Digital SLR Reviews Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Pentax SLR’

Pentax D LI50 Li Ion Rechargeable Battery for Pentax K10D and K20D Digital SLR Cameras

Battery allows approximately 500 shots per charge under normal conditions / For use with Pentax K10D DSLR camera body

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars So far so good.
I am very happy to have a second power source. Plus I am happy to get the manufacturer brand for such a good price. My local store wanted almost twice the price. I also got it in 3 days. Wow!

5 Stars battery
Great response from this company. I received this item well before the ship date stated.

5 Stars Great long lasting battery.
I got the extra battery for my BG2 battery grip on the K20D.

My wife and I take alot of pictures and with the 2 batteries being used at the same time (alternating through the pictures) these batteries seem to last forever.

5 Stars Long lasting, reliable
I bought two, but have only used one, since the battery life is very long on the K20D. (More than double what I got on the Lithiums for my *istD). It also holds a full charge for months.

5 Stars No more Out of batery messages
I haven’t had any low battery warning since I got the battery grip, I’m glad of using this original battery on my camera! ecomended to anyone!

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Pentax K 7 14 6 MP Digital SLR with Shake Reduction and 720p HD Video Body Only

The Pentax K-7 has been developed as a high-end model of the PENTAX K digital SLR camera series. True to its series concept, it was designed not only to assure outstanding image quality, but also to provide exceptional ease and comfort of operation and the utmost satisfaction to photo enthusiasts of all levels, including advanced amateurs. The new K-7 has arrived. Faster and more durable than ever before, the compact, 14.6 MP K-7 truly is the most powerful PENTAX ever. Protected by a durable, high-quality metallic body, but the K-7 is designed to be extremely compact and functional – just like all other K-series models – for enhanced portability and maneuverability. In addition, it has added several user-friendly features, including video recording, high dynamic range (HDR), and automatic horizon correction. All of these make the K-7 a tremendous photographic tool, perfect for all discerning digital SLR photographers. High shutter speed – top shutter speed of 1/8000 sec freezes even the fastest action and gives creative control over apertures in well-lit settings New 77-segment metering system quickly and accurately determines exposure in the most complex & dynamic situations Live View mode – With contrast AF, Face Detection, and optional histogram, grid, and bright/dark area display 100% field-of-view viewfinder (with 0.92X magnification) Widescreen HD Movie Capture – With adjustable quality, aperture control, Shake Reduction and external microphone terminal for recording stereo sound (up to 1280×720p30) High resolution playback – HDMI port with selectable output resolution (1080i, 720p, 480p, and auto) Faster, more responsive AF – 11-point autofocus system Shake Reduction system – Now compensates for rotational sensor movement Dust Reduction system – Dust-free image capture Dynamic Range function – With highlight and adjustable shadow correction HDR image capture mode – Blends three separate

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars A winner from Pentax
The things I like:

* The size is small, which I like, and it feels like a solid little brick in the hand.

* The build quality is superb

* Weather sealed and rugged

* IQ is excellent, especially if you use RAW and do your own post processing

* High ISO is very useable right up to and including ISO3200 especially if you shoot RAW and use post process noise reduction.

* Ergonomics are excellent, which makes you want to use the camera. Nothing worse than not enjoying using a camera as you won’t want to take it with you.

* 100% viewfinder

* SR is fabulous and works with every lens. I can easily get 3 stops extra handholdability, but have achieved 4 and 5 stops!

* Large high resolution rear LCD great for critical focus review

* Hugely customizable functions to make the camera suit your photo shooting style.

* AF adjustment for fine tuning AF lenses which may back or front focus.

* Live View works very well.

* fast AF even in low light. Has a AF assist light as well.

* Quiet shutter

* Horizon level indicator in viewfinder

* Refinement.

There is really anything I don’t like. The camera handles like a dream and is so very easy to use with all the controls and menus easy to operate and find.

The optional battery grip, D-BG4, is also excellent, giving an even more solid feel and an aid for portraiture and the longer lenses. The battery grip can use the propietry Pentax rechargeable battery, D-Li90, or use optional AA batteries.

4 Stars K-7 “Noisy” Improvement Over the K20
Starting with the impressive Pentax K10 a few years ago, I later welcomed the arrival of the K20 for improvements over a very capable camera. The K20`s 14.6mp CMOS sensor provided much improved high ISO performance so that shooting at ISO 2000 for concert photos was no problem. The individual lens adjustment for auto focus was also a huge plus since lenses that were barely usable on the K10 due to front or back focus problems functioned normally on the K20. I even found that the live view feature was pretty handy for such things as sunrise or sunset pictures where it would be impossible to look through the viewfinder without damaging your eyes. What remained a bit of a disappointment on the K20, however, was the often slow and inaccurate auto focus, the slow burst rate and the finicky white balance performance that much of the time needed constant fiddling to get close to accurate hues under various lighting conditions. There was also the anticipation that high ISO performance would be improved as well. Knowing the K20 limitations, I could usually work around them and still get impressive shots. But there’s always the expectation of improvement, especially when you start bumping into those limitations and seeing how the competition is moving ahead of what you’re shooting with.

So when the K-7 was suddenly announced, I had hopes for another measureable step forward to answer to the shortcomings of the K20. The first feature that caught my attention was not the HD video capability at 30fps, but rather the entirely new 14.6mp sensor “built from the ground up” with the intention of improving high ISO performance, especially in shadow details, as Pentax claimed. Additionally, there was the new 5.2 fps burst rate and improved autofocus performance. That was all I needed to buy the K-7. You can read about all the improvements this camera represents in the other reviews from those who also bought the K-7, so I’ll keep my comments to those things specific to my experience after a month shooting thousands of JPEG pictures (no, I haven’t played with RAW yet, and I understand that’s where the K-7 really does well).

Pros:

The new smaller size is not what I would have liked. I actually was hoping for a slight increase in the size of the K20 since I just like the feel of a larger camera. However, the solid construction and layout when combined with the optional battery grip made for a satisfying package for comfortable handling. I also like the battery option of standard Pentax K-7 battery or 6 AA batteries in the grip. Without the battery grip, the small size does have advantages for portability/storage, however.

The white balance improvement over the K20 is huge! Even under various artificial lighting conditions, the white balance is surprisingly accurate. This will save me many hours of post-edit work just to adjust the color balance as I did with my indoor K20 shots.

The new shutter is much quieter and smoother. I never really cared for the shutter sounds of the K10 and K20 compared to Canon, Nikon and others. Although still not as smooth and “precise” sounding as other cameras, I can live with the K-7 shutter noise. In fact, the quietness is a big plus for taking candid shots when you don’t want to draw attention to yourself.

The 5.2 fps burst rate is a substantial improvement from 3 fps for action shots and is still workable compared to the faster rate of other cameras in the 6 to 8 fps range.

The autofocus performance does seem to be improved, although the type of lens you use can make a big difference in focusing speed. I’ve found that in bright light the fastest focusing lenses are the ones not using the quiet SDM mechanism in the lens, but rather the noisy screw drive in the camera body, although these lenses tend to have less focus travel, helping with focusing speed. I’ve noticed less “back-and-forth” indecision in focusing with the K-7 in low light situations, but the overall speed is probably average amongst the various DSLR makes. The AF assist light is also a nice addition that helps in near-dark situations.

Cons:

I’m most disappointed with the performance of the new sensor. Throughout my picture-taking with this camera, I noticed an overall tendency for my shots to be just a bit “noisier” than the K20 at all ISO settings. After careful JPEG comparisons between my K20 and the K-7 at ISO 2000 using the same lens and same settings, I found that the K-7 had slightly more “grain” than the K20. This was especially noticeable in shadows – which is where the biggest improvement was supposed to be. The K20 sensor would best the K-7 at all comparable ISO noise reduction settings with the exception of the highest NR setting. Detail would certainly be reduced in both cameras at that setting, but the K-7 does show more detail despite the increased noise reduction. The only thing I noticed is that the increased detail, or resolution, is accompanied by harsher edge detail like over-sharpening or the way watercolors can bleed along an edge. These issues considered, I would have been no less disappointed if the K-7 had come with the K20 sensor so long as the white balance improvement came with it.

Despite the greatly improved white balance, I found that the K-7 still has a bit of a problem rendering red such as red lighting or red colors in stage performance situations. They end up looking a bit washed-out and pinkish.

I remain concerned about Pentax quality control. The first copy I did most of my shooting with turned out to have a “noisy” flexible back that squeaked and creaked near the buttons and thumb rest. Amazon was spectacular in getting me a replacement in a couple days. The new K-7 is solid, but I’ve noticed that pictures on this copy are slightly underexposed. I’ve been told that there have been other copies purchased with the same flexible rear body issue.

Overall:

The K-7 is still a worthy improvement over the K20 despite the disappointing “non-improvement” in ISO performance: for me the K20 now becomes a solid backup camera to the K-7. The multitude of features and improvement of the menu and controls and the overall quality of the pictures it can produce, hold up well to competitors in the same general class resulting in a really fine camera choice and better deal in the balance. Mounted with the best Pentax glass, I feel just as capable standing next to the pros shooting with high-end APS-C class Canons or Nikons – the resulting pictures speak for themselves. With the K-7, Pentax is a high-value option for serious enthusiasts.

Update 9/23: The 2nd copy I received turned out to have an apparent defective sensor/light metering system – or very odd normal behavior. At all ISO settings above 1250, the image (JPEG and RAW) is underexposed by about one full stop. A problem of underexposure with the K-7 is covered in more than one professional review but Pentax says that they are not aware of such issues. Looking back at pictures taken with my first copy, it also appears the problem existed with that one as well. As a result, I’m not confident in the integrity of the new sensor/metering system on the K-7 (and certainly not in the quality control) and will wait until next year before trying my luck with a third copy. Interestingly, Amazon insisted that I process this return as a refund rather than as another replacement which I had requested. For now I’ll continue to enjoy my still very capable K20.

5 Stars Superb little camera
This camera is like a BMW M3 in a world mostly populated by Minivans. The build quality is impeccable, the camera is fairly hefty for its size, and will take abuse well. It is weathersealed, something that Canon only offers in their professional series, and Nikon at the D300 level, all of which cost substantially more. And it has in-body image stabilization, making all your lenses potentially hand-holdable, where others need a tripod. The image quality is on par with every other offering in this sensor size, with some ups in one area, some downs in another.

Lenses are far fewer than with the Canon/Nikon families, but what is available is all good quality, not cheap leftovers from the film era. The only lack is very long telephoto lenses such as 500, 600mm, for those one has to buy either used, or third party, like Sigma. (Pentax actually may make a 600mm F4 on special order, at a price similar to Canikon)

Controls are good and thoughtful, menus are well arranged, again, there is not a whole lot of difference in quality among brands, but certainly in personal preference.

I do have dual systems, using a Canon 1DIII with long and/or fast lenses for sports and action, while taking the Pentax for everyday and travel photography, having been displeased with Canon’s prosumer offerings (50D, 5D Mark II) because of their lack of robustness primarily, their added weight and in the case of the 5DII, insufficient improvement of image quality to offset the slowness of the camera and above listed drawbacks.)

I have used the camera for some sports photography, and tested the AF system, and find it more than adequate. While the K7 has only 2 more AF points than the above mentioned Canons, the distribution is quite a bit better, going almost out to the thirds points

5 Stars K-7 a true Pentax
With the K-7 Pentax return to form and build a superb, fully featured, high quailty camera the likes of with they have not had since the LX era. I can’t think of any feature I would want to add.

5 Stars The Pentax You’ve Been Waiting For
This is my 3rd Pentax camera, having owned the K100D Super, and K20D, as well as a Samsung GX10. I still use the K100D and the GX10, but I sold the K20D to upgrade to the K7 as I Didnt believe the K20 was much improvement over my GX10. The K7 is the camera I was hoping the K20 was. It is much improved in every aspect, and is finally the pro quality Pentax I have been waiting for. The build quality is fantastic, and I love the size. It goes perfectly with the Limited lenses, and is a package that is small enough to take with you everywhere. The autofocus is in a different league compared to all other Pentax cameras I have owned in the past. This cannot be overstated, it is THE upgrade pentax needed to compete. The auto white balance is also much improved, and is very accurate now. The battery life is excellent so far, however I don’t use the Live View function or video, so I don’t know the effect that will have on battery life. This is the best camera I have ever owned, and I finally feel I have the camera to take advantage of all my nice Pentax glass. Just buy it, you will not be dissapointed.

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Pentax DA 55 300mm f 4 5 8 ED Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras

The versatile Pentax DA 55-300mm zoom lens offers a focal length equivalent of 82.5 to 450mm in the 35mm format, making it ideal for moderate to long sports and wildlife shots. The lens is outfitted with multiple ED glass elements, which are designed to minimize chromatic aberration and makes images look crisper and sharper than ever before. The Pentax Super Protective coating, meanwhile, protects the exposed lens elements against dirt and contamination. Other features include a focusing ring that permits easy manual focusing, a 4.6-foot close focusing distance, and a 58mm filter diameter. Specially adapted for high-quality Pentax and Samsung digital SLR cameras, the lens carries a one-year warranty.

Specifications

• Focal length: 55-300mm
• Maximum aperture: f/4 to 5.8
• Minimum aperture: f/22 to 32
• Lens construction: 12 elements in 8 groups
• Angle of view: 29 to 5.4 degrees (when used with Pentax digital SLR camera body)
• Number of diaphragm blades: 6
• Minimum focusing distance: 4.6 feet
• Maximum magnification: 0.28x
• Filter diameter: 58mm
• Diaphragm control: Fully automatic
• Hood: PH-RBG 58mm
• Objective cap: O-LC58
• Case: S80-160
• Corresponding AF mounts: Pentax and Samsung
• Dimensions: 2.8 inches in diameter and 4.4 inches long
• Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Warranty: 1 year

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Bad copies, beware!
I received two bad copies of this lens ordering from Amazon. The first wouldn’t focus even in bright light/high contrast; it would sit there seeking forever and decide on a very blurry shot. This wouldn’t have been so bad, but the manual focus ring is pretty touchy, especially when at 300mm. Additionally, it appeared that the left half of the image was out of focus and the right half was in focus when taking faraway shots.

I returned the lens to Amazon for another copy – Amazon gets five stars for its awesome exchange policy! – and this new copy didn’t have the autofocus problems, but all my pictures were blurry regardless of the aperture. To make sure I wasn’t going insane or just being a poor photographer, I tested out a copy at a local photo store and found the images to be sharp and crisp like all the other reviewers here. So, buyer beware, it looks like there’s a bad batch out there somewhere.

4 Stars Great value zoom
This lens is a really great deal and unless you are going to pay waaay more, picking up this lens is a no brainer. The reason I only give it 4 stars is that while the IQ is excellent, it’s still not on par with the DA* lenses. It takes excellent pictures but they just lack that POP that the DA* and other top end lenses give you but it is a very sharp lens which makes post processing that much easier.

Ideally, I would like a DA* 50-135 and a DA* 300 to cover the similar range but that would run close to 2K. So all in all I am very happy with this little lens.

5 Stars Pentax Lens
This lens meets all my expectations, I have used it several times with complete satisfaction.

4 Stars a great performer
I have had this lens for about a month now. First the good things: This lens is surprisingly sharp from 55mm all the way through 300mm and there is not much difference in sharpness between widely open and close down aperture. The weight is just about right and focusing speed is ok for me. But, my lens has very strong chromatic abberation when it is widely open, all through the zoom range. The color (blue) fringe is pretty (excuse me for not being scientifically accurate) wide. In a test shot, the black characters (on a white background) became all blue at the short end of the lens at f4 and f5.6. I did not bother to return my lens for service or exchange, because it is so sharp and I can avoid most of the chromatic abberation by not shooting high contrast subjects. At about 350 dollars, this lens is not at all a bargain as somebody has suggested. But it performs much better than many other lens in this league.

5 Stars Pentax DA 55-300mm f/4-5.8 ED Lens
This is a fine zoom lens. I especially enjoy taking pictures of low flying planes with it.

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Opteka Professional 1X 2X Right Angle Viewfinder for Canon Nikon Olympus Sony and Pentax Digital SLR Cameras

Ever find it hard to get your SLR in just the right angle to take that perfect shot you’ve always wanted. Optekas Professional Right Angle Viewfinder let’s you line up an off the deck shot without needing to crawl on your belly. The Opteka finder features include a built in diopter with 1X and 2X capability, full 360 degree rotation, and universal mounting attachments for most Digital SLR cameras including Canon EOS, Nikon, Olympus EVOLT, Pentax, Sony Alpha, & many more. Padded leather-like pouch for easy handling included.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Good quality and good price
I bought this for my Nikon D60. It is not the kind of thing I use a great deal, but it is very helpful for low angles. I bought it primarily for macro photography, although the 2X magnification is very nice when the camera is on a tripod. The finder is well made and it fits perfectly. I noticed comments on loose fitting with Canon cameras, but this is not the case with Nikon. It produces a clear image with good contrast. Its only problem is a narrow angle of view, i.e., you have to look straight into the eyepiece. This is a minor issue. At roughly 1/4th the cost of the Nikon right angle finder, this is a real bargain.

3 Stars Ill-fitting adapter
This was the most reasonably-priced angle viewfinder on the market. After reading the reviews of it on Amazon I decided to buy it since I made a new year’s resolution to do more with macro photograhy this year. The viewfinder arrived quickly and was packaged in a nice leather (or pseudo-leather pouch). Because the viewfinder is “universal” it comes with several different adaptors for different makes and models of DSLRs. I have a Canon 50D, so I immediately selected that adapter and tried to attach the viewfinder to the camera. Unfortunately the adapter is a shade larger than the viewfinder on the camera that it attaches to. The end result is that the viewfinder is loose on the camera–to the point that it might even fall off if you don’t hold it firmly against the camera with your finger. I don’t know if this was an error in packaging of the adapter or not. I did not read anything about this in any of the other reviews, I can certainly still use the viewfinder, and it appears to function adequately, but it is going to be kind of a pain to have to hold it tight with my finger.

5 Stars Using Opteka’s Professional Right Angle Viewfinder
Who would have thought that an accessory like this could be so much fun. I bought this item for the purpose of getting into closeup photography at different angles.

I must have used this in the regular position, looking down like an old box camera, for who knows how many shoots.

I experimented with turning the viewer to be able to look around corners. Actually, the viewfinder can be turned to 4 different positions. A whole new world can be seen from almost all of these options.

4 Stars Nice performer for light duty
I purchased this device for occasional, light duty and it fills that requirement very well. The fit on my Nikon D80 and D90 is slightly lose but not so lose as to cause problems given my limited usage. It certainly makes ground level flower photography much easier and is very handy when I attach my camera to my astronomical telescope. If I were a professional photographer or used a right angle viewfinder for a majority of my work, the $230 Nikon viewfinder would make sense but for the more limited work I do with it, this $60 device fills the need and performs very well.

5 Stars opteka right angle viewfinder
This item does a good job for the purpose of it’s design

has quality optic’s and works well.Recommend item

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Pentax DA 18 250mm f 3 5 6 3 ED AL IF Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras

What a range! The smc PENTAX DA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 ED AL [IF] interchangeable zoom lens, designed for exclusive use with PENTAX digital SLR cameras, will provide just about all the coverage you’ll need. With an approximate 14X zoom ratio covering from wide-angle to super-telephoto ranges, this versatile lens handles a great variety of applications from wide-angle landscapes to close-up sporting events and wildlife photography.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Good quality lens
It pretty close to what it is advertised to be. Not good for low light. under bright natural or artificial lights it works great.

5 Stars Terrific lens for the money
It seems that one has to find out which are the outstanding Pentax lenses by reading a lot, and by trial and error. Price is no guide, as with this lens which sells for about half the price of the equivalent Nikon lens. It is an outstanding lens, and even at 250mm (that’s 375mm in 24×36 lingo!), with Pentax’s superb anti-shake mechanism, it is very useful.

An extraordinarily impressive and useful lens. As always, the drawback of these zooms is their lack of speed. f/6.3 is the maximum aperture at 250mm, but if it were any faster, the lens would be enormous. I use two “prime” lenses for speed — 50mm f/1.4 (one of the GREAT buys out there) and my trusty old 85mm f/1.8. Those two, plus a 16-45mm Pentax zoom, and this zoom, cover just about everything. I just wish Pentax would stop improving the camera body about every twenty minutes.

5 Stars Fantastic Walk Around Lens
This Pentax version of the Tamron original does JUST what I wanted it for at a very reasonable price. When I go on trips or outings, I want to carry very little. This more than adequately replaces my previous down-sized kit of an 18-55 and a 50-200. Not only is one lens much lighter than two, it takes considerably less space and provides me fewer opportunities to introduce dust into the camera body while I change lenses. On top of that, it produces sharp pictures with minimal CA.

What it’s not:

Fast. Making this range of zoom fast would require lots more glass (bigger and heavier) and even more cash.

A real macro lens. It doesn’t compete with my FA 100 2.8. This too is a heavy lens and I don’t usually take it on trips.

A real telephoto lens. A 300 and up would be truly heavy and require mounting on a tripod (still more weight).

An ultra-wide ange lens. At its widest it’s the equivalent of a 28.

What it is is a lens I can rely on to capture the picture in almost any situation without having to resort to extensive post-processing work,

5 Stars The best option!
The best option for people like me, who wants to take good pictures but are a little lazy to carry a big bag of accessories every time you go out.

Good photos in all range, good build and love the “lock” key… perfect!

BTW, Pentax rules!

5 Stars Anateur/Enthusiast Photographer
Don’t let anyone tell you anything about the negative side of this DA 18-250mm zoom lens. It is a little darling gadget in exploring good photography. Amateur and enthusiast would just love to have one in his bag. Its focal length is tremendous. You can zoom back and fore with one touch. I was laboriously using two lenses (18-55mm and 50-200mm) in the past; now I just carry one with my camera inseparably. Best of all, it has a tiny lock switch on the barrel to prevent extending out when you carry your equipment up-side-down. Otherwise, you probably have to use a suspender to hold it back.

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