013/0922_01.html (in Japanese)

Well, the picture was shortly deleted and reverted back now, where only appears the name K-5 series. However, the leaked picture with the original html code with the name of K-3 are captured! (Good job, man!) It surely is NOT a typo this time as the K-30 also appeared at the same time at the adjacent left, as the other category of Pentax' DSLR cameras!

So, the K-3 must be true this time. It is No More Rumour! It is really *Official*! :-D


Last Related:

Latest K-3 Technical Details (from my Trustable Source)

Latest K-3 Technical Details (from my Trustable Source)

So, the last rumoured K-3 thing while is true but not exact. Of course, I believe my source. Here we go! :-D

Ricoh Pentax K-3: 24MP APS-C Sensor, Hardware AA Filter-less, Software AA Filter, PRIME III Image Processor, 86k RGB Segmented Light Metering with -3EV Sensitivity, 27-Point AF with -3EV Sensitivity, 8.5 Maximum FPS (Tentative), 4 Stop SR, 100% 0.95X Optical Viewfinder, Fixed Air-gapless LCD, Built-in Interval Shooting up to 2000 Frames and Internal Video Composite, MPEG4 AVC/H.264 Full HD 30p/60i Video, New Stereo Phone-out Monitor Jack, 3 User Modes, USB 3.0, 800g, US$1299.99 Body Only.

More Rumours: Upcoming K-3 and New Lens

Read this post at the Japanese Kakaku Forum written by a Japanese Pentaxian who has heard some secrets from the dealer, for the following:

- The K-3 will be announced near end October.
- 20MP APS-C sensor, possibly made by Sony.
- AA filter less.
- 100% viewfinder at 1.0X.
- Black body marketed first, followed by Silver colour later, first marketed at around 120,000 Japanese Yens (i.e., US$1200) for the body-only price, no kit.

And then also another rumour from yet another poster for additional information:

- New camera (K-3) will be on show at Salon de la Photo at Paris from 7 to 11 November at Paris.
- New DA 18-70 F2.8 lens will be announced together.

So, assuming these rumours are true, are you excited, or actually just much pissed off?? Well, I would just buy the $298 Sony A3000 kit myself right away, of which the body is having the same Sony new sensor inside, which IMHO is the main selling point of the new "K-3"! >:-(


Related:

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

The A Mount Seems to be Aborted, Will K Mount (Ricoh) Follow?

No More New Pentax Product in 2011 (Hearsay)

20 Millions of Pentax Cameras in 2013

See the posts here, here and here by Pentax PH.

So, for what is told, the 20 million-th Pentax camera has just been manufactured at Cebu's Pentax factory in Philippines this year, which has happened only after 32 years when their 10 million-th camera was made back to 1981. It is interesting to note that the first Pentax camera, the Ashaiflex I was first created and marketed back to 1952. So, Pentax was able to make and sell their first 10 millions of Pentax cameras in 29 years last time, and then for another 10 millions of cameras in another 32 years. But since cameras have become widely popular and they have been just domestic products in recent decades, the above figures have just proven and witnessed clearly about the decline of this once Giant in the camera industry and history.

For what I have just counted, I have bought 16 models of Pentax cameras these decades, for both film (5 models) and digital (11 models), SLR or not, since I first bought my Pentax SFX in 1988.

Nonetheless, as for that mentioning about the gold/brown coloured Q10 against the LX Gold Limited Edition, I think that yet once again hurts the weak sentiments of we long-time Pentaxians! :-( It is because the LX was just the last real professional grade camera body and system of Pentax whilst the Q10 is just a toy. Compare a Q10 with the LX is really rather inappropriate after all, IMHO! Btw, I have my gold/brown coloured K-r myself, which I think is still way better than a toyish Q10, isn't it?

Lead Glass and Lead-free Glass for Photographic Lenses

I agree that these are long reads but really interesting:

http://optics.org/indepth/2/7/3

http://rohs.exemptions.oeko.info/fileadmin/user_upload/Stakeholder_comments/Exemption_13_several_industry-stakeholders_27_March_2008.pdf

Via: http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52159193

In short, lead-containing glass is still better optically, less temperature sensitive, more stable and actually cheaper to make. The use of lead in some optical appliances is actually exempted by RoHS directive but the adoption of lead-free glass in photographic lenses is yet the trend and the future of the industry.

Btw, I am glad that I still have some of those toxic Pentax glass that are lead-made, including some of the best F, F*, FA* and FA Limited lenses, which are now used on my Canon 5D3 FF, examples here and here! :-D

AF Fine Adjustment: "Apply All" and "Apply One" Fully Explained

Quite some time ago, I explained how to focus adjust a K-5 camera using Live View. However, there are some confusions amongst Pentax users over time for the meanings and effects of the "Apply All" and "Apply One" settings. So, I opt to explain more this time. Well, the user manual tells nothing useful about these once again, just see page 126 of the K-5 user manual! >:-(

For a camera like the K-5 and K-30/50/500 which lacks a f/2.8 sensors, this "AF Fine Adjustment" is crucial so as to compensate the spherical aberration that exists on all lenses when stopped down against wide opened, which causes the camera to mis-focus depending on the amount of differences. It is because the AF system actually measures the more central part of the lenses optically for those f/5.6 AF sensors.

So, here we go, we have four scenarios:

1. Nothing is Set:



This is essentially the same as to set in the Custom Function that the "AF Fine Adjustment" is Turned Off / Disabled.

2. "Apply All" is Set but "Apply One" Not:



So, All lenses will use the "+5" setting as shown in the above example which is obvious. Do note that a +ve setting is meant to instruct the camera to focus fronter (to compensate back focusing) and vice versa for a "-ve" value to instruct the camera to focus backwards (to compensate front focusing).

3."Apply All" is Not Set and "Apply One" is Set (for Individual Lenses):



This is also obvious, the "Apply One" setting will take effect when individual lens is mounted of which the lens identity number is detected (for a Pentax F AF lens or later). So, I now know why the official user manual just tells you "Apply All" means apply all, "Apply One" means apply one or something like that but no more! ;-p

Choose this only if your camera does not contain any AF error primitively by itself, like my own K-5 unit which is a perfect copy already! :-D

4. Both "Apply All" and "Apply One" are Set:



Well, what does it mean under this case? Is it actually +2, +5 or +7?? What do you think? :-o For what I checked, it is actually +2, that means that the "Apply One" setting overrides the "Apply All". Whilst this does make sense somehow but however, the "Apply One" is not applied on top of the "Apply All" as many Pentax users wished!

Btw, if you have a copy of your Pentax camera which needs some slight adjustment by itself for *all* lenses, i.e. sample variations with some system errors, set both and remember to individually calibrate all your lenses unless the "Apply All" already works for all your lenses, i.e. scenario #2! Frankly, if you have more prime lenses like me, calibrating each lens is inevitably unavoidable!

Last but not least, some people would be puzzled for what to do with a cheap DAL or even "DA" lenses which does not have a focusing mark (namely, the DA35/2.4, DA50/1.8 and the DA40/2.8XS lens). Well, what you need to do is to put on a sticker and make the mark yourself before doing any further calibration! See the following example. :-)



Besides, some people would still wonder, do the K-5II/s need such "AF Fine Adjustment"? My answer is Yes, if you are using really Fast Prime like the DA*55/1.4 or just an old FA50/1.4 and etc., of which spherical aberration still occurs in between the widest aperture of f/1.4 down right to the f/2.8 aperture where the AF is detected and measured. So, the above techniques do still always apply! And also don't forget that not every copy of the K-5II/s is perfectly quality controlled when it was produced from the Pentax' (and now Ricoh's) factory.

New Firmwares for Pentax DSLRs Released Today

@ Ricoh.jp (In Japanese Only.)

Support to the "new" HD Limited lenses and the "new" model 360 and 540 II flash units are added. Released firmwares are for K-r, K-5, K-5II/s, 645D, K-01, K-30 and K-50. There is no new firmware to the K-500, though.

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