Pentax Users (Advice?)

Discuss equipment and methods or ask for advice
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phreakf4
Posts: 2821
Joined: Mon 01 Sep 2008, 9:42 pm

Re: Pentax Users (Advice?)

Post by phreakf4 »

ikarus wrote:Also , not sure what other Digital Pentax users think , but I find the built in image stabiliser sometimes makes the image worse if panning.

I find I get better panning shots with the body stabilisation off

Under exposure has always been an issue with Pentax , I just set the camera to +3 or +7 depending on the lighting situation.


Image stabiliser; Yes, with fast panning such as close-range motorsport, the Pentax stabiliser can often not keep up, not so much a problem with aircraft where the panning speed is usually much slower.

Exposure; I usually shoot "action" (such as motorsport and aircraft) in Manual Exposure with metering via a hand-held incident light meter. Only problem with that comes from using a polariser or ND (to keep shutter speeds down and aperture close to the "sweet spot" of the lens, on the Bigma that is around f9 to f11)
nothing is confirmed at a show until its u/c hits the tarmac or it is running in for its display.....

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Brevet Cable
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Joined: Tue 05 Mar 2013, 12:13 pm

Re: Pentax Users (Advice?)

Post by Brevet Cable »

Doesn't the IS issue depend on the model? The system on the old Samsung/Pentax bodies is a lot more primitive than the newer bodies ( in much the same way that the IS in lenses has improved over the years )

As for exposure, no different to Canon, really....in fact, with my Canon bodies I usually found it improved matters if I dialled-in about +0.5 as standard, whereas with my Samsung & Pentax I usually only added about +0.3 & from comments I've read on the UK Pentax forums you don't even have to do that on the newer bodies
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MiG_Eater
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Joined: Sat 18 Nov 2017, 4:58 pm

Re: Pentax Users (Advice?)

Post by MiG_Eater »

Very interesting reading. That's a nice set Phreak - I didn't even know the 50-500 existed with OS - this kind of knowledge is why I started this thread!

What kind of editing software did you use?

Any other Pentaxers care to share some photos?

p.s. My latest set, from Cosford, are here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=81204 Really keen to get any feedback on how to improve them, particularly with regard to post processing which I am really unsure about. I tend to just use PSP7 and alter the brightness/contrast - or do a quick process on xnviewMP (which is much quicker).

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phreakf4
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Joined: Mon 01 Sep 2008, 9:42 pm

Re: Pentax Users (Advice?)

Post by phreakf4 »

MiG_Eater wrote:
What kind of editing software did you use?



I shoot RAW and use Photoshop CC for processing. It takes a while to learn even the basics of Photoshop, but there are many video tutorials on the inter-thingy which help and one can find many useful tips and suggestions on here if one asks the right questions.
nothing is confirmed at a show until its u/c hits the tarmac or it is running in for its display.....

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phreakf4
Posts: 2821
Joined: Mon 01 Sep 2008, 9:42 pm

Re: Pentax Users (Advice?)

Post by phreakf4 »

Another point which has occurred to me is that the image stabiliser itself may be in some ways contributing to unsharp images not because of any fault in the stabiliser itself but because the user may not allow for the fact that it takes a while to "lock on". When using an in-lens IS it is obvious to the user that the system is operating properly because the image in the viewfinder (or on the screen) is also stabilised, whereas with the Pentax (and I believe early Sony) in-body systems the viewfinder image is not stabilised even if the system is operating correctly. This means that if one tracks the subject and then only presses or half-presses the shutter button just as a pleasing angle is seen, the IS will not have time to fully activate before the shutter button is fully pressed to take the shot.

This is one of the reasons why I use the back AF button for focus and not the shutter button (that option is in the "Custom" menu on Pentax camera bodies) so that focus and IS can be activated individually. What I do when I see what looks like a good angle developing is to take a half-pressure on the shutter button, which activates the IS, then press the rear AF button to get focus, then fully press the shutter button to take the shot

I find that this gives me the best chance of a sharp shot. Of course, still only a proportion of shots come out sharp, but that is about the best I can do.
nothing is confirmed at a show until its u/c hits the tarmac or it is running in for its display.....