Archive for the ‘pentax’ tag
Pentax Germany Releases New Details on Upcoming Lenses
Pentax Forums found a recent news post from Pentax Germany: who outed the specs on new lenses hinted at in their roadmap. According to the Google Translation in English, three new K mount lenses are coming in the form of the SMC Pentax-DA 560mm F5.6, SMC Pentax-DA 50mm F1.8, 25mm F4, and SMC Pentax-D FA 645 90mm F2.8. The former is a serious birding and spy lens, while the 50mm f1.8 is the quintessential portrait lens for all their APS-C sensor cameras like their popular K-5, the recently announced K-01, and this monster. The latter is a new lens for their 645D and shared image samples from, which we had hands on with a long time ago.
Plus, details on a new telephoto lens for the Q system have been spread; but info is very lacking. They’ve also announced that users of the 645D can finally tether to their computers as they shoot, and some new tough cameras.
For convenience, the translated press release has been copy and pasted after the jump.
Pentax K-01 Sports APS-C Sensor, Weird Look
Yes, the rumors were true. Pentax announced the K-01 mirrorless camera. Unlike the Q, this one’s got an APS-C sized sensor just as large as their very good K-5. Other important features are 1080 HD video (H.264: 30p, 25p or 24p, ISO output up to 12800, and a burst shooting rate at 6 fps at the fastest. Plus, it features a 3.0-inch 921k-dot LCD and sensor-shift image stabilization. Lastly, it features an SD card slot. The Pentax K-01 will be sold body-only for $749.95 and will also be available with the new 40mm pancake for $899.95. By itself, the 40mm F2.8 XS will be $249.95.
Look for it all in March.
The Best Budget Lenses and Accessories for Canon DSLR Users Shooting Video
We’ve written before about the best budget lenses, the best accessories for HDSLR cameras, the right Canon lens for you and we even listed a bunch of autofocus lenses for DSLR videography. But what if you need to start shooting more video to help your business grow? Sure, you can spring for the autofocus lenses but they’re not always the most affordable and photographic lenses aren’t always the most ergonomical when it comes to shooting video. Instead, you may want to spring for some of these bad boys: providing that you have the right accessories too.
After having real-world and live testing, we bring you the guide to the best lenses for shooting video (and lots of other accessories too.)
With this said, always remember: vision comes first.
ISO Torture Test: Pentax K-5 vs. Nikon D7000, which is better?
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There has been some debate, on this site and on others, about the Pentax K-5 and Nikon D7000. Both are new on the market, packed with their respective company’s hottest new features including 16+ CMOS sensors that deliver wide dynamic capture, great color, and smooth detail. Both have made favorable impressions with reviewers, including myself. To address some of the comments we’ve been getting regarding grain and image quality, as well as to satisfy my own curiosity, I decided to set up a little informal test up to push both cameras to the extremes of high ISO and noise and the results are pretty interesting.
The Complete Pentax K-5 Review
The Pentax K-5, a robust and compact DSLR with excellent customization and great image quality. Now that the review is over, let’s do a recap.
A Quick Look at Pentax K-5 Video
A selling point for the new Pentax K-5 is its ability to shoot high quality video. To give it a little test, I made this hasty family video of my two kids working on a “Merry Christmas” sign and then showing it off in our studio. As a photographer, video falls outside my area of expertise, but I know readers will be curious about the function and want to see a little example filming. Read on for a few thoughts on the K-5 as camcorder. Read the rest of this entry »
